I turned the phone so she could see Caroline across the desk. Caroline tossed her a playful salute and Samirah chuckled.
"Long day?" asked Caroline.
"Yeah," answered Sam as I held the phone in a spot where we could both see her and she, us. "But my girlfriend sending me flowers blew my mind and made everything better." A smile curved her maroon-hued lips. "Thank you for that, Rosie. It was very unexpected."
And again, my cheeks burned, but this time I could see myself blushing in the small image in the corner. "I hoped you'd like them."
"I do." Sam leaned over and sniffed the roses. The arrangement appeared even prettier than it had on the website.
"Those are very pretty," said Caroline, smiling when she leaned her chin on her hand. "Nice taste, Rosie."
"Thanks." My face felt like it would explode any second.
"See her blushing, Sami?"
"I do." Sam chuckled and continued to stroke the petal of a flower.
"You look tired, Sam," I said, drawing the attention away from me.
"I am. I'm doing a double tonight, then off the rest of the week. I'll nap between shifts," she said, her gaze returning to the camera. "Will you meet me at home tomorrow after work?"
"Of course."
Sam paused for a moment, gazing at something beyond the camera. "Look who's here."
"Who?" asked Caroline.
The camera shifted and Sam pulled Stella into the frame. They shared a laugh and Stella waved. "Hi, lovelies. How are you?"
"Good. It's nice to see you," I said, chuckling at the two of them. Stella tossed her arm around Sam's shoulder and the two of them made faces in the camera.
"Dorks." Caroline grinned at them and they made me laugh harder.
"I'm here to shuffle this one off to take a rest." Stella messed up Sam's hair on purpose. "We're going to have lunch first."
"I like that plan. Samirah, listen to Stella," I said, grinning at my own boldness suddenly.
"I will. I'm starving and tired." Sam released her and pointed in front of her. "Look what Rosie sent me." The two of them shared happy chatter and Stella aww'd. I couldn't stop myself from smiling while I watched them. Caroline nudged my elbow and grinned. I nodded, reveling in the notion that I brought Sam a moment of feeling special. Everyone deserved to feel that way sometimes, and I made a commitment that I would continue to find ways to make Sam smile.
"Have a good rest, Sam," I said when we wrapped up our call.
"I will. See you tomorrow, baby." She blew me a kiss and I nearly melted. "Thank you for my flowers."
"You deserve it." I blew her a kiss right back. "Bye."
"Bye."
***
Stella let me into Sam's apartment when she found me waiting outside. "Are you sure you don't want to come down to our place while you wait?" she asked.
"It's okay. I'd rather be here." I set my purse down on the table by the front door then shrugged out of my jacket.
"If you change your mind, come on down. Her surgery ran late due to complications. Did she tell you?" Stella flicked on the light and glanced around the room as if checking it out for safety.
"She texted me, but I decided to head here anyway."
"And sleep in the hallway if she was super late?" Stella chuckled and gave my forearm a pat.
"No." I laughed at the notion. "I would come bother you then."
"You would not." Stella smiled when she said it. "You're too polite, but I'm enjoying getting to know you better. Speaking of, on Saturday, Allie and I are having Scarlett and Vee over for dinner. We've invited Sami and yourself, but she wasn't sure if you would want to come."
"Um…" I glanced over her shoulder then back to her. "No one else?"
"No one else. Jordan and Ainsley are going camping with Ainsley's mom."
"Does Sam want to go?" I bit my lip while talking this out with her.
"I think she does." Stella joined me on the sofa when I dropped down to sit. "Sami doesn't keep many people close. Her decision to move here, for her, was a pretty radical one. We've gotten closer over the past few years and she gets on well with Scarlett. Our shared professions help. And our partners of course."
"Is she hesitant to agree because I am?"
"I'm not sure. Are you hesitant in general?" she asked, her tone soft as always.
"With social events, yes."
"Well, if she knows that then I'm sure it's a factor. Talk to her about it. We're not far from here, and if things get too intense, you can always head back to Sam's. If it helps any, we're a very tame bunch and I'm an excellent cook." A soft laugh escaped her when she stood up again.
