by Alexi Venice
His guru-tone sparked another round of hilarity in Amanda, leaving her gasping for air.
Jen found them mildly amusing, at best, more tickled by Amanda laughing than at their sophomoric banter.
“Nate, I never knew you could be so much fun!” Amanda exclaimed. “I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time. It reminds me of when we were kids at the beach. Daddy would build a camp fire, and we’d tell stories and laugh while we made s’mores. Remember?”
“It was the best because mom and dad would only relax when they were away on vacation. That week each summer was sacred,” he said.
“We should do a family reunion for a week!” Amanda blurted.
“Great idea!”
They all looked up as Heidi joined them, a glass of red wine in her hand. “Sounds like you’re having fun down here.” She snuggled up next to Nate.
“Nonstop laughter,” Jen said, motioning to Nate and Amanda.
“Don’t tell me you got your sister high,” Heidi said.
“Okay, I won’t tell you,” Nate said.
“I can tell by looking at you that you’re both high. You look exactly alike—innocent expressions on your faces, but your eyelids are half-closed, and your pupils are laser-sharp and intensely focused.”
“My eyelids are half-closed?” Amanda felt her lids with the tips of her fingers. They felt normal enough, so she tried pushing them up, but the task seemed messy and difficult.
“Oh my God,” Jen said. “You’ve created a monster, Nate.”
“Do your eyelids feel heavy?” Nate asked Amanda with a smile.
“I don’t know. Kind of.”
“How about your arms? Do your arms feel heavy?” he asked.
She held them out in front of her, trying to pull them up by the elbows. She looked like a puppet being controlled by a devious master. “How can I feel like I’m floating, but at the same time, barely raise my arms?”
“And you just had two hits. If you’d smoked any more, you’d be lying on the patio,” Nate said.
“Potent stuff,” Amanda said.
“Good to know,” Jen said.
“I could go for some chocolate ice cream,” Amanda announced.
“Come to think of it, so could I,” Heidi said. “I’ll go get us some.” She gave Nate a kiss and handed him her glass of wine.
“Thank you, Heidi,” Amanda said. “Could you pour a little red wine over mine?”
Heidi frowned. “I thought we were talking about chocolate ice cream.”
“Yeah,” Amanda said. “Chocolate ice cream with a red wine drizzle over the top. Doesn’t that sound delicious?”
“You’re not serious.” Heidi looked at Jen for confirmation.
Jen shrugged. “This is new.”
“Should taste unique anyway,” Heidi said.
Amanda looked from Heidi to Jen. “I’ve never had it before, but I think it sounds divine.”
“Oh yes. You’ve got a real winner there,” Jen said, moving her gaze from Amanda to Heidi.
Did Jen just wink at Heidi? Amanda wondered. Don’t they agree with me?
“Chocolate ice cream with sprinkles and wine drizzle coming up,” Heidi said as she walked toward the house, laughing.
Amanda lay her head on Jen’s shoulder. “What a beautiful night. I love you.”
“Love you, too, babe.”
“You know what I like to eat when I get high?” Nate asked.
“What?” Jen and Amanda asked in unison.
“Fried banana sandwiches, just like Elvis!”
This time, Jen joined Amanda in laughing.
Chapter 24
Hillsborough
After the chocolate ice cream was consumed, the last songs were sung, and the logs were burned down to embers, Nate, Heidi, Amanda and Jen returned to the house.
“I’m going to check on Kristin before we go to bed,” Jen said.
“Can I come, too?” Amanda had a sinking feeling that Jen didn’t approve of her smoking pot, but she couldn’t tell whether she was projecting her own guilt onto Jen, or whether Jen was truly disappointed. The veil of impairment clouded her powers of perception, and it was annoying as hell, even though she had escaped the stress of work and North Korea’s blackmail scheme.
“Sure.” Jen took Amanda’s hand and led her down the hallway.
They tiptoed into the children’s bedroom next to their own and checked on their little girl, who was sleeping soundly in the handsome crib that Jack and Chloe had purchased. Remaining silent so as not to awake Kristin, but wanting to share their adoration, they squeezed each other’s hands as they gazed upon the angel. There’s nothing more beautiful than a sleeping baby, Amanda thought.
