“I’ve never even looked at another woman! It wouldn’t occur to me to do so.”
“Another man?”
“Absolutely not!” Cecily laughed. “Rorie, if I’d wanted that, I could’ve done it ages ago. That’s not what this is about. This is just about me.” She studied Rorie’s eyes, noting the trouble that marred the usually calm blue pools. Cecily’s expression softened. “But where is this sudden insecurity coming from? It’s not like you.”
“I don’t know,” Rorie said with a sigh. “Maybe it just seems too good to be true. Or maybe I’m just hungry,” she added with a shrug. “I don’t think clearly when I haven’t eaten.”
“See? That’s exactly the type of thing we still need to learn about each other. Note to self: always make sure you’re fed. If that’s all it is, it looks like it’s about to be fixed.” Cecily smiled as the waitress approached their table with their food. “Look, they even put it on two plates for us! I thought they’d be upset about splitting a meal.”
“They’re used to it,” Rorie commented as she picked up her fork. “You’re in Hollywood-land now. There’s not a woman in a hundred miles who isn’t on some kind of diet. If anything, the waitress was probably thrilled you didn’t also demand low-carb, paleo, farm-raised, gluten-free, and certified organic.”
Cecily bit into her burger, a moan of satisfaction escaping her as a drop of its juice dribbled from the corner of her lips. “See?” She said after swallowing. “That's exactly why I'd never want to be famous. Being a voice actor is perfect. Nobody recognizes me or cares how big my hips get. No diets for me. I’d eat an entire burger, and a milkshake too, if only I wouldn't have to wash dishes in the back to pay the bill!”
“And that’s why you’re so perfect. You’re not trying to be anything but you.”
Cecily felt her cheeks begin to blush. “Not anymore. Hey! The music stopped,” she added. The dinner crowd had thinned and a busboy was wiping down a nearby table. With fewer conversations going on around them, the lack of music was more noticeable. “Should I go pick out a song on the jukebox?” she asked, reaching for her purse.
“I don’t know. Do you think you can spare the quarter?” Rorie answered with a teasing smirk.
“I’ll manage,” Cecily said with a snort. “I’ll be right back.”
Cecily rose from the table and made her way to the jukebox, a brightly lit machine of glossy wood and bubbly neon. She’d expected it to be a replica filled with modern CDs, but was surprised to find it was an original that offered the same assortment of vinyl records that had been loaded into it when it was made. Judging by the titles, that had been several years before the word “Beatles” meant anything other than a bug. She squinted at the faded list of songs and was just reaching into her change purse for a coin when a man’s voice sounded from behind her.
“You don’t need to pay.”
Cecily turned to see a man with sandy-blond hair and deeply tanned skin, maybe thirty-five or forty years old, though it was impossible to say for certain. Like almost all of the men she’d seen in California, he was dressed in surfing attire—long printed shorts and a t-shirt with some ocean-themed design—that conferred a perpetual air of carefree youth. Cecily smiled and raised her eyebrows questioningly at his words.
“The owner rigged it so all you have to do is push the buttons and the song comes on. No need for a quarter.”
“Oh. Thank you,” Cecily replied. She smiled brightly as she popped the change purse back into her bag and pressed a button. The machine whirred to life and she giggled in amusement at the complicated choreography it took to move the record to the turntable.
“Awesome, isn’t it?” the man asked, lingering just a shade too close for Cecily’s comfort as he, too, watched the machine.
“Oh, yes. It really is.” Cecily glanced to the table where Rorie waited. “Thanks again for the tip!” She took a determined step away from the jukebox.
“Sure, no problem! I come in here all the time, kind of a regular. I’ve never seen you here before.”
Cecily froze mid-step, her years of polite southern upbringing preventing her from walking away while someone was talking. “Uh, no. I’m new to the area.” She smiled as she inched her way a little farther from the jukebox.
“Oh, that’s great!” His face lit up with an enthusiasm that made Cecily groan inwardly. “Look, I know the area really well. Maybe I could show you around sometime?”
