French Kissing: Season One

by Harper Bliss

  “I wish you were still here,” Dominique replied while sticking out her bottom lip.

  “For an elaborate birthday dinner with your parents? Sure, sounds like fun.”

  “The kids miss you. Didier can’t stop talking about how you taught him to dive into the pool headfirst and Lisa keeps telling her grandmother about how pretty our visitor was. I can only agree, of course, but if she keeps this up, she’ll be spilling the beans before I ever have a chance.” Dominique sent her a lopsided smile. “Did you get me a present?”

  “Of course. I’ll give it to you when you get back.” Steph was counting the days until she could watch Dominique unwrap her present—and then use it on her.

  “How about you give me something I want today?” On the screen, Dominique squinted and pouted her lips.

  “I would if I could, but you’re too far away.” Steph fell asleep to the image of an all strapped-on Dominique every night.

  “Come on, Stéphanie, this is the year two thousand fourteen. Do I really need to tell you about all the technology we have at our disposal?”

  Steph sunk her teeth into her bottom lip. “Do you mean Skype sex?”

  Although not a hundred percent clear on the screen due to the nature of their connection, Steph could see determination build in Dominique’s glance. “Yes.”

  “But,” she protested, “I have Pierrot here on the bed with me.”

  “Really?” Dominique shook her head. “The things that poor animal must have seen.”

  Steph bent sideways to where Pierrot rested, oblivious to the conversation she was having, and kissed him on the head. “He’s the best pussy I ever met.”

  “Oh yeah?” When Steph glanced back at the screen, she saw Dominique had started to unbutton her shirt. It looked a lot like the one she’d worn to cover herself up that afternoon in the garden.

  “Well, huh—” Steph’s throat went dry at the sight of Dominique trailing her fingertip along the edge of her bra cups.

  “Best grab a toy from that box underneath your bed, sweetie. You’re going to need it,” Dominique said.

  Automatically, Steph coaxed Pierrot off the bed and reached underneath, unearthing a brand new black dildo she’d bought when she had purchased Dominique’s present.

  “Classy.” Dominique nodded her approval, her hands behind her back, the cups of her bra sagging down as she unhooked it. She let her bra drop and sucked a finger deep into her mouth before bringing it to her right nipple and encircling it. “Push your laptop back a bit. I want to see you. All of you.”

  Steph did as she was told—again. She shuffled backwards on the bed, checking the angle of the camera, and hitched her t-shirt over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra.

  “I have such a thing for tan lines.” Dominique’s voice sounded a bit raspier. She repositioned her own laptop so Steph had a full view of her body.

  Apparently, she had already disposed of her underwear—or simply hadn’t been wearing any—because she was completely naked on the screen. The screenshots Steph could take. She didn’t, though. Instead, she manoeuvred herself out of her shorts and mirrored Dominique’s naked image. She spread her legs and leaned back against the pillows.

  “Put it in your mouth,” Dominique instructed, her fingers roaming across her skin. “Make sure it’s wet enough.”

  Steph couldn’t keep her eyes off Dominique’s glistening pussy on the screen. Entranced, she brought the black dildo to her lips and let her tongue slip over the tip.

  “Suck on it,” Dominique said, with a voice Steph barely recognised. Her fingers had reached her pussy and she spread her nether lips wide with her index and middle finger.

  Steph imagined that, instead of sliding the dildo into her own mouth, she was guiding it between Dominique’s pussy lips.

  “Tease yourself with it until you’re wet enough.” Dominique’s voice was no more than a few puffs of ragged breath. She had started rubbing a fingertip over her clit, all of her exposed to the camera and to Steph.

  Steph dragged the tip of the dildo over her throbbing pussy lips, ready to receive.

  “When you slip it in, imagine it’s me fucking you with it.”

  Steph momentarily closed her eyes as she slid the head of the toy inside of herself slowly, cutting off her breath.

  “How does that feel? Talk to me, babe.” When Steph looked at the screen again, she saw that the movements of Dominique’s fingers were becoming more frantic. With one hand, she pulled her lips apart, while a finger of her other hand skated along her clit in an ever quickening pace.

