Jump Then Fall

by Sarah Sanders

  The owner. Ree…her Ree… was Reeth Sharma…the owner of Translink. Ika was in pieces. She was shaking so hard, she could barely walk. The owner… these two words kept hitting her. She was flailing emotionally. Crashing.

  Unconsciously, her feet took her to Ree’s room.

  ***************************************************************

  “Hey…are you okay?” Ree opened the door and saw Ika standing there….pale…so pale that it looked like all the blood had been drained out of her. Shaking. Looking terrified and devastated.

  “Come here,” Ree wrapped Ika in her arms. Worried. Almost panicking. Ika was sunshine. What could do this to her? Wanting nothing more than to make it all okay.

  Ika let herself be held, helplessly, but didn’t hug Ree back.

  “What’s up, baby? Talk to me,” Ree tucked Ika’s head under her chin, running her hands across Ika’s back soothingly.

  “You’re Reeth Sharma,” Ika said in a small voice that cracked. “You’re the owner,” she could barely get the words out and burst out crying.

  “Shhhh…it’s okay,” Ree murmured, kissing Ika’s head.

  “Nothing is okay,” Ika sobbed. “You’re the owner.”

  Ree reached down and wrapped one of Ika’s legs around her waist…then the other. She shut the door and carried the weeping girl in. She sat on the sofa with Ika wrapped around her. Murmuring soothing words, kissing her shoulders, stroking her back…holding her through her meltdown.

  Ika sobbed and shook, face buried in Ree, under her chin. Ree’s t-shirt was drenched.

  “Baby, you’ll make yourself sick, please stop crying,” Ree said gently.

  “You’re the owner,” Ika snivelled breaking into fresh tears. The weight of this knowledge was crushing her.

  “No, I am someone who is madly in love with you.”

  “You’re so out of my league,” Ika wept.

  “Baby, listen to me…this is what I was thinking last night…that you are so out of my league. I am totally outmatched by you. But I will work to make myself worthy of you.”

  Ika sniffed and cried quietly.

  “Ika, you know, you are my world…my belief…my faith…my being…my identity. I am nothing but for the grace of you.”

  “You’ll forget about me as soon as we leave from here,” Ika’s voice was barely audible.

  “What?? No!! Ika, look at me.”

  Ika rubbed her face against Ree’s collarbone.

  “Ika, baby, I look at me.”

  Ika slowly shifted her face sideways from being right under her chin. Fearfully, she raised her eyes to look at Ree.

  Eyes red and swollen from crying, nose red and running, expression devastated. Ika was in shambles. A ruin.

  Ree had never seen anything more beautiful in her life. Her eyes warmed with love.

  “I love you, Ika,” her voice was low, every word weighed down with emotion.

  “Radhika. Rao.” Ika sniffed. “Junior Manager,” her eyes filled again.

  Ree’s arms tightened around her hugging her closer.

  “Ika. The most dazzling person I know. My radiance. My aspiration. My love…my everything.”

  Ika looked at Ree tears streaming down her face. Wanting to believe.

  “Baby, what was I this morning?” Ree asked gently.

  “Magic,” Ika hiccupped.

  Ree smiled and kissed her forehead. “Who was I this morning, Ika?” she amended.

  Ika sniffed and hiccupped looking at Ree.

  “Was I a person who loved you?”

  Ika nodded slightly. Hiccup.

  “Was I a person who would do anything to be with you?”

  Some tears, but a slight nod again. Hiccup. The fear slowly…very slowly…fading from her wide eyes. Instead of a terrified wreck she’d now scaled down to nervous trepidation.

  “Was I a person you were holding through her issues and insecurities?”

  Ika’s mouth trembled and she wiped her face…snot and all…against Ree’s chest before going back and resting on her shoulder. Hiccup. Hiccup.

  “Was I a person who wanted you in her life forever?”

  “Yes,” muffled. Hiccup.

  “I am still the same person, baby. I was the owner of Translink when I first saw you…I was the owner of Translink when I fell in love with you…I was the owner of Translink when you cooked for me….when you sang for me…when you loved me through my fears…when you gave me courage to believe…when you started fighting my demons for me…when you gave me hope for myself…when you showed me that happiness may be possible for me…when you made sense of my life…when you gave me reason to be. Baby, you un-mess me as a person. You have accepted who I am. Can you accept what I am?”

  Hiccup. Hiccup. Under-the-lashes look. Sniff. But the fear wasn’t there anymore. Just hesitation. Hiccup.

  “This doesn’t change anything, baby…can you believe that?”

  Ika reached out to touch Ree’s face. “You love me?” she said in a tiny voice.

  “Like I’ve never loved anything in this world in my whole life.”

  “You won’t leave me?”

  “Never. I have finally found the purpose of my existence, baby, and that is you. You know I’m crazy about you, don’t you?”

  Ika just gazed at her…and hiccup. In Ree’s eyes she found love…no it was actually adoration and worship. She knew she looked a mess…she was a complete mess right now…but the way Ree was looking at her she felt beautiful. Cherished.

  “Let’s get you some water,” gently.

