Unexpected Lightning

by Cass Sellars

  “Meet me back here in an hour. I have something for you.” Syd propelled Parker gently into the hall and the melee.

  To Parker’s delight, the caterers had begun loading equipment onto a flat cart headed toward the exit.

  “Just found out that the caterers were only contracted until ten thirty. I think the end might be near,” Jenny reported, looking as if she was done in, too.

  “I might just do the happy dance in a minute,” Parker said as Allen waved and blew kisses from the center of an exiting crowd that included Darcy and Dayne. Chris Newkirk waited alone on a barstool while Frank, Randy, and Steve appeared to be plotting their night. Ben looked on inattentively from the edge of the conversation.

  By eleven thirty, every last body was gone, and the hum of the evening started to defuse. Jenny leaned back into Mack’s shoulder and was swept into her arms. “I haven’t touched you once in many hours, Mrs. Foster. I plan to remedy that now.” Jenny laughed and reclined limply in Mack’s arms.

  “I’m too tired to resist; you may have your way with me, Lieutenant.” She gestured grandly as she was led through the open the door to the spare bedroom, her shoes dangling limply from her fingers.

  “Good night, guys,” Syd called before steering Parker down the hall.

  “Syd, shouldn’t we clean up a bit?”

  Syd shook her head, and Parker didn’t argue. Sydney opened the bedroom door, and it snicked quietly shut behind her. Parker shuffled immediately to the walk-in closet and kicked her gray pumps into a corner of the floor. She skimmed the suit jacket down her arms and released the catch on the skirt.

  Sydney closed in behind her and tilted Parker’s face to hers. She began teasing the skin at her throat with her teeth, leaving trails of goose bumps in her wake. A shiver rushed up Parker’s spine when Syd relieved her of the rest of her clothes. The moves were swift, and Parker was left in only her bra and underwear.

  “This could be very dangerous in my present delirious state, my love.” Parker’s voice was breathy and weak as she responded to the touch of the only woman who had ever made her melt in seconds.

  Wordlessly, Sydney slid her bra straps from her shoulders and shifted her nearly naked body to the floor, continuing to nip sensitive paths that burned into Parker’s skin. Parker arched against her as she watched Sydney’s gray eyes turn black with desire.

  “God, Syd, I…” Parker’s words were quelled by Syd’s insistent mouth pressing roughly onto hers.

  “I need you. Now.”

  Sydney’s words tore through Parker as Sydney dragged the lacy G-string from her hips. Parker succumbed to the cresting waves rushing at her, threatening to overtake her without so much as another touch.

  “God, love, this is going to be so fast. You’re making me crazy.”

  “No, baby. Slow.” Syd’s deep voice was thick with need. “Not until I say. I need to touch every part of you.” Syd skidded her teeth over the pebbled point of Parker’s breast, capturing the other between her fingertips. Parker cried against the splinters of impending ecstasy she couldn’t staunch.

  “Syd, I can’t. Please, I need to feel you.”

  Sydney raked her fingers slowly from her chest, gliding her hand toward Parker’s hips. She glanced over her hard center, stilling her thumb before continuing her maddening manipulations. Parker ached to feel more and thrust harder against her.

  Syd continued to tease her, to scrape her teeth along Parker’s throat, slowing her touch every time Parker neared her punishing edge. Parker felt Sydney respond with renewed command when Parker’s flaring rhythms multiplied in response to Sydney’s direction. Syd surged against her, suddenly plunging harder into her and over the searing swells of need. Syd pressed her lips against Parker’s ear. Parker could always be impaled by her words, compelled by her voice. She closed her eyes against the firing sensations.

  “Look at me.”

  Parker struggled to focus. She breathed heavily against her imminent surrender as Syd pushed her nearer and nearer to her all-consuming edge. Parker was shocked by the powerful sensations that began to rock over her, causing her breath to catch as she gripped Syd’s skin, soundly biting her neck in a primal answer.

  “Right there, baby.” Sydney’s words were fierce and commanding. Syd was visibly shaken as her own orgasm clearly took her by surprise. Parker felt her surge past her edge when her teeth again found the sensitive skin behind Syd’s ear.

