by Harper Bliss
The sight of the cream-colored device strangely aroused Jane. “It might be best if I handle it myself.” She offered her hand.
Annie put it in her palm and the vibration shook Jane. Christ. She couldn’t wait to try it out.
“Do you want me to fuck you while you use it?” Annie’s voice had descended an octave.
Jane drew her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded. She spread her legs wide and brought the vibrator between her upper thighs. Annie glued her body to Jane’s side and brought her fingers back into play, circling Jane’s pussy, waiting.
Jane took a deep breath and let the buzzing tip of the vibrator touch down against her clit. She had to remove it immediately because the sheer force of it overwhelmed her. Her clit was still sensitive from the sort-of-missed climax she’d had earlier, but it had sprung to attention as soon as Jane had brought the vibrator near.
“Take your time,” Annie whispered in her ear. “Enjoy it. Explore.”
It wasn’t Annie’s habit to talk to her like that and the introduction of Annie’s words added another dimension to Jane’s arousal.
She lowered the vibrator again and let it hum against her clit, finding the spot where it had the most impact—where it felt best. Any previous vibrator they had ever owned had always been a disappointment of feeble vibrating quality, empty batteries when you needed it most, and just sheer inadequacy at getting Jane off. This new toy, however, felt very much up to the task.
Jane relaxed her shoulders while she felt her legs tense up. Then Annie’s finger that had been hovering around her entrance plunged inside her and Jane was about to lose it completely. An alien feeling came over her, as though all her sensory sensations gathered in her clit and where Annie was applying pressure inside of her.
“Oh Jesus,” Jane cried out.
Annie kept fucking her, gently but with great effect, amplifying the pleasure the vibrator was bestowing on her. Jane felt under attack from sources of pleasure on all sides. Annie’s breath in her ear, her finger inside, the moans escaping from her own throat, the muscles in her legs contracting of their own volition. A warm sort of pressure built inside of her, somewhere between where the vibrator was working on her clit and Annie’s finger was touching her inside. A pressure she couldn’t resist because it was just too damn engrossing, warm, and perfect.
“Oh my god,” Jane screamed out as she felt an unstoppable, hot stream of liquid gush out of her. Her mind was too baffled by the exquisite sensation to immediately ask herself what the hell had happened. It was only when she came to and tossed the vibrator to the side that she realized she was lying in a puddle of her own making.
When she turned to look at Annie, who was examining her drenched hand, Jane burst into a chuckle. “Jesus Christ, babe,” she said. She shook her head. “That thing is magical. And we’ll have to change the sheets.”
“How are you feeling now?” Annie quickly reached back and grabbed a tissue to wipe her hand with.
“Miles away. Utterly satisfied. Like a whole new world has opened itself up to me.” It was the first time Jane had squirted. She had witnessed it happen to Annie a couple of times, but by god, actually experiencing it was something else entirely. “It feels so freeing. I don’t really know how else to describe it.”
“I’m glad.” Annie drew her near. “I guess the new toy is a keeper then.”
“We are never getting rid of it.” Jane relaxed her body and scooted closer to Annie as a thought from before looped back into her head.
Her wife would always be enough.
Chapter Thirty-One
Annie had seen Kristin exactly once before the party. She had come into the shop and she, Mia, and Annie had sat together to talk about the order of events. Five minutes later Caitlin James had arrived and changed the atmosphere entirely with her big personality. Annie hadn’t said much, just nodded when she needed to, and let the others arrange the book launch party.
She and Kristin had barely exchanged a few words. As she examined herself in the mirror before heading downstairs, she wondered how things would go tonight. Caitlin and Josephine would steal the show. She and Jane could blend into the background—and hopefully work a busy cash register.
“Are you ready, babe?” she called. Jane was still in the bedroom trying to decide what to wear. Always a futile exercise in drama, because she always ended up choosing the same jeans and glittery shirt she wore for every other evening event.
“Coming.”
“I’m heading down,” Annie yelled, knowing it would be at least another ten minutes before Jane was ready. She descended the stairs to the shop and remembered the previous time they’d had a Caitlin James event. It had set some things in motion that perhaps had been unavoidable. When she opened the door, they were all there already: Mia and Taylor arranging nibbles on plates, Lou helping them. Sheryl deep in conversation with Caitlin. Kristin behind the counter of the coffee shop, looking as though she was inspecting it after a long absence.
“Hey Annie.” Josephine was the first one to spot her. She was going to sing tonight, an activity that had not been advertised so as not to draw a crowd that would ultimately not be that interested in buying the book, and Annie was looking forward to it. All the ingredients for an amazing evening were present. There was only one thing that stood in the way. The awkwardness between her and Kristin—and Sheryl for that matter.
Annie had talked to Jane about it and asked whether she should sit with them in advance to tell them it was all in the past and she had come back to her senses, but they’d both concluded that conversation would be more awkward than anything else.
“Hi, Jo. Ready for your big night?” Annie asked.
“Bit nervous, I must say.”
“It’s a celebration. You should try to enjoy it.” Annie chuckled inwardly at her words, because she had spoken the very same ones to Jane many a time. She knew that nothing she said could really change what was going on inside Jo—or Jane.
