Landry felt a deep pull between her legs, but once in Skye’s room, Landry excused herself to the bathroom. She needed a moment to think. Skye’s a great girl. We have a lot of fun together. Why didn’t I want Officer Quinn to think we were together? She splashed cold water on her face and looked in the mirror. It was her eyes. They felt like they were looking right through me. Water dripped from her chin and she absently reached for a hand towel. Oh, fuck it, I have a naked woman in the next room. I need to get a grip. She opened the door and was greeted with Skye’s voluptuous breasts. She became weak in the knees and took hold of her, pushing her back against the wall, covering one of Skye’s breasts with her mouth.
“Yeah, like that,” Skye whispered. “Just like that.”
“I love your breasts.” Landry licked and kissed her way to the other breast.
“I love everything about your hard body,” Skye said as she gripped Landry’s ass and pulled her tighter against her.
Landry groaned. Their mid-sections meshed together and Skye’s heat made Landry wet. She pushed her center against Skye’s thigh.
“Oh, yeah, baby. I love that I turn you on.”
“I don’t usually get turned on by the same woman twice,” she mumbled against Skye’s neck. “But, I am with you.”
“So am I,” Skye panted. She pushed Landry roughly toward the bed. “Take that,” she smirked as she pushed her onto the comforter.
“Whoa.” Landry giggled as she sprawled out.
Skye kneeled and began undoing Landry’s jeans. “I need you out of these clothes.”
“Mmm…I need me out of these clothes.” She wiggled out of her jeans with Skye’s help and kicked them off.
Skye ripped the rest of Landry’s clothes off wildly.
“Slow down, slow down.” Landry grabbed Skye’s hands.
“I can’t. I don’t want you losing interest.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’m too invested.” She pulled Skye down beside her and mounted her. “You seem to want it rough, tonight.”
“Give it to me any way you want.”
Landry trailed kisses from Skye’s neck to her mid-section.
“Don’t stop there,” Skye’s voice was husky.
Landry growled as she tongued and sucked Skye’s belly button.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck. I’m going to come.”
At that, Landry slipped her hand between Skye’s thighs, but before she even entered her Skye yelled, “No, no, I want your mouth.”
Landry moved down quickly and took her into her mouth. Within seconds Skye screamed out, “Oh God, yesss…” She bucked and writhed against Landry’s hot tongue as if in convulsions.
Landry rode it out until Skye settled down.
Before they even moved the room phone rang.
“Holy shit.” Skye was still panting. “I can’t even move…grab it for me, will you?”
Landry disengaged and reached over to grab the phone. “Hello?”
“Hello, this is the front desk. Am I speaking to Ms. Skye Saffron?”
She looked back at Skye who lay boneless, her eyes closed, then shrugged. “Yes.”
“Ms. Saffron there is a Ms. Patsy here to see you. She says it’s important.”
Chapter Two
Wednesday
Landry woke late the next morning even though she had a busy day ahead of her. After showering, she decided to grab breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The minute she walked in someone called her name. She looked up to find Dawson, her publisher, motioning her over. “Have a seat, I’ll buy.”
“Good, I need coffee.” She pulled up a chair and motioned for the waitress. “Hey, I meant to ask you, what’s with the security this year?” She leaned back as her cup was filled.
“It’s not widely known, but there have been threats against us by some hate groups. I don’t have the exact details, but the police are here to keep us safe.” She winked.
“What’s with the wink?”
Dawson smirked. “I saw the way you were ogling Officer Cutie.”
Landry felt heat rise from her neck up and reached under the table, pretending to retrieve her fallen napkin. She never blushed and couldn’t understand why she was now. As she looked up she felt a cool breeze brush by her and heard a deep voice. “Nice tat, dyke.” She froze.
They watched as two skinheads passed their table toward the buffet. Dawson leaned closer to Landry. “Maybe we do need security.”
“Who would have guessed?”
They looked back at the skinheads in time to see Officer Quinn approach them. A short conversation ensued then the two men turned to leave. After ordering coffee, Officer Quinn stopped at their table. “Good morning, ladies. I took care of your little problem. Unfortunately, I couldn’t remove them from the premises because they work in the kitchen. I did threaten them with the loss of their jobs if they are disrespectful to any guests again.” She tipped her to-go cup at them with a smile.
“We appreciate the job security is doing. Thank you,” Dawson said.
Officer Quinn kept her eyes on Landry. “My pleasure.”
As Officer Quinn walked away, Dawson looked at Landry who was blushing profusely. “Ah, you like her, huh?”
Landry ignored the comment and glanced at her watch. “Fuck! I’m going to miss the panel!”
“I didn’t know you were on a panel today.”
“I’m not. I’m moderating the panel The Reasoning Behind Reviews.”
“You better hurry up then. It starts in five minutes.”
“Later.” She took a last gulp of her coffee and bolted.
****
Landry walked up beside Eileen as she waited for the elevator. “Oh, good, since you’re on the panel it means I’m not late.”
“Don’t worry, they can’t start without us.” Eileen smiled. The elevator arrived and they stepped inside.
“Hold the elevator!” someone yelled.
