Next Time

by Alexander, Robin

  Payton’s eyes remained closed as she said, “You want to know my deepest darkest secret?”

  “Okay,” Ryann blurted out, unable to stop herself as Shelly pushed her hand away.

  “I’m so boring that I don’t have one. There’s a stop sign a block from my house that everyone basically runs. Not me, I’m so damn straitlaced I stop and wait for my car to rock back like you’re supposed to.” Payton’s head lolled forward. “I’m so ashamed.”

  Shelly patted Ryann on the knee. “Congratulations, you’ve traded Satan for Mary Poppins. Go ahead, Payton, purge your soul,” Shelly said with a grin.

  “Hey! Hey!” Payton’s head rose slowly, her eyes all glassy. “I lie to my neighbor and say her cooking is delicious, then I throw away everything she gives me.” She nodded with a devilish grin. “That’s pretty bad, right?”

  Shelly stabbed a finger at her. “Yes, and for that, you should be truly ashamed.”

  Payton pumped her fist. “Yessss.”

  Ryann stood. “Okay, let’s get your adorable butt out of there before you really do drown.”

  “No,” Payton said as she sank lower. “I will do that by myself.”

  “You’re going to bust your ass.” Ryann picked up a towel and unfolded it. “Come on, I won’t look.”

  “You should know that Ryann’s a liar when it comes to things like that. She’s a great admirer of the female form. She can’t walk past the Victoria’s Secret store without running into something,” Shelly said as she got up. “So she’ll step out of the room, and I will help.”

  Ryann tossed the towel at Shelly, walked out, and closed the door behind her, but she stayed close. With her arms folded, she leaned against the wall and wondered if Shelly had gone to bed and left them alone if she would’ve stripped and gotten into the tub with Payton. A warm rush swept over her body as she thought about it. Shelly had nailed it with her comment about Ryann’s body being ready for such experiences. Her sexual appetite had always been healthy, but she was not one to indulge in mindless sex with just anyone. She wasn’t a prude, but a mental and emotional connection were a big part of arousal for her.

  “Stop worrying about the towel and just take my hand,” Ryann heard Shelly say. “You’re swaying all over the place.”

  Ryann chuckled as she listened to the conversation.

  “My legs feel like jelly.”

  “All you have to do is take two steps, then you’re home free.”

  “Wait…I’m not out?”

  Shelly laughed. “Not even close. Take my hand. Slinky, not now—stay! Heel!”

  A huge splash followed by cursing propelled Ryann through the door. The first thing she noticed was Slinky walking around the deck with his back arched. Shelly slicked back her wet hair from her face and pulled the house phone from her robe. Payton was standing in waist-deep water, her breasts were visible beneath the wet shirt, and that’s where Ryann’s gaze fell and stayed.

  Chapter 14

  Payton awoke the next morning in her own bed, wrapped in someone else’s robe. Shadowy recollections of the previous night gradually came into focus. She remembered Ryann and Drago walking her through her front door. Ryann had pulled her boots off and tucked her into bed, and before she switched off the bedside lamp, she kissed Payton just above her left eyebrow. Payton ran her fingertips over the spot, seeing Ryann’s smile as she pulled away.

  Her legs and hips ached as she climbed out of bed and stood slowly, but the pain wasn’t as intense as the night before. What hurt most was her wounded pride. She wondered what Ryann and Shelly must’ve thought of her as she crept to the bathroom.

  After she brushed what felt like socks off her teeth and tongue, she ambled slowly into the kitchen and made coffee. On her table lay her phone, and there was a notification that she’d missed a call from Ryann, and a voice mail awaited her. She expected to hear, “Hey, thanks for last night, let’s do it again a few years from now.”

  Ryann sounded sleepy, her voice smooth and soft. “I hope this doesn’t wake you up. I was going to write you a note, but Drago was waiting. If you wake up in the morning and worry that you ruined the night, please stop. My wild nights on the town ended a long time ago, and I probably would’ve been yawning by eleven. I had a great time, and despite what you may think, it was due to your company. I hope you slept well and you feel much better today. Call me whenever you like. Good night.”

