by M. Ullrich
“It’s Stud Night,” Berit said as if it was the most obvious fact on earth. “We’ve talked about it all week.” She stepped closer, just wanting to share Lauren’s space. “Five-dollar craft beers, and packing’s encouraged.”
“I remember the drink specials.”
“Maybe I forgot to mention the other thing.” Berit snaked her arms around Lauren’s waist and pulled her close.
“You most certainly did not mention anything about wearing your dick to the bar.”
Berit’s expression turned from playful to serious. She pulled back slightly and said, “If it bothers you, I’ll take it off. I just thought it’d be good to lead by example.”
Lauren pulled Berit’s hips in to meet her own. “I was surprised, but I definitely don’t want you to take it off.” She thrust her pelvis forward. The pressure on the silicone cock sent a jolt to Berit’s clit. “What’re you packing here?” Lauren grabbed Berit’s bulge slowly. “Six or eight inches?” She stroked Berit firmly, nearly sending her to her knees.
Berit licked her lips. “Six.” She whimpered when Lauren increased the speed and pressure of her stroke. “Eight inches wouldn’t be as discreet.” Berit watched, completely entranced as Lauren bit her lower lip.
“Hey, guys.” Lou’s voice sent them flying apart. Berit knew her face was flaming red, and Lauren was in even worse shape. Lou averted her eyes and said, “I don’t even want to know, just hand me a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black.”
Berit handed it to her and gave her a nod. She looked back at Lauren once Lou left and blew out a long breath. “Are you wet?” Lauren’s dark eyes flew open. “Are you?” If Berit wasn’t so turned on and in tune to Lauren’s every move, she would’ve missed Lauren’s barely perceptible nod. She grabbed Lauren’s hand and led her to her office. Shutting the door, she locked it and pushed Lauren toward her small desk. “We don’t have much time.”
“We probably shouldn’t do this.”
“I’m the boss.”
“What if someone comes looking for us?”
Berit kissed Lauren deeply, moving her hands from Lauren’s hair to her breasts and finally coming to a stop on her ass. Berit encouraged Lauren to sit on the edge of the desk. “They’re busy.” She unbuttoned Lauren’s jeans and tugged them down her hips. Berit’s fingertips went right to Lauren’s core. “You’re soaked,” Berit said as she stroked Lauren over her panties. Her warmth and moisture permeated the cotton barrier.
“What can I say?” Lauren shut her eyes as Berit toyed with her covered entrance. When her eyes opened again, they were darker than Berit had ever seen them. “I must have a thing for a woman with a big cock.”
Berit grinned wickedly. “Take off your pants,” she said in a low, demanding voice. Lauren obeyed and kicked her jeans to the side and started on Berit’s. Berit watched Lauren undo her belt. That sight alone ratcheted the pulse between her thighs to high. Lauren caught the purple phallus in her palm when it sprang free from Berit’s jeans. Berit swallowed hard as she watched Lauren’s hand move up and down the shaft.
“I can be quick,” Lauren said. She reached lower into Berit’s pants, sliding her middle finger into her briefs and swirling it through her wetness. Berit sucked in a breath. “Can you?” She removed her finger to smear Berit’s juices on the head of the dildo.
“You’re so incredibly sexy. Like, really fucking hot.” Berit knew her voice and knees were shaking. Lauren was bringing a page of her unwritten fantasy diary to life. “You’re pretty wet, but if you need more—”
Lauren pushed Berit back slightly and dropped to her knees. She ran her tongue around the head before taking Berit’s length into her mouth. Berit damn near fell over when Lauren locked her innocent eyes on hers and started to bob her head up and down. Berit’s clit ached, her breathing grew labored, and her heart was about to pound out of her chest.
Lauren released the dildo from between her swollen lips and said, “I think it’ll be plenty wet now.” She stood and sat back on the desk.
Berit swallowed hard and nodded dumbly. She was so turned on, she felt paralyzed, like she might come just from blinking too hard. “I—I’m…”
“Fuck me, Berit.” Lauren’s command shook Berit out of her stupor.
