A Time to Speak

by Riley Scott

  “That’s why I brought you ‘coming out’ flowers.” Dominique winked and set the flowers on the counter.

  “Thank you for that,” Amelia said, leaning as casually as she could on the counter. She bit her bottom lip, her senses tingling. “I want you,” she added, dropping her voice an octave.

  Dominique raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. “I just came here for a cup of coffee,” she said, laughter bursting out as soon as she got the statement out of her mouth. “But I guess I could go for a couple of other things.” She walked slowly in Amelia’s direction, her eyes twinkling with each step.

  “Yeah?” Amelia asked, offering a sideways grin. “What kinds of things did you have in mind?”

  Dominique let out a sultry laugh, tracing her fingertips up and down Amelia’s body. “I think you can figure it out, but here’s a little hint.” She leaned in close enough so her breathing tickled Amelia’s ears. “I want you, too. I want to fuck you,” she whispered. Amelia let out a ragged breath, her heart beating faster.

  The door dinged, signaling she had a customer. Amelia let out a deep breath and decided to go for it. She leaned in and gave Dominique a quick kiss before sliding back behind the counter to make eye contact with her customer.

  One of her favorite older customers, Mrs. Day, stood in front of the counter, eyes wide. She opened her mouth but shut it again, quickly switching her focus to her purse. Fumbling through the contents, she pulled out an old leather wallet. “I’d like a cup of decaf, Miss Amelia,” she said, handing money over without looking Amelia in the eye.

  “Coming right up, Mrs. Day,” Amelia said, careful to keep a smile on her face. “How are you today?” she added, while she poured the cup.

  “Doing okay,” Mrs. Day said. After a moment of silence, she cleared her throat. Grabbing the counter, Amelia braced herself for a slew of angry words. “Can I also get one of those turnovers?” she asked, the tone in her voice rising. Amelia smiled to herself, knowing the sweet old woman was smiling, too.

  “Absolutely.” Amelia turned back to face her. “Do you want apple or cherry?”

  Mrs. Day pursed her lips and looked upward, her smile turning mischievous. “I’ll take one of each. But don’t tell Carl,” she laughed when she mentioned her husband

  “It’s our little secret,” Amelia said with a wink.

  “He doesn’t need to know that it’s cheat day,” she smirked. “At least, that’s what our granddaughter calls it. I just call it Tuesday, and it’s a Tuesday when I want two turnovers.”

  “I like that logic,” Amelia said, breathing a sigh of relief at the normal direction the conversation had taken.

  She counted out Mrs. Day’s change and bid her a good day.

  Mrs. Day took the change and leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper. “She’s really pretty,” she said. She winked and gathered her things.

  Stunned, Amelia watched Mrs. Day walk out the door. She closed her eyes and gulped, seeing Chloe’s face in her memories. No doubt Chloe had paved the way for her here, but she was going to take it one step further and ensure that hatred and bigotry didn’t stand in this town.

  “That went well.” Dominique beamed as she stepped up to the counter.

  Amelia leaned on the counter, letting out a deep breath. “I didn’t realize how much I was holding my breath while she was in here,” she said, shaking her head. “I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. In fact, I’m not sure how any of this is going to go.”

  “You can never be sure,” Dominique said, running her fingers across Amelia’s palm before clasping her hand tightly. “None of us can be sure how any interaction will go, whether we’ll face judgment, get a sideways look as we walk down the street, or even have someone make off-color comments. That’s the thing none of them understand. Until they’ve walked in my shoes or yours, they’ll never know what it’s like to have so much unsolicited advice thrown your way, so many unwelcome advances, or to be treated differently so often. They don’t understand that, but we can try to understand them a little bit. She was kind, and she seemed like the best type of interaction you’ll likely get—at least for a little while. The others will vary. But they’re also trying to take in something new about you, and it’s something they can’t see as just a part of you that’s always been there. Like I was when I first got here, you’re now an outsider. You’re not one of them, and it’s like you’re an entirely different person. They’re going to take some time to get used to that.”