“Thanks, but actually my girlfriend’s waiting for me over at the table, so…” She looked back in Rorie’s direction again and held her breath, hoping he’d take a hint.
“Oh, yeah. Yeah, of course.” He gave a jovial wave of his hand and Cecily breathed a sigh of relief as she scurried back toward the table.
“That took a while,” Rorie commented when she returned.
“I got caught up in a conversation,” Cecily explained apologetically.
“It looked from here like that guy was hitting on you.” Rorie’s tone was light, and Cecily was relieved she didn’t seem upset.
“He kind of was.” Cecily rolled her eyes. “I think I set him straight, so to speak, when I told him I was here with my girlfriend.”
“Oh yeah? Well done!”
Cecily grinned at the proud expression on Rorie’s face. Pride in the way she'd handled the situation bubbled up inside her, until the scraping of a metal chair across the tile dragged her attention back to the present. Her expression froze into a mildly annoyed half-smile as she watched the blond surfer drag a chair from a nearby table and settle in, his body positioned backward on the seat of the chair, his hands resting on the top of the chair’s back and propping up his chin with casual poise. It was obvious he was used to women finding him irresistibly charming, though Cecily found his intrusion on her date anything but.
“So, ladies! Having a girl’s night out? Cool.” He nodded at each of them, oblivious to their less than warm reception. “Hey, I’m Derrick.” He extended his hand toward Rorie, who nodded succinctly but kept her own hands firmly folded in front of her.
“Did you want something, Derrick?” Cecily asked through clenched teeth.
“Oh, yeah,” he replied, unaware of the strain his presence had caused. “So, there’s, like, this street fair thing later this summer, like right here in the center of town. You should totally check it out.”
Cecily reached across the table, drawing Rorie’s hand into her own and giving it an exaggerated squeeze. “Thanks, Derrick. Maybe we will.” She emphasized her words with another squeeze of Rorie’s hand, just for good measure.
“Cool. I mean, we could totally meet up before that, though.”
Cecily felt the growing tension in Rorie’s body telegraphing itself through the stiffening grip of her hand. She looked over to see her girlfriend’s face set in a grim expression of annoyance. Right. Enough is enough. Being polite was fine to a point, but Cecily had invited Rorie on this evening’s date and it was her responsibility to make sure it didn’t get ruined by some clueless jerk.
“Derrick. I think you’re confused. Let me spell it out for you. When I said I had to get back to my girlfriend, I wasn’t talking about a girl’s night out. I was talking about my date.” She glanced across the table at Rorie, who was biting a lip to keep from grinning. “I’m sure you’re a nice guy, but—how do I put this in a way that you’ll be sure to understand? You need to move along to someone you have a chance with, because right now you’re seriously impacting my chances of getting laid.”
Rorie pulled her hand from Cecily’s and slapped it across her mouth to stifle the chortling sound that was rumbling in her throat. Meanwhile, a dawning look of comprehension spread across Derrick’s features.
“Dude. You two are lesbians?” He swiveled his head, looking wide eyed at one and then the other, and Cecily nodded. “Awesome,” he added with a lascivious grin.
“Right,” Rorie said, rising to her feet so rapidly that her chair wobbled behind her on two legs and narrowly missed cra
shing to the floor before it steadied. “Time for us to go, Cici.”
Cecily rose as well, nodding dumbly, her mouth still slightly agape at the man’s response. She allowed Rorie to link arms with her and pull her toward the door. Once outside, the two collapsed against one another, shaking with laughter.
Chapter 3
“Oh my God, can you believe the nerve of that guy?” Cecily’s shoulders still shook as she paused on the front porch to rummage for her house keys. “Another minute, I think he would’ve invited himself to come back with us!”
Rorie eyed her girlfriend’s shapely form in the moonlight. An image of Derrick hovering much too close by the jukebox flashed through her mind, and the accompanying jealousy made her insides feel prickly. “The optimism of the male of the species never ceases to amaze me.” Rorie followed her into the house as she spoke, one hand possessively resting on the small of Cecily’s back. “Why do you think more than fifty percent of the condoms sold in this country every year are never used? They just sit in wallets and glove boxes, hoping.”
