“Uh-huh,” Cody said, draining her beer and signaling the waitress.
“Get us a couple of shots, will ya honey?” Jet said to the girl, smiling, her light green eyes sparkling. “You know what I like,” she said then and the waitress smiled slyly nodding.
“Dog…” Cody said, grinning.
“Yeah, yeah,” Jet said, waving that aside. “So what’s up?” she asked, sensing easily that Cody was on edge.
“Nothing,” Cody replied.
“Bullshit, what’s up?” Jet asked again, her look more direct this time.
Cody looked back at Jet; they’d hooked up a handful of times in the past. She liked Jet, she was genuine and not about the bullshit or the games. Cody liked that a lot.
Cody blew her breath out, shaking her head. “Shit case right now,” she said, her tone low.
Jet nodded. “Anything to do with those informants I’m developing for your mom?”
“Well, we’re on the same task force, so probably,” Cody said, not surprised to hear that Lyric had made contact with the COID team.
Jet was probably the best source of informants in the department.
“So what’s going on in your case that’s got you so on edge?” Jet asked, raising a black eyebrow.
Cody looked back at Jet, wanting to say, Take me to bed and let’s talk about it while you fuck me… But knowing that Jet was married, she instead looked around at the other women at the bar.
Jet noted that Cody didn’t answer, and knew that pushing it wouldn’t be productive. The waitress brought the shots back then as well as Cody’s beer. Jet handed the girl a couple of twenties with a wink.
Taking a shot and holding it up, Jet grinned. Cody held hers up and they tossed them back.
“Damn that shit is smooth…” Cody said, shaking her head.
“That’s why I stick to that instead of that other crap tequila,” Jet said.
“Cody!” the DJ yelled from her booth on the patio.
Cody looked over at the woman. “What?” she yelled back.
“When are you just gonna give in?” the girl asked.
“To what?” Cody asked, grinning.
“Me, you idiot!” the girl yelled back.
Cody looked at Jet, who waggled her eyebrows and then turned herself around to take a look at the DJ who was putting her headphones back on and looking at Cody. The girl was definitely the ‘hot DJ’ type, with curly black hair, a slim but shapely body and ‘come fuck me’ heels.
Jet swiveled back around and looked at Cody. “So when ya gonna give in?” she asked, her tone sly.
“Might be tonight,” Cody said, her lips curled into a grin.
A few shots and beers later, Cody was feeling no pain, and she and the DJ were definitely flirting with disaster. After the third dance tune, Cody was shaking her head, her look disdainful.
“What, Cody?” the DJ asked over the speakers.
“Play something hard,” Cody said, her tone insinuating, her tongue between her teeth.
The DJ started another song, but Cody shook her head. “Old school, babe!”
“Alright,” the DJ said, again over the speakers. “This is for you Cody…”
The song “Bad Boys” by Whitesnake started and Cody put her hand up, pointing at the DJ and nodding. As the intro to the song began, Cody noticed a few of the usual group coming out of the bar to see what was going on. Cody was joined by Jet, Jericho, Quinn, Kashena, Sebastian, and Skyler in a rousing rendition of the song as they sang the lyrics and enjoyed themselves.
As the song ended, a lot of women clapped and whistled as Cody and the rest of the group laughed and did the shots someone had just sent over. The DJ played a slow song next, leaving her booth for a minute and walking over to the outside bar. A moment later she picked up a tray and walked over to where Cody sat. Everyone on the patio watched as the DJ sat on Cody’s knee and set the tray on the table. It contained a shot, a lime, and a saltshaker. She leaned in and whispered in Cody’s ear.
“Do a shot with me…” she said, her tone low and sexy.
She picked up the saltshaker, and pointed to her neck. Cody looked back at her for a moment, and then moved to lick the girl’s neck. She handed Cody the saltshaker and Cody applied salt to the spot. The girl then handed Cody the shot and she threw it back, knowing she was way over doing it, but not caring in the slightest. Sliding her hand around the DJ’s bare midriff, she pulled the girl to her, and slid her tongue over the girl’s neck seductively, feeling her shudder against her. The DJ then picked up the lime and, leaning back, she slid the fruit over the curve of her breast, just above the slightly exposed darker skin of her areola. Cody leaned down, and licked the lime off her skin and felt the girl’s hands in her hair, holding her head there as catcalls and yowls were issued by the crowd. Cody was grinning when she lifted her head again. She slid her hand around the back of the girl’s neck and pulled her to her, and kissing her deeply to more cheering.
