by TJ Dallas
“I promise you my everlasting devotion, my unwavering loyalty, my respect, and my unconditional love for a lifetime. I promise that I’ll hold your hand forever, no matter what comes our way, and I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to make you smile. I promise to be by your side, always, to share your hopes and dreams, and I promise to be your protector, your advisor, your friend, and your family. If you’ll have me,” she added. “Lara, will you marry me?”
“Oh my God, yes,” I cried, flinging myself into her arms.
A thunderous applause broke out around us as she slipped the ring onto my finger and crushed her mouth against mine, pulling me tight to her body. She smiled through the kiss as happy tears streaked down my face, and my ears rang with deafening cheers and whistles.
She broke the kiss to rest her forehead on mine. “How did I do?” she asked.
The photo Harry had me inspect was perfect. All the managers were holding up a gigantic sign with the words “Lara, will you marry me?” on it, and Zoe had darted behind me while Jay was showing me the picture. The organisation involved and the precision of the whole event must have taken an extraordinary amount of planning, even just to get everyone in the same place at the same time.
“It was phenomenal.” I nodded, beaming from ear to ear. “Eleven out of ten.”
“Just like me then.” Harry grinned, pulling us into a tight squeeze. “It wasn’t easy, but your fiancée here did an incredible job.” Harry looked at Zoe, and I don’t think Zoe could have gone a rosier red.
“You helped,” Zoe mumbled.
“I just lent you my tie. Although I must admit, I think that’s what sealed the deal.” She held out her hand, and Zoe shook it. “Congratulations. Do I have permission to buy you both your first drink as an engaged couple?”
We nodded enthusiastically, and Harry guided the way towards the bar. She held up two fingers to Emilia. “Two beers please, and whatever these two are having.” She winked. “It’s been a long day, and I need to get drunk.”
I made an exaggerated show of studying my watch. “So, your no-drinking pact lasted ... Three days?”
“Three and a half.”
The music started at the same time the lights dimmed, and everyone surged towards the bar. The engagement party was in full swing by nine.
3
Lara
A month later, I knocked and entered Harry’s office. I jumped at the same time Bella did, and she withdrew her hand from the drawer under Harry’s desk. She lifted her palms in a slow surrender, dropping the Zippo lighter down in full view.
I frowned. “What are you doing? Where’s Harry?”
“We were in the middle of a meeting, but she fled all of a sudden.” She gestured her head back towards the rear corner of the room, and I spied a door I’d never noticed before. I made a move towards it, but Bella held out an arm to block my way.
“I wouldn’t—” she started, but I’d already stopped on my own, listening intently. Yep; that was definitely the sound of someone vomiting.
I hung around until Harry came back, save anything else disappeared from her office. We sat in an uncomfortable silence, twiddling our thumbs, until Harry appeared ten minutes later, looking exceptionally pale. “Oh, great, an audience,” she grumbled, looking between us.
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“I’ll be fine. I think I had dodgy chicken yesterday.”
I stood up, allowing her my seat. I saw she appreciated the offer, but she remained motionless until Bella took the hint and stood up. Harry slid into her own chair. “Bella, can we continue this another time?”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll just—” Bella turned away.
“Bella?”
“Yes?”
“Give me my watch back.”
My jaw dropped as Bella pulled the black leather strap from her pocket. How does she do that?
Bella was evidently proud of herself. It’s simple when you know how, she thought. I can teach you a few things.
“No, you won’t,” Harry scolded out loud, and I suppressed a giggle. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bella.”
Bella knew she’d been dismissed, and she blushed again, bowing her head. I waited until the door closed before I sank back down. My eyes scanned the desk in front of me. The Zippo was nowhere to be seen. What the—
“She doesn’t even smoke.” Harry rolled her eyes. “It’s fine, I’ll get it back later.” She exhaled heavily, massaging her temples. “I really don’t feel good.”
“Anything I can do?”
“No, I’ll be OK. Was there something you needed?”