  “Fuck.” Sydney’s mouth swallowed their moans as the quaking sensations ripped raggedly at them both. “Now. With me. Now.”

  “Don’t let go, Sydney, please.” She knew Sydney waited for the sating words she couldn’t help but issue each time they found themselves feeding their mutual addiction. Parker breathed unevenly until the spell of the hungry moment waned. She watched Sydney silently war against some invisible force as her eyes struggled to focus on Parker’s face. She closed them instead. Parker drew a line down her cheekbone and over her shoulder.

  “I think I might have bitten you.” Parker grinned sheepishly as she tried to locate evidence of the offense.

  “I think I might have liked it just a little.” Sydney dropped her head onto Parker’s chest again as a shudder washed over her hot skin. Syd kissed the place under her lips.

  “So, do you want to tell me what that was about?” Parker lifted Syd’s face and brushed her lips against Sydney’s softly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining in any way because it was hot as hell.” She again eased her mouth over Sydney’s, still immersed in the lingering intensity that hung heavily between them. “I just know you, and that wasn’t your normal MO, sweetheart.”

  Sydney shifted Parker against her, cradling her body and pressing her mouth into Parker’s mussed hair. “I just don’t want to ever forget who we are. Why we are. I know we joke about being each other’s property and things like that, but you are mine, only mine.”

  Sydney’s fingers pressed deeply into Parker’s back, and jagged air escaped her lips.

  Parker pulled tighter into the embrace and searched Syd’s face, attempting to gather clues. “Of course I am. What did I miss, love?” Parker was suddenly anxious to connect at the place where Sydney had traveled. “Tell me, please.”

  “Nothing, baby. I just think how beautiful you are and how many people could imagine themselves in my place. Just tonight…Dayne and this Frank guy. I watched Dayne touch you in the kitchen, and I could feel it…here.” She tapped a fist to her chest. “Literally feel it. I just need to know that you have what you need from me.”

  Parker looked incredulous, and she locked her eyes on to Syd’s. “Sydney Hyatt, you are my life. I would give up anything I have, everything I have, before I could be without you. Don’t you know that by now?” Her words were replicated by her desperate grip of Sydney’s crumpled shirt.

  Syd shook her head. “I know that. I’m being stupid, I guess.” She forced her eyes to refocus on Parker and brushed a tender kiss over her mouth. “I love you like a crazy person, and I’ve nearly lost you twice in two years. I guess I get scared that if I’m not paying attention, something could take you away from me. Then, apparently, I turn into a raging lunatic that devours you in the closet at midnight. Do you forgive me?”

  Parker offered her a peaceful smile. “What exactly should I forgive you for? Loving me in a way people would trade their souls for? Or ravishing me in a way I never thought was possible before you crashed into my life?” Parker leaned back against the wall and pulled at Sydney to compel her to shift with her. “I’m fascinated by you every day. I just see you, and you make me melt. Syd, I honestly walk into a room with you, and I feel like the princess in a fairy tale.”

  “Even when I need to possess you and consume you at the same time for no logical reason whatsoever?” Sydney stroked Parker’s calf.

  “Yes, especially then. You look at me, every day, like I’m made of gold. I know every part of you. You only came for me two years ago, but I’ve known you forever.” Syd relaxed agains
t her as she spoke. “I know that sounds ridiculously clichéd, but I believe it’s true.”

  “Someone screwed up somewhere because I don’t deserve you.” Syd’s smile accompanied a wink as she turned to hold Parker to her again. “But I’ll never let you go.”

  “Better not,” Parker whispered. “Now, do you also want to tell me what you were thinking when you practically broke down the door in here tonight?”

  Syd pressed a delicate kiss over Parker’s throat and fought an involuntary wince. “Shall I assume from the question that you won’t accept that I was just worried that you might be sick or something?” Syd squeezed her eyes shut and tilted her forehead against Parker’s shoulder in an attempt to shield her embarrassment at the impending revelation.

