by A. C. Grey
Tess shook her head and grinned back. “Well, you’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Zoey?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see, won’t you?” Zoey lightly touched Tess’s arm and gave what Tess could only describe as a flirty glance from beneath her long, dark eyelashes.
Unlocking the car, Zoey headed toward the driver’s side and got inside. What the hell was happening to her? There was no getting around it. She’d just flirted with Tess . . . and she’d liked it. It felt right somehow. But how could that be? She’d never been attracted to women before. Sure, she found the occasional Hollywood actress attractive, but so what? She didn’t have to be gay to notice when someone was beautiful. This was different though. She felt like a teenager, all hormones and tense energy, with no outlet for those feelings.
“This car suits you.” Tess said as she slid into the passenger seat. Zoey was staring off into space, seemingly unaware that she was being spoken to. Tess leaned over and placed a gentle hand on Zoey’s arm, which snapped her out her reverie. “Uh, Zoey? Everything okay?”
Realizing that Tess was speaking to her and trying to ignore her electric touch on her arm, Zoey smiled and nodded. “Sorry, just spaced out for a minute. I’m fine. What did you say?”
“I said this car suits you.”
Zoey smiled as she pulled out of the parking space and headed towards the exit. “I love it. It makes me feel all badass and sexy. It makes me feel like I can take on the world.”
“It’s a rock star kind of car. Just like you.” Tess smiled and gently patted her arm once more before leaning back into her seat.
Zoey knew she was losing her mind now. The second Tess had removed her hand, she felt empty and incomplete. She’d never felt that way with any of her former boyfriends. Maybe she needed more sleep. Or maybe she was coming down with the flu or something. Clearly something was not as it should be.
They continued a light banter as she drove the short distance to where she was staying. Tess gave her a confused look as she pulled up to one of the biggest and swankiest hotel-casinos in the city. “You live here?”
Zoey nodded as she pulled up to the valet and got out the car. “I wasn’t sure if I’d be staying here permanently, so for the time being, I’m staying at the hotel here. If I decide to stay, I’ll look for a permanent place.”
“Oh you’re staying.” Tess grinned as she playfully slapped Zoey on the arm. “I’m sure of it.”
Zoey gave her a look of disbelief. “How can you be so sure?”
“Oh, I just know you’re going to be successful. Plus, now you’ve got friends here. You’ve got Max and you’ve got me. I’ve got to be more awesome than your friends back in New York.”
Zoey shot up an eyebrow. “So we’re friends now?”
“Totally! Assuming you want to be, of course.” Tess added, suddenly unsure if Zoey was having as much fun as she was.
Zoey nodded. “Sure. You seem like you might be useful to have around, so I suppose I’ll have to tolerate you.”
“Hey!” Tess protested, gently swatting Zoey’s arm again as they made their way to her hotel room.
As they headed into the elevator, an awkward silence suddenly replaced their flirtatious banter. Zoey stared straight ahead, fighting the urge to inch closer to the peppy redhead who was currently also doing her best to appear nonchalant. Tess was nervously fidgeting with her sleeve and gently chewing her bottom lip. It took every ounce of Zoey’s strength not to stare at that luscious mouth. God, she was cute when she was nervous.
Zoey let out a sigh of relief as the elevator dinged, announcing their arrival on her floor. Saved by the bell! They headed down the hall to her room. Zoey pulled out her key card and inserted it into the lock. However, the lock was not cooperative. Each time she inserted the card, a red light flashed, indicating that the door remained locked. Grumbling, Zoey tried several more times to no avail.
Finally, Tess reached over to take the key. “Let me try,” she said. As she leaned over, her hand grazed Zoey’s and their eyes locked. The air was suddenly thick with tension as Tess’s baby blues gazed up into Zoey’s darker ones. Zoey’s breath hitched and she struggled to regain focus. After what seemed an eternity, she shook herself out of it and removed her hand, letting Tess try the lock. Naturally, it opened on the first try.
