by by T. Novan
Lauren didn't go back to her seat. Instead, she sat down next to Dev who had moved to the floor. The President lifted her bottle for another drink but just as the glass touched her lips Lauren snatched it from her hand and finished it off in one long swallow. "Ahhhh..." she breathed. "Thanks. It was getting hot in here."
"I'll say!" Beth pressed her bottle against her forehead.
David frowned and mumbled petulantly, "Not like I'd know."
Dev retrieved her bottle and held it up to the light. "You stole my beer. Man, you ask a girl for her bra and you gotta give her a whole beer? For a whole beer I should get the panties too!"
This time it was Lauren who blushed. Oh yeah. Dev's drunk. Nobody would believe I'm playing a teenager's game with the President of the United States.
"Your turn," Beth reminded Lauren.
"Okay." The very tip of Lauren's tongue appeared as she concentrated for a moment. She pushed her glasses farther up on her nose. "David..."
The red-headed man sat up straight.
"True or dare?"
"Truth."
Lauren grinned wickedly. "What's the last horribly embarrassing thing that Devlyn did that you kept out of the Press?"
"She went out with Candy Delaney."
"Hey! No fair," Lauren protested instantly. "I already knew that!"
Dev made a face at her Chief of Staff. "Besides, dumbass, that was your fault. You set me up with her. Personally, I think the fact that I got my speeches mixed up last week was pretty good. I mean, when was the last time the President started to give a speech written for The National Cattlemen's Association to the World Vegetarian League?"
Lauren sniggered. "That was embarrassing. But David really couldn't answer with that one." A beat. "Considering I read about it for two days."
"David!" Beth chastised. "You're supposed to nip that kind of thing in the bud!"
"I know you think I'm the great and powerful Oz-"
"You mean you're not?" Beth asked with devastating innocence, just as David leaned over and stole a kiss.
The tall redhead smacked his lips together happily when the kiss ended. "Okay, Dev, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
David grinned and grabbed a handful of popcorn. "How'd you break your pinkie finger, Devil?"
Dev choked on her beer and flicked the cap at David's head. "You know how I broke my finger, you prick."
"But I don't," Lauren pointed out happily. She grinned at Beth who grinned back. Oh boy. This should be interesting.
Dev took a deep breath and then a big drink of her beer. "One night I got my hand slammed in a window..." She pretended to take another drink, hoping that would be a suitable answer.
Lauren elbowed the President. "Annnnnnnnd?"
"And it got broken when the window came down on it."
David wiped his fingers on his jeans. "The part she leaving out is that she was naked and in the throws of passion when she did it. She grabbed the bottom of the window and pulled it shut on her own hand."
Dev reached over and punched him on the shoulder. "Thanks, pal!"
Lauren burst out laughing. She reached out and grabbed Dev's pinkie finger, holding it up for examination and giving serious consideration to kissing it. "And you know this how, David?"
"Because she was running for office at the time and they called me first to tell me the window was jammed with her hand stuck in it and Samantha thought they were gonna have to call the fire department. They wanted me to keep it from hitting the papers."
Beth began to howl. God, she loved this story! She knew David would be cruel enough to bring it up during the game. God, she loved David!
Lauren and David joined in until Dev, who was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, pouting, finally had enough.
"Okay, fine. Laugh it up, you rat bastards. Truth or dare, Strayer?"
Lauren jerked her thumb toward Beth. "It's her turn!"
"That's okay," Beth said. "Since no one has bothered to ask me a question, I'll be happy to let Dev take my turn. Have at it, Devlyn. And make it good."
Lauren stuck out her tongue at Beth. "Fine. I pick dare." You're not getting me on that sex question tonight, Devlyn Marlowe.
"I'm betting good money you have a tattoo somewhere. If you do, show it."
"No way! She is not the tattoo type. A hundred says she doesn't have one," David taunted.
"You're on!" Dev leaned over and they shook hands.
Gray eyes narrowed. Shit! "What makes you think I have a tattoo?" Lauren's words were tinged with as much indignation as she could muster. Which wasn't much, considering she did actually have a tattoo. But David was right. She wasn't the type. It was something stupid she'd done on a dare when she was in college. Kind of like what she was doing right now.
"I know the type," Dev pronounced firmly. "Deceptively cute looking, all innocent like the girl next door. No, make that the ‘All American' girl next door." She chuckled at the appalled look on Lauren's undeniably cute face. "You girls always have a tattoo because at some point in your life you bucked the system and either got a tattoo or dated a biker." Dev took another swallow of beer. "And you don't strike me as the biker-dating type."
Shit, I hate it when Devlyn's right. And dating a biker would have been so much less permanent! Lauren looked nervously at David and Beth who were staring back at her, waiting with bated breath for an answer. She leaned close to Dev's ear and whispered, "Ummm... assuming just for a moment that I do have a tattoo, who exactly would I have to show again? Not everybody, right?" There was a hint of pleading in her voice.
Dev looked at David and Beth, giving a vague gesture. "You'd trust me to verify it and tell the truth, right Beth?"
Beth grinned. "Absolutely, Devil." David was about to protest but his wife beat him to the punch. "And so would David. We trust you implicitly, Dev."
