by Lisa Bilbrey
A sigh escaped her as she fixed herself a cup of coffee and walked through the living room, slipping out into the small balcony. Settling on one of the chaise loungers, Elle took a sip of her coffee and gazed out at the bay. The view from their apartment had been the selling point for the women. Though the rent was steep, it was worth it to be able to overlook the ocean anytime they wanted. The balcony had become Elle’s favorite place to think, and she had plenty to contemplate at the moment.
Elle wasn’t the kind of woman who jumped into bed with a man she’d just met. At least she hadn’t been over the last two years. As a teenager, Elle hadn’t been afraid to experiment sexually with her boyfriends. She’d lost her virginity at seventeen to the captain of the football team, while Sadie gave hers up to the one of the receivers, which turned out to be a bit ironic after the two boys announced they were gay during their senior year. Last Elle had heard, Justin and David were living in New York together and were quite happy raising a little boy together.
She’d had a handful of other boyfriends during high school and college, but hadn’t been with another man since she had ended her relationship with him. Leo Donovan. Just thinking his name caused her to shiver. For two years she’d thrown herself into her work, keeping her focus on Reid Williams Designs and nothing else, except for Sadie herself, of course. But Sadie was different; always had been and always would be. She was Elle’s rock, her lover, and the one person she could always count on.
“Hey, you.”
A smile tugged on her lips when she looked over and saw Sadie leaning against the doorjamb to the balcony, wearing Derek’s shirt.
“You okay?” she asked
Elle blew out a heavy breath and turned her attention back to the ocean. “I don’t know.”
Sadie sat down on the edge of the lounger, blending her fingers in with Elle’s. “Tell me what’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours.”
“Leo,” Elle whispered, sighing when she tensed up. “I know it’s stupid to be thinking about him after … Well, after the most incredible night of my entire life.”
“Then why are you?” Sadie asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “You know I haven’t been with anyone, besides you, since him, and I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed right now.”
Smiling, Sadie placed her free hand under Elle’s chin and turned her face so that she could look in the woman’s eyes. “Derek and Callum are nothing like that asshole.”
“He wasn’t like that, either, until that night,” Elle whimpered, struggling to keep her tears from falling. Neither she nor Sadie normally talked about Leo, their mutual hatred for the man was clear.
Sadie nodded. “That’s true, but be honest with me, Elle. When you and Callum were together last night, were you scared?”
She bit her lip, shaking her head. When Callum touched her, she felt safe and secure, which did nothing to ease her nerves. How could she feel so at home with someone she’d just met?
“See!” Sadie laughed before becoming serious again. “Leo was an asshole from the start. You were just too enamored by the lies he filled your pretty little head with to see the real him. Then it was too late. He’d already …” Sadie trailed off, shuddering. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Elle. Trust me, okay?”
“I do trust you, lover.”
Elle leaned up and pressed her lips against Sadie’s. She placed her coffee on the ground before wrapping her arm around the other woman and shifting her so that Sadie was straddling her lap. Brushing her tongue across her lip, Elle slipped into her mouth, deepening the kiss.
“Damn, that’s beautiful.” At the sound of Derek’s voice, the women pulled apart and looked over at the doorway, finding him standing behind Callum, a hand resting on Callum’s hip. “Don’t stop on our account.”
“Yes, please continue, because that’s better than any porno we’ve ever watched,” Callum added.
“You wish,” Sadie snickered, climbing off Elle’s lap and walking up to the men. Pressing her body against Callum’s, she leaned up on her toes and kissed Derek.
“Yeah, we do,” he admitted, shifting his eyes to Elle and winking.
Her cheeks warmed, and she picked up her coffee, cradling the cup against her chest. “Anyone want a cup?”
Derek nodded while Callum said, “Please.”
Taking one last look out at the ocean, Elle stood up and walked past the three of them and into the kitchen. She pulled three cups from the cabinet and placed them on the counter next to hers.
