Joie de Vivre

by Micheala Lynn

  Riley whirled around but before she could say anything, she found Lisa’s lips pressed firmly against hers. As the kiss deepened she leaned farther and farther into her body until she wilted. A low, low moan rose up her throat and before she knew it she had slipped her hands up the back of Lisa’s shirt. She just couldn’t get close enough. She wanted more, needed more. But just as suddenly as it had begun, Lisa pulled away, her moan turning to a sigh.

  Lisa pulled her wandering hands into hers. “Not that I’m not loving that, babe, but maybe we should head on in before we cause a scandal in the neighborhood.”

  Riley glanced quickly around. They were hidden from the street, from any prying eyes. “No one can see us back here.” She couldn’t quite keep the pleading out of her voice.

  Lisa rolled her head back and laughed. “It’s not being seen I’m worried about. It’s those absolutely beautiful sounds you make when you orgasm. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing you when we make love, especially the louder you get. The neighbors might not be able to see but I have no doubt the neighbors would be able to hear.”

  “Oh.” Riley stood there, her lips formed in a perfect little O. She knew she liked to be vocal with her lovemaking, but she hadn’t realized how vocal.

  Lisa wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in tight. “Come on, let’s head in. That way I promise you can be as loud as you like.” She quickly scooped down and swept up her basketball, tossing it over to Riley.

  Riley caught it one-handed, a near miracle the way her body now stirred. “Mmmm, sounds good to me.”

  * * *

  “Mmmmm…what do you say we go for three?” Lisa nuzzled her lips to Riley’s ear.

  The tip of Lisa’s nose tickled as her hot breath sent a new wave of shivers through Riley’s exhausted body. Their shower had quickly led to a heated romp under the steamy water. At least the water was steamy at first. By the time their passions became at least temporarily sated the water had turned freezing-ass cold. Chased from the shower, things heated up quickly again as they dried each other off. Come to think of it, Riley couldn’t remember if towels had even been involved. Somehow, in a blur of arms and legs, they had made their way from the bathroom, up the hall, knocking off picture frames as they went and into the bedroom. The only thing she did know for certain was it had still been light when they fell together onto the bed and now it was pitch dark. Now, with Lisa’s breath in her ear, her body was stirring yet again. “Three, huh? What about more?”

  “Maybe I’ll just keep it up all night—over and over.” Lisa clamped her teeth down on Riley’s ear.

  Riley moaned and rolled onto her back. Over and over all night was fine by her. However, just as she leaned in, Breslin cannonballed off the headboard onto her stomach. She doubled up with what sounded like a cross between a loud grunt and blowing a raspberry, tears springing from her eyes. It felt as if someone had dropped a bowling ball on her. Then the pièce de résistance, Breslin used her girly bits as a springboard as he leaped over Lisa, only to begin purring and fluffing the bed beside her. Whatever amorous thoughts she might have been entertaining were officially gone.

  “Oh my God, Riley, are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Tears still streamed from her eyes. “But I don’t think my nether regions will ever be the same. I think your cat broke it.”

  At that they both looked at each and dissolved into a fit of giggles. Breslin flipped his tail high in the air, turned his back to them and with a look of utter disgust, sauntered off the bed.

  Slowly they regained their composure only to break into a fresh round of amusement. With their arms wrapped tightly around each other they finally lay back, both gasping for breath. “Seriously, Riley, are you okay?” Lisa stroked the side of Riley’s face with her thumb, staring into her eyes.

  “Yeah, I’ll survive, but I think you really should consider putting that cat of yours on a crash diet.”

  Lisa slapped her hand to her chest, her mouth dropping open in shock. “Riley, I can’t believe you said that. You’re going to give poor Breslin a complex. He’s just big-boned.” She fought hard to keep the smile from her lips.

  All Riley could do was shake her head. “Yeah, yeah. One of these days I’m going to do an anthropological study on the link between cats and their owners.”

  “Hey, I’m game.” Lisa shifted her weight and rolled over onto her side, propping herself up with her arm. “Speaking of anthropology, I’ve been meaning to ask you exactly what is it that you do? I know a lot of different things fall under that umbrella. So, what is it that the great—”

  “Great, huh?”

