The Marriage Contract

by Kim Hartfield

  I traced my fingernails down her arm, then along her breasts. Her body was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen, glistening and gorgeous in the dim light. Her nipples hardened under my touch, and when I reached between her legs, she was incredibly, gloriously wet.

  “Wait, Leah, I can’t let you do this.” The way she spoke was between a breath and a moan. “You’ve wanted me for longer. I should be the one to please you first.”

  “Not a chance,” I said, already working her jeans off. “This is the moment I’ve been dreaming about for years.”

  Apparently that was enough for her, because she gave up and allowed me to spread her legs. I lay between them, admiring the beauty of her center. Inhaling deeply, I savored her scent. With the tip of a fingernail, I teased along her mound and her inner thighs.

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “Leah, please…”

  As much as I wanted to tease her, I couldn’t torture myself anymore. I was dying to finally taste her, and I couldn’t make myself wait a second longer. I dipped in, tracing my tongue up each of her folds and then drinking from the honey pot between. When she was squirming and panting, her hands clinging helplessly to my shoulders, I set my tongue to her little bud.

  Her body bucked, and she let out a moan. “Oh God, Leah.”

  I’d waited so long to hear her moan my name. Gripping her hips, I set to work, determined to make her say it again – and again. She cried out, shuddering under me with each stroke of my tongue.

  When her cries turned more urgent, I knew she was close. “Oh fuck, Leah, please, please…” I doubled my efforts, licking her harder, sliding a finger inside. She pushed herself up onto her forearms and I met her eyes. Her face contorted in ecstasy, and she screamed out in release.

  I’d almost forgotten my own arousal, too eager to bring her to climax, and now I became aware of a throbbing deep in my core. Going down on her had turned me on more than maybe anything in my life, ever – and now it was going to be my turn for the same treatment.

  She pulled herself up, looking completely worn-out and entirely satisfied. She clung to me for another long kiss, and the way her tongue moved against mine made me wonder how it’d feel down below.

  There was no way this was going to live up to the extremely high expectations I’d put on it, and I tried to belatedly lower them. No coupling in the history of humanity could’ve lived up to all these years of dreaming and fantasizing.

  She nudged me to lie down on the mattress, and I obediently parted my legs. She placed her hands on my thighs, her eyes making obscene promises I could only hope she was going to keep. My heart thundered in my chest. “Poppy, I’m ready.”

  She gave me a slow nod, and then she dove between my legs. The instant she made contact, my body jerked and seized. My back arched, my eyes squeezed shut, and without even meaning to, I let out a groan. If I’d thought I’d felt fireworks when we kissed, I’d been wrong. These were fireworks, and I never wanted them to stop.

  Her tongue flicked on my nub, doing miraculous things to my entire body. I held on tight, barely able to breathe through the extreme pleasure. I’d been so, so wrong about this not being as good as the build-up. It was better than I could’ve ever dreamed.

  And as my orgasm washed over me, I knew I wanted this every day for the rest of my life.

  Fifteen – Poppy

  “These are my friends Hanna and Jasmine,” Leah said, her arm linked through mine as we stood at a crowded bar. “And this is my girlfriend, Poppy.”

  Both girls’ eyes widened at the statement. Even Neeta, who’d joined us a few minutes earlier, looked shocked. “You two really…?”

  Leah nodded, looking adorably proud. “We made it official this morning.”

  “Then I don’t think I want to know what went on last night,” Neeta laughed.

  The bartender finally looked over at us, and we ordered quickly. I reached for my purse, and Leah stopped me with a shake of her head. “I got you.”

  A flood of warmth went through me. Yes, she did. She finally did.

  We’d spent most of the day in bed together, skipping the tourist activities she’d planned and ordering in rather than going to restaurants. I’d been quite willing to stay instead of going out with her friends, too, but she said it’d be healthy to get out of the apartment. Plus by the evening, we’d both had so many orgasms, it was hard to imagine having any more – at least for a few hours.

  Being with her at her place had felt perfectly comfortable and effortless, like becoming lovers was simply the natural evolution of our deep friendship. I’d discovered that I not only wanted to rip off her clothes, but that I also loved what happened after they were off. My worries about passion were gone, at least for the moment. I refused to think about whether our desire for each other would dry up a year or two down the line.

  For the moment, I was happy – blissfully so. I had a girlfriend again, and this time felt right. My parents would be over the moon when I told them. They’d always said Leah was their second daughter, and now she really would be.

  I’d hated to even leave the safe, warm bubble we’d created for ourselves at Leah’s apartment. I’d done it for her sake, but I was already halfway ready to head back to her place and get my hands – and mouth – on her again.

  Once we had our drinks in hand – beer for me and Neeta, white wine for Leah and her other friends – she elbowed me in the ribs. “Just don’t take any more shots.”

  Now warmth heated my cheeks. I’d almost forgotten how badly I’d embarrassed myself at my birthday party – not just with her, but with Neeta.

