by Clare Lydon
“Not literally, this time.” A quirk of Eden’s mouth.
“This time is much better.” Heidi’s heart rate kicked up a level, banging in her chest. “I’m not normally this forward, but you bring it out in me.” Her gaze fell on Eden’s lips, then moved back up to her eyes. Desire flared red in her vision. Heidi hadn’t kissed anybody in nearly two years. Not romantically. But Eden’s hot, wet lips were now inches from hers. She hadn’t planned this today, but her body was showing her the way. Every fibre of her being wanted to kiss Eden.
She lifted a finger and ran it down Eden’s cheek. The sensual curve of Eden’s mouth made Heidi’s insides curl. “Happy birthday for tomorrow.” Then, just as the encore finished and a cheer went up from the crowd, Heidi pressed her lips to Eden’s. The release made her soar.
Eden’s lips spoke a language she’d forgotten, and she knew right away it was a language she wanted to practise over and over again. She wanted to perfect the vowels, roll the consonants. She wanted to lose herself in its soft, undulating rhythm. Eden’s soft, firm lips transported Heidi far away from this damp field, from London, from her life. Now, she was in another world altogether.
As Heidi deepened the kiss, her mind tumbled, spinning round and round with abandon. This kiss was making her kick off her shackles. She wanted to lay back and bask in its splendour.
Eden’s fingers gripped her waist, then snaked up her neck.
Something fluttered against Heidi’s rib cage. Something she’d long forgotten. Eden’s tongue led her down new paths, and Heidi gripped her arms to steady herself. Ground herself in the moment. When she slipped her tongue into Eden’s mouth, and Eden groaned, Heidi felt it everywhere. If she’d been chilled before, her body was now a roaring furnace.
However, it wasn’t set to last. Their impromptu birthday kiss was shattered by a loud whistle from nearby that made Heidi’s ears prickle.
Eden’s muscles stiffened under Heidi’s fingertips, their kiss paused.
They’d been rumbled. The two self-professed, happily single women had been caught snogging each other’s faces off. If Heidi wasn’t so damn proud of her behaviour, she might have been embarrassed. But the pleasure flooding her body left no room for that.
She pulled back, shooting Eden a quick glance. Her face sported a satisfied grin.
“What do we have here?” Lib’s voice was raised and scratchy from too much singing. “Was that a kiss I spied taking place?”
Eden sat back, shaking her head. “Nope, no kissing here. Have you had your eyesight checked recently?”
Heidi could take the ribbing, it was worth it. Plus, she hoped she might get to kiss Eden again soon. She knew jack-shit about her, and Eden knew even less about her, but they could deal with that another day. For now, sitting here in this field with steam rising from them, she knew two important facts: Eden was a mighty fine kisser, and they were going on a date.
Chapter 8
Eden spun her black biro between her thumb and index finger, a practised move. If there was ever an Olympics for pen spinning, she’d enter immediately.
She was in her happy place: her office. It was housed in an old building in Soho, above a delicious Italian deli, which came in very handy at lunchtime. The floorboards creaked, the windows let in gusts of air, but she adored the character of the building, which dated back to sometime in the 1800s. In her downtime, when she wasn’t people-watching out of her second-floor window, she liked to imagine all the lives that had passed through these walls. If only they could talk.
Eden also loved working in the centre of town. Hell, she loved working, full stop. She was the creative director at Quote Media Communications and she was good at her job. Her feelings at work were always between two invisible lines; tethered, secure. When she was at work, Eden was untouchable. She came up with plans to make companies surge ahead and glow, and she loved doing it. Eden was good at making products and services desirable, which meant Quote Media was in demand.
Today she was meeting her client for the new Chocolate Delight account. She hoped they weren’t too old, or a man. Eden could deal with most people, having been client-facing for most of her career. However, she got the shortest shrift from men over the age of 55, who assumed she was younger than she was and far less capable. The sooner that breed died out, the better. Give Eden a young, enthusiastic millennial any day. Or, at the very least, a woman who didn’t dismiss her automatically.
