by Donna Raider
Mika pulled out the chair for Leah. “What would you like to drink, Madam Mayor?”
“Wine is fine.” Leah smiled at her.
Good, Mika thought, she has settled down.
Mika came back with their drinks to find that Leah was across the table from her, between Delilah and Ruth. She frowned but then decided it might be for the best if she was to survive the night. Of course, that was before she felt a petite pointed high heel slide up the inside of her calf and pull it toward her, sending a shiver up her spine. Leah smiled at Mika innocently as the priest blushed bright red.
She had to hold Leah! Mika walked around the table to her. “I believe this dance is mine.”
“Let me just finish my wine first.” Leah flashed her most radiant smile.
“I believe this is our song, Mika.” Amber joined the group and took the priest’s arm, leading her to the dance floor.
Mika saw the danger in Leah’s eyes but knew it would insult Amber to turn her down in front of all their friends. She didn’t realize until they were on the dance floor that the song was the haunting, heartbreaking song The Winner Takes It All, by ABBA.
Amber never moved her eyes from Mika’s as they glided around the dance floor. “Listen to the words, Mika,” she whispered as she softly sang them in her ear.
Leah’s heart went out to the emerald-eyed beauty dancing with the priest. She knew the song would certainly mirror her feelings if she ever lost Mika’s love. Her mood changed as she saw Amber lead the priest outside to the patio.
Amber led Mika to the bench she had shared earlier with Emily and pulled her down to sit beside her. Mika didn’t say anything.
Finally, Amber spoke. “Why her, Mika? What’s so special about her?”
The priest hung her head, avoiding the hurt look in Amber’s eyes.
“I can’t explain it,” she said softly. “I can’t imagine my life without her in it. When I’m away from her, I find myself holding my breath until I catch sight of her again. She is the very air I breathe. She is exciting, frustrating, and sometimes infuriating. She is loving, caring, and exhilarating. She is funny and incredibly sensuous.”
“Years ago, you could have chosen me, before the priesthood, but you didn’t. Now, years later, you are risking your very soul to be with her,” Amber whispered. “What if you fail, Mika? What then? You know she can destroy you.”
“Yes,” the priest exhaled sharply.
Mika turned to her and caught both her hands. “Please move on, Amber. I love you so much, but as a sister. It has always been like a sister. I have never given you a reason to believe anything else.”
“I know,” Amber said softly, tears running down her cheeks. “I don’t blame you, Mika. I know my love for you has always been one-sided.”
She leaned her head on Mika’s shoulder and continued speaking softly, almost as if to herself. “I prayed for you, Mika. Every night I still pray for you, asking God to let you love me as I love you. I’m positive Leah has never prayed for you, has she? She doesn’t even believe in our God.” Her tears ran freely. “He gave you a choice. You could have had any woman you wanted, and you chose her.”
“I love her with all that I am,” Mika answered. “I can’t help it. She’s my addiction. She is the woman I want to bind with for all eternity.”
“You know I won’t stand in your way, and I will always be there for you when you need me.” Amber stood, drying her tears and managing a sad smile.
“I will always be there for you when you need me,” Mika assured her. She handed her a handkerchief. Mika’s heart ached for her; she was sorry that she was the cause of her unhappiness. “You know that you and me, we were never meant to be together. I know God has a different plan for you. You’ll see.”
Mika looked toward the party that was in full swing and saw Leah watching them. “We should go inside.”
“You go ahead.” Amber smiled tentatively. “I need to regain my composure.”
They hugged a long, comforting hug and then parted.
Leah was waiting for her. “It’s ABBA Hour,” she said, catching Mika’s hand and pulling her to the dance floor.
The almost country-sounding song of ABBA led into the easy dance song “I do, I do, I do, I do, I do.”
Leah sang the words into Mika’s ear in a low, melodic voice, sending shock waves through her. God, she loved her.
Mika pulled her tightly against her, two-stepping around the dance floor in perfect harmony. She had no words for the sheer thrill of holding Leah in her arms. Mika pressed her hand harder against the small of Leah’s back. Leah could feel every move Mika made as she easily followed her lead.