Landry quickly pressed the ‘open’ button and waited for Sharon and Genny, who she noticed gave each other an odd look.
“I didn’t realize we’d have the honor of riding up with the star of The Sapphic Muse.” Sharon folded her arms. “Who’d you have to sleep with to get that job?”
Genny tapped Sharon on the arm. “Stop that,” she hissed.
Eileen straightened her shoulders, defiantly. “For your information, I worked very hard to earn this job on my own merits.”
“How hard could you have worked if you don’t know how to use the Oxford comma?”
Landry raised her brow at the snarky tone of Sharon’s comment. She cleared her throat. “Ladies, this sounds like an excellent topic for a future panel. I’ll mention it to one of the board members.” To her relief, the elevator doors opened, and she rushed out. She didn’t need that drama.
The four of them entered the Sycamore room as others disembarked from the other elevators. Eileen seated herself on stage as Landry approached the podium. She watched as several people took their places at the tables in the audience, including Sharon and Genny. She didn’t have time to think about the petty argument that took place in the elevator, nor did she want to. As soon as the room was filled, she signaled the timer and they began the session.
To Landry’s relief the panel went without a hitch. The last five minutes were open to audience questions. Landry chose the first hand she saw. “You there, who is your question for?”
“Hi, my name is Judy, and I have a question for Eileen.”
Eileen smiled. “Yes?”
“I’d like to know why your review of Jansen Jeffries’s latest book was so downright mean.”
“In what way?”
“Jansen Jeffries is one of the best writers we have ever had. Everybody loves her work. How could you disrespect her like that?”
“My reviews are anything but disrespectful. I admire Jansen Jeffries’s talent, but I think the subject of that book was not reflective of her strengths.”
“That may be so,” someone else in the aud
ience stood, “but I have to agree with Judy. You were unduly harsh.”
“I’m with Judy, too,” said another audience member.
“Now wait a minute. I don’t think this was her best book either,” someone said from across the room. “After all, a review is a review. You don’t have to agree with it, but I happen to think this one was right on the mark.”
“Now, now, ladies, let’s be respectful to one another.” Landry tried regaining control.
“Respectful? Respectful?” Judy piped up, again. “Eileen was anything but respectful to Jansen!”
The room broke out in chaos, half supporting Judy, the other half supporting Eileen.
Sharon stood. “See, and you think you’re the perfect candidate for that job? You’ve started a riot in here!”
Genny grabbed Sharon’s arm and pulled her back down into her chair. Sharon popped right back up again to continue her argument, only to be cut off by the timer bell ending the session.
Landry held up her hands. “Sorry ladies, that’s it for this session. Thank you for your participation, and a big thank you to our panelists.”
Several people jumped up and left quickly. But Sharon, Judy, and the other audience members who agreed with Judy migrated toward each other to continue the conversation.
Landry approached Eileen. “Can I escort you out?”
Eileen looked toward the group, some of whom were looking her way while others hissed and whispered to one another. “I would have never thought so, but it looks as if it might be a good idea.”
****
Landry grabbed a cup of coffee and met Dawson in the Cypress room to set up for book pitches from aspiring authors. She found it tedious to listen to their drivel. Everybody had to tell you their life story. Ugh. But Dawson decided her authors had to take turns sitting in. “Who’s first up?” Landry asked.
Dawson glanced at her list. “Sally Sandow.”
“Isn’t she a well-known reviewer of lesbian fiction?”
“Yeah, but she has obviously been bitten by the writing bug.” She looked toward the door. “Speak of the devil, here she comes, and look who she has with her.”
“Hi, ladies. I’m Sally Sandow and this is my friend Eileen Adams. Do you mind if she sits in for moral support?”
“Not at all.” Dawson motioned for them to sit down.
Sally opened a manila folder. “The working title of my book is Love on the Atlantic and it’s a cruise ship romance.”
“Is the book finished?”
“Ninety percent of it. Here are the first three chapters.” She handed Dawson a stack of papers.
Dawson put the papers into a folder.
“My main character is an author who has writer’s block and decides to take a vacation to get her creative juices flowing.”
Dawson looked at her for a moment. “Hmm, are you sure you don’t want your main character to be a reviewer who is taking a break from all the criticism she gets because of her opinions?”
Landry nearly spewed coffee out her nose. She coughed.
Eileen shared a knowing look with her, then turned to Dawson. “Were you at the panel this morning?”
“No.” Dawson turned to Landry. “Are you okay?”
Landry nodded and cleared her throat.
“Well, if you’re looking for a story about that,” Eileen spoke up, “I have one nearly finished. In fact, much of it is based on truth, but I wrote it as fiction.”
“Really? I would like to hear about that.”
Eileen spent the next twenty minutes waxing about her story.
Dawson almost regretted asking her the question and was grateful when Landry stood and said, “Ladies we need to wrap this up. We have a schedule to keep.”
Sally jumped up and walked away leaving Eileen to follow. She turned on her the minute they cleared the door. “What the hell was that?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you just hijacked my pitch! What were you thinking? You know how nervous I was. That’s why I asked you in there for moral support, and this is what you do?”