“Need any help?” Derek asked.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw him leaning against the doorway. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, seeing as Sadie had put his on this morning, and his jeans were unbuttoned, showing the trail of dark hair that led downward. Smiling, Elle shook her head and turned back to the coffee.
“Sugar or cream?” she asked.
“Neither.” This time when he spoke, Elle knew he was standing right behind her. He placed his hands on her hips, pressing his body against hers. “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Morning,” she whispered, swallowing a moan.
“Did you sleep well?” His breath felt warm on her skin.
Elle nodded. “Very. Best I’ve had in a long time.”
Derek laughed, pressing his lips against the side of her neck. “Me, too. Now, how about that coffee?”
Reaching for the pot, Elle managed to fill all three cups, topping hers off as well, despite the fact that Derek had caused her heart to race. She turned in his arms and held one of the cups up between them. He took it, but didn’t take a step back as he brought it to his mouth and took a sip. Just like when Callum was close to her, Elle wasn’t afraid of Derek. Quite the opposite, in fact; she found herself turned on by the feel of his body against hers. How could she feel the same sense of peace regardless if Callum, Derek, or Sadie were the ones touching her?
“It’s delicious.” Derek winked at her before reaching around her and picking up one of the two cups meant for Sadie or Callum.
He turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Elle reeling from the intensity of the moment. She released a shaky breath before she picked up the other cup and joined them in the living room. Her best friend was snuggled up next to Callum, one arm draped across his waist while he had one around her shoulder. It should have bothered Elle that the man who had picked her up at the club the night before was cuddling with her best friend, but it didn’t. She couldn’t explain why, but watching them together in such an intimate manner was beautiful. It felt natural and normal.
“Here,” she said, placing Sadie’s cup on the table.
Elle turned and looked at Derek, who had sat on the other end of the sofa. Pulling her lip between her teeth, she slid onto the cushion next to him, angling her body so that she was nestled up against him. Elle heard him chuckle before his arm slipped around her, holding her tight. Again, it felt normal for her to be in his arms, too.
For several minutes, they enjoyed the silence. Perhaps none of them knew what to say, or maybe they didn’t need to say anything. Outside, the sound of the city waking up trickled through the open door to the balcony. Saturday mornings meant surfers on the beach, followed by families looking for free entertainment to keep their children from going stir-crazy.
It wasn’t until a cell phone rang that the peaceful mood inside the apartment was broken. Elle recognized the ringtone immediately, and scrambled to her feet, rushing over to the door where her purse laid and dug her phone out. Shifting her eyes over to Sadie, she sighed.
“Helina,” was all Elle said before taking the phone into her bedroom and shutting the door. She slid her finger over the green talk button. “Hey, Mom.”
“Elle, honey, thank the Lord you’re okay!” Helina Reid exclaimed, but before she could reply, her mother continued. “I called you three times last night, but you never answered. I almost contacted the police, but Daddy told me to wait until morning. You know how much I worry about you being a
lone in the city. I called Ivy, but she hadn’t heard from you, either. And with how busy she is with the wedding and Nick, she doesn’t have time to watch over you, too, young lady.”
“Sorry, Mom. Sadie and I had a business meeting,” Elle lied. “It went late. I would have returned your call, but I didn’t want to wake you and Daddy.”
“Oh.” Helina paused. “I was hoping that maybe you were on a date. You know, with a nice boy.”
“Nope, no nice boys here,” Elle assured her. “Besides, Mom, at twenty-six, I shouldn’t be going out with boys, should I? That would make me a pedophile. Pretty sure I should be looking for a man.”
“Don’t be a smart-mouth,” her mother warned. “I just meant that it would be nice if you would meet a nice man so that you don’t become an old maid. If you wouldn’t focus on work so much, you could be with a proper man.” Helina sighed. “Don’t you want to be as happy as your sister is? She’s getting married, Elle! And what are you doing? Worrying about that little business you and Sadie started. Neither you or Sadie are going to find a husband when all you do is work.”
Elle rolled her eyes as she sat on her bed, crossing her legs at the knees. “We have plenty of time before we turn into old maids, Mother.”