“I love that you are such an accomplished dancer,” Leah whispered. Her warm breath and just the slightest touch of her lips to Mika’s ear stirred a longing she had been trying to suppress all day.
The song died down, and Mika stepped back from her.
Suddenly the wailing sound of an incredible synthesizer soared through the night as Abba’s “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme A Man, After Midnight” burned across the dance floor. The driving beat of the drums and guitars reminded Mika of a pagan fertility dance. Leah danced backward away from her, smiling so intoxicatingly that Mika felt lightheaded.
As the chorus started, Leah began dancing toward Mika. She was extremely seductive. She swayed her hips to the music as her feet carried her to the priest to the beat of the drums. She lifted her hands above her head, tousled her hair, tilted her head back and then slid her hands salaciously down her body. She shredded Mika’s soul.
As the chorus ended, Leah slipped her arms around Mika’s neck. In an erotic haze, Mika put her hands on Leah’s hips and began to move her around the dance floor, never disengaging from her predatory gaze.
Mika thought she was going to die. The heat the two of them generated was unbearable. She fought the desire to rip off her collar so she could breathe. A fine sheen of perspiration covered both as they closed the small distance between their bodies. Leah gasped as Mika gripped her as tightly as she could and whirled her around the dance floor. Leah had awakened a desperate need in the priest, a need she could no longer control.
When the dance ended, Mika realized they were alone on the dance floor. She tried to swallow, but nothing happened. Applause and cat whistles filled the air around them. One of the miners yelled, “Get a room,” and Mika suddenly realized that they had probably just danced one of the most suggestive dances their town had ever seen.
Mika dragged Leah from the dance floor and outside. She had to get some air. She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t form a complete sentence. All she could think about was getting Leah alone and making her fulfill the promises with which she had teased her all day.
They drove in silence to the mansion. Leah handed her the key to open the door. They stepped inside, and Mika immediately shoved Leah against the closed door. She kissed Leah passionately, scraping her teeth against hers. Leah caressed the blonde’s lips with hers, fanning the fire she had ignited during the dance. She knew Mika wanted her; her desire was so powerful she couldn’t help herself. Leah unzipped Mika’s dress and slipped it off, not caring where it landed.
She felt Mika’s hands go under the skirt of her dress and gasped as she pulled it over her head in one quick motion. Mika stood back and surveyed her perfect body, clad only in her panties and bra. Lust filled Mika’s eyes as she picked up Leah and almost ran up the stairs with her. She pushed open the door to the bedroom with her foot and laid her on the bed.
Mika kissed her repeatedly, delighting in the way her skin felt. She never let her lips stray from Leah’s until she was on her back and Mika was between her legs. Mika began slowly moving her lips down Leah’s neck, lingering over the delicate indention of her throat. Leah moaned softly as Mika’s tongue traced the top of her bra and briefly caught her taut nipple with her teeth. She reached under Leah and easily unfastened her bra.
Leah knew Mika was hers. She knew that onc
e she finished with the priest, she would never look at another. She knew Mika would make love to her. She knew she would destroy her.
Destroy her! The words rang through Leah’s head like thunder in a volcano, rocking her senses.
In a voice from hell, she screamed, “Get off me, Priest,” and threw Mika across the room, crashing into the wall.
Leah lay flat on her back, staring at the ceiling, trying to slow the ragged breathing that was racking her body. For the first time in her life she had put aside her wants and desires and had done something for someone else, someone she loved. Suddenly she knew that more than desire, more than lust, more than physical attraction, she loved Mika Cross with all her being. For the first time in a very long time, she experienced a feeling that had long ago disappeared from her repertoire of emotions: shame.
She jumped at the groan coming from the far side of her bedroom. She had flung Mika far and hard against her wall. She ran to the blonde to see if she was hurt.
Mika shook her head, dazed by both the lust draining from her mind and the impact with the wall.