The DJ made her way back to the booth then, winking at Cody as she did.
“Holy shit, that was hot…” Jet said.
“Tell me about it,” Quinn agreed.
“You still alive over there?” Sebastian queried.
Cody laughed, shaking her head. “I am way too fucked up for all this right now,” she said.
She did her best to lay off the alcohol for the next hour. Jet helped by buying her something to eat and putting it in front of her, ordering her to eat it.
“You say the sweetest things,” Cody said, grinning lasciviously at Jet.
Jet laughed, glancing at Fadiyah, her wife, who was finding the entire group highly entertaining. Jet had already told Fadiyah who Cody was; she kept no secrets from her new wife. She’d also told Fadiyah that Cody was having a rough time, and Fadiyah wanted her to help. Fadiyah completely understood the cop mentality and how cops helped other cops. She’d seen it enough when Jet had troubles, so she knew it needed to be returned and paid forward.
“Cody…” came the DJ’s voice over the speaker again, her voice singing Cody’s name.
Cody looked up, grinning at the girl, she did not give up…
“I get off at two,” the DJ said, her tone sly.
“Get over here, and you’ll get off sooner,” Cody replied, widening her eyes at the girl.
There were a number of “Ohhhhs” from the group, and the DJ made a pretty good show of walking out of the booth with the song “Pass at Me” by Timbaland playing over the speakers. As the DJ got over to the table, Cody stood up; she knew literally everyone on the back patio was watching. The DJ grabbed her hand dragging her out to the small dance floor and began dancing seductively to the song, moving her body in gyrating movements, her look up at Cody unmistakable.
Cody sang the chorus of the song down to the girl, putting her hands on the girl’s hips as she moved. The DJ put her arms up around Cody’s neck, and moved in to press her body to Cody’s as they moved to the song.
When it ended, the girl kissed Cody on the lips, then looked up at her. “I have a break in twenty minutes,” she said. “Let’s make it count,” she said, winking.
Then she strolled back to the DJ booth. Cody watched her go, shaking her head. As she turned to walk back to her seat, she wondered if fate was really just fucking with her head at that point…
The DJ’s break was spent upstairs in the office, and true to form, Cody had the girl screaming for almost the entire time. By the time they descended the stairs, the DJ’s hand firmly in hers, every butch in the place was nodding to Cody and high fiving her. Cody shook her head and laughed at the inanity of the situation.
Cody spent the rest of the night getting propositioned right and left. Apparently, the DJ had no trouble telling anyone that would listen that she’d come no less than ten times in the twenty minutes.
“You’re a legend…” Jet said, grinning as she sat down, pulling out her cigarettes.
“Fuck you,” Cody said, starting to feel the weight of the night and the
tension that wasn’t easing.
Jet looked at her for a long moment, as she lit her cigarette.
“Don’t tell me that didn’t get you off,” Jet said, shaking her head, as if it was impossible.
Cody looked back at her, taking a drag off her cigarette and narrowing her eyes in the smoke she blew out a minute later.
“Jesus…” Jet said, shaking her head, a grimace on her face. “That bad?” Cody’s lips twitched as she lifted her beer to her lips draining the bottle.
“You always did with me,” Jet said, her tone puzzled.
“Yeah, you were about the only one, Jet,” Cody said, just drunk enough to admit that to the other woman. “Okay, time for me to go,” she said, standing suddenly and reaching into her jacket pocket for her keys.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Jet said, snatching the keys out of her hand and moving to stand as well. “It might be time for me to drive you home, but that’s about it.”
“I’m fine,” Cody said, her tone even.
“Yeah and if you wrap that fuckin’ Ferrari around a tree your mother’ll fuckin’ have my head. I don’t think so Cody,” Jet said.