“So you say,” Helina chirped. “Anyway, the reason I called last night is that Daddy and I are booking our flight for the wedding, and I wanted to know if we needed to reserve a hotel, too, or if you and Sadie have room for us.”
The very thought of her parents staying with her and Sadie had Elle’s stomach in knots. “Mom, we only have a two bedroom apartment, remember?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.” Helina sighed. “I guess we can find someplace to stay. How’s everything else? Do you need money?”
“No, Mom, I don’t need any money.” It was the same question every time Helina called and no matter how many times Elle told her they were okay, she’d receive a check in the mail the next week. “Sadie and I just landed a huge account, actually. One that will pay off big for us.”
“That’s nice, dear,” Helina mumbled, and Elle knew she wasn’t paying any attention to what she’d just told her. “Oh, honey, I need to go. Ivy’s calling in. Reverend Peterson has agreed to come to San Francisco with us and perform the wedding. You know how much that man loves you and your sister.”
Before Elle could tell her mother goodbye, she heard the familiar click that came when Helina hung up on her, as she did every time she called. Dropping her phone on the bed, Elle laid back and covered her mouth with her arm, stifling her scream. She hated talking to her mother. There were two things Helina cared about: Ivy and making sure Elle knew she would never measure up to her older sister.
“Knock, knock.” Elle looked over at Sadie, who had opened her bedroom door and was smiling at her. She wasn’t wearing Derek’s shirt anymore, instead it looked like she’d slipped on one of her tank tops and a pair of panties. “Did she rip into you?”
“No, but she made sure to tell me how if we didn’t work so hard, we’d be with nice boys.” Elle shook her head. “You know, like Ivy.”
Sadie snorted. “Yeah, because Ivy and Nick are the poster people for normal.”
“I know, right?” Elle laughed, thinking about her sister and her fiancé. “Are Derek and Callum still here?”
“No,” she grumbled, climbing onto the bed. “Right after your phone rang, Callum got a text message from his father saying that they needed to go into work. We did exchange numbers, and I told them to call sooner rather than later.”
“Oh.” Elle couldn’t hide the disappointment that she felt. She hadn’t even gotten to tell them goodbye.
“They told me to give you something, though.” Sadie smirked as she leaned over and kissed Elle. “They also told me to eat your pussy for them.”
Elle laughed. “Are you going to?”
“Oh, baby, you know I am.”
Pulling on the tie keeping Elle’s robe together, Sadie pushed the two sides apart and true to her word, began kissing her way down her body until she had her face between her legs. She moaned, placing her hand on the back of Sadie’s head, lifting her hips and begging her to lick her clit, to touch her, to remind her that she was wanted.
“Oh, baby, I do love your pussy,” Sadie moaned, before sliding her tongue between Elle’s wet slit and lapping up as much as she could before turning her attention to her swollen clit.
Sucking the nub into her mouth, Sadie thrust two fingers inside of Elle, causing the woman to cry out as her walls clenched down and she came in an instant. Sadie leaned up and kissed Elle.
“I know you’re scared to let Derek and Callum in, but I have a good feeling about them.”
“You do?” Elle whispered, unable to keep the tremor from filling the two words.
Sadie smiled. “I do, but no matter what happens, I love you, Elle. You’ll always be my girl.”
“I love you, too.”
Four
Monday morning, Elle and Sadie drove to Davis Architecture and Design while struggling to control their nerves. They’d spent the remainder of the weekend reviewing every aspect of their designs, wanting to ensure they hadn’t missed a single detail. Or at least they had tried to. Elle’s thoughts had been filled with the memory of Derek and Callum touching her, and based on the look of longing that often occupied Sadie’s eyes, she knew her lover had been thinking about them, too.
Elle had hoped they would call, even if it was just to say hello, but they hadn’t. So instead, she and Sadie did what they could to keep themselves distracted, including spending the night worshipping the other’s body.
“Oh, shit, shit, shit,” Sadie mumbled, digging through her purse.
