by Harper Bliss
“But just as stubborn.” Naomi went limp on top of Eileen, her arms spread out on the soft pink sheet. “Not moving until you tell me something. Anything.”
“Interesting form of punishment you’ve chosen. Complete torture having a naked twenty-something lying on top of me while I’m also naked. Earlier, I was thinking about how much I’ve missed this.”
Naomi’s head popped up again. Resting her chin on Eileen’s breast she said, “Define this.” She added, “Please.”
Eileen ran her hand down Naomi’s backside. “This. Touching. Feeling someone’s skin against my own.”
“Has it been a while?” Naomi’s expression didn’t show any trace of jealousy. It wasn’t even curiosity. Concern perhaps. That was the emotion Eileen detected in the recesses of Naomi’s penetrating eyes.
“Good question. I’ve been so wrapped up in my life, which has revolved around work, that I honestly can’t put a finger on the number of years.” Eileen sighed. “It sounds absurd saying that, and to you of all people.”
Naomi’s head snapped up. “Why me?”
“Besides the obvious?” Eileen winked.
Naomi flared her nostrils.
“It’s hot, really, when you get frustrated with me.” She tweaked Naomi’s adorable earlobe.
“Still waiting for your answer.”
“You seriously don’t give up. Fine. You’re a people person. Sweet. Caring. Always thinking about others. And, I’m…” Eileen’s eyes dropped.
Naomi lowered her head to stare into her eyes. “Dedicated. Talented. Not to mention trying to save the world by searing images of the terribleness of war into the public’s mind.”
Eileen ran a hand through Naomi’s hair. “I guess we both have causes we’re fighting for.” It wasn’t the time to bring up Eileen’s assignments, which typically occurred halfway around the world.
Naomi’s eyes darkened. Had the same thought flickered through her mind? But the grinding of her hip into Eileen erased that concern.
“You still haven’t told me what you prefer,” Naomi said.
Eileen cupped her cheek. “Who knew tenaciousness was such a delectable quality.”
“I would like to add, it works in your favor as well. Let’s compromise. Tell me one thing. And it can’t involve your nipples, because I already know what you like there.” For emphasis, Naomi licked one.
Eileen groaned. “Not fair, changing the rules.”
“Are you really complaining?” Naomi stroked the nipple with her tongue.
“Seems like a foolish thing to do in the moment.”
“And you’re never foolish?”
“I don’t know about that.”
Naomi pulled away from Eileen’s aroused nipple.
“Kissing. I like kissing you. Your soft lips. The way you taste.” Eileen traced a finger over Naomi’s full lips.
Naomi’s gaze pierced Eileen’s. She didn’t speak. Didn’t move.
The craving between them seemed to intensify with every intake of breath.
From the intensity of Naomi’s stare, she clearly wanted Eileen. And the yearning Eileen was currently experiencing was further proof of their connection.
Their lips inched closer. Their eyes didn’t break contact.
Eileen placed her hand behind Naomi’s head guiding her exactly where she was urgently needed.
The kiss started off soft, their lips brushing against the other’s, neither in a hurry to get from point A to Z. Eileen couldn’t help but think how amazing living in the now was. It was becoming pretty clear she hadn’t done so in a long while. If ever. The day had barely begun and neither of them had anywhere to be. They could kiss for hours and it’d be sexy as hell. Not to mention satisfying.
Eileen nearly laughed. How was it that this young woman was showing her how to appreciate the little things in life?
Naomi’s tongue penetrated her mouth, pulling Eileen further into her orbit. Naomi deepened the kiss even more.
Eileen moaned, fisting Naomi’s luxuriant hair, the dark strands binding around Eileen’s fingers like a favorite pair of gloves providing warmth and protection.
Down below, Naomi continued rubbing her hips into Eileen’s ever-increasing wetness. Eileen smiled knowing Naomi would take her on an earth-shattering journey, bringing them closer together. God, she wanted that.
Eileen wrapped one leg over Naomi’s buttocks.
Naomi nipped Eileen’s bottom lip. “I like that particular move of yours.”
