by Ann Roberts
One hand slides between her legs and cups her crotch. Ms. Shimmering places her palm right over Addy’s center. She whispers, “This is all we have time for. Ride my hand.”
Addy slams the fridge’s door shut and clamps both sides of the box. She brings her hips up and down, softly moaning as the intensity grows. Ms. Shimmering grabs Addy’s waistband with her free hand, guiding Addy’s rhythm to a perfect climax that comes too fast.
Her heart still racing, Ms. Shimmering says, “I’ll take that PBJ now.”
Addy blinks, leaving the shore of passion and drifting back out into the sea of reality. She is a nobody. She is working the concessions stand at the Bijou, and the beautiful woman hovering over her will never want her for more than a quickie. Addy grabs the sandwich from the fridge, and when she looks up at Ms. Shimmering, her eyes behold two large breasts.
The sandwich drops out of her hand and lands on the desk. Somewhere Addy hears drums, and the beat matches her pounding heart.
“Since I’m eating your sandwich, I thought you might like something else to munch on,” Ms. Shimmering suggests. She pulls apart the two pieces of bread and licks a dollop of peanut butter and jelly from the slice in her left hand.
“Hmm. That hits the spot,” she says.
Addy so wishes they had more time. Ms. Shimmering reads her mind and smiles. “Don’t worry, baby.” She holds out the slice once more and dabs her nipples in peanut butter and jelly. She closes the sandwich and takes a bite. “Hmm,” she says again.
Addy just stares at the beautiful brown nipples. While the peanut butter stands at attention, gravity draws the jelly toward the floor.
Between bites Ms. Shimmering says, “You better get to work. Any of that jelly gets on this dress, my manager will be handing you the dry-cleaning bill.”
Addy drops to her knees and realizes she is too short to reach the perfect mounds of flesh. The jelly dangles, threatening to drop onto the length of dress near the floor. Addy pops up, leans her ass against the desk and opens her mouth—just as the jelly drips off Ms. Shimmering’s breast. It lands squarely in her mouth.
“Hmm,” Addy says. Her tongue circles one nipple and then the other, ensuring there will be no dry-cleaning issues. Then she works on the peanut butter. Ms. Shimmering’s nipples are at full attention, and Addy caresses both of them—first with her tongue and then her teeth.
“Oh, my,” Ms. Shimmering says between bites. She presses her free hand against the crown of Addy’s head. “Don’t be gentle, baby. I like it rough.”
Addy sucks ferociously until Ms. Shimmering goes rigid and gasps. She drops into Addy’s arms, her legs too wobbly to stand. She whispers into Addy’s ear, “Best damn PBJ I’ve ever had.”
Always a considerate lover, Addy asks, “Do you need to use the manager’s private restroom to wash up? I’ve done quite a number on your chest.”
“And everywhere else as well,” she chuckles. She stands, her legs strong again, and examines her gorgeous breasts. The peanut butter and jelly are gone, but the aroma of peanuts linger. “No, I’m fine.”
She pulls up the halter, hiding her breasts away. She places her index finger under Addy’s chin and pulls her gaze upward. Their eyes meet, and for the first time, she sees the distinct contours of her face—her broad nose, doughy cheeks, and the slight hint of wrinkles around her smoldering eyes. Mazie.
“Addy?”
A confused and hurt Mazie stands in the doorway. How can this be? She glances back at the face that hovers above her. Also Mazie, but this one brims with lust.
Pounding. Someone was pounding on her door. She jumped and saw Nadine waving. When she opened the door, Nadine offered a worried look. “I’ve been out there for three minutes.”
The drums. “Sorry,” she said. “Come in.” She headed for the couch but thought to ask, “Do you want anything? Water? Juice?”
Nadine waved her off and took the chair across from the couch. “I’m only staying long enough to give you an update.”
“An update on what?”
“Mazie’s singing progress.”
“Oh?”
“Since you stopped coming by the Bijou, she hasn’t been practicing.”
“What?”
“She stopped altogether. I know it’s because she’s completely stressing over the premiere thing, but she also lost her muse.”
