#CassiNova

by Lori G. Matthews

  Sam almost fainted.

  Alex placed her hand over the zipper on Sam’s shorts and pressed down. “And here, also a no-go, for now.”

  And Sam did faint, or at least it felt like she did, because she didn’t remember the ensuing few seconds after the question. “What?”

  Alex snickered.

  “What?” Sam had no clue which end was up right now.

  “I told you paybacks were a bitch,” Alex whispered into her ear.

  “Oh God! I hate you. No, I don’t, not really.” It was the sweetest kind of torture.

  They moved onto their sides to face each other.

  “That was not nice,” Sam said.

  “Oh, you loved it.”

  “Okay, I did.” Sam finally had access to the front of Alex’s shirt, so she slipped a hand underneath and caressed her stomach. “You are a rare combination of very fucking funny and very fucking sexy.”

  “Do you owe two bucks now?”

  Sam’s eyebrows shot up. “How’d you know about that?”

  “Because the jar says ‘A Buck a Fuck.’”

  “Well, the jar’s for Jade. I don’t put anything in if she’s not around to hear it. Ssshh. It’ll be our little secret.”

  “My lips are sealed.”

  Sam continued to stroke Alex’s abs. “These are nice, by the way.”

  Alex’s eyes screwed shut. “I encourage walkabouts. Just an FYI.”

  Sam giggled in her ear. “We have established rules regarding those things.”

  “Rules are meant to be broken.”

  “But we pinkie swore.”

  “Pinkie swears turn me on.”

  “Everything seems to turn you on.”

  “Everything about you.” Alex glanced at the clock. “Wow, do you know what time it is?”

  “Holy shit! That’s one helluva first kiss.”

  “Record breaking.”

  “Best first kiss ever.”

  They spent the next couple of hours making out like teenagers and talking about their lives, never leaving each other’s arms. Sam spoke of her dad, and how she used to perform for her family, and how she’d gotten into acting because of her father’s death.

  “It must have been devastating being so young and losing your dad.”

  “He was everything to me. I’m going to win that Oscar someday, and I’m going to dedicate it to him.”

  Alex shared childhood stories with Sam, too, making her laugh at all the times Lenna threw her down, trying to toughen her up.

  “It sounds like she was awful to you back then,” Sam said.

  “Back then? Have you already forgotten the incident from a few weeks ago?”

  “How could I?” Sam nipped her shoulder. “Poor baby. She almost broke your arm.” She snuggled down onto Alex’s chest. “Yogi’s bored, he’s been asleep for a while.”

  Alex checked the clock again. “I hate to say this, I really do, but I have to get going. I have an early day tomorrow.”

  Sam sat up. “No! Why don’t you sleep over?”

  “Where, pray tell, would I sleep? And don’t say with you, because there is not enough self-control in the world if you want to take this slow.”

  Sam couldn’t hide her disappointment. “When will we get together again?”

  “Ugh. My new job is in the total opposite direction of you, unfortunately. Might not be ’til the weekend.”

  “I guess we’ll survive.” Sam sighed. “I’m getting up now.” She reluctantly pushed herself to her feet.

  Alex dragged herself off the couch and pulled Sam in for a hug. “Thank you for an epic night of making out.”

  After re-packing everything in the kitchen, they walked hand in hand to the front door. “I’ll put this stuff in the truck and come back and give you a proper goodbye kiss, okay?”

  “Okay.” Sam bent down. “Bye, Yogi Bear. See you next weekend.” She smooched his nose.

  After placing the bags in the truck and putting Yogi in the backseat, Alex walked back to the porch and pulled their hips together, resting her forehead against Sam’s. “Thank you again for a truly unforgettable night. You should probably get the couch steam cleaned.”

  “Eh, we’ll just be back on it next weekend.”

  “Trudat.” Alex smiled and rubbed her nose against Sam’s before giving her a long, slow, seductive kiss.

  Sam groaned and wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck, pushing their bodies together. When they broke apart, Sam nestled her nose into Alex’s throat. “You know how long I’ve been waiting for a true goodbye kiss? I mean, kisses on the cheek are nice and all, but this is so much better.”

