by Alex Riordan
“I…I did stay,” she finally managed to stammer. “But we uh…we didn’t…what I mean to say is…”
“What she means to say…” Stephanie interrupted, entering the kitchen, “Is that she was completely honorable.” She looked at Jessie then with so much emotion in her eyes, that Jessie thought she might break down and cry.
Surprised and a little embarrassed to be caught asking Jessie about her night with the redhead, Theresa managed to say, “Jessie was…honorable? She didn’t try…?”
Stephanie shook her head and came to stand next to Jessie. Placing her hand on top of Jessie’s where it rested on the counter, she squeezed it and said, “No. She helped me into bed and stayed to make sure I was okay.”
Jessie looked at Stephanie’s hand on her own and then looked up at the redhead. She had never been more grateful for someone in her life than she was right now. She knew, without a doubt, that she’d made the right decision last night. Falling into lush green eyes, she could only say, “Thank you, Steph.”
“My pleasure,” Stephanie said, echoing Jessie’s earlier words. “I just came in to tell you two that they’re getting restless. You need to get out there so we can start the first movie.”
Theresa was the first to take the hint. Grabbing the tray off the counter where she’d left it sitting, she headed for the living room. Since Jessie and Stephanie were both still looking into each other’s eyes, she said, “I’ll just head on out there and uh…let you two talk.” She was getting the definite feeling that both women had already forgotten her presence.
For a moment after Theresa left the kitchen neither woman spoke. Then, Stephanie finally broke the silence. “Jessie, before we watch the movie, I wanted to tell you…”
Jessie shook her head. “No, you don’t have to say anything, Steph. I’m sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to…”
Stephanie reached up and placed a finger against Jessie’s lips, effectively shutting her up. “Shh…don’t. Please don’t apologize, Jess. You were right. I’d had too much to drink, and you don’t know me that well. There’s no way you could have known that I…” She took a deep breath. “That I really did want you last night.”
Jessie felt her eyebrow rise toward her hairline again. “Stephanie,” she began, shaking her head. “You can’t possibly want me. We’ve only known each other for two weeks.” There’s no way the actress could want her, right? Right?
“I know it sounds crazy Jess, but I do want you. Seeing you on stage…well…” Stephanie blew out a breath. “There’s no way I couldn’t want you after that, even though I’d already begun to think about it before then. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been thinking about you from day one. And the way you treated me last night…even after I got mad and yelled at you. You didn’t have to stay. You could have left.”
Jessie’s voice was barely a whisper. “You asked me to stay. You didn’t want to be alone.”
“Still…you could have left, but you didn’t. I would have understood, once I sobered up,” she said, smiling. Her eyes had never left Jessie’s and her hand was still holding the brunette’s. With her free hand, she reached up and caressed Jessie’s cheek. “Thank you…for just holding me. I needed that last night.”
Tilting her head into the soft caress, Jessie said quietly, “You’re welcome. I think I needed it, too. Even though I didn’t know it at the time.” Still looking into green eyes, Jessie leaned a little closer and…
“Hey you two! Will you stop flirtin’ in here and get out there? The movie’s starting,” Mike said, poking his head into the kitchen.
With a deep sigh, Jessie stepped back away from the redhead and, taking her by the hand, said, “Come on, Steph. Let’s get out there before they all come in to see what they’re missing.”
Stephanie laughed and squeezed her hand as she allowed herself to be led out to the living room. When they arrived, the only seats left were on the loveseat. Whether by accident or design, they weren’t sure. Jessie however, highly suspected it was by design. Still, watching a movie with Stephanie by her side all night didn’t seem like a bad thing, so…why not?
As the previews for upcoming movies started, Jessie asked, “So John, what movie are we watching?”
John, the drummer for the band looked up from his beer and smiled. “Oh, it’s high art, Jess. You’ll like it.”
Jessie rolled her eyes and said playfully, “Porn is high art to you, John. Come on, spill. What movie are we watching?”
“There’s nothing wrong with porn,” he retorted, acting offended.
“Okay, fine,” she said in answer, holding up a hand in surrender. “But this is supposed to be a ‘family’ oriented movie night. Not a movie with your family in it,” she shot back.
“Oh come on, Jess! I’ve never shown you guys those movies!” he said, beginning to laugh.
“Lacy,” Jessie said, looking at John’s wife, “How many of your movies have we seen?”
Lacy, a busty blond in her early thirties, shrugged and laughed, saying, “Just about all of them, I think.”
“Thank you,” Jessie said, looking back at John pointedly.
“Oh, all right,” he said, giving in. “I thought we’d start with ‘Avatar’ and go from there.”
“Cool,” Jessie said, settling back into the loveseat with a Diet Coke in her hand. Next to her she could feel Stephanie getting comfortable and trying to maintain a respectable distance. But, just as the title credits began to roll, Stephanie leaned over and asked, “Porn movies?”
Jessie laughed quietly and answered her, turning to whisper in her ear. “John’s a film producer in the porn industry. Lacy acts in his films.”
