by Bryce Oakley
Sabrina was much less gentle with Domino's clothing, nearly ripping off her sweatpants. She nipped the tender skin decorated with a floral tattoo on Domino’s shoulder.
"You're sure this is what you want?" Domino asked again, stepping out of the pants and kicking them aside.
"I've thought long and hard about this," Sabrina said, shivering as Domino’s hands ran gently over her arms. The feather-light touch made goosebumps rise all over her body.
"And?" Domino said, her voice hitching higher as she watched Sabrina climb onto the bed, sitting near the pillows.
"And I very much want this," Sabrina said, her cheeks reddening with the admission.
Domino grinned, climbing onto the bed after her. She hooked an arm around Sabrina's knees and pulled her down so that she was lying with her head on the pillow.
Sabrina's breathing quickened as her eyes followed Domino’s. She had an intensity in her eyes that Sabrina hadn’t witnessed before.
Domino reached down, sliding Sabrina’s underwear over her ass and pushing it down her legs. Domino sat up and helped pull them all the way off.
She leaned back, bracing her weight on her palm as she looked over Sabrina’s body. "You are stunning," she said.
Sabrina smiled, closing her eyes. "Thanks," she said, feeling intensely self-conscious suddenly, reaching an arm as if to cover herself.
Domino grabbed her arm and held it above her head.
Sabrina's eyes opened and she stared up at Domino with raised eyebrows in surprise. The intensity flared between them.
“You’re sure?” Domino whispered, nuzzling Sabrina’s neck.
“Please, yes, fuck me,” Sabrina begged.
Domino grinned and shifted, bearing her weight on her side as she faced Sabrina.
She dipped her head to claim her mouth, her tongue sliding past Sabrina’s lips, as she released Sabrina’s wrists and reached a hand down between Sabrina's legs, her fingers sliding over the warm, damp folds. She was ready, beyond ready, and Domino slid a finger inside of her, then another, her thumb finding Sabrina's clit as she moved her hand in rhythm.
Sabrina nipped at Domino’s lower lip, her fingers digging into Domino’s arms and shoulders. She ran her hands over Domino’s body and reached to cup Domino’s breast in her hand, rolling the warm, soft nipple between her thumb and forefinger.
Domino moaned, the sound so soft Sabrina almost thought she’d imagined it, and buried her face in Sabrina's neck, and Sabrina was enveloped in the lush eucalyptus scent of her hair. Domino turned her head, her breath warm on Sabrina's ear as licked and nipped the sensitive skin there.
Sabrina lifted her hips in time with Domino's hand. It wasn't long before she was clutching Domino, her nails digging into Domino's back, begging for release, calling out Domino’s name.
She shattered with a loud moan, her arms wrapped around Domino's body. Domino brushed her hair back from her forehead, kissing her cheeks and neck as she slowly came back to earth.
"Holy moly," she whispered, kissing Domino's bare shoulder.
"Ah, there she is," Domino said with a grin.
Sabrina grinned and shifted, flipping Domino onto her back with surprising force. "Oh, I have a few ideas," she said.
* * *
The comforting, rich scent of coffee woke Sabrina up. She opened her eyes, looking around the room. Domino was nowhere in sight, but judging from the singing coming from down the hallway, she was in the kitchen.
The night before had been… interesting. Sure, she had liquid courage to back up her decision, but for her to have taken that step first…
Just a few days earlier she had only wanted to be friends, and now, well, she had no idea what she wanted.
That was okay, right? She sighed.
Sabrina rolled over and checked her phone. 180 Instagram notifications stared back at her, with more rolling in by the second. She unlocked her phone and opened the app, pushing her unruly curls out of her face.
The day before, she had published a blog post then shared it to her social media accounts about Domino's linen closet, complete with matching labeled baskets for sheets and spare blankets.
It had surprised her that Domino had so many extra guest linens until she realized that Domino had so much extra of every item in her house. She had five or six pairs of sheets, six extra pillows, tons of extra towels...