Leah was on her knees beside her, touching Mika’s face, holding it between her hands. “Darling, are you okay?” she cried, concern lining her beautiful face.
“I…I am fine.” Mika tried to get up but fell back as dizziness overtook her. She looked at Leah and then at herself and blushed the deepest red imaginable. Leah was clad only in her dangling bra and matching panties, while Mika wore only panties.
Mika scrambled away from Leah, scooting backward along the wall until she finally gained her footing and stood up, looking down at her.
“Leah,” she gasped in horror. “I…I…uh, I am sorry. I never meant to…”
“It’s okay, Mika. I’m the one who should be apologizing.” She hung her head. “I was shameless, doing everything I could to get you here. I…I could have destroyed you.”
“But you didn’t,” Mika whispered.
Leah moved toward Mika, and she backed away, looking at their scantily clad bodies. “We need to get dressed. We probably ruined Samson’s birthday party.” She grimaced.
Mika found her bra at the foot of Leah’s bed and her shoes in the doorway to her bedroom. She looked around for her dress and realized it was downstairs. She gasped as she recalled that she had started undressing before they even reached the bedroom. She ran downstairs and brought back their dresses, handing Leah’s to her sheepishly.
Leah laughed as she took the badly wrinkled dress. “I think I’ll put on something a little neater looking,” she said, shrugging.
She slipped into a simple black dress that went down to her calves with her signature slit up to mid-thigh. Mika noticed the exposed cleavage was still visible and exhaled sharply. Leah slipped on a pair of black pumps that made her legs look even shapelier.
##
Mika pulled the car back into the original parking spot at Samson’s party and turned off the engine. She reached for Leah’s hand and kissed it gently. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You saved us.”
Mika jumped out of the car and ran around to open Leah’s door. As Leah stood up to face her, Mika softly kissed her. Leah leaned in for more, slipping her tongue between Mika’s lips, seeking hers. Mika happily granted her access as she held her tightly. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll mess up your makeup?” She grinned as they separated.
“I can easily fix it.” Leah smiled. They walked hand in hand back into the birthday party just as the cake was being rolled out.
Emily raised a questioning eyebrow at Ruth, as if asking, “Did they?”
Everyone at the table turned to see the tall brunette’s answer. To everyone’s surprise, Ruth shook her head.
Both Leah and Mika noticed the exchange between the people sitting at their table and smiled.
“I am so sorry we had to leave.” Leah flashed her most dazzling smile. “I spilled something on my dress and had to change. Mika was kind enough to drive me home.”
Still holding her hand, Leah sat down beside Ruth, pulling Mika down into the seat next to her. Mika leaned over and whispered in Leah’s ear how much she loved her, and she leaned against the priest, enjoying the feel of her warm breath and lips so close to her ear.
Samson cleared his throat, still visualizing the two of them on the dance floor, “You are just in time for the birthday cake.” he smiled. “Delilah, will you help me serve?”
A birthday cake was placed on everyone’s table and quickly cut and passed to all the partygoers. Emily stood and led everyone in the happy birthday song and then insisted that Samson blow out the candles on his cake.
Samson made his wish, blew out all the candles, and thanked everyone for coming.
“Hey,” blurted out Emily, “has anyone seen my cell phone? I have been looking for it all night.”
“I can try calling it and see if it rings so you can hear it,” Ruth offered. “I am not sure you can hear it over this noise.”
Ruth punched the button that would dial Emily’s phone, and everyone listened for the sound. Ruth’s extraordinary hearing picked up the sound of the phone. “I believe it’s on the patio,” she said.
Emily retrieved her phone from the bench she had shared with Amber earlier in the evening, noting that the battery was almost dead. She shoved it in her pocket, making a mental note to charge it as soon as she got home.
The live band began playing a slow song, and Emily held out her hand to Leah, who refused with just the slightest movement of her head. Mika stood and led her fiancée to the dance floor. Leah melted into her arms, laying her head on Mika’s shoulder, allowing her to lead her around the dance floor.