Both women headed into the room, silent as they both fought to replace their facades of neutrality before continuing their conversation.
The hotel room was enormous and decadent. Every surface gleamed with brass and marble fixtures. The bed, which was off in a room by itself, was huge. All of the furniture looked plush and ornate. As she took in the room, or suite, rather, Tess turned and smiled back at Zoey. “Only you, Zoey, would be living in a huge suite like this. It’s awesome. Your dad again?” Zoey nodded. “Where’s the closet?” Tess asked.
Zoey pointed toward the door leading to a small walk-in closet as she watched the redhead make a beeline for it. Tess swung open the door and immediately began rifling through Zoey’s clothes. Soon articles of clothing came flying out the door. As Zoey headed closer, a blouse hit her straight in the face. Zoey removed the rogue garment and chuckled to herself. “Uh, Tess. What exactly are you doing?”
“I’m finding you the perfect rock star outfit. What do you think I’m doing? Geez, you’ve got a lot of clothes . . . which is good,” she mumbled as she continued shuffling through the hangers.
Zoey took a moment to take in the sight before her. Tess was muttering to herself, plowing through Zoey’s clothes, throwing things every which way as she searched. Zoey couldn’t help but admire the toned, firm behind that Tess displayed as she bent over to pick up a shirt she’d previously discarded on the floor. Holding it up before her, Tess examined it before shaking her head and re-depositing it on the carpet.
She was something else. As Zoey watched in amazement, she couldn’t wipe the grin off her face. There was really only one word to describe the woman in front of her . . . the same word she’d accidentally let slip earlier. There was no getting around it. Tess McLeod was frickin’ adorable. Unable to resist any longer, Zoey joined her in the closet, standing slightly closer than was probably appropriate or advisable given the crazy feelings ravaging her body.
Tess, sensing Zoey’s closeness behind her, turned slowly, offering a small smile as she gazed into Zoey’s deep brown eyes. She could practically feel the nervous energy emanating from the brunette’s body, smell her unique and slightly exotic scent. She gulped anxiously, hoping Zoey hadn’t noticed.
“Can I help you?” Zoey offered, attempting to break the tension. “You look . . . flustered.”
Tess flashed a quick smile, enjoying the closeness, but doing everything in her power to suppress the incessant urge to jump the brunette right then and there. “Nope. I think I’ve got it. Don’t worry, I’ll clean up my mess.”
Zoey shrugged and walked out, throwing herself in the nearest chair. Though she’d have liked to stay in there with Tess, she had a feeling that it would have been unwise. Her body had had a mind of its own lately, and there was no telling what it might do if left that close to Tess for too long.
Finally, Tess emerged from the closet holding several items of clothing. “You might as well just tell me I’m awesome right now and get it over with. You are going to look super hot and confident in this outfit.” She grinned as she handed the items to Zoey. Now go and change so we can see just how much of a rock star you are.”
Zoey nodded and took the items, heading into the now-destroyed closet and shutting the door behind her. Before changing, she took a moment to lean against the cool surface of the door and let out a huge sigh. She focused on taking long deep breaths in an attempt to regain control over her emotions. This was incredibly difficult given that the cause of all of this internal chaos was sitting directly on the other side of the door, waiting to see how “hot” she looked. Finally, Zoey put her game face back on and changed into the outfit Tess had selected.
/> As the door opened, Tess fought and lost the battle to keep her mouth from falling open in awe. Before her stood the most beautiful, sexy, badass vision she’d ever seen. Zoey was wearing a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that hugged her gorgeous curves in exactly the right places. She had on a flowing red top that accentuated her cleavage in a sexy but tasteful way. Atop the shirt was a black leather jacket, something that Tess immediately knew needed to become Zoey’s signature look. She was at a loss for words, her mouth suddenly without moisture. Tess couldn’t tear her gaze away as she struggled to maintain an even breathing pattern. It took every last ounce of willpower to keep from ripping off those carefully selected clothes and having her way with the brunette right then and there.
