A Certain Intimacy

by Blythe Stone

  They always sleep together. If they didn’t sleep together Olivia would wonder if something was wrong. And nothing was wrong, not really. But Natalie ached to be touched by her and, despite the distance and all the time, that feeling wasn’t going anywhere, it wasn’t going away.

  When the girls back into the backseat of Nat’s car, the energy had entirely elevated. There was no more dancing around. Iris and Nat were both interested in something more intimate. Darkness was everywhere. The dull strip lights that lined the floor and the sides of the cieling, all that did was set a mood for how sexy this suddenly was. For both of them.

  “Come ‘ere,” Nat urged, nodding her head to the side and waving the fingers on one of her hands to get Iris to come closer to her. Iris had been sitting beside her but there was too much distance. Nat wasn’t about that.

  In the dark of the empty cabin they had the alone time they both craved. Nervous, Nat hated to waste even a second. As Iris slid over, closer, Nat turned inward and propped her arm up to receive. Sly as ever, she slipped her left hand down onto Iris’s inner thigh and lightly groped the more sensitive skin.

  “So,” Nat breathed carefully, moving Iris's blanket of hair back behind her shoulder and away from her face. “How long has it been?” Was she like her? Nat wondered. Was it a couple of weeks? A day?

  “Over a year,” Iris whispered. The soft silky tone in her voice pet the starved receptors inside Natalie. A voice could be so powerful. Sexy.

  Iris stroked the back of Nat’s hand, grazing the knuckles that were close to her most intimate area. As predicted, Iris was a little shy.

  Nat felt it out, still giving her attention. “Who was the last?”

  “My ex,” Iris said. “Ellie, but it was after we broke up.”

  “Good or bad,” Nat wondered. She lowered her forehead down onto Iris's temple and breathed her in, slow.

  “Bittersweet,” Iris whispered.

  Iris turned her head so they were facing one another and so close. Close enough to kiss, if they moved forward a few inches.

  Nat stared openly. Her hand turned in Iris's lap. She entwined their fingers.

  “What about you?” Iris asked.

  “Couple months,” Nat said. “Probably the longest I've gone in a long time. I'd been trying to stop losing myself in other people. It seemed the easiest way to get over Olivia. But it obviously wasn't working.”

  “Who was that?” Iris asked.

  “The last person?”

  Nat had to think about it. It wasn't etched in her memory like the thought of Olivia's exposed midriff the other night on their final dinner date. Truth was, the random sexual encounter didn’t matter. And, to Nat, that was sad.

  “Yes, the last person,” Iris replied

  “A waitress,” Nat remembered. It’d been a good day.

  Iris dipped forward like she was going to kiss Nat but she stopped and pulled back a little.

  Nat held her breath, her pulse sped. When Iris pulled back, a flash of panic invaded. After a second Nat broke into a smile. “You're so mean,” she breathed. “I'm starting to think you asked me out just to torture me.”

  Iris had been teasing her, trying to find her buttons, her limits. It was a purposeful game.

  “No, I asked you out because I couldn’t help but want to talk to you more. You’re definitely above my level,” Iris said.

  “Ahhh,” Nat stretched the sound. “In what way?”

  “I don’t know. You just are,” Iris answered.

  “I'm not so sure of that,” Nat said, leaning close to her neck again just to smell her skin. “How do you know you're not above my level?”

  “It was an ignorant thing to say. Levels are like labels. I guess I knew better but it just came out,” Iris answered.

  “You're really sexy,” Nat whispered. The nape of her neck was practically calling to her, begging her.

  “Thank you, so are you. In a major way,” Iris responded.

  She didn’t move away but Iris looked out the window and sighed.

  “This car needs to hurry up. I’m not sure I can keep from touching you,” she said.

  “Why wait?” Nat baited. It never even occurred to her that they would need to wait.

  “The driver,” Iris said.

  Iris's neck sat before Nat. It was right there and it was tempting, calling out. Nat leaned in and licked the perfect skin. It was too much to wait for. Temptation was meant to be acted on.

  “Mmm, okay… evil,” Iris whispered breathily.

