Entangled

by Melissa Brayden

  Becca’s hairdryer switched on as Joey pulled the covers to her chin. Somehow, the happiness bled through it all. That had to mean something.

  * * *

  Becca wasn’t the type to get nervous. She preferred the term excited, anticipating, even. And that’s where she hovered that Friday in late November when Elite Resorts was set to debut their new crown jewel, The Jade. She’d arrived at The Jade two hours earlier than normal and spent some time alone, moving through the space, admiring all the final touches that had turned the building into undeniable modern opulence. They’d decorate for the holidays the day after Thanksgiving, but for now, she absorbed the space as it was intended. She knew there would never be another time when the space would feel as dormant. In less than an hour, the staff would arrive and never again leave. The first guests would check in, and that revolving door would continue to spin for years into the future.

  “It feels special, doesn’t it?” Carla asked. Becca turned and smiled at her second-in-command, who she happened to respect a great deal. She nodded, taking note of how fantastic Carla looked in her green designer suit. Becca had opted for black with a green dress shirt beneath, all in honor of the color jade, of course. The staff uniforms followed the same color scheme.

  “It really does. This is the third resort I’ve served as GM for, but the first one I’ve opened personally. I feel so connected to it, somehow. Is that crazy?”

  “Not crazy at all. It’s your baby.”

  “Our baby.”

  Carla seemed to appreciate being included. She held out her hands to the pristine lobby. “Just add guests.”

  Becca folded her arms in satisfaction. “They’re heading here now, you know. On planes, in cars, all pointed in this direction.”

  Carla came and stood shoulder to shoulder with Becca as they surveyed their hard work about to take off. “Let’s give them the time of their lives.”

  “Deal,” Becca said, returning Carla’s fist bump.

  Six hours later, the grand opening of The Jade was in full effect. Complimentary wine and champagne flowed to anyone over twenty-one, passed hors d’oeuvres floated through the lobby on trays, and a quartet played a set of standards.

  Becca busied herself greeting not only the hotel guests but members of the community who’d come out to either support the resort or simply get an up close look at it. If the controversy from Whisper Wall continued, no one mentioned it today. Everyone was full of compliments and smiles, and why wouldn’t they be? Elite had spent a ton on this reception to make sure everyone went out and told their friends all about how fantastic it was. All the while, Becca kept an eye on the door for Joey and her close friends.

  “Welcome to The Jade. Did you have a chance to sip some wine?” Becca asked an older couple.

  “Oh, we’re not guests,” the woman said, clutching her husband’s arm with one hand, and her purse with the other. “We just came to say hello. Lookie-loos is all. We live in town, so you don’t have to give us your wine.”

  “That makes you our neighbors—incredibly important guests today. Please eat and drink all you want, and definitely take a tour. My name is Becca Crawford, and I’m the general manager.”

  “Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you,” the man said. “You have a real good-looking hotel here.”

  “Thank you. I’d love it if you’d stay and celebrate with us. Gregory over there is pouring three different varietals. There’s food moving around the room.” She leaned in. “I’d personally recommend the shrimp crostini.”

  “Oh my goodness,” the woman said. “I’m a shrimp fan. Don’t mind if I do.”

  They headed off toward the center of the lobby as Becca turned just in time to greet the next guest, smile in place, only to see Joey standing there.

  “Look at you.”

  “What?” Becca asked. She could feel herself beaming.

  “You’re really great at this,” Joey said, shaking her head.

  Everything in Becca exhaled in happiness. “You think so?” She’d never lacked for confidence when it came to her job, yet hearing that she’d impressed Joey bolstered her in a way she wouldn’t have predicted.

  “You’re really wonderful with the guests and have a serenity to the way you speak to them. I’m taking notes.” She moved her hands through the air as if marking a headline. “Be. More. Serene.”

  Becca laughed. “I’ve seen you in action. You don’t need to be. Bubbly works better for you.”

  Joey looked around at the celebration in progress. “I had no idea it would be this fancy. We’d have dressed up more.”

