The Lonely Hearts Club (30 page)

“I don’t know what I’m doing with my life,” Liz said. “And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“When I thought you might be getting back with Julia, I was still ready to take a chance. Stop trying to scare me away now.”

Liz wrapped her arms around Reilly’s neck and kissed her. “Maybe I’m the one that’s scared.”

“I’d be surprised if you weren’t, a little bit.” Reilly stroked Liz’s cheek. “But you don’t need to be afraid of me.”

“I know.” Liz eased away and gripped Reilly’s hand. Part of her wanted to say more—part of her wanted to make promises and dream dreams. But she held back, because she cared about Reilly. More than cared. “You’ve got a game tomorrow, and I can’t take many more of these late nights. Walk me to the door?”

“You bet.”

Liz kissed Reilly good night in front of her apartment building. “See you tomorrow.”

Reilly backed up slowly until Liz had punched in the security code and opened the door. Then she called, “Sleep well.”

Liz waved, watching until Reilly had rounded the corner and disappeared. She wasn’t afraid of Reilly, but she was terrified of what she was beginning to feel for her.

*

The room was larger than Bren expected, perhaps ten feet square, and lit by red bulbs in four recessed lights, one in each corner. A narrow leather and chrome chair, sans arms, occupied the center of the room, facing the door. A bed, not much wider than a cot, was pushed up against the rear wall and covered with a surprisingly crisp-looking sheet. Otherwise, the space was empty. A small security camera hung down from the ceiling, angled in such a way as to provide a view of the entire room. Music, something with a fast pounding rhythm, reverberated from speakers set into the side walls. Bren ignored the bed and sat down in the chair, crossing her legs. Tonight, she’d worn a short leather skirt, black silk blouse, heels, and nothing else. She felt decidedly decadent, and she liked it.

The door opened and Jae walked in, still wearing her stage outfit of black leather vest and chaps, although the vest was unbuttoned and barely covered her breasts. Her arms and stomach were tightly muscled, and she looked altogether sexy and more than a little dangerous.

“What do you do in these rooms for women?” Bren asked as Jae stood silently waiting.

“I dance.”

“And the bed?”

Jae kept her eyes on Bren’s face. “I only dance.”

“What if they want you to make them come?”

“Do you?”

Bren shook her head. “I’m asking the questions.”

“Sorry.”

“You said that earlier. Several times.”

“I know. You make me forget myself.”

“That’s not good,” Bren said. “Should I come back another time when you’ll be able to pay better attention?”

“No. Please. I…if they want to come, I can make it happen when I dance.”

“Do you touch them?” Bren pictured Jae teasing some faceless woman the way Jae had teased her the night before, and she felt herself grow rigid and wet.

“If they…” Jae’s voice broke and she seemed to struggle for breath. Her hands opened and closed at her sides. “If they want me to.”

“And then do they let you come?” Bren asked sharply, resenting the strangers who took their pleasure in Jae’s body.

“Usually they don’t care.” Jae’s voice was strained. “And I don’t usually want to.”

“But you want to tonight, don’t you?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Take off your vest and cover that camera.”

Immediately, Jae pulled off her vest and draped it over the lens.

“Will anyone investigate?”

“No.”

“Good.” Bren uncrossed her legs, raised her hips, and slid her skirt up until the hem just covered her crotch. “Then I’d like my dance.”

Jae turned and rapidly pushed buttons on a small panel beside the door, and the music became slow and sensuous, with a heavy, rolling bass beat. Then she strode to Bren and straddled the chair.

Bren leaned back and gripped Jae’s hips. “And tonight, I want you all the way in my lap.”

Immediately, Jae lowered herself onto Bren, the bare skin on the insides of her legs sliding along Bren’s naked thighs. Jae braced her hands on Bren’s shoulders, undulating to the music, her breasts almost brushing Bren’s face. Bren skimmed her hands over the leather chaps and cupped Jae’s bare ass, massaging the taut muscles as they flexed and strained.

“You didn’t come on stage tonight, did you?”

“No,” Jae replied, her voice husky.

“But you wanted to, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“No?” Bren squeezed Jae’s ass and pulled her against her crotch. Her leather skirt rode higher, exposing her center to the heat that radiated from between Jae’s legs.

“No,” Jae said, her hips pumping harder. “You said I couldn’t.”

Bren smiled thinly. Her clit ached, and Jae’s breasts were so close. Jae’s nipples were small hard stones in the center of smooth flawless flesh, and Bren wanted them in her mouth. “Play with your nipples.”

Jae fondled her breasts and fingered her nipples, rolling and tugging, her chest heaving as she writhed faster. Bren watched her face contort with pleasure, and the pressure built between her legs.

“She made you wet.”

“No,” Jae groaned, her body curling forward as her stomach muscles clenched. “I imagined it was you. You touching me.”

Bren couldn’t help herself, she pumped upward, thrusting her swollen clit against Jae’s wet sex. She needed to come so badly she was going to lose control of the scene soon. “Stroke yourself.”

Jae pushed her hand between their bodies, cupping herself. Her knuckles pressed into Bren’s clit.

“Remember,” Bren groaned, “your orgasm belongs to me.”

“Yes, Mistress,” Jae whispered, her hand circling between her thighs, her forehead nearly touching Bren’s shoulder. She clutched Bren’s arm, shuddering. “Oh.”

“No.” Bren had only intended to watch while Jae masturbated, but she was so beautiful. She had to taste her. She sucked Jae’s nipple into her mouth and pulled on it with her teeth.

