by Larkin Rose
Jodi blinked, reminded she was on the phone.
“Yes, come, Erica. Come hard.”
“Oh God, I am. Coming so damn hard.”
Jodi walked barefoot into the kitchen and put the duster in the cupboard. “Pump, baby. Drive that vibrator deeper.” She selected a sparkling water from the fridge, then went back through the living room and onto the balcony that ran the length of her apartment.
After curling up in a chair, she uncapped the bottle and drank until it was half-empty.
Erica hummed in satisfaction. “I’m drained.”
“Good. Now pull those sheets over your naked body, close your eyes, and go to sleep, my sweet.”
“Night, Lexi.”
“Night, Erica.”
Jodi disconnected the call and leaned back to look out over the river. The skyscrapers doubled in the reflection, masking the water in pinks and purples.
She couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. This felt like home—this apartment, this river, this city. It’d taken years to bond with the surroundings, with this country, but now that she had, she never wanted to be anywhere else. She frequently blessed her mother for registering her birth in both the USA and the United Kingdom, thus giving her the freedom to choose her place of residence by virtue of dual nationality. One day, she’d venture out and be free to explore all the places the military had never given her time to see.
The clock in the art district chimed the midnight hour. It was late afternoon on Eve’s side of the world. Although, knowing Eve, she was probably still working, going about in her rushed career, whatever that might be.
But soon, she’d call. She’d need Lexi to bring her back down from her high, would need Lexi to strip away her power, to make her come.
Jodi sighed, smiled, and took another drink.
Chapter Four
Eve fanned photos across the table in her suite and studied each model, looking for a certain shape for each gown. She was also checking their body language and the aura of confidence in them that told her they’d show off her design like a masterpiece. But most of all, she was looking for meat. Nothing aggravated her more than a model displaying a cage of ribs. She’d witnessed malnutrition more times than she cared to share and absolutely refused to hire a model who craved fame more than her own health. There would never be a size zero walking in her fashion show.
Angelica, the owner of the talent agency Eve had been contracting with for the past seven years, sat beside her. The black business slacks and deep purple jacket rimmed with a wisp of fringe proclaimed the sort of self-assurance Eve looked for in her associates. Her shoulder-length brown hair swung along her cheek as she reached out. “These are the new models I just acquired.” She pulled three particular shots closer to Eve. “Theresa has striking poses and a self-assured walk that’s completely natural, while the other two are a bit timid and unsure of themselves. Still getting their feet wet. I have faith all three won’t let you down. They’ve been working very hard.”
“I trust your judgment. Have them meet us at the studio for a walk-through. Get with Khandi for the schedule.” Eve felt underdressed in her slouchy loose jeans and a worn Yankees T-shirt. She’d shed her business attire as soon as she entered the suite, needing a shower to erase the heat from thoughts of someone’s sexy voice. Or the lack of it.
“Certainly.” Angelica plucked up her BlackBerry and eased away from the table.
Eve continued matching models to the sketches. The final decisions would come when the models went through the pre-walk rehearsal, when Eve would have a better view of what the pictures couldn’t capture—their coolness and aplomb plus the way they would portray each of her designs. She actually hated that part, having to wave away a model who didn’t make the cut, someone who’d worked hard to earn a spot on her runway. Not all made it, and as much as it saddened her to break their hearts, only the strong survived in her world and she never hesitated to dismiss anyone, tears and all.
Trying to block out the noise and bustle around her, Eve slid the possible matches to the side. The show was on the road as more people filed into the large room for their kick-off business meeting. Some she didn’t even know; some she didn’t need to know. She usually enjoyed this point in the process, yet today it irked her. Conversations merged together, making the room loud with unintelligible chatter.
Lexi was the reason for her distraction. Or rather, what Lexi could give her. Complete surrender. She needed a Lexi fix to swipe away the tension twisting her insides into a tightly coiled knot, to get back on track. Only then could she give one hundred percent of her mind to work.
