New Beginnings

by KC Richardson

  Alex rolled her eyes and took another bite of her burger.

  “Al, don’t even go there. You promised you’d let it go.”

  “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  Jordan threw a fry at her. “Your eye rolling said it all.”

  Alex picked up the fry and threw it back, which earned them a scowl from the waitress as she walked by.

  “You’re such a child! I don’t even know why I put up with your sorry ass.”

  “Because I am freaking amazing,” Alex joked and pointed a finger at Jordan. “Don’t even try to deny it. I am the coolest person you’ve ever met.”

  “Damn it. You’re right.” Jordan burst out laughing. “I can’t even say that with a straight face.”

  Alex became serious. “So, if she wasn’t married, you’d have no interest in her?”

  Jordan shrugged and looked away. “It doesn’t matter because she’s straight.”

  “Baby, they’re all straight until they’re not.”

  Jordan laughed again and shook her head. “You’re not right.”

  Alex winked at her. “I am right. I’ve slept with a few ‘straight women.’” Alex added the air quotation marks with her fingers. “It just took being with me to help them see the light.”

  “Those poor women probably didn’t know what hit them once you set your sights on them.”

  “They knew exactly what hit them, and they enjoyed every fucking minute of it.”

  As it always did when they were together, the conversation quickly degenerated into good-natured teasing, and by the time they finished lunch, Jordan’s sides ached from laughing. She signaled the waitress for the check and removed her wallet as Alex reached for hers. Jordan held up her hand and shook her off. “I’ve got this. I appreciate you listening to me and being my friend.”

  “Anytime. I’d do anything for you. You know that, right?”

  “Of course I do. It’s mutual. Hey, do you have plans tonight?”

  “Nothing set in stone, but I was thinking of going out. Why? What are you doing?”

  “I have a game and was going to head over to Lucy’s afterward. I was wondering if you wanted to come to the game or meet me at the bar.”

  “I can’t make it to the game because I promised my parents I’d have dinner with them, but I can definitely meet you later for drinks. What time will you be there?”

  “My game’s at seven, then I’ll go home to shower, so…ten-ish?”

  “Perfect. Play nice with the other girls.”

  Jordan kissed Alex good-bye and asked, “Don’t I always?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jordan arrived at Lucy’s and went to the bar to get her drink and wait for Alex. She ordered her beer and talked with Deb, who was behind the bar again. Just a few minutes passed before Alex arrived, looking alluring as always. Alex had on tight black jeans that hugged her well-toned ass and a tight, thread-bare white V-neck T-shirt that accentuated her well-endowed breasts. Her chestnut brown hair was brushed out, bouncing with each step she took, and her brown eyes held a mischievous spark to them.

  “Christ, Alex, you look hot tonight.”

  “Hopefully there will be an enticing woman here—other than yourself—who thinks so, too. You’re not looking too shabby yourself, Ms. Roberts.”

  Jordan glanced down at herself and perused her own outfit. She’d deliberately chosen faded blue jeans that looked like they’d been designed specifically for her and a hunter green button-down blouse, which she’d been told complemented her eyes. She’d let her hair hang loose, which was different from the braid or ponytail she normally wore. She’d wanted to look good in case she met a woman she wanted to hook up with…or in case Kirsten showed up.

  Jordan and Alex grabbed their drinks and headed to a table to sit and scope out the scene. They chatted idly about Jordan’s game and Alex’s dinner with her family earlier in the evening. After several long minutes of small talk, Alex grabbed Jordan’s hand and stood.

  “C’mon, let’s dance.”

  Jordan smiled and allowed herself to be led out to the small dance floor. She loved dancing with Alex. They were both good dancers, and when they moved together, they always drew looks from the other women in the bar. And tonight was no different. Quite a few of the other women on the floor and several of those seated nearby looked on attentively.

  Jordan always thought Alex looked so sexy with the way she moved her hips and got this provocative look on her face, like she was going to fuck Jordan right there on the dance floor. But Jordan could play that game with her, too. Every once in a while, she would turn Alex away from her, grab her hips, pull Alex back into her own pelvis, and start grinding away. Jordan supposed that, to any stranger, they looked like passionate lovers bringing that feeling to the floor.

