by Julie Cannon
“So why are you still around?” Victoria’s question was simple.
“Because I like her. I mean really like her. I don’t think I’ve ever liked a woman before.”
“Elliott, you’ve only ever been interested in getting into a woman’s pants, not her head. Who is this goddess, anyway?”
“It’s Lauren Collier.”
“The woman you met at the Mayor’s Award?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not hearing why there’s a problem,” Victoria said.
Elliott drew a deep breath. “She’s straight.”
“What? You’re kidding!”
“I wish I were.”
“Holy shit. I never would have guessed that. Start from the beginning,” Victoria commanded, “and don’t leave anything out.”
Elliott did start at the beginning and concluded her story with Lauren’s phone ultimatum. “She’s made it very clear that the next move is mine. Hell, every move has had to be mine. She doesn’t even call me.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “She’s different from any woman I’ve ever met, Vic. She’s warm and witty and extremely intelligent. She challenges me and makes me think about things I’ve never even thought of before. She’s not interested in my money. She’s honest, has a respectable job, and is a mentor to a teenager. She’s not self-centered and I don’t think she has a clue as to how beautiful she is. She is the first real woman I’ve met in I don’t know how long.”
“It sounds like you’ve been getting to know Lauren for who she is, not what she is. Stop and think about it, Elliott. Don’t make this wrong just because it’s different. It could be quite wonderful.”
“I know.”
“Then what’s the problem? So far she doesn’t sound very straight to me, so it can’t be that.”
Elliott looked at her like that was the fifty-thousand-dollar question. “I really don’t know what’s going on.” She rose from the couch and walked over to the window. “I want to take that step, but every time I come close, I can’t go through with it.”
“What are you afraid of?” Victoria asked.
Elliott sighed with frustration. Struggling with a business problem was never this difficult. “I’m not sure. I suppose I don’t feel I have the right to begin something…to make promises. You know me. I don’t do commitment. If I started something with her that’s what she would expect, and I wouldn’t want to let her down…”
“So you don’t trust yourself in any situation except a one-night stand?”
“That’s harsh.” Elliott had a thought. “Maybe I’m afraid of another Rebecca.”
Victoria studied her quizzically. “Elliott, Rebecca wasn’t a relationship, she was a fling. Are you saying Lauren is a similar kind of woman?”
“No. God, no!” The illogic of that thinking struck her forcibly. She fell back on her standard position. “Vic, I guess I’m just being realistic about who I am. There are far too many interesting women in the world for me to settle down with just one.” However, she immediately thought of Lauren. Could there be anyone more interesting than Lauren?
“Come on, Elliott. Are you that shallow?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re what now, thirty-six, thirty-seven? Christ, that’s almost forty. The babes dry up when you dry up.”
“Jesus, you make me sound like I’m on the verge of becoming a dried-up old prune.” She didn’t take offense; she’d always relied on Victoria to be real with her. Maybe not this real.
Victoria wasn’t finished. “Elliott, what do you see in the mirror every morning?”
“What are you driving at?” She knew Victoria cared about her, and there was sense in what she was saying, but she was fed up with defending herself.
“Who are you, Elliott? I don’t mean Elliott the CEO or Elliott the rich girl who donates millions to charity or even the one who gets all the girls. I’m talking about Elliott the woman. Who is she?” Elliott didn’t answer. “I’ll tell you who she is. She’s someone who is afraid. Afraid to get too close to anyone, especially a woman, for fear that she may start to have feelings for her and have to trust her. She hides behind her job and uses her money to make people happy when she should be using her wit, intelligence, and personality. But no, that’s too personal, and she’d never get personal.”
“What in the fuck is going on here?” Elliott demanded, at her limit now. “I’m the same person I was yesterday and the day before and the day before that. Now all of a sudden I’m shallow and a slut? And let’s not forget about being a coward.” She paused and forced herself to speak more calmly. “Well, let me tell you something. I’ve been on national TV, stood up in front of thousands of people and talked for hours without any notes, brokered millions of dollars of deals and invested billions of dollars of other people’s money. Trust me, Victoria, I am not afraid.”