  Luckily Neeta hadn’t heard the comment, and I wasn’t about to share it. As we moved to stand in a quieter part of the bar, I wondered why I was so completely not jealous of her relationship with Leah. It helped that they’d only been friends for a lot longer than they’d dated, even though both of them had been single. Still, I knew they’d been intimate, and the thought didn’t bother me at all.

  Once we’d gotten comfortable in our new spot, Leah put her arm around me. Smiling at her, I readjusted it – she’d made it impossible for my head to reach my drink. She saw her mistake and laughed.

  “So what’s the deal?” one of the girls, either Hanna or Jasmine, asked.

  “Other than me now being a fifth wheel?” Neeta asked with a roll of her eyes.

  “You know what I mean,” the first girl said. “Last Hanna and I heard, we were going to be hanging out with Leah’s old friend who was coming to town. Now all of a sudden, they’re girlfriends?”

  “Friends do start dating from time to time,” Hanna said. “It happened to us, after all.”

  They gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes. “It usually takes a bit longer, though,” Jasmine said. “Unless this has been going on longer than we realize.”

  “Only about thirty years,” I jumped in. “Leah and I have known each other pretty much since birth. We grew up together, and I guess there were always some feelings there – even if I didn’t realize it until recently.”

  They both stared at me as if shocked, and I wondered if what I’d said was that unusual. I hadn’t meant to imply Leah and I had literally been crushing on each other when we were in diapers, but –

  “You’re that girl?” Hanna asked.

  “What girl?”

  “The girl,” Jasmine said. “The one Leah’s been mooning over ever since we met her.”

  I glanced at Leah, who’d just taken her arm off me. Her hands were now covering her face, and she looked like she was ready to run straight out of the building.

  “Were you mooning over me?” I asked, trying to sound playful when I was actually dead serious.

  “Oh, she was,” Neeta said. “The phrase ‘the one that got away’ was used.”

  “Tears were shed,” Hanna added.

  Leah took a big swig of her wine, her face bright red. “Guys, could we give it a rest?”

  “But we just got onto the topic,” Jasmine said. “Poppy, did you not k
now Leah was holding an Olympic-sized torch for you?”

  “Come on,” Leah groaned. “Tell us about your trip to the Netherlands, you two. Neeta, how’s that girl you were talking to on Tinder?”

  “You’re not going to change the subject that easily,” Neeta laughed.

  I squeezed Leah’s hand. “And that’s just fine with me.”

  *

  The rest of the weekend flew by. Leah tried again to reschedule her interview with Late Night Talk Time, but they weren’t able to do it at the last minute. I went along with her to the radio studio and even got to meet Ken Lawrence. He looked older than he sounded, but his eyes and his smile were kind.

  “It’s s-s-so nice to meet you,” I stuttered out. “I…” I blanked on what else I’d wanted to say.

  “Her name is Poppy, and she’s a huge fan,” Leah filled in for me.

  They went into another room, and I watched them chat through the window. Each had huge headphones on and a wireless microphone in front of them. I couldn’t hear what they were saying from outside the room, so I simply admired Leah from afar. She was animated, gesturing wildly as she talked about SpotBot. When her eyes met mine, my heart went weak.

  Once again, I had to admit how lucky I was to have found her – found her again, rather. If I hadn’t called her that day when I’d seen her on TV, she never would’ve reached out to me, and I understood why. She’d had no reason to think I’d ever be interested in her, seeing as I wouldn’t have thought so myself.

  I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the depth of her feelings for me. Once we were alone last night, I’d confronted her about whether her friends’ teasing was accurate. She’d said yes.

  Even though I’d known she’d had some feelings for me for a while, I was intimidated to hear she’d been in love with me since we were teens. It was a lot of pressure to live up to. But I thought I could return those feelings. I already adored her more than anyone else on the planet.

  Her interview went a little longer than expected, so that I was fidgeting and looking at the clock on my phone, wondering if I needed to call an Uber to the airport. She exited the soundproof room just as I was about to do it.

  “Sorry about that!” she said, giving me a hurried hug. Her face was flushed, her eyes bright. “We should get going.”

  In the rental car, she updated me on how the interview had gone. In a day or two, I’d be able to listen to the edited version on-air. All too soon, we were at the airport, and even though it was going to take a little longer, she parked the car and came inside.

  We held hands in the check-in line, not speaking as we slowly got closer to the counter. My heart wrenched as she stepped back, and I struggled to smile at the counter attendant when I handed him my passport. I didn’t want to leave – or at the very least, I wanted Leah to come with me.

  There were still almost two hours before my flight, and since it was a domestic one, I wasn’t worried about being late. Still, Leah said she wasn’t going to stick around.

  “I don’t want to take any chance of you missing your flight at the last minute because the security line ends up being too long,” she said. “And besides, saying goodbye is going to be hard enough without drawing it out.” She brushed something from her eye – a tear?

  “It’s not like I’m never going to see you again,” I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. “We’ll have another visit soon.”

  “Like when?” She held me close, running her fingers through my hair.

  “Whenever you want,” I said. “You’re the busy one, not me. Any weekend or holiday you want is yours.”

  “How about all of them?” she asked with a sniffle.

