by V. K. Powell
Rae’s body ached and a hard object pushed into her chest. She smelled blood and felt its hot stickiness oozing over her. She labored to breathe, white spots of light floated in front of her eyes, and she heard voices close by.
“Rae, are you all right? Oh, God, please be all right.” It was Audrey. Someone rolled Pearson off her. “She’s hurt. There’s blood everywhere. Get help.”
“She looks…” Tony said.
“Don’t even think that.” A heavy pounding sounded in the distance. “Get some medical help, now. Oh, Rae.”
Rae blinked and looked into Audrey’s eyes. Tears fell and splashed onto Rae’s face. “I think I’m all right.”
They both turned and looked at Marc Pearson for the first time. Rae’s switchblade protruded from his chest, and his dull eyes stared into nothingness.
Audrey hugged Rae and they rocked back and forth. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you’d been killed. I love you. Do you hear me, Rae? I love you.”
“And I love you…” Audrey’s confession eclipsed Rae’s relief at being alive. She couldn’t imagine life going forward without her. The swell of love mingled with protectiveness. “What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the hotel with the others.” Her words lacked conviction.
“Now that’s gratitude for you.” Tony stood with his hands on his hips. “As you can see, we’re not at the hotel. We’re here rescuing your ungrateful ass.”
“Tony.” Audrey gave him a reproachful stare.
“No, he’s right. I’m sorry.” As Rae spoke, the rest of Audrey’s cirque family filed in. “I suppose you all had a part in this?” They nodded. “I don’t know how to thank you. Audrey certainly has devoted friends.”
“And you too, Copper,” Melvin added.
“Yep, you’re one of us now,” Yasi said. “An adopted member of the family.”
Rae finally stood and scanned the group. The Whisperer lay dead at her feet, she’d inherited a family, and the woman she loved also loved her. Everything considered it was a great day. “I can’t imagine a better one.”
As Rae reached for her cell phone, Sergeant Sharp and several patrol officers entered the condo. “How did you know—”
Not So looked around the room. “Somebody called and said we’d find a press release about the Whisperer at this address. Obviously they were mistaken.”
“I don’t think so.” She inclined her head toward Marc Pearson’s body. When Rae looked at Audrey, she rolled her eyes and tried her best to act innocent. Rae guided her toward the door where her friends were waiting. “Well done, all of you. Once you’ve given your statements to the officers, you’re free to go.”
“I want to stay with you,” Audrey said. “These guys have to leave for another show.”
“Could you wait at the hotel until I get there? I’ll come as soon as I can.”
“And you’ll never leave me again.” Audrey smiled. “Right?”
“Right.”
Chapter Twenty-one
Rae’s hand shook as she knocked on the door of Audrey’s hotel suite. Four hours had passed during which Rae tied up loose ends of the case, gave her statement about Pearson’s death, and changed clothes. The adrenaline that had kept her upright and functional for the past few days had evaporated. Only her love for Audrey and the possibility of a life together kept her moving.
Had Audrey professed love in the heat of the moment, thinking Rae was dying, or was she sincere? She knocked tentatively. What awaited her on the other side?
When Audrey opened the door, Rae’s breath caught in her throat. She was undoubtedly in love with Audrey, and she trusted that purely instinctual knowing.
Audrey grabbed Rae’s T-shirt and pulled her inside the room, closing the door behind her. “Stop that.”
“What?”
“Doubting my feelings for you.”
“I thought you couldn’t read my mind.”
“I can’t, darling, but a blind person could see what you’re thinking.” Audrey ran her hands up Rae’s shirt, her fingers like fire against her skin, and kissed her. “Once you’ve told me the rest of the story, I’ll show you how much I meant those three little words.”
Audrey smelled of fresh soap and shampoo. Powder-blue short pajamas clung to wet patches of her curvaceous body. Audrey’s damp hair spiked around her head in its customary disheveled style. Rae’s apprehension evaporated.
“What story?” Her focus had plummeted to a spot well south of her brain. She sought Audrey’s mouth again, hungry for the connection.
“The Whisperer. Who is Marc Pearson? What did you find out?”
