Damaged Amazon

by Kim Pritekel

  “Wait, it’s okay, Sarah, it’s Jill. What’s up?” Nora covered the mouthpiece with her hand.

  “I was going to ask if I could get your help with something, but it can wait.”

  “Nah, I’ll help. Jill, I have to go.”

  “Hi, Jill!”

  Nora grinned. “Sarah says hi. Okay, talk to you later, sis. Love you, too, bye.” She reached over to hang up the phone. “She said hello back.” Climbing off the bed, Nora joined Sarah at the door, pleased to see she’d made it home okay. It was admittedly strange not seeing her for the entire day. “You look tired.”

  “I am.” Sarah nodded. “Are you any good at massages?” she asked, her eyes heavy and slightly bloodshot.

  “Uh, yeah, I guess. I can give it a shot.”

  Sarah led the way to the kitchen table where she pulled out a chair and turned it around so she could straddle it. “I had to tackle a guy this afternoon and it fucked up my shoulder,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I’m sore as hell.”

  “Damn, I’m sorry.” She positioned herself to stand behind Sarah, whose hands gripped the back of the chair. “Which shoulder, and am I going to hurt you?”

  “My right one. No, I’ll be okay.”

  “Okay,” Nora said, not entirely secure, but she placed her hands on Sarah’s shoulders, realizing quickly that the collar and patches and such on her uniform shirt would get in the way. “Do you have a T-shirt or tank top or something you can put on, Sarah, so we can take this off?” she said, tugging lightly at the collar.

  “Oh yeah, sorry.” Getting to her feet, Sarah cringed at the movement. She made quick work of the buttons, tugging the shirt free from her pants and tossing it onto the table. Beneath it was a fitted, ribbed, white tank top. She reclaimed her seat, her back to Nora.

  She looked down at the strength in Sarah’s shoulders and her lustrous skin. She was about to find out what she’d always wondered: was Sarah’s skin as soft as it looked? She stopped herself from groaning at the first touch. Yes, it was indeed soft, and no, it wasn’t where her mind should be. Sarah had worked an incredibly long shift and was hurting. It was definitely not the time for her mind to be swimming in the gutter.

  “How’s your sister?” Sarah asked, resting her cheek on her hands, which gripped the back of the chair.

  “Good. Now that she and Andy are engaged, a lot going on.”

  “No doubt. Good for them.” Sarah winced.

  “Are you okay?” Nora asked, concerned as her hands stilled.

  “Yeah,” Sarah gasped. “Right where you’re at, that’s where I hit. Fuck, that hurt.”

  “God, I’m sorry, Sarah. Maybe I should stop—”

  “No, please keep trying to loosen that knot.”

  Nervous, but doing her bidding, Nora worked on the area, able to feel the stiff muscle beneath the skin. “I think I’ve almost got it,” she said. “Hang in there.” She dug the heel of her hand in, using her other hand for stability. She cringed when Sarah cried out in pain. “I’m sorry.” She felt the knot give way so lightened her touch, easing the muscle back into pliability. “Better?”

  “Oh God, yeah,” Sarah groaned, the sound almost erotic. “Feels good, Nora.” She moaned, moving so her forehead now rested against her hands on the chair.

  Nora smiled, pleased she’d helped. Now, she allowed her hands to enjoy the feel of Sarah’s skin and the muscle beneath, so strong and beautiful. Even as her hands began to get stiff and sore, she kept going, moving the massage down along Sarah’s spine and even to her neck. She glanced at the back of Sarah’s head as another long, languid groan sounded. She smiled.

  “Okay,” Sarah said at length, sitting up. “Now I’m just taking advantage.” She grinned, pushing to her feet and turned to face Nora. “Thanks so much.” She stepped over to her.

  “Of course, anytime.” She smiled up at Sarah, suddenly feeling as though all the air in the kitchen had evaporated.

  Sarah took another step closer, which put them less than a foot apart. Her breath caught when Sarah reached out, placing her hands on Nora’s hips, gently and silently asking for her to bridge the physical gap between them, which Nora did. She placed her hands on Sarah’s forearms. Even as the world around them disappeared as she stared into Sarah’s eyes, she distantly heard the front door open then close. She didn’t care because her brain had officially stopped working as her gaze fell to full lips, so close to her own.