Addy shook her head. “Who was her muse?”
Nadine sighed. “Addy, you are her muse. I pressured her to practice a few nights ago and she couldn’t do it. You weren’t sitting in your seat, and when she tried to sing, no words came out.”
Addy wiped a hand across her face. The premiere was a week away and Mazie’s performance was only two weeks after that. “If she can’t sing for the Bijou audience, she’ll never be able to perform at Gallagher Hall.”
“I know.” Nadine took a deep breath. “What I’m about to say will make you very upset. I’d like you to resist the urge to throw something at me, or at least don’t throw anything at my face.” She touched her cheek and added, “We have team photos later this week.”
“Okay,” Addy said slowly. “What?”
“I told Mazie about your mom and how you were lying about studying to be a trainer. I know you haven’t been to the library.”
Rage pushed up from Addy’s gut. Nadine had no right to disclose information about her family. She balled her fists together. She wanted to lash out.
“Nuh-uh,” Nadine said, waving her index finger. “You promised.”
“How could you tell her all that stuff!”
“She had a right to know why you’ve become completely unavailable—to all of us.”
“I have not,” Addy said, even though she knew it was true.
“You’ve withdrawn. You go to work and you come home and sit here and watch movies. You don’t hang out with me and Jackie—”
“Grilling season is over. You aren’t outside anymore.”
Nadine shook her head. “Seriously. You don’t know where the back door is? You’ve never learned to knock?” Addy looked away and Nadine said, “And you haven’t been to the Bijou so Mazie’s fear returned. I thought you agreed to help her.”
“I did…” Addy wrung her hands and started to pace in front of Nadine. Mazie made her so happy, but she wasn’t entitled to be happy. At least that’s what her mother believed.
When she passed in front of Nadine again, Nadine pulled her into a hug. “You need to banish your mother, possibly forever.”
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“I’m all she has. If I don’t answer her calls, she just keeps calling.”
Nadine offered a dismissive gesture. “Pfft. We’ve all got a friend or relative who’s tried that tactic. Don’t answer and eventually she’ll get the message.”
“You’ve had somebody call you two hundred and forty-two times in one day?”
“What?” Nadine looked incredulous. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, yes. My mom has nothing in her life and she doesn’t work. She has no friends or family except me. After I got mad at her once, she called me for eight hours straight until I finally picked up.”
“Sounds like Lorene Tornado is aptly named. Why don’t you turn off your phone?”
“Can’t do that. I need to be available if there’s an emergency on the route.”
Nadine shook her head. “You should share this with Mazie. She can help you. Don’t shut her out. The two of you are an adorable couple, and she doesn’t have a problem with your color…thing. You just need to go for it, Addy.”
Addy crossed her arms. “You sure can give it, but you can’t take it.”
Nadine stared at her manicure. “What do you mean?”
“You tell me to go for it, but have you ever told Jackie how you feel about her?”
“It’s not the right time, and we’re not presently discussing my mercurial love life.”
“Oh, yes, we are. If we’re talking about not going fo
r it, then we’re talking about both of us. I’m afraid I’m not good enough for Mazie. There. I said it. Now what about you, Nadine? Why aren’t you with Jackie?”
She didn’t reply. She wiped away a single tear, dug through her Chanel bag for a tissue and blew her nose daintily. Eventually she looked up and said, “It might be hard to believe, but some of the most open-minded people can’t fathom falling in love with someone who is transgender.”
“She’s told you that?” Addy couldn’t believe Jackie would be so judgmental.
“Sort of, yes.”
“What is ‘sort of?’”
Nadine paused and said, “We’ve had a couple of necking sessions in the past, and one time we consummated our relationship, but I knew she was uncomfortable, so I pulled away. And there were interruptions. The timer went off in the kitchen, somebody knocked on the door—usually you.”
Addy grinned. “I thought so. Once or twice I came in and you both looked a little hot and bothered.”
The corners of Nadine’s mouth turned up. “Yeah.”
“And you’ve always been the one to stop it, right?”