  She put one hand on Nat's jawline, just below her ear, splaying her fingers and pulling Nat in for a forceful kiss.

  “mmMMM!” Nat groaned, feeling the urge inside to push onto Iris and tug at her shirt with her fist. The urge was there but she decided to hold back. They'd be at her place soon and Iris was right, that would be a better environment. No picking up clothes hurriedly off the floor of her car.

  “Why'd you stop? Are we close?”

  “Gettin’ there, yeah,” Nat sighed, flipping her hair over. She was already love-drunk.

  Iris scooted, so she was even closer, any closer and she’d be directly on Nat's lap.

  “Fuck,” Nat said, staring down at Iris's chest and her body. She rubbed Iris’s thigh generously and felt the need inside to go further with her, slip her hand in tight and really grope her where it mattered.

  “I can't wait to see your place,” Iris teased.

  Nat laughed, a little breathless. “Yeah, I'm sure the decorating choices have you rapt.” The car turned into the building entrance and stopped right in front of the main entryway. “Okay, we need to get out, now,” Nat laughed, pushing Iris away.

  “If you insist,” Iris laughed.

  She scooted down the seat and opened the door to get out. When she was outside she turned and waited.

  Nat blushed on her way out. She slipped her hand into Iris's and tugged her to follow her back to the elevators past the security presence at the main desk.

  It was empty inside, quiet, and Nat was silent while the elevator came. “I do love this place,” Nat said, trying to fill up their time.

  “It's nice. Way better than the hotel they have me in,” Iris said.

  “I did sign for full nudity,” Nat disclosed. “I doubt they would’ve put me up here otherwise, or even cast me for that matter.”

  The elevator doors opened and they went inside. Nat hit the button for the top floor and then she punched in a code.

  “I heard it was because they wanted you in the first place,” Iris said. She couldn't help herself now. She openly stared at Nat’s body.

  “Could be true,” Nat said, leaning back on the wall as the elevator began to travel. “A lot of important people have been talking a lot about Arizona Heat. I got lucky.”

  Arizona Heat was a low budget film Nat had starred in for one of her older industry friends. A lot of making out in the abandoned desert, long quiet scenes, Natalie all tan and sad on the screen. A glorious excuse to shoot her natural beauty. Some of the reviews even noted, although the film obviously had one, with Nat staring, Arizona Heat didn’t exactly require a plot. Any excuse to stare at Natalie was universally regarded as a rare and precious treat.

  “I was on tour when that came out. I'll have to stream it when I have time. Stan said it was excellent though. You're actually one of the reasons he recommended this script. He knew you were attached to it.”

  “But you didn't know me,” Nat smiled. She tugged on the hem of Iris's black jeans to get her body to come much closer. Her fingers slipped inside and she could feel the fabric of Iris's smooth underwear.

  Iris grinned and let Nat pull her in. She bit her bottom lip and moved her eyes from Nat's lips to meet her gaze. Nat found her delicious.

  “I knew your name but not much else. I'm not one to pay attention to celebrity news.”

  Instead of looking away, Nat stared, indulged her senses. The gloss in Iris’s eyes attracted her, there was a softness but also an intensity.
/>   The door to the elevator opened but Nat didn't want to stop looking yet.

  “Are we going in or should I strip down right here,” Iris flirted.

  Nat rolled her eyes, completely frustrated. “Come on,” she said, walking off toward her apartment door.

  Iris ran to catch up and put her hands on Nat's waist. Nat used a code for the door, not a key.

  “It's really hot when you get frustrated,” Iris whispered in her ear.

  A rush of attraction trickled up Natalie's spine like the crawling of water going up her back from the ground.

  Nat unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning around to walk backwards and tempt her new pet.

  Iris followed her and shut the door after she entered. She looked around and raised an eyebrow.

  “Swanky.” Everything was new.

  Nat dropped her leftovers down on a side table and started to take her earrings and bracelets off. “Yeah, lil bit,” she laughed, amused. All buildings were temporary. She took her heels off and kept walking through the space. She wanted Iris to see everything, especially the rooftop deck. “Come on,” she said, taking a bottle of Japanese whiskey from off of the stocked bar to tempt her.

