Kiss the Girl

by Melissa Brayden

  Jessica finished the wine in her glass. “Must be a gift.”

  “You’re kind of like that too, now that I think about it. Always put together. Dark hair always just so. Do you ever just lounge around your place in pajamas?”

  “Not too often, no.”

  “Apropos of nothing, I just want to make out with you right now.” Jessica laughed out loud at the non sequitur. “And if I remember correctly, your place is just a couple of blocks from here.”

  “Aww. Drunk-Brooklyn is kind of cute, I have to say.”

  “Not drunk. Tipsy, maybe.”

  “Well, Tipsy-Brooklyn. I’ll find the bartender and pay the check.”

  Brooklyn scoffed and took out her credit card. “You will not. You have a short memory. This one is mine. And we’re square now.”

  “Are we?”

  Brooklyn paused, seeming to understand the double meaning. “I think we’re getting there.”

  *

  The view from Jessica’s balcony was one of the more picturesque views of the city that Brooklyn had ever seen.

  Breathtaking. That was the word for it.

  How had she missed this before? Jessica’s condo looked out over the Hudson River, and the lights from the city reflected beautifully off its surface. It was the perfect contrast to the bustling city she could still feel all around them. It was approaching ten p.m., but the world still seemed so alive and awake. There was this sort of hum she felt, yet was somehow removed from. She liked taking it all in, tucked away like this in a West Village high-rise.

  Jessica joined her outside, settling into one of the two cushioned chairs that faced out. Brooklyn turned from her spot at the railing and shook her head. “How do you not live out here? It’s gorgeous. I don’t think I’d ever leave.”

  “I do come out here after a long day to decompress. It helps me get my head together. I watch the water and feel myself coming back down to earth. It’s cold out, though. So I don’t last very long on nights like this.” She wrapped her arms around herself.

  “I have an idea for warmth. And I’m known for my ideas.” Brooklyn walked to her and settled herself on Jessica’s lap. “I like the thought of you out here all thoughtful and relaxed after a tough day of taking over the world. But you know what I like more?” She brushed the hair from Jessica’s forehead and focused on the lips that had preoccupied her since she’d laid eyes on Jessica at the bistro. God, she could lose herself in this woman.

  “What?”

  “Being out here with you.” She caught Jessica’s mouth with hers and then sank into the luxury the kiss inspired. “Kissing you like this.” Jessica wrapped her arms around Brooklyn’s waist and pulled her closer. “For as long as I want.” She went in again, this time tracing the bottom of Jessica’s lip with her tongue until she was granted entrance and began to explore, to play. There was one thing she was more than confident in. She loved kissing Jessica. She could do it all night and never grow tired of it.

  When they’d arrived back at her place, Jessica had shrugged out of the skirt’s matching jacket but still wore the lavender dress shirt, and it turned Brooklyn on all the more. She unbuttoned the top button and ran her palms across the top of her chest up to her collarbone. Finally, pulling her mouth away, she held Jessica’s face in her hands and looked down at her. The well of emotion that slammed her as she stared into Jessica’s eyes was staggering.

  And the expression on Jessica’s face mirrored what she felt swirling within her. “Please don’t be afraid of me,” Jessica said quietly.

  Brooklyn shook her head slowly. “It’s not you that I’m afraid of. It’s what you do to me, make me feel. It’s like I’m free-falling, and while that’s okay in life, I don’t take a lot of risks with my heart. But I’m working on it. I don’t want to run from you, Jess. I’m not planning to.”

  “Good.”

  She nodded, determined to find a way herself. After one last searing kiss that left them both breathless, she stood and offered Jessica her hand. Once inside, they kissed their way to Jessica’s bedroom, where they took their time.

  That night, Brooklyn let go of the fear she’d been clinging to since their trip and allowed herself to simply feel. As a result, each caress was more intoxicating, each kiss that much more potent. And at last, when she clung to Jessica in sweet release, she understood that there was nowhere else she’d rather be.

