by Tina Michele
“It’s just who I am.”
Belle and Tara stood in silence for several long seconds. Belle knew very little about Tara. All she had to go on was what she saw and what Tara offered. Maybe she was telling the truth. Belle stood quietly and began to sway in place—torn between staying and leaving.
“I’m sure Eden won’t mind, well, she might, but I can keep a secret if you can. So would you like to have dinner with me on Friday?”
Belle’s stomach fluttered to life. Tara reached out and took Belle’s hands in her own. Tara’s hands were soft and strong, and their heat sparked a fire inside Belle.
Belle held her breath as she stared into Tara’s eyes and felt her hands slide up her arms. She gripped Belle’s shoulders and pulled their bodies close. Her pulse quickened and she fought to keep her legs beneath her. “Friday?” Belle asked almost breathlessly.
Tara’s face drew close to hers. She looked deep into Belle’s eyes. “Friday,” she said before her soft, warm lips pressed against Belle’s.
She wanted more, but Tara pulled away and brushed her fingers across Belle’s cheek. “You’re freezing. You should get another sweater.”
Belle could’ve been hypothermic, but with the fire Tara had built inside her she wouldn’t have known. “Okay.” Tara turned away. Belle stood glued to the floor, pressed her fingers to her lips, and watched as Tara bounded up the stairs and disappeared.
Chapter Fourteen
Belle stood in front of her full-length mirror and fidgeted with the sixth outfit she’d tried on in twenty minutes. She tugged and turned, sucked and tucked before throwing herself onto her bed like a defeated twelve-year-old. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. “What am I doing?” Belle was ignoring all the warning bells that clanged in her head. They were so loud she could’ve been a human carillon tower. In spite of Tara’s admitted commitment issues, Belle couldn’t help but remember the way she was with her family. She hoped that there was more to her than what Tara wanted people to believe.
A knock at the front door made Belle’s heart jump. “Shit!” She froze in panic. “She cannot be here yet!” she said as she grabbed her phone to check the time. As she brought it over her face, it slipped from her fingers and hit her square on the bridge of her nose. “Ow!” She squeezed her nose with her fingers and sat up. Her eyes watered as she squinted to see the time. It was way too early to be Tara, thankfully. She walked to the door with her nostrils still pressed together and let Kyle and Andrew in.
“Please tell me you didn’t drop your phone on your face again.”
“No! It’s fine, I won’t tell you.”
“Good grief, girl!” Andrew said.
“Stop mushing it. You’re going to make it worse.” He pulled her hand off of her face. “But more importantly, why aren’t you dressed yet?”
“I can’t find anything. I’ve tried on six different outfits already.”
“And this is the best you came up with? Oh, hell no! Come on.” Kyle grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the hall toward her bedroom and Andrew followed behind.
When Kyle went into her closet she said, “You won’t find anything in there. Most of it’s right here.” Belle sat next to the large pile of mangled clothes she’d tossed onto her bed.
“Not true!” He came out of her closet with three dresses.
“Seriously? Those are so fancy. And I wore that red one already.”
“Oh, right,” Kyle said as he tossed it over her footboard. “So you have two.”
Belle had never worn either of the dresses that Kyle held up for her to choose. She’d bought them, and the red one, at the same time the year before. She had tried on all three of them and couldn’t decide. And since at the time she didn’t have any evening or cocktail dresses, she bought them all. Her eye was drawn to the one with black cap sleeves and lace trim. She remembered that it scooped low in the front and offered an ample view of her breasts. “You don’t think that’s too much?”
Kyle held it up to her. “I think it’s just enough.”
Andrew offered an “mhmm” in agreement.
She had no idea where Tara planned to take her. She didn’t want to be either over or under dressed. “I’ll try it. But if it’s too much I’m going back to this.” Belle motioned to the unremarkable blouse and slacks that she wore. When she compared her existing outfit to the elegant black dress, she was very much aware of its inadequacy. She took the dress from Kyle and went to the bathroom to change.
