Drake's Rock

by Alex Riordan

  For a moment, she thought Stephanie was asleep. She’d been so quiet, not saying anything while she took her hose off. As she glanced down, she saw the redhead staring at her. Her eyes shining brightly, the undisguised need she saw there made her swallow hard.

  “Steph,” she forced herself to say, grabbing the shorts off the bed. “Let me help you get these on.”

  Stephanie shook her head. “No. I don’ wan’em on.”

  “Steph…please?” Jessie practically begged. The redhead was making this hard. Didn’t she know how bad Jessie wanted her right now? Seeing her lying there in nothing but those black silk panties and blouse was driving her nuts. Grabbing her hand, she pulled her forward, into a sitting position.

  “We’ll hold off on that for a moment, then,” Jessie said. “Let me get your blouse off.” She reached over slowly, almost afraid to touch her. She was dismayed to see that her hands were shaking.

  “You don’ hafta be ner…nervous, Jess,” Stephanie said, watching her carefully. “I wan…want this.”

  Sobering immediately when the words registered, Jessie replied, “This, isn’t going to happen, Stephanie. I’m just here to help you get ready for bed. Then, I’m leaving.”

  “I don’t wan’ you ta go,” Stephanie said sadly.

  Making sure she remained all business, Jessie said, “I need to, Stephanie. I’m not taking advantage of you when you’re like this.” As she talked, she finished unbuttoning the redhead’s blouse. Not sure how to proceed, she finally got on the bed and sat on her knees behind the other woman.

  Bracing herself for the feeling of Stephanie’s skin under her hands, she slid the blouse down the toned arms. Without meaning to, she allowed her hands to glide down the arms with the blouse, causing her hands to tingle from the touch. Cursing herself for her lack of control, she tossed the shirt over toward the chair with the skirt. Then, she turned her attention to Stephanie’s matching black silk bra. Damn! Why did she have to be so hot?

  As she unhooked the bra and began to slide the straps down Stephanie’s arms, the redhead sighed and leaned back into her. Pausing with the movement, Jessie took a deep breath to steady herself. Jesus, why was Stephanie coming on to her like this? Instead of stopping, however, she whispered, “Steph, what are you doing?” It bothered her a bit when she heard her own voice. It sounded unsteady, and her breathing was becoming shallow.

  “I want you to touch me, Jess,” Stephanie said in answer, suddenly sounding more sober than she had a few minutes before.

  “I can’t…do that, Steph,” Jessie said, swallowing hard again. God, how she wanted to reach out and touch those breasts; to taste the pale flesh that was being offered so willingly. But no, she couldn’t. Tossing the bra across the room, she took a deep breath.

  “You can. You were practically fucking me out on the dance floor, earlier. The feel of your hands on me was incredible. We’re alone now. No barriers between us. And…and I want you, Jessie. Please…make love to me?” Stephanie’s voice was soft, pleading. An almost whisper that fluttered over Jessie’s heart and made her breathing hitch.

  “I…I can’t, Steph. I shouldn’t,” Jessie said, practically begging the other woman to stop coming on to her. “This is different.”

  “Why? Wha’s so dif’rent? You wanted me earlier, I know you did,” Stephanie whined.

  “It just…it just is, Steph,” Jessie tried to explain. She had valid reasons for saying no, she really did. Why couldn’t she seem to force her mouth to work and explain it to Stephanie?

  Suddenly getting irritated, Stephanie asked, “Is it dif’ren’ cause I…I’m not Alex? I bet you wouln’ hes’tate to fuck her if she’s here righ’ now.”

  Jerking her head back from Stephanie’s hair, where she’d somehow managed to come to rest, smelling her shampoo, she said, “That’s not fair, Stephanie. Alex is different. I don’t want a one night stand with you.”

  “But you haf no problem fuckin’ her jus’ whene'r? I don’ unnersta…unnerstand,” Stephanie was still slurring, although she did seem to understand what was being said, despite her words.