Cody looked back at Jet, suddenly feeling all of the alcohol she’d indulged in and feeling the need to escape.
“Whoa…” Jet said, nodding to Sebastian as she saw Cody wavering.
Cody took one step and started to go down. Sebastian got there just in time, easily lifting the girl.
“I got ya…” Sebastian said gently.
Cody looked at him with bleary eyes and then dropped her head to his shoulder and was out.
She woke the next morning in her bed at the house, with the worst hangover she’d ever had and spent the morning throwing up everything she’d eaten since she was ten. She was sure she was going to die as she hauled herself up off the floor and back to her bed.
“Code?” Lyric queried from the doorway to her room.
“Cody is dead at this time,” Cody muttered.
Lyric walked in and sat down on the bed, looking at her daughter and vaguely remembered getting that drunk over a woman once.
Savanna stood staring down at Lyric, who lay prone on her bed. She wore a tank top and underwear, and nothing else. It had been four days since they’d had their encounter, and Lyric had been avoiding Savanna ruthlessly. She said she’d been working, but Savanna wasn’t sure what to believe. It had been a bit of a shock to wake up the next morning with Lyric gone from not only the bed and bedroom but the house as well. She’d waited, hoping Lyric would realize something and come back, but she didn’t.
Savanna had called Lyric a few times, and gotten voicemail every time, so she’d finally just left a message. Lyric hadn’t called back. She knew she was getting the brush off and she wasn’t willing to let Lyric off that easily. So she’d shown up at her apartment and sweet talked the superintendent into letting her in explaining that her friend was sick in bed and needed to be checked on.
Now, standing next to Lyric’s bed, she could see that Lyric had been drinking; there was an empty bottle of tequila by the bedside. Savanna moved to sit down on the bed, expecting it to wake Lyric up but it didn’t. So it was likely that Lyric had been drinking before she’d passed out or fallen asleep. Narrowing her eyes, Savanna decided to push things a bit. Reaching out, she ran her nail over the material covering a breast, Lyric stirred but didn’t wake. ‘Good and drunk then,’ Savanna thought. She got up and kicked off her shoes, and got onto the bed, laying down on Lyric’s right side, and putting her hand on Lyric’s shoulder. She lay there watching the woman sleep, until she finally got tired and dozed off. She woke to the feeling of being watched.
Opening her eyes, she saw that Lyric was now awake and looking at her. Savanna stared back at Lyric, refusing to be the first one to speak.
It took a while, but Lyric finally sighed, shaking her head as she looked back up at the ceiling.
“What are you doing here, Savanna?” she asked.
“Well, I wanted to make sure you were still alive, first of all,” Savanna said. “Since you don’t bother to return phone calls suddenly.”
Lyric glanced over at her. “Is Cody okay?”
“Really?” Savanna asked, her tone annoyed. “You have sex with me, and take off in the middle of the night and that’s all you have to say?”
Lyric didn’t answer, looking up at the ceiling, her look serious.
“I’m sorry,” she said finally. “But I knew where that was going to end up with you and I didn’t want to go through that.” She shrugged. “I just figured it was better if I just got out of there.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet you did,” Savanna said sharply.
Lyric looked over at Savanna, seeing not anger, but hurt in her eyes. That was what pulled her up short. Her eyes searched Savanna’s and Savanna didn’t turn away, wanting Lyric to see that she’d hurt her.
Lyric grimaced. “I’m sorry,” she said shaking her head. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just… You don’t want to believe that—”
“No, Lyric, no, you’re not going to say that again,” Savanna said, her tone angry.
“It’s true, Savanna,” Lyric said, exasperated. “Even if you won’t let me say it.”
“Okay,” Savanna said. “Tell me what happened the other night then?”
Lyric shrugged, shaking her head. “It’s been months since I really got off… And then there was tequila…”
Savanna pursed her lips, nodding, her look saying she knew that it was what Lyric was going to say.
“So,” Savanna said, “you’re saying that now that you’ve gotten off and aren’t drunk you wouldn’t react the same?”
Lyric looked back at her for a long moment, not sure she wanted to answer that question.