Stephanie’s face colored slightly, giving her skin a cute pinkish hue. “Oh,” was all she said, sitting back again and beginning to watch the movie. To her left, Jessie smiled and tried not to notice the blush rising up Steph’s cheeks.
Two and a half hours later, Doug got up and changed movies. Unsure what he’d put in the DVD player, Jessie groaned out loud when she realized what movie he’d just put in. “Doug, where did you get that?”
“It was on the shelf with all your others’ Jessie,” he said, sitting back down in the armchair. “Why?”
Jessie rolled her eyes. “I don’t know. I just thought…” she stopped talking when she felt Stephanie’s hand on her arm.
Stephanie had realized from the DVD box what movie he’d put in. “It’s okay, Jess. I don’t mind. We can watch it.”
“Are you sure?” Jessie asked, unconvinced. What the Hell was Doug thinking putting in one of Stephanie’s movies? And, to make it worse, it was one with two topless scenes in it.
“I’m fine with it, Jessie,” Stephanie said, smiling at her. “I happen to like this one quite a bit, actually.”
“You sure you don’t mind?” Jessie said, watching the redhead carefully to make sure she wasn’t just trying to please the group.
Stephanie nodded, still smiling. “I’m positive.”
Shrugging, Jessie said, “Well…if you’re sure.”
Decision made, Doug relaxed back in his chair. He really liked this movie. It was full of action, guns, sexy, half naked women and more action. What could be better on a Saturday night off?
By the time they’d reached the first nude scene that Stephanie had in the film, it was clear to the actress that Jessie was uncomfortable. She was trying to hide it, but her efforts were failing miserably. Sliding closer to the brunette, she leaned over and whispered in her ear. “It doesn’t bother me…people watching this, you know. It’s okay if you like it. In fact, it makes me feel good that you do.”
Closing her eyes and licking her lips at the sensation of Stephanie’s breath so close to her ear, Jessie swallowed hard. Grateful that the only light in the room was coming from the 48” flat screen TV set, she turned to face the redhead. Leaning into her, Jessie decided to take a chance and kissed her slowly on the lips. As she backed away, lips still burning from the contact, she whispered
, “I do like it. It turns me on.” She licked her lower lip before adding, “You turn me on.”
“Good,” Stephanie said, scooting closer and resting her head on Jessie’s shoulder. “I think I like that.” Inside, she could feel hope rising up. Maybe Jessie would come around after all? They still needed to talk about last night, but now, she thought that conversation might take place sooner rather than later.
When the end credits ran for the second movie, Doug stood up and announced he was making a beer run. Mike agreed to join him and they took off, promising to be back within twenty minutes.
As they waited for the guys to return, Jessie got up and went to the bathroom. When she finished and opened the door to leave, Theresa was there in the hallway, waiting for her. “Can we talk, Jess?”
Jessie rolled her eyes. “Now?”
“It’ll only take a minute,” Theresa said, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her into her bedroom. Shutting the door behind them, Theresa said, “So…spill it. What really happened last night?”
“Stephanie told you, nothing happened.”
“Bullshit,” Theresa said, eyeing her critically. “I know you, Jessica Elizabeth Drake, and you do not stammer when asked a question about your sex life. You were kissing her during the movie, I saw you. And, she was kissing you back. Now, what really happened?”
Defeated, Jessie sighed. “Oh, all right! Jesus, nothing really happened, T. We didn’t have sex, if that’s what you’re asking. I did spend the night, but I just held her while she slept. That’s all.”
“That’s it?” Theresa said in disbelief. “Why didn’t you, Jess? Seeing you two dancing it was pretty clear what you both wanted.”
Jessie rolled her eyes again. She needed to talk to someone about this, and if she couldn’t talk to Theresa then who could she talk to? The blond had been her best friend since they were kids and had stood by her side through everything. She began pacing and ticking points off on her fingers. “First of all, and probably most important, Stephanie is straight. I don’t want to be her experiment. Besides, she probably doesn’t really want me, so much as she’s just lonely and needing someone. Second, she was drunk, and I didn’t want to take advantage of that. Third, she’s not living here permanently, so it’s not like we’re going to have some long lasting relationship. And fourth, she’s an actress. How do I know she’s not just…I don’t know…‘acting’ like she likes me?” Now that she’d spelled out her fears, she stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of the bed.
To Theresa, this uncharacteristic outpouring of doubt from Jessie was unfathomable. Having known the brunette for more years than she could count, she thought she knew Jessie. Apparently, she was mistaken. Even after Bobby left the band and dumped her, she’d never acted so out of character. She’d just attacked both her jobs like a demon, staying so busy she didn’t have time to worry about anything. In her few brief moments of rest, she got so drunk or high Theresa would have to bring her home and pour her into bed. That was, of course, when she wasn’t finding someone else to go home with, instead. Back then, if she wasn’t working, singing or drinking, she was sleeping with someone. It didn’t matter who, just so long as she didn’t spend time alone with herself.
