by Larkin Rose
With her eyes screwed tight and her mind filling with the vision of Eve, she fastened her mouth around Marilyn’s clit and sucked, much faster than Marilyn liked.
Marilyn didn’t seem to notice her haste. She twisted and arched her back, then thankfully soon let out a low, dull cry, pumping against Jodi’s face.
Jodi remained where she was, mechanically flicking Marilyn’s clit with the tip of her tongue, until Marilyn stilled, and her legs hung limply around Jodi’s shoulder.
This was her job. Her way of life. Her act of survival.
It was the only way she knew.
*
Eve darted into the studio and stopped to shake the rain off the umbrella. She’d never felt droplets so cold. Bone chilling cold, yet so crisp and fresh, and if it were possible, she could smell it. The thought made her cringe. Since when did she give a shit if the rain had an odor, or if it was crisp? Never, that’s when. It was fucking cold, and wet, and putting a damper on the beginning of her day.
A little aggravated to be cold and soaked all at the same time, she tossed the umbrella in the corner and shed the trench coat to find her shirt was wet as well. Sheesh. No wonder she was shaking like a leaf. Hugging her body, she stepped farther into the throng of workers to get her day started. Same shit, different day. She was unusually stressed for first thing in the morning, probably because Lexi hadn’t answered her call. Hell, who was she kidding? It was definitely because Lexi hadn’t answered. She’d needed her, wanted that alluring voice, yet all she’d gotten was that damn recorded message saying sorry she couldn’t make it to the phone, please call back soon. This wasn’t the first time she’d missed her, or rather, needed her. And since when did she need anyone? Never, was the answer. Yet she could feel the need bunched in her gut like a lump of lead. Where had it stemmed from? And why? And why did she fucking care right now? She was about to be drilled with a million questions as soon as someone realized she’d arrived. There wasn’t time to ponder what the hell her hormones were up to lately. Lexi’s personal and business life was of no concern to her.
Eve spotted Khandi with Roger across the room and headed their way. She needed coffee and warmth and the fucking rain to cease before she left this building again. Rain was one thing, but cold, damp, biting cold rain was quite another. Why hadn’t she noticed in all the other years she’d been to London? Had work consumed her entire life so much that everything else around faded into the background? Including running across a woman as sexy as Jodi?
Khandi turned at her approach and checked her from head to toe. “Want me to find you a bar of soap?”
Eve quirked a brow at her. “Want me to find a new assistant?”
“My, my. Aren’t we in a pissy mood? Phone signal zap out on you last night or something?”
“Zip it, lint licker.”
Roger burst out laughing while Khandi rolled her eyes and walked away.
“How’s the schedule looking for the day?” Eve attempted to peel the shirt away from her breasts and stomach for a few seconds, aware her nipples were tight and hard, then ran her fingers through her long hair to shake off the droplets.
“Final walk-through in an hour. Press interview at the church at two. Phone conference with Paris at three.” He sighed. “Going to be a tight day.”
“Always is.” Eve scanned the room and found Amelia and Jodi squatted over a pedestal that gleamed with speckled chrome paint. Her nipples puckered into a more painful tip as Jodi stretched out for a tool, the muscles in her back drawing tight in her T-shirt.
Eve wasn’t sure which she liked better—the walking advertisement in that sleek button-down she’d been sporting yesterday that had her mind ripping the shirt open, or a T-shirt she’d have to slide her hands up and inside. Either way, the woman was a gorgeous specimen to admire.
She barely drew her attention away when Khandi shoved a dry T-shirt at her. God bless her soul, she had coffee too.
Eve practically snatched the foam cup from her grasp to wrap her palms around the warmth for a long sip. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“I laced it with rat poison.” Khandi smirked.
“I’d expect nothing less of you.” Eve walked to the nearest table and set the cup down, then peeled the wet shirt over her head, not caring who saw her in a lace bra. She slipped into the dry one and attempted to fluff out her limp curls.