  Ika climbed off Ree. As Ree got up and walked to the fridge in the kitchenette area of the room, Ika grabbed a handful of her shirt and followed her, unable to countenance any distance. Ree drew her forward and held her around her waist walking her first to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and then to the bedroom.

  Ika went to the bathroom to wash her face and gather herself a bit. When she came out, she found Ree waiting by the door, one shoulder resting against the wall. Making sure that Ika knew she was right there.

  She enveloped Ika in a bear hug as soon as she came out. Kissing her head, reiterating her love.

  “Ree,” a tiny uncertain voice.

  “Tell me, baby.”

  “Will you make love to me?” timidly.

  This was never how Ika asked for it. She was confident about what she wanted and confident about Ree and the fact she had a right to get whatever she wanted from Ree. She had always displayed an ownership over Ree…and this diffidence was very discomfiting. Ika uncertain with Ree about anything just about broke Ree’s heart. But she knew what to do about it…or she hoped she did.

  Ree took Ika towards the bed. Before laying her down, Ree undressed Ika. She slowly untucked and unbuttoned Ika’s white silk shirt and ran her fingers along the cups of Ika’s bra before removing the shirt. She kissed Ika’s shoulders and neck. Unhooked the bra and slid the straps off her shoulders. Caressed Ika’s breasts, bent down and kissed them. Felt Ika’s reserve melting fast as she got more and more turned on. Ika moaned and her hands came up to hold Ree’s head. First step achieved…get Ika to touch her.

  Ree sucked Ika’s breast. Nipped the hardened tits and licked them. Cupped the other breast with her hand and squeezed it rhythmically. Ran her thumb across the nipple. Tweaked and twisted it slightly and Ika moaned louder. Ree pulled the nipple and Ika gasped, clutching Ree’s head harder pulling her in closer. Second step done…get Ika to lead Ree to what she wanted.

  Ree unzipped Ika’s skirt, pushing it over her hips to slide down. She caressed Ika’s sides, abdomen and back with sensuous strokes and Ika melded herself into Ree, pushing her hips forward.

  Ree ran her fingers up the sensitive skin of Ika’s inner thighs. Ree slid her thigh between Ika’s legs and Ika groaned, pushing into it and rubbing herself.

  “Ree,” she moaned.

  “Hmmm?” kissing, licking and nipping her arched neck, tweaking her breast.

  “Shit…Ree…ta
ke me.”

  Yessss. This was better than the hesitant way she’d asked Ree whether she’d make love to her. But not yet the same. Getting there.

  Ree lowered Ika to sit on the bed, her legs folded at the knees, feet flat on the ground. She kissed Ika’s abdomen and licked her sides, hands tormenting the inner thighs. Ika’s balanced herself with her hands behind her on the bed as she thrust her hips desperately looking for some friction.

  Ree kissed and licked Ika from her navel to her mound and ran her finger from hipbone to hipbone along the waistband of her panty. Ika was rolling and grinding her ass in the mattress…jerking her hips upwards. Going a little crazy. Put your fingers into me. Now!

  “Ree, touch me.”

  Ree slowly eased Ika’s panty down and little and nuzzled her pubis, holding her hips with her hands. Ika spread her legs wider, pushing Ree’s shoulders down, raising her hips.

  “Ree,” she groaned.

  Ree ran her tongue along the edges of Ika’s panty lines along the inner sides. Ika whimpered.

  Ree kissed, licked and nipped Ika’s inner thighs. In one quick motion, Ika removed her panty, threw it aside and grabbed Ree’s head placing it firmly on her cunt.

  “Now, Ree, now…take me now,” she commanded.

  Yessssssssssssssssssss! Ree grinned.

  She moved up from between Ika’s legs and scooched them up the bed into a comfortable position. Leaned over Ika and kissed her. Slipped a hand between Ika’s legs, finally cupping and squeezing the dripping pussy. Ika exhaled in relief. “I want to hold you when you come…is that okay?” Ree asked. Ika could only nod. Oh my God! Fuck me already!!

  Ree stroked the slit before parting the swollen lips and touching Ika’s hot, throbbing, wet centre. Ika moaned out loud.

  Ree entered Ika with and started thrusting. Ika cried out. Ree slipped one more finger inside Ika who started blubbering. Watching Ika’s descent into pure physical and carnal pleasure, Ree slowly introduced one more finger inside Ika and Ika screamed. She grabbed Ree by her shoulders, pulling her down and burying her face into the crook of Ree’s neck, her hips moving wildly meeting each hard thrust with her own…pulling in Ree’s fingers as far as they would go.

  “Faster,” she growled.

  Ree moved her hand faster using her whole arm, flicking Ika’s clit with her thumb with each downward thrust. Ika’s vagina was clenching around Ree’s fingers sucking them in and loth to let them go with each thrust. Ika bit Ree’s neck hard, slipped her hands under Ree’s t-shirt scratching her back in an agony of ecstasy as she came hard.

  Ree brought her down stroking slow circles around her clit. Ika hummed in utter satisfaction. Her arms loosened around Ree and she turned and snuggled into her.