  Joey wore a beautiful V-neck knit top, deep blue in color, dark jeans, and brown booties with a slight heel. “You look fantastic, and it would have been a shame if you’d changed anything about yourself in this moment.”

  “Well, if you put your foot down,” Joey said with wide eyes. “Flatterer. Clearly trying to get me to stay here.”

  “First of all, I only tell the truth. Even when it gets me into trouble. And second of all, we’re booked solid for weeks. But I can put you up personally if you need somewhere to stay. I don’t even charge.”

  “I might. I hear there’s personal attention.”

  “Oh, full service,” Becca said very quietly.

  They exchanged a heated look that had Becca flashing back to leaving for work with Joey still naked in her bed just forty-eight hours ago. She definitely wouldn’t mind a repeat of that scenario. She hadn’t seen her since, making Joey a sight for sore eyes. To bring them out of it, because they were at her opening, she looked around the lobby. “You said we earlier. Did you bring your friends?”

  Joey gestured behind Becca with her chin. “Madison is checking out the wine you’re serving, and Gabriella is chasing the waiters around like a curious puppy to scope the menu. Wine and food. They’re in their element.”

  “Madison will be happy to see that we’re pouring the Tangle Valley pinot noir, among other brands.”

  “Are you really?” Joey’s face lit up. “That’s fantastic.” She dropped her volume and added, “Any word on the house wine deal? Do we have paperwork? A contract?”

  “Not yet. But it feels like a formality at this point. I told you they loved the idea of featuring a local vineyard.”

  “Because it was a great idea. I’m just thrilled we’re your closest neighbor.”

  “Luckily, you have the wine to back it up. A match.”

  Carla strolled by and delivered a glass of wine to Joey. “Ms. Wilder, I thought you might enjoy this glass from Tangle Valley.”

  Joey laughed and shook her head. “Oh, you guys are good.” Carla winked and drifted away. Joey pointed after her. “Impressive.”

  “We do our best,” Becca told her. “I better…”

  “Go. Yes. Be professional and awesome.” Joey leaned in on her toes and whispered in Becca’s ear, “And don’t think at all about me imagining our next time together.”

  Becca swallowed. Suddenly the room looked different, felt different. Joey, however, appeared pleased. “You did that on purpose,” Becca mouthed as she walked away, now flushed and loving it.

  Joey shrugged innocently and sipped her wine as Gabriella returned to her side with a plate.

  Becca continued to play hostess, grinning as the Biddies bustled past in a foursome, chattering away just like always. They were a tight and formidable group, that was for sure. Thelma waved at Becca proudly as if seeing a best friend on the playground. She waved back. That afternoon she saw lots of familiar faces. The cowboys, Loretta, Brenda Anne, and even Big Mitch McHugh, who’d run the town meeting regarding The Jade. Seemed they were all making friends with the place, which was exactly what she’d hoped for.

  The opening was a smash success, with the reception wrapping up late afternoon. Beyond that, they had a few kinks to work out in day-to-day operations. Their reservation system seized up temporarily, several rooms reported no hot water, which was cleared up by maintenance in under an hour, and the valet lot wa
s nearly overrun, making them come up with a plan B for now and the future. All helpful exercises for her staff. By midevening, when Becca leaned back in her leather executive chair and slipped out of her three-inch Manolos, the shoes she’d been wearing for fourteen hours now, she nearly cried with relief. She loved mingling with guests and assisting her staff. Both were huge parts of her job, but at the end of a day that had required her to be so explicitly on, she was depleted of every ounce of energy. She missed her dog. She wondered what Joey was up to and longed for any means to decompress.

  She typed as much to Joey moments later and was intrigued by the text she received back.

  Listen to me carefully. Grab your dog and find your way to the closest vineyard. Relaxation awaits.

  Text messages didn’t get more tempting, and Becca’s lips curled into a smile. With her last ounce of energy, she forced herself out of the chair, checked in with her front desk supervisor to be sure there were no emergencies to mitigate, and said good night to Carla, who she scolded and instructed to get out of there. They’d both put in a long day after weeks of grueling preparation. They’d need the downtime to make it through the rest of the week. Their department supervisors would handle it from here.

