by Bryce Oakley
Domino sat on the chair nearest her, her elbows on her knees as she watched Zoey and Freya talk. She looked curious, almost confused at the pair.
"Isn't it funny how you can spend so much time around someone and you still don't know a major part of their life?" Domino said quietly.
Pia tilted her head, glancing from Domino to Zoey and back, not answering immediately. She nervously fidgeted with her hands. Was Domino referencing the fact that Zoey had slept with Pia?
"And then what was she doing in an entirely different city last night? How did she get there? How did she have the time? She won't even tell me," Domino continued.
Pia's stomach flipped — and not in a good way — as she tried to maintain an air of casualness as Domino continued to stare at Zoey.
Billie walked back into the room, sliding her phone into her back pocket. She sat on the arm of Domino's chair.
"You okay?" Billie asked, putting a hand on Domino's shoulder.
"Yeah, just... feeling like an asshole," Domino said.
"What'd you do now?" Billie asked with a smirk.
"She didn't know Zoey collected art," Pia said quickly, giving Billie a Who Knows? look.
Zoey turned at the sound of her name, giving Pia the briefest of eyebrow quirks before turning to Domino.
"Art? You're worried about Zoey's hobbies?" Billie asked, running her hand over Domino's short hair as if she were petting a dog.
"No, I just mean, I've been so self-centered that I didn't even know Zoey cared about art. Meg, what are you hiding?" Domino called out.
"I'm secretly a spy for the Canadian government," Meg said with a straight face, not glancing up from her cards.
"Yeah, that checks out," Domino said, leaning back in her chair.
"Baby, what are you going on about?" Sabrina asked, turning in her chair.
"Some party this is," Domino said, turning to Pia. "I'm so glad you showed up tonight, though. How'd you find out about the show?"
Pia's mouth went dry and she glanced over to Zoey.
Directly behind Zoey, Micah raised her hand. "I invited her," she said.
Zoey's eyes widened and she turned, looking at Micah over her shoulder. "You did?" She asked.
"Yeah, or, well, I guess I invited you through your assistant," Micah said, smiling.
Pia nodded. "Yep, I was in town and Mark reminded me it was happening. Thought I'd stop by to check it out," she said.
She made a mental note to ask Mark about all of the other invitations that hadn't been passed her way.
"Oh, cool," Domino said.
Freya cleared her throat. "I think it's just about my bedtime, though." She turned back to Zoey, taking her hands. "Let's do lunch the next time you're in LA and then I'll give you a tour of the studio."
Zoey lit up, her eyes widening. "I'd love that!" She leaned forward and gave Freya a tight hug.
Pia didn't know whether to be jealous that Zoey was hugging Freya with such intimacy or grateful that Freya had smoothed out an otherwise awkward encounter.
Pia and Freya said the rest of their goodbyes and left. Pia made it a point to not hug Zoey for too long, but even the nearness of Zoey's body made her insides turn to jello.
She really had to work on that heart hardening thing.
They walked out the door and down the hallway, a safe distance between them and the hotel room full of Shrikes women before Freya leaned over to conspiratorially whisper, "She's fantastic."
"You're just saying that because she's a fan girl," Pia said. "One compliment and suddenly you're Team Zoey? Shameless." She laughed, hitting the elevator button.
Her phone dinged and she pulled it out of her pocket.
Zoey: I'm in room 2087 if you haven't left yet.
Pia glanced up at Freya, a mixture of hope and agony.
Freya leaned over, reading the text. "God, you have your font size on the old lady size," she said.
"I'm old," Pia said, shrugging and grinning.
Freya rolled her eyes, then leaned over and hit the up button. The elevator doors opened with a down arrow.
"Guess I'm solo," Freya said.
Pia smirked. "You don't mind?"
"No, I'm Team Zoey," she said, reaching to hit the floor button. "But be safe."
"Text me when you get back to your hotel!" Pia said with a wave as the doors closed in front of her friend.