Thankfully, Khandi had whisked Roger to the couch to go over their weeklong hectic schedule. Eve didn’t know what she’d do without handy Khandi sometimes. She took care of the less pressing arrangements that would only bog Eve down.
The hair and makeup artists stood in the corner, their laughter a bit too loud and their stories way too erotic as they exchanged details of their previous night on the town. The men they’d taken to their beds. Their conversation made her think even more of Lexi. Made her wonder who Lexi took to her bed, who she fucked. The thought made her gut rumble.
Hungry. She was hungry. She pushed out of her chair and found herself looking into Francesca’s smiling black eyes.
“Oh my God!” Eve’s spirits lifted immediately as she crushed her in her arms. Francesca was a woman who could work miracles with fabric less than the length of a handkerchief. “It’s so fucking great to see you. You’re like a breath of fresh air in this noisy room.”
“Are you having a bad day?” Francesca pulled back slightly. “I brought you something to cheer you up.” She nodded toward the door leading to Eve’s bedroom where a temporary hook attached to the frame held extra garments.
The air caught in Eve’s lungs as she found the black and crimson gown that had caused her complete misery from the second its image had scurried through her mind. No matter how many ways she’d drawn her vision, she couldn’t define the elegant lines of her dream gown. A sucker for a challenge, she’d sketched and re-sketched, arguing with Francesca every step of the way, Francesca claiming the material would not hold the lustrous look Eve desired, that too much fabric would have to be cut away to open the sides while leaving enough coverage across the breasts. After months of Francesca proving her point with endless photos of her progress, Eve had thrown up her hands and dismissed the design altogether, though she had to admit it had lingered in the darkest recesses of her mind, always poking like a stiff finger.
Yet here it hung—long, luminous black shimmering silk. Running from one hip to an opposite shoulder, curving in to expose a model’s lean tummy, another curve forming an S to wrap like a lover’s hand around breasts, an elegant twist of material shimmered with red metal flake. The gown was backless, held together by a single delicate rose-shaped knot at the neck.
Eve stood transfixed by its elegance.
“You like?”
“How did…it’s…it’s my vision exactly. Like you plucked it right out of my head.” Eve looked from Francesca to the gown, then finally moved from her frozen spot.
She approached the gown as if it were alive, as if the mere invasion of its space might make it flee. Finally, she reached out to touch the miraculous creation, the material soft as baby powder against her fingers. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Eve, how many models did you decide on?” Angelica’s voice interrupted Eve’s fascination.
“We have a discrepancy in our timeline for tomorrow, Eve. Roger is turning a few ugly shades of blue and green over here. He’s going to hyperventilate if we don’t go over the schedule, and I don’t know CPR,” Khandi yelled from somewhere behind her.
“Ms. Harris.” Sandra, the makeup artist who’d been in deep conversation about sex only a few minutes ago, claimed her attention, aggravation etched in her voice. “It was our understanding there would be twelve models for the show. We may need another artist if there will be more than tha
t.”
Once again, voices rose above each other, throwing anxious questions her way; cell phones chirped and sang, all while Eve was held captivated by the prize. Her hectic life, the rushed way in which she spent almost every waking moment of her days; the reason was staring back at her. Everything culminated in this gripping emotional finish. It all came down to the very thing she was staring at—her creations breathing life.
Business awaited. Eve sighed, dragged her gaze away from the gown, and turned back to Francesca. “Duty calls, my love. You have brightened my day, for sure. Thank you so much.” Eve gave her another hug, then turned back to the eager faces waiting to jerk her back into the throng of work.
“You work too much. It will be your death if you don’t take a break.” Francesca patted Eve’s shoulder. “I will see you at the theater. Everything’s going to be fine.” She removed the dress from the hook and headed through the chaotic frenzy of people.
Eve’s stomach rumbled, reminding her she’d been en route to the snack bar set up against the far wall before Francesca’s stunning creation sidetracked her. She scooted around a tight-knit group she assumed to be the lighting crew since she caught the words watts and voltage, and snapped up a nutrition bar.
