Atramentum

by MJ Duncan

  “Your server Melanie will be with you shortly,” she said as she handed them each a menu. She gave each of them a small bow as she stood the wine list folder on the edge of the table before retreating with a polite, “Enjoy your meal.”

  “I’m sure we will,” Maeve replied.

  Joss nodded her thanks, the maître d’ already forgotten as she cocked an amused brow at Maeve. “Not bad, huh?”

  Maeve shook her head as her eyes once again swept over the stunning vista spread before them. “Not at all.”

  At that moment, a tuxedoed man arrived at their table. “Good evening, ladies,” he greeted as he took the wine list the maître d’ had set out and laid it flat on the table. “My name is Jason, and I’m the sommelier here at Alpine.” He smiled at them both as he held out a bottle of wine for inspection. “Courtesy of Mr. Leblanc.”

  Joss did not miss the surprised look Maeve gave her at that, and she smiled as she nodded her approval without examining the bottle. If Hunter sent it over, she knew it would be the best Alpine had to offer, and she made a mental note to give him a call the next day to thank him for everything. All she had hoped for was a table—and not even a good one, any table would have been fine—and she could not help but be touched that someone she had only the vaguest memories of from high school had gone so far out of his way to make sure they had an unforgettable evening. She sat up straighter as the sommelier uncorked the bottle and poured a small amount into her glass for her to sample the wine before filling their glasses. The red wine was light and smooth, with notes of raspberry, clove, and vanilla, and Joss nodded as she set her glass back onto the table. “Excellent.”

  He tipped his head in a small bow and poured them each a glass before setting the open bottle on the middle of the table. “Enjoy your evening.”

  “We will,” Joss assured him, smiling at the flabbergasted look on Maeve’s face. One they were alone, she laughed softly and explained, “Scott and I went to high school with the owner’s son. And, as it turns out, reservations here are insanely difficult to come by, so Scott gave Hunter a call for me this afternoon and got him to pull a few strings.”

  Maeve’s gaze softened, and she shook her head. “Thank you.”

  Joss picked up her glass of wine and held it between them in a toast. “To a lovely evening, with an even lovelier woman.”

  Maeve smiled as she lifted her glass and tapped it against Joss’. “Charmer.”

  Twenty-One

  Though the temperature had dropped with the setting sun, the outdoor dining room was kept comfortable by the array of standing heaters scattered across the deck. Lights tucked high in the peaked eaves of the chalet-styled restaurant flickered on at dusk, draping a curtain of warm, golden light over the tables and patrons below. The candles on each of the tables added an intimate, romantic feel to the space, and the string quartet that that had begun playing not long after their entrees had been served only added to that idyllic ambiance. The quartet played classical covers of popular songs were at once both youthful and refined, loud enough to be heard but quiet enough to not drown out conversation.

  It was the perfect evening that Joss had so badly wanted to give Maeve, and once their dessert plates were cleared away and the last drops of wine were drained from their glasses, Joss offered Maeve her hand with a smile. “Would you like to dance?”

  Maeve smiled and nodded as she slipped her hand into Joss’. “I would love to.”

  They made their way through the surprising number of dinner guests on the open space in the center of the deck that had become a dance floor. The string quartet was playing a cover of Love Story, and Joss hummed along with the tune as she led Maeve past the crowd to the far side of the floor nearest the railing where the lights from the restaurant were dimmer and night cast a friendly shadow of anonymity over them.

  Joss’ heart stuttered in her chest as she pulled Maeve into her, her left hand sliding over smooth fabric covering Maeve’s side, before ghosting down the warm skin revealed by the dress’ enticing cut to press against the small of her back. She took Maeve’s left hand into her right and cradled it between them as they swayed with the music, and touched their foreheads together as she inquired softly, “Are you having fun?”

  Maeve nodded, the corners of her eyes crinkling with her smile as she wrapped her right hand around Joss’ shoulder. She sighed and lifted her chin just enough to press a light, quick kiss to Joss’ lips before pulling away to whisper, “Yes.”