  “Yeah, great—and did I mention attractive?”

  “Oh, attractive too?”

  “Very much so, I must admit.” Lisa waggled her eyebrows. “So, what is it that the great and attractive, dare I say hot, Dr. Riley, anthropologist extraordinaire, does at work?”

  Although she had been expecting this question for quite some time, she felt her chest tighten. Usually she didn’t care who she told about what she did for a living in all its gory details. For years she had used it as a means to distance herself from everyone, her own personal wall against the world. But Lisa was different. With Lisa she didn’t want any distance, she didn’t want any walls. She could almost hear her best friend Susan’s voice telling her, “for God’s sake, Riley, don’t talk about dead people.” And Susan was right. Most people didn’t want to be reminded of death. It hadn’t been that long since Lisa had faced it herself. So, as nonchalantly as she could, she shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? I’m a physical anthropologist. I deal with the physical artifacts of humanity.”

  “Oh, you mean like archaeology.” Lisa’s eyes brightened. “Wow, Riley, you’re like a real-life female version of Indiana Jones, or Lara Croft.”

  “Yeah, something like that.” Riley looked away, the hard lump settling in her chest. At least it wasn’t a complete lie.

  Chapter Ten

  Lisa gripped her racy little steering wheel as she quickly sped along the East Beltline, weaving her way in and out of the Friday five o’clock traffic. She could hear the low rumble of the engine as she quickly ran through the gears. She noticed the speedometer needle creeping a little too high and backed off the throttle. She certainly didn’t need a speeding ticket. All that would do is make her even later. Tonight she was going to meet Riley at her house, that is if she could ever get through this snarl of traffic.

  Over the last three weeks they had stayed over at each other’s houses every night. They hadn’t even talked about it but had somehow segued into this arrangement. The only one who seemed to have a problem with it was Breslin. On the nights that she stayed at Riley’s, Breslin rearranged the living room, the kitchen, her bedroom or perhaps his worst, the bathroom where he had completely unrolled the toilet paper, which now she had to hide anytime she left the house. At least that wasn’t as bad as when Riley stayed at her house. Breslin’s favorite pastime then was dive-bombing Riley in the middle of the night. He couldn’t seem to get enough of her. At least Riley was being a good sport about it.

  She rounded the last corner onto Riley’s street with a small chirping of her tires. Riley had hinted that she had a surprise for her. The only thing she had said was wear something comfortable, which was why she was running late. She had to stop off at her house and grab a pair of jeans and her off-the-shoulder tan striped sweater. Topping off the ensemble with her favorite Merrell shoes, she was ready for whatever Riley had planned.

  As she came through the door Riley wrapped her arms around her tightly, lifting her off her feet. Riley pressed her lips to hers. When they finally broke apart, all she could do was gasp. “You didn’t miss me, did you?”

  Riley shook her head nonchalantly. “Not at all. Why, what gave you that impression?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Your greeting was pretty enthusiastic.”

  “Oh, that. That’s how I greet everyone.” Riley shot her a devilish grin.

&n
bsp; Lisa slapped her hand to her chest, drawing in a deep breath, her mouth gaping open. “It had better not be, missy.”

  “Missy?”

  “You heard me.” She did her best to feign shocked outrage, failing miserably as she started to giggle. “So, what’s this surprise?”

  Riley leaned in. “What would you say to a little beer, a little brats and a whole lot of music?”

  “I’d say, hell yeah.” Lisa punched the air.

  Riley took her by the hand, heading for the door. “Then I’d say, my dear, you’re in for a treat. Oktoberfest is just getting underway downtown so if we hurry, we can get there before all the good beer is gone.”

  “Believe me, I don’t need telling twice.” Even at the thought of it, Lisa felt her stomach growl.

  The trip across town seemed to last only minutes. Riley pulled her truck into a surface lot and paid the attendant who stared at the big four-by-four. Lisa laughed at his expression. “I bet you get those looks everywhere you drive.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “I’m not so sure about that but I can tell you even though I love my truck, it’s a real nightmare to park in the city. It won’t fit in a parking garage and you can forget about trying to parallel park this beast.”