  “Did you guys see that—Whoa.”

  Knocked out of her reverie, Nora turned to see a stunned Daniel standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Embarrassed, she immediately turned and went into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Eyes closed, she leaned back against the door.

  “Jesus,” she whispered. “How does she do this to me?”

  ****

  After her eyes had grown heavy from a couple hours of reading, Nora had turned off her bedside lamp and crawled beneath the covers. She started, something waking her. Lifting her head from where she lay on her back, she saw a figure standing by the closed bedroom door. Realizing it must have been the opening and closing of that door, she had no idea who was there until the figure moved.

  “Sarah?” she said, watching as she passed through a pool of moonlight coming through the window, noting she was dressed in a tank top and boxers.

  Sarah said nothing as she made her way to the bed, pulling the covers back enough to slip beneath them and slide over to Nora.

  Nora stared up at the woman who was on her side next to her, her upper body raised on her elbow. Her heart raced, her breath catching when Sarah’s hand reached across her to rest on her hip. As Sarah lowered her head, her breast pressed against Nora’s arm.

  The first touch of Sarah’s lips was unlike anything Nora could have imagined, due to both her inexperience and the nearly painful spark that erupted through her entire body. Sarah’s lips teased Nora’s before she gently swiped at her upper lip, silently asking for entrance.

  Nora sighed as the kiss deepened, Sarah moving closer until she was fully on top of her. She gasped as Sarah’s thigh pushed between her own, one of Sarah’s hands reaching down to lift Nora’s outside leg as the kiss grew deeper, more passionate.

  Sarah slowed the kiss and broke from it, lifting enough to look down at Nora as she began to move her hips, her thigh pressing harder against Nora’s saturated panties. The damp material between the legs of Sarah’s boxers made contact with Nora’s thigh. Moaning softly at the pleasure, she wasn’t entirely sure what to do with her hands, so she simply placed them on Sarah’s sides.

  It took mere moments of their hips moving together before Nora’s release hit, a loud gasp escaping her throat, followed by Sarah’s soft sigh moments later. Sarah pressed them together and took her in a long, deep kiss, which left them both breathing hard. She looked into Nora’s eyes and Nora felt herself getting wet all over again.

  As Sarah undressed her, Nora’s nerves began to wane. The gentle lead Sarah seemed to be taking introduced Nora to a world and pleasure she’d literally never known. Using her fingers, mouth, and entire body, Sarah brought Nora into a new landscape of pleasure, giving, taking, and ultimate trust.

  As the sun rose upon the house and seeped through the blinds that never quite closed all the way, Nora’s naked body was wrapped completely by Sarah’s, the only sound the deep, even breathing of both women.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  “Welcome, welcome!” Kathryn exclaimed, arms open wide for her parents and her sisters. “It may have taken us a few months, but we finally got this place painted and ready to go.”

  “Hey, everyone,” Kathryn’s husband, Jeffrey said, welcoming his guests with hugs and kisses. “So glad you could make it. How was the flight down?”

  “Bumpy, but we’re here. It was quite the journey to find Emerald Lane. I mean, how many Emeralds can you have? Lane, Street, Court. Good night!” Jeffrey’s father, William said with a grin, slapping his son on the shoulder. “So proud of you, Jeff.”

&
nbsp; “Honey, where’s Billy?” Kathryn asked.

  “Uh,” Jeff said, looking around the large open space of the main floor. “Not sure. Probably outside with Stanley.”

  “You guys still have that old dog?” William asked with a chuckle. “And hey, what’s this I hear that this place used to be owned by Lawrence Schaeffer, Sr.?”

  “Yup.” Jeffrey grinned. “One of the main reasons I wanted the house.”

  Kathryn rolled her eyes. “You guys and your football. I’ll go find Billy.”

  The brunette headed to the large, sliding doors at the back of the house that led to the massive backyard. “Billy?” she said, stepping down onto the expansive patio. “The grandparents are here, honey.”

  “Mom,” the nineteen-year-old college student called.