As they backed silently out of the room, Amanda was secretly proud that she didn’t knock anything over. Nate had said the buzz would wear off quickly, but that was over two hours ago.
“I should really take a shower. I’m feeling a little fuzzy,” Amanda said when they walked into their guest room.
“You want to get rid of your high?” Jen asked.
“Yeah. Nate said Sativa didn’t stick, but it is. And, I’m sensing you’re not fond of me being high.”
Jen gave Amanda a quizzical look, her lips turning into a downward smile full of love and understanding. “I want you to be happy, love. If getting high makes you happy, then so be it. I’m generally not a fan of dope because it stays in your bloodstream too long, but if you like it, then go for it. I’m not going to be the police of your vices.” Jen paused. “Well, I take that back—except for smoking cigarettes. They’re really over-the-top harmful.”
“Are you using reverse psychology on me?”
“Are you paranoid or amorous? I liked the amorous Amanda out by the fire. Where is paranoid Amanda coming from?” Jen asked, closing the distance between them and taking Amanda’s hands in her own.
“I…uh…don’t know. I guess I was expecting you to be mad at me. If you aren’t, then I can just enjoy this high and let it go at that.”
“Does touch feel better when you’re high?” Jen kissed Amanda gingerly, brushing and nudging her full lips.
Amanda responded by arching into Jen and throwing her arms around her neck. When Jen entered Amanda’s warm mouth and swirled her tongue, Amanda lost all sense of time and place, until Jen pulled back and raised her eyebrows at her unanswered question.
“Yeah. Kissing you is even better than ice cream and wine,” Amanda said in a husky voice.
“How about this?” Jen moved to Amanda’s ear and blew softly. She ran her tongue around the seashell shape, setting Amanda’s nerve-endings on fire.
Jolts of lightning scorched Amanda’s insides, the vee between her legs roaring to life. She moaned as her knees buckled. “Oh God, that feels too good. I can barely stand.”
Jen smiled against Amanda’s ear and whispered, “Not half as good as the other stuff I have planned for you.”
Shivers raced along Amanda’s spine as she fused herself to Jen, kissing her warm neck. She was rewarded with Jen’s sigh, so Amanda continued lower, unbuttoning Jen’s blouse and kissing the sensuous mounds of breast above her bra. Heavenly. She wanted to set them free, so she could caress and kiss them the way Jen liked.
Amanda’s fingers fumbled with the clasp at Jen’s back—something she’d always found so easy. She focused on her dexterity while Jen smiled against her lips. Finally conquering it, Amanda slowly pushed the straps over Jen’s shoulders, letting the bra fall to the floor. Jen stood bare before her. Toned, defined and glowing with sexual excitement. Amanda traced her fingers along Jen’s collarbones and down her chest. With the tip of her tongue, she licked the top of Jen’s breasts and blazed a trail to Jen’s nipples, taking each in her mouth.
Jen pushed her chest into Amanda’s mouth as her hands flew to Amanda’s shoulders where her fingers dug in. “Oh God, Amanda.”
The words rang in Amanda’s ears, encouraging her to make Jen feel as good as Amanda did in that moment. Ecstasy, bab
e. Amanda’s warm palms covered Jen’s taut, wet nipples, as she returned to Jen’s mouth, falling deep into a frantic kiss, making the air around them crackle with the sounds of smacking lips.
I’m so fucking home with you, Amanda thought in her muddled brain.
She unbuttoned Jen’s jeans and slipped her hand into Jen’s curly mass, sucking on Jen’s tongue so hard that she worried she might hurt her. When Amanda found the velvety petals surrounding Jen’s ripeness, she parted the luxurious skin and tickled Jen’s hotspot with the tips of her fingers—not too hard but enough so that Jen’s tongue quieted.
“Yes—” Jen moaned into Amanda’s mouth.
“Right here?” Amanda teased, squeezing Jen’s rare gem between her thumb and forefinger.
Jen doubled over, whimpering, “Yes! Be gentle, though.”
Amanda smiled and unzipped Jen’s jeans, hooking her fingers into the faded waistband and pushing them down to Jen’s ankles. She dropped to her knees and admired the racy thong Jen was wearing—uncharacteristically red. Did I give this to you? Her head felt so fuzzy she couldn’t remember, but she didn’t give a damn because she was turned on beyond her wildest dreams.