  Payton saved the voice mail and spoke to her phone. “You even sound sexy when you’re sleepy.”

  The coffeemaker chirped, indicating that it had brewed her cup. Payton grabbed the mug and headed for the living room deep in thought as memories from the previous night swept through her mind. She recalled being so stunned when Shelly fell into the hot tub that she didn’t realize that half of her body was exposed. When Payton noticed that Ryann had returned to the room, she sank down into the water again. Ryann’s face flushed when she looked away, but Payton had seen something in her eyes.

  Payton wasn’t naïve; she knew desire when she saw it. She thought she’d caught a glimpse of it in the casino, but Ryann had been more guarded then. She stared into space, cup halfway to her mouth, imagining what it would be like to kiss Ryann, to undress her, to find every spot that made her moan and writhe.

  “Shit,” Payton breathed out as coffee dripped onto her lap and the loaned robe, underneath which she was naked. She’d removed her own wet underwear, of that she was certain. They were probably still stuffed in the pocket of her jeans. Payton at least had the presence of mind not to ride home with a wet butt. But she wondered what else Ryann saw when she’d helped her take her boots off.

  *******

  Eight miles away, Ryann lay in her bed staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding in her chest, phone clutched in her hand, a dilemma on her mind. She’d awoken and replayed every sight from the night before. Arousal had chased away the sluggishness of sleep. She’d composed a speech in her mind and wondered if she had the courage to voice it.

  We’re both adults. I’m pretty certain we want the same thing. Let’s not think. Let’s just do, and deal with all the afterthoughts later. Come over, don’t bother getting dressed.

  It sounded great in her head, but as she rehearsed it aloud, she could hear how unsure she sounded. If it had been anyone but Payton, she might’ve gone through with the call, but then, if it had been anyone else, she probably wouldn’t have been interested. So she called the only person she could.

  “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with her,” Shelly said when she answered.

  “I didn’t.”

  “But you want to, that was so obvious last night, even before you stared at her boobs like they were made of gold. It was like you were in a trance. Scared me for a second, I was afraid I was gonna witness something a sister shouldn’t see.”

  Ryann closed her eyes and laid a hand on her forehead. “I am so…I don’t know what to call it.”

  “Confused and horny probably sum it up. Normally, my advice would be to get out there and burn up some of that sexual energy that’s been pent up, but Payton isn’t a transitional person. Unfortunately, for this occasion, she’s all wrong. I think she’s a nice woman, and she really likes you.”

  “She’s very sweet. Is it too early for me to be feeling…having feelings for her?”

  “My knee-jerk answer would be to say yes, but my gut is unsure. You admitted that you’d already lost what you felt for Leigh, and from what you said, that didn’t happen overnight. But you still felt something for her, or the revelation of her infidelity wouldn’t have hit you so hard. You’re not gonna like my final answer, but here it is. You’re going to need some time before you can discern what you’re feeling. You may be reaching out to Payton for stability. She’s nothing like Leigh, and that may be the only real draw.”

  Ryann swallowed hard. “Right.”

  “You’re in a precarious position, sis, and I really wasn’t joking last night when I told her not to sleep with you. She might just tur
n out to be Ms. Right, and you might muck that up by moving too quickly.”

  “I’m glad I called you because I was really considering calling her,” Ryann admitted with a sigh.

  “You woke up horny, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “That amazes me! That is the last thing on my mind when my eyes open. I want to brush my teeth, have a cup of coffee. Both of which never happen anymore because Anya has other ideas. Hell, I can’t even eat until I’ve been awake for a couple of hours. Let me tell you what I tell Evan, go pee.”

  “That really doesn’t have the same effect on women as it does men.”

  “Go shower, and if that doesn’t help, dust off your vibrator. If you don’t have one, get one. If that still doesn’t help, poot out a few kids because nothing ruins the libido like they do.”