Forty-something women were her speciality. One 40-something in particular kept popping into her head today, sparking a series of smiles to grace her lips. Heidi. Where had she come from? And who would have thought that, after such a terrible beginning, they would now be going on a date? Not Eden, that was for sure. Eden didn’t date. All her friends knew that and had long since stopped setting her up with their friends and acquaintances. But there was something about Heidi. Something she’d connected with. That hadn’t happened in a very long time. Not since her gran died. Seven years of nothing.
Eden shook her head. She rarely thought about the past. What was the point? Especially her past. The future was what interested her. Not that Heidi was her future. But Eden was entertaining a date with Heidi, which showed Heidi had broken through her shiny veneer. Heidi was a special case.
Eden didn’t date because relationships didn’t work. People left, died, or broke your heart. Love of any sort — romantic or family — was risky. However, she and Heidi seemed to be on the same page. Happy being single. Willing to go on a date. If it didn’t work out, no hard feelings.
That kiss, though. That had been something else. The feel of it had stayed with Eden ever since: dazzling, electric. Something she wished they’d started at least five minutes earlier, so it could have lasted longer before their friends got back and called time. Hopefully, when they met up again, they could pick up where they’d left off.
She tapped her keyboard and pulled up the client they were seeing. Stable Foods was an established brand and trusted producer, but they had a new chocolate spread they wanted to sell to the masses. If her company could come up with a new ad campaign and a PR schedule for it, they’d land Stable Foods’ whole suite of brands, many of which were household names.
This was a big deal for Quote Media, Eden’s employers. They’d spent the past decade working with media clients, but budgets were being cut in that industry, and her bosses had decided to branch out into other areas. Food was an arena that always had money to spend, and this was a great opportunity. Get this right, and Eden could see her stock rise even more.
She smoothed down the lapel on her Ralph Lauren jacket and patted her fingers on top of her hair. She’d styled her blond cut earlier, and it was set solid. Her office manager, Pixie, had told her she looked glowing this morning. Wasn’t that normally reserved for pregnant women? Perhaps it was because a light switch had been pushed inside her, which was all down to Heidi.
Eden couldn’t focus on that this morning.
Her colleague Johan walked up to her desk, giving her a grin. “Ready to be charming?”
Eden grinned back. Johan was the perfect mix of gorgeous and catty, all rolled up in one colossal charm offensive. With him in the room, their chances of scoring the account doubled.
“Charm and me went to school together.” Eden stood up, grabbing her laptop and phone.
Johan was showing her a dick pic on Grindr when Pixie knocked on the meeting room door, showing in their new client. Eden looked up and shook herself when she saw the woman walking in the doorway. Long, dark hair, exposed collarbone, expensive necklace leading down to her full breasts. A slim waist and a wickedly cut suit the colour of burnt sunsets offset by a cream shirt and matching power heels. Probably Jimmy Choos.
Eden hadn’t expected India Contelli at this meeting, yet here she was. The head of Stable Foods, a minor TV celebrity, and a very out and proud lesbian to boot. Eden took a deep breath before painting on a wide smile. She was going to need extra charm for this one.
Johan wa
s already on his feet and walking over, shaking the woman’s hand. “India,” Eden heard their client say, smiling at Johan and revealing two rows of bright white teeth. When Eden composed herself and shook India’s hand, it was firm, just as she’d expected. It also came paired with a direct stare that put Eden off balance. She gulped, dropping India’s hand and pulling out a chair, before sitting down beside their guest. Heat paraded down her body. She was glad the air-con was on.
India’s colleague, David, was introduced as he sat beside her. Eden immediately felt sorry for David. It was one thing to listen to client pitches; quite another to do it with your big boss.
“It’s great to meet you both, and sorry I didn’t warn you it was going to be me.” India crossed her legs.
Eden tried not to stare.
“It’s just, when I tell people, they tend to go into meltdown because I’ve been on the TV. Just treat me like you would any of your clients and we’ll be fine.”