“Come back up here. I want to kiss you.” Jen tapped Amanda’s shoulders, trying to coax her.
Amanda shrugged her off. “There’s something I’ve been fantasizing about for a long time. Put your hands in my hair, like this.” Amanda grabbed Jen’s hands and made her twine her fingers.
“Deeper.”
Jen gripped Amanda’s hair.
“Yeah.” Amanda kissed the front of Jen’s thong then blew her hot breath through it, drawing a husky moan from Jen. When Amanda moved the thin swath of fabric aside and ran her tongue from the top of Jen’s pussy to her vagina, Jen’s hips thrust forward, and her fingers dove deeper into Amanda’s tresses.
“I want all of you,” Amanda murmured against Jen’s wet contours, as she squeezed Jen’s cheeks in her hands. When Jen moaned in response, Amanda pushed the skimpy red fabric down.
Jen stepped out of the thong, and Amanda took command by pushing Jen’s legs further apart. Without preamble, she ducked into Jen’s vee and licked her from front to back, savoring every delicious inch. She moved her tongue over everything, in and out, around and back, exploring places she’d never explored before.
“Oh fuck, Amanda, what are you doing?” Jen breathed, holding onto Amanda’s hair for dear life, her legs trembling now.
“I’m doing everything. I want to taste all of you.” She buried her face in Jen and did it again, this time penetrating deeper with her tongue. When Jen’s legs gave out, she fell back on the bed, exposing all of her wonderfulness. Amanda scooted next to the bed—still on her knees—and slid her arms under Jen’s thighs, cradling her. Finally, I have you where I want you.
“Oh my God, you’re an animal tonight!” Jen hissed, shivering in pleasure. She retwined her hands in Amanda’s hair and held on for the ride.
A guttural, predatory purr escaped Amanda, as she glommed onto Jen’s emerald with her mouth and relentlessly teased it with her tongue. Jen’s legs quivered so fast in Amanda’s arms, that Amanda found it challenging to stay locked on Jen’s hotspot.
After bringing Jen to the edge, Amanda raised her head, so she could look at Jen’s face. When Jen looked down, Amanda stared into Jen’s blue eyes—pleading with desire. Amanda glided two fingers into Jen’s vagina, easing them back and forth as she went deeper. God, you feel so tight and soft and sexy. Being inside of Jen, watching her arch with pleasure, set Amanda free. I think this is my new favorite part. Jen’s pupils dilated in pleasure before she threw her head back against the pillow.
As Amanda started rhythmic pulses against Jen’s G-spot, she lowered her head and tickled Jen’s holy grail with her tongue, savoring the way Jen’s body tensed and shuddered in response. When Amanda again had Jen on the edge, her breathing jagged and her hips as far off the bed as they could go, Amanda kissed her way up to Jen’s breasts and sucked on each nipple, torturing her with sizzling bites and licks, drawing out her pleasure.
“Come here,” Jen said, pulling Amanda’s face up to her own. Jen opened her mouth and took Amanda inside with fervor. Sloppy and wet. Amanda felt the force of Jen’s passion engulf her, and the love she felt for Jen in that moment was all-encompassing, overwhelming and deliriously hot. But she wasn’t finished with her.
She broke from their kiss and dropped sultry kisses over Jen on her journey down to Jen’s pussy, where she re-ignited what she had left smoldering. A few tongue strokes and finger thrusts later, and Jen was humming so fast that Amanda thought she was going to take flight from the bed. Amanda flicked her tongue faster.
A long minute later, when Jen came, she filled the musky air with a sexy growl that satisfied Amanda almost as much as orgasming herself. Amanda didn’t stop flicking and teasing, though, until Jen was doubled over in a paroxysmal ball.
“God, Amanda! What you do to me!” Jen clutched her hands to her abs.
“I think I had an orgasm while giving you one,” Amanda said, as she scooted up next to Jen, draping a leg and arm over her while Jen came down from her high.
Jen moaned in pain, repeatedly massaging her abs.
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked.
“I have a Charley horse in my abs!” She kneaded herself along the lower edge of her rib cage. “Oh fuck. This has never happened before. I feel like can’t get a good breath.”
