by A. C. Grey
“All in good time, Zoey. All in good time. As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.” Tess grinned as she sat down in the chair next to Zoey’s. She reached over and stroked Zoey’s cheek affectionately. “You are stunning, you know that, Zoey?”
“I am?”
“You are breathtaking. Literally. I can’t breathe when I’m around you. You are a gorgeous person inside and out. I just wish you could see it. It hurts my heart to see your lack of confidence.” Tess leaned over again and gave her a gentle kiss, attempting to convey her sincerity.
“It’s hard. Deep down, I know that I’m pretty, that I’m smart, that I’m talented. But just the way I grew up, the people I surrounded myself with, made it hard to truly believe.”
Tess nodded, waiting for Zoey to continue.
“I always went to the best schools, had the best tutors. So while I know that I wouldn’t have been at the top of my class if I were stupid, I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason I did so well was because I had whatever resources I needed to help make sure I succeeded. Same thing with softball. I got a college scholarship, which shows that I’ve got talent, but my dad always made sure I had a private coach, made sure I played on the best teams. If I hadn’t had those opportunities, maybe I wouldn’t have made it quite so far. I know it sounds ridiculous to be complaining about my situation, when I was so, so lucky. But it’s hard sometimes. I always wonder how I’d have done on my own, really on my own.”
Tess smiled. “I get it. I do. And that’s why you need this poker thing so much. You need to prove you can do it without a safety net. Without a crutch.”
Zoey nodded, relieved that Tess understood. “Exactly. Which is probably why I have all these doubts. For the first time I’m really on my own and I’m terrified that I’ll fail. And then what?”
“But you’ll never know unless you give it your all and you stick your neck out and try. And you’re doing that, Zoey. Whether or not you end up succeeding in the sense that you become a winning player, the fact that you’re here at all counts for a lot. I have faith in you. I’ve seen enough would-be poker pros to know when someone’s got talent and you’ve got it in spades. You’ve just got to summon that inner confidence that’s hidden by all that doubt. Trust yourself.”
Zoey looked up and smiled, a few tears glistening in her eyes. “How do you do it? You’re always so sure of yourself . . .” She winked. “Even when you shouldn’t be.”
Tess laughed. “True. I can lean towards the other extreme – overconfidence. For me, it was definitely not something that happened overnight. I took some hard knocks when I was growing up. When I came out in high school, there were plenty of kids who loved nothing more than picking on the weird gay girl. It hurt a lot at first, but looking back now, I’m glad I went through that. It definitely got better as I got older and in the process, I learned to develop a thick skin. I learned to brush things off and to look past the insults. I figured out what I was good at and developed those skills. I figured if I was known for being something other than the gay girl, people would focus on that instead. So I did every extracurricular possible, joined every club, played sports, sang in the choir. Slowly people began to respect me for those things and didn’t focus so much on who I found attractive. I took some more knocks when I moved out here to Vegas. The poker world is still very much an old-boys club and they didn’t look kindly on an upstart young woman invading their ranks. But again, I eventually proved that I could hold my own and earned their respect. Overcoming that kind of stuff really helped my confidence.”
Zoey let out a ragged sigh as a few tears escaped her lashes. “Sorry I’m getting all weepy. Probably not exactly the afternoon you had planned.”
Tess reached over and wiped the tears away. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect, Zoey. Don’t ever apologize for being you. I want to get to know all of you. Even the weepy bits.”
Zoey laughed a little and dabbed at her eyes with her beach towel. “I must look like an absolute mess.”
“You look beautiful.”
Zoey shook her head.
“What? You do,” Tess reaffirmed.
“I just can’t get over hearing you say that. Keep it up, I’ll start believing it.”
“You’d better believe it because it’s true. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.”
“I guess it’s just hard to believe. I dated so many guys who I later found out were only after my money. Hard to believe that you’re desirable when all they see is a giant dollar sign. They didn’t want me for me. Then there’s my ex, Steve, who cheated on me with a slut who was all boobs and legs and then called me boring. Basically implied I was undesirable and no fun.”
“He’s an idiot. And his loss is my gain, as well as yours. You’re going to grow into the confident badass bombshell that you really are and he’s going to be sorry he ever let you go.” Tess shifted over to Zoey’s chair, wrapping her arms around the her and gazing into her eyes. “Now, I want you to hear me, okay?”
Zoey gazed back into her beautiful blue eyes and nodded.
“You are great. You are beautiful. You are talented. You are perfect, just the way you are, Zoey.”
Zoey smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered, before capturing Tess’s lips in a sweet, slow kiss, attempting to convey the full extent of her appreciation. Her hands roved up and down Tess’s back, gently scraping her nails along the skin.
Before they could get too heated, Tess pulled back, grinned and got up, running towards to pool. “Last one in the pool is a rotten egg!”
Zoey giggled at Tess’s childishness and quickly followed suit, jumping into the pool. As she surfaced, like some sea goddess emerging from the depths, droplets of water rolling down her body like tiny kisses across her skin, Tess was once again left stunned and dazed.