“Oh, that.” Rae reluctantly walked to the sofa facing the Kramer skyline and pulled Audrey down with her. She sat as close as possible with her hand on Audrey’s thigh. She didn’t want to talk about Marc Pearson. He’d taken too much of her time and too much of Audrey’s life already. Rae wanted to replace the bad memories Audrey carried with newer, happier ones. However, closing this chapter would help Audrey heal.
“Your friend Loretta came through. She tracked the Blankenships’ birth records and found the connection. Pearson’s mother met Earl Blankenship when Marc was three years old. Apparently she wasn’t fond of motherhood and wanted a fresh start. She abandoned him when Earl proposed. He never knew his wife had a child.”
“How awful. So he grew up in the system, believing nobody cared about him and blaming his mother for abandoning him.”
“Pretty much. At the first opportunity, he ran away and lived on the streets. He was a hard worker and made his way into the military eventually. The structured life provided the first meaningful order he’d ever had. War twisted his mind a bit further, and the groin injury was the last straw. He lost it.”
“He was a tormented soul. Why did he fixate on me, and why did he hurt the others?” Audrey’s voice broke.
“We may never know. He’d adopted a mixture of the Arabic, Muslim, Iraqi beliefs. When he saw you perform last year as Sanjana, maybe he began to envision himself as Arya, the Noble One. Or maybe he thought he could recover from his injury, so he kept trying. The doctors said he would never function sexually again. Imagine what that would do to a man’s ego and self-esteem.” Rae pulled Audrey closer. “I’m sorry I can’t give you the answers you need.”
“It’s hard to believe I worked with him so long and had no idea of his true nature. And you’re sure he was the Whisperer?”
“Absolutely. When I searched the Blankenship Dry Cleaners, I found all his paraphernalia—blue uniforms, plastic, rope, mask, gloves, and the chloroform. His knife was military-issue and exactly as you described. The lab is running trace analysis on everything, including the inside of the van. I wouldn’t have solved this case without you, Audrey. I can’t begin to thank you.”
Lowering her head, Audrey swiped at a stray tear. “If I’d remembered sooner, four other women and my best friend wouldn’t be going through the same hell I did.”
Rae understood guilt and the toll it took. “We all make mistakes, wish we’d done things differently. You’ve put this right. I’ll never be able to repay you, personally or professionally.”
Audrey turned into her arms and threw her leg over Rae’s. “Might I suggest a starting point? Of course, repayment could take a while, possibly years.” As she nuzzled Rae’s ear shivers shot down her side.
“I’m in your debt. Name your terms.”
Audrey blushed and averted her gaze. Would she ever be comfortable initiating sex with the woman she loved? She wasn’t even sure how to begin. She just wanted Rae—intimately, immediately, and eternally. “Anything?”
“Of course…what is it? I want us to share everything.”
“Take me to bed. I’d like you to make love to me.”
Rae smiled and mischief sparkled in her emerald-green eyes. “You mean really make love this time? I actually get to enjoy and appreciate every inch of you?”
Audrey play-slapped her arm. “Don’
t tease. Can I help it that you get me so excited? I’ve only waited my whole life for you.” She outlined Rae’s lips with the tip of her tongue and a spark coursed through her. Rae opened to her and their kiss deepened. Their energies merged as they claimed each other until she could no longer tell where Rae ended and she began.
Audrey barely broke their kiss as she rose from the sofa, pulling Rae toward the king-sized bed. “I will try to be patient…no promises.” As Audrey walked, she shucked off her pajamas, leaving a trail.
“So much for patience.” Rae said.
“Now you.” Audrey sat in the middle of the bed and waited for Rae to undress. She loved to watch Rae’s confident hands slowly unbutton her shirt and slide it from her arms. When Rae’s firm breasts came into view, Audrey licked her lips in anticipation. The itch between her legs spread, tantalizing and warming her. When Rae unzipped her jeans and let them fall to the floor, Audrey rubbed her clammy palms together. The tuft of auburn hair between Rae’s thighs beckoned to her.
“Come here.” Audrey reached for Rae, her arms as empty as her heart had been for years. “I need to feel you—everywhere.”