As Zoey emerged from the closet, she could feel Tess’s bright blue eyes upon her, drinking in every last inch of her. Normally, had someone ogled her like that, she’d have been offended. Somehow, from Tess, it was okay. More than okay, actually. She felt hot. She felt appreciated. She felt confident. She felt . . . right. And maybe a little turned on. Finally, shaking the thoughts aside, she smiled and did a little twirl, showing off her outfit. “So how do I look?”
“You look . . . amazing, Zoey. Like, super, super hot, but in a classy way.” She gazed at her once again, head slightly cocked to the side as she pondered something. “Hang on. I think your look needs one more thing.” She grabbed her purse and rummaged through it, finally coming up with the item she was looking for. “Here, put these on. A lot of players wear them at the poker table to hide their eyes from giving away anything.”
Zoey took a pair of aviator sunglasses from Tess and put them on. She took Tess’s breath away. The leather jacket and the aviators, the tight jeans and strappy heels. She was a vision. Tess sat there, stunned and silently hoped she wasn’t drooling.
“Yeah, they’re perfect,” Tess finally rasped, regaining her composure.
“But these are yours,” Zoey said.
“Consider them a gift. They’re perfect. You’re perfect. My little rock star.” Tess grinned, once again nearly causing Zoey to pass out as she showed off her pearly whites.
Zoey forced a smile and swallowed hard. Had Tess just referred to her as “her little rock star?”
Chapter Five
After a few moments of heavy silence, Tess stood and headed towards the door. “Come on, rock star. I happen to know there’s a small stakes tournament in the casino downstairs that starts in a few minutes. It’s the perfect time to test out your new look.”
Zoey took off the sunglasses and nodded. She felt a little like she was pretending to be someone she wasn’t, but figured the new persona would grow on her with a little practice. Tess gently and briefly put her hand on the small of Zoey’s back, and it felt so, so right. She followed Tess out the door, desperately trying to gear her mind up for a game of poker, trying with every last ounce of her being to forget about the internal battle raging within her. This was not helped by the fact that every nerve ending in her body was standing on end from Tess’s brief touch, that her eyes were glued to the sexy rear end of the woman a few steps ahead of her, that her nose was filled with gentle wafts of Tess’s citrusy perfume, that her ears were still ringing with the joyful sound of her voice. She silently wondered what those perky lips would taste like. Hell, all of her senses were keyed in on one thing and one thing only. And it wasn’t poker.
As they made their way to the poker room to register for the tournament, Zoey silently hoped that she’d be assigned to a different table than Tess. Not that she didn’t want to spend time with her. Quite the opposite in fact. She wanted it too much and she was afraid she’d make a major blunder due to her lack of focus. As they paid the cashier their entry fees, they were handed a computer-generated printout, which told them their randomly assigned tables.
Tess read her assignment. “I’ve got Table Two, Seat Three. What about you?”
Zoey glanced down at her card. Her heart began to flutter uncontrollably. She couldn’t even begin to convince herself that she was disappointed. “Table Two, Seat Four.”
“So we’re right next to each other. Super. I can spend some more time checking you out . . . uh checking your game out.” Tess quickly corrected herself, hoping Zoey hadn’t noticed her slip.
But of course Zoey had. Tess wanted to check her out. Why did that make her so excited? It’s not like no one had ever shown interest in her. Guys had hit on her plenty, but she’d never felt the butterflies she was currently feeling. She swallowed hard and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “So, uh . . . I guess we should go take our seats.” She silently thanked her lucky stars that if even if she hadn’t avoided Tess’s table, at least they were next to each other. She wouldn’t have to stare at her beautiful face all night. Maybe it would help her focus if she could only see her out of her periphery.