Josephine shrugged. “I’ve got Caitlin by my side. Not a whole lot can go wrong. And she might be more experienced at reading aloud from a book, but I’m a much better singer than her, believe me.” A smile appeared on Jo’s face.
Annie could tell she had this under control. Perhaps it was a side effect of being a performer. She looked a million times more relaxed than Jane did before any party, let alone one of her book launches.
“I believe you.”
“Jo, honey? Can we steal you for a sec?” Caitlin called from where she was chatting with Sheryl.
“The boss calls,” Jo said and winked at Annie. She turned on her heels and joined Caitlin and Sheryl. Annie watched her go and while she was hardly one to judge another couple on their age difference, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Caitlin and Jo made an odd couple. She wondered what the glue was that held them together. Perhaps if she hadn’t gone and fallen for Kristin, she would have gotten to know them a lot better by this point and been able to figure it out.
Sheryl looked over at Annie for a brief second and gave her a weird stare. This was ridiculous. Annie wanted to enjoy this evening too, and the rest of her professional life with the Pink Bean inside her shop. She was going to have a chat with Kristin to clear the air.
“Hi,” Kristin said. “All set?”
“Yes.” Annie eyed the fridge that was normally filled with pie and cake and now held the stock of bubbly for the night. She could do with a sip or two before having this conversation. “I know you’re busy but can I have a few minutes of your time?”
“Of course.” Kristin angled her body more toward Annie.
Annie cleared her throat. “Is there any chance we can somehow rush past the awkwardness and act normal around each other? We’re going to be working together for a long time to come. Hopefully, anyway. And I know I asked you to stay away from your own coffee shop for my benefit, which was perhaps a bit too much of an ask, but I was hoping we could put all that behind us now.”
“I fully understood
why you asked,” Kristin said. “Which doesn’t mean I didn’t miss coming around, but in a way it was good for me.” She drew her lips into a tight smile. “It allowed Mia to do her thing without me being too much of a control freak.”
Annie didn’t know how to respond to that. They stood half-looking at each other, but not daring to let their gazes meet for longer than a split second. This conversation wouldn’t erase the tension of the situation altogether, but it would be a start.
“I, er, just want you to know that I… have processed my feelings and—”
“Evening.” Annie recognized Sheryl’s voice behind her. After that impromptu visit the other night, Annie was almost more nervous to face Sheryl than Kristin.
“Hi, Sheryl,” Annie said.
Sheryl made a spectacle of kissing Annie on both cheeks, and she didn’t have an issue looking her straight in the eye when she was done.
“I hope that book lived up to your expectations,” Annie asked, to break the ice—and perhaps also to have a little dig at Sheryl.
“Are you kidding me? One of the great works in feminist literature with Jane Quinn remarks scribbled in the margins. It’s a real treat.”
Annie could do with Jane by her side right about then, but she was probably still hemming and hawing in front of the mirror.
“How are Caitlin and Jo doing?” Kristin asked Sheryl. “Ready for their big night?”
Annie could—metaphorically—kiss Kristin in that moment for trying to take away some of the discomfort. She thought it better not to ask herself whether she still had any desire left to kiss her for real. It didn’t matter. It was in the past. And here they stood, the three of them—and soon enough their joint shop filled with people surrounding them. Not quite friends yet, but much more than strangers. These women who had come into Annie’s life—into her and Jane’s lives—and had ruffled some feathers, but in the end, it was still her and Jane who were at the heart of this place. Annie and Jane, the two of them united long before any of this had begun, and for a long time to come.
Chapter Thirty-Two
As far as parties went, this was an easy one for Jane to handle. The spotlight wasn’t on her. She had work to do—if the sales of the launch party were anything to go by, Caitlin and Jo would have a bestseller on their hands—and friendly faces to talk to when she needed a break.
Both Caitlin and Jo had read from the book. Jane had been mostly surprised by Jo’s part. She had noticed in Jo some of the same unease she herself experienced at reading something out loud that she had written in private, those innermost thoughts that were not really meant to ever be spoken out loud. But the candor and vulnerability in Jo’s text—as opposed to Caitlin’s bravado and bold style—had really captured the audience. And Jane. The few songs that Jo sang afterward had only made Jane realize more that Josephine Greenwood was the real star of the evening—or perhaps strengthened her belief that Jo was much more likeable than Caitlin. Caitlin might have experience, and be at the helm of her own TV show in a few months, but Josephine emanated the sort of integrity no amount of experience, let alone celebrity, could buy—Jane believed it would only take away from it.
“Best get my hands on a signed first edition as well.” Lou appeared in front of the cash register. “It might be worth a lot in a few decades.” She flashed Jane a smile.
“I’ll take care of it.” Annie made her way back behind the counter. “Take a break, babe.” She kissed Jane on the cheek. “My turn.”
Jane could do with a glass of bubbly. She tried to catch Mia’s or Kristin’s eye but neither one of them still held a bottle in their hands. Perhaps they’d run out. It was getting late even though the queue in front of the table where Caitlin and Jo sat signing was still long.