“Well, yes, but—”
“Have you ever thought she might think you’re not interested? You know like in Better than Chocolate? Where Judy doesn’t think Frances is interested in her because she’s transgender?”
Nadine threw up her hands. “How did we get here? We’re talking about you helping Mazie prepare for her performance! You promised.”
Jackie knocked on Addy’s door and opened it. “Hey, why are y’all yelling? What’s going on and why am I not included?”
“Addy has abandoned Mazie.”
“I have not!”
Nadine ignored her and said, “They haven’t seen each other in weeks, and Addy has been lying about why she’s not going to the Bijou. Consequently, Mazie has stopped practicing for her performance test.”
Jackie looked stricken. “Oh, no.” Then her expression turned stony. “You still can’t shake that phone call from your mother, right?”
Addy nodded.
“Have you told Dr. Pfeiffer? When is she hypnotizing you?”
“She’s not. I canceled the appointment.”
Jackie sighed. “Oh, Addy, please rethink that. You’re not doing it for anyone but yourself. That’s not about Mazie. You need to get to the bottom of your anxieties, and Dr. Pfeiffer can help you do that. You trust her, don’t you?”
“Yes, but what if my mother is right?”
“About what?”
“About not being good enough.”
“You are,” Nadine interjected.
“Wait. Good enough for who?” Jackie asked. “You mean Mazie? Are you worried Mazie will leave you?”
Addy looked down, feeling as small as a speck of dust on her hardwood floor. She whispered, “Yes. And then I’ll just be anxious again. And Mama will be right.”
No one said anything and the silence went on long enough for Addy to hear the ice maker drop a tray of cubes into the ice bucket.
Nadine cleared her throat. “Addy.” She looked up. “There’s no guarantee about anything in life, but you never know until you try. You choose most of your own landmark days. You make your own life significant.” She turned to Jackie. “Jackie, there’s something I’ve been wanting to share with you for a long time. I haven’t done so because…I was afraid of your response. I was afraid of your rejection. Like Addy is afraid to talk to Mazie, I’ve been afraid I’m not good enough for you. Mostly, I was—I am—afraid of your prejudice.” Nadine took Jackie’s hands and brought them to her lips. “I’m in love with you. You’re my best friend. The most beautiful woman, inside and out, that I’ve ever met. And you’re sexy as hell. I wonder if you might feel the same about me?” She squeaked out the question and dropped Jackie’s hands.
Jackie chuckled and rubbed her temple. “Oh, jeez.” Then she started to laugh hysterically.
Addy and Nadine exchanged puzzled looks. Addy asked, “Why are you laughing? This isn’t funny. Nadine just poured her heart out, probably as a lesson to me.” She smiled at her. “Thanks, Nadine.”
Nadine reached over and kissed the top of Addy’s head.
They both frowned at Jackie, who couldn’t stop laughing. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly. “Nadine, I’m not laughing at you or making fun of your declaration. I didn’t think you liked me…like that. I know there was that one time, but the other times I got you on the couch always ended with you running out of the room.”
“That’s because we kept getting interrupted—”
“No,” Jackie disagreed. “Not true. Well, yes, once, but the other two times, you pulled away. I just assumed…” She shrugged. She let out a moan that bordered on a scream.
Nadine sunk to the couch, shaking her head. “All this time…” She swiped a few stray hairs behind her ear. “So, am I too late? You and that woman from the rink the other night sure got cozy fast.”
“Oh, no,” Jackie said. “You don’t get to do that. You can’t judge my decisions when you haven’t been honest with me.” She hovered over Nadine and slid her hands into her back pockets. Addy thought she looked sexy as hell. “What do you want right now?”
Nadine’s gaze traveled the length of Jackie’s body. “You.”
Jackie offered a seductive smile. “How fortunate for us both. That’s my answer as well.”
Nadine held up a finger. “What about her?” she asked, pointing a finger in Addy’s direction.
