Everything was running smoothly, and Carly let her tiredness seep into her body. She reached out for Stella’s hand to get her attention. “I’m heading back to the hotel. I’m exhausted and need to unwind.”
“Okay, I’ll go with you.” Scanning the dance floor, Stella found Claudia and Trish grinding and wiggling their hips together with the melody of the music. “I’ll go and tell Jonny and Baby over there that we’re leaving.”
The Dirty Dancing reference wasn’t lost on Carly, and she couldn’t help the un-lady like snort that broke forth, causing Stella to raise an eyebrow and chuckle.
Inside the taxi, Carly leaned into Stella and rested her head on her shoulder. “I can’t believe how tired I am.”
“You’ve been busy and haven’t had a chance to take a break.” Stella kissed the top of her head. “I’ve got an idea. When we get to the hotel, go and get changed into your sleepwear then come to my room for a drink. We can put a silly film on and de-stress together.”
It was agreed, and as soon as they reached the hotel, they hurried towards the elevator. Carly’s and Stella’s rooms were situated on either side of Claudia’s and Trish’s, and when they reached their floor, they separated with a brief kiss on the lips with Carly promising not to be too long.
Stella entered her room already kicking off her shoes; once the door was shut, she stripped out of her clothes and left a trail of them in her wake as she rushed into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Once her hair was dry and she was in a pair of shorts and a comfortable t-shirt, she ran around the room preparing for Carly’s arrival. With a quick call to the front desk, she had a bottle of wine ordered and some snacks for them to munch on. She’d just turned the television on when there was a soft knock at the door. Pulling it open, her breath caught in her throat, Carly’s bare legs were the first thing she saw. Her gaze started at her ankles and slowly made the journey upwards. Her thighs were barely covered in the fleece tartan boxers, and the black T-shirt clung to her delicious curves, easily outlining her supple, high, round breasts. It was difficult for Stella to swallow, and she had to resist the urge to childishly mime the action of picking her mouth up from the floor. She took a step back and allowed Carly to enter.
Carly spun on her as soon as they door was shut, a coy smile was on her face, and she was adorably biting her lower lip. “From the reaction I received, I take it you like my pyjamas?”
Stella’s head bobbed in agreement.
“Oh yeah, I never thought I’d find fleece shorts sexy on anyone. But you? Oh boy!” Escorting her into the room, Stella handed her the remote control. “Remember, I said something mindless when it comes to choosing what to watch.”
Their wine arrived shortly after, and after tipping the young lad generously, she poured them both large glasses. Handing one to Carly, she joined her on the small sofa, curling her long tanned legs up underneath her.
Carly instantly leant her back against Stella’s side and wriggled around to get comfortable. There was something already playing on the screen, but Stella couldn’t concentrate. Having that delicious lithe body nestled into her was all she could focus on. It felt heavenly having Carly against her, and the intoxicating aroma of her shampoo invaded her nose.
The movie played on, and there was the odd laugh from Carly, but Stella stayed quiet. When Carly turned in her arms, their eyes locked, and Stella felt herself leaning forward. She was powerless to stop, and if she were truthful—she didn’t want to. Capturing Carly’s lips, Stella whimpered at their softness, and the faint taste of melons and apples from their wine made her head spin. Carly’s tongue sensually flicked against her lower lip seeking entrance.
What started out as a tame kiss soon changed into something smouldering and uncontrollable. Dual moans filled the room as Stella filled her hands with the long loose strands of red hair and scraped her blunt nails against Carly’s scalp. They nibbled each other’s lips and added playful nips before pulling apart.
“Jesus, the things you do to me.” Stella lifted her hand and ran it through her short shaggy locks.
Carly’s chest rose and fell rapidly. “I…we…damn…there are no words to how you make me feel.”
The erotically charged woman sitting before her caused Stella to wiggle in her seat as the last shred of moisture the kiss hadn’t redirected left her but settled firmly between her legs. If this was something she could brush off as a one-time thing, she’d have no problem in taking Carly there and then. But it wasn’t. Carly was much more than that, and when their time came, she was going to take her time making love to her, savouring every morsel of her, and worshiping her like the goddess she was.
“Please don’t look at me like that. When we make love for the first time it’s going to be after I’ve had a chance to wine and dine you properly. Forgive me for getting us both worked up, but I couldn’t resist you any longer.”
“I was hardly stopping you, honey.”
The term of endearment echoed softly through Stella’s mind, and she couldn’t resist placing one last kiss on her lips before she took Carly in her arms and turned them back to the television. “I know, but you’re a beautiful, soulful woman, who deserves nothing but the best. I plan to see that you have it.”
Carly’s lower lip trembled as she turned and leaned up to kiss Stella’s neck. “You’re all of those things yourself, and it’d be easy for me to take you to bed, but if this is how you want us to do things, I’ll wait and be patient.”
Stella kissed the top of her head and buried her nose in her hair. “Thank you.”
They continued their frenzied kisses throughout the night, and their caresses became bolder, yet neither of them crossed the line Stella had drawn.
They fell asleep on the sofa, bedraggled and exhausted, their bodies entwined with Carly partially lying on top of Stella, and their lips were bruised and red in colour.
