“You would think so. Maybe they’re worried it will make things worse. Who knows.”
I nodded. Alexandra’s perfume was nice. It was not overbearing like some women wore, but was more of a light floral that seemed to just enhance her own personal smell.
I almost laughed. I’d had dinner with her once, and a short coffee meeting, and I thought I knew how she smelled. But she was intoxicating, even if I should not be noticing it yet.
We pulled into a public parking lot just down the street from the restaurant. There was only one more space and Alexandra pulled the Camaro into it.
“That was lucky,” she said. “I would prefer not to walk too much further.”
As we got out of the car, I looked at her shoes and realized why she did not want to walk. Four-inch stiletto Jimmy Choos. Damn. But they sure made her butt look nice.
Dinner was nice with idle chat and some sharing of our lives growing up.
“I wanted to be a ballerina when I was seven,” Alexandra said. “My mom had me in classes for two months before I realized that I really didn’t want to be a ballerina.”
I giggled. “Well, I took cheerleading lessons when I was eight. I swore I would be a Bronco’s cheerleader when I grew up. My mom was an avid fan. When I became a teenager, I realized that I hated sports. Then, in high school, the cheerleaders were such snobby bitches, there was no way I was going to be one of them. So I worked on the school newspaper and was on the yearbook instead. It certainly fit me far better than cheerleading, that’s for sure.”
All night I could not keep my eyes off her beautiful features, especially her smile. So much had happened over the last few days, it was difficult to keep my head. However, things felt right as we chatted about our lives.
It was too soon we were making our way back to Daisy’s. She pulled up into the drop-off space in front of the building and turned to me.
“Have you always wanted to be a journalist?” Alexandra asked.
I looked down at my hands in my lap. “Always. I remember being a kid watching the news reports and thinking how great it would be to tell people what was happening around the globe. Part of it was the idea of traveling, but mostly it was sharing the goings-on. At one point, I wrote my own newspaper.” I chuckled at the memory. “My mom and my friend Daisy were the only ones to read it, but I was happy all the same.”
When I looked up, Alexandra was studying me, her head tilted and a tiny smile playing on her lips, and I felt my face heat up.
“What?”
“Sorry, I just think it’s so cute when you talk about something you’re passionate about. It’s quite…endearing.” She shook her head. “Damn, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be talking to you like that. I know you said this was not a date, that you’re in a relationship. I have no right to…”
I held up my hand to stop her from talking. When she did, I took a deep breath. “No, I’m no longer in a relationship—as of two days ago.”
“I am so sorry. May I ask what happened?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know if I’m ready to talk about it and I don’t want you to think anything I say is out of some sort of rebound thinking or that I might be trying to pick you up, even if I want to. I don’t know what I’m doing or where our relationship might go, but since I first met you, I’ve been attracted to you. And…and I know I’m rambling, but I can’t help…”
Alexandra leaned in and kissed me, stopping the barrage of words. I found myself responding immediately. Her hand came to my breast and I gasped at the softness of her touch. It was not the groping Brook always did, but a caress. Then she moved her hand down the front of my dress and into my bra, gently tweaking the nipple.
Groaning, I felt that familiar burning of need between my legs. My breathing was coming quickly and thought I might burst as she reached behind me and began unzipping my dress.
I grabbed her arm. “No, I don’t want you to think that this is because I just broke up with my ex,” I said.
Her smile was soft, but her eyes burned into me. “Oh, I think we’ve seen this coming for a while now. The only thing that was stopping us was your relationship. But if that’s gone now…”
I glanced around. We were still in front of Daisy’s apartment building. “Look, I’m only here staying with a friend, or I’d definitely ask you up. But I don’t think she’d appreciate my bringing someone home to the couch.”
Alexandra laughed lightly. “No, I don’t image she would.” She reached over and put her hand on my leg. “Why don’t you come over to my place tonight?”
My mind went to the luxurious apartment and the huge bed and I did not need any more prodding.
“Sure, I’d love to.”
What was I getting myself into?
Honestly, at that moment, I did not care.
***
It was difficult to keep our hands off each other as we waited for the elevator in her apartment building. When the doors opened, an elderly couple called out to us. “Hold the elevator, please!” I thought I would explode as they ambled to join us.
We made our way off the elevator, saying a quick “Good night” to the couple and hurrying down the hall to her apartment. She fumbled with the keys, cursing when she dropped them on the floor, their clinking muted by the carpet. But once inside, we could not keep our hands off each other.
Her kisses were urgent, her tongue flirting with mine as they fought to contain the same space. The air around me had been sucked from the room, my breathing coming in desperate gasps as her hands moved over my body. We unzipped each other’s dresses, the act seeming to take too long. As my dress dropped to the floor, her hand found my breast, massaging it and caressing it, and I moaned in her mouth. She reached around and unlatched my bra, pulling it off and tossing it to the side.
“You are so beautiful,” she said hoarsely as her mouth found a nipple and sucked it in. The door was cold on my back, soothing the fire that burned inside me. I felt that if the flames were not extinguished soon, I would melt where I was standing.