  Kathryn could hear his voice but couldn’t see him. “Billy, where are you?” Then Kathryn saw Stanley sitting dutifully by the house glancing over at her. Walking in that direction, she noticed the crawl space door was open. Delicate eyebrows lowering, Kathryn squatted down. “Billy?”

  “Mom, I need a flashlight and now!” he said, his voice leaving her no room for argument.

  “Okay,” she said, trying to think of where her husband would have put a flashlight. Deciding to try the garage, she looked through the drawers and cabinets in his workbench, his tool box and then remembered she had one in the back of her Navigator.

  Searching through the kit Jeffrey had put together for her in case of a road emergency, Kathryn found a long black flashlight, almost like what a police officer would use, and hurried back to the yard.

  “Okay,” she said, again squatting down. Out of the musky darkness came a hand, which she gave the flashlight to. “What’s wrong?”

  “Hang on. Stay there, ’kay?” Billy said, his voice getting farther and farther away.

  “All right,” Kathryn answered, glancing back up at the back patio to see that the family was beginning to gather there. She smiled and gave them a small wave. She cried out in surprise when a tennis ball unexpectedly flew out from the crawl space, Stanley instantly on the run to get it. “Goodness,” she gasped, hand to her heart.

  “What the hell?” Billy said from far under the house.

  “Billy? What’s wrong?” Kathryn asked, peeking her head into the space.

  “Oh my God!” Billy yelled, nearly flying out of the crawl space, eyes wide and face pale.

  “Holy shit,” she gasped. “Jeffrey, Jeffrey come over here.”

  “What’s up, hon?” he asked, trotting down the patio stairs and over to where Billy lay sprawled, Kathryn squatting next to him.

  Kathryn looked up and met his confused gaze. “I think something’s wrong.”

  ****

  Jill was numb as she walked into the house from the garage where Andrew had parked the Mercedes. Like a zombie, she made her way toward the kitchen. She heard the television in the living room and a brief glance showed her kids watching a movie. Tyler sat slouched in the corner of the loveseat while Sylvia had turned, her arm resting on the back of the couch as she watched her parents.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  Jill studied the teen for a moment, realizing that she and Andrew had hurried from the house without an explanation. She walked over to her daughter and, without a word, hugged Sylvia’s head to her chest, leaving a kiss there. She looked over Sylvia’s head and met Tyler’s gaze, her son looking lazily over at her, anger burning deep.

  “Come here, son,” she said softly, reaching an arm out to him.

  Rolling his eyes, he pushed up from the couch and moved over to the duo, a knee in the cushion next to his twin as he was gathered into Jill’s hug. Her own eyes closed when she felt Andrew’s long arms wrap around the entire bunch. She swallowed down the rising emotion. She’d cry later, alone.

  ****

  “Kristie! Dinner!” LJ called out as he set the table for three. He’d picked up a large pizza on the way home from the hospital.

  He made his way back into the kitchen to grab drinks for everyone when he heard Kristie’s booted feet pound down the stairs. He glanced over at her as she entered the room.

  “Hey, kiddo. How’s that report going?”

  “It’s a bitch,” Kristie said. “Where’s Mom?” she asked, helping to dole out napkins and utensils.

  “On her way. She texted me as I was walking in the door.”

  As if on cue, the large garage door began to rise, the motor groaning until it clicked to a stop. Moments later, it was groaning again. LJ glanced in the direction of the garage as he pulled his own chair out and sat down. He and Adrienne had said little to each other since their fight a few days before.

  “God, this looks so good,” Kristie said, rising from her chair to eye the offerings. “Awesome, you got olives.”

  “Of course, what else?” LJ chuckled. “Everything I hate in life became everyday life the moment I had a kid.”

  “Oh, you poor, poor boy,” Kristie said with a pout, making them both laugh.

  “Hey, guys,” Adrienne said, entering the room. She shed her jacket and purse. “Sorry I’m late. Damn budget meeting went forever.”

  “Dinner,” Kristie said absently, grabbing a second slice and plopping it down on her plate.

  LJ said nothing. In all honesty, he had nothing to say. He and Kristie never had dead silence, awkward moments, or just plain issues. In truth, he’d never gotten along with anyone the way he did with his daughter. He was grateful for her every day.

