Lost & Found

by Raquel De Leon

  Selma’s chest heaved as Piper’s fingers began to tease their way down and in. Piper maintained the intense gaze for only a half second longer, and then her head was dipping back to give open-mouthed kisses on either side of Selma’s clit. Selma’s eyes dropped shut at the return of the heat of Piper’s mouth and tongue and the sudden fullness provided by Piper’s fingers.

  All at once Piper began a steady rhythm with her hand and Selma found the tension once again rising, keener and more intense than before. Just as it seemed as she couldn’t bear it any longer, Piper began to gently suck on her clit.

  Her hips jerked up and her hand tightened in Piper’s hair as her climax eclipsed all thought and reason, made all the more intense by Piper’s insistent movements prolonging the feeling.

  Some long moments later after Selma had somewhat recovered her senses and Piper was pressing soft kisses to the side of her face, Selma found herself chuckling.

  Piper smiled against the side of her face. “What?”

  Selma shook her head, still amused. “I didn’t plan for this to happen so soon.”

  “But this happening now isn’t a bad thing, right?”

  “No.” Selma angled her head slightly away so she could look directly at Piper. “Far from it.”

  The slightly scared look in Piper’s eyes disappeared. She offered Selma a satisfied smile. “Good.”

  Selma hummed, her fingertips playing with the bare skin of Piper’s shoulder. “Indeed.” Selma rolled and pushed so Piper was suddenly on her back. “Very good,” Selma added as she straddled Piper’s hips. “But you’re still wearing too many clothes.”

  Chapter 10

  When Piper woke the next morning, all she could do was grin. They’d spent several hours intimately exploring each other, only taking breaks so Selma could call and wish Ben a good night and then for sustenance. When they’d finally exhausted one another, they’d crawled their way upstairs to fall asleep.

  The sunlight filtering in through the blinds and curtains fell softly over Selma, the warm light making the expanse of golden-bronze skin of her back all the more inviting. The previous night she’d found the sight of their skin moving together, her pale against Selma’s dark, almost hypnotic.

  The temptation for Piper to kiss her way across Selma’s back was almost too much to resist. With a sigh, Piper shifted away. She wanted to do something nice, and she didn’t want to ambush Selma first thing in the morning; well, she wanted to… but she wasn’t sure how Selma felt about morning breath.

  She gently pulled the covers back from her side of the bed.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” came Selma’s groggy voice.

  “I was going to make breakfast.” Piper paused and turned back to face Selma. “I could swear you were deeply asleep five seconds ago.”

  Selma rolled onto her side, a sleepy smile on her face. “Welcome to Mommy Sleep.”

  Piper bit her lip. Selma with no makeup, short hair mussed and with a few strands sticking to her face, was incredibly sexy. “Terrible.”

  “Mm,” Selma hummed as she pursed her lips. “Speaking of. Aren’t you a terrible cook?”

  “Not terrible, exactly. Mark likes to exaggerate. I can do breakfast, at least.” Piper squinted as the studied Selma. “Tell me, what are your thoughts on morning breath?”

  “Forgivable the first week,” Selma said just before she reached an arm out to sling around Piper’s neck.

  Two hours later they finally made it downstairs, freshly showered and almost fully dressed.

  Piper tugged at her borrowed terrycloth robe. If their bodies were mostly covered, it counted as fully dressed, right?

  “How do you feel about turkey bacon?” Selma asked as she looked inside the fridge.

  “It only vaguely resembles pork bacon, but is still tasty in its own right.” Three months ago Piper wouldn’t have been able to concede that much. Dot had been able to do some amazing things with it, though, and so Piper had opened her mind. Mostly. She still hated tofu bacon.

  Selma chuckled and pulled a few things from the fridge. “Turkey bacon, eggs, and toast sound good?”

  Piper sucked on her lower lip as she watched Selma move around in a robe matching her own. She blinked. “Oh, yeah. I’d be happy with toast, to be honest.”

  “After last night I think we both earned a little more than toast.” Selma’s voice came out in a human approximation of a purr. Piper gripped the edge of the counter to ground herself. She wasn’t an animal. She could control herself for twenty minutes. Fifteen. Whatever.

  Five minutes later, the ringing doorbell saved her from embarrassing herself. “You expecting anyone?” she asked as she pushed up from her stool.

  Selma frowned as she peered toward the front hallway, which was more reflexive than effective since there wasn’t a clear line of sight to the door from the kitchen. “Not at all. Do you mind?”

  “I got it.” Piper tucked her hands into the robe, wondering if it was at all possible that some odd reporter or paparazzo had hunted them down. It had been a while, but Piper wouldn’t put anything past—

  “Shit.”

  A peek through the windows hadn’t revealed some stranger, but a smiling Karen holding a bright-eyed Ben. Piper schooled her features before opening the door.

  Karen blinked slowly, her smile briefly wavering. “Piper! I thought that was your car. I’m so happy to see you!” she exclaimed as she stepped inside to pull Piper into a one-armed hug.