  After several songs, Jordan led Alex back to their table. Both of them were a little sweaty from their escapade, so Alex went to the bar to get them another drink. She returned, placed a vodka tonic on the table, and handed Jordan her beer.

  “So, Al, see any woman that enticed you?”

  “As a matter of fact, I saw one or two that I’d consider getting to know better. How about you? I know you didn’t get all dressed up for me. Have you seen your dream girl tonight? What was her name?”

  “Kirsten. And, no, I haven’t seen her, but I’m not really looking for her.”

  Alex laughed. “Uh-huh. You just keep telling yourself that. I saw the look on your face when you saw her in the coffeehouse. You never look at me that way.”

  The pouty lip look Alex gave her made her laugh. “That’s because you’re not as hot as Kirsten.”

  They were laughing when Jordan felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and was stunned to see Kirsten smiling at her. Shit. Had Kirsten just heard her say that she was hot? Her skin flushed at the thought. Please, God, please let it be so loud in here that she didn’t just hear me say she was hot.

  Although Jordan had to admit, she hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. Kirsten was currently wearing a white, low-cut blouse that displayed her magnificent cleavage. She also wore dark gray slacks and black, three-inch heels, which brought her almost to Jordan’s eye level. She had on a touch of makeup, including lipstick that made her lips look like they were begging to be kissed. Jordan’s mouth went dry, and she fought hard to find her voice.

  “Hey, Kirsten. What are you doing here?”

  “I went to Brenda’s game tonight, and now we’re here for drinks.”

  Jordan stood up from her stool and pulled Kirsten closer. “Kirsten Murphy, I would like you to meet my friend, Alex Taylor. Alex, this is Kirsten.”

  Kirsten extended her hand to Alex and smiled, exposing those dimples that Jordan found so appealing. “Very nice to meet you, Alex.”

  Alex looked at Jordan then back to Kirsten. She smiled and shook Kirsten’s hand. “The pleasure is mine, Kirsten.” Alex shot her a quick smirk before turning back to Kirsten. “So, tell me, how do you two know each other?”

  Kirsten smiled again and said, “Actually, Jordan is my physical therapist.”

  The stunned look on Alex’s face would have made Jordan laugh if the moment hadn’t been so awkward for her. She would never have revealed that information out of respect for Kirsten’s privacy.

  Alex seemed to recover quickly. “Would you like to sit and join us?”

  Jordan shot Alex a look. The last thing she wanted was to socialize with a current patient, especially one as beautiful as Kirsten, one that constantly occupied her thoughts. She needed to keep their relationship strictly professional, and having Kirsten share drinks with them while wearing that outfit certainly wouldn’t help matters any.

  Kirsten glanced at Jordan with what appeared to be disappointment on her face and hesitated a moment. “No, thank you. Brenda and her teammates have a couple of tables by the bar. I just wanted to come say hello to Jordan. It was nice to meet you, Alex. Jordan, I’ll see you next week. Enjoy your evening.”

  K
irsten turned and walked away, and Jordan watched her go.

  “Well, that was rude.”

  Jordan was puzzled. “What was rude?”

  “That look you gave me when I invited Kirsten to sit down. She’s stunning, by the way. Why didn’t you want her to join us?”

  “She’s my patient, and I don’t socialize with my patients.”

  “But she just came over to say hi. Would it have killed you for her to visit a few minutes?”

  “No, but I want to keep things professional between us, and if we’re sitting here drinking with each other, it’s kinda hard to do.”

  Alex shook her head. “You and your stupid rules.”

  *

  Kirsten returned to Brenda feeling embarrassed and hurt. Jordan had acted like she was happy to see her, but that had certainly changed when Alex had asked her to sit with them. She didn’t understand Jordan’s reaction to the invitation. Maybe she shouldn’t have gone over to say hello.

  “What’s wrong, Kirsten?”