  “I'm not dreaming this right?” Iris joked.

  She followed Nat and waited to see what was next. Nat didn’t trouble with lights, she had auto settings and she liked when things were dim.

  When they got outside Nat sat down on a lounge chair near the water and struggled to open the bottle of whiskey with both of her hands. “You're not dreaming,” she said. The bottle made a pop sound and Nat looked up at Iris while she drank some from the thick glass rim. She wanted to be attractive to her but she never knew what really did it with people. Why did they always want her so much? Her mind shifted to Avery, Olivia’s wife, and how she would gaze at her like she was in love.

  Was it her eyes? Her face? Maybe it was her body, like her agents always said.

  When she pulled the bottle away from her lips she gasped to find air. She knew that was hot. People loved this. She’d been specifically asked to breathe like this on multiple sets.

  “Easy,” Iris said, sitting close to her and staring down. “Can I try?”

  “Mhmm,” Nat nodded, handing the bottle over to her.

  Iris took the bottle and smelled the contents and then she took a mouthful, letting it sit on her tongue a moment before swallowing. She handed the bottle back and put her other hand on Nat’s thigh.

  “What are you thinking right now?” Iris asked.

  “I’m wondering what you like,” Nat breathed. She’d been trying to turn it on, her sex appeal, whatever that was.

  “Like, sex-wise or person-wise?” Iris asked.

  “Uh. Sure,” Nat laughed, confused. Normal things weren’t working with Iris. Most people would be touching her more by now. “But also what you like about me.”

  The wind blew and distracted Natalie.

  “I like that I couldn’t ignore you even though I tried. As soon as I saw you in the makeup trailer it was impossible. You’re beautiful but that’s not what got me. You just had this light shining around you and you made me more comfortable than anyone has in a long time,” Iris explained.

  Nat stared over at her, taking another sip of whiskey while she took the words in.

  “What about you? What do you like about me?” Iris wondered.

  Oh, where to begin, Nat thought.

  Nat put the top on the whiskey and set it down beside her feet on the newly set ground. She stood up and tugged the sleeves off of her jacket before dropping the coat down. Before her, Iris stared up at her and watched. Nat tugged the hem of her dress up and put her hands on Iris's shoulders as she straddled Iris’s small lap where she sat. “A lot of things,” Nat said, staring close now right into her eyes.

  “Name one,” Iris said, putting her hands on Nat’s hips.

  “You're mysterious,” Nat confessed. “Not many people can get me to wonder what's going on in here,” she touched at her head.

  “I’m not mysterious, just a little broken in a way,” Iris corrected.

  She pressed her lips to Nat’s chest and kissed her collar bone, letting her tongue peek out to softly lick her skin.

  Nat breathed heavily, already quite lost to her touch. The way Iris touched her reminded Nat of Olivia. It was surprisingly heavenly. Like the memories were real again, happening now.

  Iris continued to kiss around her neck and down to the swell of her breasts, grazing Nat’s sides with her hands. She kissed with reverence and touched like she was trying to take in every inch of her.

  The only sound was Nat's breathing, the light swash of the water against the poolside. Nat had sunk her fingers into Iris's hair. “Baby,” she breathed, staring down once she finally got herself together enough.

  “Yeah?” Iris paused.

  Nat just wanted to look in her eyes. Iris had beautiful eyes.

  The alcohol had hit and everything about this turn of events made Nat dizzy.

  “You feel amazing,” Nat breathed, a little overwhelmed by the moment. It felt good to be touched like this by a careful woman again.

  “Can I ask you a really important question?” Iris said.

  “Mhmm,” Nat nodded, wondering. Her eyes had glossed over. The moment had made her so serious again.

  “How long do you plan on being in this dress? I’d really like to see what’s underneath,” Iris said.

  She looked up at Nat with an innocent expression, her eyes giving away the reason she wanted to know.

  Nat laughed, all the air escaping her lungs so she couldn't chase it fast enough. It was dizzying, to be wanted again, by a woman like this.

