by Liz McMullen
Thinking of her mother made her feel tired. “I think I’m going to turn in.”
Jodeci stood, gathering her notes and textbook.
“You don’t have to leave. I’m so tired I could fall asleep on the floor of Grand Central Station.”
Jodeci smiled softly. “I appreciate the gesture, but Violet has had more than enough time with Jennifer.” She glanced at her watch. “The last bus to Smith leaves soon.” She looked out the bay window toward the Blanchard bus stop. “I think I see them now.”
“You’re making that up.” Suzie went to the window to investigate, and sure enough, Violet and Jennifer were walking across the green on their way to the bus stop. “Well imagine that.”
They were a striking pair: Jennifer a voluptuous amazon of a woman and Violet slim and muscular. Both had the most gorgeous dark skin Desiree had ever seen. They’d make beautiful babies, if that was possible.
Desiree yawned, then tucked herself in. She barely heard Jodeci kiss Suzie good night. They’d figure it out at some point, though their cluelessness was kind of cute. Her last conscious thought was of an attic bursting with possibilities.
Chapter Five
Rosalie had been calling Desiree so often over the past week that Desiree turned down the volume on her answering machine. She kept the cordless phone beside her so she could check the Caller ID, a most blessed invention. She also had dozens of unanswered e-mails.
“You know,” Suzie said, “if you don’t pick up the phone soon, she’s going to show up on our doorstep.”
“It’s too early in the morning to deal with her. Besides, it’s Saturday,” Desiree replied, her pen in her mouth as she read for her British literature class.
“I can always have Jodeci help me schlep a bucket of water. You know, for prophylactic reasons.”
Desiree snorted. “You’ve been dying to use that particular word in a sentence.”
It took her three sonnets to completely get her roommate’s joke. Ah, the Wicked Witch. “I’m melting, melting…” she cried as she dramatically slipped off her bed onto the floor.
“Jesus Christ, Mary and Joseph.” Suzie clutched her chest.
Desiree lost it completely, laughing so hard she had to press her thighs together to suppress the urge to wet herself.
“Very funny, Des. I’m touched at your concern for my welfare. I think I lost at least five years this time.” She sprang from her seat to examine her face in the mirror. “If you give me premature wrinkles, I will never forgive you.”
Desiree wiped at the tears streaming down her flushed face. “I’ll buy you some wrinkle cream.” She was so slap happy that it took a great deal of self-control not to start rolling on the floor.
“You know something?” Suzie asked seriously.
Desiree was still gasping but managed to eke out a choked, “What?”
“You never laughed like this when you first came here. Actually, you didn’t break out your real smile until October.” Suzie grabbed a few tissues, then flopped down next her friend on the narrow single bed. She had always been a paragon of grace.
Desiree stopped laughing immediately as if some imaginary switch had been flipped. “It was that bad?”
“Yeah, it was, but don’t worry. No one noticed but me, and that wasn’t until Jodeci said something peculiar.”
Desiree’s face flamed and she turned her head to hide her embarrassment. She never liked to be the subject of this kind of conversation. “What did she say?”
“I don’t remember exactly, but she saw something sad behind your smiles.”
“How mortifying.” Desiree tensed and drew deeper inside herself.
“It’s not like that, and you know Jo isn’t like that.” Frustrated, she fussed with her short blond hair. It stuck up in all sorts of directions due to her jagged rocker haircut. “Jodeci is private, and she would never do anything to hurt you. Including gossip.”
“Telling you isn’t gossiping?”
“It was caring. She knows we’re friends and thought I could help you…I don’t know...smile. Like a for-real smile instead of the CoverGirl smile.” Suzie did her best model imitation, then fluttered her lashes.
“I have never in my entire life fluttered my lashes in such a…” Desiree pursed her lips as she thought of the right word. “Coquine manner.”
“Don’t you go all French on me now.”
Desiree batted her lashes. “I am French.”
“I knew it!”
“That I’m French?”
“No silly, that you flutter your eyelashes.”
Desiree’s smile was warm and genuine.