Cecily looked behind her, raising an eyebrow suspiciously. “That’s not a real statistic. You made that up.”
Rorie shrugged. She repositioned her arm to pull Cecily closer to her. “True. But it sounds plausible. Have you ever met a guy, regardless of age, who wasn’t positive that someday he’d run into the Swedish Bikini Team and be so thankful to have thought ahead? I mean, you have a college-aged son…” She felt Cecily’s body stiffen against her.
“And you are going to need a list of things not to say to the mother of a college-aged son,” Cecily reprimanded with a teasing tone. “That’s the second time tonight that you’ve struck fear into my heart when it comes to Tyler.”
“Sorry, babe.” Rorie pulled her closer again and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be the first to admit that I have zero skills when it comes to kids.”
“Think of all the experience you’re about to get once Tyler’s moved into his dormitory, just a couple miles from your house!”
It was Rorie’s turn to stiffen. She’d gotten along splendidly with Tyler while she was working in Connecticut. He was a good kid and a talented young filmmaker. Still, the prospect of relating to him in anything approaching a parental capacity sent her stomach into nervous spasms.
“Relax, Rorie,” Cecily added softly. “He’s not a kid anymore, and no one expects you to be his mom.”
Rorie closed her eyes, wanting to believe Cecily’s words, but feeling uncertain. Her tension eased slightly at the sensation of Cecily’s fingers cupping her cheeks, and she felt her worry slowly drain away as she savored the tingling feeling of their lips meeting in the semi-darkness of the foyer.
“I guess,” Rorie said in between kisses, “if you can learn to stand up to horny men with misguided lesbian fantasies, I can learn to deal with one harmless teenage boy.”
Cecily chuckled. “That wasn’t half bad on my part tonight, was it?”
“Not half bad? It was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.” Rorie whispered the last bit into Cecily’s ear, then caught her earlobe playfully between her teeth as her hands slid beneath the crisp fabric of Cecily’s shirt and caressed the silky bare skin of her back.
Cecily’s breath caught and she swallowed hard. “Is that right?” Her voice was husky, her breathing shallow. Her words tickled Rorie’s ear.
“Mm—hm.” Ripples of desire pulsed through Rorie’s core, reducing her response to a low moan. She plucked at the closure on Cecily’s bra until it came loose with a snap, allowing her hands free access to the succulent flesh it contained. “You were so hot that if we hadn’t left when we did, I might’ve dragged you to the ladies room and had my way with you right there.”
“Rorie!” Cecily laughed with genuine surprise, her breasts falling from Rorie’s grasp as she did.
“What?” Amused irritation colored her tone.
“It’s just…that’s not something people really do is it? I thought that was just in movies.”
“And once again, I can’t help but wonder exactly what these movies were that you watched…but, as for your question, I mean…I can think of a few times…”
“Is this going to turn into one of those stories you shouldn’t tell me?”
Rorie chuckled. “Probably.”
“I see. Well, I think it’s safe to say that between no PDA at all and wild sex in a public restroom, we need to work on finding a middle ground we both feel comfortable with.”
“Fair enough.” Rorie’s hands sought to pick up where they’d left off, but Cecily had backed too far away, much to her frustration.
“It does give me an idea, though. Wait here.”
The devilish grin with which Cecily said this made the hairs on the back of Rorie’s neck stand on alert and sent a frisson of anticipation down her spine. She studied Cecily’s swaying hips as she retreated down the tile-covered hallway and swallowed roughly, her mouth and lips suddenly parched. Cecily returned moments later, the outfit she’d worn on their date replaced by a short, silky robe that brushed the tops of her creamy thighs. The display made Rorie’s mouth positively water at the sight.
Cecily threaded her fingers through Rorie’s, pulling her down the hall in the direction from which she’d just come. Rorie looked around with curiosity as she followed, but there wasn’t much to see. The house was dark and fairly tiny. The whole bungalow appeared able to fit in just the living room of Cecily’s Connecticut home. It was a modest choice for a woman who was used to life’s luxuries, but even in its half-unpacked state, it seemed to suit Cecily better than the stuffy mansion she’d shared with Chet.