  Jessie closed her eyes. Why wouldn’t Stephanie just let this go? Finally, pleading with the other woman, she said, “Stephanie…Steph, please. I can’t take advantage of you when you’ve been drinking. I’d never be able to look at you again, knowing I’d done that.”

  Stephanie turned in her arms, her face only inches away. “It’s not takin’ advantage when I’m offering,” she said, the look in her eyes telling Jessie just how much the redhead really wanted her.

  For a moment, staring into those green eyes that she secretly loved so much, Jessie toyed with the idea of taking her up on the offer. Remembering how much she’d wanted to stay home in bed with Alex that Monday morning two weeks ago, she asked herself again: Why can’t I, just this once, have what I want? Swallowing against the tightness in her throat, she leaned forward ever so slightly. Looking at Stephanie, her gorgeous, almost naked body sitting there, begging Jessie to take her, she couldn’t resist.

  Her hand moving upward from Stephanie’s arm, to the back of her head, she pulled her forward until their lips met. Kissing her with an intensity that she’d never felt before, Jessie fleetingly wondered if this was what heaven was like.

  Then, as Stephanie’s hand traveled down to pull at the lace up fly on her black leather pants, she suddenly stopped. Pushing Stephanie back gently, she said, “No. Stephanie, no.” The redhead hadn’t seemed to hear her, though.

  Her hand still working at the laces, Jessie finally reached down and caught it, stopping its’ frantic motion. Shaking her head, she said gently, “Stephanie…stop. Please, stop. We can’t do this. I…I can’t do this.” Looking her in the eye, Jessie desperately hoped that she’d take no for an answer.

  “Jess…wh…why? We don’t hafta stop,” Stephanie said, confused. “Don’t you want me?”

  Jessie closed her eyes so she couldn’t see the look in Stephanie’s green ones. She felt awful, turning the redhead down. Especially when all she really wanted to do was throw her down and fuck her brains out right this instant. But this…this wasn’t how Jessie wanted this to go. And, she had to admit, it was a huge step for her to exercise this much control over herself. Stephanie didn’t know how right she was. If this were Alex, they wouldn’t have made it past the front hall with their clothes on. Hell, if this were Alex, they’d be lucky if they’d made it out of the car.

  The problem for Jessie was that this wasn’t Alex. It was Stephanie. Someone that she happened to have some respect for. Someone that she cared for. Shit, thinking about it, did that mean that she didn’t care for, or respect, Alex? Jessie mentally shook her head. No. It just meant that Stephanie meant more to her than Alex did.

  She was suddenly brought out of her mental rambling, by Stephanie’s voice. “Jessie? Jess…what happened? Why do you want this to stop?”

  Shaking her head, regret tingeing her voice, Jessie said, “We have to, Steph. I don’t want to treat you like this. I do want you…you have no idea how much. But you deserve better than that.” Backing out of the circle of Stephanie’s arms, where she’d somehow ended up, she reached over and grabbed the t-shirt. “Here, lift your arms and let me help you finish getting dressed.”

  Hurt, Stephanie pushed Jessie back. “I don’ wan’ you to hel’ me,” she said, still slurring her words. “I wan’ you, Jess.”

  Jessie shook her head sadly. “No, Steph. Not tonight. Come on, help me out here.” She realized she was almost begging the redhead to just help her out, and it irritated her slightly. She hated to beg.

  Tears beginning to stream down her face, Stephanie finally relented. Unwilling to argue anymore in her current state, she gave in and raised her arms.

  Jessie quickly dropped the shirt over Stephanie’s head and pulled it down, conveniently hiding those beautiful breasts from her view. Wishing she hadn’t had to do that, she said, “Thanks, Steph. Now, let’s get you settled. We can talk about this some oth
er time, okay?” She reached over and wiped a stray tear from the pale cheek.

  Suddenly compliant, Stephanie nodded, and moved so that Jessie could pull the bed covers down for her. Crawling under the sheets, she allowed Jessie to tuck her in.

