Sun Catcher

by Giselle Fox

  “This feels so nice,” Cate said. She felt relaxed now that her hunger had been taken care of. “So which of these windows do you climb out of to get onto my balcony.”

  Lexi smiled. “I have a secret route.”

  “I bet I could figure it out,” Cate said.

  “I bet you could too,” Lexi said but she didn’t say any more.

  They finished their plates and Lexi stacked them beside the bed on the floor.

  “I’ll clean up since you did all the cooking,” Cate offered and tried to get up.

  Lexi slung her arm around her waist and pulled her down. “No, you’re staying right here until the morning.”

  Cate laughed. “What if I have to pee?”

  “I’ll make an exception for that.”

  Cate laid back down. She looked up into Lexi’s eyes and stroked her hand down her cheek. “I like being here with you,” she whispered.

  “I like you being here,” Lexi whispered back.

  “Until the morning, hey?”

  Lexi nodded and smiled. “I’m helping Yolanda again and then I have some actual work to do in the afternoon. We’ll see how the night goes if you’re busy.”

  “I’d like to be busy with you.”

  “Your friend may have something to say about that. It’s your last night.”

  Cate sighed. “She might. I don’t really want to think about it. Besides, now that she’s told me about Ambrose, I’m sure she’ll want to spend some quality time with him before Todd gets back.”

  Lexi cocked an eyebrow. “Quality time?”

  “Uh huh, just like we’re doing right now.” Cate laid back against the dark sheets and stretched again.

  “Would you like to have a bath with me?” Lexi asked.

  “Um, yeah!” Cate said.

  Lexi lifted herself from the bed and carried the plates into the kitchen. “Stay there,” she said.

  Cate watched as Lexi ran the water in the big tub and then as she moved around the kitchen and tidied up. When the tub was full, Lexi came over and held out her hand.

  “Your bath awaits.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Lexi led her to the tub and held her hand as she stepped in. Cate moaned when the water surrounded her body. Lexi stepped in too and lowered herself down with her hands on both sides of the tub. Her eyes closed as the water surrounded her too.

  “Feels good,” Cate said.

  “Mmm,” Lexi said and opened her eyes. She slid her legs under Cate’s legs and pulled her close. They sat face to face with the warm steam between them.

  Cate bent her head and clasped Lexi’s lips between hers. “You have incredible lips, do you know that?”

  “Thank you,” Lexi said.

  “Okay, what is that?” Cate giggled. Behind Lexi on the tray beside the soap and the shampoo was a very suggestive figure.

  Lexi looked over her shoulder and grinned. “You can probably guess what that is.”

  Cate looked at it again and felt her cheeks get even warmer than they already were.

  Lexi tipped her head back and looked at her from the corner of her eye. “Well, well. You’re blushing.”

  Cate held her hands to her face. “I know.”

  Lexi reached her hand back and gripped onto the silicon toy and then dropped it into their laps. “Does it scare you?” she asked.

  “No, it doesn’t scare me. Why would it? I have a vibrator at home. I almost brought it actually but it’s kind of loud.”

  Lexi grinned. “Alice?”

  Cate nodded. “I didn’t want her to hear, you know? That would be weird.”

  “Well, good thing you didn’t end up needing it.”

  “Good thing,” Cate said. She looked down at the apparatus resting between them. “Ummm.”

  “Ummmm,” Lexi said back.

  Cate looked up at her. “I was just trying to imagine you playing with this by yourself.”

  Lexi grinned. “You were, huh? Did it do anything for you?”

  Cate nodded. “Oh yeah.”

  “Hmm,” Lexi said.

  They both looked down at the toy.

  “Feeling curious?” Lexi asked at last.

  “You know me, I’m always a little curious,” Cate said.

  “You think you know how to use it?”

  “I think I can figure it out.” Cate lifted the toy out of the water. “This end is for me, this end is for you.”

  “Or the other way around can work too.”