As soon as Belle had the dress on she knew that it was what she was going to wear. She felt comfortable and sexy without pulling or tugging on herself or the fabric. When she stepped out of the bathroom, both Kyle and Andrew confirmed her choice.
“Whoa! Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
“Gorgeous!”
Belle blushed at their praises. “Thank you. I just need to figure out what to do with all this.” Belle gathered her long hair into her hands and flopped it onto the top of her head.
“Well, you’ve got the right idea but terrible technique. Come in here.” Andrew pushed her back into the bathroom to help her with her hair. She was so glad to have the two of them in her life. They were the best friends she could’ve asked for. Belle began to tear up and Kyle caught her.
“No. No crying tonight. Well, not unless she takes you to McDonald’s.”
“Thank you.” Belle smiled and then closed her eyes while Andrew worked his magic.
Her boys sat in the living room while Belle finished her makeup. She could hear them rattle the mini-blinds to look out the window every time they heard a car pass by. When Tara did arrive, she thought they were going to spin themselves into the floor with excitement. And that did nothing to ease her vibrating nerves. “Breathe,” she told herself. She stepped into the living room and took several deep, calming breaths. When Kyle and Andrew saw her, they both gasped.
“Holy shit, sweetheart. I have no words, darling,” Andrew stammered.
As Kyle was about to speak, the doorbell rang and all three of them shrieked. “She’s here. Shit! She’s here.” Belle said as she paced.
“Shhh! Everybody shush! Relax.” Kyle let out a long sigh and lowered his arms to his sides. “I’ll get the door.” He sauntered to the door and took one last breath before he opened it. Belle hadn’t expected them to be as nervous as she was, but they were, and she loved them all the more for it. “Oh, hello there, Tara. My husband and I were just leaving. Andrew.”
Kyle jerked his head toward the door. “Oh, right. Yes. You have a wonderful night, dear,” he said before he kissed Belle on her cheek and followed Kyle out the door. “Good night,” he said to Tara with a wide grin.
Tara watched them head down the stairs before she turned to Belle. “I wasn’t expecting th—oh, wow.” Tara froze in mid-sentence on the threshold.
“Yeah, sorry about that. They insisted on staying just to make me uncomfortable.”
“I don’t even remember who you’re talking about, because I can’t think of anything except you and that dress.” Tara stepped into the foyer and closed the door behind her.
Belle had never seen the look that Tara had in her eye. It was raw, almost ravenous. “Uhm, I wasn’t sure if this would be too much.”
“Oh, sweetheart. No. It’s just perfect. You look amazing.”
Tara stepped toward her so quickly she stepped back and bumped into the wall behind her. “Ooh.”
Tara reached out her hand for Belle. “Careful. Are you okay?”
Belle slid her hand into Tara’s. The contact sent a searing heat over every inch of her body. Her pulse quickened and she swallowed hard. She opened her mouth to answer, but she had no words. She nodded.
“Good. Shall we?”
The best she could manage was “mhmm.” She followed Tara out the door and down the steps.
With Tara ahead of her, Belle could take a few moments to admire Tara’s frame and figure without fear of being caught. She wore a fitted navy blue button
-down tucked into a pair of black slacks that hugged her solid and muscular thighs. She was so fixated on watching Tara’s body she almost missed the last step. Tara turned around just as she caught herself on the railing.
“Everything okay?”
“Absolutely.” If Belle wanted to make it through the evening without a stumbling face plant she was going to have to stay focused and avoid getting distracted by pretty much everything there was about Tara. It was going to be a long night, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
*
Tara couldn’t think. Belle was stunning in every sense of the word. Her dress highlighted every soft curve of Belle’s body. Tara hadn’t thought it possible to be more enamored with the girl in the fluffy gray sweater with a burning red splotch on her forehead, but she was wrong. This was a whole different side to Belle she couldn’t get out of her mind. This moment wasn’t going to make that any easier.