I froze. My mind had gone blank, and I gnawed the inside of my cheek for a few minutes before I said, “I can’t remember now. Never mind; it can’t have been important. I’ll probably remember it later. Do you want anything before I go?”
She contemplated me as I stood back up, a serious expression forming on her face. “Actually, there is one thing, if it’s not too much trouble?”
“Yeah, what is it?” I frowned, suddenly concerned. She’s never asked me for anything before.
“Georgia’s got a new fruit supplier who brought in these new pineapples …” She fell silent, looking at the floor.
“Uh-huh?”
“I want some pineapple,” she concluded. “I had some last week, and it was so good. I haven’t stopped thinking about it.”
“Sure, no problem.” I turned away to try and control my face. I needed to get out of her office pronto, or I’d lose it. She’d had such a sincere expression, and I’d felt a wave of apprehension wash over me, but to discover that it was only for pineapple—
“Lara?”
I closed my eyes, composing myself before turning back. “Yes?”
She smirked, a devilish glimmer in her eye. “I know you think I’m daft, but I don’t care. Tell Georgia they’re for me, and she’ll cut them into these little chunks that—”
She went too far.
I burst out laughing, holding my sides, and Harry just sat and watched me. It took several minutes to bring myself under control.
“Are you finished?” she asked, and I laughed harder. “Sort yourself out, pet.”
“I’m trying,” I replied, giggling. “Sorry. Pineapple.” I wiped the tears from my eyes. “I’ll get right on that.”
“You do that.” She pointed towards the door, and I withdrew. “Shut the door,” she commanded, and I started howling again as soon as I clicked it closed.
I eventually stopped laughing as I strode out of the lift on the fourth floor. I found Georgia sitting at a table near the kitchen, inundated with paperwork. “Hi, Lara,” she greeted me. “How are you?”
I stepped out of the way of a passing waiter and sat down opposite her, taking a deep breath to try and keep myself together. “Harry would like some pineapple.”
“Again? Even the supplier will run out if she keeps going.” She motioned to a nearby waiter. “Can you bring me more pineapple from the fridge?”
“Yeah, how much?”
“Just bring a full tub.” The waiter left, and Georgia turned back to me. “Tell Harry to ration it, or she won’t get any more for two days. The fruit supplier only delivers on Tuesdays and Fridays, so she has to make it last longer than one night. She almost cried the other day when I told her I’d ran out.”
My mouth gaped. “She did not?”
“She did. Well, she swears she didn’t, but she was blinking awfully quickly, and I’m certain there were tears in her eyes. Don’t tell her I said that, though. She’ll just deny it, and then she’ll skin me alive.”
I chuckled, holding up three fingers on my right hand. “Scout’s honour.”
“I’ve never been a Scout myself, but I did help out with the Brownies a few years ago,” she said, grinning.
“Why am I not surprised?
”
Now that I knew they were the Seven Deadly Sins, they were much easier to understand, so to speak, and especially Gluttony. Anything even remotely related to food, and Georgia’s attention piqued, even if it wasn’t food that was being discussed.
I had been talking through the seating plans for the wedding last week, and I’d said to Zoe that “there won’t be much room there.” Georgia had faintly overheard and strolled across, asking who had mushrooms. Zoe and I had stared at each other in bewilderment until it had hit me a few hours later, and we’d wept with laughter.
The recollection almost set me off again as the waiter returned with the biggest tub of pineapple chunks I’d ever seen. My eyes widened. “There’s no way she’ll eat all that.”
Georgia caught my gaze. “I’m not a gambler like Bella, but I bet you she’s finished all of that by tomorrow afternoon.”
I nibbled the inside of my cheek. “All right, I’ll take that bet. What’s the stakes?”
“Steaks? Do you want a steak?” She looked at her watch. “The chefs are taking a break in ten minutes, but I’ll get them to put one on for you. How do you want it cooked?”
I swear I almost peed as I burst into more fits of uncontrollable laughter.