Jackie shrugged and smiled at Addy. “A part of my heart will always be with Addy, as a friend.” She roughly pulled Nadine up and into a sizzling kiss. Addy was reminded of so many great movie kisses—Elena Undone, Amore de Femme, and A Perfect Ending. She blinked and realized their kiss was morphing into much more, as Nadine’s hand was already under Jackie’s T-shirt.
Addy coughed. “Hmm. Excuse me? My house.”
Nadine broke the kiss and said to Jackie, “Hold that thought.” She looked at Addy. “We’re leaving now, going off to start our new life together, riding off into the sunset, just like they do in the movies. What are you going to do, Addy?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Tarina Hudson’s arrival in Wilshire Hills was just hours away, and the premiere was the next night. Mazie was knee-deep in last-minute preparations, finalizing orders with the caterer for the after-party, checking in with the rental company, which was bringing a real red carpet, theater lights, scansions, and backdrops to create a Hollywood-like premiere atmosphere. She gave Almondine a pep talk nearly every hour, as she fretted—almost cyclically—about seeing Tarina, the money spent on the premiere, and what she’d wear.
Acquiring the film proved the most laborious task, as their film booker and the distributor went through extra hoops to ensure its security—physically and virtually. If S.W.A.T. wound up on the Internet as a result of the premiere, all of Mazie’s hard work would be for nothing. Her name would be mud to the production company, who would spread the word throughout the film industry that the little Bijou theater couldn’t be trusted.
They had finally decided to send the hard drive that contained the movie via special courier. Mazie would sign for the film and immediately upload it to the Bijou’s system while the courier waited. She’d check to make sure the film played and return the hard drive to the waiting courier.
Then Addy texted her. Having an emergency. Please be at the bus stop at 12:05. IMPORTANT!!
Mazie moaned. She was desperate to see Addy, but she had so much to do, and the courier would arrive in two hours. She wondered if Nadine might be staging some sort of intervention. She’d not kept her promise to Nadine. She hadn’t returned to the Bijou stage. She’d not been practicing, and she’d ignored two texts from Dr. Bertrand—Ivy. She’d deal with all of it, and the possibility that she’d fail once again, after the premiere was over. Then she’d ponder whether she’d used the premiere as a convenient distraction from her goals.
She sighed and replied t
o Addy, Ok. I’ll be there, but I only have a few minutes. Sorry.
Addy gave a thumbs-up and Mazie dove back into her preparations, setting her phone alarm for their meeting. When it sounded a few hours later, she dropped the to-do list on the concessions counter, grabbed her bag and headed for the bus stop. A minute later Addy’s bus rounded the corner and stopped in front of the Bijou.
Mazie chugged up the steps and looked toward the seats. The bus was empty.
“Hey,” Addy said with a smile.
She looked so cute and Mazie realized how much she’d missed gazing into her soft brown eyes. She couldn’t help herself. She threw her arms around Addy and kissed her passionately. And much to her great pleasure, Addy kissed her back equally as hard.
“I’ve missed you,” she said, loud enough to be heard over the hum of the bus’s engine.
“I’ve missed you, too,” Addy replied.
“Why is the bus empty? I mean, I’m glad it’s empty because I get to do this…” She drew Addy in for another deep kiss. “But isn’t this a regular work day?”
“It is. But I’m technically on lunch and helping a friend.”
“Who? What’s going on?”
“You’ll see.”
Addy climbed out of the driver’s seat and led Mazie to the first seat of the first row. “Sit here.” Then she pulled out a karaoke microphone and handed it to her. “You’ll need this.”
Mazie stared at the microphone. “Why—” The speaker was on, and she jumped at the sound of her own voice. She put a hand over the microphone and stared at a grinning Addy. She couldn’t help but laugh. “What are you doing? I’m behind, Addy,” she whined. “I’ve got so much going on to get ready for this thing.”
“I know. This won’t take long. I want you to close your eyes and start singing. And I want you to promise me that no matter what you hear, no matter what the bus does, you keep your eyes closed and you don’t stop singing. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Promise?”
She nodded. “Addy, I promise. Can we just hurry this along, whatever this is?” she said as nicely as she could.