Tara opened the door for Belle and helped her into the Jeep. Her fingers burned where they touched Belle’s smooth skin. She stared at her for longer than necessary as she tried to remember what she was supposed to do next. “Ah!” She checked that Belle was in and closed the door.
As she moved around to the driver’s side, a wave of anxiety washed over her. This wasn’t like her at all. She was acting flummoxed and awkward around some girl. She’d had her fair share of some girls and they had never affected her this way. She never would’ve allowed it. So when the hell did this one become the exception? However it had happened, the idea that this one had made her very claustrophobic. She took several deep breaths and reached for the handle. When she looked up and saw Belle’s beautiful sparkling eyes staring at her, the strangling fear eased.
“So I thought we would head over to the Vine Cellar and have a drink before dinner, if you’d like.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Great. Although I suppose I should’ve asked you if you even like wine.”
Belle looked over and grinned. “Well, lucky for you I do.”
“It does seem that I’m on quite a winning streak so far.” Tara was talking about more than just her guess that Belle liked wine. It had taken some extreme measures and quite a bit of time to get the stunning and intriguing Belle beside her. She couldn’t give all the credit to chance. “You can’t win the game if you don’t play it. No matter how lucky you are.” As soon as she heard herself say it, she cringed.
“Wow,” Belle said.
“Belle, I am so sorry. That came out far more arrogant and chauvinistic than it was meant.” Tara pulled into the spot near the bar and turned to face her. Belle stared out her window in silence. “Belle.”
“Don’t worry about it. We all say things we regret, whether it’s true or not. Although everything we say is grounded in some manner of truth.”
Tara reached out for Belle’s hand and held it in hers. “Belle, please. All I meant by that was—”
“I’m a game.”
A knot in Tara’s throat choked her. “No. You—”
“I don’t know what that means. It’s okay. You said it before, it’s who you are.”
She had said that. And anyone in the world would draw the exact same conclusion as Belle had. “Look at me. You’re not a game. I just meant that anything worth having isn’t handed to you. You have to work for it, earn it, and prove that you are worthy of having it. And I am failing miserably at it this very moment.” Tara hung her head. They were enveloped in silence for several long and painful seconds.
“Yeah. I think they call it a strike.” Belle chuckled.
Tara looked up at Belle in confusion. “What?”
“Tara, everything in me told me not to say yes when you asked me out. There might have even been flashing lights and sirens. Even now I have no idea why I’m here with you. But I am.”
“You are.” Tara leaned in closer to Belle.
Belle leaned back. “Although I’m not sure why that is after you compared me to a sporting event.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“It’s fine, Tara. It doesn’t matter. I see the person you want me to and it’s just the kind of thing I imagine she’d say. Your reputation remains intact.”
Tara wasn’t looking to keep her reputation. She was trying to explain to Belle that this time she felt something was different. But it was clear that Belle already had her mind made up. Tara could keep pushing it or she could try to push past it. “So, did I strike out or do I still have a couple of swings left?”
“Um, I don’t know. I’m not so great at sports metaphors. How many strikes are there in football?” Belle smiled.
Tara laughed. She didn’t know if Belle was serious, but it just didn’t matter. “I’ll take as many as you’ll give me.”
“Then just keep dribbling; you might still win all the points.”
Tara laughed harder. “Oh, I can’t. Please tell me you’re kidding.” There was no way Belle was serious.
Belle burst out laughing with Tara. “Ha! Yes, Tara, I’m just messing with you.”
As they laughed together, Tara added funny to the list of all the things she already adored about Belle.
Chapter Fifteen
Belle sat and waited for Tara to open her door. She would’ve done it for herself except that Tara told her to wait. Clearly, Belle’s independent nature was not lost on Tara. However, Belle indulged herself and allowed Tara to demonstrate her skills.
