by Julie Cannon
“Did you just hear yourself?” Beth asked between laughs. “You can’t get her out of your control room?”
“I know what I said,” Andrea replied, probably a little too harshly, but she was tired and didn’t have the energy or interest to try to figure out where Beth was going with this. “I can’t fire her.”
“Has she screwed up?”
“No.”
“Are you afraid she might screw up?”
“No.” And Andrea didn’t want her to.
“Then suck it up, princess, and either figure it out or get over it.”
“Jeez, Beth, people say I’m a hard-ass.” Andrea couldn’t help but laugh along with her sister this time.
“Speaking of hard asses, does she have one, or does she have a techno-nerd dough-body?”
Andrea and Beth went to the gym together three times a week, and both complained about how difficult it was to maintain their bodies. Beth was struggling to lose what she referred to as her baby-hibernation weight, and Andrea exercised because she sat behind a computer terminal all day.
“No.” Andrea wondered just how firm Kenner’s ass really was. Unfortunately, in her dream her hands never got there to find out.
“No, she doesn’t have a hard ass or no she isn’t a dough-body?”
“Beth, I have no idea what her ass feels like, or any other part of her body for that matter. And,” she added, “I have no interest in finding out.”
“Liar.”
“For God’s sake, Beth, let it go.” How in the world could her sister know that her hands were tingling and her pulse racing from just talking about Kenner?
“She doth protest too much,” Beth said.
“She is going to hang up now. Give my niece and nephew a big kiss from their Aunt Andi, and go fuck Paul until his eyes pop out of his head. Bye.” Andrea heard Beth call her husband’s name as she pushed the end button on her phone.
Chapter Twenty
T-minus 03:14:57:14
Two days later, Barry and Mission Operations Director Grey entered the control room, and Andrea wondered what had taken them that long. The pressure from Barry, his boss, and the head of NASA was unrelenting. Ops Director Grey had been on her heels ever since he’d had to inform the top brass of the situation, and between that and the pressure Andrea had put on herself, she was ready to explode. They were quickly running out of time and were no closer to bringing home the crew than they were the day before.
The two men spent most of the morning hovering over each station, and her team wasted precious minutes answering questions nobody had time for. When they approached Kenner, Andrea braced for the worst.
She was too far away to hear the conversation, but if body language told her anything, the two men were none too happy. Kenner, of course, did nothing to help her cause. She barely acknowledged them, didn’t move from her standard position of feet on the desk, keyboard in her lap, and gave what looked like one- or two-word answers to their questions. She never glanced away from her monitor.
Barry was about ready to burst. His fists were clenched behind his back, his posture ramrod straight, and the tips of his ears looked like they were on fire. When he started to look her way, Andrea quickly made it appear she was studying a report. If she didn’t make eye contact, maybe he would just go away.
Andrea had never minded when Barry was in her control room. As a matter of fact, she was proud of her team, their professionalism, and what they could do, and they were more often than not on shift when VIPs came in. But today was different. The clock was ticking, and it was getting louder and louder with each sweep of the second hand.
“Andrea, we’d like to speak to you,” Barry said, his tone harsh, his words clipped. “In the conference room,” he added just before turning his back on her and walking away.
Fuck. Andrea gathered up her notebook, the latest reports, and her pen. She felt, rather than saw, every set of eyes in the room on her back as she followed the two men out of the room.
Barry and Ops Director Grey were sitting next to each other on the same side of the table. She had no choice but to sit across from them. It was two against one and, as the Three Dog Night song said, one really was the loneliest number. She pulled out the heavy chair and sat on the edge of the seat, clasping her hands over the papers in front of her. She fought the natural urge to jump right in and start defending the work they had done up to this point, but she remained silent.
“Three days,” Barry said, his voice flat. “We have three days until this becomes the biggest fuck-up in the history of NASA. And it will have your name all over it.”
“And, it will be up to me to deal with the political and media fallout,” Grey said.
Andrea sucked in a breath. She didn’t need these two to tell her what she already knew. Did they think she hadn’t already figured this out? Did she not think every second of every day that the lives of seven human beings were resting on her shoulders?