Berit lined her silicone cock up and sank slowly into Lauren’s ready pussy, kissing her deeply as the dildo disappeared between them. Once she was deep inside Lauren, Berit pulled back to look into her smiling eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great, but I’d be even better if you started moving.”
Berit started to piston slowly, listening to Lauren’s breathing for any hints of pain. All she heard were sounds of pleasure. She found a rhythm Lauren liked and stuck with it before palming Lauren’s breasts roughly. She encouraged Lauren to rub her own clit and knew in an instant Lauren wasn’t far from orgasm. Berit kissed her, swallowing her growing cries.
Lauren tore her mouth away and whined, “I’m so close, Berit, oh!” Lauren pulled at Berit’s hair, holding her face against her neck. Berit could feel Lauren’s pulse racing against her lips. “Harder, fuck me harder.” She whispered the words fiercely, and they slammed Berit into action.
Berit moved her hips faster and with purpose. Sweat collected on her brow, and the sounds of their skin slapping together filled the office space. She brought her lips to Lauren’s ear and placed a sweet kiss there. “Come for me,” she said in a deep voice.
Lauren let go, her thighs shaking around Berit’s thin frame and her cries muffled by Berit’s red T-shirt. She slumped forward against Berit. As Berit tried to step back, Lauren grabbed her ass and held her in place. “Not yet,” she said. The small whimper warmed Berit’s heart.
Berit pulled out after a minute, missing the closeness immediately. “We’ll have to do that again when we have more time.”
Lauren was already standing on unsteady legs while she pulled on her jeans. “More time so I can return the favor.”
Berit grabbed paper towels from a nearby shelf and cleaned herself up. She tucked the dildo away and winked at Lauren. “I can think of a few ways you can return the favor later.”
“Anything you want.” Lauren gave Berit a tender, promising kiss.
Berit pulled back and smiled. “I have something to give you.”
“Are you sure you didn’t just give it to me?”
“I was talking about this,” Berit said, reaching into the bottom drawer of her small desk. She pulled out a small dish towel that had an American flag in one corner and the flag of England in the other. She handed it to Lauren and rubbed the back of her neck nervously as she watched Lauren look it over. “It’s a silly gift, but it’s nice to have a towel of your own around here and—”
Lauren cut her off with a hard kiss. “I love it. I love…” Lauren’s eyes were so dark and deep. Berit felt the moment grow between them. “I really do love it, and I can’t wait to use it tonight.” Lauren unlocked the door. “Thank you,” she said just before walking out of the office.
Berit couldn’t keep her eyes off of Lauren’s slightly affected stride. She laughed and ran her fingers through her hair.
Within an hour, the bar was filled almost wall to wall. Berit knew they’d be pushing maximum capacity soon enough. Nights like these made the Dollhouse feel like an extension of Berit’s beating heart. She stood at the back of the bar and watched people move about her space. The energy surrounding her made Berit’s skin feel electric. She watched Lauren work tables full of captivated women. Everyone loved Lauren—the patrons, the staff, and the boss.
“Hey, Berit,” Dee shouted as she approached. “I want to take a quick smoke break.”
“You need to quit.”
“True, but I’m not quitting right now. Mind if I run out back?”
Berit checked her watch.
“I’ll be quick,” Dee said.
“Take your fifteen and get Lou to go with you. You’re both due for a break.” Berit raised her hand and waved to Lauren for her to come up to
the bar. “Lauren and I can handle the bar while you’re away.”
“You summoned me?” Lauren’s face was set in a satisfied, if not smug, smile.
“You and I are on bar duty for a bit while Lou and Dee take their break.” Berit tucked her dish towel into the back pocket of her pants and took her place behind the bar. Lauren was close behind with her own towel in hand.
“What about the tables?”
“Bellamy and Monica have it covered with Cynthia and Talia. Hey, Rosa,” Berit said as the regular took a seat across from her. “The usual?” Berit already had a bottle of top-shelf vodka in her hand.