  “You’re fucking me,” Steph heard herself say. She eased the dildo in deeper. “It feels so good when you fuck me.”

  “More,” Dominique said. “Faster.”

  Without giving it any second thoughts, Steph gave in. She plunged the toy deep inside of her. Next to the image of Dominique, who was straining to keep her head from falling back, she saw herself reflected in a small square in the corner. A black dildo buried inside of her, her own hand coaxing it in and out.

  “I’m going to come,” Dominique said. “I can’t—” A brief silence descended on Steph’s bedroom, just the sound of the silicone toy disappearing inside of her left. “Oh fuck.” Dominique let her hands fall to her side. “Come for me, sweetheart,” she said. “Do it for me.”

  As if it had really always been that easy, a quick climax tore through Steph, the sound of Dominique’s voice enough to send her on her way. She felt the walls of her pussy clench around the dildo, and the subsequent ripple shudder through her muscles, as if Dominique was actually there. Her head had fallen back into the pillows, the toy still half inside of her.

  “God, you’re hot, even when you’re six hundred miles away.” Dominique’s voice brought her back to life. Steph pushed herself up out of the pillows and looked straight into Dominique’s face. She’d repositioned the laptop and her naked body was hidden from view. “Somehow, it makes me sad we couldn’t tape this.”

  Steph chuckled. “You’re crazy.”

  “If you mean crazy about you, then I agree.” Dominique winked. “I can’t wait to make you do that when I’m actually in the room with you.”

  The mere thought of it sent a brand new shiver of lust up Steph’s spine. “Soon,” she said.

  NADIA

  “I’ll be forty-two years old in less than three weeks,” Nadia said. “You’ll be forty-five this year.” She was just stating the obvious, but someone had to do it.

  “Speaking of.” Juliette appeared in the doorframe connecting their bedroom to the bathroom. She didn’t look a day over thirty-five, her skin shiny from the moisturiser she’d just applied, her long legs disappearing into a pair of black panties. “What would you like to do for your birthday? I’d like to start planning.”

  “You know I don’t like a big fuss, and it’s not a milestone birthday, anyway. Something intimate. Maybe we could go away, just the two of us?”

  “Hm, yes.” Juliette didn’t look convinced. “But don’t you want to celebrate with your friends?”

  “Remember the last birthday party we attended?” Nadia threw back the sheets from the bed.

  “I certainly do, but I’m surprised you have any memories of it.” Juliette shot her a wink. “I’ll be right back. Just brushing my teeth.”

  Nadia slid onto the bed and pulled the sheets over her legs. She knew Juliette would want to throw her a party. She also knew how to meet her halfway. And part of her was still reluctant to book a trip—even a short weekend getaway.

  She waited until Juliette was nicely tucked under the covers with her, her head resting in the crook of Nadia’s shoulder, to pick up their conversation again. “We can do it here. A small dinner party with only people I know, no hangers-on. And no exes who turn up unexpectedly.”

  “Does that include family?” Juliette’s jaw moved against Nadia’s skin as she spoke.

  “No, let’s keep it separate. You know my mother, she’ll invite us over for a big meal on the day
anyway.”

  “We’ll have to be very specific to Steph about the no-hangers on bit.”

  “She and Dominique are good now, aren’t they?”

  “One day they are, the next day, they might not be. Who knows what will happen between now and then.”

  “She looked so happy the other day, though.”

  “Yes, because she’d just returned from fantasy-land. Once Laroche is back in Paris, it’s back to reality.”

  “Hey.” Nadia pushed herself up. “We should invite Dominique as well. I’ve seen her on the news, but I’ve never met her. I’d like to see her and Steph together. They seem to be getting quite serious.”

  “Really?” Juliette pressed herself up as well, finding Nadia’s eyes. “You want to invite Dominique Laroche to your intimate birthday party?”

  “Correction.” She held up a finger. “I want to invite my good friend Steph’s significant other to my party.” The sheets fell off them, exposing their bare upper bodies. “It’s only normal.”