  She watched the sun rise early that next morning as she lay in bed, Jessica sound asleep in her arms. As she stared out in reverence at the reds, pinks, and oranges that eased out from the water’s surface, she understood that this was the start of something new and wonderful. She kissed Jessica’s temple and stroked her hair as she stirred quietly beneath her touch.

  And in that moment, she came to know the meaning of love.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Brooklyn burst into her loft apartment at the end of their workday completely out of breath. “We have to straighten up. Quick! Time got away from me.”

  Samantha stared back at her in skepticism from her spot at the island. “We do?”

  “That’s what I’m saying. Jump up. Give me a hand. Why aren’t you jumping?”

  But Samantha simply blinked back at her. “I can’t jump until you explain yourself. Your hurricane impersonation is amusing, but it raises questions. Number one being since when do you want to clean up? Ever? Out with it, Brooks.”

  Brooklyn blew out a breath. “Jess is coming over. We made plans this morning for dinner, and since she’s never seen our place, I thought why not here. But then I got caught up in all the Foster details and the clock kept moving. Damn clock. Bottom line. She doesn’t fully know about my total lack of organization. I mean, I’ve hinted at it, but—”

  “She’s not aware that you have an aversion to hangers and their function in our society?”

  “Right.”

  “And ‘disorganized’ is a total understatement, by the way.”

  “Got it. I can cop to that if you’ll jump. I need clothes-hanging intervention, and you’re the goddess of all things homemaking. There. Will you help me?”

  Samantha relented and thank God for that, because she’d invited Jessica for dinner at seven and it was ten minutes until, and while Samantha’s half of the apartment sparkled, hers was woefully at a disadvantage.

  Clapping her hands once, Samantha took charge. “Okay. Grab the pile of clothes on the floor, toss it into the closet, and close the door. That’s step one. I’ll make the bed because I’m not even sure you know how.”

  “That’s not true. I can make the bed.”

  “Fabulous. I challenge you to prove it sometime.”

  Samantha was right. She should make more of an effort, and she would. If she could just get through this meet-my-apartment encounter with Jessica, she’d turn over a new leaf.

  In the next eight minutes, they straightened. They dusted. They cleared off the things Brooklyn had strewn about in haste, and when they were done she hugged Samantha and kissed her cheek loudly. “You’re the best roommate ever. Now, what will we have for dinner?”

  “Really?”

  “I know. I know. This is so not your problem, but just give me your opinion. I don’t want her to think I’m a horrible cook—”

  “Not horrible,” Samantha pointed out. “Just limited. Just make her a grilled cheese. You rock at those.”

  “Right. But I’ve done that.”

  “Oh. Well, order takeout from China Moon. Everyone loves takeout. Especially during the workweek. It’s workweek crack.”

  “Perfect. You’re the smartest loftmate ever.” Brooklyn hightailed it for the phone before glancing back over her shoulder at Samantha. “Moo shu pork for you with an egg roll cut in half?”

  “I’m invited?”

  “Of course you’re invited.”

  Samantha studied her, and a slow smile started on her face and began to grow. “This is new. I don’t even know what to do with all this. You’re new.”

  Brooklyn
paused mid-dial, curious. “Define.”

  “You raced around this place to get it all ready. You’re nervous about what Jessica will think and are allowing the two worlds to overlap, which you never do with women you date. Ever. You’re hard-core serious about her.”

  Brooklyn nodded a few times too many as something warm began to spread out within her. “I am. I really am. And I may be crazy and it may come back to bite me later, but I’m going for it, you know? Because I think about her all the time when I’m not with her, and I’ve had to stop myself from drawing little hearts on my brainstorming pad. Little hearts, Sammie. I’m twenty-eight years old and I’m drawing little hearts.”

  Samantha eyed her in approval. “This looks good on you, Brooks. Happiness.”

  Happiness.

  That’s exactly what this was. That’s what Jessica inspired in her. And no, her life wasn’t perfect, and Lord knows she wasn’t either. But she’d found a little bit of wonderful here, and she planned to hold onto it.