"It helps." I offered her a smile and watched as she headed toward the door.
"Good. If you need anything, you have my number." Stella blew me a kiss. "I better get back to my girls."
"Thank you for letting me in."
"Of course." Just as Stella pulled open the door, Samirah appeared. A startled expression widened her eyes as she juggled her purse, the vase of flowers, and her keys. "Oh," chirped Stella. "Hi."
"Hi." Samirah chuckled and they smooched cheeks after Stella helped her with the vase. "Sorry. I'm rushing."
"Don't. Your girl is all settled." Stella set the vase down on the coffee table and the pretty flowers made me smile. They, indeed, turned out to be the perfect arrangement.
"Thank you for letting her in." Sam's gaze fell on me and she smiled. "Hi, my sweet."
"Hi." I hopped up and she caught me in a hug after setting down her bag.
"I'll leave you to it." Stella winked as she let herself out, closing the door behind her after I waved.
Samirah's grip on me tightened and I buried my face against her shoulder. She kissed my cheek half a dozen times before leaning back.
"I have something for you," she said, then pulled something out of the pocket of her scrub top. She held it in the air, and a key dangled between us. "I thought this would be a good idea."
"Really?" I smiled as I accepted it and she kissed my forehead.
"Yes. I was worried that you would be locked out so I texted Stella."
"Thank you, Sam." I tucked the key into the pocket of my skirt as my heart swelled and face heated. "I've never had anyone else's key before."
"I've never given anyone a key before except Stella." She tucked my hair behind my ears and I stroked her arms. Her expression, slightly drawn and tired, concerned me.
"What's the matter, Sam?"
"I'm okay," she said, cupping my face in her palms. "You look super cute in that outfit."
"Thanks." I poked my index finger against her nose. "No distracting me from the topic at hand. Are you okay?"
"It was a long day and a patient died. It's not very common, but stressful when it happens," she answered finally with the truth. "But I have you in my arms, so all the stress is fading away."
"I'm sorry, honey." I kissed her gently and she pressed her forehead against mine. "How about you go have a hot shower, and I'll order us some dinner?" I offered, biting my lip after making the suggestion. Normally, Sam guided our evenings, but maybe a little bit of bravery would go a long way.
Samirah smiled, scrunching her nose at me in a cute display of affection. "I like that idea."
"Good." My voice sounded perkier than I intended. "How does Indian sound?"
"Mmm. Baby, that's perfect." She cupped my face in her palms and kissed me so intensely that she lifted me to my toes. Our laughter broke the connection, and I grinned while linking my hands behind her neck.
"Well then. Indian food makes you extra kissy?"
"You make me extra kissy."
"Ditto." I nipped her chin and a soft smile settled on her lips. She caressed my face before we parted ways.
I watched as she hurried off to the bathroom, then hopped up to sit on the stool by the kitchen counter to pull up the food delivery app on my phone.
While I listened to the sounds of Sam's shower, I ordered us a few of my favorites and some things I thoug
ht Sam might enjoy. Afterward, I turned on her electric fireplace and set the island counter up for dinner.
Sam emerged, clad in nothing but a towel with her hair dripping down her back. She smiled at me when she saw me sitting cross-legged in a spot in front of the hearth. Without makeup, her fatigue showed in her drawn expression. It didn't mar her beauty by any means, but it dimmed the light in her eyes and the reach of her smile.
"Do you have panties on under that pretty-in-purple dress?" she asked, a single brow lifted.
I laughed and gripped my knees to temper my excitement over her playfulness. "Yes," I squeaked.
"No panties allowed." She wagged her finger at me. "You know the rule. They better be off by the time I get back."
"Sam!" I nearly cracked up as my face heated to a blush. "Okay."
"Good girl." She winked at me and chuckled as she headed for her bedroom.
I smiled at her provocativeness, then unzipped my boots and set them aside. My panties followed, and I tucked them inside my purse after rising to answer the door. Food arrived in record time and when Samirah emerged, I'd managed to begin unpacking dinner.