  Piper internally sighed but allowed the contact. Karen’s need for physical affection had grown on her, though it still didn't feel natural yet. “Karen, hey! Selma said you weren’t due back for another day. She’s gonna be so stoked you’re here.” The last was directed at a still-grinning Ben.

  He giggled and squirmed, and then Karen was carefully setting him down.

  “Mommy!” he called out as his little legs carried him further into the house.

  “Oh, so you knew we weren’t in town?” Karen asked as Piper shut the door and locked it.

  Piper swallowed before turning back. “Yeah, yeah. Selma was feeling a little down since she finished with court a few days early so I thought, why not?”

  Karen’s expression softened. “You’re just so sweet. I’m so glad the two of you are getting along.”

  It was all Piper could do not to choke. “We’re… definitely getting along, yeah.” She cleared her throat and nudged her chin toward the kitchen. “Selma was just making breakfast.” She didn’t ask if Karen wanted to stay—it was clear Karen hadn’t come by just to drop Ben off, but to socialize as well.

  As they proceeded into the kitchen, Piper couldn’t help but keep half her attention on Karen. Was she just imagining things or had Karen’s step faltered when they’d entered the kitchen? Neither she nor Selma was dressed for company.

  While she didn’t mind revealing their relationship to the Berings, she wasn’t sure if Selma was ready yet. Or if Karen showing up the morning after (and partially of) their first time was the best way to reveal said relationship.

  Selma was cooing at a giggling Ben when they arrived. The little boy’s arms were wrapped tightly around his mother’s legs as he stared up at her in adoration.

  Piper smiled despite her worries. She loved observing how Selma interacted with Ben.

  “Good morning, Selma,” Karen greeted warmly.

  If Selma was surprised, her face didn’t show it. She slowly tilted her head to offer Karen a smile. “Good morning, Karen. I didn’t expect you back so soon.” Her attention wandered back to Ben. “But I’m so glad you are.”

  Karen stepped forward, one hand briefly rising to squeeze Piper’s arm as she passed. “I know. I could hear how much you missed him yesterday. I’m glad Piper could be here for you.”

  Some tension in Piper’s shoulders eased. If Karen had noticed anything, she wasn’t going to bring it up.

  “It must be nice, almost like having another sister,” Karen added as she rested her chin on h
er hand.

  Piper physically recoiled away from Karen—Selma did too, though her head only jerked slightly to the side. Selma’s eyes met Pipers.

  “I wouldn’t say sister—“

  “Piper is a good friend—“

  They said at almost the same time.

  Karen rose abruptly from her stool, the wood screeching with the swift movement. “Ben, honey,” she said as she rounded the counter, “could you do me a favor and go read a book or play by yourself for a little while? The adults need to have some privacy, okay?”

  Ben frowned at Karen, then up at his mother.

  Selma cupped his cheek and nodded. “It’s okay, sweetie. We still have plenty of time to do things today, alright?”

  “Okay Mommy,” he agreed with a small frown. He dragged his feet as he walked, looking back several times before disappearing off in the direction of his playroom.

  For the first long several heartbeats, no one moved or spoke. Then Selma reached over to make sure the stove burners were off.

  “Is there something you need to tell me?” Karen asked in a hard voice as she crossed her arms, her attention solely focused on Selma.

  Selma’s expression was placid. She arched an eyebrow. “Need to? No.”

  Though Selma seemed calm, even on the far side of the counter Piper could see her hands slightly shaking.

  “No, Selma. This isn’t what I think it is. You grew out of it,” Karen insisted as she took several steps to the side.

  Selma sighed and looked away, bringing her hands to the safety of the robe’s spacious pockets. “I never said that. You just assumed.”

  “No, Selma! You are not like this, and you are not taking advantage of my daughter!”

  Though Piper had respectfully decided to let the two discuss the situation, the raised voice and pointed words had Piper rushing forward so she was standing alongside Selma. “You’re partially right, Karen. I’m not being taken advantage of.”

  Karen gritted her teeth, one hand tugging free of her crossed arms to emphatically wave in the air. “You’re too young to know! God, you’ve barely done anything with your life, you’re twenty-two—she’s twenty-eight and already has a child and a career!”

  “Karen,” Piper tried, her own temper rising.

  “No!” Karen near-shouted. She turned to point at Selma. “You were her lawyer, you were supposed to help her! I can’t believe you would—and with my daughter?!”

  Selma’s mouth opened and closed, her eyes glistening. “Karen,” she said in a soft voice, “it’s not like that.”

  As Karen’s face twisted into something unrecognizable and venomous, Piper stepped between her and Selma. “You need to stop, Karen. I am an adult, and I’ve seen more shit than you and Selma combined. You want to talk about careers? What do you do except dress up and go to parties and charity balls? Kids? Nope, you don’t have any of those, either. I am not your daughter except through a mistake in biology.”