  “She’s my client.”

  “It’s my birthday.”

  “Okay, okay.” Juliette acquiesced very easily. “We don’t want a repeat of Steph’s party.” Juliette put her hand on Nadia’s thigh. “But, no matter if they’re together by then, Margot can’t bring Inez.”

  “She would never do that.” Nadia put her hand over Juliette’s. “God, I hope Margot and Claire are back on speaking terms by then. I want them both there, but, more than anything, I don’t want any tension.”

  “We’re getting too old for all this drama.” Juliette’s fingers started digging into Nadia’s flesh.

  “Well, we’re not exactly guilt-free in that department, babe. The anguish we put them through. The hours of their time they had to sacrifice to processing.” Nadia chuckled.

  “And look at us now.” Juliette’s fingers crawled upwards, her eyes locking on Nadia’s.

  “Yeah.” Nadia nodded. Did Juliette still think it was this easy? So easy that she’d started thinking about children, had started re-thinking the very foundations of their life together.

  Juliette’s other hand found Nadia’s wrist. “Did you know that Margot tied Claire to the bed?”

  “What? No.” A tingle crept up Nadia’s spine.

  “Claire loved it.” Juliette curled her fingers tighter around Nadia’s wrist. “She’s like you, you know. Margot.”

  “Is she now?” Nadia let her body slip down onto the mattress.

  “But not tonight.” Juliette, still holding on to Nadia’s wrist with one hand, hoisted herself on top of Nadia, and grabbed her other wrist with her other hand, joining both of them above Nadia’s head.

  “We’ll see about that.” Nadia didn’t need a lot of muscle power to push Juliette’s hands up and manoeuvre herself out of the position she’d been put in. “I thought you knew better by now.” With a few small movements of her hips, Nadia threw Juliette off her, and flipped her own body over, so she was on top.

  Juliette grinned up at her. “It was worth a try.”

  MARGOT

  Margot waited for Inez outside of the hospital doors. She was seeing Claire tonight and, before that, she hoped to find some sort of clarity—although she had no idea how. It seemed so hard to find the old her in the mess her mind had become. The old Margot who would know what to do. Who would automatically dismiss the idea of having feelings for two different people at the same time. How had this even happened to someone like her?

  She nodded at a nurse walking past her on her way home. It was Alice, the one who’d never really warmed up to Margot’s ways but always appeared to burst into a wide grin whenever Inez walked past the nurses station. Inez had that effect on people—Margot included. But Claire turning up at Nadia and Juliette’s the other night, that had really thrown her. The obvious hurt on display on her face. The longing in her glance.

  In the end, Margot hadn’t confided in anyone, had kept it all to herself, as usual.

  “Hey.” Inez hooked an arm around Margot’s elbow. “Sorry to keep you waiting.” They’d barely had a moment to talk, the ER overrun by casualties from a pile-up on the périphérique. Did Inez think they were back together? “Want to grab some dinner or head straight back to mine? It’s so easy to live just around the corner, Go-Go. You should rent out your flat, collect the money, and move in with me.”

  Margot let Inez’ arm drop as she stretched her own.

  “Relax, I’m just joking.” Inez put a hand on Margot’s neck and squeezed softly. “You seem more uptight than usual. How about an apéritif?”

  “Yes, please.” There was a time when Margot would have automatically said no. She had to drive. She had to work tomorrow. She had to—there was always a good reason. But tonight, she was meeting Claire. And she needed to have a difficult conversation with Inez first. She could hardly keep on stringing them both along. She’d take a taxi and leave her bike in the hospital’s parking lot.

  “Come on, there’s this new place along the canal. This neighbourhood has changed so much since I left.” Inez guided them around a few corners until they reached the canal. They crossed the bridge and halted at a café with a terrace overlooking the water. From her seat, Margot could see Inez’ building. The memory of what they had done there, both bitter and sweet, still very much alive in her mind.

  “Whiskey, no ice,” Margot said to the waiter, not even bothering to look at the menu he had placed on the table.