Elle spared her a look as she drove downtown. “What?”
“I can’t find my notebook.” Sighing, Sadie began to unload the contents of her bag into her lap: wallet, keys, make-up bag, cell phone, pen, pack of gum, but no notebook. “This is horrible!”
“Calm down,” Elle said, trying to soothe her. “You don’t need it. There’s not a detail inside that notebook that you don’t already have memorized.”
“But —”
Elle cut her off. “No. We’re ready. Now take a deep breath and calm down before I’m forced to pull over on the side of the road and use my tongue on you.”
Sadie laughed. “Don’t tease me, baby.”
Smiling, she turned into the parking lot of the Davis Building and parked in one of the empty spaces. “I never tease.”
“No, you don’t,” Sadie admitted.
Elle turned off the car and shifted in her seat so she was facing her friend. “Samuel Davis would not have given us this account if we weren’t a perfect match.”
“I know, I know.” Closing her eyes, Sadie took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s rock this!”
Elle and Sadie made their way inside the building, picking up a pair of new passes at the front desk before taking the elevator up to the tenth floor again. Unlike the last time they stepped off the elevator, the receptionist was the only person in the waiting room. The woman behind the desk looked up at them and smiled.
“Welcome to Davis Architecture and Design,” she greeted them and stood up. “I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself to you on Friday. I’m Greta Lang.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Lang,” Elle said, noting the wedding rings on her left hand. “I’m Elle Reid, and this is my partner Sadie Williams.”
The woman waved her off as she walked around the desk. “Please, call me Greta. We’re very informal here, as you will soon learn. Samuel is running about fifteen minutes late, but has asked that you wait for him inside the same conference room as Friday. Do you remember the way?”
“Yes,” Sadie told her.
“Excellent.” She smiled. “Would either of you like a drink? A cup of coffee? I think we might have some tea.”
“Yes, coffee, please.” Elle nodded, while Sadie shook her head.
“How do you take it?” she as
ked.
“Two sugars, one cream,” Sadie answered out of routine.
Elle felt her cheeks flush when Greta laughed. “Easy enough. Why don’t you two get settled, and I will be right back with the coffee.”
“Thank you,” Elle replied.
While Greta started down a long hallway, Elle and Sadie walked down the hallway and into the conference room. It was hard to believe that just three days ago they had been in the same room, putting their careers on the line in hopes of landing the biggest account of their careers, and now they had done it. The feeling was surreal.
Greta came in a few minutes later and placed a foam cup of coffee in front of Elle, who was quick to thank her. She waved her off and told them to let her know if they needed anything. Greta closed the door behind her, leaving Elle and Sadie alone. Elle’s hands were trembling as she picked up her cup, sipping the hot nectar. Sadie dug her cell phone from her purse, and Elle knew shew was checking for a text message or even a missed call from Derek or Callum.
“Still nothing?” she asked.
Shaking her head, Sadie frowned. “Maybe they’re just busy. I mean, it’s just been like two days, right? And they are men; we can’t expect them to rush or anything.”
“Right.”
A few minutes of awkward silence later, the door to the conference room opened and Samuel Davis rushed in, appearing frazzled. Instead of the dark power suit he’d worn on Friday, he was wearing a pair of designer denim jeans and white button-up shirt that he’d left untucked. The sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows and there was a black smudge of what appeared to be dirt or something along one side. He placed his black, leather binder on the table and looked up at Elle and Sadie.
“I apologize for my tardiness,” he began. “My son’s car blew a tire on the freeway, and I had to go pick him up while calling for a tow.”
“That’s all right,” Elle said, waving him off. “Was your son okay? The freeway is a dangerous place, especially in the morning.”
“Oh, he’s fine,” he assured them. “He and his friend were able to get the car onto the shoulder, but with traffic being so heavy this morning, it’s going to take hours before the tow company can get there and it was too dangerous for them to attempt to change it themselves. It was just easier for me to go pick them up, but that caused me to be late, and for that I apologize.”