Eden nodded, knowing she could never treat India Contelli as just another client. She was famous, for goodness sake. The daughter of Daniel Contelli, the Stable Foods billionaire. Heir to the Stable Foods throne. Her media clients weren’t like India Contelli. They were well presented, sure, but they also tried a little too hard to be cool, to act like they knew it all when they didn’t. India didn’t need to try for cool. She oozed it.
“David’s got over doing these meetings with me just about, haven’t you?”
David nodded, but his face said otherwise.
“Just to let you know, we’ve seen two other firms today, but we want to move quick on this. We’ll make a decision by the end of the week so you’re not left in limbo.” India appraised Eden once more, her gaze loaded, leaving a mark on Eden’s skin. “I wouldn’t want you to be left wondering if you’re liked or not.”
“Our ego’s sturdier than that, isn’t it, Eden?” Johan was giving them both his charming smile.
“Rock solid,” Eden replied. “Plus, we’ve got the best presentation, I can promise you.” She paused, breathing in and trying not to focus on India’s tan, which she had no doubt covered her whole body. She’d only met the woman two minutes ago, but Eden could already tell she was the type to get an all-over tan, no straplines for her. Eden could just picture her striding along a nudist beach, not realising the ripples she created as she walked. A blur of smooth skin and confidence, the ultimate aphrodisiac.
Eden shook herself, coming back to the moment. A vision of Heidi and her gorgeous smile waltzed across her eyeline. Eden’s body was a mass of frayed nerve endings.
What was going on? She’d managed to go years without being drawn to any women, and now she’d met two in the same week? Perhaps there was something to this midlife crisis theory. Maybe that’s exactly what was going on here.
Somehow, she made it through her part of the presentation, before handing over to Johan. When he finished, the room fell silent.
India broke it after a few moments. “I have to say, you do stand out from the competition. Everyone else is proposing to market our chocolate spread in the usual way. But you’re suggesting keeping it family-focused, but also taking it along riskier lines. For family time and for bedtime.”
Eden laughed. “Exactly that. Chocolate spread is known for being sexy, so why not play on that? No other brands do apart from edible chocolate spread, but isn’t all chocolate spread edible? Nail this ad and it could seriously promote your sales. We have tons of PR ideas to make it really take off, too.”
India put a smooth, manicured hand on her thigh, and Eden made herself stop following it.
What was wrong with her? Maybe she was perimenopausal. She had no idea when it had started happening to her gran or her mum, and she guessed she never would. She could see Johan giving her a look, but she ignored him. She sat up straight, giving India her full attention. This was business and she was going to be business-like. Even when she was talking about getting sexy with chocolate spread.
India leaned forward and cast her gaze from Johan to Eden. “You know what, I’m not going to play games. I’ve already seen the other two agencies, and I like you the best. Getting on with the people I’m working with is important to me. Life’s too short to work with idiots, don’t you agree?”
Eden was nodding before India finished her sentence. “Totally. Completely with you.” She glanced at Johan. “We’re idiot-proof, aren’t we?”
Johan snorted. “One hundred per cent.”
India gave them a killer smile. “Glad to hear it. Plus, I like your ideas, so I’m giving you the job.” She sat back in her seat, letting out a deep sigh. “I wish all business deals were as easy.”
“Just like that?” Eden wished all business was as easy, too. They normally had to jump through hoops to get new clients.
“Just like that.” India beamed at her. “Make this work and the sky’s the limit. We’re not enthused with our current team, so the door’s open. All you have to do is make the whole country fall for our spread.”
Johan sat forward. “We’re going to do more than that. We’re going to make the whole world fall in love with it.”
India raised a calculated eyebrow before putting her notebook back in her bag and standing up. The meeting was over, apparently. “I like you two, did I mention that?”
But her gaze was on Eden, and only Eden.