The chatter faded as she tore the wrapper away. Lexi came to mind instantly. She recalled Lexi making fun of her, telling her she was going to turn into an energy bar from the amount she ate. Her body heated with the memory, her insides coiling tight. Eve snuck a peek at the adjacent bedroom, at the privacy beyond the heavy oak door. If only she could slip away for five minutes, maybe ten, depending on how giving and altruistic Lexi would be in Eve’s state of turmoil. This wouldn’t be the first time she’d dialed that number in haste and desperation. Sometimes Lexi took her out of her misery with brunt commands and vivid images. Other times she teased Eve into a frenzy before she allowed her release. Which would she be today?
Worse, the thought of haste only brought back one of their more recent conversations, where Lexi had told Eve she’d fuck her in haste.
Her clit pulsed.
Eve snapped around to the faces in the room in hopes of forcing her mind to forget that her crotch was heating, that she needed some relief before she dove back into the battle zone. Francesca was ducking out the suite door with the dress held protectively against her chest, almost daring anyone to come near her. Eve had to laugh, considering Francesca barely came to the shoulders of the shortest person in the room. Across the room, Roger was tapping his pen impatiently on his crossed leg, a sure sign his timeline was being stretched to the limit. Angelica was looking over the photos, her BlackBerry snug against her ear. Finally, Eve looked to the window. It was raining. She didn’t remember the rain in London being quite so pretty, or blue.
She wished she could perform magic and make everyone in the room vanish in a puff of smoke so she could dial Lexi’s number. She needed to hear Lexi’s voice, needed her sanity stripped for a few glorious minutes, for one fucking orgasm. God save her soul, but she didn’t know why. Sex was sex, and this wasn’t ordinary sex. For crying out loud, she had phone sex with a woman who could look like Attila the Hun for all she knew, or worse, might be as old as her mother.
The thought sent a chill down her spine, and she quickly bit into the dry grains of oats, fruit, and peanut butter to ease the pang of discomfort eating at her.
She took a deep breath and headed toward Khandi. Roger would burst at the seams if she didn’t attempt to right the wrong in the agenda. Anal was an understatement when it came to Roger and a schedule. He’d lift hell and drop it in the Bermuda Triangle to stay on target. It was the very reason she’d hired him.
Khandi looked up. She gave Eve an evil smile, then mouthed, “You have service now.”
The bitch! Eve made a mental note to seek revenge as soon as they were through with this circus. She bit off another chunk and headed back into the fire pit of business. Her life.
*
Jodi couldn’t stop the tug at her crotch when the phone rang and she recognized Eve’s number in the ID window.
She noted the time. So early? Eve must be having a horrible beginning to her day. And she hadn’t called last night. Jodi had fallen asleep in the balcony chair with the light breeze drifting across her face, phone in her lap, and awoken several hours later. This wasn’t the first time Eve hadn’t called, but lately, the calls had become more frequent.
Normally, Eve’s calls came at the day’s end, when her frustration peaked, sometimes when “Lexi” was deep in sleep. As much as she hated having her beauty rest interrupted, Jodi always made an exception for Eve. Welcomed it, in fact.
Something must have set her off today, or maybe she’d taken a day off. Jodi almost chuckled at the thought. Her little work maniac would never dream of something so out of character. Jodi might not know much about the woman who set her crotch on fire with a whimper, but she knew her work habits like clockwork. She couldn’t wait to hear those cries of self-satisfaction. Giving Eve release was always her pleasure, no matter what time of day it was in either of their worlds.
Jodi kicked in the British accent she only used for phone sex and pressed the Talk button. She never expected to meet a client, but she’d seen far crazier things in her life. Besides, this accent was far sexier than a Texas country twang. “Good morning, my early bird. Who would dream of upsetting you with barely a start to your day?”
The pause on the line made Jodi check to see if she’d connected.
“Oh, yes…it’s morning,” Eve said, her low murmur turning swiftly into a soft laugh. “It’s chaotic here. I just needed a few minutes to myself.”
Jodi snuggled deeper in the chaise against the window where she’d been lounging with an old novel. She tossed the book to the side. Eve needed her.