  An hour later, the three of them sat around the once-broken table she’d found at a secondhand store. The granite slab that acted as a tabletop had been another fantastic find at a junkyard in Queens. Brooklyn had spent a weekend with Hunter restoring it, and voila, they had the most perfect table in all of Soho.

  She looked on, content, as Samantha and Jessica moved from the polite, get-to-know-you questions and were now firmly rooted in the land of mutual interest. Half-empty Chinese-food cartons dotted the table, and a bottle of merlot that Jessica had brought was nearing its end. The vibe was relaxed and comfortable.

  Jessica tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she chatted with Sam. “The show is sold out for the next eight months, but I’m positive my cousin would set aside tickets for us. She’s offered several times. I’ve just never taken her up on it.”

  “Seriously?” Samantha said, leaning forward eagerly “You don’t understand. Elevation is the one show I’m dying to see.” She shifted her focus to Brooklyn. “Haven’t I told you this? ”

  Brooklyn held her hands up in defense. “You told me several times. I can vouch.”

  Affirmed, Samantha bounced back to Jessica. “So your cousin, Jenna, who I may or may not have Googled several times in the past, is she older or younger than you?”

  “She’s several years younger.”

  “Likable?”

  “Definitely.”

  “Single?”

  Brooklyn shook her head in amusement but stayed out of it.

  “In a pretty serious relationship,” Jessica answered apologetically.

  “Damn it.” They laughed because Samantha was ridiculously cute sometimes, especially when she pouted. “But no worries,” she said, straightening. “I’m actually in the beginning stages of seeing someone myself.”

  “Wait. How am I just hearing about this?” Brooklyn began the process of clearing the table, and Jessica jumped in to help.

  “Because you’ve been a little preoccupied lately.”

  Brooklyn dropped her shoulders in defeat. “This is true and I’m sorry. But no more. Tell me.”

  “Remember Libby from 2B?”

  “Libby from the building across the street? She’s hot.”

  Jessica’s mouth fell open in mock outrage, and Brooklyn answered with a teasing poke to her ribs.

  “’Tis the one. She bought me a drink at Showroom, and we have plans for dinner on Thursday.”

  Jessica perched on one of the barstools at the island. “Dinner and not drinks. Means she’s investing in the evening. That’s a good sign.”

  Samantha pointed at Jessica. “I like her. Let’s keep her around.”

  “I like her too,” Brooklyn said, lacing her arm around Jessica and kissing her temple.

  Jessica smiled up at her. “So I can stay?”

  Brooklyn held up one hand. “There’ll be a vote later.”

  “I’ll vote yes,” Samantha said as she rounded the island to the sink.

  “What are we voting on?” a voice from behind them asked. Brooklyn turned to see Mallory closing the door and hanging her coat on the rack. As she swiveled back around and came farther into the room, her eyes settled on Jessica and she froze. “Oh. Hello.”

  “Hi, Mallory,” Jessica said, standing. She was smiling, which meant she was making the effort. Brooklyn offered her hand a little squeeze before jumping into action, all the while trying to figure out the best way to handle this unexpected snag. She knew there’d be a moment when she’d have to explain things to Mallory, and she knew it would be soon. She’d just imagined it would happen on her terms, when she was prepared.

  Mallory’s eyes moved from Jessica to Brooklyn to Samantha. She seemed to be taking stock, a tiny smile plastered on her face. “I don’t mean to interrupt. I was just finishing up downstairs and wanted to run something by you,” she said to Brooklyn.

  “No problem. We can chat. Are you hungry?”

  Mallory eyed the containers, a bit too focused on them. “Uh…no. I’m fine, thanks. Tell you what. We can talk about it tomorrow instead. You’re clearly in the middle of something.”

  Brooklyn saw the hurt in Mallory’s eyes as she turned to go, and it stabbed at her. “Mal, I have time now. What did you want to go over?”

  A coolness had settled over her by the time she turned back. “I wouldn’t say this is the best time to discuss our clients, would you?”