  “I went over to say hi to Jordan, and she introduced me to her friend Alex. But when Alex invited me to join them for a drink, Jordan looked like she’d asked me to stand on my head in the middle of the dance floor.”

  “Why would she mind if you had a drink with them?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like we’re strangers or anything. Maybe Jordan just wanted to be alone with Alex. Are they…together? They looked pretty close when they were dancing.” Kirsten didn’t know why she’d even asked that. Why should it bother her if Jordan and Alex were a couple? Jordan deserved to have a nice girl, and Alex seemed nice.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know Jordan all that well, just from basketball.”

  “I guess I wouldn’t want anyone intruding on my date, so maybe that was it.”

  “Could be. Don’t worry about it, honey. Let’s get another drink and then we can play pool.”

  Kirsten nodded, glanced at Jordan once more, and then followed Brenda to the bar for their beverages. Drinks in hand, they went to the pool table and racked the balls. Neither was adept at the game, but they finally managed to finish, much to the relief of the next couple waiting to play.

  All throughout the game, Kirsten found herself thinking about the brush-off Jordan had given her, and it began to irritate her. She’d thought maybe she and Jordan could be friends, but after the way Jordan had dismissed her, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be friends with that kind of person. She and Brenda went back to their table and noticed some of Brenda’s teammates were staring at the dance floor.

  When Kirsten looked over, her eyes fell upon the most erotic thing she had ever seen. Jordan and Alex were dancing, but to Kirsten, it was the most sensual scene she’d ever witnessed. Jordan was behind Alex with her arms wrapped around her, left hand on her stomach and right hand over her heart. Alex had her own hands placed over Jordan’s, keeping them in place. Jordan’s right leg was between Alex’s legs, and their hips were gyrating in circles.

  Kirsten couldn’t look away. The way the lights over the floor were swirling around them made the moves that much sexier. Kirsten felt like a voyeur as she watched them. She couldn’t breathe. Jordan and Alex were turning toward her; their eyes were closed, and they were moving like no one else was in the crowded bar. Jordan’s eyes opened and locked on to her.

  Kirsten envisioned herself in Alex’s position, and she could practically feel Jordan’s hands over her body, Jordan’s leg between her legs, and Jordan’s breath in her ear. Jordan’s lustful gaze meeting her own was her undoing. Molten blood rushed through her veins, and her heart beat double time. Kirsten forced herself to turn and finish her drink.

  Once she’d finished it, she leaned over to Brenda. “I—I need to go.”

  “Why?”

  Kirsten prayed that Brenda couldn’t see the sweat she felt beading on her forehead. If she did, she could probably pass it off as fever. And, Christ, was she warm. “I’m feeling a little unwell all of a sudden. I need to get home and get into bed. I’ll talk to you later in the week.”

  Brenda looked perplexed. “Okay, drive carefully. Call me if you need anything.”

  Kirsten grabbed her purse and bolted for the door. She hurried out to her car, leaned against the door, and took a few deep breaths. She had to escape. She couldn’t wrap her mind around why seeing Jordan dance with Alex had affected her the way it had. But when Jordan had looked at her, there had been something there. A spark, a connection. But what did it mean?

  She hadn’t meant to stare at Alex and Jordan, who’d been oblivious to everyone else in the bar, but she hadn’t been able to look away. The look of lust in Jordan’s eyes as they’d locked on hers had sent a tidal wave through her stomach.

  She pulled the keys out of her purse, unlocked the door, and slid in behind the wheel. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed home. Her separation from John had her all messed up. Sure, Jordan was a beautiful woman, but Kirsten hadn’t been attracted to another woman since college. She certainly hadn’t had butterflies that strong when she’d thought of a woman—or a man, for that matter—ever. What the hell is going on with me?

  By the time Kirsten got home, she was too wound up to sleep. All she could think about was Jordan’s hands touching Alex…touching her. One glass of wine became two, and Kirsten needed to do something, anything, to take her mind off what she’d seen in the bar. She breathed in deeply trying to ground herself in the present, in her home. Fuck, I still smell like the damn bar. A shower. That’s what I need. Wash the smell out of my hair.