Chapter 9
Heidi was back at Aquababy, and wondering why she put herself through it. The answer was Maya. Her daughter loved water. Every night when Heidi gave her a bath, her daughter splashed around with glee. She was doing just the same today, as Heidi plunged her back in the pool and the water flicked up and splashed her face. Maya couldn’t get enough.
It was one of the magical things about being a parent: witnessing firsts. Heidi had begun to see the world in a different light ever since Maya’s birth. The first time Maya had eaten ice cream, her face had lit up like she’d just discovered the meaning of life. Being an ice-cream lover, Heidi got it.
It was a philosophy Heidi was trying to imprint on the rest of her life: seeing things for the first time, taking a fresh look. She did it in her professional life, because she had no choice. Every wedding had to be like the first; she had to bring her A-game, because the couple weren’t going to get another shot at doing this. At least, not with each other. She was trying to bring the same philosophy to her personal life, too. Meeting friends with more gusto, like it was the first time. Seeing her family and not feeling like it was a chore.
The one thing she didn’t need to get hyped up for was seeing Eden again. Eden had left a lasting impression on her, and she’d only been 39. Heidi had been wondering what it would be like to kiss 40-year-old Eden all week. With luck, she wouldn’t have to wait long.
However, the logistics might be tricky. Eden had texted to see if she was free for a drink this weekend. But weekends were when Heidi worked. On the plus side, Heidi was thrilled Eden had made contact, that she wasn’t following some weird rule-set that went out of date in the 1990s. They’d met, they’d had a firework of a kiss, they both wanted more. But this time, just the two of them. She was looking forward to getting to know Eden, seeing what made her tick.
Heidi focused back on her daughter, her tiny arms wrapped in bright yellow armbands, her face creased with delight. How could anyone be put off by this perfect little girl? If Eden was, it was set to be the shortest date in history. Not liking children was akin to not liking animals, wasn’t it? Yes, Heidi was allergic to cats, but she still loved them.
“Mummy! Look me!”
Pleasure poured down Heidi like a waterfall. She scooped her daughter up and swung her in the air.
“Did you just say ‘look me?’ Almost a full sentence? Who’s a clever girl?” She pressed her nose and lips to Maya’s cheek, kissing all over her face.
Her daughter wriggled, then giggled.
Maya tended to just shoot out words like a machine gun, but lately, she was beginning to string them together. Heidi
saw it as a sign of burgeoning genius.
She turned to one of the dads beside her, currently swinging his daughter around. “Isn’t it fabulous when they really start talking?”
The dad — perhaps called Tim? — gave her an encouraging smile. “It’s brilliant. Angel said Mama for the first time last week and my wife was thrilled, too.” Then, just like always, he moved away from Heidi. Shutting the conversation down.
The elation of the moment drained away, and she glanced up at the massive clock on the swimming pool wall, its black hands stark against the bright white face. Nearly eleven. Time to get out anyway. Particularly as she was having lunch with her mum and she needed to shop for ingredients on the way home.
Heidi was still getting used to her new flat, mainly because she’d moved in a hurry. When she had Maya, the difficulties of living in a first-floor flat had become apparent. Seeing that, her mum had given her brochures for a new development near them in north London. Heidi had gone along to appease her mum, not thinking she’d buy anything. And she hadn’t.
However, on the way home from the development, she’d spotted a Victorian terraced flat for sale on a pretty tree-lined street. She’d viewed it the same day, and put an offer in the next. Heidi moved into her two-bed garden flat in Stamford Hill four months ago. Her new home was a 20-minute drive from her parents, even less time from her sister. In her youth, Heidi had always tried to put as much distance as possible between her and her family. Now, with a family of her own, having free babysitters nearby was an outstanding draw.
Last month, with the help of her friends Cleo and Becca, she’d painted the lounge and Maya’s room. Jason had promised to come and give her a hand with the garden when he had a free weekend, but she wasn’t holding her breath. Her brother-in-law had great intentions, but whenever he had a free weekend, Sarah tended to fill it for him. Sarah might not want to admit Jason was her husband all the time, but Heidi knew she loved him really.