  Pulling the sheets over the redhead, Jessie leaned in to kiss her forehead, saying, “Goodnight, Steph. I’ll see you later.” As she turned to leave, however, she felt Stephanie’s hand catch her wrist.

  “Don’t leave me, Jessie,” Stephanie said softly. “I don’t wan’ to be ‘lone tonight.”

  Jessie shook her head. “I can’t, Steph. That probably wouldn’t be a good idea, right now.”

  Tears rolling down her cheeks again, Stephanie said, “Please? I just wan’ you to hold me. Won’t you please just hold me, Jess?”

  Rolling her eyes, and not really wanting to leave, Jessie gave in. She couldn’t just leave Stephanie here like this, crying and alone, could she? After all, it was her job to take care of the redhead, wasn’t it? Sighing, she finally gave in. “All right, I’ll stay. But I’m sleeping on the couch in the living room.”

  Stephanie sniffed and shook her head. “No. I need you to hold me. I don’ wanna be…alone, Jess…”

  Jessie tilted her head back and growled in frustration. What the Hell did she do in a past life to cause this kind of karma in this one? Did she piss off a God or something? Blowing out a breath, she finally said, “Fine. I’ll be right back.”

  Going back out to the living room, she grabbed her gym bag from the area by the door where she’d tossed it when they came in. After having her car broken into more than once, she never went anywhere without taking her things with her. She couldn’t afford to have anything else stolen. And, at this particular moment, she was glad she’d had it. Carrying the bag back into the bedroom, she quickly pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt to change into. She’d planned on going to the gym after work, but had gotten wrapped up in something, and didn’t get time to go. Now, she was glad about that.

  Changing, she tossed her ‘band clothes’ into a pile on the floor, and climbed into bed next to Stephanie. As she did, she made sure to keep as much distance between them as she could. She was so keyed up and turned on right now; it wouldn’t take much for her to give in to what she knew they both wanted.

  As she lay there, unmoving, Stephanie whispered, “You can breathe, Jess. I won’t bite.”

  Not even realizing she was so tense, Jessie forced herself to relax. Within minutes, she tensed up again, as she felt Stephanie’s arm drape across her stomach.

  “Relax, Jess,” Stephanie said, again. “I told you I just want to be held. We don’t have to do anything, I swear. I'm sorry I pushed you.”

  Exhausted and desperately wanting to hold the redhead, she finally gave in. Sliding an arm up and over Stephanie’s head, she pulled the other woman to her, until she was spooned against her side, head resting on her shoulder. She could feel the smooth skin of Stephanie’s leg as it rose to lay over her own, pulling them closer: Those black silk panties brushing her upper thigh, where Stephanie was lying on top of her. Laying here like this, Jessie prayed that she’d survive the night. And she knew then, that she’d found what she wanted. She also knew, without a doubt, that she couldn’t have this. Stephanie was only here for a short time, and then she’d go back to LA. No way was she setting herself up for that. Sniffing and using her free hand to wipe away a stray tear, she relaxed and fell asleep.

  * * * *

  Jessie came awake slowly. As her mind swam up out of unconsciousness, she flashed back to the night before. She remembered the Blue Rose and Theresa and Stephanie showing up. She even remembered Alex coming in and kissing her. For a minute, she nearly panicked, as she felt the warmth of the slender body curled up practically on top of her. Shit! Did she bring Alex home again? But then, shaking off the thought, she remembered the rest of the evening. There was the party at Mike’s house, dancing with Stephanie…Damn! She’d brought Stephanie back to her hotel room. The redhead had been a little drunk…they’d argued about her staying and sleeping together…

  Taking a deep breath to steady her rapidly beating heart, Jessie steeled herself for what she was going to see when she opened her eyes. Correction: Not what, she’d see…but who. She tensed, as she felt her bedmate shift in sleep. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked to her right.

  Curled up tightly against her side, still deep in sleep, was Stephanie. Dark red hair spread out on the pillow, breathing slowly, she looked absolutely beautiful. Jessie closed her eyes and swallowed. Shit! What had she done now? But then, she realized they both still had clothes on! She knew they hadn’t done anything. She hadn’t been that drunk. Sure, she was feeling pretty good when they got back here last night, but Stephanie’s behavior had sobered her up pretty quickly.