  “Here,” Nat said, leaning back and undoing the zipper at her back.

  Iris slowly pulled each shoulder of the dress down and pulled until it sat at her waist. Then, she looked up again and met Nat’s eyes. Her hands slipped around and unclasped Nat’s bra, pulling it down and off her shoulders. Her eyes flicked down to take in what she uncovered.

  “Please don’t take this the wrong way but I might need you to put the dress back on because you’re going to kill me. I’m not sure I can take anymore without just exploding right here.”

  She grazed her fingertips over one of Nat’s nipples and watched it harden, licking her lips at the sight.

  “We can stop,” Nat smiled down, enjoying her.

  “Mmm, no, impossible,” Iris said. She leaned forward and kissed the nipple she’d just touched, taking her time to move around and learn the way, Nat’s arousal worked. She kept her touches light enough so she could hold back the urge to strip the rest of the dress off of Nat and touch all of her.

  Nat let her head fall back. Memories of perfect sex with Olivia flooded back to her. Iris had a gentle touch like her ex and she was also unpredictable, just the same. Nat tensed her hands in Iris's dark hair and tugged Iris's face in closer to her so she'd have to press harder: with her mouth, lips, and tongue against her skin.

  Iris kissed and sucked her way across to Nat’s other breast and gave it the same attention. Nat felt it ache deep down in her sex, all that wanting. The pressure and intensity increased in proportion to Nat’s grip in Iris’s hair. Nails scraped lightly down Nat’s sides and Iris tucked her fingers into the fabric of the dress on both sides. She tugged at it and slipped her hands around the back to cup Nat’s ass beneath the fabric.

  Nat breathed in sharply and squeezed Iris's head before loosening up and running her fingers through her hair.

  Iris looked up and watched Nat breathe for a moment before she kissed her chest again. She placed another kiss just above that one until she was up to Nat’s neck and then she pulled back a little.

  “What’s on your mind?” Iris asked.

  Nat wanted to be kissing her so she led Iris's head back and pushed her chin up with her thumbs.

  No more talking, Nat thought.

  Her tongue shoved deep into Iris’s mouth and she tasted her intentionally.
The body beneath her made her pulse. Iris kissed her back and her hands moved up to trail over Nat’s exposed form.

  “Shit,” Nat huffed, flipping her hair again and looking down into Iris's eyes. “You're really good at this,” Nat smiled. There wasn’t confusion or hesitation, more a precision to every thing that Iris did. Like each move had it’s exact purpose and each move was planned out.

  “You make it really easy,” Iris said.

  Her voice was a little lower and a little more hoarse. Iris reached up to cup Nat’s cheek.

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t know how inspiring the noises you make can be,” she explained.

  “Fuck,” Nat barely pinched out. “Your voice is so sexy.” It took everything in her to let Iris grope slow. Nat wanted the rush of it, the intensity. She missed how overwhelming it could be, to be touched by the right person.

  “You should hear me sing,” Iris teased.

  “I want to,” Nat said, listlessly. Light fingertips were causing her to dance inside, float in the air.

  “Do you also want to take your dress the rest of the way off so I can touch you?” Iris asked.

  “More than anything,” Nat breathed, she dipped forward and kissed Iris’s neck and her cheek.

  She got up off of her and let her dress slide down her legs.

  In the dark of the night she stood before her on the rooftop, in the slight breeze, and just stared.

  Iris reached out and locked eyes with Nat as she pulled the dress the rest of the way off. Nat stepped out of it.

  Close now, Nat cupped Iris's neck with her fingers and brushed her skin with her thumbs. It was nice to be in this role. The one being adored and not doing the adoring. Usually she'd be the one touching first, either that or it would be a war. People were too rough or too soft. No push and pull, no inbetween. This wasn’t that. This was a lot like Olivia.

  Iris leaned forward and kissed Nat’s stomach just above her navel and then got down from the lounge chair and onto her knees. Her hands came to rest on Nat’s hips and she hooked her fingers around Nat’s sexy underwear before pulling them down slowly, kissing the skin the fabric revealed until her lips met the divide in Nat’s folds.