  *

  The next weekend, I found myself at a bar with Amanda and Julie, two of my high school friends. I moved restlessly in my chair, wishing I could be in San Francisco with Leah again, or that she could be here with me.

  “What’s up with you?” Amanda asked, wrinkling her nose at the way I’d shredded my napkin.

  “Nothing,” I said. “Just thinking.”

  She took a sip of her beer. “About…?”

  “I might as well tell you guys,” I said. “You remember Leah, right? You saw her at my birthday.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Julie said. “We remember her.” They traded a glance, rolling their eyes.

  “Well…” This wasn’t going to go over well, but all I could do was plunge ahead. “We actually started dating.”

  Julie blinked, while Amanda sucked in a gasp. “What?”

  “Yeah. We kissed last time she was here – ”

  “And you didn’t tell us?” Amanda asked.

  “I haven’t seen you since then, and plus, I didn’t know if it was going to go anywhere.”

  “Poppy…” Julie hesitated, frowning. “You know I never understood why you two were friends, but clearly you do have some kind of connection.”

  That was putting it mildly. “But…?”

  “But she lives so far away,” she said. “How are you expecting this to work?”

  That was a concern of mine, too. “It can work.”

  “Like how?” Amanda asked.

  “We’ll visit each other, and…” I bit my lip. I hadn’t gotten much further than that, but surely the visits would be enough for now.

  “Long distance sucks ass,” Julie said flatly. “I tried that with my ex I met while I was traveling, remember? We were dating for six months, and because we hardly saw each other in person, there was nothing to stop him from cheating on me the whole time.”

  “Leah would never cheat,” I said.

  “But what about deepening your relationship?” Amanda asked with concern. “How much can you really get to know each other when you’re not there in person?”

  “Luckily, we already know each other.”

  “You’ve barely spent any time together lately,” she said softly. “You know who she used to be, but do you really know her now?”

  Julie interrupted before I could reply. “The only way long distance works is if you know it’ll eventually become short distance. Do you think she’d move here, or would you be willing to move there?”

  “I don’t know.” Panic rose within me. “Do you guys really think this is a bad idea?”

  They both pursed their lips, neither one seeming to want to answer. “Sorry, Poppy,” Amanda said. “We’re just thinking about what’s best for you.”

  Me being with Leah was what was best for me. If they couldn’t see that, that was their own problem.

  She and I would find a way to stay together. We both wanted it badly enough to make it happen.

  Even if I didn’t quite know how it was going to work.

  Sixteen – Leah

  “I miss you so much,” I said to Poppy’s image on my phone.

  “I miss you more.” She pouted.

  “I miss you like crazy.” I shut my office door and sat down in the computer chair. “I miss you more than anything.”

  “I miss you more than life. I miss you more than the universe.”

  “I miss you like the deserts miss the rain.”

  “Okay there, Sting.”

  We both laughed, and that broke some of our sadness. It’d been almost two weeks since our last visit, which had been our second time seeing each other as a couple. She’d come here again, since there was more to do here than in Grass Cove, and we’d spent the whole weekend loved-up in my apartment.

  It’d been one of the best weekends of my life. I still couldn’t believe I was with her. Ever since we’d gotten together, my workaholic lifestyle had taken a hit. I didn’t want to stay at the office until midnight anymore. I barely wanted to work at all.

  I’d already started trying to figure out how to coordinate my vacation time so I could take a trip with her during the summer. Spending a week with her at some all-inclusive in the Caribbean sounded like heaven on earth.

  “How are you doing?” I asked. “How were your kids today?”

  “They were all r
ight,” she said. “Just as cute and hyper as usual. I’m already counting down until the end of June.”

  “Me, too.”

  In some ways, her summer off felt like an oasis in the desert. We hadn’t talked about how much time she might potentially be able to spend here, but I was sure it’d be more than a weekend here and there. If I had my way, she’d just move in with me for those two months – and if that test run went well, she could quit her job and find one in San Francisco.

  I knew she loved Grass Cove. Her old friends and her parents were there, and the town was familiar to her. But she loved me, too, and she could adjust to everything else.

  “I’m going to hang out with the old high school crowd this weekend,” she said. “Amanda and Julie.”

  Ugh, I didn’t know why she still spent time with them. Couldn’t she see they were terrible people? They’d been so rude to me back in the day, turning up their noses at me and whispering behind my back, all because I dressed differently than them and had more niche interests.

  I hadn’t spoken to them in years, it was true, but nothing Poppy had said had made me think they’d changed at all. They’d completely ignored me at her birthday party, and she’d hemmed and hawed and avoided the subject when I’d asked what they thought of us dating now.

  “Why don’t you come here instead?” I asked belligerently. “You’d have more fun with me than with them.”

  “I definitely would, but it’s a little late for that.” She reached out as if she could pat my hand through the screen, then drew back. “You know I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.”

  “This just fucking sucks, though.” And the distance was even worse when she was with them. I wanted to mention my hopes for the summer, but kept quiet for now. We’d only spent two weekends together as a couple – I didn’t want to scare her off.