Gone was the raging lust that had characterized their earlier dances. Mika had no idea what song was playing. She only knew the woman in her arms was the one she would spend eternity with because she had been strong enough for them. She bent and softly kissed Leah’s lips, lingering a little longer than she should have, but not caring what anyone thought.
Mika led her back to their table and went to get coffee to go with their cake. Emily slid into the seat beside Leah. “What happened?” She smirked. “The priest too strong for the Wicked Queen?”
At Leah’s look of horror, Emily added, “Oh, she doesn’t know who you are, does she? I thought that surely you would own her soul by now. After that dance you did, you could have melted me and poured me into your pocket. I know you. You were getting even with her for the little tête-à-tête with Amber.”
“If you must know, yes,” Leah snarled. “I was most unhappy about her behavior with Amber.”
“Jealous much, Your Majesty?” Emily antagonized her.
“I’m over it now,” Leah murmured.
Seeing Emily in her chair, Mika grabbed another chair and scooted it between the two women. She had been polite long enough. She wasn’t letting anything else upset Leah tonight.
“Ruth,” Mika smiled innocently, “I haven’t seen you and the sheriff dancing tonight, and I know you love to dance.”
“I do.” Ruth grinned. “Come on, Em, let’s hit the dance floor.”
Samson was opening his birthday presents and worked his way to the large box containing the present from Leah. “What in the world can this be?” Samson smiled as he tried to shake the package. When he pulled the shield from the box, he gasped in surprise, and his eyes looked as if he might cry. He quickly got himself under control and smiled at Leah. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said softly, bowing slightly.
Mika had seen several of the guest curtsy and address Leah as “Your Majesty” tonight. Must have something to do with their respect for the mayor’s title, she thought.
As the partiers began leaving, Mika and Leah thanked Samson and Delilah for a lovely evening and made their exit. There was an easy contentment between them now, with a low, smoldering passion underneath. Neither of them spoke of what had happened earlier in the evening. At the mansion, Mika walked Leah to the door and kissed her slowly, longingly and thankfully.
&nbs
p; ##
Lying in her bed, Leah went over the events of the day. She knew that her jealousy of Amber had almost cost the priest her soul. She still wondered where she had found the strength to stop Mika from doing what she desired so desperately. She promised herself she would find some way to control her jealousy if it was the last thing she did. She thought about the sad and haunting song Amber had danced with the priest. Her mind slipped into sleep with the vision of Mika in nothing but her panties and a shy smile.
Lying in her bed, Mika thought about the day. She was exhausted by the intense passion and desire she had battled all day. Many things about Leah flashed through her mind: Leah’s incredible beauty that continued to leave her breathless, her intense passion that had steamrolled Mika’s self-control, and her eyes flashing in anger at the sight of her and Amber together. Mika knew she loved everything about Leah Anthal, even her stubbornness and aggressiveness. Her mind slipped into sleep with the vision of Leah dancing sensuously toward her, her hips gyrating to the driving music, stalking her prey.
##
Emily removed her phone from the charger and checked for messages. Except for a text from Ruth, there was nothing. She was about to clear the text when she noticed that a rather large recording was on her phone. Curious, because she hadn’t recorded anything, she played back the recording.
The sheriff sat silently after hearing the recording on her phone. It was the entire conversation between the priest and Amber. Emily knew this recording would totally put Leah’s mind at ease. She debated on whether she should erase the recording and hope that Amber would succeed in breaking up the couple or play the recording for Leah and reassure her that nothing had ever happened between the priest and Amber. She was surprised to find that she was relieved that nothing had ever happened between the priest and Amber. Shoving the phone into her pocket, she headed to the diner.
Leah was sitting in the booth she usually shared with the priest. Mika hadn’t arrived yet, so Emily slid into the seat across from the mayor.
Leah raised her eyebrows and scowled at the sheriff. Emily held up her hands, palms toward Leah, “Just listen to me before you turn me into a rat,” she said with a grimace. “I have something you need to hear.”
