A Girl Called London

by Clare Lydon

  Tanya released a slow breath. “We’ll see.”

  Meg frowned, regarding her. “Whoever would have thought, two years ago when we were at loggerheads, that we’d be here now? Me married, sitting here telling you off for not going after someone.” She smiled. “Slow, steady, careful. This is a whole new side of you.” She paused. “And how are you feeling after your gran? Are you coping?”

  Tanya nodded. “I forget, and then I remember — it comes over me in waves. But there’s been so much else going on, I haven’t really had time to sit down and grieve. I’m sure it’ll happen.” She glanced down at Delilah. “But having her here makes me feel likes Gran’s still around, so that’s something.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Sophie walked into the pub by the river, appropriately named The Water Loft. It had a boat theme, with oars, sails, ship’s wheels and life buoys mounted on the walls. It had been built to service their flats, so it still had that new sheen about it, the floors not yet dulled by the incessant foot traffic of time. She checked her watch, then glanced around, seeing if she could spot Jess or Lucy — and her gaze fell upon them when she saw Jess’s hand in the air.

  She grinned and waved back, approaching the table with a jaunt in her step — she was looking forward to a drink after the week she’d had. When Jess had called to suggest it, she’d jumped at the chance.

  That is, until she saw who else was sat there.

  Not just Lucy, but also Tanya, looking just as attractive as she remembered.

  Sophie stopped just short of the table, her face frozen in a half-smile. She wasn’t displeased to see Tanya, far from it. But it’d been a few days since Sturby, since that kiss in the lift. She had no idea where they stood, or how Tanya felt.

  All she knew was this was not was she’d been expecting tonight, her emotions gridlocked inside. She’d wanted to see Tanya again, of course she had, but these weren’t exactly the circumstances she’d imagined.

  Was Tanya going to clam up, or bolt? Had she known Sophie was going to be here, too? By the part-surprised, part-flummoxed look on her face, Sophie guessed the answer was no.

  “Great to see you!” Jess said, giving Sophie a hug. “This is my partner, Lucy,” she added, introducing the cute pixie-haired woman beside her, who was wearing dark sunglasses and a black leather jacket, together with a movie-star dimple.

  Sophie shook hands with Lucy, but her mind was elsewhere.

  “And I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Tanya as well — I think you’ve already met?”

  Jess gestured towards Tanya, who was now giving Sophie an awkward smile. “Hi Sophie,” Tanya said, her laser-like stare giving Sophie no choice but to meet her gaze.

  When she did, Sophie came alive, her heart stuttering, her lips remembering. “Hi,” she said, not sure what to do with her arms, her legs, her entire body.

  If in doubt, talk about dogs: it was a ploy she was becoming used to with owners. “How’s Delilah doing?”

  “She’s good — she’s asleep under the table, miraculously,” Tanya said, motioning downwards with her hand.

  Sophie bent down and smiled at Delilah, curled up at Tanya’s feet. It seemed like they were getting on just fine. She sat down on the seat next to Tanya, her breathing unsteady as their proximity increased.

  “And how are you getting on?” Sophie asked, recalling the bed they’d shared, followed by their explosive kiss.

  Calm, that’s what this situation called for, but it had deserted her right now.

  “Much better for seeing you,” Tanya whispered.

  Jess leaned down, interrupting. “What can I get you to drink?” she asked Sophie.

  Sophie glanced at Tanya, her eyes smiling. “I’ll have whatever she’s having.”

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “She doesn’t look very happy with you,” Sophie said, as they strolled out of the pub.

  “You wouldn’t be either if I’d just woken you up after you’d been sparked out on the floor for the past couple of hours,” Tanya replied. “It’s a form of doggy torture — making her walk home.” She glanced down at Delilah. “Look at her little wobbly legs.”

  Sophie grinned. “She’ll live,” she said, threading her arm through Tanya’s.

  They were back to where they’d left off, back on an even keel, and Tanya was thrilled. She knew they had a connection, she still remembered their trip to Sturby. It had been special, despite everything else that surrounded it. And now they’d reunited, Tanya hoped she knew where tonight was heading.