  “Geez, Riley, you should have let me drive then. My car is a breeze in the city.”

  “What? Then I wouldn’t get to do this.” Riley reached across the center console and quickly ran her hand up Lisa’s thigh.

  Lisa let out a squeal, pushing Riley’s hand back, all the while laughing. “Riley, behave. We’re in public, someone might see us.”

  Riley leaned in, lifting her eyebrows suggestively. “Not in this truck they won’t. That’s one advantage to sitting up so high. No one can look in.”

  “Oh, so that’s the real reason you wanted to drive. You dirty old woman.”

  “You got it.”

  When she had first met Riley, Lisa thought it unlikely that she would be funny. Riley came across as a bit of a pedantic prat, all work and no play, but she really did have a great sense of humor. And the banter between them was effortless. She had only had that with one person before and that was Jessie. Although these two women in her life were both very different, they seemed to share the same joie de vivre, the same zest for life. But as she looked over at Riley, looked into her eyes, saw her smile, heard the low musical laughter coming from her lips, she grew pensive again. She just wished she hadn’t had to lose one to meet the other.

  Before it could ruin the evening she swallowed and did her best to push the thought away. “So, if I remember right, I was promised beer, brats and music.”

  “And so you were.” Riley kicked open her door but not before one last playful grope up Lisa’s thigh. “Shall we then?”

  The first stop they made was for brats. Lisa shoveled chili, cheese, onions, sauerkraut and mustard onto her bratwurst while Riley stared open-mouthed in horror. “Oh my God, Lisa, I can’t believe you’re going to eat all that.” She glanced down at her own bratwurst with only a thin ribbon of ketchup adorning it.

  “What?” Lisa worked hard to keep the mountain of condiments from toppling off her brat. “This is a thing of beauty. You need to live a little, Riley.”

  Riley opened her eyes wide. “That’s what I’m trying to do—live.” She nodded to the brat in Lisa’s hand. “That is a heart attack waiting to happen. You’re going to end up in the hospital.”

  “Bah.” Lisa shrugged off Riley and took a huge bite, the combination of flavors a delicious assault on her senses. This was what brats were all about—each one an experience. As her eyes began to water and her nose began to burn, she realized she might have overdone it. However, just seeing the look of shock on Riley’s face made it all worth it.

  After they polished off their food they grabbed tall glasses of beer and wandered their way through the crowd toward the live band on stage. Having found the ideal spot, Riley threw her arm around Lisa and pulled her in close. “So, does this fulfill any of the things on your Anti-Bucket list?”

  Lisa thought for a minute. She hadn’t given her Anti-Bucket list much thought lately. Since they had been together each night she hadn’t had much time to think about it. Finally, with a wide smile curling her lips, she turned to face Riley, wrapping her free arm around her back and beginning to sway to the beat of the music. “Hmmmm, I’d have to say this will do nicely for number sixty-seven—dance like no one’s watching.”

  Riley took a step forward until their hips touched. They began to sway in unison. “Mmmmm, I think I like this one.”

  Lisa bit her lip. The rhythmic pressure from Riley’s thigh pressed against her center sent hot, pulsing waves through her body. It was all she could do to stand. “Uh huh. Me too, Riley. Me too.”

  * * *

  Riley pulled into Lisa’s driveway, surprised to see she wasn’t home. When they had talked at lunchtime, Lisa had told her to swing over right after work. She had something special planned for dinner. Now she was just staring at an empty driveway. Since there was no point just sitting in her truck, she might as well let herself in. They had both exchanged keys.

  Ten minutes later, the side door opened and Lisa walked in. Riley looked up quickly, grinning from ear to ear, Breslin in her lap. She noticed something was wrong immediately. Lisa’s eyes were red and puffy and her shoulders were slumped. Lisa looked up tentatively, her chin quivering. She looked as if she might collapse. Riley jumped up spilling Breslin to the floor and raced across the room. “Babe, what’s wrong? What happened?”