Unable to control herself any longer, Tess swam to meet the brunette, placing a searing kiss on her lips before moving on, leaving a trail of kiss down her jawline and onto her neck and shoulder, tasting the cool water coating every inch of her luscious skin. Zoey could only groan in response, pulling Tess’s body tighter against hers.
Tess lowered her mouth, gently teasing Zoey’s peaked nipple through the fabric of her swimsuit top, sucking and swirling her tongue around, knowing that she was fast losing the battle to maintain control. Zoey let out a stream of moans as she pulled Tess’s head closer to her chest, attempting to elicit every possible feeling and sensation from the contact.
Both women were brought abruptly out of their embrace by the sound of an unexpected voice coming from the pool deck. “Whoa! Sorry, Tess. Uh . . . Zoey. I can come back. Good to see you.” Angie blushed as she turned to leave.
“Angie, wait!” Tess called after her. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I tried calling you several times, but you didn’t answer. I guess you were otherwise occupied,” she teased.
Tess narrowed her eyes in mock contempt.
“I know that you like to know when there’s a big game going on. Some Texas oil billionaire with too much money and not enough brains in playing a high stakes cash game over at the Bellagio. Figured I’d stop by and see if you were interested. Saw your car out front and let myself in. I know you like to hang out by the pool when the weather’s like this. Figured you didn’t hear the doorbell.”
Tess smiled. “Thanks, Angie. I think I’m going to skip out on this one. Spend the day relaxing with Zoey. We’re playing in the event tomorrow, so I figure having an easy day today is the smart move.”
Angie nodded. “Well, I’ll leave you two alone to your relaxing day then.” She winked, indicating she knew exactly what they were up to. “I’m going to go see if I can’t get my own share of that guy’s money.” She waved and left.
Tess thanked her lucky stars. Had Angie not interrupted, she had no doubt in her mind she would have done something that she regretted. Still, Tess couldn’t help but curse her friend and her timing. Zoey was right. She was being a tease. Th
e problem was, Zoey wasn’t the only one she was teasing.
Chapter Ten
After Angie left, Tess forced herself to once again put the brakes on. She hopped out of the pool and toweled herself off. Zoey watched in admiration, secretly wishing that she was the towel. Heaving a sigh of regret, she left the pool and joined Tess back at the lounge chairs.
Silently acknowledging the need to keep things innocent, both women laid out in the sun, content to laze in comfortable silence together. After a few moments, Tess grinned slightly and reached over, capturing Zoey’s hand in her own and bringing their joined hands to rest on her stomach. Both women savored the quiet intimacy of the moment and remained that way for quite some time, neither feeling the need to speak.
Later, as the evening drew near, the two headed inside. Tess gave Zoey a sultry once over before heading into her bedroom. She returned shortly thereafter holding a baggy pair of sweatpants and a ratty-looking t-shirt. “Here. Put these on.”
Tess handed the clothes to a confused-looking Zoey, who simply nodded and headed to the bathroom to change. When she returned, Tess had changed into similar attire. Zoey spread her arms out at her sides and gestured to her outfit. “What’s the point of this?”
Tess pursed her lips as she studied the brunette. “Damn. It didn’t work.”
“What didn’t work?”
“I was trying to take your sexiness down a notch. I was not going to be able handle seeing you all evening in that sorry excuse for a scrap of fabric masquerading as a bikini. Unfortunately, Zoey, you’re bringing a whole other level of hot to those sweatpants.”
Zoey chuckled and reached over to capture Tess in her arms. She placed a quick kiss on Tess’s forehead, still laughing at her perturbed look.
Tess flashed a mischievous smile at Zoey and nearly melted her right on the spot. “I have a proposition for you, Zoey.”
Zoey arched her eyebrow and grinned. “Oh really? And what would that be?” She loved flirting with this woman. It thrilled her to no end.
“Let’s have a slumber party.”
“A slumber party? What are you, thirteen?” Zoey laughed.
“Hey! I resent that. Just because I want to hang out with you all night in our PJs and play stupid games, eat pizza and watch movies does not make me thirteen.”
“Fine, you win. You’re not thirteen. It does sound enticing . . . especially the playing games part.” Zoey lowered her hands from where they had been resting on Tess’s hips and lightly goosed her on both cheeks.
“Uh . . . no, Zoey. Number one rule of the slumber party. We have to keep things rated PG. Or at least PG-13.”
“I thought we weren’t thirteen. I don’t agree,” Zoey grumbled.
“Then you can go home and sleep all alone in that big old bed by yourself,” Tess replied in a mocking tone, calling Zoey’s bluff. “So it’s up to you. Spend an awesome night with me or don’t.”
Of course, both women knew that there was only one correct response. “Fine. You win. This time. But I make no promises about what I consider to be PG-13.” Zoey captured Tess’s lips in a sweet, but sensual kiss before pulling away. “So what’s first on the agenda? It is your party after all. Therefore, it’s your job to entertain me.”
“Oh, don’t you worry, Zoey,” Tess said, flirting lightly. “I’ll make sure to keep things interesting for you.”