  “Do you have a preference?”

  Lexi laughed. “Like, am I a top or a bottom? That sort of depends on the moment.”

  Cate leaned close. “How about this moment?”

  Lexi brushed her lips across Cate’s cheek. “How about you tell me what you’re in the mood for instead?”

  “Well,” Cate began, she held the toy in her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “I’m sort of stuck on the image that I have in my head of you,” she whispered.

  “You are, are you?” Lexi asked. She wrapped her arms around Cate’s neck and searched her eyes. “And what is that image?”

  Cate watched the water drip from Lexi’s elbows and back into the pool between them.

  “It’s just that you’re so tough and strong. It always feels like you could overpower me in a second if you wanted to. In my mind, it’s the other way around. Does that sound too... submissive for you?”

  Lexi chuckled. “You want me to submit to you?”

  Cate smiled. “No, not like that at all. I want you lie back and... open up to me. I want you to trust me.”

  The smile on Lexi’s face relaxed as she gave Cate a long, calculating look. “I trust you.”

  “I think you want to,” Cate said softly and then sighed. “Trust is a big thing. I mean, I don’t expect after two days that all the walls are going to come down.” They looked at each other again.

  “Maybe this is just me wanting to push things too fast, Lexi, but things feel different with you. I just want you to know that even though I’m on vacation right now and that technically I still have a boyfriend, what’s happening here isn’t just a fling for me. It feels way more real than that.”

  “It’s not a fling for me either,” Lexi said softly.

  Cate sighed. She could feel the truth behind Lexi’s eyes, even though there was so much else behind them too that wasn’t being shared. In that silence, at least, was the acknowledgment of where they were, that they’d reached the same place together. And, for that moment anyway, it was all Cate needed to know. She picked up the silicon toy and placed it back on the edge of the tub. Lexi’s eyes watched her.

  “You know what?” Cate said.

  “What?”

  “I think I just want to feel you with my bare skin right now.”

  Lexi bent her head and kissed her gently. “Me too.”

  ***

  The next morning came too fast. After hours alternating between feeding their bodies and relaxing on the roof, sleeping and making love, the sun finally rose over the hills. Their bodies were entangled in a mess of sheets. Cate lay on her side with Lexi wrapped behind her. As soon as their eyes had opened, their hips had taken on a life of their own. There was nothing frantic about the way they’d been loving each other. Their movements were slow, deliberate and in sync.

  The feeling of Lexi’s skin on her body was the most sensual thing Cate had experienced. It felt like silk or something even smoother. It had even felt at times as if the barrier of cells between them disappeared entirely and that their bodies had somehow taken each other on. They had languished within that nebulous cushion, half-conscious and half-asleep, for the entire night. And whenever consciousness did step forward, they would move together again, slipping and shaking until they drifted off. The dream of it hadn’t stopped playing all night.

  When the light finally returned and the heat with it, Cate felt as if some of their parts had been re-sorted, that as much of herself as she’d given away, she now carried of Lexi within her. She felt differe
nt, vibrant, and glowing. She felt exhilarated every time she looked at Lexi. And when Lexi looked back at her, all her usual calm, cool strength was all fire and passion.

  At some point in the dark hours, their climaxes had found their unison and had stayed that way ever since. They made love again in total consciousness, with the morning sun beating on their backs. Sweat dripped from their bodies. After, as their breath calmed, they lay sprawled on twisted sheets for a little while longer before Lexi had to rise.

  Lexi buried her face in Cate’s neck and left it there. “I love the way you smell. I could stay right here all day.”

  Cate wouldn’t have minded that at all since the sensation of Lexi’s breath against her neck and ears made her feel shivery inside. “Maybe I could come and help you today,” she giggled. She was almost willing to do anything if it meant not having to let go.

  “I wouldn’t get anything done if you were there,” Lexi said as she wrapped her body even tighter around her. “I’m not sure what Yolanda would think if she caught us doing this instead of working.”