  The trio remained silent as both LJ and Adrienne grabbed their slices of pizza and began to eat. LJ felt his wife’s eyes on him, so he glanced at her.

  “I’m sorry I got your message so late,” she said softly. “I’ll go see her this week sometime.”

  “See who?” Kristie asked, sipping her glass of Coke.

  “I was at the hospital today,” LJ said quietly, sparing a glance at his daughter.

  “What? Why didn’t you call me?” she asked, her half-eaten piece of pizza plopping back to her plate.

  “They found your Aunt Shannon,” LJ managed, unable to look at Kristie’s soulful eyes.

  “What?” she erupted. “Again, I ask, why didn’t you call me?”

  “Calm down, Kristie,” Adrienne said.

  “Honey,” LJ began, “I had such little warning myself. I didn’t know what was happening. But, they found her alive and she’s in Parkview.” He met her tear-filled gaze. With an understanding smile, he reached across the table to quickly squeeze her hand. “It’s okay.”

  “I’ll be heading there sometime this week, Kristie. If you want, you can go with me to visit.”

  “Why don’t you wait a little bit on that one,” LJ said, meeting his wife’s eyes. “She’s in pretty rough shape.” He nodded his head in his daughter’s direction. “I don’t think I want Kristie to see that.”

  “Hello,” Kristie drawled. “I’m right here. You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not here.”

  “Sorry, kiddo,” LJ said with a rueful grin.

  “Is she going to be all right?” Adrienne asked, using the fork and knife Kristie provided for her to cut up her slice of pizza.

  LJ shrugged, chewing a bite. “Injuries are pretty bad.”

  “That’s terrible.” Adrienne shook her head as she stabbed a piece.

  “Oh, here’s a heads up. Nora will be calling you. Now that we know Bella will be here for a while, if not permanently, she wants to get her enrolled in Vineland Elementary for kindergarten. It’s a month into the year, and she’s not Bella’s legal guardian. Is there something you can do?”

  Adrienne nodded. “I think so. Speaking of school,” she said, a light in her dark eyes, “Martin Murphy called me today.”

  LJ said nothing, feeling his stomach drop as he focused on his plate of food. “Yeah?”

  “George is going to retire at the end of the year, as in, winter break. They want me to start come January.”

  His head shot up. “What?”
r />   The look on Adrienne’s face was wary excitement. “It’s my dream job, Larry.”

  “I know it is, Adrienne,” he said quietly. That meant he had a huge decision to make and he had to make it soon. He glanced over at Kristie. “Do you want to move to Denver?”

  “Hell no,” the teen said, shaking her head.

  “Watch your mouth, Kristie.” Adrienne’s voice hardened. “Guys, you knew this was coming.”

  LJ sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He studied her, brain somersaulting over what to say. Finally, he let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to move.”

  “Damn it, Larry!” Adrienne slammed her hand on the table. “Why do you have to be this way?”

  “Mom, it isn’t fair,” Kristie chimed in.

  “Kristie, this doesn’t concern you.”

  “Doesn’t concern me? You’re asking me to leave my high school, which I graduate from in eight months. You’re asking me to leave my friends, my job—”

  “And Julia,” Adrienne said snidely.

  “Yeah, mostly Julia.” She shoved back from the table. “I’m not going!”

  LJ watched her run up the stairs, mentally counting to five before the bedroom door slammed. He returned his gaze to the angry woman sitting across from him. “Neither of us wants to go, Adrienne. I’m not forcing our daughter to leave all she knows because you want a new job.”

  “A better job, Larry. What part of that don’t you get? More money, more options for me. Hell, even for you.”

  He eyed her, his anger rising, though he did his best to not let it out. This was an extremely important moment and he knew it. He had to play it right. “You’ve always been ambitious,” he began, his tone even. “There’s nothing wrong with that. You know me, we’ve been together almost twenty-five years. I’ve put twenty years into this school, into this district, raised my daughter in this house.” He waved his hand, indicating the house around them. “My sister is lying half-dead in an ICU unit and my family needs me. More importantly”—he leaned forward, elbows resting on the table—“I need them and it’s taken me a long time to figure that out.”