  Long minutes passed quietly. Ree felt Ika’s smile against her skin and looked down. Ika placed an arm around Ree’s middle and looked up at her. “So you didn’t approve of me earlier, hmm?” she whispered sleepily in her husky, sensuous afterglow voice, grinning slightly.

  Ree raised her brows…it was impossible for Ika to know what had happened…or was it? “What!?!? When?”

  “Oh…you know…when I asked whether you’d make love to me,” Ika traced Ree’s lips. She got it! Ree thought with wonder.

  Ree kissed Ika’s finger and smiled, but her eyes were serious. “Babe, you own me…never forget that.”

  Ika gave her a full-wattage, radiant, sun-shaming smile. “Now I know…tough lesson…you know I’m an instant gratification kind of girl…you’ve never made me suffer so much,” she whispered, her smile taking away any edge to her words, inching up and kissing Ree possessively.

  “Ree,” against her lips.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Do you realise you have bite and scratch marks all over you?”

  “I love them…they are trophies of achievement,” Ree smiled, getting an answering smile and blush in return.

  “Ree.”

  “Ya, baby.”

  “I need to feel you, Ree.”

  Ree hesitated only a split second before untangling herself from Ika. She sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, turning her back to Ika. She pulled up her t-shirt. Felt Ika unhook her bra as she pulled the shirt over her head. She turned towards Ika and saw that in a scorching act of sensitivity, Ika had turned away and was shaking out a sheet and pulling it up to cover them.

  Ree removed her clothes and turned to lay back. She found Ika lying on her side, back to Ree, covers pulled up and folded over for Ree to get under them. Ree fell a little more in love with the remarkable person Ika was.

  Ree slipped under the sheet and spooned Ika, pressing their lengths together. Ika inhaled and then sighed aloud at the feel of Ree’s skin against hers.

  “Thank you,” Ree said softly, kissing Ika’s shoulder and laying an arm around her middle.

  Ika turned towards Ree. She raised her head slightly, and Ree slid her arm under Ika’s head. Ika looked at Ree, brought up her hand and caressed the beloved face. “Ree, I need to feel you. I don’t need to make you uncomfortable. If you’re uncomfortable with me seeing you, I won’t…till you’re okay with it,” she said softly.

  “What if I never get comfortable?”

  “I’ll respect that, sweetie.”

  “For all our lives?”

  “For all our lives,” Ika confirmed, “Forever,” she promised.

  “So we do have ‘forever’?” a smile on the lips, a question in the eyes. “You will give me…us…a chance?”

  Ika smiled her reassurance. “Love you.” She snuggled into Ree’s neck, “I’m exhausted. Now let me sleep…owner,” a kiss on the neck.

  “Owned…not owner.”

  Ika nuzzled Ree in response before succumbing to the overload of the stress and sex she’d just had and falling asleep.

  ***************************************************************

  Ika awoke to a feeling of rested wellbeing. She was practically lying on Ree…which was always a good thing. Ree’s arm was wrapped around her. Another good thing. She opened her eyes and saw that Ree was reading.

  “What you reading?”

  Ree turned and looked at her with an immeasurably tender smile. “Species.”

  “I thought you only read YA.”

  “Correction. I read everything…but love YA as a genre.”

  Ika unwrapped herself from around Ree and stretched.

  “How are you?” Ree asked running a finger along the centre of her back, down her spine.

  “Hungry. Need to pee,” she turned to Ree and smiled, “But better.”

  “I love you, you know that right?”

  Ika nodded. “I love you, too.”

  Ika got out of bed. Her mind was still grappling to come to terms with the fact that Ree was the owner of the conglomerate that she worked for. Her heart was still flip-flopping. She was still a little all over the place with a feeling of inadequacy. But she also recognised that Ree was there with her…rock solid.

  For some unknown reason, Ree had also let herself open up and embrace Ika to her heart after having closed herself for over a decade. She had shared her deepest fears with Ika, trusted and put herself in Ika’s safekeeping. That got to count for something, right? Ika couldn’t imagine Ree sharing everything that she had shared with her with anyone else.

  Having asked Ree not to block her and/or run from her, Ika couldn’t do that to them, no matter how scared she was. She needed to take the same risk Ree was taking and trust her. Ree had gone out on a limb for her and taken a huge leap of faith, Ika needed to do the same.

  Ika had to control and dial back her freak-out factor and damn, if she wouldn’t do that. This has to work.

  ***************************************************************

  “Which office are you based out of?” Ree asked as she busied herself opening the covered trays of the food she’d ordered. They were sitting across each other at a picnic table in the outdoor patio.

  Chocolate and strawberry milksh
akes, hot chocolate, apple, pineapple and orange juices, French fries, burgers, three different pizzas with different toppings including a plain cheese one, five varieties of sandwiches…this was a child’s ultimate food fantasy.

  “Ree, I’m twenty-six, not six,” Ika said, barely supressing her amusement at the spread.

  “I am six,” Ree said gleefully, “If you want to do adulating about food we’ll order something else for you,” she grinned.