  “I’m glad.” Joss tightened her hold around Maeve’s waist as she guided her into a slow, spinning box step. Maeve kept up with her easily, and she smiled as she began to add a little extra flair to their steps, picking up the speed, adding a little whip to each turn, grateful for the first time in years that Scott had talked her into taking ballroom dancing classes with him back in the day.

  “Where did you learn to dance like this?” Maeve asked as their more involved pattern took them away from the shadows and toward the center of the floor.

  “Scott and I took a few classes one summer when we were in college.” Joss let her hand slip from Maeve’s waist as she led her into an underarm turn, and laughed as she pulled her back into a more standard hold. “I honestly didn’t think I remembered any of it, but apparently you bring out my inner Fred Astaire.”

  “Hmm,” Maeve purred as she tightened her grip on Joss’ shoulder. “So does that mean I’m Ginger Rogers?”

  “Would you like to be?” Joss murmured, nuzzling Maeve’s cheek as the more up-tempo music shifted to something slower, sexier, the cello player taking center stage as the violins shifted to a more supporting role. Joss did not recognize the song, but had no trouble picking up the beat and adjusting her timing accordingly.

  Maeve laughed and looked around them for the first time, and when her eyes returned to Joss’, they sparkled with mirth. “I believe all these people watching us already think I am.”

  “I don’t care about them,” Joss said, pressing her hand more firmly into the small of Maeve’s back, pulling her so close she could feel the supple fullness of Maeve’s breasts against her own. The loose skirt of Maeve dress wrapped around her right thigh as they began moving more deliberately together, step for step, closer, tighter, back, together, spin, together, their breaths falling in increasingly heated waves in the shrinking space between their lips.

  The songs changed as they danced, some faster, some slower, but Joss paid just enough attention to keep them moving with the beat, too focused on the woman in her arms to care about putting a name to each tune. She had a vague memory of her dance instructor from so many years before telling them that dancing was akin to foreplay, but she had never truly understood that sentiment until now. Her every sense was attuned to Maeve—to the scent of her perfume, the warmth of her skin, and the intimate way Maeve’s thighs held her own. Joss groaned softly at the feeling of Maeve’s hips rocking against her leg. Forget foreplay. This was them having sex in the middle of a crowd with their clothes on.

  Joss drew a deep, shuddering breath as the sound of Maeve whispering her name on a moan sent desire that had been flickering in her belly all night into a nearly uncontrollable blaze. She closed her eyes and just barely resisted the urge to capture Maeve’s lips in a kiss that would have put on one hell of a show for everybody around them, and blinked them open as she asked in a rough whisper, “You ready to get out of here?”

  Maeve nodded, her lips brushing against Joss’ with the movement, both of them gasping at the electric contact. “God, yes.”

  The wait back at their table as they settled their tab was an excruciating experience as they kept their hands folded tightly on their laps and avoided prolonged eye contact in hopes that distance would mute the urge to touch that radiated between them. It worked, though only just, and Joss all but threw the small leather folder onto the table in her hurry to leave.

  She did not dare reach for Maeve as they made their way back through the main dining room, and she blew out a loud
sigh of relief when she saw a gondola already waiting at the front of the restaurant. “Thank God.”

  Maeve chuckled softly in agreement as she followed Joss inside. “Where’s the fire?” she teased in a sultry whisper as she sidled up next to her, running the edge of her purse along Joss’ inner thigh.

  Joss swallowed thickly as Maeve’s purse pressed against the seam of her slacks. “Right there,” she muttered, unable to mute the whimper that escaped her as she fisted her hands at her sides, determined to control herself until they were alone. My God, can somebody just close the goddamn door already!

  “Thank you for coming!” the maître d’ called out as the gondola’s door slid shut.

  Maeve chuckled and smiled as she offered her a small wave. “Thank you. Everything was incredible.”

  The door sealed itself with a quiet pop and click seconds before the gondola slipped from its berth to begin its slow descent back down the mountain.