“Yes, sir, I’m certainly aware of that,” Andrea was somehow able to say without gritting her teeth too obviously.
“What is Hutchings doing for us?” Barry asked. “Didn’t look to me like she was accomplishing much of anything other than using our furniture for her personal lounge chair.”
“Everyone is doing their best, sir,” Andrea said, not bothering to look at Grey.
“You have three days, Andrea, or your best won’t be good enough.” The two men stood and stalked out of the room. They didn’t close the door behind them.
Andrea left the conference room and walked calmly back to the control room. “My office, five minutes,” Andrea said to Kenner’s back before she strode away and back out the door.
“How about we grab a bite?” Kenner asked, stepping into her office. “One of the guys told me about a little place off Mercury Avenue that has the best…” Kenner stopped before finishing her sentence. “What? What?” Kenner repeated her question when she didn’t answer.
Andrea couldn’t believe it. They had three days to solve this problem, and Kenner didn’t show even the slightest sense of urgency. Kenner’s laid-back attitude and work style set Andrea’s teeth on edge. Andrea had been working seven days a week, twelve and sometimes eighteen hours a day, while Kenner came in at seven and left just after the sun went down.
Andrea fought the urge to lash out at Kenner, but she was so tired she gave in. “Do you take anything seriously?”
“Excuse me?” Kenner asked, obviously confused.
“I asked if you take anything seriously. Anything at all. Just name one thing.” Andrea held up a finger to emphasize her point.
“What are you talking about? Of course I take things seriously.”
“Name one,” Andrea shot back. She was getting angrier by the second.
“Andrea, what’s going on here? Now why are you so pissed at me?” Kenner stepped into her office and closed the door behind her.
“Why? Why am I pissed at you?” This conversation was unbelievable. This day was unbelievable. This week was unbelievable.
“Yes,” Kenner said, her voice rising. “I come in here and ask a simple question, and you bite my ass like I asked for the key to the executive toilet.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Kenner replied sharply.
Andrea rose from her chair and crossed her small office. She stopped inches from Kenner. “You think you can simply turn on your charm and coast on your reputation and—”
“Coast? You think I’m coasting?” Kenner turned serious and her eyes blazed.
“You haven’t done anything meaningful since you got here. You waltz in here with your worn-out jeans, scuffed boots, and dazzling smile and charm the pants off everyone. They’re so enthralled by you they can’t see past the fact that you haven’t done anything.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kenner replied, now almost shouting. “I’ve—”
“I know exactly what you’ve don
e, or haven’t done, which is the more appropriate choice.” Andrea pointed at Kenner to emphasize the word exactly.
“Don’t point your finger at me.” Kenner was almost growling by now.
“Or what?” Andrea knew she was intentionally antagonizing Kenner, but she couldn’t help herself. Kenner made her so frustrated and angry she couldn’t think straight sometimes. And this was definitely one of those times.
“Don’t do this, Andrea,” Kenner warned her.
Andrea ignored her and stepped even closer. They were so close Andrea could see the light-colored flecks in Kenner’s dark eyes and feel her breath on her face. “Or what?”
*
Kenner snapped. She’d put up with a lot of shit from Andrea, and she’d had it. She grabbed Andrea’s hand and twisted her arm behind her back. The sudden movement thrust Andrea’s breasts against hers, and her mouth opened as she gasped in surprise. Kenner had only intended to stop Andrea from poking her finger at her, but instantaneously her red-hot anger exploded into driving need.
She kissed Andrea, ravaging her lips, taking what she wanted. The tension between them had been growing and had finally exploded. With her free hand she grabbed the back of Andrea’s neck and pulled her head even closer. For several seconds Andrea didn’t move, and then just as suddenly she pressed her body against Kenner’s and kissed her back with more want and desire than Kenner expected.