As soon as they sat down, Zoey realized that sitting next to Tess was an even bigger problem. A full poker table is not exactly spacious and personal space is at a minimum. Zoey had even less space because the man to her left was about seven feet tall and must have weighed three hundred and fifty pounds. Needless to say, Zoey was somewhat unwillingly pushed closer to Tess. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t exactly unwillingly, but being that close to her, practically touching her with every movement, breathing in her subtle scent, was not helping Zoey focus.
The tournament got underway and was fairly uneventful for the most part. Well, uneventful apart from the fact that both women were completely on edge. Tess felt as though her entire body was vibrating with electricity. As she reached for her chips during one hand, her arm grazed Zoey’s, sending shock waves through her whole being. She put on her best poker face and continued to play the hand. Somehow, she managed to keep it together and won the hand, despite the sexy leather-clad distraction next to her.
The time seemed to crawl by, neither woman able to truly concentrate on the game. Of course, Tess had no one to blame but herself. She couldn’t help herself. At every opportunity, she would “accidentally” brush against Zoey, sending jolts of pleasure through both their bodies. It seemed as though Zoey were doing the same thing. Occasionally, their knees would bump, their hands would touch. It was a very subtle, but very enticing dance.
As Tess leaned to collect a small stack of chips she’d just won, she purposely bumped into Zoey, the whole length of their bodies, from thigh to shoulder, touching in silent innuendo. Zoey had to bite down on her lower lip to stifle the involuntary groan threatening to escape from her throat. She hoped that she didn’t outwardly appear as hot and bothered as she was feeling. If she knew what was good for her, she’d start leaning away and start making friendly with the giant to her left. However, there was no way that was going to happen. First, King Kong smelled like stale beer and cigarettes. Second, as much as her unspoken game with Tess was driving her insane, it was also giving her the high of a lifetime. It was exquisite torture.
Their interaction reached a climax, when after about forty-five minutes, the two women found themselves in a hand against one another. Looking down at a pair of Jacks, Zoey made a raise, which forced all of the other players but Tess to fold. Tess glanced at her cards. She had two Aces, the best possible starting hand in poker. She looked over at Zoey, studying her for any sign of what her hand was. For once, Zoey kept her poker face intact, staring down at the table and refusing to return Tess’s gaze. Tess reached for some chips, purposely brushing against Zoey’s arm as she did so. She took a moment, expertly shuffling the chips between her fingers before throwing them into the center of the table.
As she did so, Tess eyed Zoey. “Re-raise you, one hundred and fifty more.”
Zoey pondered her next move for a moment. Jacks were a pretty good starting hand, but there were a lot of hands that could beat her. If Tess had Aces, Kings, or Queens, she was going to have trouble winning. After a moment, unable to resist playing against the object of her constant thoughts, Zoey matched Tess’s bet and added chips to the pot. After
she did so, the dealer laid out the first three community cards face up on the table. Zoey’s heart caught in her throat as she took in the cards on the table. They were, Jack, Jack, and Ace. Zoey had four Jacks.
Tess was also thrilled at the turn of cards. The cards revealed gave her a full house, one of the strongest hands in poker. What she didn’t anticipate was that Zoey had just made an even rarer hand – four of a kind. Both women, confident in the strength of their hands, began to toy with one another. Zoey removed her sunglasses so she could look directly into Tess’s eyes as she grabbed a large stack of poker chips. She slid them into the center of the table. “I’ll bet five hundred,” she announced.
Tess beamed back and rested her chin in her hand. Leaning over a bit flirtatiously as she drummed her fingers against the side of her face, Tess shot Zoey a curious look. “You sure that was wise, Zoey? I’m not sure you want to mess around with me.”
Zoey smiled right back at her, never averting her gaze from Tess’s baby blues. “Oh, I definitely want to mess around with you.” The tension was intoxicating. After a moment, Tess nodded and simply matched Zoey’s bet, not wanting to scare her off with a huge raise. What Tess didn’t know was that Zoey was about to crush her.