This was all such a relief, and despite the dismal outlook on my career, I had hope that somehow things would work out for me, her and us. “We are blessed. Even after being fired.” I snorted. “Did you find a job yet?”
Melanie squeezed my hand and sipped her latte. “Nope.”
“Well aren’t we a pair?” I could only laugh. After all, I had the woman I was falling in love with sitting right next to me. At this moment in time, we were tucked nice and cozy near a fireplace in a warm coffee shop and Christmas was just a couple of days away.
Her cell phone jingled with a text alert. She glanced down and squealed again. “Oh! Oh, it’s her.”
“Her?”
She framed my face in her hands and gave me a big smacking kiss on the lips. She tasted of cinnamon, nutmeg and cream, just like the creamy flavor of her pussy. “I have a Christmas present for you.”
I drew back. “A present? You got me a Christmas present? Wow.”
“Yes, yes I did. Sort of…” She shoved her cup away and started gathering up her purse and coat.
Santa Baby played from the overhead speaker. I listened to it for a few beats then said, “Melanie.”
She halted her movements and shot a look at me over her shoulder. “What?”
“I truly appreciate your thoughtfulness, but we can’t afford gifts right now. Besides, I don’t need any presents. You are my present. Just being here with you, getting the promise of a future with you—that’s all I need for Christmas. So no presents. Okay?”
“Oh no. You’re gonna want this present, believe me.” She shooed me out of the booth and stood. Her eyes glittered with mischief as she pulled me into her arms and whispered in my ear, “And once I show it to you and we get it all on the table, I’m going to make eye-crossing, toe-curling, mind-blowing love to you, babe.”
“Whoa.” Other than that one word, I was speechless simply because her scrumptious threat made my mouth go dry, my lungs deflate and my belly quicken with sexual need like never before.
She pinched my cheek, shot me a devilish grin and shrugged on a sporty coat over the top of her football jersey. Then she turned and yes, sashayed out of the coffeehouse, her nice tight ass swaying from side-to-side in jeans so snug they could’ve been painted on.
“Holy hotcakes, hold the presses. I do believe just this once I am in the mood to be dominated by one particular smokin’-hot woman.”
Chapter Nine
Melanie: Coming Home
“What…why are we stopping here?” Leslee’s brow furrowed. God she looked so damn gorgeous with her eyes all bright and the creaminess of her skin stark against the dark of her hair. And I really dug the fur-edged collar of her coat over a blazer and dress pants she’d paired with a holiday-ish green silk blouse. The entire outfit emphasized her curvy figure and added extra feminine touches she normally hadn’t worn, even at the hotel.
She must’ve just come from a job interview.
I grinned at that thought. My belly fluttered. I couldn’t wait to tell her the news, but there was still that faint apprehension that she wouldn’t go for it.
Leslee glanced around at the fifty or so acres of rolling hills blanketed by a fresh carpet of snow and tucked behind the long fence that lined the driveway. The setting sun glinted in bronze streaks off the white crystals, reminding me of the orange sherbet-and-vanilla ice cream Kaydee and I used to devour at Dad’s farmhouse as kids. But this was a much larger home—a craftsman style decades older than Savanah’s place—with a covered porch on three sides, stone detail and a newer attached four-car garage adjacent to the main house.
I’d see to it that it would have an even cozier feel than the home I’d grown up in.
And it would be mine.
Ours.
My tires crunched on snow as we followed the meandering drive. I pulled in behind Savanah’s high-end sedan, got out and leaned in. “We’re here for your Christmas present. It’s inside. C’mon.” I shut the door before she could respond and leaped from imprint to imprint of Savanah’s footsteps. They followed along the curved walkway and up the half-dozen stairs to the porch. I smelled smoke—she must have started a fire inside to set the mood and make the home welcoming.