“But have you ever said ‘I love you’ to a woman?” Victoria spoke quietly and calmly.
Elliott’s stomach dropped to the floor. Victoria had described her better than she could herself, and it took the words of her oldest friend to see it when she herself could not. A soft, warm hand covered hers.
“El, you know I love you more than anyone on the face of the earth. Yes, you are the same person you were yesterday and the day before and the day before that. And that’s what’s so sad. You can’t let yourself go so you can grow as a human being, as a woman. You need to change that, Elliott, or you’re gonna be alone the rest of your life.
“You’ve met someone special. She’s not just another plaything you can use and throw away, and you know it. Please, El, do yourself a favor. Don’t blow this.”
Chapter Fourteen
Elliott’s hand shook as she rang the bell. She and Victoria had talked well into the night and she’d finally collapsed in her friend’s guest room. After a breakfast of muffins and coffee Elliott had driven home, taken a hot bath, and fallen asleep under the cool covers. She woke refreshed and certain of her next move. Okay, almost certain.
Lauren was not expecting anyone as she looked through the security peephole in her front door. Elliott? She opened the door.
“Hi.” Why can’t I ever think of something else to say? Elliott shifted her weight from foot to foot. “I know I didn’t call. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“No, not at all. Please come in.” Lauren opened the door wider to allow Elliott to enter.
Elliott passed across the threshold. “Thanks.” She stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face Lauren. “I…” She did not get a chance to finish.
“Ms. Foster!” Tonya was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, her wavy chestnut hair loosely drawn into a ponytail.
“Tonya, hi. It’s good to see you again.” Elliott felt foolish for not calling first. She turned back toward Lauren. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company. I don’t want to interrupt your time together.”
Lauren put her hand out and stopped Elliott from moving back to the door. “You’re not disturbing anything. As a matter of fact, we were just talking about you. Tonya was hoping she could talk to you again. Would you stay and have dinner with us?”
“Dinner?” Elliott was trying her best to shift her focus from her original mission to this new chain of events.
“Yeah, you know. The meal you eat in the evening, typically followed by a decadent dessert.” Tonya chuckled at Lauren’s light teasing. “Please. You’re not interrupting anything. We’d love to have you.” Lauren drew Elliott toward the other room. “We were just getting started in the kitchen.”
After a few steps Elliott recovered and felt like her old self; as a matter of fact, she felt a little giddy. “You can cook too?”
“I have many hidden talents.”
Elliott’s eyes scanned Lauren’s body from head to toe, stopping for a long time at her breasts. “I can’t wait to find out,” she said huskily.
Lauren stared at her intently.
“You heard me right,” Elliott said, with a dangero
us gleam in her eyes. “Let’s go, I’m starved.”
Dinner was delicious. The conversation was dominated by Tonya and Elliott, and Lauren was thrilled that they were getting along so well. It would be a difficult situation if Elliott did not respect her involvement with Tonya or if Tonya didn’t like Elliott. Thankfully, it appeared she had no need to worry.
After dinner, Lauren and Elliott cleaned up the kitchen while Tonya finished some homework. They adjourned to the deck with a bottle of wine after Tonya settled in for the night. Facing the ocean, their hands on the rail, they were quiet for a moment. The glow of the full moon created a softness to Lauren’s face that took Elliott’s breath away.
“Lauren?” Elliott slowly bent her head to kiss the lips that had been tantalizing her for weeks. She stopped a fraction of an inch from touching them.
“Yes.” Lauren’s blood raced and her stomach did a flip. Elliott’s lips were a scant hairsbreadth away from hers. All she needed to do was close the gap, but she waited for Elliott to make that choice.
“Come here.” Elliott drew Lauren into her arms and lowered
her head the remaining distance to take her lips. The kiss felt
different this time, and by the way Lauren responded, she noticed as well.