  “I agree. Okay, I’m leaving now.” Alex cupped Sam’s face and gave her one last, quick kiss. “Goodnight, my sexy lover of baby goats.” She turned to go, and Sam wrapped her arms around her from behind, walking with her. They both laughed, and Sam jumped onto her back. “Oh, boy.” Alex caught her legs. “We doing this? Am I piggybacking you to my truck?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay, haven’t done this in a while. How’s the ride so far?”

  “Great. You’re so strong.”

  When they got to her truck, Alex let go of Sam’s legs. “Okay, I’m leaving now.”

  “You said that ten minutes ago.”

  Alex took her index finger and lightly touched Sam’s nose. “You’re very distracting.”

  “Shouldn’t you walk me back to the door?”

  “We just walked here. Now you want me to walk you back to your door?”

  “It could be dangerous. You wouldn’t want anything to happen to me, would you?”

  “God no, not before I get laid.” Alex turned around, offering her back again, and Sam hopped aboard. “Oh boy, whoa, okay, take a memo, would you, babe? Alex needs to do more squats at the gym if this is gonna be your main mode of transportation.”

  Sam’s heart felt so full it was ready to burst. She almost blabbered something that included a word starting with L and ending in o-v-e.

  Back at the front door, Alex let her down. “Whew. Okay, good workout. Feels like Groundhog Day. Goodbye, you.”

  “Goodbye.” Sam kissed her one last time, then kissed her again, then playfully shoved her. “Go, before I break the rules.”

  Alex began walking away, not looking back, waving her hand in the air. “Goodbye Samantha Cassidy.”

  Sam watched the taillights on Alex’s truck, the happiness inside her soul overflowing. When the truck disappeared, she sprinted into the house, eager to talk to someone and share this excitement. The clock said eleven, but she figured Jade would still be awake and called anyway.

  “Sam? It’s late, are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Were you asleep?”

  “Not yet, but I’m in bed. What’s up? You’re usually not up this late.”

  “Well, Alex just left.”

  “Oh yeah? And?”

  “And we made out for hours.”

  “You made out for hours?”

  “Yeah, and it was fantastic.”

  Jade called to Calynn. “Honey? Sam finally popped her cherry.”

  “Congratulations, Sam,” Calynn shouted.

  “We just kissed. I don’t think you call that popping your cherry. We only made it to first base,” Sam said.

  “Hey, honey? Correction, no cherry popping. Sam made it to first base.”

  “Was she safe?” Sam heard Calynn ask.

  “Of course, she was safe. You were safe, right? Did you make it to second?”

  Sam pondered the question. “Ah, what exactly is second again?”

  “Boob touching.” Jade called to Calynn, “Yo, babe, second is boob touching, right?”

  “Yeah, boobs,” Calynn confirmed.

  “Like a full grab, right?” Jade asked.

  “Yeah, a full grab.”

  “Okay, Sam, a full boob grab is second base.”

  “She did kinda grab it.”

  “Kinda grabbed it. Hold on.” Sam heard Jade move the ph
one away from her mouth. “Honey, what about kinda grabbed it? Is that getting to second?”

  “What do you mean by kinda grabbed it?”

  “Sam, we’re unclear on the kinda grabbed it part. Did Alex touch the nip?”

  Sam sighed and put a hand over her face. Conversations with Jade always started out so innocent, and before long, they were talking boob grabs and nips. She had no choice but to see it through at this point. “She may have inadvertently touched the nip, while in the process of grabbing the boob.”

  Jade pulled the phone away again. “Hey, there was inadvertent nip touching, hon.”

  “It sounds like she didn’t really make it to second.”

  “You hear that, Sam? You’re stuck at first. Oh, hold on, my girl is still talking. What, babe?”

  “Sounds like she may have rounded first, and tried for second, but didn’t quite get there.”

  Jade put the phone back to her mouth. “Sam you got caught in a rundown. Sorry, you didn’t make it to second.”