I reached the top step and studied the covered space. Yes, this would work fine. The wood flooring would need to be sanded, stained and repainted, and a few spindles on the railing would have to be replaced. But already I could tell the place had good bones. I noted the colorful stained-glass window above the doorframe and the high windows in the craftsman’s heavy maple front door. I sized up the porch’s square footage. Oh yeah. Maybe add an outdoor dining table or two, a couple of porch swings, some hammocks, some flowers in hanging pots and in the flowerbeds…
Leslee followed, her footsteps falling slow and heavy on the steps. “Is that—that’s Savanah’s car, isn’t it?”
“Yep. She’s the one who texted me at the coffeehouse.” I turned the ornate iron doorknob and stepped into the foyer. The inside warmth embraced me, and the scent of cookie-dough candles and burning firewood filled my nostrils. Ah good, Savanah had lit scented candles as one of her usual subtle sales tricks. Flames danced in several candles set on the mantle of a stone fireplace in the dining room and another in the sitting room to the left. The grand dining room had built-ins and a pass-through to the kitchen, just perfect for what I had in mind, and the fireplace roared with a cozy fire.
Leslee leaned against the door to close it. Her gaze fell on the rich-wood staircase straight ahead with the baroque, stained glass window at the landing halfway up. She whistled. “Oh my gawd. This place is amazing.”
Savanah’s heels clipped on wood floors as she passed through the dining room and met us in the entryway.
Leslee caught sight of her and said, “Okay, I give. Savanah’s here, there’s a Savanah Kirtright Real Estate sign perched in the yard and you’re about to pee your pants you’re so excited. Are you buying this place, Melanie?”
“No.”
Leslee flicked an annoyed look at me. “Then what the hell are we doing here?”
“Well… We are going to own this place together.”
I waited the long beat for her to blink, dig into one ear with her pinkie and then clear her throat. “Um, excuse me? We? What are you talking about?”
I couldn’t contain myself any more. I jumped up and down and squealed while holding her upper arms. “Don’t you see, Lez?”
“No, I—” Her mouth hung open.
I barreled on. “We’re both experts in the food and beverage industry, restaurants, hotels, that type thing. You owned Pussycat’s—well, until that prick tricked you and sold it. Bards Holdings and Charles are buying up every gay business in the city to run off that market. But…that’s in the city with all the under-the-table deals with the mayor and the city council and brokers and conservative groups and cops and well, you get the idea. Don’t you see?”
“I—”
“They can’t do a thing about a—wait for it—gay bed-and-breakfast outside the city limits. Do you get it? Huh? Do you?” I shook her. “Do you, for crying out loud?”
Savanah stood back, holding her clipboard to her chest and not saying a word. But she was grinning, and I could see the love and pride shining in her eyes.
Leslee shut her mouth with a grunt of confusion. She pinched her brow and rubbed her chin. Her eyes narrowed as she swept the foyer and the stairs with a probing look. I chewed on my lip while she strolled from room to room on the main level, running her fingers along windowsills, wainscoting and fireplace mantles. Her high heels clipped on bare wood floors and her leg muscles flexed beneath her black dress pants as she walked.
Damn, I could just imagine those legs wrapped around my head while I tasted her pussy and—
“Are you saying you want to run a bed-and-breakfast with me? And target our business to the gay community?” She finally stopped across the sitting room, pulled her coat tight around her frame and crossed her arms.
; Uh-oh. Her hesitation and poker-faced mannerisms made me nervous. Had I overstepped my bounds and miscalculated how she would react?
But I wasn’t to be stopped. I knew in my heart this was our future. This was why we’d met and worked together at the hotel, why this beautiful thing had blossomed between us. If she didn’t see it now, she would. I’d make her see my vision as ours.
“Yes.” Even though a knot of dread tugged at my gut because she didn’t seem excited in the least, my excitement couldn’t be contained. I clapped and jumped up and down in my sneakers. “Isn’t it a brilliant idea? I’ve already bought software to build us a website. I have a really cool logo planned—but of course it’s just preliminary ideas. You’ll have to work on it with me from here on out. Oh! And I’ve got the metatags embedded in each page with search-engine-friendly, rich keywords. We should get major traffic to the site, which means good business.”