“Which?” Eileen panted.
Naomi angled her top half to allow Eileen a better view. “The leg over me.”
“Oh, that. It just happened on its own. I didn’t even know I had that in me, really.”
“What happens when I do this?” Naomi kissed Eileen’s chin, not staying for long, her mouth leaving a trail of soft kisses downward, her tongue licking the hollow of her throat, as she veered to Eileen’s right nipple.
Eileen dug her head into the pillow.
“Ohh… I like that reaction.” Naomi teased the nub into her mouth, sucking it hard.
“Again, it just happened.”
“That’s the best part. Getting you out of your head and into the experience. Don’t overuse your brain. Let me do what I want to do to you. Your job, since you like to think that way, is simply to enjoy.” Naomi’s hand snaked down Eileen’s side, bringing to life thousands of goosebumps.
“A tough ask,” Eileen teased.
“Like I said last night, I love a challenge. And the one I plan to tackle right now is to rock Eileen Makenna’s world so she turns into a gooey pile after having an out-of-this-world orgasm.”
Eileen beckoned Naomi with her left index finger and then tapped her lips. Naomi, with a crooked grin and shimmering eyes, kissed Eileen. Hard. Sensual. Naomi pulled away and whispered in Eileen’s ear, “That’s the last command I’ll obey for now. I’m in control from here on out.”
Eileen started to speak, but Naomi silenced her with another explosive kiss.
This time, when Naomi started her trek downwards, she didn’t stop at either nipple, her tongue trailing down to right above Eileen’s belly button, peppering the soft flesh with kisses. Eileen, slightly ticklish, writhed underneath Naomi, which only spurred her to continue her torture of Eileen.
Not that Eileen was complaining.
Naomi’s mouth continued its trek, her teeth grazing Eileen’s pubic hair. When she reached Eileen’s pussy, Naomi inhaled deeply. “I love your smell. Truly intoxicating.”
Naomi didn’t stay, though. Instead she moved to Eileen’s thigh, teasing the skin, working down her leg.
“Oh, God,” Eileen muttered. How was Naomi driving her this insane simply by kissing the inside of her thigh? Every touch, kiss, lick, nip was driving Eileen mad with desire as if every nerve ending in her body was aflame.
Naomi worked her way back up from Eileen’s ankle on her other leg, taking her time exploring.
“You’re killing me.” Eileen’s breathy tone implied she wasn’t at all dissatisfied.
Naomi sank her teeth into Eileen’s inner thigh. “Something tells me you’re enjoying this manner of death.” Her finger skimmed Eileen’s pussy lips which were wet with wanting. “This, my dear, is hard to deny.”
“I’m not trying to. Take me, please.”
Naomi released a throaty laugh. “I meant it’s hard to hide how much you want me. And I thought I told you, I’m in control. Although, hearing your plea… that deserves a reward.” Her tongue split Eileen’s swollen lips, dipping inside for a taste.
Eileen’s hand fisted the sheet.
Naomi worked her way up to Eileen’s clit, teasing it with a flick of her tongue, and then took it into her mouth. Circling it with her tongue, Naomi eased a finger inside.
Eileen’s body shuddered.
Naomi added another finger, moving slowly in and out, while her tongue languidly lapped at Eileen’s bud.
It amazed Eileen how the younger of the two wasn’t in a h
urry, and was appreciating the fine art of making love. Because right then, Eileen wanted Naomi to take her quickly and hard.
As if in tune with Eileen’s inner thoughts, Naomi quickened the pace of her fingers, going in deeper and curling her fingers upward. And her tongue was working wonders all on its own.
Eileen’s feet pressed into Naomi’s thighs, allowing her to arch her back off the mattress.
Naomi kicked her efforts into an even higher gear, her fingers and mouth working in unison to deliver on her promise of an extraordinary orgasm.
The first wave of Eileen’s bliss confirmed Naomi would exceed her pledge.
Eileen reached for the other pillow, chomping down on the corner, right when Naomi drove her fingers in deep. The second wave crashed over Eileen causing all of her muscles to spasm.