* * *
"I thought for sure Domino was about to say something about us," Pia said, flipping over onto her back. She panted, out of breath from the intense quickie they had begun the moment Zoey got the keycard in the door.
Zoey's chest heaved as she pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Do you really think she knows?"
Pia eyed the way Zoey's breasts looked in the way she was positioned.
Zoey snapped her fingers. "Stop creeping and answer me," she said, laughing.
"No, I don't," Pia said honestly. "But she thinks something is going on with you."
Zoey turned onto her side, resting her head on her palm. "She is not wrong,"
Pia raised an eyebrow. "I think I know what you need," she said pensively.
Zoey reached to lazily run a finger over Pia's chest, down over her stomach. "Oh, do you?"
Pia stood, grabbing a $9 bottle of water out of the mini fridge for herself and tossed another one to Zoey.
Zoey grinned, then twisted the cap off the bottle.
Pia sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to chug the cool water too quickly. She capped the bottle and set it on the floor, then reached for Zoey, pulling the woman to straddle her lap.
They sat chest to chest, Zoey's knees on either side of Pia's hips.
Zoey’s ability to turn Pia into a human with real feelings and emotions was unprecedented. Pia had been having sex with women for nearly ten years without them — women who actually did want relationships, unlike Zoey.
And still, it was Zoey that was making her chest ache and her stomach twist and her cheeks hurt from smiling.
And the sex? Mind-blowing.
With a straight woman? Unheard of.
Even more unheard of? Pia had never been so willing to give up control and surrender to another woman giving her pleasure.
She let her hands trail over Zoey’s smooth back and soft hips, grasping her ass cheeks.
Zoey’s hips circled in Pia’s lap — Pia grinned, thinking about how they had just had an orgasm not ten minutes before and Zoey was already ready for another round.
“Is it always like this?” Zoey moaned, her voice so quiet and so vulnerable.
And Pia stilled her lips wandering exploration of Zoey’s neck and chest.
How was she ever going to harden her heart against this woman?
She was in trouble the moment she had kissed Zoey at midnight. She was entirely defeated by the moment she had led Zoey into the wine cellar and fantasized about pressing her up against the counter, taking her right there while everyone was waiting upstairs.
She kissed Zoey in response, her kisses deep and tenuous and possessive.
As Zoey’s hips began to move against her, she lowered herself back, urging Zoey forward to lie on top of her, Zoey’s legs and arms straddling Pia’s body. Zoey’s breath came in short, audible bursts, as Pia moved her hands to Zoey’s ass again. She kissed and nipped along the soft skin on the underside of her jaw, sliding her lips to Zoey’s ear, pulling the lobe into her mouth. “Climb on top of me, baby,” Pia whispered.
Zoey pulled back slightly, looking Pia in the eye. “Wh-what?” She asked.
Pia used her hips and hands to guide Zoey up her body until she was kneeling over Pia’s waiting mouth.
“Oh, fuck,” Zoey whispered irreverently and Pia saw that she was clutching the headboard before they both floated up and out of their bodies for a few more, blissful hours.
Chapter Forty-Three
Zoey
The green room was filled with flowers, balloons, candy, and cake. "I can't believe the release party is actually here,
" Billie said, her eyes wide.
The band was finally back in Los Angeles after a month on the road for promotion. The album was finally, finally going to be live in the world.
They were arranged in somewhat of a huddle. The girlfriends, moms, and siblings had all vacated the premises to the VIP section of the venue, and it was just the band left.
Even Zoey's parents had come from Nebraska at the last minute and had popped in the room to say hello. She wasn't particularly close with them, but having them there, saying how proud they were of her... It meant more than she would have thought it did.
"I can't believe it's been four years since our last release party," Meg said. "How do we do this again?"
"We play the songs, then we drink the drinks," Zoey said, patting Meg on the shoulder. "I guess we also talk to people."
A knock came at the door.
One of the venue staff came in holding a large bouquet. "One more for you. I sure hope none of you have seasonal allergies," she joked, setting the flowers down on a table.