She walked toward me but I kept chattering. I had to get it all out. “I also got in touch this morning with several local and national newspapers on advertising rates. And I’ve even contacted one of the Louisville TV networks for ads, and I’ve been searching for a company to build us a sign for the entrance down by the county road. There’s so much more, but I wanted to consult you first and see what you thought about my idea to—”
Leslee framed my face and kissed me silly. Her mouth was warm and wet and tasty, and it took all the willpower I had to remember Savanah was here. Really awkward, so I broke free and saw that tears streamed down Leslee’s cheeks. She held my gaze, her hands still cupping my face and trembling so much, she could barely hang on to me. “You did this for me? For us?”
I nodded. I wasn’t sure if that tone of hers was positive or pissed. I held my breath and waited for what seemed eons as panic and doubt clawed their way from my churning belly to my burning lungs. Again, the uncertainties echoed in my head. Had I been wrong about her, about us? Had I taken liberties and made assumptions I shouldn’t have?
Leslee continued to stare deep into my eyes…or was that a glare? I pressed an unsteady hand to my stomach. Yes, it was a glare. It had to be, given the long silence and that look in her eyes.
Oh god, I think I am going to throw up.
I started to untangle myself from Leslee’s hold on my face and flee, but Savanah stopped me. She clicked her pen and tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the papers clipped to the clipboard. “Uh, should I show you all the rooms? It’s a four-bedroom upstairs, each with en suite baths, plus there’s living quarters on the main level behind the kitchen and then what could eventually be renovated into a honeymoon suite above the garage.”
“I would love to see every inch of our bed-and-breakfast inn.”
“Really?” I gulped and air whooshed out of my lungs.
She smiled at me, her teeth as white as freshly fallen snow. My heart turned over in my chest. I love her. And I think I fell for her somewhere in that phase of our coworking relationship at the hotel. I had been in such denial, dating and sleeping with men I had no interest in whatsoever, then blaming it on rebounding from my breakup with Will.
What an idiot I’d been.
But no more. It was time to make up for lost time.
Leslee nodded and hugged me. Her perfume filled my senses and I buried my nose in her thick, silky hair. Our breasts smashed together like four supple pillows, and her erect nipples brushed mine, sending a zap of desire through my system.
“Really,” Leslee finally replied. “As you said, I think it’s a brilliant idea, and I’ll add exciting and amazing. The perfect solution for both our situations, unemployed, can’t get a bite on a new job because our reputations are ruined after Charles’ clever sabotaging—yes, he admitted to setting up the contest to bring Pussycat’s down rather than up. He meant to bring me down too, of course, so I had no choice but to agree to sell. And wow. This is uncanny timing. The buyer just threw me out of my upstairs apartment. I have to be out by January first. I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
“I don’t know how I ever did business with that bastard,” Savanah snarled.
I held up a finger. “Uh-uh. I’ll go with something more on the mark—motherfucker.”
Leslee shook her head. “No. I’ll trump that with goddamn prick, arrogant asshole and bigoted motherfucker.”
We all burst out in giggles. It was a wonderful feeling of camaraderie and affection to be spending this moment with the woman I adored and the stepmom who’d never really been a mom to me due to marrying my father long after I’d left home, but since she’d started a relationship with my best friend, she’d become my friend as well.
“So. Shall we take a tour of the rest of the place?” Savanah asked.
Leslee made a face. “I hesitate to ask the list price, but you won’t be able to stop me from looking. Dying to see it…even though I doubt I can afford it.”
“Melanie,” Savanah said with a tone that contained bubbles of nearly bursting anticipation. “You wanna tell her, or should I?”
I took Leslee’s hand, held it to my breastbone and looked her in the eyes. “I’ll tell her.”
“Oh no, what? Is there a catch?” She shifted a nervous gaze back and forth between me and Savanah.