  “I’ll…just get a vibrator.”

  “Good girl. Can I interest you in a ferret? I’m still a little peeved at him for last night. I guess he thought he was about to get another bath and freaked out. That’s what caused me to misstep and fall into the hot tub. You may want to tell Payton that because she apologized like a hundred times. I don’t know if she remembered me telling her it wasn’t her fault.”

  “I’ll tell her when I talk to her again, which might be a week or two,” Ryann replied and thought, unless she calls me sooner.

  “Sorry, honey.”

  “Yeah,” Ryann said with a sigh. “Me too.”

  *******

  “You’re an idiot.” Jana held up a hand. “I say it with love, but it is a fact.”

  “I know, I should’ve just come out and told her that my legs felt like twisted iron.”

  “No, not for that, for going out with her in the first place. I’m sure she does need understanding friends, but you can’t be one of them right now, you like her too much. You should’ve waited like six months to get in touch with her. I really did make you a pie chart, you should look at it.”

  Payton knew exactly what Jana meant and regretted telling her about everything she sensed and felt the night before. “In the time it takes me to get through your pie, she could be with someone else. I’m not taking that chance.”

  “What is that?” Jana pointed to the foil-covered plate sitting in the middle of her kitchen table.

  “They’re chocolate chip and cauliflower cookies. Grace’s latest baking experiment.”

  Jana pulled the plate closer and peeked under the foil. “So what’re you gonna do?”

  “Be her friend. We’ve always shot from the hip with each other. If things start to get out of hand, we’ll talk about it.”

  “You didn’t shoot from the hip or the thighs last night. If you two are so open, you shouldn’t have had any problem telling her that you’d injured yourself.” Jana took a cookie from the plate and contemplated it closely.

  “That was the first time she and I had done something together when it was just us. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity or have her feeling sorry for me. Bite the cookie.”

  Jana sniffed at it. “Have you tried one?”

  “Hell no.”

  Jana raised it to her lips, and her eyes flashed wide. “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this, but Melanie is moving in with me next weekend. We need your help, by the way. We’re gonna rent a moving van, so we won’t have to make a million trips back and forth.”

  “Congratulations,” Payton said with a smile. “I’ll be happy to help.” She was thoughtful for a moment. “Is Leigh still living next door?”

  Jana nodded. “Melanie doesn’t see much of her.” She bit into the cookie with her eyes closed. “Soft…not so bad.” But her facial expression changed after she chewed a little bit and swallowed. “Odd aftertaste. I still think you should date other people, even though you’re hanging out with Ryann.”

  “Jana, how many dates have I gone on lately? I took the profile down, I told you that.”

  “And I told you that was a big mistake. Had you used it and talked to some of those women, you might not be so wrapped up in Ryann now.”

  Payton made a face when Jana bit into the cookie again. “Are you really going to eat that?”

  “I finish what I start. Besides, all I had for breakfast was a protein shake, Melanie made it with kale. Eating healthy sucks.”

  “Work out with me.”

  “I’d rather not.”

  “Drago, the cabbie, suggested I take some…cave mango classes. He said it gets you into shape while you learn self-defense. I think I might try it.”

  Jana smiled. “You mean Krav Maga?”

  “Yeah, that. You know anything about it?”

  Jana grinned. “Yep, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.”

  After Jana’s visit, Payton washed Shelly’s robe, and thankfully, the coffee stains came out. It was the perfect excuse to call Ryann, and she took advantage, but her attempt went to voice mail.

  “Um, hey, I got your message. Thanks for making me feel better and for taking care of me last night. I washed Shelly’s robe, I can run it out to you whenever you want.” Payton cleared her throat. “Drago told me that his cousin teaches Krav Mango, and I was thinking about trying it out. It’s supposed to be good exercise. Want to join me? Give me a call whenever, and we’ll talk about it. Bye.”