Meg laughed, watching the woman walk out. "She was cute," she said as the door shut.
"Meg, keep it in your pants," Domino said.
"Wow, mark it on the calendar. Domino is chastising someone for flirting," Zoey teased.
Another knock came at the door and Micah walked in before anyone could answer. "Alright, I just talked to Este and she and Danielle are all set to come up on 'Just Another Howl At The Moon.' They're warming up down the hall."
"Okay," Billie answered before turning back to the group.
"Two out of three Haims isn't anything to sneeze at," Micah added, "Ooh, more flowers?" She grabbed the card off of the latest bouquet. "Pia sends her love. She says break a leg. She also writes 'Please don't stage dive.' I second that request."
"Aye, aye," Domino said, giving Micah a joking salute.
Zoey's insides somersaulted at the mention of Pia. They had spent the last two weeks having fun and spending time together and it had been fantastic. Zoey didn't know sex could be that incredible. And all of the befores and afters were fun, too. Pia brought out something different in her — she didn't have to pretend to be anyone other than who she really was.
Yet another knock came at the door. It was the Stage Manager peeking her head in. "Ready?"
They filed out of the room and walked to the back of the stage, waiting for their cue. Their set was plain, but the lighting behind them was epic. Neons and saturated colors dramatically lit up the room.
"I love you guys, and I'm damn proud of us," Billie said, wrapping her arms around Zoey and Domino as they stood closest. Zoey looped an arm around Meg and they stood in a group hug for one last, final moment.
"It's the best album ever," Zoey said confidently. "Let's go play the hell out of it."
The stage manager directed them to go on, and they walked onto the stage to deafening cheers. A mixture of fans, celebrities, friends, and family made up the crowd, and Zoey felt as though she was floating as she made her way to the stage.
She had a quick flash to the secret show, when she saw Pia sitting in the VIP balcony section. She glanced up as if on memory, but saw Billie's parents there, instead, flanked by Vero and Sabrina.
If she dated Pia, would Pia sit in the family section with the other girlfriends?
Whoa, where had that thought come from?
"Hey everyone, thank you for coming to the Kaleidoscope Release Party," Billie said into the mic, adjusting her ear piece. "We're so grateful that you're here. We're going to play some songs for you, if you want?"
Her question was met with loud cheers and applause.
Billie strummed the opening chords of ‘Kaleidoscope,’ and before Zoey knew it, she was lost in the trance of music.
Time seemed to speed up, and before she knew it, she was watching Billie sing ‘Midnight.’
God, she wished she knew where Pia was in the crowd.
Stop thinking about Pia.
She smirked, realizing that not thinking about Pia during a song that she wrote about Pia was a slightly impossible task.
Her view from the keyboard off to the side of the stage was one of her favorite views. She could see Billie, Domino, and Meg perfectly, but beyond them, she could see the crowd watching them. She loved seeing how Billie and Domino performed — they were incredible showwomen, and their energy always psyched the crowd up.
Meg was smoothing her wild, pink hair into place with one hand as she steadily hit the kick drum during Billie's guitar solo.
It was a perfect moment.
And then she noticed Pia, standing off to the other side of the stage, hidden from the crowd behind the curtains. She was cloaked in shadow, but Zoey would know that shadow anywhere.
Zoey nearly missed her cue to come back in after a six measure break but corrected her mistake before it was obvious. Domino glanced over her shoulder, casually pacing the stage as she walked over to Zoey's keyboard. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask if Zoey was alright, and Zoey gave her a wide smile.
But all the while, she could feel Pia's stare burning a hole straight through her chest.
* * *
They finished the last song and bowed, waving and taking in the applause and cheers. The room was alight with pulsing waves of love and energy, and Zoey could feel it tingling through her very soul.
The album had more of her bare soul inside of it than anything she'd ever done, and to feel that warmth radiating from its reception brought tears to her eyes.