“Please. And can you do an extra little dance with it? I had a terrible day today.” Rosa placed her small purse on the bar top and slumped forward. “My ex is fighting me for custody of our golden retriever.”
Berit put on her most charming smile. “Anything to make you happy.” She tossed the bottle into the air and did a spin. She caught the bottle behind her back, flipped it once in the air, and started to pour just the right amount into the metal cocktail shaker.
“Why do martinis taste better when a hot woman flips around while she makes it?” Rosa said to Lauren as she watched Berit’s moves.
Lauren popped the tops off four longneck bottles in a row. “I think it has more to do with the hot woman than it does her tricks.” Lauren carried two bottles in each hand down to a group at the end of the bar.
“Here you go.” Berit filled a martini glass and placed a toothpick filled with olives into the glass. “First one’s on the house.”
Rosa threw a twenty on the bar. “I’m only having one tonight. I’m meeting someone later, and I want to have all my wits about me.”
Berit hitched up her eyebrow.
“Don’t give me that look. I’m not telling you any more, just like how you’re staying tight-lipped about what’s going on between you and the girl next door.” Rosa tilted her head toward Lauren.
Berit felt the heat of a blush rising in her cheeks. She took another order before going back to Rosa. “Fair enough,” she said. “That one’s still on the house. If you’d like another, just flag me down.”
“You’re amazing.”
“Don’t inflate her ego any more than it already is, Rosa. I can barely stand her now,” Lauren said as she passed.
Rosa grimaced. “Good point.”
Berit looked between Rosa and Lauren incredulously. “I’m right here, you know.”
“I know.” Rosa smiled sweetly. “Thank you for the drink.” Rosa took a sip and winked at Berit over the rim of her glass.
“I’m back.” Dee clapped her hand onto Berit’s shoulder with an alarming amount of force. “Lou’s in the break room shoving a frozen dinner down her throat. Can you please go back there and tell her to slow down? It’s bad for her health.”
Berit snorted. Dee had no idea Lou just happened to eat that way. Ever since they were little, she’d shove food into her cheeks faster than their mother could serve it. Berit always thought it was the curse of living amongst five children—a race to get the food before nothing was left. “She’s fine,” Berit said reassuringly. “I’m more worried about her eating a frozen dinner.” She shuddered and walked to the back.
Berit found Lou sitting by her lonesome at the small square table in the center of the break room. Berit hated the break room. She wished she could offer her employees a more plush resting area. They deserved top-notch amenities, but they only had so much space and money to work with. “Where’s your food?” Berit said knowingly from the doorway. She leaned against the frame with her arms crossed over her chest.
“That measly thing? Long gone.” Lou waved her hand in the air. “Sit,” she said forcefully and kicked out a chair.
Berit sat, eyeing her sister suspiciously.
“There’s five minutes left to my break, and we need to talk,” Lou said.
“Since when do you keep track of your breaks?”
“Since a line started forming to get into this place.”
Berit’s chest puffed out with pride. “Pretty cool, huh? I knew Stud Night would be a hit, but this is blowing my mind. Next month we should—”
“Monday is Dad’s birthday.”
Berit slumped into the chair, all excitement draining from her body. Her chest filled with the same detached feeling she’d come to associate with her father. “I know. It’s the same day every year.”
“We’re having dinner and cake.”
“Just like we do every year,” Berit said with growing frustration. “It’ll be roast beef because that’s his favorite, and he’ll be late to dinner. Mom will make a cake from the box, probably double chocolate because Bart loves it and doesn’t come around as often as the rest of us. If for some reason you think I’ve forgotten, I haven’t.”
Lou sat calmly even as Berit stood and started to pace. “I think you should bring Lauren to dinner. And I think it’s time for you to forgive him.”
Berit froze. She turned slowly toward Lou. “Oh you do, do you?”
“Yes, Berit, I do. The man is going to be sixty, and I think you’ve dragged this on for long enough.”
“Well, I don’t think I have.”
“Of course you don’t, because you’re just as stubborn as he is. I have to get back to work, which means I don’t have enough time to listen to your lame excuses for hanging on to a grudge for nearly two decades.” Lou got up and walked past Berit to the break room door. She paused and looked hesitant for a second. “Remember how close we all were?”