“This smile, that’s new. I’m glad to see it. Besides, what’s a coquine?” When Suzie pronounced it, it sounded like a fountain drink or an upper.
Desiree smirked. “Well…um, a tart.”
“A very fair assessment,” Jodeci murmured as she walked into the room without knocking, as she was wont to do. Desiree guessed it was her hope to catch either one of them in flagrante delicto, which would never happen. Desiree would barely take a look at herself naked, never mind be caught with her proverbial pants down.
Suzie hopped up to hug her friend. “I resemble that remark.”
Jodeci used her height advantage and lifted Suzie off her feet. Which made Desiree’s roommate giggle like a schoolgirl. Which made Desiree smile again.
“What’s the master of the universe up to today?” Desiree asked Jodeci.
“I told you, lass, I’m training to be a surgeon, not a crook.”
“Stockbroker,” Desiree corrected.
“Same thing,” Suzie and Jodeci said in unison.
“You two are absolutely disgusting. Go find a room!” Desiree demanded.
Jodeci’s smile fell. “It’s not like that.”
Desiree patted her shoulder. “I know, I’m just teasing you.” She packed her book bag, intent on studying at the library. The phone rang again. It was her mother. For once, she was glad Rosalie left her messages in French as if it was some secret code. Jodeci made a funny face at a particular turn of phrase.
“If I didn’t hear her for myself, I would have never believed it. Is she for real?”
“You speak French?”
“Amongst other things.” Jodeci flashed her trademark smile, sure to melt the panties of any lesbian within a four-block radius. Desiree was grateful she had some sort of kryptonite where Jodeci was concerned or else she would be utterly distracted.
Jodeci turned down the heat, exuding the calm Desiree appreciated. “She should know better than to order you around like an indentured servant. I’m sorry she speaks to you that way.”
“You and me both. I ignore her until Father calls. I prefer to speak to her through him.”
“I’m glad you have that option. Though I think you should call your father before Rosalie breaks a nail dialing your number.” Jodeci smiled enigmatically as if she had witnessed the tragic, yet well-deserved event.
“We wouldn’t want that,” Desiree replied as she hefted her book bag.
“What exactly do you have in there?” Jodeci wondered.
“My homework for the weekend. I need to hike it to the library like a Sherpa. I’ll drop it off at my carrel, then grab some food from Tailgate.”
“Pulling an all-dayer?” Suzie asked around the bobby pins in her mouth.
“Have to. I lose at least four hours a day if I eat in the dining halls, and I’d really like to go to the Grotto tonight.”
Suzie examined her punk hairdo in the mirror, apparently happy with its state of disarray. “Now that’s the spirit.”
“My thoughts exactly. See you later tonight?”
“That’s a distinct possibility, though I am not sure what time. We’re visiting Jennifer at work.”
“Now I’m jealous. What’s the occasion?”
“A brand spanking new litter of boxer puppies.” Suzie’s light eyes sparkled with delight.
“You don’t play fair.” Desiree was ready
to drop her book bag and hitch a ride. Maybe she could manage to wake up early tomorrow and go to the library when it opened. She bit her lip. This was a true dilemma. Jodeci’s next words cinched her decision.
“I don’t mind driving you back after a few hours. You could still get some studying in. Besides, Riley’s preparing brunch.”
Desiree grimaced.
“Riley’s not that bad,” Suzie protested.
“She is that bad, but I can put up with her for a few hours.”
Suzie fluffed Desiree’s loose brown curls. “Fresh air will be good for you. Besides, there’s one added bonus.”
“Which is?”
“If Rosalie and her bloodhounds show up, they’ll lose your scent once we take Jodeci’s car.”
“Sold, to the girl in the spiky blond hair.”
“Hurray!” Suzie, though short, managed to pick Desiree up and spin her.
Desiree hefted her boulder of a book bag and followed her friends out into the crisp fall morning.
Chapter Six
Magnum Kennel
Outskirts of Northampton, MA
The gravel crunched enthusiastically as Jodeci pulled into the driveway. Desiree smirked. She supposed that slowing down to avoid a Dukes of Hazard spray was a sign of restraint for her benefit rather than Suzie’s, who tended to like her bois bad and their rides even badder.