She grabbed my hand and led me to her bed, where she lightly pushed me down. Grabbing my leg, she propped it over her shoulder and kissed up the inside of my thigh, inch by inch, her lips lingering each time they met flesh, and my mind urged her to hurry, my lungs incapable of drawing in air.
Just before reaching my mound, she stopped, smiling as she looked up at me. Then she kissed down the inside of my other leg. I thought I would boil over with need if she did not take me now.
Kiss by kiss, inch by inch, she made her way back up, until her tongue flicked out and I bucked my hips as I grabbed her head and pulled her into me. My legs lay open, my feet together, as she lapped at me, the pressure building, body writhing.
“I’m so close,” I gasped.
“I know, so this time, our first time together, will be quick, because I can’t wait.” She leaned in to kiss me again, her tongue probing, but I reluctantly pulled her away.
“Together,” I whispered as I sat up. I pushed her to her back, crawled on top of her, and placed my mound above her mouth as my mouth came down on hers. As one, we lapped, licked, sucked, and caressed. I had never felt so close to someone, so in-tune, and I felt the pressure building while at the same time knowing that I was sharing the moment with her as I worked my mouth at her. Then, simultaneously, we cried out, bringing each other to that explosive, pulsating moment when the world stopped revolving and I felt suspended in mid-air.
Afterward, we lay in each other’s arms, my head on her chest, her hand running through my hair. My mouth was close to her breast, and I gave it a quick lick and giggled when she moaned. This time when we were together, we made love. Slow and sensual, we explored each other’s bodies, caressing, fondling, patting, rubbing. Soon we built up that fire once more, but we stoked it gradually, deliberately, using our mouths and hands to excite and ignite. For the first time in my life, I made love, and it was just how I had imagined it.
It was ecstasy.
***<
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The night seemed to fly by. I had never experienced such gentleness, such tenderness, such love. It was exciting and new, and I hoped it would never end.
However, morning came all too soon, and work called to both of us. I had appointments to interview the two residents of the Hanover Building and she had a meeting scheduled. Yet, we lay in each other’s arms, staring into each other’s eyes.
“Last night was amazing,” I said as I ran my fingers down the side of her face.
“It was.” Her smile brightened her face. She was glowing. “But, alas, this, too, must come to an end. I need to shower…” she paused and then raised an eyebrow. “Want to join me? I’m sure we have time for a shared shower…”
I grinned. “Just think of the time we’ll be saving by showering together.”
The kiss lingered as our tongues intertwined. I playfully pushed her away and pointed to the bathroom.
“Shower…now!” I said with a laugh and then rolled over her and out of bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.
She giggled and pulled me into her arms, and our bodies pressed together. I reached up to meet her lips. The feeling of her breasts against mine increased the sensations of need and we made our way to the bathroom, still locked together in a passionate kiss, only releasing long enough to start the shower.
When the water was the right temperature, she stepped into the large glassed-in space, pulling me in with her. The water cascaded down her body, rolling in rivers along her luscious curves.
Her hand trailed down my side to my hips and around to grab my butt. She lightly squeezed the cheek and I gasped, feigning shock, slapping playfully at her arm.
“Hey, easy now,” I said, although it was hard to speak, my breath catching in my throat as she kneaded the flesh. An ache grew in my belly and I whimpered as her hand crept up my back and up over my shoulder. Minutes, hours, years, seemed to pass with just that one movement, and I thought I might pass out from lack of air.
We made love there, in the shower, and it was magical.
Chapter Nineteen
The room was hot, but the heat did not come from a furnace or fire. It came from the woman who sat across from me at the table. She was wearing a spaghetti strapped tank top and no bra, and my eyes kept wandering over to stare at her breasts instead of working on the article I supposed to have finished by tomorrow.
I was plagued by not only the distraction she was causing, but also with a fear that after all this hard work, Blake would not accept it. Joanna would be back the day after tomorrow, so I had to get it done and to him by tomorrow; I had no choice. I knew I was ready, yet uncertainty threatened to drive me to close my computer and give up altogether.
We had collected as much information as we could, Alexandra from her Capitol Hill contacts and I from wherever any shred of evidence would move the story along. My two interviews went well, one with a single mother with three children who feared homelessness if the bill passed.
Another was a couple with four children. The father had been laid off from his job three years earlier and currently worked part-time at a fast-food joint down the street. Like me, he did not have a car, so he relied on public transportation, which was limited unless someone wanted to spend hours on buses. It was also expensive, but less so than catching cabs every day.
"Do you think this will do any good?" I asked as I leaned back in my chair and ran my hand through my hair.
"Well, of course it will," Alexandra said. "Why are you doubting yourself now?"
I shrugged. "I don't know if I'm judging myself or if I'm judging the weight of media influence. What if no one takes notice? It seems like rich people usually win the game…" I glanced up quickly. "Sorry, not all rich people..."
She smiled. "No, I knew what you meant. Look, do I think the government is corrupt? Sure. I'm there every day. I get to see what they do to get what they want, which usually has a lot to do with who is lining their pockets. Does that mean that there aren't some out there that are good? No. I know there are honest politicians, although they might be few and far between. But they exist."