After several moments, Lauren drew back to look into Elliott’s eyes. It was all she could do to drag her eyes from the mouth that had just rocked her world. “What are you doing?”
“Kissing you. Some people even go so far as to call it foreplay.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely,” Elliott answered firmly. They kissed for several minutes until Elliott reluctantly drew back. She leaned so that their foreheads were touching as they both struggled for breath. “However, as much as I’d like to continue this, you have a houseguest. I’d better go while I still can.”
Lauren’s heart soared at the knowledge that Elliott wouldn’t be able to leave her if they continued. Her arousal was so intense that her panties were already wet in anticipation, and she clung to Elliott for support. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she remarked, “Timing sucks.”
Elliott smiled and kissed her again. This time she intentionally kept it brief because if she kissed her too long, she knew there would be no stopping until she kissed every square inch of the body that haunted her thoughts. “Anything good is worth waiting for.”
“You’re implying that you would be good.” Lauren had missed their sexual banter and was enjoying it now.
“I promise to be on my best behavior.” Elliott held Lauren with her hands on her waist.
Lauren gazed hungrily at her lips. “It’s not your best behavior I’m interested in.” They moved into a deeper, longer kiss. Lauren felt Elliott’s hands move across her back in a sensual dance.
She trailed hot, wet kisses across Lauren’s face, stopping to nibble on a delectable earlobe. Lauren gasped her pleasure and tightened her grip in Elliott’s hair as her breasts were claimed and Elliott kissed her exposed neck. Through muffled sounds Lauren called her name and her passion ignited. Lauren shuddered at the touch and would have fallen if she were not leaning on the deck rail. She could barely breathe due to the overwhelming sensations she was experiencing in Elliott’s arms. She arched her back so that her breasts filled Elliott’s hands more fully and moaned her pleasure. Removing her hands from Elliott’s hair, she reached behind herself to pull her T-shirt over her head. I need to feel your lips on me.
Elliott gloried in the feel of this woman’s breasts in her hands, and her fingers closed around two pert nipples. Oh God, she feels wonderful! She didn’t know what brought her back to reality, but she slid her hands from under the shirt to cover Lauren’s, stopping her movement. At the same time she ceased kissing the soft, smooth skin and raised her head.
The look of hunger in Elliott’s eyes shot right between Lauren’s legs. Her clitoris throbbed and begged to be touched, and her breath stopped in her throat. She wondered if Elliott had again changed her mind.
Elliott read the look in her eyes and softly kissed her. “No, I’m not backing out. On the contrary, I want you so badly I can hardly think straight. But you have company, and when I make love to you I want you all to myself.”
Lauren didn’t know that she could become more aroused than she was at that moment, but Elliott’s words took her to a place she had never been before. She was incapable of speech. Elliott gently took her hand and walked with her through the house to the front door. As she opened it, she turned and placed a quick kiss on Lauren’s cheek. This time when she said good night and closed the door, Lauren knew she’d be back.
*
The familiar scent filled Elliott’s nose as Lauren passed her. “You look great.” Actually, you look fabulous.
Lauren was wearing navy pants and a white long-sleeve oxford shirt with a button-down collar. Her brown loafers matched her belt and there was a clip at the base of her neck holding her hair away from her face.
“Thanks.” She suddenly felt her nerves settle and she was amazingly calm. She had been a wreck ever since Elliott called and invited her to her house for dinner.
Elliott was so wound up she could barely eat, let alone enjoy the taste of the cuisine catered by one of the finest restaurants in the city. When Lauren smiled at her, she dropped her fork and mumbled an embarrassed apology. Her uncertainty about where the evening would lead overruled her confidence. Dinner was often a prelude to sex, and on some occasions was an irritating barrier to her ultimate goal. Tonight, however, was different. She wasn’t sure she wanted the meal to end, yet she couldn’t wait.
The more nervous Elliott was, the calmer Lauren became. It was almost comical to watch Elliott struggle through the evening when she had always been so polished and sophisticated.