Amanda covered Jen’s hand with her own. “Relax. Calming breaths.”
Slowly, Jen’s abs relaxed to the point where she could go into a full-body stretch.
Amanda rubbed Jen’s abs gently, appreciating the hard knots. “I gave you a muscle spasm, huh?”
“Yeah. That was a first,” Jen mumbled in pleasure. “So fucking intense that my abs went into overdrive.”
“Does that mean it was a ten?”
“Eleven. I think my legs are paralyzed too.”
Amanda laughed. “Yay me!”
Jen rolled over and kissed Amanda’s forehead. “I want you to feel as good as I do.”
“Music to my ears,” Amanda said with a tired tongue. “Take me.”
Chapter 25
The next morning
Amanda rose early and showered and dressed. She brushed a kiss over Jen’s cheek, pulled the covers up around her neck, and quietly padded out of the room. She peeked in Kristin’s room and saw that she was still fast asleep too. Satisfied that all was well, she went up to the kitchen to make coffee and read the news on her iPad. When she entered the white and stainless space, she discovered that Jack had beat her to the coffee pot.
He turned when he heard her enter. “Good morning, Sweet Pea. Did you sleep well?”
“Like a rock. Thank you Daddy.”
“Coffee?”
“Please.”
He poured her a cup. “Cream and sugar?”
“Both.” She eased into a chair at the counter and opened her iPad. “Anything earth-shattering in the news?” As in, nude photos of me?
He set her cup in front of her. “Not that I saw. Were you expecting something?”
She took a sip. “Mmm. That’s good coffee. What is it?”
“Café La Semeuse. The same beans you order, right?”
“Yeah. No wonder I like it.” Some residual high from the Sativa hung like Charlotte’s web over Amanda’s brain, obscuring her usual clarity and reminding her of the marijuana hangover she had experienced in her youth. The downside to pot. Jen is right. I should drink wine. She sipped more coffee, hoping to restore clarity.
“Something on your mind, dear?” Jack’s studious eyes, a reflection of her own, searched her face.
“Ahem.” She cleared her throat. “Yes, but it’s uncomfortable.”
“Take your time.” He leaned against the counter and used the pause to sip his coffee.
“You see…well…. At my election party….” She couldn’t find a way to finish the sentence.
“
Yes. I was there. What happened, Dear?”
“My phone. Someone stole my burner phone.”
“The one you were carrying around at the end of the campaign? I wondered why you had that.”
“It was my private way of communicating with Jen. She had one, too. We were paranoid after the Cohen Clinic computers were hacked.” Amanda looked into the depths of her coffee cup. Please don’t make me say it. Please don’t make me say it.
“That was smart. You two needed to stay in touch in a secure way—” He paused, breathed in, then said, “But, you just said your phone was stolen. There were private messages on there between you and Jen?”
“Yup.”
“How private?”
“Very.”
“Sexting?”
“Yes. And a photo of me.”
“Now I know why you’re staring at your coffee. A nude photo intended for Jen?”
“Yes. We think my phone was sold to Yon Song-Muk. I received a blackmail note with an 8x10 glossy of the photo. If I don’t pay, they say they’ll make it public next week.”
“How much?”
“One hundred grand.”
“You’re not paying, are you?” he asked.
“Of course not. I showed the photo to Tommy and Navarro. They said it’s not that bad. It’s not dirty or anything. Just nude—for Jen.”
“Hmm. Have you contacted Chance Greyson?”
“Yes. He’s putting together a statement, and Jen and I are taking engagement photos on Monday to counteract the photo—after it’s released, that is.”
“He wants to wait until the North Koreans release it?”
“Yes.” She finally dared look at him.
“See, and I’d recommend something different,” he said. “I’d preemptively publish the photo on a day when there’s another big story that’s dominating the news feed. A preemptive move on your own terms. That way, it’s already out there, so you’ve stolen their thunder, and you control the timing and message.”
“But, what if they never publish it?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. They’re going to publish it. They’ll probably just wait until an opportune time when something fantastic is happening in your life. Like, if you announce you’re running for governor, they’ll publish it that day. The longer they wait, the more powerful it becomes.”