  “Mmm. Maybe I’ll just come and watch you then.” Cate imagined what that would look like, her sitting at the bar all day with her chin in her hand like some dreamy schoolgirl. That’s how she felt whenever she looked at Lexi. She held her as tight as she could without squeezing, ignoring the heat in the room and the fact that they were sweating.

  Lexi moved against her again. Cate felt the soft tip of her tongue glide up her neck and the response of her body somewhere below.

  Lexi lifted her head and looked down at her. “Thanks for the night,” she whispered before diving into her neck again. Cate tipped her head back and closed her eyes. She opened herself to the soft bites and flicks of Lexi’s tongue again.

  “I can’t stop,” Lexi moaned a few seconds later. “You taste too good.”

  “You must be hungry.”

  Lexi lifted her damp head again. “I am.” Her eyes sparkled. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips looked like they’d been kissed for the last twenty-four hours straight. They had, more or less. Their marathon had taken on a momentum of its own and seemed to have no intention of stopping for work.

  “If I come to Yolanda’s today, it’s going to be hard not to stare at you. You’re so fucking gorgeous right now.”

  “Hmm. I kind of like your potty mouth,” Lexi smiled.

  “Everyone’s going to know,” Cate laughed.

  Lexi’s smile faded a little. “Maybe we could keep it quiet.”

  Cate laughed, figuring she was kidding but then she realized she wasn’t. “Are you ashamed or something?”

  Lexi frowned. “God no! I’m proud as hell. I just like to keep personal stuff personal.”

  “I get it. They’re all a bunch of gossipers and you live here,” Cate said. “Besides, I have yet to have the inevitable conversation with Alice. I’m really not sure how she’s going to take it.”

  “She’s not going to like it.”

  Cate looked at her and laughed.

  “What?” Lexi asked.

  “She told me what she did, finally. That she came up here all naked ready to throw herself at you.”

  Lexi covered her face with her hand and groaned. “That was so awkward.”

  “I can’t believe you never told me!”

  “Why would I tell you? I didn’t want you to think badly of her.”

  “That was sweet.”

  “I don’t know if it’s sweet. There was just no way to tell it without sounding like I was judging or making fun of her.”

  “You did the noble thing.”

  “She was naked and drunk,” Lexi said flatly.

  “But she’s pretty hot, right?” Cate said. She was digging to see whether Lexi agreed.

  “Nobody that drunk is hot.”

  “Well, I appreciate you taking care of her when she couldn’t do it herself.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You know what? I’m not going to say anything about us. If she asks, I’ll tell her we went somewhere fun. She won’t ask anyway. It bothers her too much to hear about me spending time with you.”

  “I like your thinking,” Lexi whispered.

  “It’ll be a secret affair. How clandestine!”

  “It’s not the only one going on in the building.”

  “No, it’s not,” Cate agreed.

  They bathed and then said goodbye on the landing in front of Alice’s door. Cate had considered walking Lexi to the restaurant but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off her along the way.

  “I’ll see you later,” she whispered into Lexi’s lips. Their foreheads pressed together. Their arms were wrapped around each other’s waists. “I’ll be thinking of you while you work,” Cate said.

  “Me too,” Lexi said back as she descended the steps. Cate felt like she was in high school again, she felt so giddy. She looked over the rail and watched Lexi walk down the steps until she gave a last wave and pushed open the door to outside.

  Cate stood in front of Alice’s apartment and steeled herself for the conversation that was to come. She firmed her resolve and slid the key into the lock.

  “Hey!” she called. She kicked off her shoes and wandered into the living room, but Alice wasn’t there. She was nowhere, in fact. The note Cate had left was still right where she’d left it. There were no signs that Alice had been home at all.

  “Well, well,” Cate grinned and then crumpled up her note.

  It wasn’t until a couple of hours later that Alice returned at all. Cate walked out into the hallway and grinned at her. Alice’s hair was wet as if she’d just showered.