Georgia shrugged at the waiter, who still hovered nearby. He offered to phone an ambulance in case I was having a seizure, but I shook my head and waved him away. I was in hysterics again, my stomach aching. I couldn’t say anything. I had to leave the room to compose myself.
I finally came back after about fifteen minutes and couldn’t look Georgia in the eye. I just lifted the tub of pineapple and made my way to the lift.
When I finally got back to my flat, having delivered the pineapple to its intended recipient, I threw my hands up in despair. The wedding DJ. That’s what I’d needed to ask Harry about.
I called on Harry again a few days later, and she looked much better. She grinned as I entered her office, signalling for me to sit.
“How was the pineapple?” I asked, smirking.
“Exquisite, thank you for asking. How are the wedding plans coming along?”
“Yeah, great. I wanted to ask you about a DJ. Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Of course.”
“Is it Dave?” My heart sank. The club’s DJ was good, but I was getting bored of the same songs every weekend. I wanted something different for my wedding night.
“No, not Dave,” she said, chuckling. “I’ll do it.”
My eyebrows raised.
“What? Don’t you think I’m up to the challenge?”
“No, I think you’d be amazing. But wouldn’t you prefer to drink and enjoy the night?”
“Oh, I’ll enjoy the night, don’t worry. There’s nothing illegal about a DJ getting drunk. And who would I report myself to, anyway? I can’t discipline myself. Well, I can, but that’s another story.” She winked, and a flush of colour rose on my cheeks. “I’d be thrilled to do it.”
“That would be perfect then, thank you.”
“I am perfect. As are you in those little shorts. What I wouldn’t give to be inside them right now—”
“Behave,” I scolded, pressing my thighs together and trying to ignore the warmth of adrenaline that instantly shot through me.
“Why?”
“I’m barely able to control myself around you. Zoe will be here soon, and nothing ruins wedding bells more than your fiancée walking in to find you on your back, with another woman between your legs. Even you,” I added.
“Didn’t you have that role-playing pact or whatever?” Her voice had deepened, and the edge of seduction in her tone wasn’t lost on me. “Surely as long as you ask her, she’ll be OK?”
I didn’t have a comeback. We did have the role-playing pact, and I hadn’t actually asked Zoe for anything.
Harry grinned. “Do you want me to ask her?”
“No. Don’t you dare.”
She shrugged. “Do it. The worst she’ll say is no, but I doubt she will.”
The wetness had pooled in my pussy long before I spun on my heel and walked out.
“I’ll be here, pet,” Harry called after me as I shut the door.
4
Lara
Later that week, Zoe and I sat in a booth in the club, taking a short break midway through our early shift. We’d pulled out a few fridges to clean behind them, and it had worn us out, our muscles aching.
“You’re quiet today,” she said. “Everything OK?”
My voice was a whisper and a lump caught in my throat. “Remember the pact we made a while ago?”
Zoe met my gaze, and I tried to hold it for as long as I could. Eventually, I looked at the floor.
“Yes, I remember,” she replied.
I exhaled, but couldn’t bring myself to keep going. Zoe was quiet, watching me carefully, but then she broke the silence. “Harry says you want to fuck her again? Or more accurately, you want me to give her my blessing to fuck you again?”
I choked. “She said w-what?” I can’t believe she did it. Who am I kidding? Of course she bloody did it.
Zoe laughed. “She talks to all of us, not just you,” she chided, waggling her finger. “But I’ll think about it.”
I pulled her towards me and pressed my lips against hers. Her hands rested on my cheeks as she deepened the kiss, her tongue grazing my own, and I let out a small wanting moan.
She pulled away with a gasp. My heart was racing. Arousal had flooded through both of us quicker than we’d expected.
“Do I get to take you for a ride first?” she asked.
“Always.”
She stood up to stand between my legs. I wasted no time in lifting the bottom of her T-shirt, pressing my lips against the soft skin on her belly as she combed her fingers through my hair. I pulled down the zip on her jeans and forced everything to her ankles. She kicked her shoes off, wrestling her feet out of her clothes, and I swallowed as I caught the scent of her arousal so close to my mouth.