The barking of both the mama dog and mewling puppies greeted them before they opened the car doors. Desiree sucked in a breath when she took in Riley Adams’ property. The sprawling ranch-style house and the wood-hewn fence around the kennel proper were impressive in their simplicity. The house was white with black shutters and moss-green shingles, fresh from the box. Desiree’s eyes widened when she noticed a roofer working around the skylight. It wasn’t the precarious perch that grabbed her attention, but the long black hair that spilled down his back, held in place at the base of his neck in a thick ponytail.
Not the smartest hairstyle for construction work. Desiree knew from an experience she had last summer when she volunteered to repaint the rec room at the Boys & Girls Club in Holyoke. She had pulled her hair up in a high ponytail before she started to paint the bookshelves. It didn’t take long for her brown curls to spill forward and christen the white paint. She was grateful they were using water-based paint so it washed out. The paint didn’t go easy; it took three vigorous shampoo sessions. She had to scrape the stubborn holdouts with her nails.
The workman was tall and lean, and Desiree assumed he was a hippie who liked to keep his hair long. Though that ass seemed to be of the feminine variety. She felt a soft hand close her mouth, which she didn’t realize was hanging open. The implication made her blush to the roots of her brown hair.
“She is a sight to behold, but I didn’t think you were one to stare,” Jennifer spoke with calm elegance. She could make the McDonald’s menu sound gourmet. Her dark, nearly black eyes complemented her ebony locks, which rested just between her shoulder blades. Her brown skin was so lustrous and smooth Desiree had to mentally slap back her hand to prevent the rogue body part from caressing Jennifer’s skin of its own volition. Jennifer Organdy was a truly gorgeous woman.
Jennifer raised a sculpted black eyebrow, a teasing reminder that she was staring, again. “So sorry, Jennifer, but you simply must stop being so damned gorgeous all the time. It’s disconcerting.”
Jennifer’s chuckle was as smooth as water flowing down a stream. “You flatter me, though I’d argue that I am not the source of your distraction. Rowan’s fixing the flashing around the skylight. There was a leak during the last storm, and she was good enough to stop by.”
As if summoned by the sound of her name, the woman waved, then climbed down the ladder. In no time, she was standing beside Jennifer, introducing herself. “Hello, I’m Rowan Knight.” The woman paused and looked at Desiree as if she recognized her, but that couldn’t be the case. It was not possible for Desiree to forget someone as striking as Rowan.
“I didn’t know Riley was having guests. Though I can guess why you’re here.”
Desiree blushed even deeper at what she interpreted as a double entendre. “We’re here to see the puppies,” she blurted out.
“Thought so. They were nursing the last time I looked, so they should be fat bellied and napping.” Rowan’s defined jawline and angular features were softened by blue, nearly black eyes. They were soulful, and Desiree could sense the depth that lay just beneath the surface. The low ponytail let her strong black Irish looks speak for themselves. Her orange soft tee was threadbare, a light sweat rendering it nearly translucent. She was very underdressed for the cool autumn day. Desiree’s eyes traced a drop of sweat that trickled down her neck.
At six feet, Rowan was taller than most. Her tight jeans showcased well-muscled thighs. Rowan was in a word, potent. She seemed blissfully unaware of the effect she was having on Desiree, though Desiree couldn’t imagine how it was possible to miss it. She felt a pinch on the back of her arm, so she looked behind her. The brief twinge was Suzie’s way of coming to the rescue.
“Jodeci, help me get my truck packed up.” There was an edge to Rowan’s request. The look Rowan gave Jodeci was hard to decipher. One thing was for sure. She didn’t look pleased.
Suzie took Desiree by the hand. “Let’s go see those sweet little puppies…oh, I can’t wait to rub their cute fat bellies. Come on, Desiree, before Riley and Jennifer can hog the cutest ones.” Desiree let herself be steered away. Once they were out of earshot Suzie let her have it. “You just crammed ten years of puberty into one intense eye fucking session.”