When Rae’s body slid into place against hers, Audrey reveled in the sensations. Pebbled nipples pressed perfectly into her fuller breasts and seared her with heat. Rae’s abdomen nestled like a glove over her scarred ridges, giving comfort and reassurance. And when Rae’s pubic mound grazed hers, Audrey was instantly wet. She bucked against the firmness of Rae’s pelvis. She wanted the friction, the slide and stroke that would relieve the mounting pressure.
“Pa-tience, remember.” The hitch in Rae’s voice suggested she was as affected by their closeness. The slick trail on Audrey’s thigh confirmed it. “Roll over.”
“I won’t be able to—”
“If we stay like this, we’ll both explode in seconds. Roll over, please.”
Rae’s face flushed, her lips rosy and plump from their kisses, her eyes brimming with desire. Audrey didn’t need to be psychic to see Rae’s love or the physical toll her restraint was taking. Audrey kissed a circle around Rae’s gorgeous features and reluctantly rolled over. The bed covering bunched beneath her, exquisite against her swollen clit. She squirmed into the gathered ridge, seeking relief.
“No cheating.” Rae smacked Audrey’s butt with her hand then rubbed the spot.
She slowly lathered Audrey’s ears, neck, and backside with teasing licks and kisses. Her hot mouth left a trail instantly cooled by soft breaths, sending shivers down Audrey’s spine. Rae sculpted her body like an artist, admiring and appreciating. The skin-on-skin sensation was tender yet insistent, each touch an affirmation of love and desire. Audrey adored the sensitivity but her body demanded more physicality. “Rae, please.”
Rae slid her hands up Audrey’s sides before slipping underneath to cup her breasts. “Are you ready?”
“Oh…” Rae’s body covered Audrey’s back, hot and tight. The heat from Rae’s crotch radiated against her ass and she ached to have Rae inside her. “Yes.” Audrey raised her butt and rubbed against Rae’s soft triangle of hair. At the same time, she touched herself and almost came with a single stroke. Her body had a mind of its own—twitching, aching, urging, and craving things she’d only dreamed.
“You’re cheating again.”
“I’m about to pop out of my skin. I want to come so badly. Please.”
Rae gently rolled Audrey onto her back and palmed her breasts. “You have the most beautiful breasts.”
She squeezed Audrey’s aching flesh from base to tip, then flicked her tight nipples with her thumb. The touch tugged an invisible connection between her crotch and breasts and set the skin between ablaze. Rae buried her head between Audrey’s breasts and rubbed them on either side of her face. “I think I could suck these to climax. Something about soft mounds and stiff nipples gets me off.”
Rae closed her mouth over one of Audrey’s breasts and lavished it with kisses and gentle sucking. The rhythmic oral stimulation milked her clit from the inside and almost sent her crashing into orgasm. “If you don’t touch me soon, you won’t have a chance.”
Rae scrunched down between Audrey’s legs. Folding her hands over Audrey’s crotch, she rested her head on her hands. She stared into Audrey’s eyes and pressed down gently. “So…how badly do you want me?”
Audrey’s clit pulsed as if the teasing words had touched it. “So much it hurts.”
Lowering her head, Rae gently blew on the point of ignition between Audrey’s legs. Her body arched. She clutched the sheets on either side to keep from grabbing her clit. Rae tongued the valley between Audrey’s thigh and torso, so close to the spot Audrey needed her. She squirmed sideways to force the connection but Rae skillfully darted away.
Rae cupped Audrey’s hands and encouraged her to release the sheets. “Play with your breasts. I want to watch while I make you come.”
Audrey’s clit pounded painfully, as if Rae had physically captured and squeezed her sex in her palm. She reached down and forced Rae’s mouth over her. “Take me now. I need you.”
Audrey grabbed her own breasts and rolled the malleable flesh in her hands. She ached for Rae’s mouth to satisfy her.
Rae flattened her tongue and licked in one luxurious stroke from Audrey’s opening to the tip of her swollen sex. A burst of current shot through her. Audrey gasped as her body vibrated. Another stroke and she quivered. A third and she might lose control. Her clit hammered.
The powerful orgasm built inside her and she willed it to slow. Nothing had prepared her for these feelings. She wanted Rae to adore and pleasure her for days. She prayed for more as her body betrayed her.