  “You assume correctly, my love.” She teased her fingers through Syd’s black hair and waited quietly.

  “Um. It could have been possible that I saw you walk out of the kitchen with Dayne’s hand on you, and when I came down to look for you, the door to the bedroom was closed, and I momentarily went blind and deaf and irrational and…”

  Parker pressed a finger over her mouth and stemmed the rushing tide of words escaping from Sydney’s lips. She framed Sydney’s face and drew a thumb across her clenched jaw. “So, what you’re saying is that you thought that I gave up the most amazing thing I have ever had so I could risk being devastated again by a woman I don’t even like anymore, in our bedroom, thirty feet from where I knew you were?”

  Syd recognized a familiar sadness that she was anxious to banish. “Something like that…”

  “And you know me better than that, as well.” Parker smiled and at once lightened the mood that cloaked Sydney’s emotions. “What did you two talk about tonight, anyway?”

  “Actually, she just thanked me, us, for inviting her here. She said she wanted me to know that she was very happy with Julie and that she was sorry for trying to drag you back to her at New Year’s…you know, nothing I actually believed or anything, but she gave it a shot.” Sydney smiled and pulled Parker over to lie on top of her.

  “You know, I’m still hopelessly naked, and you’re wearing far too many clothes.” Parker kissed a path from her shoulder to her ear, worrying at the few buttons that held Syd’s shirt closed. “I would like to show you how much I love you on our very soft mattress. What do you think?”

  “I think I can’t wait.” Sydney pushed herself up from the floor and pulled Parker to her feet. Parker helped her shed the rest of her clothes and joined her in the cool sheets before she slid her mouth between Sydney’s thighs.

  Chapter Six

  “Morning, sweeties. Sleep well?” Parker shuffled into the kitchen to find Mack poking through a sad leftover fruit tray while Jen hunched over what appeared to be life-renewing coffee.

  “Actually, I was accosted repeatedly by my wife, so I had little sleep,” Mack grumbled into the bowl of fruit and popped a red grape theatrically between her lips.

  “Sounds devastating.” Syd smirked as she poured coffee into a mug and flipped the power switch on the tea kettle. “Luckily, we dropped off as soon as our heads hit the pillow.”

  “I call bullshit.” Jenny’s indelicate growl seeped from beneath the curtain of tousled hair that fell across her sleepy visage. “I went to the bathroom twice, and I believe I heard lusty noises coming from your room both times.”

  “Voyeur.” Parker folded around Sydney, who was more than grateful for the reassuring embrace.

  Jenny took another sip of her coffee and slid a small, sealed envelope across the island to Parker, who looked at her inquisitively.

  “Shouldn’t you be sending thank-you notes to Mack?” Parker slid a finger under the flap.

  “Found it in the bathroom. It’s addressed to the Lady of the House, so I suppose it’s a toss-up, but I thought I had a better shot with you, Park.” Jenny’s eyes were becoming clearer as she looked imploringly at Sydney and skated her empty mug across the polished stone countertop.

  Syd refilled her cup and watched as Parker opened the mysterious envelope. A fold of faux parchment held a short, handwritten note in an untidy hand:

  To my exquisite hostess:

  A precious time, a lovely night

  A gorgeous girl, a ray of light

  Thank you for your help and fun

  All the world knows you’re the one.

  Parker read the words aloud before gesturing with the paper. “I have to admit it’s a little creepy, but I’m sure someone’s just trying to be nice.”

  “Maybe Frank finally wants to see something other than your boobs.” Jenny poked at Parker, who chucked the note on the counter.

  “Very funny.” She glanced up at Syd, who felt surprisingly sedate.

  “What can I say, you’re adored by millions. Of course, if I find out who wrote this, I’ll be forced to remove his very non-euphemistic appendage from his body.” Sydney’s words were light, and she allowed the shadow of concern to pass quickly.

  “Of course you will, love. I would be insulted if you didn’t defend my honor in such a subtle and refined way.” Parker smiled at Sydney, reconnecting at the place they’d found each other just a few hours ago.