  When Sophie had walked into the pub tonight, she’d held her breath for a few seconds, wondering how she was going to be. But having Jess and Lucy there smoothed the waters, and it’d felt right to have her sitting by her side. Towards the end of the night, after Sophie’s third beer, Sophie had even put a hand on her arm when she was telling a story.

  And that’s when Tanya knew that things might just be okay.

  They arrived back at their building, with Tanya holding the big glass door open for Sophie.

  “Your manners have certainly improved since the first time we met,” Sophie said, glancing up at her. “Then you were barging into me. Whereas tonight, you bought all my drinks and now you’re holding doors open.”

  “It’s the least I owe you after this week,” Tanya replied.

  “So long as you’re not going to run off now, you don’t owe me anything.” Sophie’s gaze met Tanya’s as she spoke, her words laced with trepidation.

  Tanya shook her head: that was the last thing in the world she planned to do tonight. “No running off, I promise,” she said.

  Sophie nodded her head as they waited for the lift, her tongue wetting her bottom lip. “Okay, then.”

  The lift arrived and they both got in hesitantly, Tanya pressing the button for her floor. Now Sophie was back in her life, she wanted to keep her there, get to know her better. Starting right now, back in this lift.

  Today was Sunday, but their kiss seemed like a lifetime ago. However, Tanya still recalled how she’d felt, what she’d desired — and the same desire was back today. When she looked up, Sophie’s gaze was burning into her.

  “So this lift,” Sophie said, clearing her throat. “It does things to me, where you’re concerned.” She took a step forward into Tanya’s space. “What about you?”

  What did being in such a confined space with Sophie do to Tanya? She could write a thesis on it. Being so close and not kissing her was making every nerve ending tingle with excitement, making her clit pulse.

  “Being this close to you is driving me wild,” Tanya said, her voice glazed with want. “I know we’ve a lot to iron out, but you think we can shelve it for tonight?”

  “I think that can be arranged,” Sophie replied, flicking her gaze up to meet Tanya’s fully. “So what’s going to happen tonight? Is there going to be more kissing?”

  Heat flooded Tanya’s entire body: she felt wet with it. “I certainly hope so. I might be a little disappointed if there wasn’t. It’s kind of a tradition now, isn’t it?”

  Sophie’s mouth turned up at the sides. “Kind of,” she agreed, nodding her head.

  Delilah’s bark interrupted them, and then they were at floor 20, the lift announcer bringing their journey to a close a lot sooner than Tanya wanted. The doors sprung open and panic flooded Tanya’s body: she didn’t want this to end, but she didn’t want to assume. She guessed she could ask, but her normal brashness deserted her when she was with this Sophie.

  With Sophie, despite herself, Tanya was a different woman all together, no matter what she tried. But far from being scared, she was revelling in it: Tanya was learning new things about herself every moment they spent together, and she hoped that wasn’t about to end.

  “Are you getting off here?” Tanya asked, her voice crackling with emotion.

  Dear god, she hoped not. She wanted to spend all night with Sophie, undressing her slowly, getting to know her body intimately, licking her all over, drowning in her beauty
.

  Sophie smiled at her, and her smile lit up the lift. “I was hoping to be getting off at floor 30,” Sophie said. “Perhaps in more ways than one.”

  Tanya took a moment to process her words, before desire flooded her body, her mouth going dry. Sophie had just told her she wanted exactly the same as she did, and that was enough to make Tanya leap forward and stab the lift button. “Well in that case, let’s get to floor 30, shall we?”

  The doors slid closed and as the lift whizzed upwards, she simply stared at Sophie, but didn’t move forward. Because she didn’t need to snatch a kiss in the lift: today, Sophie’s kisses had been promised to her, in multiples she hoped.

  They stumbled out of the lift, hand in hand, until Tanya had to break their hold to get her keys from her bag. At her feet, Delilah was sniffing at the skirting boards in the hallway, seemingly oblivious to the sexual tension in the air.

  And it wasn’t just in the air: Tanya could feel it in her blood and on her scalp; it was coating her from head to toe. When their lips actually connected, she wasn’t going to be responsible for her actions.