  Karen pulled back as if physically hit. “Piper, I—“

  Piper raised a hand. “No, you know what? I’m wrong. The closest thing you had to a daughter is right behind me. And maybe you are a parent, yeah. Just like all those other shitty ones that abandoned their kids at the first sign of their children being different. I’ve already got a mom, and her name is Dorothy Tate. And you know what? She’s proud of me, her gay daughter who hasn’t done much with her life.”

  At that, tears began to slip down Karen’s face. She pressed her fingers over her mouth as her throat worked. “You’re… gay?”

  “That’s right,” Piper growled. She would have said more if a warm, soft hand hadn’t reached out to delicately brush over her shoulder blade. She sucked in a breath and let it out in a slow huff. “Maybe you should go, Karen,” she said in a calmer, though still rough, voice.

  Without a word, Karen turned on her heel and hurried back toward the front door.

  Piper’s shoulders slumped. She twisted so she could see Selma, her throat thick with emotion.

  There were tear tracks down Selma’s face, though Selma wasn’t actively crying.

  “Selma,” Piper said softly as she reached for her lover.

  But Selma shook her head and gave Piper an apologetic look. “I… need a minute.”

  And just like Karen, Selma rushed out of the kitchen.

  Piper tugged her hand through her hair as she watched Selma go in the opposite direction— toward the office or Ben’s playroom, Piper wasn’t sure. “Shit.”

  *****

  Selma’s first stop was her office. She closed the door firmly behind herself and gave into the urge to cry, if only for a few moments. She sniffled and shook herself, striding to her desk for a tissue.

  As she cleaned up her face, she silently scolded herself. She’d faced tough opponents both in and out of court. Facing Karen should have been easy. But, it hadn't been. She had mixed feelings about Piper standing up for the both of them; Piper had been a bit harsh, though she hadn't been all wrong. Still, Selma loved Karen and couldn’t stand to see the older woman hurt.

  She braced a hand on her forehead, lightly massaging her temples. Crying more wasn’t an option, not then. She already felt the light onset of a headache and she didn’t want to be a mess in front of Ben.

  With a last shuddering breath, she straightened her shoulders and pulled the door open. She took a minute to dash upstairs and change into an old pair of jeans and a scooped-neck shirt. She idly wondered where Piper could be but didn’t dwell on the thought for long. Getting to spend time with her beautiful baby boy would help. She forced a smile to her face, but when she made it into Ben’s playroom and found him sitting at his little square table with a toy superhero, a princess doll, and Piper with knees awkwardly angled higher than the table-top, her smile became genuine.

  Selma bit her lip. Piper was dressed in yesterday’s clothes but her hair was still loose around her shoulders.

  “What are we playing?” Selma asked as she walked toward the duo.

  “Super Princess Puppy Force!” Ben declared as he bounced in his seat, his dimples showing as he smiled at Selma.

  Selma raised her eyebrows but didn’t inquire further. “That sounds fun,” she said with an extra dose of enthusiasm just for her son.

  She could almost feel Piper’s gaze as it traveled over her face, no doubt noticing the redness of her eyes and nose. She self-consciously cleared her throat. “Are you having fun?” she asked Ben.

  “Yeah!” he said before leaning over to say something unintelligible to the princess doll.

  “Give me a sec, kid,” Piper said to Ben. She stood slowly, wincing slightly as she reached her full height.

  Selma covered her throat with a hand as Piper strolled straight in her direction. Her heartbeat sped up.

  “So, I was thinking,” Piper said as she came to a stop. “You and Ben should come back home with me for the weekend. I know your caseload is light right now and you can manage a three day weekend.” She took another step closer. “I think it would be good for you.” Her green eyes were softly pleading for her lover to agree.

  Selma sighed at the look. Ben had loved his single visit with the Tate family. Getting away might be a good idea, she hated to admit.

  “Okay,” came her simple reply.

  “Now Selma, I—” Piper blinked in confusion. “Oh, you agreed with me. I thought we'd have to argue a bit.” She gave Selma a playful look and then grinned. Her eyes seemed to twinkle as she closed the remaining distance for a chaste kiss. When she pulled back, her bright eyes searched Selma’s.

  “Selma, you know one of the best things that’s ever happened to me is when Dottie took me in. Dot finally made me feel like I had a little place of my own in this world. Now, I know you and I haven’t been dating long but I have to say… Mark mailing into that show really was one of the other best things to ever happen to me. Not because it brought me to my biological parents, but because it brought me to you.”

  Selma refused to cry, t
hough she could feel the sting of tears threatening her equilibrium. She smiled instead. “Piper, thank you. You’re important to me as well.” She shook her head. “If you’re not careful, you’ll make me fall for you, you know?”

  Piper’s smile was slow to form but it seemed to infuse her entire face with joy. “Oh, is that so?” she asked in a soft whisper.

  Selma chuckled and tugged Piper in for another quick kiss.

  “You make me so happy,” Selma murmured against Piper’s lips. For the weekend, she would do her best to forget anything but the good in her life.