Berit lowered her head, shame making it hard for her to meet Lou’s eyes. “It’s not my fault we’re not anymore,” she said in a harsh whisper.
“I never said it was. But you hold the power to bring some of that back. You have a successful business now, a very successful business you should be proud of. Whatever happened in the past has brought you here, to this moment with all of us and the Dollhouse.”
“We have a successful business,” she said.
“I can’t take any credit even if I wanted to. This is all you, and you should be really proud.”
“I am.”
“Then share that with your family and your girlfriend.” Lou dragged out the last word, sounding like a second grader on the playground.
Berit looked at her sister and tried her best to picture it all. Her family would be sitting around their huge dining room table with little space to spare. They’d be doting over Lauren and ribbing Berit for finally finding a girl who met her impossible standards, all while she denied their every word. They’d all ask Berit how she managed to convince Lauren to finally like her back, and she’d get to talk about the Dollhouse and this latest successful night. Berit’s mother would squawk with pride, and Berit would look to her father for approval.
Berit nodded at Lou. “If Lauren is free, I’ll bring her to dinner.”
“And…” Lou’s eyes were wide with hopeful anticipation.
“And I’ll work on it.” Berit didn’t need to say anything more specific. She rolled her eyes at her sister as she skipped from the break room.
When Berit walked back into the crowded bar area, she was pleased to see the hustle and bustle moving along just as it had before. Familiar and new faces filled her bar. Lou was right. She had built a successful business in spite of the rocky start handed to her by her father. If she had already moved on professionally, maybe it was time to move on personally. Plus, she shouldn’t introduce Lauren to a tense family. Berit watched the woman who’d been on her mind and in her heart for a while now. She wanted her family to get to know Lauren because she was exceptional, a game-changer, and the exact kind of woman Berit had fantasized about since she was a daydreaming teenager.
Berit’s mouth curled into an indulgent smirk as she watched a fresh-faced woman flirt with Lauren, who handed her and a friend two beers. Berit’s smirk and the warm feeling in her chest fell away, replaced with panic as she watched what happened next.
The once-flirty woman got
pulled away from the bar.
Another woman flashed Lauren a badge.
Two uniformed officers walked through the doors.
Berit swallowed hard when all the pieces came together. Lauren had just served an underage drinker.
Chapter Twenty-one
Lauren stood immobile. Shock, shame, and nausea paralyzed her. How could this have happened? How could she have done something so stupid? She felt herself be jostled by the people around her. Dee had tried talking sense while Lou attempted to keep the other patrons distracted. The conversation between the police and Dee turned heated by the time Berit rushed over. Lauren tried to read her face, but Berit’s eyebrows were knitted together deeply and her normally warm eyes had turned chilly. When Berit looked at Lauren, she felt as if Berit had looked through her.
“Berit, I’m—” Lauren’s apology halted the moment Berit raised a hand and shook her head. If only Lauren could tell whether her actions meant they’d talk later or never talk again.
“Were they sent in by you, or did you receive a call?” Berit said to the police officer in charge of writing up the fine.
The burly cop barely raised his head when he began speaking. “I think it’s fair to assume you don’t normally serve underage people in this bar?” He motioned to the two young women being interviewed.
Lauren studied Berit’s reaction carefully. The muscles of her jaw flexed, and she balled her hands into fists. Berit was angry. Berit stepped forward, and Lauren was happy a bar stood between her and the officer. She was sure Berit would have no issue standing nose to nose with him. Lou tried to intervene by placing her hand on Berit’s shoulder, but Berit brushed it off immediately.
“I won’t dignify your stupid question with an answer.”
“Answer the question, ma’am,” a female officer said. Lauren did a double take when she recognized her as a customer. Lauren opened her mouth, but shut it the moment her mind caught up with her emotions. Maybe the cop wasn’t out at work, or maybe she had other personal reasons for siding with the imbecile she’d been partnered with. Lauren knew speaking up would only make the problem worse.