  Once inside, Tanya let Delilah off her leash and she wandered across the lounge to her water bowl. They watched her, glad of an excuse to focus on something else rather than the electricity in the air. But when Tanya turned her head and caught Sophie’s heated stare, she couldn’t hold back any longer.

  And neither could Sophie. “If we don’t kiss soon, I might expire,” Sophie said, closing the distance between them and backing Tanya up against her lounge wall.

  Tanya’s mouth curled into a smile. “I don’t want to be responsible for that,” she just about managed to get out, as Sophie’s lips travelled to hers, stopping her certain expiration in the simplest way possible.

  Tanya recalled her lips from before, but this time, as they slipped over hers, she was able to revel in them: to appreciate them on a whole new level. Their warmth, their welcome, their touch. She hadn’t had a kiss like this in quite some time, and when she tried to make sense of it, her mind refused, instructing her not to over-analyse.

  Instead, it demanded she enjoy the moment for what it was: a dynamite kiss from a hot woman.

  Tanya obeyed.

  Then Sophie’s mouth was travelling: her hot breath on Tanya’s cheek, then her jaw, then her neck. Her tongue flicked, her teeth nipped. A rush between Tanya’s legs told her if this was a game, Sophie was winning.

  And then Sophie’s mouth came back up and crushed against Tanya’s, followed by Sophie’s tongue parting Tanya’s lips and sliding into her mouth and ohmyfuckinghell.

  Tanya lost all power of rational thought, as if she’d just slipped on a banana skin and lost control of the emotion tray she’d been carefully balancing. Now, her emotions were all thrown into the air, and it was lust that landed first, sprawling all over her, covering her body with a lazy grin. And when Sophie’s hand landed on her left breast, Tanya was pretty sure that lust was controlling Sophie, too.

  She was just sinking into Sophie a little more when a phone ringing cut through the air, shattering both their senses and causing Sophie to pull back, her face ruffled, her eyes half-closed.

  “That’s my phone,” she said, reaching for her back pocket.

  “Leave it,” Tanya replied, moving her lips closer to Sophie’s once more. Heat was pouring off her and Tanya wasn’t sure where she stopped and Sophie started. She didn’t want anything to come between them now, not when it had taken this long for them to get here.

  Sophie checked the screen, then winced slightly. “It’s Lucy. What on earth is Lucy calling me for? We only left them ten minutes ago.” She was out of breath as she spoke, flicking her gaze to Tanya, then giving her a quick, juicy kiss. The ringing was only getting louder in the comparative silence of Tanya’s flat.

  “Hold that thought,” Sophie said, with a wicked grin. “Whatever you’re thinking, hold that exact thought.”

  Sophie swiped the call and began speaking to Lucy: Tanya hoped it was going to be quick.

  Hold that thought? Sophie, naked, pinned against her, Tanya fucking her wildly. Okay, she could hang onto that one, it was pretty vivid in her mind. And not only in her mind but also in her body. Tanya could feel how wet she was already, and all she wanted to do was get naked and come together with Sophie. Again and again and again.

  However, she had a feeling she might have to be patient.

  “Uh-huh,” Sophie said, wincing. “You’re there now?” She shrugged at Tanya, trying not to sound winded down the phone. “Sure,” she said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Pause. “No, no problem at all.”

  Sophie slotted her phone into her pocket. “I have good news and bad news,” she said, turning up one corner of her mouth. “The good news is, this doesn’t end here.”

  Sophie put her index finger on Tanya’s lips and Tanya melted on the spot. Then she opened her mouth slightly and sucked the tip of Sophie’s finger into her warmth.

  Sophie let out a small moan, which sent a mini-flood of happiness right to Tanya’s groin. She let her mind wander forward to sucking the rest of Sophie, and then she had to stop.

  There was bad news to hear, first.

  “And the bad?”

  Sophie gave her a rueful smile. “The bad news is Lucy and Jess don’t have their keys. They’ve locked themselves out and it’s down to the dog walker to save the day.”

  “Really?” Tanya said, her libido throwing itself onto the floor and starting to wail. “I’m going to kill them.”