* * * * *
They began the evening by ordering a pizza and watching a movie. After much debate, they settled on The Princess Bride, which was a favorite of both of theirs.
Zoey had to make one more attempt to divert Tess’s attention. “You know what would make this pizza better?”
“Hmmm?”
“You, me, naked with this pizza,” Zoey grinned and waggled her eyebrows.
“Zoey! You are killing me. I am trying so, so hard to take this at the right pace. And you are not helping. You go and put images like a naked pizza party in my head. Not cool.”
“You know, there’s one real easy way to solve your dilemma, Tess,” Zoey whispered as she suggestively traced her fingers over Tess’s skin. “Just give in. You and I both know you want to.”
Tess ignored the racing of her heart, the throbbing between her legs. “That is true. I’m not going to deny it. However, what I want and what is best are two different things. So behave yourself and let’s watch this movie.”
Zoey grumbled, but agreed, knowing that in the long run, the wait would be worth it. They settled onto the couch, Tess curled up in Zoey’s arms. Tess laced her fingers through Zoey’s, slowly drawing patterns across her hand with the pad of her thumb.
They watched in comfortable silence for some time, breaking briefly to quote lines from the movie and laugh together at some of the more ridiculous scenes. However, despite the innocent fun she was having with Tess, Zoey grew restless. Unable to resist, she began to run her spare hand up and down Tess’s side, fingers crawling, gently teasing at the t-shirt material. Her fingers finally hit their target – the hem of Tess’s shirt, and began slowly, painstakingly, inching the material upwards.
As Zoey’s fingers grazed her newly exposed skin, Tess fought with every inch of her being to remain neutral. She stared straight ahead at the TV, biting down on her lip to stifle the moan that wanted so badly to escape. She focused on her breathing, keeping it even and unaffected, hoping that Zoey would stop her teasing if she didn’t get a reaction.
No such luck. Zoey, undeterred by Tess’s seeming lack of response continued her journey northward, slowly rubbing her palm against her flat stomach. She slowly crept upwards, gently grazing her fingers across the underside of Tess’s breasts.
Tess couldn’t take any more and slapped Zoey’s hand away. “Zoey. Seriously. You’re like a randy teenager. Come on now.”
“I can’t help it if I have an extremely hot girlfriend who’s playing hard to get.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, Zoey regretted them. There had been no talk of where their relationship, if there was one at all, stood. No labels or definitions had been discussed. “I’m sorry. That just sort of slipped out. Now you’re going to think I’m some clingy, attachment-prone freak.”
Tess turned in Zoey’s arms to face her, grinning. “You’re so cute when you’re worried. I would love to be your girlfriend Zoey.” She leaned in and kissed Zoey with all of the pent-up joy, lust, amazement, contentment and thrill that she was feeling. Soon, their tongues were dancing in an exotic silent tango, each attempting to pour all of their emotion into the other. Tess reached up and tangled her hands in Zoey’s dark locks, deepening the kiss even further. Zoey began to run her hands up and under Tess’s shirt, her hands enjoying the feel of her smooth, warm back. Just as abruptly as the kiss had begun, it was over. Tess stood and pulled Zoey up off the couch with her. “Don’t you worry, I won’t play hard to get for too much longer. Now come on. I want to dance with my smoking hot girlfriend.”
Zoey arched a bemused eyebrow at the redhead. “Dance?”
“Yeah. You know, moving your body in time to some music. They’ve been doing it for centuries, Zoey,” Tess teased. She drew Zoey towards her. “Besides, it’s a great way to blow off some steam. You know, get rid of any pent up energy or emotions you might be feeling.” Tess winked, hinting at the certain kind of tension that both of them were overflowing with.
They constantly fought over control of the stereo – Tess preferring upbeat, peppy pop songs, while Zoey liked songs with more of a rock edge. Both had a great time, no matter what the song was, using the pretense of dancing as a chance to steal a touch here and there, to meld their bodies together in time to the beat. In a way, it was a prelude to what was to come – a clothed version of what they both really pined for.
Finally, breathless and spent, they collapsed in a giggling heap on the couch. “So what’s next?” Zoey asked, wrapping an arm around Tess.
“I don’t know. You tell me. It’s your turn to pick.”
Zoey gave her a knowing smile.
> “Not that, Zoey. Plus, it’s late and we’ve got a big tournament tomorrow. Trust me, when we get there, and we will soon, I’m going to keep you up all night. Come morning, you’re going to wish you’d never been born you’ll be so spent. So not tonight.” Tess shot her a devilish grin.
“If you weren’t so damn cute, I’d kick to the curb for your constant teasing, Tess,” Zoey said as she placed a gentle peck on her lips. “You can’t just go telling a girl things like that and then not follow through.”
“But I did. Now pick what how we’re going to spend the rest of the night before we get some sleep.”
Zoey gave Tess a mock look of disdain before pausing to ponder her options. Then, a smile crept a across her face. “I’ve got it. You’ve got a computer, right?” Tess nodded. “Go get it,” Zoey replied.
Tess rose and retrieved her laptop from the next room. “Why do we need this?”