Heat shot through Kenner, and she let go of Andrea’s hand as she spun her around and pushed her against her office door. She fumbled for the lock, and when she heard it click her clit throbbed. Kenner let her hands quickly roam over Andrea’s soft body. She tugged on the buttons of Andrea’s always impeccable starched shirt. She was so hot for her, wanted to feel and taste her skin so much, she ripped the few remaining buttons from the shirt. That seemed to be the only invitation Andrea needed, and she pulled Kenner’s shirt over her head before returning her kiss her more savagely than before.
Pants slid to the floor, shoes were kicked off, panties and bras quickly discarded along with the stapler, picture frame, pencil holder, and half-a-dozen file folders from the top of Andrea’s desk. Kenner sucked hard on one nipple, then the other as she quickly explored Andrea’s body. Her senses took in everything as she discovered the wonder that was Andrea.
Her skin was smooth and soft in all the right places. Her skin tasted like sweat and sex, her nipples hard as pebbles in her mouth. Moans of pleasure reached Kenner’s ears an instant after her fingers found warm, wet flesh. Kenner kissed Andrea again, her mouth and tongue exploring in rhythm with her fingers. Andrea wrapped her legs around Kenner’s waist, her ass on the edge of her desk as Kenner’s fingers dove in deep.
Andrea broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Kenner’s neck.
“Yes.” Andrea moaned when Kenner flicked her thumb over Andrea’s clit and her fingers slid into her. Kenner buried her face in Andrea’s neck and bit down on the pale flesh below her ear. Kenner didn’t know if Andrea was matching the rhythm of her fingers as she fucked her or if she was matching Andrea’s, but it didn’t matter. Andrea froze for a second, then smothered her cry in Kenner’s neck. Andrea’s climax flooded Kenner’s palm, and she matched Andrea’s pulsing orgasm with her own.
Before Andrea had a chance to recover Kenner was on her knees between Andrea’s thighs, the burning need to taste her driving all sanity from her mind. Andrea leaned back and placed her feet on her desk, spreading her knees wide. Kenner didn’t need any additional encouragement, and she replaced her fingers with her tongue.
“God, yes.”
Andrea’s words floated in the air around Kenner as she feasted on Andrea’s most intimate place. She started with long, slow licks, which quickly increased in speed as Andrea responded. When her tongue darted in and out of Andrea’s center, Kenner lost what little control she had left. Never had she wanted to please a woman like she wanted to please Andrea. She was completely consumed by Andrea’s gasps of pleasure, the way her body arched closer to her mouth, the way she responded to her touch. Kenner slid her fingers in deep once again and sucked on the tight bulb of her clit. Andrea arched upward, pulled her head closer, and exploded again.
Andrea’s head pounded in time with the rapid beat of her heart. Her breathing rate wasn’t far behind as she struggled to catch her breath. Her brain was in a fog, the effects of hot sex dulling its normally quick thought process. She didn’t move as she struggled to regain her equilibrium.
What the fuck had just happened? One minute she’d been pissed at Kenner and ready to throw her off the team, and the next Kenner had her fingers buried so deep in her Andrea could swear they were tickling her throat. Slowly, her eyelids heavy with fatigue, Andrea opened her eyes. The ceiling came into focus, and she felt something hard digging into her back.
The ceiling? Kenner’s fingers? Oh my God, what just happened?
Andrea tried to think but was mortified. How to get out of this? How to get Kenner’s finger out of her was more like it. How to regain some type of respectability was impossible to figure out while she lay naked on her desk with Kenner on her knees between her legs.
“Well, then.” Kenner’s voice was muffled, and Andrea felt her smile against her,.
Andrea shivered. Kenner’s warm breath blowing on her wet clit when she spoke caused the involuntary reaction.
“You okay?” Kenner asked.
Andrea knew Kenner was looking at her, but she was so humiliated by her actions she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact.
“Yes,” she replied stiffly. Now do I wait for her to take her fingers out of me, ask her to, or reach down and do it myself? What a fucking mess. Thankfully she didn’t need to make that embarrassing decision, but she cursed her body when it shuddered as Kenner slowly withdrew. Can this get any more awkward?