Watching Jessie carefully, Theresa finally realized something. “Jessie, I know you’ve always liked Stephanie in her movies. And I know what you said the other night,” she said carefully. “And you and I both know what gets said by the media about people. What if Stephanie’s not straight? Or, what if she is, but she’s decided that she likes you enough that it doesn’t matter? I’ve seen the way you two are with each other. You were into each other last night, no doubt about that. There’s no way she’s acting when it comes to how she feels about you. She’s not that good an actress. Very few people are.” She moved from the door and sat down next to Jessie on the bed. Pulling Jessie toward her until the brunette’s head was resting on her shoulder, she stroked her hair.
“Jessie, sometimes…when you want something bad enough, you just have to take the chance. I know you want her, and I believe in my heart that she wants you.” She stopped talking for a minute and thought about what she was about to say. “All this time, I’ve been wondering why you haven’t just made it official with Alex. Remember the other day when you said you didn’t know what you wanted?” As she felt Jessie nod, she went on. “Well, I think you know what you want, and it isn’t Alex Fagin. I think you want Stephanie, and always have. The real question here is…do you want her bad enough to take the chance?”
Jessie sighed. “I don’t know, T. I’m scared.”
“It’s okay to be scared, Jess. That’s part of the excitement of a new relationship,” Theresa answered. Giving Jessie a hug, she stood up and said, “Come on, we should get back out there before they all think we’re in here doing something we shouldn’t be.”
Jessie smiled sadly. “You’re right. Thanks for the talk, Theresa. I needed to get that out there.”
“That’s what I’m here for, Jess,” Theresa said, following Jessie back out to the living room.
When they got back, only five minutes had passed, so Jessie went into the kitchen and brought out more snacks for everyone. Movie night just wasn’t complete without alcohol and chips. Ten minutes later, the guys had arrived with more beer, and the third movie was starting. This time, the movie was a light, romantic comedy, starring Drew Barrymore.
Once again seated on the loveseat, Jessie and Stephanie had switched sides. With Jessie now sitting in the corner of the small couch, Stephanie had stretched out on the rest and had her head resting on Jessie’s lap. Within minutes, Jessie’s hand had gravitated, (quite without her permission), to the dark red hair fanned out on her legs. When the other woman made no comment, only settled in more, she continued.
As they sat there watching the movie, she finally found enough courage to slide her other hand down to rest on Stephanie’s stomach. Again, when there was no comment from the redhead, she began moving her hand in slow circles.
An hour and a half later, with the end credits rolling, Jessie still had no desire to move from her current position. Stephanie had fallen asleep sometime during the movie, and was lying there snoring softly. Still, she needed to get up and see everyone out and lock up the house.
Moving slowly, she was able to slide out from under Stephanie without waking her. As she carried things into the kitchen with Theresa, she said, “T, you guys don’t need to give Stephanie a ride back to the hotel. I’ll make sure she gets back.”
Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at what was obviously Jessie’s way of saying she wanted the redhead to spend the night, Theresa nodded. “If you’re sure, Jess? We don’t mind taking her home.”
“No, it’s all right. She’s already asleep, and she did have a late night last night. I’ll take care of her,” she said, putting the last of the snack bags away in the cabinet.
“Well, if you’re sure…” Theresa said, “I guess I’ll see you Monday morning?”
Jessie nodded. “Absolutely.” Hugging everyone goodbye, she watched until they all pulled out of her driveway. Shutting and locking the door then setting the alarm, she turned and went back into the living room. Stopping in the doorway, she just stood and watched Stephanie sleeping. Did she know what she was doing? Not really. Should she even be taking this chance? Probably not. Did she want this? Want Stephanie? Absolutely, without a doubt, yes.
Chapter 10
Taking a deep breath, Jessie walked over to the love seat and squatted down. Reaching out, she carefully shook Stephanie on the shoulder. “Stephanie?” she said quietly. “Come on, wake up.”
When the redhead stirred sleepily, but made no move to get up, she repeated herself. “Come on, Steph. Everyone’s gone. It’s time to go to bed.”
Finally waking up, Stephanie looked at her. Then, she glanced around the room. Realizing that everyone was gone, she was about to apologize for falling asleep, when Jessie cut her off.
“Hey, yo
u ready to move to the bed? It’s more comfortable than this old thing,” the brunette said, attempting to hide her nervousness.
“Did everyone leave?” the redhead asked sleepily.
“Yeah. Theresa offered to take you home, but I told her I’d take care of it. You’re welcome to stay here tonight, but if you’d rather go back to the hotel, I’ll take you,” Jessie said quietly, waiting as Stephanie sat up.
“You…you’re asking me to stay?” Stephanie said, unsure if she’d heard the other woman correctly.
“Yes,” Jessie said, no trace of doubt in her voice. “If you’d like to, that is?”
Stephanie nodded and smiled. “I’d like to.”
Jessie smiled back and held out her hand. “Good. Let’s go to bed, it’s getting late.”