  Sophie laughed. “And our friendship was going so well, too.”

  Tanya kissed her lips, then pulled back, regret coating her body. “So long as we can carry this on when we get back? You promise?”

  “I don’t have any other plans,” Sophie replied, kissing her lips again. “Besides, you taste delicious — why wouldn’t I come back for more?”

  Tanya gave her a resigned sigh: it was Jess and Lucy after all, they couldn’t really do anything else. “Okay. But I’m coming with you, just to make sure you return.”

  “Look on it as an extended form of really weird foreplay,” Sophie said, holding out her hand. “Shall we?”

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  They turned up at Jess and Lucy’s flat 15 minutes later, Delilah on her lead, Tanya and Sophie hand in hand. Jess and Lucy were sitting on the sofa inside the lobby of their apartment block, their dog, Spinach, on Jess’s lap. As they heard their footsteps approach, Lucy looked up.

  “Hey!” she said, her gaze taking in their joined hands. “I only expected Sophie,” she said, a puzzled look on her face. “Did I interrupt something?” she asked, scrabbling to her feet as Sophie held out her keys.

  “Let’s just say, your phone call was at a slightly inopportune time. We’ve got some unfinished business, haven’t we?” Sophie said, grinning at Tanya.

  Tanya nodded, not quite knowing where to look.

  “But never let it be said I leave a damsel in distress, because I don’t,” Sophie added.

  Lucy blushed, shaking her head. “You should put it on your business cards. I’ll pay for a new print run.” She took the keys. “But thank you, you’re a lifesaver.” She paused, regarding the pair with a grin. “You want us to take Delilah overnight so you can have some space alone?”

  Sophie glanced at Tanya, who shook her head. “No thanks, she needs routine and stability right now. We’ll just have to wait for her to go to sleep.”

  “Sleeping pill for Delilah it is,” Jess said, putting an arm around Lucy. “We’ll let you get off — take that however you want it,” she added with a wink, before dragging Lucy by the hand towards their corridor.

  They almost ran back to Tanya’s flat, tearing through the concrete jungle of Woolwich, across the main road and into the lift. This time they didn’t stand on ceremony, hitting floor 30 and sinking into each other. When they reached Tanya’s flat, her keys were already in her hand, and she tugged Sophie through the door with purpose.

  Yes,
she knew how this was going to go.

  She was 36 years old after all; she’d been here before.

  But yet, somehow, she hadn’t. With Sophie, everything was new, including Tanya.

  Her thoughts stopped as Sophie reached up and pulled Tanya to her. “You know I said earlier that if you didn’t kiss me, I might die?”

  Tanya nodded.

  “Well now, if we don’t get naked very soon, the same might happen,” Sophie told her, staring at her with hungry eyes. “I’ve wanted you since the moment we met.”

  Tanya said nothing, simply pulled Sophie down the hallway and into the master suite.

  ***

  Now she was in the bedroom with Tanya, Sophie hoped this was the start of something real: a story they’d begun writing a few weeks ago, one Sophie’s pen had been poised over for so long.

  Now, as Tanya raised her arms and stripped off her top, the nib was being pressed to the paper and the ink was beginning to flow. A little like Sophie’s emotions and everything inside her.

  “You’re beautiful,” Tanya said, her eyes roaming Sophie’s naked skin as she slipped off her white bra. “But I already told you that at Alan’s house.”

  Sophie pulled back, eyeing her. “We never did talk about that, did we?” she said, breathless.

  “You want to now?”

  Sophie shook her head, grinning. “God, no,” she said, taking off her glasses and pressing her lips to Tanya’s, her whole body pulsing with promise. She loved this part: the anticipation, the heart-shaking desire, the knowledge that anything was possible.

  As Sophie slipped off Tanya’s top and bra, feeling Tanya’s hot mouth encase her nipple, she wiped her mind clean of everything she’d learned before. Because Tanya wasn’t like the other girls she’d met — Tanya had let her in, been raw and bruised.

  Tonight, Sophie was going to make sure the bruises healed.

  Tanya unbuttoned her jeans, her warm hands pulling down Sophie’s zip, easing the denim over her thighs.