When she turned back around, she found Jodi and Amelia staring at her. Amelia looked like someone had punched her in the gut, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Had her expression been anything but on the verge of horrified, Eve might have mistaken the wide-eyed look for lust. But she knew lust when she saw it, and right now, that particular expression rested on Jodi’s face. She almost wore a satisfied smirk while her gaze dripped down Eve’s frame.
Eve could think of a few other ways to give someone that kind of expression, and it usually started exactly like that—with her clothes coming off. She gave them a wave and the trance was broken. They both hustled back to work.
What the hell was up with those two?
Eve turned back to her coffee and found Khandi grinning like a fool. “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
“There’s never nothing at all going on with you. Ever.” Eve grabbed the cup and her wet shirt and headed into the throng of her day. “Let’s get a move on.”
*
Many hours later, the day was finally coming to a close. The staff had dwindled to just Eve and Francesca and her assistant. Even Roger had left, which was unusual since he’d been Eve’s shadow all day. Khandi had bolted about an hour ago, mumbling something about a café, and much-needed calories. Eve welcomed the quiet. It was a nice change to her hectic day.
Eve dropped into the chair while Francesca draped a gown on a hanger. “My whole body hurts.”
“Are you getting excited? Show’s in two days.” Francesca stood back to examine the finished designs then nodded to her assistant.
“It’s always exciting. Year after year.” Eve wanted to add that this year seemed particularly exciting with a butch to steal glances at.
She recalled the flip-flop her stomach had done last night while the gorgeous hunk of burning lust disappeared into an elevator. There had to be some misunderstanding. There was no way a butch as fine as that would fuck that woman, a woman who had at least fifteen or more years on her. No way. Eve refused to believe anything other than the woman was an old acquaintance. Maybe Jodi was being the perfect gentleman, had wanted to escort the woman to her room unharmed. Yes, the perfect, sexy—God I want to fuck her—gentleman. That was the answer.
Her pussy spasmed and Lexi’s voice hummed in the back of her mind. She needed relief after the rushed high. Lexi would put out the flame with that smooth accent.
“Let’s all call it a day.” Eve shoved out of the chair, needing the seclusion of her hotel room, needing Lexi’s voice coaxing her into a hard orgasm.
“I still have some work to do. Go get some rest.” Francesca pulled one of the dresses down and spread it across the table.
Guilt plagued Eve. Here she was ready to bolt for phone sex, and Francesca was still in work mode, all for Eve. The woman was a bigger workhorse than Eve was, if that were possible.
“Are you sure? I can hang around to help if you need.” Eve prayed she didn’t need her. She had a voice she desperately needed to get to.
“Positive. We’ve got this under control.”
Oh, what a phone call she was going to make. Right after a hot bath. Damn, her feet hurt. “Okay, then I’m out of here.”
“See you in the morning.” Francesca waved her away.
With a final salute, Eve rushed back through the peaceful studio. She only stalled long enough to glance through the glass doors. It was raining. Again.
Lexi. Right now, she just needed Lexi. She scanned the corner where she’d left her umbrella to find it empty.
With a huff, she pushed through the double doors and stopped to exa
mine the distance between the studio and the hotel and all the awnings along the way. It looked like she was going to get wet, whether she liked it or not. She could dive into a hot shower before she called Lexi, then get soaked with a different kind of wet.
The thought made her smile. A light breeze bristled across her cheeks. Something about the odor drew her out from under the awning and into the droplets. Was it even possible to smell rain? Lexi loved the rain.
She closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp, clean smell. Isn’t that what Lexi had said? The rain made her feel alive. Made her feel clean. While the rain slicked across her cheeks, she could understand the meaning behind those words. There really was something cleansing about it, something uplifting and earthy.
With another deep breath, Eve opened her eyes and found Jodi on the sidewalk watching her and waiting.