  Joss licked her lips as she reached for Maeve’s hips and pulled her closer. She groaned as Maeve obliged, the purse she had teased Joss with moments before falling to the floor with a thud as Maeve pinned her against the side of the gondola. Joss ran her hands slowly over the naked plane of Maeve’s back, from the soft pile of fabric gathered at the small of her back and then up along the line of her spine to tickle the thin halter strap along the back of her neck that held the bodice of the dress in place, as Maeve’s lips hovered just out of reach. “Maeve,” Joss pleaded, tilting her head forward, her breath leaving her in a rush at the feeling of Maeve’s hips pressing hard against her own and a possessive hand curving around her jaw.

  Maeve’s gaze was burning as she leaned in closer, letting the moment build for a few heartbeats more before she succumbed to the desire pulsing between them and crashed their lips together in a deep, probing kiss that ended in them both gasping for air. “I want you,” Maeve whispered huskily.

  Joss only time to moan in response before Maeve’s lips sealed themselves to hers once more, but she managed to return the sentiment by grabbing Maeve’s ass and pulling her closer as she ground their hips together. By the time the gondola stopped at the bottom of the hill they were both an absolute mess, and Joss avoided the attendant’s lecherous gaze as they hurried out of the chalet and into the night.

  She could not resist pinning Maeve against the side of her jeep once they stopped beside it, and she grinned as she wasted no time fusing their lips together once more. Her hands stroked boldly along Maeve’s sides as they kissed, tracing the line of her ribs and caressing the swell of her breasts. A flood of arousal crashed between her legs at the desperate gasp that escaped Maeve when she dragged her thumbs over her nipples, and she sucked in a deep breath as she forced herself to pull away. “God.”

  Maeve licked her lips and nodded. “Take me home, Joss.”

  Joss nodded, offering up a silent prayer that they would actually make it there as she yanked Maeve’s door open. “Okay.”

  Twenty-Two

  The drive across town had been silent, the air filled with too much anticipation to allow for conversation, and Joss blew out a soft sigh of relief when she finally pulled to a stop in front of Maeve’s house. They had made it.

  “Oh thank God,” Maeve muttered.

  Joss huffed a small laugh and reached for Maeve, threading her fingers through silky blond locks and pulling her in for the deep, hungry kiss she had been denying herself for the last fifteen interminable minutes. She smiled at the sound of Maeve’s seatbelt being unbuckled, but her amusement faded into a plaintive moan when Maeve pulled away from her. The light from the chandelier Maeve had left on in the foyer that spilled through the front doors and the large carriage-style lights flanking the entryway was more than enough for her to see the desire burning in Maeve’s eyes, and she shook her head as she untangled her fingers from Maeve’s hair. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” she murmured as she traced the plump curve of Maeve’s lips with her thumb.

  Maeve smiled against Joss’ thumb and puckered her lips against it in a chaste kiss before she reached for her door handle. “Come inside.”

  Though it was phrased as more of a direction than a request, Joss still nodded as she unbuckled her seat belt. The anticipatory tension from the drive returned tenfold as they made their way toward the front door, and Joss could not resist running her hands over Maeve’s hips as she stood behind her, waiting for her to find her keys to unlock the door. She smiled at the breathy curse that tumbled from Maeve’s lips as she pressed herself against her back, wrapping her left arm around Maeve’s waist, drawing Maeve’s ass firmly against her hips as she used her right hand to sweep the luscious fall of blond hair away from her neck. She closed her eyes as she pressed her lips to the Maeve’s pulse point, wrapping her lips around sensitive skin in a wet kiss before flicking her tongue over it.

  “If you don’t stop, I’m never getting the door open,” Maeve threatened breathily.

  Joss smirked and nipped at the pulse beating heavily against her lips. It was a rush to know that she could make Maeve this flustered, and she dragged her mouth over the hinge of Maeve’s jaw to brush a light kiss over her ear as she let her arm fall from Maeve’s waist. “Hurry.”

  In a blink of an eye Maeve had the door open, a soft, triumphant cry escaping her as she pulled Joss inside. Her purse and keys hit the floor the moment she cleared the threshold, and she smiled seductively as she started for the stairs. “Close the door?”

  Joss shoved the door shut hard enough to make the windows on either side rattle, and smiled sheepishly at the disbelieving look Maeve shot her from the second stair. “Sorry?”