  “Don’t say anything,” Alice warned.

  Cate held up her hands and laughed. “I will say nothing. I’m just glad to see you home safe.”

  Alice rolled her eyes. “I know. I’m terrible. I have no self-control and I’m digging myself deeper. Chastise me if you must.”

  “Seriously, this is your thing. The only thing I will say is that I hope you know what you’re doing and that it all works out so that everyone is happy in the end.”

  Alice slumped herself down into the couch in the living room and covered her face with her hands. “I’m a shitty person.”

  “No, you’re not and thinking that way isn’t going to solve the deeper issue.”

  “You’re right,” Alice said and sat up again. She leaned forward with her elbows on her knees. “I had sex for twenty-four hours straight. It was mind boggling.” She started to laugh.

  “Okay,” Cate said. She wanted so much to tell her own story but held back. “So? Todd?”

  Alice shook her head. “Done. It’s done. It’s been done for a year, at least, even before Ambrose. Now for the tricky part of addressing it with him.”

  “He’ll be home soon, at least.”

  Alice fluffed a depleted throw cushion and placed it behind her head and laid down. “I can’t think about it right now. I really need some sleep.”

  “I will let you rest. I was thinking of taking myself for a walk.”

  “Okay. Hey, did you get around okay by yourself? I’m sorry I just bailed on you.”

  Cate smiled as she walked down the hallway. “I was totally fine.”

  ***

  The day was hot and humid. The minute Cate stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the building she knew exactly where her feet would take her. She didn’t try to stop them, since there was no point. With Alice asleep on the couch and Ambrose undoubtedly in the same position at his place, there were fewer people to worry about. She wanted to say hello, that was all. And maybe one glass of something refreshing, no more than that.

  She walked around back to the kitchen entrance and peered inside. No one was back there, but she could hear Yolanda’s voice and then Yolanda herself came around the corner. She jumped when she saw Cate standing there, but she smiled and waved her in.

  “You’re looking for someone,” she grinned.

  “No, not especially,” Cate st
ammered.

  “Not especially,” Yolanda laughed. “She’s behind the bar. You can come in this way or go around, whatever you like.”

  “I’ll go around,” Cate said. “Thanks Yolanda.”

  She walked around to the front and through the wide open doors of the restaurant. Lexi looked up as soon as she walked in. A smile spread over her face and she shook her head.

  Cate went and sat down at the bar and glanced around the place. No one from the building was there.

  “Good timing,” Lexi said. “I was just squeezing some citrus.”

  Cate sat with her elbows on the bar and watched as Lexi squeezed oranges and grapefruits into a tall glass jug.

  Their eyes locked over the bar. Lexi picked up another orange and rolled it under her palm against the counter. Cate’s eyes became transfixed at the motions of her fingers, at the way they slid over the surface of the round fruit.

  “You do that very well,” she said.

  Lexi gave her a devilish smile. “It’s all in the way you hold them.”

  “More of a caress, really, isn’t it?”

  “And just the right amount of pressure.” Lexi pinched the navel of the orange suggestively. Cate felt it somewhere inside her shirt.

  “You have great hands,” Cate sighed.

  “You have great breasts,” Lexi whispered.

  They looked deep into each other’s eyes and then burst out laughing.

  “That didn’t take long,” Cate said.

  “I told you I wouldn’t be able to concentrate if I saw you,” Lexi said.

  Yolanda came out from the back carrying two plates and smiled at them both before heading off to a table.

  “I think she knows,” Cate whispered.

  Lexi’s eyes followed Yolanda outside. “I’m not concerned about her. I keep quiet about her personal life, she’ll keep quiet about mine.”

  Cate turned and glanced at Yolanda over her shoulder.

  “So, how did it go with Alice?” Lexi asked.

  “She knows nothing. She was with you-know-who for the last two days. She got home a couple of hours after I did.”

  “So you played like you were at her place the whole time?”