  “It’s going to hurt, but it’ll be worth it in the end.” Amelia glanced down at the floor, as reality came crashing down on her. “It will, won’t it?”

  “Hey,” Dominique said, leaning down to make eye contact. “It’s going to be okay.” She brought Amelia’s hand up to her lips and placed a gentle kiss on it. “I’m going to be here every step of the way, and this is a time to celebrate. They’re all going to come around. Hell, Mrs. Day already did. In fact, she bought twice what she came in here for. The rest of them are sorting things out. They’ll be back. And in the meantime, I’ll be right here with you.”

  Amelia planted a soft kiss on Dominique’s forehead and nodded. She gave a sad smile. “You’re right. It’ll take time. Minds don’t change overnight.”

  “Never have. Never will, unfortunately. But you’re not going at this alone.”

  Amelia closed her eyes, refocusing on positives. She took a seat on the couch and patted the cushion next to her. Dominique nodded, agreeing to her silent plea, and took the seat next to her. Dominique moved in and wrapped her arms around Amelia, pulling her over to rest on Dominique’s shoulders.

  A tear slipped from the corner of Amelia’s eye as she lay in Dominique’s toned arms, feeling the warmth and support of the embrace. She looked up to the ceiling, watching the fan whirring overhead, trying to decipher whether they were tears of loss or tears of joy. She used her free hand to wipe them away, deciding it didn’t matter. There would be things to feel—some genuinely unpleasant things, she was sure—but she was willing to go through the fires.

  She straightened her shoulders and looked Dominique in the eye, wiping the last remaining tears from her cheeks. “Are you busy today?”

  Dominique raised an eyebrow in questioning and shook her head. “Not really until this afternoon. I have a couple of meetings later. Why?”

  “I want to get out of here,” she said, standing and wiping her hands on her jeans. “Let’s go somewhere, even if just for a few hours. Let’s get out of here, go for a drive and get lost in each other. This will all still be here.” She paused, watching as Dominique’s face set into an expression of concern. “I promise I’m not running from my problems,” she said, planting a kiss on Dominique’s head. “I know better than that. I have to feel all the things inside me, and I will. I promise. The thing is, I don’t know what to feel now, and I want the chance to think that through and evaluate what’s going on. I want the chance to spend the day with you. All this will be here for me to deal with this afternoon when we come back.”

  Dominique bit her lip, considering the proposal, and eventually nodded. “Let’s do it,” she said, standing and taking Amelia’s hand.

  Amelia put together a bag of muffins and two to-go coffees and together they shut off the coffeepots, switched off the lights, and flipped the “Open” sign to “Closed.”

  As Amelia locked up, she smiled, her plan for the morning taking shape. “Hop in my car,” she said, winking at Dominique.

  “Where are we going?” Dominique asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

  “Trust me.”

  “I do,” Dominique’s voice was soft and tender. Amelia’s smile grew as she brought her hand to intertwine with Dominique’s.

  Knowing she needed a bit of space to think, even if she wanted to do so by Dominique’s side, Amelia turned up the radio and rolled down the windows, letting the country station on the radio fill the car with peaceful sounds.

  She maneuvered through several turns dow
n back roads, watching out of the corner of her eye as Dominique took it all in. The rolling hills and fields that had turned yellow were quite the sight to see. Throw in the bronze, scarlet, and rust-colored leaves of fall, and it was picture-worthy.

  She smiled, massaging Dominique’s hand as she made her final turn and ended up down by an old abandoned barn.

  “What is this place?” Dominique’s voice was breathy and awestruck.

  “It’s my grandpa’s old place,” Amelia said, spreading her hands out before her to showcase the entire view. “It’s all in really great condition still, but it hasn’t been kept up. That’s a fault of our family, I suppose. We’ve been too busy running our lives to really think too much about continuing on this legacy.”

  “Think there’s anyone in there?” Dominique eyed the place.