*
Jodi had never seen anyone more breathtaking. The fact that Eve had just enjoyed a moment of the rain made her heart flutter. Her Eve hated the rain. Her Eve’s life was too rushed to pause and inhale crisp, clean rain. Her Eve was standing in front of her, looking edible in that tight T-shirt that was darkening under the fat droplets of water, in tight jeans, and those fuck-me boots, in the drizzling rain, in the fucking flesh.
She stepped forward. “I was still in the neighborhood. Saw you come out and thought I’d walk you back to your hotel, if that’s okay?” Jodi lied as she cringed to hear her natural Texas drawl. She’d been standing on the damn curb since Amelia had left the studio, warning her to go home, to avoid all thoughts of seducing her new boss, something Amelia knew she was without power to do. So she stayed and waited for any sign of Eve, praying she’d exit alone.
And here she was, those curious eyes eating Jodi alive. Jodi had to remind herself that she wasn’t on the phone, that she didn’t need to switch on the accent, and that Eve really wasn’t a figment of her imagination.
With a quirk of that razor-sharp brow, Jodi was sure Eve would tell her to go fuck herself. She’d spent the first hour of her day on edge, worried that Eve would take one look at her and disgust would shadow her expression. And why wouldn’t she? She’d basically witnessed Jodi escorting her date away for a fuck with Zara right there to prove any assumptions. What Jodi hated more than she dared admit was the fact that for once in her life, she’d wanted to be anyone else but herself, anything other than a paid whore.
But she hadn’t gotten a look of disgust. Quite the opposite. Eve had looked at her with lust in her eyes, right after she’d pulled on the dry shirt, and right after she and Amelia had gotten a clear view of the vivid dragon cascading over her left shoulder blade. Dear God, it’d been pure, I want to fuck you, lust-filled eyes. Jodi wanted to fuck her so hard, wanted to be her living, breathing fantasy come to life. She wanted to lick that tattoo while she pushed inside her from behind.
“So you really do speak. Quite a shock to expect something British and hear, what, Arizona? Texas?”
“Texas, born and raised.” Jodi took a few more steps toward her, still waiting for her answer.
When Eve stepped forward, staring up at Jodi with those same inquisitive eyes she’d worn last night during dinner, Jodi shook off her inner turmoil, held the umbrella over her head, and steered Eve in the direction of her favorite route along the Theatre District and Victoria Embankment.
Together, they walked quietly in the rain. She expected Eve to inquire where they were going, or why they’d taken the opposite route to her hotel, but no such question came Jodi’s way. She liked that. The fact that Eve wasn’t afraid of adventure. Just across the river, the London Eye revolved slowly. The lights reflected in the dark water below.
A corner vendor was closing down and Jodi persuaded him with a charming smile for two hotdogs. She was sure it had more to do with Eve’s presence and the sexy wink she tossed his way. A memory came to mind of a too-thin teenager ordering a hot dog, then fishing in her scraggly jeans for change, knowing full well there wasn’t a penny to find. Some would wave her away, hot dog intact. Others would bellow and threaten her with the law, as she ran like hell clutching her precious meal. How times had changed. And no matter how many hundreds she had in her wallet, she still loved these damn hot dogs.
“So tell me, what made you want to be a fashion designer?” Jodi had the impulse to whip her down on the sidewalk, in the nearest puddle, and fold herself in the warm alcove between her legs. She was losing her self-control in the closeness of Eve. What she wanted to know more was how Eve’s voice had woven through her soul, how her sweet cries could rip her sanity in half.
“I’ve been designing clothes since my mother started my collection of Barbies. I’d cut their clothes to shreds, then sew them all back together with a plastic needle and yarn. Drove my mother insane. But I had the coolest Barbies ever. I was the envy of my classmates.” She gave a schoolgirl smile that made Jodi swallow.