A few more steps brought them to the master bedroom. The realtor had probably optimistically described this room as ‘cozy’, though Rorie noticed with piqued interest that it was large enough to hold a king-sized bed. Her steps slowed to a shuffle as she eyed it hopefully, but Cecily gave her arm a gentle tug to indicate that she had a different destination in mind. Through a door at the far side of the bedroom, Rorie could hear the muffled splash of running water and caught the faintest whiff of lavender.
“So, what do you think?” Cecily’s eyes shone with delight as she stepped aside and allowed Rorie to enter the master bath. It was clear that she had little doubt that Rorie would be impressed.
“That,” Rorie replied, staring wide-eyed toward the tub, “is the most enormous thing I’ve ever seen!”
Indeed, it was a massive bathtub, with room enough for two to sit and soak with ease. An assortment of candles flickered around its perimeter, giving it the appearance of a prop in a commercial for bubble bath. The set designer in her appreciated the scene Cecily had created. She also appreciated that it was much too elaborate to have been done on a whim. The scene of this seduction had been organized well in advance of her arrival, proving that Cecily had been anticipating this evening as much as she had.
Cecily giggled. “I couldn’t believe the size of this tub when I first saw it. It’s half the reason I rented this place!”
“It’s like someone installed an Olympic-sized pool in a Hobbit’s house.”
“Wanna test it out?” The water had nearly reached the top, crowned with a generous layer of lavender scented foam. Cecily turned the tap off, then tested the sudsy water with a swish of her hand. “Perfect!” Grabbing a fluffy white towel, she draped it along one edge. “Here. This will keep your hair from getting too wet.”
Rorie traced a line along the nape of her own neck, brushing her fingertips along a few tightly curled wisps that had escaped their braids. The rest was swept up in her signature style, secured on top of her head with a fancy clip. She’d inherited her mass of unruly raven curls from her mother, at least that was her assumption. Her memory of the woman who’d given birth to her and then left when she was just a small child had long since faded from existence. All things considered, temperamental hair was the least damaging of her mother’s legacies.
“Rorie?”
Cecily’s breath tick
led her neck as she said her name. She’d stolen up silently behind her, unnoticed by Rorie’s wandering mind, and stood so close that Rorie could feel her warmth radiate along the length of her back as Cecily’s arms wrapped around her in an embrace.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
Rorie nodded. “Just distracted for a moment.” Dismissing her rambling thoughts, she relaxed her body against Cecily’s, eyes closed, and soon felt the swishing of fabric along her waist accompanied by the brush of soft fingers grazing her bare skin. She opened one lust-filled eye. “You’ve got my attention now, though.”
Cecily pulled the shirt upward as Rorie raised her arms, removing it and tossing it aside. “Let’s get you into this tub before the water gets cold.” Rorie stood still as Cecily stripped away the rest of her clothing while her insides quivered under Cecily’s smoldering gaze.
Disrobed, Rorie dipped first one foot into the tub, then the other, settling quickly into the water with a satisfied groan. She closed her eyes and stretched out her limbs in a state of relaxed bliss that approached perfection the moment she felt Cecily’s legs glide against her own from the other side of the tub.
They soaked peacefully for a few minutes. The occasional drip of water from the faucet echoed in the quiet. After the last shred of tension had melted away, Rorie opened her eyes and watched Cecily, whose head rested against the edge of the tub, her eyes closed. “You’re very far away over there,” she said, breaking the silence.
Cecily’s eyes opened partway. “You looked like you could use some rest.”
Rorie stretched one leg as far as it would go until she made contact with Cecily’s bare abdomen. With her foot, she traced a line toward Cecily’s navel, feeling the muscles contract beneath her touch as she tickled the sensitive skin. “I think I’ve rested enough.” She slid her foot lower until she could tease the tight space between her thighs, and grinned to see Cecily’s back arch at the contact. “Why don’t you swim over here?”
Love's Encore Series (Books One and Two) Page 25