“Nope. No catch,” I said, wanting to be wicked and draw out the anticipation but gushing with the need to tell her too. Gushing won out. “You see, when I told Savanah my B&B idea earlier this morning, she revealed that…my father left a large trust fund in her name that was to be used to invest in property for me as security for my future. This is my dad’s gift to me from the grave. Savanah’s company put it on the market last month, but she decided to buy it with the funds set aside for me and present me the keys just as Daddy instructed.”
Leslee’s mouth fell open. “No. Way.”
“Yes. Way,” Savanah offered with a chuckle. “He was a generous man with a way larger bank account than even I knew. And I really did love him.”
I took Leslee’s hand and tugged her toward the stairs. “I know you did, Savvy, and I totally understand your decisions since his passing. I love you for loving him. Now.” I shrieked, unable to control my eagerness. “Show us our house.”
Savanah started across the foyer but halted her steps. “I, uh… You know what? I don’t think there’s any reason for me to give you a tour of your own house. I think I’ll leave you two to explore on your own.”
“Oh no,” I replied, hoping she didn’t feel as if she were intruding. “Come with us. It’ll be fun to share it with you.”
Leslee squeezed my hand and nodded her assent. “Yeah, come on, Savanah. Don’t you want to see it too?”
“I’ve already seen it. I bought it, remember?” She winked and started for the door. “You two enjoy. It’s a wonderful idea and I’m sure it’ll go over big-time. Leslee, Melanie’s got some great theme ideas for each room. Wait ’til you hear them.”
“But Savanah, please don’t—”
Savanah clicked her tongue and wagged a finger. “Uh-uh-uh. I’m going and that’s that. Besides, believe me, when you see what I left you in the private quarters, you’re going to be glad I’m gone.” She giggled with mischief and slipped out the front door.
“Well that witch,” Leslee said with a laugh just as mischievous as Savanah’s.
I grinned, unable to contain my excitement. “Let’s go.”
I pulled her up the stairs, pointing out the cool newel posts, the grand window and the hardwood steps. We entered the first room to the right at the top of the stairs. It had an alcove with a framed doorway leading into a large suite with a massive four-poster bed and a wide window overlooking the gardens. It would need a new mattress, the peeling wallpaper removed, some fresh paint, and the crown molding, baseboards and floors refinished, but it would be perfect.
“I thought maybe this could be the BDSM room,” I announced. “What do you think?”
“BDSM room?” Leslee snorted. “Are you serious?”
“Damn right. See the
alcove doorframe?”
She nodded.
“Great place to hang a sex swing. And the posts on the bed. Really good for tying someone up.”
“Mm, I think you have a good point. I can see it now.” She wandered around the room, stopped in front of a large built-in maple cabinet and swept her hands across the dusty front. “This could be storage and display for paddles, blindfolds, flogs, ropes and silk ties and so on. They could be souvenirs we replenish with each guest. Yes, this will be perfect as a bondage room.”
I clapped. “Really? You think so?”
She moved across the room, coming toward me as if she were a lioness stalking another. Her arms slipped around my waist. She tugged me close so our hips and pussies pressed snugly together, and instant fire lit deep in my groin. “Yep. I think it was made to be a BDSM suite. And I think you’re brilliant and beautiful and I think I…I think I’m falling in love with you, Mel.”
“You think?” I kissed her, slipping my tongue past her warm, wet lips. Traces of latte teased my taste buds. She sighed, I sighed. It felt like coming home, being with her, being here in our new house that would become a business venture together as well as a cozy home to build a relationship on.
Her hands moved down to my ass, cupping the mounds and grinding my crotch to hers. I stroked the length of her spine with one hand and filled my other hand with one of her large breasts. The nipple peaked against the fabric of her blouse and scraped over my palm. I tweaked it and experienced a sense of power and aggression when she moaned in response.
God, how I’d missed her. How had I gone all those weeks without her in my life? I couldn’t contain my excitement at our future together, at this unique idea that had been staring us right in the face ever since we’d met.
I pulled back. “Hold on, let’s slow down. There’ll be time for this in a bit. First I want to show you the rest of the house, and then see what Savanah left us in the private quarters.”
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