  After a bath of dog kisses, and a healthy wrestling session, which she of course lost, Becca and Sky pulled up in front of the Big House and looked up at the warm glow of light inside. The house was more than cozy, it was welcoming. The kind of place that made you want to hug yourself.

  Skywalker bounded up the stairs, bellowed four times, and Joey opened the door for him automatically. She wore leggings and a blue funnel neck sweatshirt that screamed cuddly. “Hi, guys,” she said, hand on her hip.

  “Hi, you,” Becca said, in what sounded like her tired, scratchy voice. Too much talking, apparently.

  Joey stole a quick kiss and opened the door for Becca to enter. “Did you at least get to have a glass of wine at the reception?”

  “I did not. Wasn’t sure it was the best look, but I did sip some of the hot cider.”

  “Then you deserve a libation,” Joey said and presented Becca with an already poured glass. “I know you like our current vintage, but this is a reserve from four years ago that I guarantee will knock your socks off. My father didn’t mess around that year, and it shows. I have a handful of cases left that I ration out only to very special visitors.”

  Becca took a sip, let the flavors settle, and took a second. Wow. The wine was smooth and deeply satisfying. “Oh, I really like that.” She stared at the glass and took a third sip. It warmed her up from the cold nicely, as did the fire she saw in the beautiful fireplace across the room. Sky had already curled up on the couch closest to the fire. The image could have been a painting. Becca felt her body slowly releasing tension just being here. Joey wasn’t kidding about the relaxation.

  “What about a nice soak?” Joey said and took Becca’s hand.

  “What do you mean? Are we going swimming?” she asked, as they climbed the stairs.

  “Wait for it.”

  Becca did and it was worth the crazy day she’d had. An oversized claw-foot tub, nearly three quarters full with hot water running, welcomed them. The whole room smelled wonderfully of lavender, probably from the expanse of bubbles basking along the surface of the water.

  “For you,” Joey said. “Decompress.”

  “You ran me a bath?”

  Joey looked at her proudly. “Mm-hmm. Interested?”

  She could have kissed Joey. In fact, she did. “You are the best…person,” she said, realizing that she was short a noun. Joey wasn’t officially her girlfriend, though the way they’d been carrying on, it would be strange of either one of them to date someone else, but now the lack of definition was all she could think about. Joey dating someone else. She didn’t like the concept at all. She opened her mouth to tell her so, but the sight of Joey pulling her shirt over her head stopped Becca short.

  She blinked and readjusted. Seeing the look on her face, Joey paused midbutton on her jeans. “I thought you might want company, but if not, I can—”

  “Oh, I definitely want company,” Becca said in wonder as Joey stepped out of her jeans and then began to unfasten her bra. Becca bit the inside of her lip as Joey’s breasts were revealed to her. A normal person would take their own clothes off and slip into the bath, but Becca was transfixed as she watched Joey slide her underwear down her legs, leaving her naked and gorgeous. She’d never tire of that visual. Joey felt the water and stepped into the tub, piling her blond hair on top of her head with a clip from the shelf behind her.

  “You coming?” Joey asked with a smile.

  Becca grinned and removed her clothes as Joey watched from the tub, her arms stretched out across the back of it like she owned the place, which she actually did. Becca eased herself into the tub across from Joey, closing her eyes at the feel of the extra-hot water caressing her skin. The tub was big enough for the both of them, but just, which made it perfect. Becca dangled her wineglass outside the tub and rested her neck on the curved porcelain behind her. “If you’d told me this is what I’d be leaving work for, I’d have been here much sooner.”

  “I wasn’t about to cut the opening short for you. It was a big day, and I figured you should enjoy it. Count the money. Laugh maniacally.”

  Becca shook her head at Joey’s ribbing of The Jade. The tone of it had progressed over the weeks from hostile to tense to playful, and Becca now welcomed the digs and even gave some back. “We can’t all stomp fruit with our feet for cash.”