***
Stella jerked awake when she heard Claudia’s and Trish’s door slam shut. The loud bang caused Carly to stir in her arms.
“What the hell was that?” Carly voice came out gravelly as she lifted her head from Stella’s chest.
“I think Claudia and Trish have just got back.” Looking at her watch, she saw that it was three in the morning. “Damn, she’s going to be a grumpy bitch tomorrow.”
Carly rolled off of Stella and stood next to the side of the sofa. She offered Stella her hand and helped her up. “I’m going to go back to my own room and climb into bed.”
On wobbly legs, Stella staggered towards her own king-size and pulled back the covers. She sat on the edge of the mattress and pointed to the other side. “Join me for the night. We’re both too tired to act on anything we’re feeling, so let’s cuddle up under the duvet and go back to sleep.”
Carly didn’t need to be asked twice as she ran to the luxurious bed and slid under the ivory covered duvet. “Thank you.”
Stella chuckled and rubbed her eyes as she lay down. “I’m glad that didn’t take too much persuasion.” She reached out with her hand and turned the bedside lamp out. The light from the forgotten television filled the room. As Carly shuffled back into her arms, all thoughts of turning the device off dwindled.
“Good night, darling.”
With one last kiss, she laid her head on her pillow ready to welcome slumber once again.
Her eyes slid closed but flew open a second later when she heard someone moan. Carly’s even breathing told her she was nearly asleep. Another sound drew her attention to the corner of the room, then to the wall as she heard something bang against it. A few seconds later, the sound came again.
Carly squinted at the wall. “What’s going on?”
A loud moan and the command “harder” came from the corner this time. There was no denying what they were hearing or who had said it.
Covering her face with her hands, Stella rubbed vigorously. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”
Climbing from the bed she moved to the corner and saw
the rooms were connected by an open-air vent. She fell to her knees and scrambled around on the floor until she found the shut off switch and quickly threw it downwards.
“I can do without listening to my best friend being screwed senseless.”
Carly flung herself back on her pillows as the sound of the headboard next door hitting the wall increased. “That’s just as disturbing.”
Stella grabbed the remote and turned the television onto the news channel, stabbing the volume button up to drown out the noise. “I hope we can sleep with that blaring. If they complain in the morning, they’re in deep shit, and Ms. Claudia better be ready to make a move by twelve o’clock or there’ll be hell to pay.”
Stella got back into bed and pecked Carly on the lips as she moved closer.
“Now, let’s try again. I’m sure they’ll pass out eventually. Well, I hope they do.”
Chapter Twelve
When they arrived in Birmingham airport the next morning, there was another car waiting for them. Stella and Carly both had black circles under their eyes, and Claudia was also beginning to tire and was, as Stella predicted, grumpy. The only happy and seemingly rested one out of the quartet was Trish. Throughout the journey, Stella and Carly were not able to take their eyes off each other, and their hands had a will of their own as the need to be in contact most of the time didn’t go un-noticed.
They climbed into the car, and as Stella started it, Claudia tapped Carly on the shoulder. “Want to tell us why you were sneaking out of Stella’s room this morning looking wonderfully dishevelled?”
Stella cursed softly under her breath as Carly spun around in her seat and explained how they’d fallen asleep the night before. Claudia scoffed and brushed her explanation aside with a brush of her hand. “Oh, please, do you really expect me to believe that. Come on, admit it. You two were doing the horizontal tango all night long, and that’s why you look so knackered this morning.”
Trish joined Claudia in her laughter.
Stella’s eyes caught the deep scarlet hue on Carly’s cheek as she drove them away from the airport. “Believe what you want, but Carly and I know the truth. Besides if you want to talk about dancing of any form, I think it’s only fair to mention that someone in your room was doing a fine impression of wolf last night. Howling their head off sporadically throughout the early hours—that is why we’re so tired!”
Claudia and Trish fell silent in the backseat, and smug grins crested over Stella and Carly’s faces.
“That serves you right, Claudia.” Carly slid her hand over the top of Stella’s thigh and gave it a small squeeze.
After parking the car, the four women carried their bags into the hotel, and Stella approached the desk to check in. Upon giving her name, they waited while the young brunette receptionist typed away on her computer furiously.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Williams, there seems to have been a mistake with the booking process, and only two rooms have been reserved for your party. Unfortunately, there are no other rooms to rent in the hotel tonight.”
Stella sighed and peeked down at Carly, her shoulders sagging. “We can find another room somewhere for one of us to stay in.”
Carly elbowed her way to the desk and rested her arms on the high top. “If two is the best you can do, we’ll have to make do.” She felt Stella’s hand in the small of her back. “The four of us need to be close so we can talk about the meeting tomorrow. I haven’t got a problem sharing a bed with you again.” Leaning closer, she lowered her voice. “I enjoyed being close to you.”
Stella turned with lightning speed to the receptionist. “Two will be okay.”
Carly couldn’t stop grinning as she listened to the check in process, her eyes firmly on the tall form of the woman who was becoming one of the most important people in her life.