Dev turned her silly, truly buzzed face to Lauren and wiggled her brows. "Just me then. You only have to show me. C'mon, Lauren," she crooned, barely able to control her laughter.
Lauren blew out a breath. "Just you?"
Dev nodded. "Just me. Where is it?" Dev's smile widened, she hadn't really believed the writer would have a tattoo. Lauren was far too straight-laced for a tattoo. And someone got close to her with a needle? "You were unconscious when you got it, weren't you?"
Lauren nodded. "You know it."
The blonde woman turned to Beth and David and made a circular motion with her index finger. The McMillians turned their backs, but not before a few more mumbled protests from David. She raised an eyebrow at Dev. "Promise you won't laugh?"
"No, I won't promise that." God if I don't kiss her again soon I'm gonna die. "When a girl gives you her bra before you've even ever bought her dinner, she totally gives up the right not to be laughed at," Dev teased.
"Bitch," Lauren mumbled as she rose to her feet and began undoing the button to her jeans. "It's on my..." A pause. "Hip. Sort of."
Dev swallowed hard, holding up her hand. "What do you mean sort of?" You drop your pants and I will die.
"I mean sort of. It's well, I guess I'll have to show you. There really isn't a word to describe exactly where it is. But if you'd rather I stop-"
"No, no, go ahead." I just wish I were gonna remember this in the morning
Lauren bit her lip but nodded. "Stupid game." She positioned herself in front of Devlyn and glanced over her shoulder to find Beth and David making out on the rug and not paying the slightest attention to her and Dev.
She unbuttoned her pants with agonizing slowness, then began to slide them over her hips.
Dev felt her heart pounding so hard she was sure that it was going to burst out of her chest at any moment. She whimpered pitifully when she glimpsed panties that matched the silky, lacy bra. Her vision suddenly began to get fuzzy and she felt light-headed. Then everything went black.
Beth and David turned around at the sound of a loud thump.
Lauren pulled up her jeans and simply stared at Dev's pro
ne body.
David jumped up. "Jesus Christ, Lauren, you killed her! Where the hell is that thing!"
Lauren pointed to Dev's body. "She's still breathing! I didn't kill her! She didn't even make it to the unveiling!"
* * *
Everyone retired shortly after they had carried a snoring Dev to bed, which sucked, considering her room, along with Lauren's, was upstairs. Lauren went to her room, which was connected to Dev's via a shared bathroom. David and Beth had been awarded the master bedroom downstairs because of its larger bed.
Lauren changed into a pair of soft cotton, short boxers and a threadbare T-shirt. She held her panties in her hand wondering if Dev would give her back her bra or if the set would be lost forever. Oh well, she smirked inwardly, it was sort of kinky thinking of Dev with a pair of her panties. God, how old am I again? Besides, she probably won't remember tonight. Those beers went right to her head, poor, evil thing.
The writer placed her glasses on the nightstand and crawled into bed, sighing at wonderful feeling of clean sheets and soft bedding. "Oh, this is nice." She nuzzled the comforter and closed her eyes, still a little wound up after the silly game she and Dev had played with each other. Her head was a little foggy from the beer, but she was certain she hadn't drunk enough to warrant a hangover in the morning. Just enough to feel incredibly... relaxed.
Lauren wasn't quite sure what woke her up. It took a moment or two for the sounds to register. She squeezed her eyes shut and crammed the extra pillow against her face. "I so do not need this," she mumbled into the thick feather pillow. One particularly low moan caught her attention and made her giggle. She wasn't sure whether it was Beth or David. "Somebody is a verrrrry happy camper right now." When the sounds continued, Lauren briefly considered stuffing a blanket or towel into the air vent that was carrying the erotic sounds.
Finally, when she couldn't take it any longer, she headed for the bathroom, hoping that if David and Beth heard footsteps above them, they'd tone down their bedsports to a dull roar - in deference to those not so lucky.
She didn't turn on the light - a small night light provided more than enough illumination. Lauren used the facilities and washed her hands. She smiled into the mirror when she realized that couldn't hear them in here. I can sleep in the shower! It wouldn't have been the first time. But it was a stall shower, so, with an unhappy groan, she quickly gave up on the idea. This couldn't go on all night. Hell, she'd been married for three years. She could attest to that fact!
Then another sound caught her ear. It was Dev. Lauren didn't hesitate to quietly open the door that led to Dev's room and check on her friend.
"Don't..." The President's voice was pleading again; apparently she was caught up in another nightmare.
Lauren stepped deeper into the room and moved to the edge of Dev's bed. She noticed two things right away. Dev was rolling around in her bed, all twisted in her sheets. And she was naked as the day she was born. From the waist up at least. Her pajama top was wadded into a ball on the floor.
"Don't!" Dev's thrashed again. Her breathing was coming in short, raspy bursts.
Lauren swallowed as a feeling of helplessness washed over her, leaving her nearly in tears. Another nightmare? God, Dev, how often do you have these?
"Please...please. Don't leave!" Dev tossed in the bed, fighting the covers and becoming more distressed by the second.