At the conclusion of the meal Lauren offered to help clear the table.
“No, that’s not necessary. Ruth will come in tomorrow and clean things up.”
“Ruth?”
“My housekeeper,” Elliott clarified. “Actually, she’s more of a family fixture than a maid. She’s worked for my family for probably twenty-five years. I can’t eat carrots without remembering Ruth threatening that if I didn’t eat them I’d have to wear glasses.”
They took a bottle of wine out onto the deck and pulled two patio chairs together, then sank into the plush cushions. The air was cool and the night was clear. Thousands of stars twinkled like tiny diamonds overhead. Neighboring houses were far enough away to be specks of light to her left and right. Elliott handed Lauren a glass of merlot and set the bottle down on the table between them. The warm wine relaxed her, and she leaned her head back to gaze at the sky. Beside her, Elliott fidgeted and Lauren wondered if she had changed her mind about the direction of their relationship. She had barely looked at her all evening and had not made any move to touch her. The evening certainly had not picked up where they last left off.
“Elliott, is there something bothering you?”
Elliott was silent briefly, perched on the brink of what felt like free fall, then she inhaled deeply and made the dive. “If I don’t touch you soon, I’m going to explode.”
Lauren put her glass on the table. Her heart was beating double time and her breathing was shallow, but she was amazingly calm. “Then do.”
Elliott reached out and touched Lauren’s face softly. Her fingers traced the lips that were inviting her, and the expression in Lauren’s eyes took her breath away. She released the clip that held Lauren’s hair. Strands fell through her fingers like bands of soft gold. Elliott pulled her forward and kissed her tenderly. The kiss continued in its sweetness despite Elliott’s body commanding her to ravish the woman in her arms. She wanted to savor this moment, and she found that she couldn’t get enough of the soft lips responding to hers. Lauren’s arms encircled her neck and she simultaneously pushed Elliott back against the railing. The aggressive move ignited her passion beyond the bounds of restraint.
Without a word, she took Lauren�
�s hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom. She stopped just inside the room and kissed her again. Lauren’s lips were eager and nibbled a response. Before she totally lost control, Elliott pulled away and turned on the light next to the bed. A soft glow bathed the room. “Is this okay?”
Lauren swallowed the lump in her throat. “Yes.”
“Are you scared?”
God, I can hardly breathe. “Yes and no. But I’m with you, and I want you.”
Elliott’s eyes hungrily searched Lauren’s face as she gently cupped her chin. “You are so beautiful.”
As their lips met, Lauren wrapped her arms around Elliott’s neck and their tongues began the dance of desire. She was unsure which one of them moaned, because she was totally focused on the consuming kiss. She needed to feel Elliott’s lips on her body and reluctantly pulled away, signaling her desire.
Elliott’s lips moved over the fine skin. She kissed her way to the opening of Lauren’s shirt, moving her hands slowly from caressing her back to cupping her breasts. Lauren moaned at the contact, and Elliott continued her kisses and slowly began to unbutton the shirt. As she opened each button, she kissed the exposed skin on the taut stomach, feeling the muscles quiver under her lips. She kissed her way back up to Lauren’s neck and nibbled on a shoulder now bared as the shirt fell to the floor. Lauren’s breasts were still hidden by her bra, and Elliott traced her tongue along the silky perimeter, returning to kiss Lauren’s lips as she opened the front clasp of her bra. Lauren swayed into Elliott as her breasts were freed and spilled into Elliott’s hands.
Lauren was almost overcome with pleasure and her knees turned weak as Elliott took a nipple into her mouth. God, the last time you were in this position you said something that threw cold water on this passion. Don’t say a word. She quickly pulled Elliott’s shirt out of her pants. When she reached under the material, Elliott jumped, and the response to her touch made Lauren’s heart soar. She explored the hard, smooth flesh with both hands and Elliott moved away from her slightly, an instant before the snap on her pants opened.