Keeping my legs wide, she straddled me, and I put my hand on the back of her neck, pulling her closer for another kiss. She moaned, rocking her hips as my fingers explored her, her pussy inviting me in.
She bit my lip as I slid two fingers inside her, and I groaned at her wetness on my hand. I pulled my fingers back out, the fingertips left inside, and slowly pushed them in again. I kept up a tormenting rhythm, breaking the kiss so I could watch her face. I was pleased to see her eyes closed, her lips parted, her breath hot and heavy as she moaned again.
“More?” I whispered, and she nodded. I slipped another finger inside and smiled as she squeezed her eyes tighter, gritting her teeth. I fucked her for several minutes, her arousal coating my hand. My thumb found her clit and swirled in small circles. She was bouncing now, willing me deeper, and I growled, “More?”
She groaned, and I took that as a yes. I slipped my last available finger inside her, pounding her harder, and her pussy suddenly tightened around my hand as she flung her head back. I watched her as she screamed, bouncing in my lap, her arousal dripping over my fingers and down my wrist. She rode me until she couldn’t ride me any more.
She dropped her head against my shoulder, panting as I removed myself from inside her. I brought my knees together and rubbed the ache from the crease in her hips, pressing my lips to her cheek and closing my eyes whilst she caught her breath.
I heard the distinct click of a Zippo and an inhale of cigarette smoke. My eyes flew open, searching over Zoe’s shoulder. Harry stood, grinning wickedly.
How long have you been there? I thought.
Since the beginning. Zoe invited me to watch. It’s not my fault you were so distracted that you didn’t notice me.
Zoe sat up straighter. I thought I couldn’t love Zoe any more than I already did, but here I was, falling even further for her. I willed my lungs to tak
e a deeper breath to tame my quickening pulse. My eyes never left Harry’s, and she inhaled again, blowing out a cloud of smoke. She winked, and I knew I was already wet.
Zoe has one condition, Harry murmured.
Oh?
She gets to tell us what to do. Well, she’s going to tell you what to do. I don’t take too kindly to authority, she added, smirking. But in the interests of generosity, I’ve compromised. She can give me two instructions, no more and no less.
Make them count, Zoe, I prayed.
Harry extinguished her cigarette and advanced closer. She had a small glass of whisky in her hand, and she finished the final mouthful, licking her lips and placing the glass on an empty table. My eyes dropped the length of her body. She had a loose black shirt on and dark blue jeans that hugged her sculpted thighs. The braids along the side of her head were freshly done, small wisps of hair framing her face, and her eyes sparkled. She looked delicious, and my core ached.
I was helpless, but I wished she’d hurry up. I couldn’t force myself to move, but she was taking her damn time getting over here. She finally stood in front of me, and I felt her hands on my knees as she bent forward, pushing them apart. Zoe still nestled in my lap, and Harry’s lips grazed her earlobe.
“What can I do for you, pet?” she asked.
Zoe grinned, leaning her head back as Harry kissed the skin on her neck. Harry’s gaze caught mine as she made her way down the side of Zoe’s throat. She nipped the skin at Zoe’s collarbone before kissing the sting away.
Harry chuckled. “You better say that out loud.”
“I said, take off your clothes,” Zoe repeated.
“Me or Harry?”
“You.” She prodded a finger into my chest.
Harry stood back as Zoe removed herself from my lap, tugging her jeans on and perching on a nearby stool. I kicked off my boots, tucking my socks inside, and wriggled out of my jeans as I pulled my T-shirt over my head.
“Is that acceptable, Zoe?” Harry asked.
“Nope, take everything off.”
I reached behind to unclip my bra, sliding the straps down my arms. Once I’d discarded it, I lifted my hips and slid my underwear down my legs. I was now naked once again, in front of this exquisite creature. I looked Harry dead in the eyes, no longer playing shy.