  By the time the cleaning crew arrived, Parker had repacked a variety of leftovers into to-go boxes for Mack and Jen and helped them load their bags into the car. Jenny waved enthusiastically as her wife backed their Murano onto Meridian Street headed to pick up Olivia.

  Sydney threaded her fingers through Parker’s and dusted a kiss over her temple. “What do you think about a walk?”

  “I think I like the way you think.” The morning was still quiet, and the cloying heat and accompanying humidity still hovered a few hours away.

  “Thank you for last night. I guess I lost it a little bit.” Syd slid her lips over Parker’s hand as they walked across the grassy hill outside the loft.

  “Sweetheart, you didn’t lose anything. I wish I could make you feel half as desired and needed as you make me feel. I love you for that.”

  “You make me feel like a god somehow. You’re my everything, always.” She looped her arm around Parker’s shoulder. “Now, let’s talk about your secret admirer.” Sydney still seemed relatively undisturbed by the note. “Do you think it could be Dayne?”

  Parker chuckled at the vision of her ex-wife creating something not offered on designer-laden pages in some overpriced catalog.

  “Love, Dayne couldn’t write poetry…even bad poetry like that, with a how-to manual and a gun to her head.”

  “Well, there’s an interesting thought.” Syd’s sarcastic comment received a scolding nudge from Parker. “What about Frankie Farmer?”

  “Maybe someone has a crush on you, my love. Remember, I can still recall women lining up for you at the Pride.” Parker prodded at Syd’s womanizing past.

  “Lady of the house, gorgeous girl, remember? People have called me a lot of things, but there is no way you can push this off on me, and you know it.”

  “Okay. You’re right. Let’s chalk it up to too much free liquor and talk about our very lazy day on the couch watching bad movies while you rub my feet.”

  “I like the way you think. Will there be cake, too?” Sydney tickled Parker from behind and gave chase when she squirmed away.

  “Play your cards right, Hyatt, and I’ll give you anything you want.” Parker had never meant anything more completely.

  Mia was in the lobby when Sydney rushed a laughing Parker through the door of the building.

  “Hi, Mia. Want to come in for some coffee?” Parker pulled her into a brief hug and led them into the loft. “We missed seeing you last night.”

  “I came by, but there were so many people, I decided to leave. I guess I wasn’t really up for a crowd, so I didn’t stay long.”

  “Sorry, we didn’t see you. I totally understand, believe me. I had to fight the urge to come hang with you at your place. Sorry we didn’t notice you come in.” Sydney issued a casual squeeze and directed Mia to the
kitchen.

  “You’re always welcome, you know,” Mia said. “You both are; I mean, it is your place, technically.”

  “Nope, it’s your home, Mia.” Parker appraised their friend carefully, knowing the journey to process Sandy’s death had been a rough one. “I hope it feels like it.”

  “Getting there. Sandy is with me every second, but it feels like this is where I’m supposed to be.”

  After Parker put on a movie, Mia finally settled onto the couch with her coffee, and Parker wondered if she ever thought of her girlfriend without being reminded of the fact that a criminal’s bullet took her away. She seemed to relax and perhaps, for a moment, not fight against the memories of her former life. Parker stretched out on the sofa and eventually felt Sydney doze off beside her, and it wasn’t long before her own eyes closed. When the movie ended, Parker felt Mia drop a blanket over their legs and slide out quietly.

  Chapter Seven

  Parker spent Tuesday afternoon plowing through work that had been put to the side in the wake of the party and tackling the next major projects on her list. She packed blueprints and sample books onto a cart and prepared to drag them to her car.

  Jenny stopped outside her office carrying a huge bouquet of white lilies.

  “Wow, Jen, what did you do after you left our house this weekend?” Parker tucked her nose into the fragrant bouquet and savored the perfume as it floated around her.

  “More like what did you do? Mack knows better than to drop two hundred bucks on your favorite flowers. Sydney, however, follows no such rules. Nice job at whatever it was.” Jenny plucked the card from the plastic fork and handed it to her before she carried the vase into Parker’s office.