  Sam gnashed her teeth. “She grabbed my crotch a bit.”

  “Whoa! Hold on. Hey, Cay, we got a crotch grab. Let me rephrase. Sam’s crotch got grabbed a bit. Like the boob kinda got grabbed. Nothing’s definitive in this relationship.”

  “Was the crotch clothed?” Calynn asked.

  “Sami, was it a straight shot to the crotch, or was there cotton interference?”

  “I had my shorts on.” Sam’s expression turned sullen, knowing she’d been gunned down at second.

  “Honey, it was topside, fully clothed. She’s shaking her head, Sam. I think you’re still stuck with a single. So, kissing for hours.”

  “She’s a great kisser.”

  “Well, you don’t have to tell me. Girl’s gotta a killer set of lips, especially the bottom one—”

  “What?” There was no mistaking the annoyance in Calynn’s voice.

  “Nothing, honey. Come to bed. So, Sami, why no cherry popping?”

  “We’re taking it slow.”

  “What chapter are we on in the wooing book?”

  “Is she still wooing?” Calynn’s voice was closer now.

  “She is, Cay. The woo-ster is still wooing.”

  “Stop it,” Sam said. “I just didn’t want to jump right into sex on our first night together.”

  “It’s not your first night,” Jade pointed out. “You’ve known her for months.”

  “Well, we’re officially dating now. This was our first date, and I’m not having sex on the first date.”

  “What about the second date?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I think I want to make sure Alex feels what I’m feeling.”

  “And what are you feeling?” When Sam didn’t answer right away, Jade repeated the question. “Sam? What are you feeling?”

  “I think I’m in love.”

  “Is that kinda in love, like kinda grabbed this and kinda grabbed that? ’Cause at some point, somebody’s gotta go all-in here.”

  “No, I’m pretty sure I’m there. But I wanna hear it from her first, before we have sex.”

  “So you’re gonna wait for Alex to say it, and she’s probably waiting for you to say it. Meanwhile, nobody’s getting laid.”

  Calynn mumbled something Sam didn’t catch.

  “What did she say?”

  “She said it’s getting late.”

  “Oh, sorry. I can let you go.”

  “Oh, boy, oh,” Jade groaned.

  “What are you guys doing?”

  Jade’s voice was gravelly. “Calynn’s a better base runner than you, Sam. She just made it to second.”

  “What? While I’m on the phone with you? Really?”

  “Oh…God. Evidently talking baseball turns ma girl on.”

  “Well, you could at least wait until I hang up.” Sam received no response. “Hello?”

  “Oooh. She’s stretching it into a triple.”

  “What is third base anyway?” Sam asked. “Jade? What’s getting to third, exactly?”

  Crickets.

  “What’s going on over there?”

  “Sorry, it’s an inside the parker. Gotta go.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Alex sat down in the grass and kicked off her boots, exhausted. She hadn’t gotten home from WeHo until late the night before, and sleep had been elusive with Sam on the brain. With a deep sigh, she stretched out in the grass. Thumbing through the contacts on her phone, she stopped at Sam’s picture.

  After a few rings, Sam answered the FaceTime call with a wide smile on her face. “Hey, BG!”

  “Hey, babe. What’s BG?”

  “Baby goat.”

  “Is that gonna be my nickname?”

  “For now. Until I think of something else.”

  Alex laughed. “Okay. How are you?”

  “I’m tired.”

  Alex chuckled. “Me too.”

  “You should’ve stayed over. I’m sure we could have managed to behave ourselves.”

  “Maybe next time.”

  “I talked to Jade last night.”

  “Oh boy.”

  “Did we get to second base?”

  “Last night?”

  “Yeah. She said we didn’t.”

  Alex raised her brows. “Oh my, you did give her the blow-by-blow.”

  “Crap, sorry. I’m so used to telling her everything that goes on in my life.”

  “She’s your best friend. I have no problem with you guys talking. Now, tell me about this second base thing.”