  The thought of washing the picture of another woman in Jordan’s arms down the drain was enticing, and she quickly stripped and stepped under the hot spray. She started to wash her body, and when she ran her hands over her breasts, her nipples hardened and tingled. She lingered over her breasts, teasing the nipples into hard tips, and let a moan escape.

  She felt her clit grow as she fondled herself. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d pleasured herself, and she needed something to help her relax. She grabbed the handheld showerhead and turned it to the massage setting. She spread her legs and lowered the head until it was pulsating on the bundle of nerves. She closed her eyes and let the steady stream of water work its magic. She felt the warning signs of her impending climax—a warmth that worked its way from her toes to her center—and her breathing quickened.

  The image of Jordan dancing with Alex invaded her mind and sent her over the edge. She cried out and nearly buckled as the spasms raced through her sex. Her breathing was erratic, and her hands trembled so badly that she nearly dropped the showerhead. When she felt her heart rate start to slow, she turned off the water and reached out for her towel. She put it over her face and screamed, allowing the fabric to muffle the guttural growl that left her lungs.

  Kirsten wondered how she would be able to look Jordan in the eye when she went to therapy on Monday night. She’d felt embarrassed and maybe a little guilty when Jordan had caught her staring while she was dancing with Alex, but on the other hand, they’d been in a public place. If they didn’t want people to watch, they should have gone someplace more private. But that was a far cry from pleasuring herself while thinking of Jordan. She hoped the next time they saw each other she wouldn’t blush and give herself away.

  Kirsten set her wineglass on her nightstand and slid under the covers after turning off her bedside lamp. She turned on her side, curled into a fetal position, and started to cry again. Only these tears were not caused by the loss she was experiencing but by the new feelings that were coming to the surface.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Monday brought another full schedule for Jordan, and while she was glancing at the day’s roster, she noticed that Kirsten had canceled her appointment for later that evening. She walked to the front office and waited patiently for Karla to finish up a phone call with an insurance company. When Karla hung up, she turned in her chair and faced Jordan.

  “Good morning, Jordan. How was your we
ekend?”

  Jordan tried not to blush, but she was afraid she didn’t manage it very well, if the heat in her face was any indication. The mention of the weekend brought memories of the bar to her mind, the recollection of her last dance with Alex among them.

  Although it had been Alex in her arms, she’d been dancing with Kirsten in her mind. She’d closed her eyes and imagined it was Kirsten’s tight body against hers, rubbing her ass into her pelvis, making her hard and wet. She’d lowered her face into the side of Kirsten’s neck and smiled as the faint scent of her perfume entered her senses.

  Jordan had opened her eyes to see Kirsten staring back at her, watching her and Alex move to the sensual song. After a long moment, during which Jordan hadn’t been able to breathe, Kirsten had turned and walked away, leaving her disappointed and fearful and a little irritated with herself all at once.

  She cleared her throat and forced herself back to the present. “It was good, thanks. How was your weekend getaway? Did you and Bryan have a nice time in the mountains?”

  “Oh, yes. The weather was perfect, and we hiked a couple of trails. I always feel recharged after spending time surrounded by all of that fresh air.”

  The subject of hiking brought Kirsten to the front of her thoughts. While she hadn’t wanted to socialize with Kirsten on Saturday night, she hadn’t missed her abrupt departure while she’d been dancing with Alex. When Kirsten had walked out the door, a wave of emptiness had overcome her. And she’d spent most of the previous day thinking of her.

  Jordan couldn’t stop wondering if she had offended Kirsten when Alex had invited her to have a drink with them. She hoped that wasn’t it. She definitely didn’t want to cause Kirsten any pain, not when she had so much going on in her marriage. She also wondered how Kirsten was doing, if she was lonely, if she had a friend to talk to.

  “I feel the same way. It’s nice to get out of Dodge every once in a while. Hey, I noticed that Kirsten Murphy canceled her appointment tonight. Did she give a reason?”