  “Wow,” Inez said, while browsing the drinks list. “I’ll go for something lighter, if you don’t mind.” She glanced up at the waiter. “A dirty martini, please.”

  They handed back the menus and, as soon as the waiter had disappeared inside, Inez turned to Margot. “Should I be worried, Go-Go? I don’t remember you drinking like that.”

  “I’ve changed,” Margot snapped. Damn, she should get her stress levels under control. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she recognised the long, black hair. The almond-shaped eyes and the sparse smile she used in daily life. But how she felt underneath that familiar exterior, that was all new. She had changed—but not necessarily for the better. “I’m sorry.” She held up her hands.

  “Talk to me.” Inez never was one to draw things out, nor to keep them under wraps. “Out with it,” she said. “And be honest with me. We’ve wasted enough time.”

  And whose fault was that? Margot sighed, wishing she’d already had her whiskey to get some liquid courage inside of her. “Honestly?” She looked at Inez, as if asking for permission to speak the truth. “I don’t know if I want to be with you or with Claire, and it’s driving me crazy.” She could no longer look at Inez after saying that.

  “At least you’re honest.” Inez’ voice had lost some of its sparkle already.

  The waiter came back outside and served their drinks. They both sipped—Margot fighting the urge to knock all of it back in one go.

  “I’m sorry. It’s how I feel.”

  “At least I’m not completely out of the picture yet.” From behind her martini glass, Inez shot her a weak smile.

  “I loved you to pieces, but you left. I grieved for so long, and then I met Claire… and she changed things for me. For the first time in months, I could feel things again. And then, bam, you’re back.” Margot shook her head. “Now, I don’t know anything anymore.”

  “I’m sorry you feel that way… that I made you feel that way.” Inez drained the rest of her glass. “Obviously, I’m not the best person to advise you on this.” Putting her glass down, she twisted in her chair. “But know this, Go-Go.” Her voice went all soft again. “If you choose me, I’m here. All the way. No reservations. I fully realise what I let go when I left. I love you and I want to be with you. I came back for you.”

  “I know.” Margot nodded, but it didn’t make things easier. She couldn’t help but wonder if, in affairs of the heart, it shouldn’t be simpler. More obvious, at least. I wish you hadn’t come back, she wanted to say. Then she wouldn’t be feeling this way. Then, i
t would be obvious. But, deep down, she couldn’t help but be glad that Inez had come back.

  She glanced at her watch. “I think I’m going to go.”

  “I hate to see you like this,” Inez said, putting her palm on Margot’s arm.

  “Yeah.” Margot shrugged herself free, not feeling comfortable with the physical contact. “Me too.” She stood up and left, feeling sorry for herself.

  JULIETTE

  Juliette met Claire and Steph for a drink at Le Comptoir and everything almost felt normal again. Except that Claire didn’t seem to have benefited from her holiday at all, and Steph appeared to have enjoyed hers a bit too much—heading for certain disappointment, Juliette thought, although she was trying to work on no longer having automatic negative assumptions like that. And then there was the turmoil in her own head.

  Claire looked up from her phone. “I just got an e-mail from Marc Dujardin. He says Sybille has been a godsend and asks if we have any other valuable employees we’d like to usher his way.”

  “I request a change of subject this instant,” Steph was quick to say. “I don’t want to hear about her, talk about her and, least of all, think about her.”

  “I agree with Steph.” Juliette didn’t waste time thinking about Sybille anymore. She was a part of her past now. A mistake. One that had left a stain, but she preferred to focus on the present. “You should both keep the Friday after September first free. We’ll be having a small dinner party for Nadia’s birthday.”

  “Small? That’s not your style, Jules?” Steph joked.

  “So small, in fact,” Juliette continued, “that you can bring Dominique, if you want.” She watched both of their jaws drop.

  “For real?” Steph sat up. “How can I, though?”

  “It’ll just be us.” Juliette turned to Claire briefly. “And Margot.” She drew her lips into an apologetic smile. “Nadia would like to meet Dominique, and it seems like a good occasion.”

  “I’ll pass along the invitation,” Steph said.