  “Touché,” Joey said and slid her leg along Becca’s. A pause. “You do realize that’s not actually how the grapes are crushed here, right?”

  Becca laughed. “Yes, but it’s disappointing. You have such cute feet.”

  Joey wiggled her toes along the surface of the water, which seemed to give her an idea. As Becca sipped her near-perfect glass of wine, Joey pulled Becca’s right foot into her lap beneath the water and went to work on it. Becca took a deep inhale as muscles all over her body began to kick loose. She had no idea she’d wound up so tightly, but the pressure points Joey expertly accessed on the bottom of her foot proved otherwise. “Did you go to school for this? Never mind. You should open a school. Joey’s Professional Heaven Sending. That’s what you’ll call it.”

  “I could. Naming it that might give the wrong impression of the type of service I’m offering, but you’re the business executive,” Joey said with a wink.

  “Scratch that. You’re forbidden to call it that. It’s now called Get a Foot Massage Here.”

  “Oh, much more straightforward. I like it.”

  “But maybe those heaven sending services can be set aside for special clients.”

  “Even better.” Joey’s eyes met Becca’s and darkened, signaling her mind had traveled somewhere hot. Becca loved that she could read her so easily now. She took another sip of wine and let the flavors settle on her tongue. Wine made her feel sexy. Drinking it on a vineyard only amplified the effect. Drinking wine on a vineyard while in a bathtub with Josephine Wilder took it out of the realm of modern measurement.

  “I want to do things to you,” Becca said, simply.

  Joey blinked and her lips parted.

  Becca nodded. “I’m planning on it.”

  Joey attempted a smile but never quite made it there. She shifted her position as if uncomfortable, another tell that her body was already responding. Becca knew she could affect Joey with just her words. She’d seen it happen. She drank from her glass and stared hungrily at the tops of Joey’s round breasts, bathed in bubbles. Every now and then she caught a glimpse of a nipple.

  “I want to make you come,” Becca said. “Give you pleasure.”

  Joey shook her head. “You’re supposed to be relaxing, you know.”

  “I can’t actually think of anything better, though. Sitting in a bathtub with you might be the highlight of my year.”

  “Well, who am I to argue how to end your day?”

/>   The water that had felt amazing was almost too hot now, the bathroom full of steam. Joey must have felt it, too. She downed the last of her wine and left the glass on the shelf behind her. She stood, revealing her body, her curves, wet and pink from the tub. Becca let her exit and open the door to allow the steam to escape. She allowed herself the luxury of watching Joey towel off for only a moment before she joined her at the sink, where she took the clip out of her hair. It fell soft and silky onto her shoulders. As the steam faded from the mirror, Becca slid her hands around Joey’s waist, which brought everything else to a halt. They watched each other in the mirror with hungry eyes. Becca took the towel Joey had wrapped around herself and let it fall to the floor. From behind, she cradled Joey’s breasts, closing her eyes at the wonderful feel of the weight of them in her hands. She pressed them back against Joey’s body and listened to the way her breath caught, watching her eyes slam shut in the mirror. Becca was sweating from the steam and lost in a haze of lavender. She dropped her palms to Joey’s ribs, her stomach, and down the front of her thighs and around behind to her perfect ass. Joey’s head dropped forward, and she laid her hands flat on the countertop as Becca caressed her slowly. She knew very well that Joey came fast when she was turned on and that it wouldn’t take much. She ran her hand along the inside of one thigh first, and then the other, holding Joey with one arm around the waist when she started to tremble. Joey bent farther over the counter as Becca touched her between her legs lightly. Joey jerked and sucked air. Becca had fantastic access to her neck and kissed the back of it, the side, as she stroked long and slow. The quiet noises coming from Joey were new and matched the rhythm Becca had established. With her fingers, she pushed inside, which increased the volume of Joey’s sounds. She watched in the mirror, mesmerized, as Joey’s breasts swayed. She thrust into Joey with her fingers from behind, using her other hand to tease her from the front until Joey shot up straight, gripping the countertop as she tumbled over the edge with a beautiful cry.