As soon as Kenner stood, Andrea sat up and crossed her legs. She wanted to cover her breasts, but it was a little late for that now. A look of raw desire flashed in Kenner’s eyes at her unintentionally provocative pose. Andrea quickly slid off the desk and began picking up her clothes. She stepped into her pants and stuffed her panties into the front pocket. She hastily donned her bra and shirt, tucking in the last few inches where the buttons were missing. She flushed with embarrassment when she remembered how desperately she’d wanted to have Kenner’s hands on her.
“Andrea,” Kenner said tentatively.
“You need to go.” Andrea barely recognized her voice. It was husky from sex and her throat was dry.
“But…” Kenner began pulling her clothes on.
The last thing Andrea needed was to try to make conversation with Kenner. What in God’s name did they have to say after this?
What had she gotten herself into? She never acted like this. She had never had sex with someone without knowing their favorite color or what flavor of ice cream they liked. And never, ever with someone she worked with. She didn’t even want to think about the fact that it had happened at work. Holy shit! Someone could have heard them, could have walked in on them. The scenarios made her stomach turn, and for a moment Andrea was afraid she might throw up. That would be the perfect conclusion to an already humiliating, fucked-up situation.
“Just go,” Andrea said, trying not to sound too demanding. “Please, just go.” Her voice was almost pleading, and she willed herself not to look at Kenner. Please, please, please just go, she begged Kenner in her head. Finally, after what seemed like forever and three days, Kenner turned, unlocked the door, and left, taking all the air out of the room with her.
Andrea slid down the side of her desk to the floor. Drawing her knees up and wrapping her arms around them, she closed her eyes and dropped her head onto her arms. Twice. Twice in less than five minutes Kenner had made her come. The scent of her lingering arousal drifted up from her crotch. She shuddered, remembering the way Kenner had touched her, kissed her, licked her. Her head started to spin from the sensations. She tipped it back and took a deep breath to try to calm her raci
ng heart.
What had she done? What had she allowed Kenner to do?
Chapter Twenty-one
T-minus 03:14:22:10
Kenner turned into the nearest conference room, stepped inside, and locked the door behind her. Her legs shook as she crossed the room and pulled out a chair. She sat down and dropped her head on her forearms on the table. The scent of Andrea was still on her fingers and she inhaled deeply. Images of Andrea under her, pulling her closer, gasping her name as she came flooded her brain. Kenner’s heart raced and her breathing was uneven. She’d had mutually satisfying quickies before but none that had left her as shaken as the one she’d just had with Andrea.
Kenner wasn’t exactly sure how it had started, but touching Andrea had been nothing short of spectacular. She might have been able to stop before things had gone too far, but when Andrea had leaned into her and returned her kisses, there was absolutely no turning back. Their coming together had been intense and hungry, almost carnal.
Kenner sat up, her head spinning. Something strange and overwhelming washed through her, and her hands were still trembling. “What the fuck?” she said, rubbing her hands over her face. She groaned. The scent of Andrea was on her hands and face, and desire flared again. Jesus, that wasn’t a good thing to do if she was trying to get her senses back. She’d never felt like this. After what she called a fast-and-furious fuck she always had simply felt sexually relieved and energized. Rarely had she wanted the woman again, and certainly not like she did with Andrea. She had to have her again and again, but the next time it would be slow and soft. The time after that fast and hard. Then standing, sitting, lying under her, kneeling over her.
“Jesus Christ, Kenner. Get it together,” she said, standing up and beginning to pace back and forth beside the small table. “This is not good. This is not good at all.” After a least a dozen laps, she exited the room and headed back to the control room.
Kenner wasn’t paying attention, and when she rounded the corner into the ladies’ room she practically ran over the custodian. “Excuse me,” she said to the woman, who staggered back a few steps. She apologized again and checked to make sure the woman wasn’t injured, then continued to the far sink. She cleaned herself up and laid a wet paper towel on the back of her neck. It didn’t completely settle her, but it was better than nothing. She wet her hands again and ran them through her hair, looking at herself critically in the mirror.