"Smells delicious," she said, grabbing me in a hug from behind. "Like you."
"Sam." I nearly giggled when she tickled me, her hand sliding up my thigh to nudge the hem of my dress. "Are you checking for panties?"
"Yes." She nibbled my ear. "Good girl, no panties." She gave my rear a swat. "Normally, I'd ravage you first, but I'm so hungry."
"Me too." I leaned back and kissed her cheek. "I got mango chicken, malai kofta, and chicken tikka masala. And a bunch of smaller things."
"Damn fine choices," she said, giving my rear a gentle swat. I grinned at her and she wagged her brows.
Instead of sitting across from me like we had during our previous food adventures, she took the stool beside me and we dug into dinner. After our initial starvation passed, we eased into normal conversation and Sam wrapped her arm around my middle while we ate.
"Stella told me about Saturday," I said, watching as she tore into a piece of warm naan. "Do you want to have dinner with your friends?"
"Perhaps." She tucked my hair behind my ear before lifting her glass for a sip of ice water.
"I think you should go," I urged, fighting a smirk as I tread gently to see if I could get her to admit another truth today.
"Why's that?"
"Because Stella is important to you and so are the others. You wouldn't have decided to move here if they weren't." I stroked the soft cotton of her pants that covered her thigh.
"You're important to me, too," she said, the pace of her eating slowing with the conversation as she dipped naan in some tikka masala sauce.
"And you're important to me. Do you want to have dinner with them?"
Her gaze met mine as if surveying me. "Are you taking advantage of my extreme fatigue and decline in cognitive acuity, Rosie?" She chuckled when she said it and I nodded.
"I am. I want you to tell me the truth instead of distracting me with sex or sidestepping my questions with playfulness. I love all of those things, but I want to hear your voice, too." My boldness tonight spoke volumes of things I normally wouldn't say.
She watched me, returning to stroking my hair and tucking it behind my ear. Her gaze lingered on mine and would occasionally dip to my lips.
"I'd like to go, but not alone," she said, finally.
"Were you going to ask me to go?"
She nodded. "Eventually."
"Well, when you do ask me, I think I will say yes. Because you make me feel safe and taken care of."
A smile melted over her mouth and she propped her elbow on the table. "Really?"
"Yes." I leaned against her and she wrapped her arm around me.
"Then we'll go together." She kissed my temple and I leaned up to nip her chin.
"What do you do around holidays? Where do you go?"
"Thanksgiving I usually visit my mother briefly because she always liked cooking American food. Christmas I don't celebrate."
"Do you celebrate any holidays?"
"Nope. I mean, I like Halloween and birthdays and stuff like that. Nothing religious," she said.
"Would you come with me to Rebecca's for Christmas if I asked?" I bit my bottom lip and awaited her answer.
"Of course." She offered me a genuine smile. "Are you asking?"
I nodded and chuckled. "I am."
"Then yes." She grinned and caught me in a spicy kiss. "I'd love to go with you and meet your family."
"I've never brought anyone home before," I told her after finishing my last bite of dinner. "So it might be overwhelming."
"I'm looking forward to being overwhelmed by people who care about you," she said, wiping her fingers on a napkin before we began cleaning up. "I'd take you to meet my mother if I didn't think she would tear you apart."
"If you wanted me to go, I'd go anyway."
"Even if I had to call you my friend to save you the inquisition?"
"I thought you said your mom was accepting of you?" My brow furrowed as I recalled her origin story about her family.
"Generally, she is because she sees me as a successful doctor. As a lesbian?" She shrugged. "It's hit or miss. Not that she's mean about it, but sometimes she still asks if I'm going to settle down. I know what she means. Her culture is different."
"That must be difficult for you though…"
"All of it is," she admitted in what seemed like a fatigued exposition at best.
We abandoned our cleaning for conversation, and after Sam lowered the lights in the kitchen for the night, we made for the living room. To my surprise, she plucked a single rose from the vase on the coffee table before catching me around the middle from behind. She hugged me to her and changed our trajectory to the bedroom.