  Lying here now, she just watched the other woman breathe. She looked so peaceful, so gorgeous, that Jessie couldn’t wake her up. Besides, wasn’t this what she’d been wanting to do just two weeks ago? Stay in bed and just relax? So, giving in just this once…Jessie tightened her hold on Stephanie and settled back down for a while longer. As she drifted back down into sleep, she thought she heard a whispered, ‘Thanks for staying, Jess,’ but she couldn’t be sure.

  Chapter 9

  By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, Jessie had returned home. She hadn’t resolved anything with Stephanie before she left that afternoon, though. The redhead had awoken with a horrible headache and an upset stomach, and she’d stayed for a while to take care of her. Eventually, Stephanie claimed to feel better and told Jessie she didn’t have to stay any longer if she didn’t want to.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to stay, because she did. But she had invited everyone from the band, and their significant others’, over for a movie night. A free Saturday night was a rarity, and she thought that some bonding away from the music business was just what they all needed. She really needed to get home and get ready since they’d all be arriving in a few hours. So, once she was dressed and ready for the day, she checked on Stephanie one more time.

  “You okay, Steph?” she asked, coming in to sit on the side of the bed.

  “Yeah, my head’s feeling a lot better and my stomach’s calmed down,” the redhead said, smiling softly up at her. She really wanted to talk about what happened last night, but right now she just didn’t feel up to it. Still, she felt well enough to say, “Thanks for last night, Jessie.”

  Jessie reached over and tucked a handful of the red hair back behind her ear. Leaning over, she kissed her lightly on the cheek. “No problem, Steph. It was my pleasure.” Standing up, she said, “You are still coming over tonight, right?”

  Stephanie nodded, wincing slightly due to her headache. “Yeah, Theresa said they’d be here around 6:30 to pick me up.”

  She smiled. “Okay, I’ll see you then. And don’t worry about last night; we can talk about it when you’re feeling better. In the meantime, get some rest.”

  She nodded, grateful that Jessie understood. “Bye, Jessie,” she said as the brunette left. She really wanted her to stay and not leave her alone, but she couldn’t ask that of her. Jessie had things to do, and she probably needed some rest, as well. God, how long has it been since she’d partied like that? Groaning, she rolled over and fell back to sleep for a few more hours.

  * * * *

  Theresa strolled into Jessie’s kitchen with a sly grin on her face. “So?” she said, sliding up to the island in the middle of the room.

  Looking up at her with one eyebrow raised toward her hairline, Jessie said, “So, what?”

  “So…what happened last night? You took Stephanie back home after the party…and…?” She trailed off, waiting for an answer.

  Jessie shrugged. “And, nothing.”

  “What? Jessie, you two were all over each other when you were dancing. I thought for sure…”

  “Nothing happened, Theresa. I swear,” Jessie said, handing the blond a tray full of snacks.


  “Nothing?” Theresa asked in disbelief. “Jessie, there’s something between the two of you, I can tell. Come on, you can tell me,” the blond said, badgering her. “You did spend the night with her, didn’t you?”

  Jessie nodded shyly at the question. Her answering yes, was so quiet that Theresa had to work to hear it.

  “Jess…did you…sleep with her?” Theresa asked, somewhat surprised, but not really. Really, she thought, this is Jessie Drake: Lawyer by day, rock goddess by night. Someone who sleeps with women without a second thought and leaves them wanting more, but never looking back.

  Jessie sighed when Theresa asked ‘the question.’ Looking at her best friend, she couldn’t hide the look in her eyes. “I…no…well…” It was obvious that she was struggling for the right answer.

  “Jessie?” Theresa prompted, wondering what the Hell was going on. Jessie had never been shy about admitting to sleeping with anyone before. Why all of a sudden was she trying to avoid answering the question? She hadn’t even blinked when Theresa had walked in on her with Alex a few days ago!