Lauren knelt alongside the bed. "Devlyn," she whispered. "It's just a dream, darlin'." Lauren carefully reached out to straighten Dev's sheets and tug something over Dev's naked breasts, which were bathed in silver moonlight. The sheet stopped just below what she was trying to cover. "Jesus." Lauren closed her eyes and tugged harder, cursing softly when the bedding wouldn't move. Dev's whimpers grew louder and when no amount of soothing seemed to work, Lauren tentatively crawled in bed alongside the older woman.
Dev let out a long hard breath, instantly curling up against Lauren and wrapping her arms around the writer's waist. She made a few more frustrated noises that were quickly followed by soft mewing sounds that eventually evened into gentle snores
Lauren pressed her cheek against Dev's hair and returned the embrace. "That's it. Relax." She took a deep breath, catching the smell of fresh linen and Dev's skin. She exhaled contentedly. Lauren tried not to the think of the warm, soft breasts pressing against her. I don't want to move, even though I need to. This feels too nice. What are you dreaming of, Devlyn?
Wednesday, June 16th
Dev was caught up in that wonderful place between sleep and wakefulness, where the slightest push one way or the other is all it would take to get you there. She was having the most wonderful dream: Lauren was in her arms, she could feel her, smell her, and if she lowered her lips just a hair, she could taste warm, soft skin. She shifted to hug her body pillow closer. But with her next breath she was suddenly more awake than asleep.
Panic set in when she could feel her body pillow's gentle breath against the sensitive skin. Don't panic, Marlowe! Too late! Okay, you don't remember anything after the tattoo thing. But that doesn't mean anything. Relax. Dev could hear footsteps downstairs and by the angle of the sunshine cascading in through her window, she could tell it was at least mid-morning. Wake her up, but don't do anything stupid. Tread softly. "Lauren?"
"Hmmm?" Lauren murmured, snuggling closer.
"Lauren?" It was all Dev could do to breathe and not bolt upright. "Come on, sweetheart. It's time to wake up."
Lauren shook her head and mumbled a grumpy ‘no'. "Go ‘way," she slurred even as she snuggled closer, shifting and pressing her face against Dev's chest. She sighed and began to lightly snore.
Dev whimpered. She bit her lip as the shivers worked their way down her spine and the gooseflesh broke out all over her shoulders. I could stay like this for a while. What would be so wrong about that? She ran her fingers through disordered, wavy blonde hair, loving its silken texture.
She was about to try again when there was a sharp rap on the door, just a split second before it opened. "Devil, breakfast is ready and I-" Janet Marlowe stopped dead in her tracks as Dev quickly pulled the covers over her half-naked body and the woman sleeping in her arms.
"Mom!"
Lauren's eyes flew open, only it was dark. She could feel something brushing against her cheek. Her mind desperately searched itself. "Oh my God! A nipple!" she squawked loudly, squirming wildly as Dev held her down.
Dev's face flushed bright red and her mother began howling with laughter. "Well, Devil dear, it's good to know that she recognizes all the important parts!" The older woman tossed her head back in renewed laughter. When Janet finally composed herself, she said, "Breakfast is ready if you two are the least bit interested." The woman continued to chuckle even as she pulled the door shut. "Frank, put a couple of plates in the oven - it may be awhile. Thank the Lord!"
Dev groaned, trying to decide what part of this was going to kill her first. She suspected it would be Lauren.
When Devlyn finally let go of her death grip on the sheet, the writer practically flew out of the bed, landing on the floor with a glorious, unceremonious thud. She looked around the room. Dev's room? Then the events of the night before came rushing back. "You..." Lauren swallowed. "You were having a dream."
Dev made no effort to move. She simply lay on her back with her arms out at her side. "Apparently." After a moment she added, "Do you, perchance, know where my shirt is?"
"I didn't take it off!" Lauren shot back defensively. Then she stopped and got a really good look at Devlyn's semi-nude body, which amazingly looked even better in the bright morning sun than it had in the moonlight. She stared. "Damn, Devlyn."
Dev rolled over on her side, pulling the blanket over herself, trying to hide her smile at Lauren's obvious appreciation of her body. "I didn't say you did. Can you get in that dresser behind you and get me a T-shirt? You'll know they're mine because they have the Presidential seal on them," she teased, hoping to lower Lauren's defensiveness.
They were
here to relax and Dev was going to relax and get this sorted out without causing another problem between her and Lauren. More kissing, less problems. Was that so much to ask?
"Why are you so concerned about your shirt," Lauren hissed. "I'm a girl too, you know." She ignored the fact that she had been staring at Dev's naked body like she was a 16-year-old boy. "We need to worry about your mother! She caught us... us..." Lauren waved her hands in the air. "In bed together!"
Dev took a deep breath and got out of the bed, looking around until she found her pajama shirt on the floor at the foot of the bed. She slipped it on. "First, I only wanted my shirt because believe it or not, I'm modest." When I'm not drinking beer. “And second, did my mother sound upset by the fact that she found us in bed together?" Dev tilted her head, finally getting a good look at Lauren in her cotton boxers and thin T-shirt. Nice, very nice.