  Lisa shook her head, not quite meeting Riley’s eyes. Tears sprang fast and hard, pouring down her cheeks. Riley wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in tight, patting her back as Lisa sobbed against her shoulder. “Shhhh, shhhh, it will be all right.” Even as she said it, she wanted to smack herself. This was not her strong suit.

  After ten minutes holding Lisa in her arms, Lisa’s sobs began to subside. Riley helped her across the room to the kitchen chairs, one shaky foot at a time. She sat down across from her and scooted her chair in, leaning forward and grasping Lisa’s hand in her own. Lisa looked off to the side, her eyelids fluttering as a small stream of tears still flowed. “I’m sorry, I…” She swallowed hard and again shook her head, still avoiding Riley’s eyes.

  “Hey, it’s okay.” Riley reached up and turned Lisa’s face gently until her eyes met, brushing away the tears with her thumbs. “Just tell me what’s going on. Everything was fine when we talked at lunch.”

  Lisa took a deep breath and slowly blew it out through her lips. “Yeah, it was. It wasn’t until after school that everything went to shit. There’s this little girl at our school, Alicia, who had acute myeloid leukemia. She was in my class last year, just the biggest sweetheart imaginable, bright blue eyes, freckles, just an itty-bitty little thing. You couldn’t ask for a nicer kid. She had been in remission but earlier this summer, she relapsed but we all thought she was doing much better recently. We even had a fundraiser for her a month ago. She was there, all smiles. But apparently she took a turn for the worse last week and passed away just before noon today. The principal came around to let us all know.” At that, Lisa welled up again and her lip quivered.

  Riley pulled her in tight again, slowly stroking the back of Lisa’s head as she buried her face against her. Lisa’s chest heaved as she sobbed in Riley’s arms. She didn’t know what to say. Anything she came up with would only be hollow, meaningless.

  Lisa pulled back and stomped her foot hard against the tile floor. “It’s not fair. It’s just not fair.”

  “I know.” Riley slowly nodded. From her experience, most times death wasn’t fair. She couldn’t count the number of victims—women, children, the elderly—that had passed through her lab, most having lost their life due to violence, abuse or neglect. Yet others, like Deana, went unaccounted for, leaving their friends and family to wonder. That more than anything drove her—those unanswered questions. What happened to Deana? Where was she now? Would she
ever be found? Not a day went by she didn’t think of her, ponder what might have been… The one thing her job had taught her above all else—death was rarely fair.

  * * *

  Lisa lay awake, listening to Riley snore softly beside her. Breslin had curled up at Riley’s feet. She smiled sadly in the light cast through the window from the full moon. She didn’t know what she would have done without Riley to come home to. That’s all she could think about as she drove home—Riley will be there, Riley will be there. And she was. Without really saying anything Riley had simply held her, comforting her. And that’s what she needed—that physical touch, that tactile reassurance that life did go on. She didn’t really have that after Jessie died. Of course she had her friends and their support but she really missed that deep intimate closeness that soothed grief like nothing else could. Riley had been there in more ways than she had even thought possible.

  In the ten odd years she had been teaching, Alicia wasn’t the first student or former student that she had lost. Her first year on the job she had lost a little boy, Devon, to a car accident. Since then, she had lost two others—Jenny, a bright and lively girl had drowned in a pond behind her grandparents’ house and Michael, a former student of hers, had died in a fire with his parents and two siblings. She better than anyone knew death was a part of life. Look at Jessie—healthy and full of life then a few months later, gone. Maybe if she didn’t become so attached to her students it wouldn’t hurt so much. Every time she lost one, it felt…it felt… An image flashed into her head—the ten of swords that Riley had gotten during her reading with Skye. That was exactly what it felt like, lying face down with ten swords piercing her back, powerless and helpless. She didn’t want to do anything but crawl into a deep, dark hole and shut out the world.

  Lisa jumped as Riley let out a resonating snore in the still darkness and mumbled incoherently before rolling over and falling back asleep. That at least gave her something to smile about. She had Riley. And with that thought she leaned over and tenderly kissed her on her forehead. “Good night, my love.” Even lying flat on the ground with swords sticking out of her back, she had Riley.