Rae surrounded Audrey’s clit with her lips and flicked with the tip of her tongue unrelentingly. The orgasm spiraled up Audrey’s limbs and coalesced. She tensed, trying to slow the hurricane. “I’m close, Rae, so close.”
Rae massaged Audrey’s breasts and shifted onto her leg. “Come for me.”
Audrey didn’t have time to respond. Rae’s tongue stroked and her lips sucked one final time. The dam inside burst and every ounce of arousal liquefied and poured from her. She entangled her fingers in Rae’s hair and held her firmly against her, the warmth of her mouth cradling her quivering flesh. Each beat of Audrey’s heart pounded between her legs and sent a shudder of release through her. Rae’s lips closed around her again and milked several more tiny orgasms from her. When she could hardly draw another breath, Audrey released her grip.
“Jeez, that was…awesome seems so lame.” Rae moaned, and Audrey realized she’d been so preoccupied with her own orgasm she’d lost track of Rae’s. “What do you need, my darling?”
Rae whined urgently. “How about a couple of these?” She took Audrey’s breasts in her hands. “And one of those.” She nuzzled Audrey’s sex. Rae slid up Audrey’s body, legs still straddling her thigh, and rocked back and forth against her. She left a slick trail of arousal, and it ignited Audrey’s passion again.
“They’re all yours.” Audrey placed her hands on either side of her breasts and offered them to Rae.
Rae kissed her with more passion than Audrey thought possible. “I love you, Audrey.” She held Audrey’s gaze as if she wanted to say more but then looked at her breasts like they were sacrificial offerings and sucked an erect nipple into her mouth.
Rae’s stiff clit hardened even more against Audrey’s leg as she established a slow, methodical suck-and-stroke rhythm. With each upward pull at Audrey’s breast, Rae rubbed her sex along the length of Audrey’s thigh. At the apex of each stroke, Rae’s leg brushed against Audrey, urging her on.
“Can I touch you?”
Rae pumped faster. She took Audrey’s hand and guided it between her legs. “Go inside—while I stroke.” Rae’s breath came in short gasps between breast sucks. “Won’t take long.”
Audrey squeezed her hand between her thigh and Rae’s body. She flattened, palm up, and let Rae hump against her hand. She loved the delicate balance of power surging bet
ween them as Rae clung to the control Audrey threatened to wrest from her. Audrey slid her finger easily into Rae’s opening, rewarded with a guttural moan and quicker pace.
With her free hand, Audrey pulled Rae tighter against her and raised her leg for firmer contact. Rae opened her mouth, releasing Audrey’s breast, and clutched her shoulders. “Yes…oh, God, yes.” She shivered against Audrey in a long, final stroke and collapsed.
Audrey left her finger inside Rae, the pulse of her orgasm like a heartbeat. It was the essence of life itself. “I love you, Rae. I will always love you.” Audrey panicked. “Did you hear me, darling?”
“Didn’t you feel what happened?”
Audrey nudged Rae’s sex. Her clit bulged, rigid. “You’re horny again…already?”
“You said you loved me. You’ve created a monster.” She slid along Audrey’s thigh and spilled into her hand once more. “God, I’ve never come so quickly.”
“Maybe I’m not such a novice after all.”
“You’re perfect.”
Audrey rolled Rae to her side and kissed her. “There is one thing I’m dying to try.”
“Name it.”
“I’m thinking of a number between sixty-eight and seventy.”
Rae smiled. “One of my favorites.”
THE END
About the Author
VK Powell is a thirty-year veteran of a midsized police depart-ment. She was a police officer by necessity (it paid the bills) and a writer by desire (it didn’t). Her career spanned numerous positions including beat officer, homicide detective, field sergeant, vice/narcotics lieutenant, district captain, and assistant chief of police. Now retired, she lives in central North Carolina and divides her time between writing, traveling, and amateur interior decorating.
VK is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society and Romance Writers of America. She is the author of three erotic short stories and one romantic short story published in Bold Strokes Books anthologies. Her novels are To Protect and Serve, Suspect Passions, Fever, and Justifiable Risk.