  “No.” Amelia laughed. “It’s so hidden back here. I think if there were the chance of squatters finding it, my father would be a little more careful about making sure we came around. As it is, it’s pretty much long forgotten, except by me. I come out here every now and then to think, to remember, to find my happy place.”

  Amelia grabbed the bag containing their breakfast and motioned for Dominique to follow her.

  As she threw open the big barn doors, she closed her eyes, allowing the long faded scents to return in her memory. She stood still, memories washing over her and taking her back to carefree days of laughter, eating homemade cookies, and soaking up her grandparents’ love.

  “It’s beautiful,” Dominique said, coming up behind her and wrapping her arms around Amelia’s waist.

  “It is. It feels like home to me when nowhere else does. Let’s go inside.” She climbed up onto the hayloft, taking a deep breath and laying out the breakfast items on the plaid blanket she had left up there.

  “You have this all set up?”

  “I keep it up here, because sometimes when I’m out driving, I end up here, and I want a comfortable place to sit while I’m here.”

  “Thank you for sharing this with me.” Dominique smiled broadly and Amelia’s heart skipped a beat.

  “How did I get so lucky to be sharing things like this with someone so beautiful and kind?” Amelia asked, shaking her head. “If you hadn’t been here, I’d still be sorting things out in a chaotic mess. I’m sure I’d be dealing with them in my own way—probably the wrong way—but I’m so grateful for the way you make me want to be a better person, the gentle way you help me open up. So thank you.”

  Nestled together on the blanket, they enjoyed their breakfast. In the moments of silence, Amelia took the time to sort through her thoughts. Mostly she decided she was grateful for the fact that she could exist like this with Dominique, in comfortable, non-pressured silence. She opened her mouth, about to express her gratitude, but shoved a bite of muffin inside instead. It seemed such an odd thing to say out loud. Content, she leaned her head against Dominique’s chest and stared up into her big, brown eyes.

  Dominique stroked her hair and popped the last bit of muffin into her mouth. After she swallowed, she turned her head to the side and brought her lips to Amelia’s for a single, sweet kiss.

  “This was only stop number one,” Amelia said when the kiss ended. “I have something else up my sleeve for you, if you’re willing.”

  Dominique’s eyes sparkled and her nose scrunched up as she smiled. “I’m willing and ready for whatever you have planned.”

  Amelia giggled and hurriedly climbed down from the hayloft, her mind spinning with the possibilities as she led the way.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The fall air was as calming as it was crisp, and the birds singing their songs outside the rolled down window seemed to set the perfect ambiance for a carefree, autumn day. Dominique smiled, looking over at Amy as she drove. She admired this woman and her tenacity. Amy had been correct. She wasn’t running from her problems, but she was working much more effectively to solve them than she would have been sitting in an empty shop, wondering if it would ever be full again.

  Amy sang along with the tune that was softly playing from the radio. It wasn’t one Dominique recognized, but she decided it was one of her favorites. Amy’s voice rose and fell, showing off her vocal range. Dominique wanted to hear more of that sound, more singing and more uninhibited joy.

  “I love this song,” Amy said, smiling.

  “I’ve never heard it, but I enjoyed it as well,” Dominique said, her voice coming across lower, huskier than she had intended. But Amy didn’t seem upset by it. Her eyes twinkled in the sunlight and she winked.

  “I love that rasp you get in your voice.” She laughed and raised an eyebrow. “It turns me on.”

  “It does?”

  Amy nodded, biting her lip and letting out a low moan. “It really does.”

  “Your singing had the same effect on me, just so you know,” Dominique said, running her fingers up Amy’s arm. The softness of her skin and the electricity that seemed to flow between them tightened every muscle in Dominique’s body.

  “What do you think we should do about that?” Amy asked, already turning the steering wheel to head down another dirt road. Dominique started to answer but looked around outside. None of this looked familiar. It wasn’t the path they had taken earlier.

  Chuckling, she shook her head. “It looks like you’ve already got that part figured out.”

  “I might have an idea or two.”