"Oh, I see where this is headed," I teased and she laughed against my cheek.
"I need you naked in my lap right now."
"Okay, baby." I reached back and stroked her cheek. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem subdued."
"As okay as I can be. I just want you naked. Wet. Coming. I just want that," she said, her voice a breathy whisper. A shiver raced up my spine and immediately, dampness made it to the apex of my thighs.
Unlike usual, she closed the door to the bedroom behind us and urged me to sit on the bed. She leaned down to kiss me, her lips firm and deliberate with her finger under my chin. She nudged me to lean back, and I caught myself before she lifted the hem of my dress.
"Prop your feet up. Let me see how wet you are," she requested, and I listened, digging my heels into the edge of the bed as she gathered my dress around my middle.
"How do you know I'm wet?" I asked, biting my lip when she exposed my lower half.
"Because whenever you're without panties, you linger in a state of mild dampness. You like being exposed for me," she said, breaking away from me to close the blinds and curtains. She'd never done that before either, and I wondered why she enclosed us in the room differently tonight.
"Only with you," I said, and watched as she sauntered her way back to me.
Her delicate fingers wrestled with the buttons my dress before she nudged it over my head, leaving me naked since I skipped out on the bra. Sam gazed down at me, her eyes wandering over every inch of my body with the rose clutched to her chest. My breath left me in bated puffs, and I lowered myself to my elbows when she leaned over me.
"You're so pretty, Rosie. Looking at you, holding you, soothes me more than anything ever has," she said, then placed the rose between my breasts while still holding the stem. She dragged it slowly down the center of my body, circling the soft petals around my navel before twirling the flower over each nipple.
I sucked in my breath at the unusually erotic gesture. Her smile broadened and she continued caressing me with the rose.
"Lie down. Keep your legs open and knees wide." Her instruction came with ease, and I adjusted my position to suit her desires.
She dusted the flower over e
very inch of my torso, until finally twirling the petals over my exposed clit. The light, soft touch of it had me writhing and my hands fell to my hair. I couldn't take my eyes off her and observed how her drawn expression faded to one of contentment.
"A rose from my Rosie now a rose for my Rosie," she whispered, sitting beside me and kissing my knee. "Ready for this?"
"For what?" I gasped as my breath left me in faster puffs.
"Roses are my favorite flower. And you're my favorite Rose," she said, then pressed the flower toward my core. Again, she twirled it against me, and my body arched at the teasing sensations. A soft chuckle left her as she lifted the flower, its petals now glistening with my dampness.
"Oh my God," I said, biting my lip.
"Look at that delicious dew, my sweet." She grinned and brushed her thumb over one of the petals. "This one, I'm keeping it to dry, knowing your sweet, delicious wetness coated its folds."
"Sam—"
She reached over and set the flower on the bedside table, then returned to kissing my knee. Her hand fell between my thighs, and she traced my folds with a single finger. Over every inch of me, around my clit, then back down again.
"I—I'm going to come," I sputtered out my words as my pelvis rocked toward her hand.
"Good. I want you to." She rested her chin on my knee, then slid her index finger inside me, pressing deeply a few times. A soft moan escaped me until she withdrew to return her attention to my clit. In gentle, almost fond circles, she rubbed me until I couldn't hold on to myself a second longer. I gasped as I exploded against her, torn to bits by an orgasm so strong that it made my body throb. With such minor gestures, it surprised me how hard she could make me lose myself. My nipples hardened as pleasure ripped through me.
She let me down gently, with soft strokes and flicks, until I relaxed to a breathless heap and she rested her palm over my mons.
"Delicious," she said, kissing my knee again. She brushed her knuckle down my core before delving inside of me with her index finger. "You're wonderfully tight, baby. Have you ever used a strap-on?"
"N-no." I panted while she toyed with me and I tore at the bedding under us.
"Would you?"
"Maybe with you."
"Mmm. Good answer." She slipped from me again. "Come with me up here," she said, then turned to sit with her back against the headboard and legs outstretched.
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