“I think I’ll get this signed another time.” Lou sidled up to Jane. “Perks of sleeping with the party organizer.”
Jane smiled at Lou. “Looks like we won’t be closing any time soon.”
“Not tonight, and not ever. This shop will be here on King Street forever.”
Jane wondered whether Lou had perhaps partaken of one too many glasses of sparkling wine.
“Who knows?” Jane replied. She thought about how the shop might not last in physical form, but it would, in some way, remain forever open in the new book she had started a few days ago.
She wasn’t the type to share thoughts like these with someone else—not even with Lou, with whom she’d always shared a sort of kinship because of their similarities in personality—but the mere thought of the couple of pages she had managed to write filled her with hope. As did glancing around this shop, which surely didn’t look as though it would be going out of business any time soon.
“You and Mia should come to dinner next week,” Jane said.
“We would love to. Mia is very fond of you, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“As I am of her.” Jane broke out into a smile. Maybe she was capable of drama-free friendships. Maybe soon they would have dinner parties with Kristin and Sheryl again. And all the others present here tonight. Lou’s boss Amber and her partner Martha. Amber’s best friend Micky and her hot American girlfriend Robin. Maybe, on a Monday when the shop was closed, she and Annie could venture out to Darlinghurst and get to know these women better. Because, just maybe, Jane had underrated friendship all these years. Or had become too afraid of it. But it was her friendship with Mia that had sparked the idea for her new book. Who knew how many more ideas lay out there waiting for her—in the real world.
“I can hardly blame your wife for having a crush on mine,” Sheryl said to Jane, an earnest glint in her eye, “but it must have been hard on you.”
It seemed to Jane that the only person having a hard time letting this go was Sheryl. The shop was closed, most of the mess had been cleaned up, and Jane was flattening the cardboard boxes the many books they had sold tonight had come in.
Kristin had magically produced one remaining bottle of wine and she, Caitlin, Jo, Mia, Lou, and Annie had carefully divided it among themselves and sat toasting to a successful evening.
Jane straightened her posture and looked Sheryl in the eye. “It was hard, for a minute. But it’s all in the past now.” Jane glanced away and sought out her wife. She sat laughing at something someone in their merry band had just said. She looked so happy and relaxed. “Don’t you think it’s time to let it go? For all of us?”
Sheryl cocked her head. “Of course I do. I was just making sure you were all right.”
“That’s not your task, but thanks for asking either way. And I’m fine. We are fine.”
Sheryl nodded. “You are not, by any chance, so fine that you would reconsider giving a lecture at the university?” Sheryl gave her a goofy grin.
“That has nothing to do with me being fine or not, just knowing my strengths. Public speaking isn’t one of them, and I’m fine with that.” Jane grinned.
“Fair enough.” Sheryl gave Jane a quick, unexpected pat on the back. “Shall we join the others for the after-party?”
“Let’s,” Jane said and, although exhausted, she was sad the night was coming to an end. They walked over to the others and Jane looked them over, and said, “How about you all come up to ours? We have a few bottles of wine that need finishing.”
Jane looked at her wife, who tilted her head as though wanting to check if she was sure about this.
Jane held out her hand to Annie. “Come on, then.”
* * *
THE END
Love Without Limits, Book Seven in the Pink Bean Series, is available now.
Get it HERE
* * *
Read on for an excerpt of Love Without Limits
Excerpt of Love Without Limits
Chapter One
I thought it would have taken me much longer to get used to this domesticity, but when I get the chance to crawl under the covers with Jo, it’s like I’m glowing on the inside, all warm and lit up and ready for a prolonged snuggle.
Jo doesn’t
look so pleased to be sharing this intimate moment with me.
I scoot closer and curl an arm around her waist. “Look on the bright side,” I say. “You get to go to bed early with Caitlin James.”
This makes a smile appear on her face. “Aren’t I the lucky one,” she says.
“No, that would be me.” I kiss her shoulder. “I get to have an early night with Josephine Greenwood.”
“I should really sleep in the other room,” Jo says. “My coughing will only keep you awake.”
“I refuse.” I curl my arm around her tighter. “Stay.”
“Your choice, but I don’t want any complaints about this in the middle of the night.” Her face scrunches together before it erupts into a sneeze. I instinctively recoil a little.
After she has blown her nose, she asks, “Are you sure?”
I nod, although I hope I don’t catch this cold. I shuffle a little closer to her again.
She sighs. “I don’t even mind about the money so much. It’s letting the audience down that I care about. This is the twenty-first century. How can no-one have found a cure for the common cold yet?”
“Fair question. Maybe you should go over to the science department tomorrow and ask one of the brainiacs there.”
“I don’t know what I’m doing in bed yet. I’m not tired.”
“You need to sleep, Jo. You don’t get nearly enough sleep.”
“I don’t need that much.” Her voice is scratchy from coughing.
“A good night’s sleep will boost your immune system. With a bit of luck, you’ll feel much better in the morning.”
Jo looks at me from under her lashes. “You just sounded a lot like Amber. All these yoga lessons you take with her must be rubbing off on you.”
“Amber only ever has good advice to dispense.”