  As Jessica looked on, she felt bad for Brooklyn and annoyed at Mallory all in the same stroke. “I can take five,” she offered, trying to salvage the scene around her. Brooklyn appeared guilt-ridden. Samantha looked shocked, and Mallory was bringing the temperature in the room down a good twenty degrees. These girls were best friends, and she was obviously in the way of that. She glanced at Brooklyn. “Or, you know, maybe we should just call it a night.”

  Mallory held up a hand. “No. It’s clear your presence takes precedence here. Have a fabulous night, everyone. We can reconvene in the office tomorrow.”

  Brooklyn closed her eyes as the door to the loft closed with a thud.

  “I’m sorry,” Jessica said.

  “For what?” Brooklyn attempted a smile, but it was halfhearted at best. “I invited you to dinner, you came. That’s not exactly an infraction.”

  Samantha pushed herself onto the counter. “She’ll get over it, Brooks. I mean, I think she will.” She turned to Jessica. “Mallory’s just not completely…sold on your intentions.”

  “Samantha,” Brooklyn warned her.

  “No. Sam’s just being honest. That’s fair.” Jessica considered the facts. “I don’t have a great track record with Mallory. I’ve behaved competitively in her presence in the past and probably didn’t make the best first impression. And you know what? I’d probably feel the same way if the situation were reversed and Bentley were seeing someone from a rival agency.”

  “You’re sticking up for her,” Brooklyn stated.

  “I guess I am.”

  Brooklyn stared for a moment before kissing her, catching Jessica by surprise, not that she was complaining. “What was that for?” she murmured quietly.

  “For just getting it.”

  Samantha jumped down. “You know what? I’m going to give you guys some time. I happen to have a rather passionate romance novel in my room that requires all my attention.”

  “It was fun to hang out,” Jessica said, meaning it one hundred percent. It had been the highlight of her week, seeing Brooklyn’s place, getting to know one of her best friends.

  Samantha paused at the door to her room. “I’m a little surprised to say this, but likewise.” She smiled, tapped the doorframe twice, and was gone.

  Once they were alone, she turned to Brooklyn. “Want me to talk to her? Mallory.”

  “Probably not the best course of action. I’ll handle it tomorrow. It’ll be fine.” But the thing was, Brooklyn had the most expressive eyes of anyone she’d yet to encounter, and the concern they gave off spoke volumes over her words. She took Brooklyn’s
face in her hands and ran her thumb across her cheek gently.

  “Thank you for inviting me over.”

  “It’s nice having you here. Wanna stay?”

  God, did she want to stay, but it probably wasn’t for the best quite yet. She needed to give Brooklyn’s friends a chance to maybe work through this new development, and apparently you never knew who could drop by. They seemed to have an open-door policy, which was a little overwhelming.

  “I have an early morning tomorrow. Rain check?”

  Brooklyn’s face took on understanding. “Okay. But let’s do a little of this first. It’s only right.” Warm lips found hers, and they spent the next few moments tangled up in each other, a common occurrence of late.

  Finally, pulling her lips free, Jessica sighed with pleasure. “And on the eighth day, God created kissing.”

  “Damn right he did,” Brooklyn murmured, going in for more.

  *

  The following morning at Savvy brought with it very little conversation. Brooklyn kept her head down and her attention on her clients, but it would be impossible to say that she didn’t feel the tension thick all around her.

  Mallory only spoke to her in the course of “have to” moments, and Sam and Hunter had been snapping at each other over nothing. The office was out of whack, and she was probably responsible.

  “All I’m saying is if you use the last of the creamer, say something. Then we can add it to the reorder list. It’s really kind of simple.”

  Hunter flipped her laptop closed. “Fine. I can do that.”

  “See? Was that so hard?” Samantha asked in overly sweet voice.

  “Don’t push it.”

  Deciding to seize the moment, Brooklyn gathered her courage and turned to Mallory. “Want to chat about the final Foster pitch? Who’s doing what? Get our ducks in a row. We’re not that far out.”

  Mallory kept her eyes on her computer monitor. “Are you sleeping with her?”

  “Way to get to the point, Mal.”

  “I’m not asking as your friend. I’m asking as your business partner because it matters.”