When Naomi triggered Eileen’s G-spot with her fingers, the third wave sent Eileen over the edge. “Holy fuck!” Her back arched up and her body shuddered. “Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck,” Eileen chanted.
Chapter Fourteen
On Monday evenings, Naomi’s mother usually met her for a quick bite between the end of Naomi’s workday at the hospital and the couple of hours she volunteered afterward.
When they’d first started their Monday evening tradition, Naomi had told her mother about the cozy coffee shop inside the hospital, but her mother refused to set foot inside unless there was something life-threateningly wrong with herself or any member of her family.
“Why would I go inside a hospital voluntarily if I have no reason to be there?” she’d said. “They’re such cold, morbid places. I don’t understand why you spend all your time there when you don’t have to.”
But of course, her mother understood. Naomi knew that much. Just as she knew that she shouldn’t push her mom to meet her there. Especially today—on that particular day of the year.
Naomi had been telling her mother about Tyson, who would be released from the hospital tomorrow. This would make him miss the delivery of the disposable camera pictures. Because of Thanksgiving weekend—and Eileen being somewhat otherwise occupied—she had admitted to Naomi that finding a place to develop the pictures was proving harder than she’d first thought.
Naomi had assured Tyson that as soon as she had the prints, she would bring them to his home. It would be a good activity for her and Eileen to do together, actually. Eileen had really lit up—
“Naomi,” her mother said. “You seem miles away today.”
“Sorry.” Naomi tried to refocus on the conversation, but it was hard when images of Eileen kept slipping into her mind. “So, yeah, Tyson gets to go home.”
“He’s one of the lucky ones then,” her mother said.
“I guess he is, although it’s much more than just a matter of luck.” Naomi sipped from her soda.
“You know what I mean.” Her mother’s voice trembled a fraction as she spoke.
“I do.” Naomi tried to shoot her mother a warm smile.
“I just can’t help picturing what a handsome man Joey would have grown up to be.” A few tears gathered in her mother’s eyes, but they didn’t spill.
Naomi hadn’t even been born when her brother had died of leukemia. She did, however, remember her parents’ grief. Even though her mother called Naomi her miracle baby, who had helped her overcome the despair of losing a child, the grief was still a big part of their lives even now.
All Naomi knew to do at a moment like this, and there had been many over the years, was to try and cheer her mother up. For a brief moment, she considered telling her mother that she’d met someone, but it was too soon for that.
Having to tell her about her break-up with Jane had been hard enough. Because it was as though, as a result of one of her children dying, Sophia couldn’t bear the slightest bout of unhappiness in any of her other children’s lives. Even though Naomi had tried to tell her time and time again: unhappiness is as much a part of life as happiness.
Besides, Naomi didn’t want to get the third degree from her mother. How old is she? That would surely be one of the first questions Naomi would be faced with, and today was not the day to have that conversation with her mother. Come to think of it, no day would ever be that day.
“What’s different about you?” her mother asked before Naomi had the chance to come up with something uplifting to say. “You can’t fool a mother’s intuition about her daughter.”
Naomi chuckled. Her mom was much more perceptive than Naomi was willing to admit. “I had a nice weekend, that’s all.”
“Really? Who with?” Her mother narrowed her eyes. “Not with Jane, I hope?”
Naomi had not been able to keep the cause of their break-up from her family. In a town like Derby, things like that soon became common knowledge.
“God no,” Naomi said. “That’s well and truly over.”
“She and what’s-her-name didn’t take up together,” her mother said matter-of-factly. “And I’ve heard she still loves you.”
Naomi arched up her eyebrows. “Who told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter who. The only thing that matters is that she hurt you and, for that reason alone, she has no business going around town proclaiming how much she still loves you. It’s not right.”
Naomi shrugged. “I’m very lovable.” This brought another image of Eileen into her mind. After they’d showered and gotten dressed on Sunday—after the church bells had chimed many more times—Naomi had admired the ingenious trick Eileen had devised of single-handedly gathering her hair into a ponytail.