“Savanna…” Lyric said, her tone placating.
“Answer the question, Lyric.” “What difference does it make?” Lyric asked, her temper sparking then.
Savanna narrowed her eyes at Lyric. “You’re afraid,” she said.
“Of what?” Lyric asked, in a snide tone. “You?”
Savanna nodded. “Damned right.”
Lyric laughed sarcastically. “Really?” she asked, her face a cynical mask. “And why would I be afraid of you?”
Savanna looked back at her. “Answer the question,” she said again.
“No,” Lyric said.
“Answer the question, Lyric,” Savanna said, moving to sit up, looking down at Lyric.
“No,” Lyric repeated, narrowing her eyes.
Savanna reached her hand out, once again sliding her nail over Lyric’s nipple through the material of the tank top. Lyric jumped in reaction.
“Answer the question,” Savanna said, heat in her eyes now.
“I don’t want you,” Lyric said, her tone cruel.
“Really?” Savanna asked, her eyes dropping to the nipple she’d brushed her nail across before; it was hard. She slid her thumb over it making Lyric gasp out loud.
“Stop,” Lyric gritted out between clenched teeth.
“Make me,” Savanna replied simply, as she continued to move her thumb.
Lyric was trembling by that time. “Savanna…” she groaned softly.
“Just tell me you want me, Lyric,” Savanna said gently.
Lyric pressed her lips together, closing her eyes as she grimaced.
Savanna leaned down, putting her lips right next to Lyric’s ear. “You want me, don’t you?” she whispered, her hand moving to touch the other breast.
“Jesus…” Lyric groaned, unable to believe her body’s reaction to Savanna’s actions as well as her words.
“Just tell me you want me…” Savanna whispered, her hand sliding down Lyric’s body, making Lyric gasp and groan when she stopped just at the top of Lyric’s bare thigh. “Say it, Lyric…” she said, her lips touching Lyric’s ear, her breathing heavy now too. “Just say it babe… We both know you want me… Just say it.”
“Yes.”
It was the simplest word that sou
nded like it was torn from Lyric’s insides.
Savanna slid her hand past the leg of Lyric’s underwear and touched her. Lyric immediately came, calling out Savanna’s name over and over again as she did. Even as Lyric’s orgasm subsided, Savanna moved her mouth to Lyric’s lips, kissing her deeply, her body moving to lie against Lyric’s. Suddenly Lyric was kissing her back, her hands in her hair, pulling her closer, moaning. They made love fervently, both of them orgasming together. Afterwards, Savanna lay over Lyric with her head against Lyric’s chest. She felt exalted at the feeling of Lyric’s hands still in her hair.
After a few minutes, Savanna moved to lie next to Lyric, levering herself up on her elbow so she could look down at her. Lyric looked up, her look searching.
“What are you looking for?” Savanna asked, her tone soft.
Lyric smiled softly. “I don’t know,” she said. “I guess I’m trying to figure out what’s happening.”
Savanna looked back at her for a long moment. “Do you want me to tell you?” she asked.
Lyric narrowed her eyes slightly, but nodded.
“Do you know why you can’t ever find the right man, Lyric?” Savanna asked. “Why there’s always something about them, that isn’t right?”
“Why?” Lyric asked.
“Because,” Savanna said as she leaned down to kiss Lyric’s lips softly. Then she looked down at her again. “You’re the man you want them to be.”
Lyric looked completely shocked by that statement and started to shake her head immediately.
“Think about it,” Savanna said. “You complain that a man doesn’t open doors, or pick up the check. You always open doors for me and you always pay whenever we go anywhere… Why do you do that?”
Lyric blinked a couple of times, considering what she was hearing.
“You take care of the women in your life… Me… Cody…” Savanna said.
She leaned down, and kissed Lyric’s lips again and was surprised when Lyric’s hand moved to her cheek as she kissed her back.
“That, right there,” Savanna said against Lyric’s lips.
“What?” Lyric asked.
“Your hand, on my cheek… Is that how you wish men would kiss you?” Savanna asked.
Vendetta (WeHo Book 7) Page 7