The blunt language made Desiree cringe.
“Don’t get prissy on me, you nearly stripped her bare and had her right there on the gravel path. Which would have been seriously uncomfortable for her and would have definitely left a mark.”
Desiree looked at her friend with wide eyes that said, “Keep your voice down.”
“Nope, I’m not letting you off so easy.” She pulled her friend in for a brief hug. Suzie paused a moment. When she continued, her volume was turned down a notch. “Okay, maybe I will, but what gives?”
“I have no idea.” And Desiree really didn’t. The one thing she did know was that she had to steer clear from tall, dark, and handsome. Women that good-looking were bad news, and she couldn’t afford any complications in her life right now. Keeping her mother at bay was hard enough work. “Just a bit starstruck for a moment. I didn’t think Jodeci had any competition of the dark sexy butch variety.”
“No kidding, though I am surprised you’ve never met Rowan before. Jodeci was pretty sure you guys were in the same philosophy class.” Suzie’s expression said that she not only ate the canary, but she knew one particular bird would be around for their visit.
“You didn’t.” Desiree loathed being set up. She should have known something was off when Jodeci was all zip-a-dee-doo-dah on a Saturday morning.
Suzie winked at her friend, then picked up her pace and opened the door to the kennel.
“All the more reason to steer clear. She can’t have been in my philosophy class. There are only fourteen people in that seminar.” Desiree bit the side of her tongue, trying to figure out which class they were supposed to share. Her sex and politics class was in Hooker Auditorium, and she could have missed her in the masses. “Don’t think too hard. You’re already running low on brain cells,” Suzie teased her, then crossed her eyes in a way that had to be painful.
Desiree laughed. She couldn’t help herself.
“Thank God! My eye muscles were starting to ache.” Suzie blinked a few times, trying to soothe them. She rested her hand on Desiree’s forearm. “Honey, you need more in your life than paper cuts and a perfect GPA.”
Desiree knew her friend was right, but she couldn’t take the risk. She needed to carve out a life of her own, away from her mother and the Chevalier family expectations. If she wanted to be her own woman, she had to land a good job after graduation and earn enough money to
cover rent. That wasn’t going to happen if she lived off Chevalier money. There were too many strings attached to every zero and comma.
The abrupt sound of a truck door slamming jarred Desiree’s attention from her dark thoughts. The rush she felt just looking at Rowan was enough to send her running for the hills, yet the fact that Rowan was forbidden fruit made her want the woman more. Dating someone who shared the same classes was a bad idea. Things became awkward after the predictable breakups. She didn’t need that kind of drama in her life.
Then again, it was safe to want something so forbidden. Fantasies couldn’t hurt you, or break your heart. She was drawn from her maudlin thoughts by a completely adorable swarm of boxer puppies.
She knelt down to get up close and personal to the pocket-sized distractions. Desiree giggled as they licked and nipped at her fingers. “Uh, uh, uh. Gentle.” She sat down completely and took hold of what must have been the runt of the litter. His fur was silky soft, and he flipped over in her lap to bare his plump, warm tummy, which Desiree dutifully rubbed, eliciting the most endearing baby Chewbacca sounds. “Aren’t you a sweet boy, yes you are, you are a sweet boy.”
“Ah, you met T-rex. He has a way with the ladies,” Rowan spoke softly, but she startled Desiree all the same, jostling the sleeping beauty on her lap.
“Would you mind if I join you?” Rowan asked, sensing her discomfort.
Desiree’s mouth was open for a while before actual words formed. “Of course.”
Rowan managed to smoothly join her without the usual grunt following a rapid acquaintance with gravity. T-rex opened his dark eyes and promptly mutinied, choosing the sexy stranger’s lap over her own. Rowan picked up the puppy, whispering something in his ear as she nuzzled his fur.
Desiree was charmed and wished she was that small puppy because then she could stare the way she wanted to without appearing rude or easy. Her cell phone interrupted her musing. The puppy stared briefly at the offending object before resuming his dreamy adoration of Rowan.