  “Well, she says we didn’t make it to second base. But I thought we kinda did.”

  “Um…no. Technically speaking, we didn’t.”

  “But I seem to remember a little bit of—”

  “Nope.”

  “Damn it.”

  Alex pretended to get serious. “If it’s important, I’m sure I can remedy that this weekend.”

  “No, it’s not that important. Wait! It is important. It’s just…ugh, you know what I mean.”

  Alex laughed. “I know what you mean.”

  Sam’s eyes creased with worry. “Are you bummed you’re stuck with someone who wants to take things slow?”

  “I could never be bummed about being stuck with you,” Alex said, sensing how important this was to Sam.

  “Are you sure?”

  Alex wished she wasn’t working two hours away, because sometimes words weren’t enough. She wanted to kiss away the frown lines between Sam’s eyes. “I’m positive. And I’ll prove it to you next time we’re together.”

  Sam visibly brightened. “You know, if you play your cards right, second base might not be far off.”

  “Oh, now we’re talking. Is that a promise? ’Cause I’ll pinkie swear the shit out of that one.”

  Sam’s eyes sparkled. “Yes.”

  “Okay. I have to get back to work.”

  “I miss you.”

  “I miss you too. And, Sam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m an excellent base runner.”

  * * *

  Alex strolled through the front door after work to find Lenna waiting, arms crossed and toes tapping.

  “Well, well, well. What time did you get home last night?”

  “Late.” Alex threw the truck keys in the basket on the table by the door.

  “Yeah, and?”

  Alex smirked. “My God, I just walked in the door. Give me a minute.”

  “Okay, dinner’s ready.”

  At the kitchen table, Alex purposefully ignored the questioning gazes.

  “How did the new job go today?” Sophia asked.

  Lenna, too impatient for such pleasantries, bellowed, “C’mon! Give it up. How did the flowers go over?”

  “They went over well,” Alex said. “She called it very romantic.”

  “I knew it! I knew it. Yes!” Lenna pumped her fist.

  They both continued staring, waiting for more details.

/>   “Can you pass the salad, please?” Alex asked.

  Lenna passed the salad.

  “May I please have the dressing?”

  Sophia passed the salad dressing.

  Alex made a mental bet with herself about how long it would take Lenna to freak out. She figured eight seconds. The Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit hit her square in the chest at five. She should have taken the under.

  “C’mon, Alex! Did you kiss or not?” Lenna asked.

  Alex popped a crouton into her mouth and chewed. When the smoke visibly poured from Lenna’s ears, she answered. “We did…for over five hours.”

  Lenna’s mood swung from annoyance to glee. All was forgiven as she scampered over to pull Alex into a headlock. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. That’s my baby sis. Well done.”

  Alex was caught mid-swallow and choked, sputtering, “Uncle!”

  “Sorry.” Lenna gave her an apologetic duff in the head. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  They spent the rest of the evening in the living room watching TV.

  Around ten, Lenna stretched and stood. “I’m going to bed. We have an early delivery tomorrow at the store.” She bent down and kissed Sophia. “You coming up soon?”

  Sophia squeezed her hand. “I have some patient files to go over first.”

  Alex studied the two of them, and the way they still looked at each other with so much love and lust, then looked away, lost in her own thoughts. Would she experience that kind of lasting passion again?

  When Lenna left the two of them on the couch, Alex turned to Sophia. “You guys are lucky.”

  “How so?”

  “To still be so in love after all these years.”

  Sophia gave her a playful punch on the shoulder. “Well, it looks like you might have something special going with Sam.”

  Alex sighed and laid her head in Sophia’s lap. “I like her.”

  “That’s pretty obvious from the way you look at her. Hearteyes.” Sophia ran a hand through Alex’s hair and began rubbing her head.

  Alex looked up at her. “Really?”

  Sophia grinned. “Yeah, Lenna and I laugh about it. We figured you had no idea.”

  “Huh, no. I guess I didn’t.” She turned back toward the TV. “When I’m with her, it feels so good. For the first time in a while, I don’t feel alone. But…”