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry. I didn’t even realize…I’ll go in there and set up another pitch time for you.” She turned back toward the door.
Sally grabbed her arm. “No, way!”
“Please, let me do this,” Eileen begged. “I feel so bad. What kind of friend does that?”
Sally turned on her heel. “No friend of mine.”
Back in the Cypress room, having overheard the conversation, Landry and Dawson looked at each other. “Oops,” they said in unison.
****
Thursday
On her way to the Mahogany room the next morning, Landry heard her stomach rumbling. She could smell the bacon and coffee. It was complimentary breakfast day, and she looked forward to a free meal. After loading her plate with bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and potatoes, with a side of fruit, she grabbed an orange juice and wound her way to a nearby table. She noticed an interesting interaction going on between Lucy and the baby-butch, Bambi, so she joined them. Bambi, half Lucy’s age, was in full flirtation mode.
“Morning, ladies.” She set her plate down and made herself comfortable.
Most of the people at the table greeted her, but Lucy and Bambi were otherwise occupied.
“Well, I would take my age as a compliment rather than a barrier,” Bambi’s face was inches from Lucy’s. Landry wished she could see the size of her pupils. She was sure they were dilated, straining to take in all of Lucy and her attractiveness.
Lucy almost spit out her coffee. “Oh, puhleease. I could be your mother.”
Bambi didn’t back down. “I’ve dated a few mothers in my time.”
Lucy guffawed, “In your time? You mean in the last two years?” The others at the table laughed.
Bambi flushed a rosy red. “I’d keep you young.” She winked.
Now it was time for Lucy to blush. “I don’t know…with age comes expertise. It takes time to develop proficiency.”
“Yeah, but I have flexibility.”
Even people at the surrounding tables laughed at that. In fact, when everybody jumped up at the next table, Landry thought they were giving Bambi a standing ovation for her remark. Instead, she noticed everyone grabbing napkins and mopping up orange juice.
“Damn it, Kay, how the hell did you manage that?” Eileen exclaimed.
“I didn’t. I didn’t touch it, somebody bumped the table.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Eileen said. “I didn’t mean…let me get you a new orange juice.” Landry watched as Eileen hustled over to retrieve a new juice from the buffet. She handed it to Kay and said, “Try not to spill this one. The whole table is sticky.”
“I didn’t spill the last one!”
“Okay, honey.” Eileen patted her on the shoulder.
Landry turned her attentions back to her food and hoped for more entertainment from Bambi and Lucy, but to her disappointment Lucy picked up her empty plate and stood.
Bambi touched her arm. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
Landry egged Bambi on. “Put your money where your mouth is. The Bids-4-Babes is tomorrow.”
Bambi grinned. “That’s right!” She stood and patted her back pocket, “and I’m stacked.”
Landry looked her up and down and mumbled, “In more ways than one.”
Bambi smirked at Landry. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll do that.”
Lucy rolled her eyes and began walking away when everybody at the next table jumped up again.
“More spilled orange juice?” Landry looked over at the next table.
“Help! It’s Eileen!”
“Somebody call 911!”
Chapter Three
Thursday continued…
Landry jumped up and ran over, pushing through the crowd. Eileen was sprawled on the floor. Just as Landry was going to kneel beside her, Officer Quinn shouted, “Everybody step back!” as she knelt beside Eileen, checked the pulse in her neck, t
hen immediately keyed her police radio for an ambulance at their location.
“Oh, my God, she looks like she’s having a stroke!” Landry heard someone in the crowd say as she kneeled opposite the officer and leaned close to Eileen. “Eileen, Eileen, can you hear me?” Eileen tried speaking but no words came. Within seconds her eyes rolled back. Landry looked at Officer Quinn. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. After what seemed like an eternity they heard the wail of sirens.
Quinn jumped up. “Okay people, move back. Give the paramedics room.”
Moments later the paramedics entered and immediately took over. The front desk clerk burst into the room right behind them. He spotted Officer Quinn and rushed up to her. “Oh my God! What happened?”
She moved him off to the side. “One of the guests collapsed,” she said. “I need you to send me two people.”
“What for?”
“Please, just do as I ask. I need to seal off this room.” She gave him a gentle shove toward the door. “Now.”
Landry touched her elbow. “I need to talk to you.”
“I don’t have time right now.”
“Make time. This is important.”
Officer Quinn put her hand on her hips as she scanned the crowd. “Out with it, then.”
“I think she’s been poisoned.”
Officer Quinn’s head snapped toward Landry, and she stared at her hard.
“You realize that, right?”
Officer Quinn pulled her close. “Don’t say that to anyone else,” she said in a sharp whisper. She released Landry when she noticed the EMTs draping a blanket over Eileen’s body. She stepped over to them as they strapped her onto the gurney. “Did you call it?”
“Yes, we called it at 10:28 a.m. We are transporting to County General.”
Visibly shaken, Rusty grabbed Quinn’s arm. “Oh my God, she’s dead?”
The crowd exploded with questions.
“Dead?”
“Did you hear that? Eileen’s dead!”
Murder at the Con: a novella Page 2