She scrolled through her notifications to find that the image had over 7,000 likes and nearly 200 comments.
She had dozens of DMs and requests for her to organize other's places. But one of the best DM by far was from a local news show, who wanted to feature her in an upcoming segment on Winter Cleaning –– apparently dubbed the new Spring Cleaning. She rolled her eyes about that, but the chance was a huge one.
Another DM was from her favorite home decor magazine, Decor, asking to feature Domino's finished house in an article with professional photography with her organizing tips.
She nearly squealed with delight.
She hopped out of bed and looked around for something to wear. She found pajama shorts in the closet and pulled them on with a tank top from her dresser.
She ventured down the hallway into the kitchen.
"Good morning," Domino said cheerily. Her hair was wet and smelled fresh, like Sabrina’s shampoo. She was standing in front of the stove, preparing a couple of omelettes.
"Well, isn't this a sight for sore eyes?" Sabrina said as Domino turned, handing her a mug of warm coffee.
"Right back atcha. I don't think that shirt has ever looked better," Domino said with a grin.
“So, last night,” Sabrina began. She wasn’t completely sure how to read Domino’s cheery mood.
“Can be a one time thing,” Domino started, looking casual.
Sabrina flinched, not expecting that to feel so harsh.
“Or, it can be something that we explore without panicking,” Domino said with a wink.
Sabrina frowned, looking as though she was considering the proposition.
“I think maybe the latter, if you’re…” She cleared her throat, feeling embarrassed.
“If I’m…” Domino questioned, her eyes widening.
“Up for it?” Sabrina said, her voice reaching an impossibly high octave.
Domino grinned. “I’m up for repeating last night a few more times. Just to figure it out. For science,” she teased.
"I have morning breath or else I'd kiss you," Sabrina said, sipping her coffee instead.
"Well, as long as it's because of the morning breath and not a deep sense of regret," Domino said with a smirk.
Sabrina pretended to consider it. "Hmm, not yet, but I'll keep you updated," she joked. She leaned against the counter and watched Domino.
"I thought you didn't cook," Sabrina said, tilting her head.
“Is this a pizza joke?" Domino asked, glancing over her shoulder.
Sabrina giggled. “No, I promise,” she said. ”I only say it on account of there being boots in the oven at your place," Sabrina said, blinking.
Domino reached down and opened the oven. There were more pancakes stacked on a cookie sheet, staying warm. “No boots,” she said.
“Yeah, because I’m a normal person who doesn’t keep clothing items in the oven.” Sabrina laughed and unlocked her phone. “Switching subjects entirely, can I show you something kind of exciting?"
"Always," Domino said, looking at her phone curiously.
Sabrina recounted the viral post and the messages from the news show and the magazine.
"That's amazing," Domino said with an excited laugh. "I'm so proud of you. And proud that my linen hoarding could help you with your big break."
"There's just one catch," Sabrina said, feeling a bit sheepish for not bringing it up earlier.
Domino arched a brow.
"Well, the magazine wants to shoot the photos in two weeks," she said.
Domino shrugged. "Okay, what's the catch there?"
"I'm saying that everything has to b
e ready to be photographed in two weeks," Sabrina said, raising her eyebrows to drive home the point.
"Oh, is that a short amount of time?" Domino asked, looking around Sabrina’s perfectly organized house.
Sabrina nodded. "Yes, that is a very short amount of time."
"I guess you're going to need my help, then," Domino said, sliding an omelette onto a plate and passing it to her.
"I don't want to inconvenience you, but maybe. I may even need to hire a short-term assistant," Sabrina said, taking her plate over to the couch. “Did you get up at 1am to cook this elaborate pancake breakfast?" She teased.
Domino sat next to her at the table. "Maybe. Or maybe I just never slept last night because some very sexy woman kept me up until all hours doing unspeakable things."