  Maeve laughed as turned her back to Joss and started to climb. “Come on.”

  Though Joss could have caught her without too much effort, she followed from a small distance, enjoying the way Maeve’s calves flexed with each step and the subtle sway of her spine as she shifted from one foot to the other. Maeve did not look back at her when she cleared the last step, instead she just let her fingers trail over the top of the banister before she turned left and disappeared from Joss’ sight.

  Joss picked up her pace to follow, taking the final six steps two at a time. The second floor was wide open, a palatial master suite with a sitting room and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the backyard, but Joss paid little attention to the architecture as she strode across the space, her attention focused on the woman pulling off her heels beside the fireplace that separated the sitting area from the massive four poster bed on the far side of the room.

  Maeve heard her approach, and smiled as she turned around to look at her. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” Joss cupped Maeve’s face in her hands and captured her lips in a deep, wet kiss as she began walking her back toward the bed. Their tongues kept time with their feet, stroking needfully together with every step until they stopped beside the bed. Joss nuzzled Maeve’s cheek as she let her hands fall to the sides of her throat before slipping beneath her hair to the back of her neck, tracing the line of fabric holding Maeve’s dress in place, enjoying the way Maeve’s breathing quickened as she pinched the clasp open. She guided the thin straps over Maeve’s shoulders, lightly caressing the bump of her collarbones with the backs of her fingers as both her hands and the dress slid lower, across the plane of her chest. She let the dress continue its journey on its own as cradled two absolutely perfect breasts in her hands, squeezing and dragging her thumbs over hardened nipples as their mouths crashed desperately together.

  “Yes,” Joss whimpered when Maeve yanked her shirt free. She massaged Maeve’s breasts as the cool air of the room spread across her stomach and ribs as Maeve slipped each successive button free with a quick flick of her wrist until it was hanging loosely from her shoulders.

  She allowed her hands to be pulled from Maeve’s breasts so her shirt could fall to the floor, and shivered at the feeling of Maeve’s fingernails dragging up her sides to unhook her bra. The rest of their clothes were shed in a blur of motion as the
y came together once more, tongues stroking, hands pushing, guiding, touching, pulling. Joss gasped in surprise when Maeve spun them around and pushed her back over the foot of the bed, her body landing with a slight bounce atop the soft down comforter, but that gasp turned into a groan when Maeve followed after her, pushing her legs open wider as red lips blazed a ravenous trail along her inner thigh.

  Joss watched, utterly entranced as Maeve took her glasses off and tossed them onto the nightstand, her lips never missing a beat as they continued to move higher and higher, her hands sliding beneath Joss’ thighs, pushing her back farther onto the bed so she could kneel between her legs.

  Joss’ eyes snapped shut when Maeve’s tongue stroked boldly through her before circling her clit. She tangled her right hand in Maeve’s hair as she bucked against her mouth, her left finding purchase in the soft comforter beneath her. She cried out, her back bowing in pleasure as Maeve surged against her, tongue swirling, lips sucking, easily following every pitch and roll of her hips, strong arms wrapping around her thighs and holding her in place. Joss squeezed her eyes shut, trying to delay the orgasm she could feel building, but was unable to hold back when Maeve’s lips wrapped around her clit, sucking lightly as that goddamn talented tongue flicked back and forth over her. She came with a long, low moan, her body twitching spastically against Maeve’s mouth, which gentled against her as she trembled and gasped, lightly flicking, swirling, stroking her through her release.

  She shakily untangled her hand from Maeve’s hair and let it fall to bed beside her, but before she could bask in the afterglow of such a powerful orgasm, Maeve’s fingers were inside her, stroking slowly, mindful of the fact she had just come, but allowing her no time to recover. Joss lifted her arms over her head and grabbed onto the bottom edge of the headboard as Maeve guided her closer and closer to the brink of ecstasy with every lick and suck and thrust. Her shoulders burned from the way she was pulling against the headboard, her back bowed so far forward it might surely snap, but she was too lost to the pleasure suffusing her body to care as she pulled harder, pushed further, forcing her hips down so that Maeve’s tongue had no choice but to focus where she needed her most.