French Kissing: Season Two
Page 26
“For the last time,” she inquired, “can everyone stand behind this two hundred percent? A hundred percent commitment is not enough in this case.”
“You were there when my father gave his approval, Stéphanie,” Dominique said.
“Your mother must be a sorceress or something,” Steph replied. “What she gets that man to do.”
“If you only knew the things she has done for him.” Dominique pinned her eyes on Steph. “Every relationship is give and take.”
“Yeah right,” Steph quipped, and considered how much Dominique loved to give. She looked at Juliette who sat next to her, coming across highly distracted. “Everything cool, Jules?” Steph elbowed her in the upper arm gently. “This was your grand idea, remember?”
“Yes.” She glanced at Dominique. “Nadia and I would like to invite you and your children to ours some time, Dominique,” she said, out of the blue.
Steph exchanged a glance with Claire, who rolled her eyes.
“Oh,” Dominique probably hadn’t expected that invitation. “Sure. If you have an Xbox they’ll be good as gold.”
Steph wisely didn’t inquire any further. She knew Juliette had visited her father the day before, but she would leave it entirely up to her boss to instigate a conversation about that. And they weren’t here to discuss long-lost families and playdates.
“Everything is ready for tomorrow?” Claire asked. Steph was glad she changed the subject back to where it mattered.
“It feels sort of like the early days, you know?” Dominique said. “When I first joined the MLR, heart filled with idealism and zest to really make a difference. I haven’t returned to that state of grace for a very long time.”
“That’s politics for you,” Steph said. “If I’ve learned one thing since I met you, it’s that it does not have a whole lot to do with idealism and trying to effect change, but everything with who you know, who you’re willing to screw and screw over, and compromising the hell out of your dreams and ideas.”
“How philosophical.” Dominique squeezed her shoulder. “Almost poetic, Stéphanie. Albeit a tad cynical.”
Steph shot her a yeah-yeah grin. “To answer your question, Claire. Yes. The press release is ready, I just need to add the direct link once this video has been approved, and update Dominique’s social media accounts.” She leaned back in her chair for a second. “We’re ready for all hell to break loose on us come tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you both for doing this.” Juliette had appeared to be moody at first, quiet and brooding the way she sometimes was, but now it seemed she was just being sentimental. “It means a lot to me personally. I hope you know that.” She looked at Claire next. “And thank you for planting the seed. Throughout our career we’ve spun disasters into easily digestible chunks of news for the public, made big corporations look small and friendly while they were anything but. But now, now we’re really going to make a difference.”
“Damn, Jules,” Steph joked, “if I had known there would be speeches I would have prepared one myself.”
“I’m rather good at them,” Dominique interjected, “and I think I speak for the both of us when I say this.” Dominique was going all solemn as well. “No matter the outcome, I know that we’re doing the right thing. Something that needs to be done. Some people won’t want to see it, that’s a given, but this video needs to be seen. And, well, this is politics, where nothing is ever set in stone—except perhaps a definite swing to the right after every socialist term in government. The way I see it, we have nothing to lose here, because if it’s my reputation that is at stake, I don’t want to be associated with the sort of person people consider me to be.”
“Maybe love does win,” Claire said in a small voice.
“Are you okay?” Steph asked.
She just smirked and pulled up her shoulders. “You know.”
A knock on the open door made them all look up. “Is it up yet?” Nadia asked. “Sorry I’m a bit late. Traffic was jammed because of the sodding Tous Ensemble march and I wanted to stop by Margot’s first.”
“About to click the button,” Steph said.
“How is she doing?” Dominique asked. If they kept chattering away like this the video would never make it online.
Nadia was standing next to Juliette. “She’ll be fine. I think the bruises on her ego will be the slowest to heal.”
Steph witnessed how Claire’s posture shrank a little. She wondered if she should visit the doctor. The last time they had spoken, they hadn’t exactly had the most riveting conversation, but Margot had, in the end, given her excellent advice. On the other hand, it would feel disloyal to Claire.
“Click it then, Steph,” Juliette said. “Now that we’re all here.” She pulled Nadia close to her and kissed her on the side of her head.
“Okay.” Steph manoeuvred the cursor over the upload button. “No turning back after this, ladies.” She was tying her life to Dominique’s in a way that wasn’t that different from marriage. It required a leap of faith, commitment and a whole lot of love.
All it took was one more click and the video was uploading. She watched its progression, all four of them standing behind her now, as the progress bar slowly turned from red to green.
THE END (FOR NOW…)
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About the author
Harper Bliss is the author of the novel At the Water’s Edge, the French Kissing serial, the High Rise series, and several other lesbian erotica and romance titles. She is the co-founder of Ladylit Publishing, an independent press focusing on lesbian fiction. Harper lives on an outlying island in Hong Kong with her wife and, regrettably, zero pets.
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Other Harper Bliss Books
For a complete list of all Harper Bliss titles, please visit harperbliss.com/books
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High Rise
(The Complete Collection)
Four women. One building. A million complications.
High Rise is a series of lesbian erotic romance novellas focusing on four women who live in The Ivy, the sexiest building in Hong Kong. There’s Alex, a local gym instructor with a broken heart. Her room mate Nat, a celebrated American writer who moved to Hong Kong for love. Their upstairs neighbour Maddie, a workaholic investment banker. And the penthouse inhabitant, Isabella, a psychiatrist who’s lived in the city for fifteen years.
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The first episode is available for FREE! Click here >>