  Chapter 15

  “Jason, look at me.” Ryann waited until the boy standing in front of her desk slowly met her gaze. “There’s no reason you should be failing this class. You have to open your book, and you must read what’s inside of it. You also need to go over your study guides. Just from looking at your test scores, I know you’re not doing that. I like you, but I’m not just going to give you a passing grade. Do you want to remain on the basketball team?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he said as he looked away again.

  Ryann stared at Jason. Fresh from practice, his blond hair was wet, and he smelled like a dog, but he was a good kid. She knew he struggled with math, and that was probably where he was putting in all his effort, aside from basketball practice.

  “To do that, you have to make the grades. You’re a great athlete, but that’s only going to get you so far. I’m going to give you one shot to pull up your score. When you come to class on Friday, you need to submit a report on the Louisiana Purchase. Don’t make the mistake of copying it out of your textbook, I want fifteen hundred of your own words, explaining the significance.” Ryann stood and gathered her things. “I have to submit your scores to the office that afternoon. If you’re still failing, you’ll be kicked off the team. I’d hate to see that happen to you, but that’s your choice.”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’ll have it done.”

  “Let’s get out of here, it’s been a long day,” Ryann said as she switched off her lights.

  Jason walked beside her as they made their way through the halls toward the parking lot. “Please don’t be mad when I say this, Ms. Seely, but history is so boring. I try to read it, but I fall asleep.”

  “I understand,” Ryann said with a slight smile. “Here’s the deal, though. Even after school, you’re going to have to read and retain things that aren’t very interesting. In life, we have to do things we don’t enjoy. I despise reading any kind of technical forms, all of those words become just one big jumble of…bleh. When I bought my car, though, I read all the fine print before I signed my name to anything.”

  “What’s knowing about the Louisiana Purchase gonna do for me when I buy a car?”

  “Not much,” Ryann said with a laugh. “You’ll know how to read and retain what you’ve learned. You’ll apply that to everything you do in life.”

  A gust of cold wind hit Ryann when Jason opened the outer doors for her. In the distance, she could see her car in the lot, and parked next to it was Leigh’s. Her heart started to pound, but not in excitement over seeing her again. The anticipation of the drama that would probably ensue spiked her adrenaline.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Seely,” Jason said as he headed to the bike racks.

>   “Be careful,” Ryann said distractedly.

  She took her time on the walk toward her car to prepare herself for the confrontation. She also wanted Jason to be on his way in case tempers flared. Ryann was already ticked off that Leigh had ignored her warning and had shown up at her job.

  Leigh got out of her car when Ryann drew close and held up her hands in surrender. “I don’t have your number, and I don’t know where you live. This is the only place I can get in touch with you.” She popped her trunk and pulled out a box. “I found this in one of the closets. They’re your family photos and I think a few of your high school yearbooks.”

  “You know where Shelly lives,” Ryann said, keeping her distance.

  Leigh looked at her like she was crazy. “I’m not going over there, your sister is insane. I found the dirty socks she stuffed into my pillowcase. It doesn’t take a detective to figure out who did that.”

  Ryann opened her own trunk, then moved back a couple of steps. Leigh stared at her for a second and relocated the box into her car. “Are we done?” Ryann asked when Leigh closed the lid.

  “Are you dating Payton?”

  Ryann folded her arms. “That’s none of your business anymore.”

  “You were more than buddies with her when we were together. How long have you been seeing her?”

  Ryann wanted to fight, she truly wanted to just get into Leigh’s face and scream until she went hoarse. The school parking lot wasn’t the place, though, and she knew she’d be giving in to Leigh’s game. She inhaled deeply and tried to keep her tone as neutral as she could. “I never cheated on you, even though we were together for eight years, and you weren’t faithful for one of them.”

  “I thought you knew,” Leigh said as casually as if she’d been talking about the weather. “You just…stopped asking questions. You didn’t seem to care.”

  Rage swept through Ryann like a wildfire, her entire body shook with it. “I didn’t have a clue, you knew that,” she spat out. “If that lie makes you feel better or helps you cope, then by all means, hold on to it. I’m leaving now. Get out of the way.”