“You don’t have to tell me that, darling.” Her mother smiled. “Don’t get me wrong. Your love life is your business and if you told me that, despite everything, you knew in your heart that Jane was the love of your life, I would accept that, of course.” She put a hand on Naomi’s wrist. “You do know that, don’t you?” Her voice had gone solemn.
“Yes.” Wait until I bring a forty-nine-year old woman home. But, in her heart of hearts, Naomi knew that, in the end, if Eileen made Naomi happy, her mother would accept it. However, she was getting way ahead of herself again. If Eileen stuck to her plan, Naomi would never have to introduce her to her family. She was just passing through. She’d be gone after Christmas. Naomi pushed that thought from her mind as quickly as she could. “That’s good to know, Mom, it really is, but Jane truly is out of the picture.”
“You take some time to gather yourself then.” Her mother patted her wrist and then withdrew her hand. “You’re still so young. You could still do anything you want with your life.”
“And yet here I am, already doing what I love most.”
Her mother just nodded.
Naomi looked at her watch. “Kelly will be expecting me soon.”
“I know you love what you do, darling, and I admire you for it. But these days, people don’t stay in the same job their entire life any longer. Times have changed.”
Naomi knew that her mother worried about her spending so much time at the very hospital where her brother had died. “You should really come with me some day,” she said. “Meet some of the kids at the hospital. They’re so unbelievably… resilient.”
Her mother shook her head. “I know you mean well, but I don’t think that’s going to happen any time soon.” She shot Naomi a small smile, then looked around for the waiter. “Let me get the check.”
“Ready to go home tomorrow?” Naomi asked Tyson. He looked like he could do with some cheering up.
“You haven’t heard?” Despite his illness, Naomi had seen his eyes bright with joy and laughter—there was none of that sparkle in his gaze today.
“Heard what?” Naomi curled her fingers around the bed frame.
“I can’t go home tomorrow. My last lab tests weren’t clear.”
“Oh no. I’m so sorry, Tyson.”
He was sitting up and he didn’t look sick at all. He shrugged. “It sucks.”
“What did the doctor say?” Naomi walked to the side of the bed and sat on the chair ne
xt to it. She’d be sticking around a while.
“Same old shit,” Tyson said. He looked away, but when he glanced back at Naomi, his eyes lit up briefly. “When’s that photographer lady coming back?”
Good question, Naomi thought, while she tried her very best not to blush. “I’ll be sure to ask her that soon.”
“Because I’ve had some ideas for pictures. Like detailed shots of larger things.” He reached for his phone. “I’ve been practicing and I would like to show her.”
“Tell you what,” Naomi said. “I’ll give her a call tonight and see if she can stop by tomorrow.”
“What’s wrong with her arm?” Tyson asked, in the direct manner only children had. “She never uses her right arm.”
“You can ask her all about that tomorrow.” Naomi wondered how Eileen would feel about being questioned about her health by this boy. Perhaps she’d find it easier to open up to someone like him—someone so disarming and to the point.
Naomi accepted Tyson’s phone. As she glanced at the pictures he had taken, most of them from the confines of his hospital bed, a smile grew on her lips. Eileen clearly didn’t know the kind of energizing effect she could have on people—on these kids who needed it most of all.
“These are wonderful. Eileen will be so thrilled.” She gave Tyson back his phone. “One visit from Eileen and you already want to be a photographer.” Naomi couldn’t help but swell with pride.
“I typed ‘Eileen’ and ‘photographer’ into Google and easily found her. She won a Pulitzer.” He pronounced it Puh-litzer. “That’s a big deal.”
“It is.” What got Naomi most of all when she worked with kids around Tyson’s age was how they would mimic how their parents spoke, but could never hide, be it in tone or pronunciation, that they were still very much kids.
“It’s so great that she came to see us,” Tyson said.
“I’ll make sure she stops by again soon.”
“Thanks.” Tyson leaned back. He suddenly looked tired.
Naomi made a mental note to check with the doctor whether his prognosis had changed or they were just keeping him a few days longer for further observation. Just because these kids might be the bravest of all, they still didn’t belong here. In that respect, her mother was right.