“What are you wearing, Eve?” Jodi could hear the unspoken truth, the “I need you” laced in her words. It pleased her that Eve thought of her, wanted her, even if it was only her voice. Today, she would show mercy. She would take Eve quickly. “Don’t tell me. Just take it off.”
Jodi often wished she knew what Eve did for a living, the career that kept her swarmed and uptight so often. She wanted to picture what her day must truly be like. Was she a nurse? No, nurses didn’t work as much as Eve did. But doctors did. No, she didn’t strike her as a doctor. Too fast. A lawyer? Surely not. Too mouthy for a judge, though Jodi could well imagine she’d give an offending attorney a run for his money.
What did she look like? Did she have long hair? That thought always drove Jodi crazy. She wanted to sift Eve’s locks through her fingers, to tug the strands into her fist as she pumped deep. Was she slim and fit? Was she as gorgeous as her voice projected?
No attachments, share nothing personal, keep the sex business. It keeps them coming back. Rona’s words rang in her mind. She’d died three years ago, but the lessons she’d taught Jodi had carried her far in this so-called business, had indeed taught her how to keep her schedule full and her bank account fat. Jodi had absorbed her sessions like a sponge, wanting more than the phone clients, wanting more than the needy women seeking relief. The women she “dated” sought the same thing, but she shined in their world. She was their mysterious adventuress, the quench to their secluded sex thirst.
Though she’d tried to leave the sex operator life far behind, two clients had stood out from the pack. Both still called at least once a week. Then Eve had called one day out of the blue. She never had learned where Eve had acquired her private line, nor did she care. Somehow, Eve had found her way to Jodi, to Lexi, and she was happy to provide what Eve craved—more than happy, in fact.
“I’m naked now. And wet.”
“Pinch your nipples. I want them rosy red and stiff peaks. Don’t stop until the pain is like fire between your thighs.”
“Jesus!” Eve panted.
“Make it burn, Eve.”
“It does burn. It always burns so hot. Fuck me, Lexi.”
“You’re too easy, my sex fiend.”
Jodi clenched her insides, her pussy already tingling with Eve’s heavy breathing. As much as she wanted to touch herself, she couldn’t. It was her law, the unbridled rule that kept her sane. “Now, I need to you to follow my instructions, Eve. Can you do that?”
“Yes, please. Hurry. I need to come, Lexi.”
“Place your fingers against those wet lips, and then gently press down until your clit slides up and through.”
“I don’t under…oh, God.”
“Have you exposed that little pink hood?”
“Yes, shit, yes. Help me, Lexi.”
“With your other hand, caress the tip. Be gentle. It’s very sensitive.”
“Fuck! Oh, fuck. It stings so good. Like pain. Like pleasure. I need to come, Lexi. So bad.”
“You will, my impatient Eve. You will.” Jodi angled in her chair to see the river better. Rain twisted down the window like shimmering lines of silver. As long as she could focus on the droplets, she could fight off the urges Eve awakened inside her. “Drive those fingers inside yourself. Push deep, Eve.”
Jodi focused straight ahead when Eve mewed, winging the sound to the back of her mind as fast as it had spilled from Eve’s lips. The line between composure and losing control was thin, always too thin.
“I’m fucking myself, Lexi.”
“Yes, you are, my pet. Fuck yourself. Listen to my voice, push deeper; squeeze your fingers around that clit.”
“I can’t control myself,” Eve whispered. “I’m coming, Lexi.”
Eve’s soft cries poured down the line and Jodi closed her eyes, fierce clenches ripping at her insides. With her jaw gripped tight, she shoved back in the chair and squeezed her hands into fists.
She was scared. Eve scared her. Or rather, her uncontrolled reaction terrified her. Hundreds of women had come screaming with her name falling from their lips, by Lexi’s voice. Maybe just as many had come pumping beneath her, by Jodi’s hands. Not a single one had the power to steal her grip on her control like Eve did with every pant and moan and cry of pleasure.