I sighed. "Yeah, I believe so, too. But this..." I pointed to the pile of papers between us, "I just don't know if it's enough."
"You know, when I first met you, that day at the coffee shop, I knew at that moment that you were a strong-willed, hard-working woman. You could have run away and said nothing like so many people who hide when they have to face something unpleasant, but you didn't. You decided to stay there and talk to me. That takes guts."
"Yeah, I had to get my muffin," I said with a laugh. I could not stop staring at her. "How was I so lucky to have met you?"
"Ha! You think you're the lucky one? I know that's me. I was lucky to have met someone as smart and beautiful as you."
I felt my face heat up. Receiving compliments was a relatively new experience for me. Daisy gave out some, but she was my best friend, she would have no matter how much I screwed up. But it was nice to hear it from someone else. Brook never was one for seeing things in a positive light and I never realized how much I had missed while I was with her.
"So, this should say, 'he gave' not 'he have'," she said pointing to a word on the page she was going over.
"Oh, crap, I didn't even see that." I made the change on my computer.
"The rest looks pretty good. How's the resident interview section coming?"
I glanced at the words on my screen. "Actually, pretty good. I feel like I really own this article, you know? It's just so important."
Alexandra placed her hand on the table, palm up, and I put mine in hers. "You have a great heart, Paulette Stevens," she said. "It will be your caring so deeply about this subject that will make your boss take notice. You're a good writer, so don't worry about anything but finishing it."
"Thank you," I said, the embarrassment still there, but it was getting easier.
With a renewed energy, I clicked away at my keyboard, the words flowing from me as if I were pouring my own blood onto the page, or in this case, into the computer. Twenty minutes later, I was finished.
"I'm so happy for you," Alexandra said as she came around to hug me.
I hugged her back and soon we were kissing.
I knew what came next and looked forward to immensely.
***
The magazine’s ‘birthday’ party was held at an extravagant venue in Westminster. Alexandra picked me up from Daisy’s wearing a black cocktail dress that showed off lots of leg and bosom. Black nylon stockings and black high heels made her butt look great, and it was hard to keep my eyes off of her as I walked in behind her.
We checked our coats and walked toward the bar where there was already a line. I caught a glance of my reflection in a chrome column. The red strapless dress hugged my body and enhanced my breasts. I also was wearing black stockings and shoes and carried a black clutch. My hair was pulled up in a fancy up-do Daisy did for me. I knew I looked hot, but Alexandra telling me three times on our way here helped solidify that fact.
"Paulette!" Jennifer Jones said as she made her way through the cluster of people by the bar. "My, goodness, woman, you look amazing!"
"Thanks," I said, smiling. "Oh, Jennifer, this is Alexandra. Alexandra, Jennifer is Carl Newton's assistant. She was a lifesaver when I started out at the Libertarian."
"Oh, whatever," Jennifer said with a flick of her hand. "You were a quick learner. I doubt you really needed my help." A man walked up beside her. "Ladies, this is my husband, William. This is the woman I'm always telling you about, Paulette, and this is Alexandra."
William stuck out his hand and shook each of ours. He did not say much but I quick "Nice to meet you" and then he was kissing his wife goodbye to return to a group of men on the other side of the room.
Jennifer shook her head. "Men. He hates these things. It took me using all my wiles to talk him into dressing up, but he's good friends with Sasha's husband, so once he found out Phillip would be here, he finally gave in."
"Well, that happens," I said.
The woman laughed. "Yeah, well, I better get over there before the boys try and start a game of beer pong. They just don't get the whole formal affair thing."
I grinned as she walked away.
"She seems really nice," Alexandra said.
"Yeah, she's been really good to me." My eyes swept the room and I saw Blake across the room talking to a man I did not recognize. "There's Blake..."
"Good luck," Alexandra said as she gave me a hug.
It took me until five o'clock this afternoon to finish the article. My meticulousness played a big part in my tardiness. I just hoped he did not mind me bringing it to him now. Tomorrow would be too late. I had no idea when Joanna would be coming in and I did not want to take any chances.
I waited until the man with Blake left before I spoke. "Hello, Blake."
"Paulette, how are you?" he said with a big smile. "Are you having a good time?"
"Oh, very much so," I replied, although I thought I'd throw up all over his five hundred dollar suit right then and there. "Um, I had a question..."
"Of course," he said. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I have this article I wanted to give you to look over..."
"Oh?" His eyes went wide. "I didn't know you were a writer."
I shrugged. "I'm still finishing up my program, but yes, that's my ultimate goal." I wondered how he could not have known, but then it occurred to me that it was Joanna who hired me. Stock that up as another point against that woman.
"That's wonderful!" he said, his smile broad and inviting. "Put it on my desk and I'll have a look at it tonight after this shindig is over."
I hesitated. I needed him to see it before Joanna came back. I hoped he would do as he said, but I was doubtful with the party going full swing. What if he did not have time to actually look at it?
Yet, there was nothing I could do about it. This was my chance so I said, "Great, thank you. It's about a bill to tear down the Hanover Building in Commerce City to build a business complex, so it's pretty important..."
Romancing the News: A Lesbian Office Romance Page 10