Sabrina snorted. "Well, it didn't seem to interfere with my peaceful night's rest," she said, rolling her eyes.
Domino shrugged, leaning over to kiss Sabrina's shoulder. "Sleep is for the weak.”
* * *
Domino snored from the couch in her own house as Sabrina went over her list. After breakfast, they had driven to get Domino’s car from Yorba Linda, then went to Domino’s house to get started on the big project.
She tapped the crystal end of her pen on her notepad, walking through the house, looking for what she might have missed. There was so much to do in the next two weeks. She took a deep breath, willing herself not to panic.
She took out her phone to text Isla.
Sabrina: You alive?
Isla: Mostly.
Sabrina: You stay the night with a cute girl?
Isla: Perhaps.
Sabrina: I have some news!
Isla: Did you finally knock boots with Domino?!
Sabrina: Knock boots, are you serious?
Isla: You know, a bit of the old in-out, in-out.
Sabrina: Isla.
Isla: Bow-chick-a-wow-wow.
Isla: Horizontal tango.
Sabrina glared down at her phone.
Isla: Dancing in the sheets.
Isla: Getting one's canoe shellacked.
Sabina: ISLA.
Isla: Okay, that last one may have been too far but it's pretty funny.
Sabrina: It doesn't even make sense.
Isla: Doesn't it?
Sabrina: ANYWAY, as I was saying, I have some news! What's your teaching schedule like?
Isla: Next week is officially winter break, so I'm finally freeeeeee. What's up?
Sabrina: Perfect. I need an assistant.
Isla: Oh no.
Sabrina: I'll love you forever!
Isla: Getting warmer.
Sabrina: I'll pay you!
Isla: I'm in! You coming home tonight? We can talk about it then.
Sabrina glanced at the sleeping woman on the couch.
Sabrina: Let's play that one by ear.
Isla: Well, that's one I haven't heard before.
Sabrina giggled, rolling her eyes.
She walked upstairs as quietly as she could, looking around the master bedroom. She figured that even if she could just have the kitchen, great room, laundry area, and bedroom done, that'd be enough for photos. If she had time to add the garage to that list, that would be even better, but it was unlikely. She wouldn't get her hopes up too much.
Her phone was nearly dead. She sat on the edge of the bed and opened the side table, looking for a spare phone charger.
She sighed, rifling through what looked to just be trash, but paused when she found a handwritten letter crumpled into a ball. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Domino hadn't woken up and come to find her, then flattened out the letter. Her heart pounded in anticipation, knowing she was doing something slightly unethical.
"Didn’t want to wake you but had a great time, let’s see each other again tonight/soon/next week. - S."
S? Who was that and when had that note been written? Why had it ended up balled up in a side table?
She stared at the paper, the unnerving feeling of jealousy building inside of her.
She knew that Domino was infamous for leaving the club with a different girl every night. She knew because she had seen it happen.
And now she was that girl.
Her hands shook as she crumpled up the piece of paper again.
"Already back in bed, I see?" Domino said from the doorway.
Sabrina jumped, dropping the paper onto the ground. She put a hand over her heart. "You scared the bejeebus out of me," she said, taking a deep breath.
"Well, that doesn't sound good. How can I make it up to you?" Domino said with a wry smile as she climbed onto the bed, grabbing Sabrina to pull her down.
Sabrina laughed, her heart still thumping in her temples.
She wrapped her arms around Domino, kissing her neck. Why should she be jealous when she had the world's sexiest woman next to her in bed? She didn't want a relationship just as much as Domino didn't. Her career was teetering on the precipice of really taking off. Everything was in her five year plan.
She should be ecstatic.
So, then why was she still thinking about that note? And worrying about how much longer she had with Domino?
She squeezed her eyes closed, taking a deep breath, trying to revel in the moment with Domino.
Chapter Thirty-One
Domino
The next week and a half passed in a whirlwind.