  Dominique watched in amusement as Amy maneuvered through the winding roads until they were parked in a secluded area of the riverbank, hidden by the hills nearby.

  “I think I like your idea,” Dominique said, looking Amy up and down.

  Amy unbuckled her seatbelt and moved closer, drawing Dominique into a passionate kiss. Every bit of stress she had felt throughout the past several days escaped her body. The kiss consumed her. Amy trailed her kisses down, letting her lips softly caress Dominique’s neck and shoulders.

  Amy tugged at the base of Dominique’s shirt and pulled it up over her head. Dominique looked out the windows and considered protesting, but Amy’s mouth covered one of her nipples, causing a low moan to escape her lips. There was no going back. Dominique embraced her adventurous side. As Amy’s tongue licked over the tip of her already hardened nipple, lust grew inside of her. Entranced, she moved to pull Amy’s shirt off as well, using her hands to explore every inch of Amy’s beautiful body. As she slipped inside Amy’s jeans with her fingers, a pleasured sigh escaped Amy’s lips.

  She massaged Amy’s hardening clit, eliciting a string of moans. Feeling the tension rise as Amy’s breathing quickened, Dominique slid into her. Amy moaned as Dominique drove herself in and out with quickening pace.

  “I need more,” Dominique said, her breath ragged with passion. “I need more of you.”

  Amy pulled her head up, breathless and wide-eyed. “What more can I give you?”

  “This,” Dominique said, sliding into the backseat and pulling Amy along with her. Deftly she laid Amy beneath her, pulled her jeans off, and discarded them on the floor. Admiring Amy’s black lace panties for a second, Dominique didn’t want to waste the treat in front of her. It was a tight fit, but with her knees on the floorboard, she leaned down between Amy’s legs, smiling at her as she licked the lace, teasing her for a minute and enjoying the feeling of the slick material against her tongue. As Amy moaned and arched her back, Dominique knew she was ready for more, but she wanted it to last. Kissing around Amy’s inner thighs, she delighted in every tremble.

  “I need you,” Amy said through ragged breaths. “I need you now.”

  Dominique stopped her kisses for a moment, just long enough to make eye contact. Amy’s green eyes were bright with desire, her lips parted and panting. “Please,” she begged. Dominique winked and pulled Amy’s panties to the side, intoxicated by the taste of her nectar. Slipping her tongue inside, she lapped up Amy’s juices and brought her tongue back up to massage Amy’s hardness.

  Her desire to make it last wasn’t
going to be an achievable goal. Amy bucked her hips and her body trembled. Driving her fingers inside, Dominique filled Amy to the hilt, thrusting in rhythm as her tongue worked its magic.

  “Oh. My. God!” Amy screamed as she convulsed, her orgasm rocking her body as much as it rocked the car.

  Dominique slowly drew her fingers out and brought them up to her mouth. Smiling at Amy and winking, she licked them clean. Amy’s eyes fluttered and she let out a labored breath.

  “God,” she said, breathlessly. “You’re sexy.”

  Dominique looked her up and down before kissing her way back up Amy’s body until their lips met. “You are,” she said, pulling back from the kiss and laying her head on Amy’s chest.

  “How is it possible to want more right after something that earth-shattering?” Amy asked after a moment. “I’m insatiable with you.”

  “Rest up for a few minutes, and then whenever you’re ready, we’ll go for round two.”

  “I want all the rounds,” Amy said with a laugh.

  “We’ll go as many rounds as you’d like.”

  “Mmm,” Amy moaned. “I want all the rounds you’ll give me.”

  “In that case, I think you have an infinite number of rounds waiting for you, as well as an infinite number of breakfasts, dates, and whatever else you’d like.” With her head on Amy’s chest, Dominique heard Amy’s breath catch in her throat. “Unless that’s not what you want,” she added quietly.

  “It’s exactly what I want,” Amy said, kissing Dominique’s cheek softly. “I just want you.”

  “And I just want you.”

  “It’s settled then.” Amy playfully ran her fingers through Dominique’s hair. “And that makes me really happy.”