She laughed to hide her nervousness, seeing that characteristic in Eve—always having to top everyone, driven to be the best. Jodi liked that feistiness, how Eve held her shit together when everything else around her seemed to be falling apart. She’d witnessed firsthand how Eve dominated her world. Better, she’d found a new appreciation for Eve when she carefully explained that the model needed to put meat on her bones.
They climbed the steps at the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben chimed the hour as they paused halfway across Westminster Bridge to look along the broad sweep of water toward Vauxhall.
“So if prop designing is just a hobby people have to con you into, what is your real job?” Eve tossed her napkin and paper in a nearby trash bin as they descended the steps to the riverside walk on the South Bank.
Jodi stiffened, needing Eve to believe she was something she wasn’t. “I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” She managed a chuckle.
“Hmm. Interesting. Like CIA stuff? FBI?” Eve stepped closer and Jodi had the impulse to wrap her arm around her shoulders as lovers would do. Wasn’t that what they were, technically? Phone lovers.
“Can’t say. Others could be listening.”
Eve giggled and stepped close enough for their arms to press against each other.
Thankfully, they were almost in front of her apartment building close to the Albert Embankment. She concentrated on the erotic sound of Eve’s heels clicking against the concrete while images of her naked, save for them draped over her shoulders, filled her mind. With a low grumble, she paused and turned to look up at her apartment. “This is me. Where I lay my head at night.”
Eve looked up, her eyes wide with surprise as she took in the modern white steel and glass high-rise structure towering above them.
Jodi wondered why it was Lexi’s voice Eve sought at night. Why was it Lexi she needed? Whatever the reason, Jodi felt lucky, proud, and miserably horny. She had whatever it was Eve wanted, obviously.
Eve looked so beautiful with her head upturned, her delicate throat exposed and vulnerable. Jodi wanted her. Needed her. Not just the voice on the other end of the line. She needed to be inside her, to feel those muscles clamp tight, to hear those moans caress her cheek, to wrench an orgasm from her body.
When Eve turned to look at her, Jodi had to swallow hard from the lust dancing in her eyes.
“Are you and Amelia a couple?”
“Oh no. Amelia’s my best friend and straight as an arrow.”
“Good. I don’t do catfights.”
Jodi couldn’t stop staring at her, curious where the line of questions were heading. Eve’s expression remained solid and unbridled.
“Now take me inside, then I want you to fuck me.”
Chapter Nine
Jodi ushered Eve into the elevator with as much grace and confidence as she could muster. Fact was, she was scared shitless. She was more terrified right that second than she had been darting along the cold back alleys to outrun a rapist.
Could she be everything Eve wanted? Everything she needed? Lexi gave her those things, but could Jodi?
Come to think of it, why had she? For a woman she had never met? Would never set eyes on? To be the elusive fantasy, to know always that the woman Eve dreamed of existed? For some reason, it gave her a sick thrill to model herself on this imaginary person. To look in the mirror and see the woman Eve might crave.
Now in the flesh, what did it matter? Eve’s fantasy woman was two steps away from her right that second, shaken to the core. Jodi prayed to a higher god that she could give Eve all she expected. Should she take charge like she did on the phone? Should she be gentle? Rough? This night had to be perfect, though she didn’t know why. Eve would leave at the end of fashion week. Jodi would likely never see her face again.
They finally reached the fifteenth floor and she stepped out on shaky legs. She’d never been a nervous person, not even when sleep had eluded her for days and food was nowhere in sight. Right now, her nerves were flying apart.
With her gut churning, her pussy tight and ready, Jodi pushed the door open to her apartment, then stood back to allow Eve inside.
Eve looked cool as a cucumber, ready for whatever came her way. How did she do that? Act so calm and rational when something huge was about to unfold? Jodi wanted to rattle her composure, wanted to shake the very ground she stood on.
One look at that fine ass walking into the center of the foyer, with Eve scanning the surroundings, had Jodi out of her mind with need. She needed those cheeks in the palms of her hands, needed Eve’s legs wrapped around her face, needed her tongue delving deep inside slick walls.