With Isla helping Sabrina, work seemed to go much faster. Even Meg chipped in. Zoey brought coffee one day, but tried to argue against organizing the bookshelf by color –– apparently one of Sabrina's cardinal sins –– so she was demoted to Not Helping.
Sabrina slept at her place most nights. Domino found that on the nights where Sabrina stayed over, she couldn't get an entire night's sleep. It wasn't that Sabrina hogged all of the blankets (she did) or that she talked in her sleep (she did) or that she asked too much of Domino's time (she didn't –– it wasn't possible).
It was just that when Sabrina stayed the night, Domino found herself with boundless energy. She went surfing as early as she safely could, she walked around the neighborhood late at night, she rode her bike through the silent, sleeping streets to feel the cool air on her cheeks.
She wrote songs in the living room, quietly, recording voice messages in a whisper to remember the melodies that haunted her at all hours.
She found herself writing a lot of songs about... well, herself. A topic she had stayed away from on Heart's Content. It was as though having Sabrina so close made her more self-aware. She wrote about the pain of growing, of changing, of accepting oneself.
She also wrote about Sabrina, of caring so much for someone that even watching them sleep was a serene experience.
And yet, she was unsettled.
Maybe it was the pace with which Sabrina had come into her life. They had only known one another for a few weeks, but already they cooked breakfasts together, shared television shows, laid in bed playing games on their phones next to one another. Not to mention that the sex was fantastic.
It was... nice. It was comfortable.
And it made her itchy at the same time.
It was as though she couldn't quite relax.
She glanced at the clock. 5am. The sun wouldn't be up for another hour and a half. It was early December, with Christmas right around the corner. Yet, in Southern California, winter meant throwing on a light jacket when the sun wasn't out.
She grabbed a jacket and walked out the back door, locking it behind her. She didn't grab her board. She just wanted to go sit in the sand, shivering as the fog rolled in over the waves.
She walked down her block, then turned onto the main street leading to the beach. The air smelled salty with a hint of seaweed –– fishy, almost, but not in a way that made her cringe. It was the smell of home. Hermosa Beach was Southern California’s version of a calm and quiet beach town, nothing like the gross beaches like Venice.
She was never afraid in her own town, and she cherished that. Growing up in the s
uburbs had always made her wary of the beach life, but Hermosa was small and quiet enough that she could walk without holding keys in her fingers.
She walked past the closed stores at the entrance of the pier, the sand on the concrete crunching under her shoes. She had once seen paparazzi hiding out there to spot Vero, but Domino wasn’t typically paparazzi fodder, thankfully.
She eyed the lifeguard station warily as she strolled down the stairs to the beach, settling in a spot that was secluded near the pier. Safe little town or not, she didn't want to stick out in any way or attract any attention. Especially not to the lifeguards, who knew her by name, unfortunately.
Her feet sunk into the cool sand, and she scanned the beach in the darkness.
She was alone. The moon was a tiny sliver, illuminating almost nothing around her.
She wished the moon was brighter so that she could see the waves.
She wished she had her guitar.
She sat down, holding her jacket closer to her body. She listened to the waves roll onto the beach, the soft murmur of them slipping back away, folding into themselves.
How nice it must be.
She rested her head on her knees, closing her eyes.
She pictured Sabrina back at her house, fast asleep, her full lower lip sticking out in the adorable pout she had when she slept. An overwhelming feeling filled her chest. She couldn't put her finger on what the feeling was, though. Protectiveness, adoration, affection?
Unfamiliar territory, all the same.
She sighed, humming the melody that had been stuck in her head for three days. The melody she hadn't been able to capture. "I could get lost in you, but that's not who I am, darling," she whispered to herself.
"Dom?" A familiar voice asked quietly behind her.
Sabrina?
She turned, staring up at the dark figure.
"What are you doing out here?" Sabrina asked.
"Couldn't sleep," Domino said.
"I noticed. Are you okay?" Sabrina said, hugging her sweater closer to her body. "Wow, it's so much colder out here by the water."