Meg glanced sideways at her, tears in her own eyes. "Aw, baby," Meg said, hugging Zoey tightly and kissing her cheek.
The house lights changed from stage lighting to venue lighting, signalling the start of the party, Domino leapt off the stage — an unorthodox exit, but Domino was nothing if not unorthodox — and Meg and Billie walked to the side of the stage in order to take the stairs down into the party.
Zoey glanced sideways to the opposite direction of where Billie and Meg had left over to where Pia had been hidden, but she didn't see her standing there.
She couldn't help herself. She walked that direction anyway.
"Zoey, come down here already," someone yelled from the crowd, and Zoey gave a small wave towards the area she heard it.
"Be right there," she called out before disappearing behind the curtain.
Pia wasn't there anymore.
Zoey walked to the edge of the curtains, looking back and forth to see If Pia had simply relocated, but there was no sign of her.
Trying to shrug off her disappointment, she walked towards the door that would lead her into the main part of the venue. In the dark, she barely saw the figure reach out to grab her around the waist and pull her into a secluded area.
She almost cried out before realizing by the touch and the smell of citrus body wash that it was Pia holding her.
"You were perfection," Pia's soft voice said in her ear.
"Thanks," Zoey said, her heart pounding in her temples.
She wanted to lean in for a secret makeout session, but she stopped herself.
She was becoming dangerously fond of Pia, and she couldn't break one of her own ground rules, getting caught up in feelings and thinking that it was more than it was.
Instead, she took a tiny step backwards as if that would put the necessary distance between them. "How did you get over here?" Zoey asked.
"Stef is one of my good friends," Pia said.
"Stef?"
"The manager," Pia explained.
Zoey nodded. "Friends in high places, I see," she teased.
"Just like you," Pia said, again taking Zoey in her arms.
Zoey tried to resist whatever force was drawing her to Pia — both physically and emotionally. God, even just Pia's touch drove her crazy.
"Do you want a drink?" Zoey asked, pointing towards the main venue area.
Pia stilled, her hands no longer exploring the curve of Zoey's hips. "Uh, sure," she said.
"Cool, I'll go out first," Zoey said,
turning and hurrying away.
She was being an asshole, especially when Pia had been so supportive as to come to the release party, but she was also a little too desperate to just leave the whole party to go home with Pia.
And that was not what friends did.
Sure, she had driven over to Pia's house late at night a few times in the past week, but that was what they were. Just friends who sometimes made each other feel good. No strings. Nothing more.
If it was more, that meant she had some soul-searching and reflection to do, and who had time for that? So, no, there was nothing more.
She pushed through the heavy door, breathing a sigh of relief as she walked into the venue, full of cocktail tables, waiters carrying trays of champagne, and friendly faces excited to see her.
She saw her parents, her mother holding her purse tightly to her chest as her father sipped at a beer. It wasn't their scene, but they were trying. She made her way over to them, grabbing a flute of champagne on her way.
"Mom, Dad, what'd you think?" She asked as they exchanged hugs.
"It was so loud," Mom said.
Zoey nodded. "Yeah, kind of how these live music things go," she said.
"I liked those girls who came out to sing with you," Dad said.
"Yeah, they're fantastic. We're big fans of them," Zoey said, downing half of her glass in one large gulp.
Just like always, it was like pulling teeth to have a nice conversation with her parents.
"Zoey, fantastic job," someone said behind her, and she turned to find Pia looking radiant in the soft lighting of the party.
"Pia Marino?" Mom asked, looking completely starstruck.
"Guilty as charged," Pia said, laying the charm on so thick that Zoey nearly laughed.
"Pia, these are my parents. Greg and Donna. Mom, Dad, this is Pia Marino, my friend," Zoey said.
"I watch your show every day," Mom said, positively gushing. She had taken Pia's hand and was holding on for dear life.
Pia was smiling warmly. It wasn't even a fake smile. She looked genuinely pleased. "I'm so grateful for that, Donna," she said. "I couldn't do it without you."