Once they had their keys, they stepped over to the elevator. While they were waiting for it to arrive, Stella grabbed Carly’s hand and tugged her close to her side. “Will you have dinner with me tonight? I know we have to work afterwards, but I wouldn’t mind us taking the opportunity to dance together and have a good time while checking out the club.”
“I’d love to, but what about the girls?” Carly asked as they climbed into the lift.
Trish laid her head against Claudia’s arm. “We’ve got plans to have a quiet afternoon and evening before meeting up with you later. We partied a little too hard last night and need some time to recover.”
When they stepped off the elevator onto their floor, Claudia and Trish turned right while Stella and Carly went left.
Once inside the room, they scrutinized their surroundings, and their eyes finally landed on the king-size bed covered in a light white and purple bedspread.
Stella’s mind took a one-way trip to naughty naked land, and her head was soon swimming with images of them rolling around under the sheets making love. Her lips fused together, and her hands clenched as she fought the urge to reach for Carly. Coughing lightly, she wrestled her eyes from the bed and studied the tantalising redhead.
“I’ll book us a table for dinner tonight,” Stella muttered.
An amused smirk fell over Carly’s face as she watched Stella rush to the phone. The sexual tension in the room was palpable, and if she didn’t find something to occupy herself with, they wouldn’t make it to dinner. Laying her briefcase on the small desk in the corner of the room, she pulled out the folder of complaints she’d compiled on the club they were assessing. “We need to read through these before tonight and be prepared to address them all tomorrow.”
Two large floor-to-ceiling windows sat in front of the small seating area in room. Taking one of the tub seats, Carly laid the open folder on the coffee table so they could both read it.
Stella realised what Carly was doing and was thankful she hadn’t had to come up with something to occupy them because their bed would’ve featured heavily again.
***
Stella and Carly drew many lingering looks and heads turned as they walked arm in arm through the reception and bar area of the hotel and out of the large sliding glass doors to a waiting taxi.
Stella made sure Carly was safely inside before she climbed in next to her. After giving the driver the restaurant name, she took Carly’s hand and held it in her lap. Neither of them said a thing but their eyes spoke volumes, and the smouldering gazes made the air between them sizzle.
As they were planning to dance the night away, they were both dressed casually in jeans and shirts. Stella wore purple cotton, while Carly wore a tailored white low-buttoned top. When Carly had stepped out of the bathroom, Stella’s eyes had been instantly drawn to the creamy white flesh spattered with a few freckles. The alluring wink of cleavage caused her temperature to rise and her heart to beat erratically. One thought popped into her head the second she saw her. Beauty personified!
Stella entwined their fingers as she helped Carly from the cab at the restaurant and didn’t let go until they were seated in a cosy private booth inside. Instead of them taking seats opposite each other, they sat in the middle of the booth close together. Stella ordered them a bottle of Merlot after a brief conversation on what they would both enjoy.
Stella took a sip of her wine and groaned when the hint of blackcurrant hit her taste buds. “I can’t believe we didn’t meet until I came to the club. Claudia and I have been friends for years, and I’ve attended many of the parties her parents have hosted.”
“Connie and Bruce always like to throw a multitude of parties, and some are even a weekend affair, I think we might have been invited to the same events but on different days.”
“They’re quite the socialites, aren't they? Oh, and on the subject of parents, mine think you’re great.”
Carly lowered her eyes and picked up her glass. “That’s sweet. I can’t wait for you to meet mine. I still haven’t told them I’m dating someone, and they’ll go nuts when I tell them you have a child. George is going to be seriously spoilt when they come home from Spain.”
> All conversation stopped as a waiter approached to take their order. In their need to talk, neither of them had glanced at their menu. After deciding and placing their order, their time was spent learning all about each other and sharing stories about their friendship with Claudia. They spent most of the time laughing while savouring the exquisite plates of food placed in front of them. Neither of them was shy and dipped into the other’s plate to share and experience the different dishes, occasionally feeding each other small morsels.
After watching Carly take the first piece of food off her fork, feeling her lips fuse around the metal and her tongue scrape against the underside of it, Stella had to fight not to moan loudly. Oh shit, I’m going to self-combust! A delightful twitch between her legs caused her breathing to slow as she watched Carly swallow the food. She leaned forward, unable to resist, and kissed Carly’s lips.
The rest of dinner became an erotic dance of flirtation with them realising the effect they were having on each other. It intensified in seduction as they tried to outdo each other.
By the end of the meal, Stella wasn’t sure who’d won. Carly had driven her wild, but from the way Carly was squirming in her seat, they’d both done equally well and Carly declared it a draw.
A chime sounded and Stella’s mobile vibrated in her right pocket. “Claudia and Trish are heading to the club.”
“Okay, let’s go.” Carly picked her small jacket up and slipped her arms in. Standing, she straightened it, then reached for Stella’s hand. “Thank you for dinner.”
Stella raised the back of Carly’s hand to her mouth and kissed it tenderly. “You’re more than welcome. Let’s go find a taxi and get to the club. I can’t wait to have you moving against me on the dance floor.”
Their luck held as there was a taxi dropping someone off at the restaurant, and they climbed straight into the back seat and linked hands, shuffling closer together.
Absolute Betrayal Page 12