Although they had laughed it off for the most part, Belle couldn’t get the word out of her head. Game. Belle knew Tara’s game. She’d seen her in action on at least three occasions. The third turned out to be her sister, so it didn’t count. But she’d seen enough to know who Tara was. Now, Belle was one of those women. Tara opened the door and helped her out onto the sidewalk. Her simple touch sent a searing heat through Belle’s body.
She was drawn into her, from the first moment she laid eyes on her. Before she’d even known her name or heard the sound of her voice, Belle was spellbound by Tara. She could’ve been nothing more than a picture and Belle would have still felt an undeniable pull toward her. Each time she appeared in her life, she became more difficult to cast aside as just another random face. Tara had somehow become another studied masterpiece in her mind—an artwork she could recall from memory as vividly as the strokes of grass on Cezanne’s View of Auvers sur Oise.
As they walked toward the bar, Tara took her hand and entwined their fingers. Belle looked down and couldn’t imagine anyone else’s feeling as perfect. She looked up when Tara pulled her to a stop. A large crowd of people poured out onto the sidewalk. They mingled and chatted as they used their cigarettes and glasses of wine for conversational emphasis. Belle’s anxiety reared its ugly head. She held her breath in an attempt to keep from hyperventilating. She didn’t realize that she was squeezing Tara’s hand with a death-like grip until she said something.
“Whoa. That’s quite a grip you have. Are you okay?”
“Shit. I’m sorry.” She tried to let go of Tara’s hand, but it tightened around Belle’s.
“Hey.” Tara brought Belle’s hand up and kissed it. “It’s not as bad inside. The ruffians spill out here so they can smoke. It’s a little more reserved in there.”
Belle looked around. There wasn’t a single ruffian anywhere in sight. If there were she would’ve felt a little less panicked. It was the Louboutin pumps and Gucci bags that made her nervous. She thought about Kyle and Andrew and how this would be someplace they would love, and love to drag her into. Belle looked at Tara and forced a smile. “Great.”
Tara wasn’t convinced. She took Belle’s hands in hers and pulled her close. “We can go in for a few minutes. If you still feel like this, we will leave. Or we can just go now,” Tara said.
“No. We can go in. I’m okay.” Belle took a deep breath and smiled.
“Good, let’s go.” Tara turned and led Belle through the crowd. She nodded to several people who called her name and showed Belle to an empty table near the back.
Belle slid awkwardly onto the chair and held her clutch on the table in front of her. She looked around at the room lined with endless shelves of wine bottles and automated stainless steel machines. Tara was right; it was a more subdued crowd inside, and as Belle looked around she began to notice a more varied collection of clientele. Her anxiety began to ease.
She looked at Tara who smiled at her. “Better?” she asked as she held two wine glasses up and clinked them together.
Belle laughed. “So far. Do I get one of those?”
“Of course.” Tara handed Belle one of the glasses and helped her slide off her seat. “After you.”
Before they could make their way to the nearest machine, someone called Tara’s name. She and Belle looked in the direction of a beautiful blonde who made her way over. “Of course,” Belle mumbled under her breath.
“Cate! Um, what are you doing here?” Tara said quietly, but still loud enough for Belle to hear.
“What?” the woman asked.
“I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“We’re all here, Tara. What’s the big d—” She looked around Tara and spotted Belle who fidgeted next to the table and pretended not to be listening. “Is that her?” she whispered.
“Shit.” Tara sighed. “Yes.” Tara turned toward Belle and brought the woman over.
Seriously? Belle recognized her as Tara’s striking date from the ballet opening. Belle offered an awkward smile as the woman beamed from ear to ear.
“Hi, I’m Cate!” she said with an overdose of excitement.
“Uh, hi. Belle.”
Tara moved in between them. “Belle, this is Cate Summers, my best friend. We grew up together—me, her, and my sister, Lucy.”
“Good Lord, you’re beautiful.” Belle couldn’t believe she’d just said that out loud. She wanted to crawl under the table and die from embarrassment. “I don’t know why I just said that. I’m not even drinking, I swear.” Belle held up her empty wine glass as proof.