Jae’s back bowed, and she ground her crotch against her own hand. “Please may I come.”

Bren was close to exploding against the back of Jae’s fingers. She had to let her come or
she
would. She took both Jae’s breasts in her hands and squeezed. “What did you say?”

“Please, Mistress,” Jae moaned, “please…oh I’m going to…oh please.”

“Yes,” Bren urged, raking her teeth along the side of Jae’s neck. “Yes, come now.”

“Oh God,” Jae groaned, trembling as her breath shattered from her.

Bren held her tightly, her own need for release eclipsed by the beauty of Jae’s pleasure. She stroked Jae’s sweat-soaked hair and caressed her back, cradling her until the last tremors of her orgasm rippled through her.

“Let me make you come,” Jae whispered, starting to pull away.

“Stay still,” Bren said, continuing to caress her. “What is your name?”

“Jae.”

Bren tilted her head up. Jae’s eyes were cloudy, her mouth soft with satisfaction. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Very sure.”

“Call me Brenda.”

“Brenda.” Jae skimmed her mouth over Bren’s ear. “Don’t you want to come?”

“I will. Later.” Bren tightened her fingers in Jae’s hair and pulled her head back. She kissed her, slowly, savoring the smoothness and heat of her mouth.

“Let me do it now,” Jae pleaded. “I want you so much.”

“Your clit’s still hard, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“You need to come again,” Bren stated.

“Yes.” Jae rolled her hips in Bren’s lap, bringing Bren to the edge again.

“You’d love to suck me, wouldn’t you? And all the while you licked me and teased me until I couldn’t hold back anymore and I came in your mouth, you’d be making yourself come, too.”

“Please,” Jae groaned.

“You need to go now.” Bren gripped Jae’s ass and slowly licked her way up Jae’s throat. She skimmed her teeth along the edge of her jaw and kissed her one last time. “Good night, Jae.”

Jae caressed Bren’s cheek. “Will I see you again?”

“I don’t know.” Bren caught Jae’s wrist and held her arm still as she kissed her palm, then bit the fleshy muscle at the base of her thumb. Jae sucked in her breath and moaned quietly. “Sometimes when a scene is perfect, you can never write it the same way again.”

“May I ask you to do something?”

Surprised, Bren nodded.

“When you come, will you think of me?”

“I always do,” Bren whispered.

*

“Well?” Candace asked eagerly as soon as Bren rejoined her at the bar. “What happened?”

“She danced.”

“And?”

“And it was even better than I thought it would be.”

“Did you…I mean did she…” Candace raised her hands helplessly. “God, I can’t believe I’m asking you this. Did the dance have a
satisfying
ending?”

Bren gave her an enigmatic smile. She couldn’t possibly explain, because to say yes would make it sound so simple, when it had not been simple at all. What had mattered to her had not been the orgasms, as wonderful as they were. Orgasms were not all that hard to achieve, with a little negotiation. What was far more difficult to find was a woman who understood what it took to unlock her secrets and free her passion.

“So far I’ve gotten everything I wanted for my birthday.” She took Candace’s hand. “Ready to go home?”

“I’m ready to get laid and I still don’t have a date.”

“Nobody here strikes your fancy?”

“You do.”

The dead serious tone in Candace’s voice made Bren regard her intently. “When you were with Liz, I was so jealous.”

“You wanted Liz, too, huh?”

“No, Cand. I wanted you.”

“Oh. Shit.” Candace sighed and looked around the room. There were more than a few intriguing women, and a couple had been eyeing her all night. Any other time she would have had no problem playing with one. Or two. But she just didn’t have the desire for a mindless fuck. “How many chances have I blown in my life, I wonder?”

“Maybe you haven’t blown anything,” Bren said gently. “Maybe your chance hasn’t come yet.”

“Well, how the hell am I supposed to tell when it does?”

Bren thought about Jae. “She’ll be the one who makes you realize no one else will do.”

“Oh fuck,” Candace whispered “I am
so
screwed.”

Liz stopped halfway up the slope to the ball field and turned when she heard someone calling her name. Smiling, she waved to Bren. “Hey! I wasn’t sure you were coming. I called, but I didn’t get an answer.”

“I was working,” Bren said, pulling even with Liz. She had been writing since almost five a.m. when she had awakened from a sound sleep with an overwhelming need to write the next chapter in her almost finished manuscript. She had been stuck for a few days, uncertain of her direction. But now she realized exactly what her character needed, and what she had been avoiding. Jae, her female James Bond undercover agent, sex-stud extraordinaire character, couldn’t afford to trust anyone. And because she couldn’t trust, she couldn’t give herself to anyone. That was the true challenge that faced her character, and Bren hadn’t been willing to take her where she needed to go because…well, because every character was a little bit of the author. Sometimes, more than just a little bit, and she hadn’t been ready to take that step, in her work or her life.

Jae,
her
Jae, had seen both the character and the author for who they were. Last night, she’d shown Bren what trust really meant in the most basic, fundamental of ways. She has exposed herself—her needs, her desires, her dreams. By doing so, Jae had opened the door to possibility for Bren, in her body, in her work, in her life.

“Sorry,” Bren went on. “I took the phone off the hook. I do that sometimes when the words are really flowing.”

“You were writing?” Liz asked, still getting used to the idea that her friend, the woman she had believed she knew so well, was also a stranger. A stranger for whom she had an affection, perhaps even an attraction, simply by virtue of having read what she had written. It was confusing trying to reconcile her feelings for the real woman with the image of her she had built in her mind.

“Yes. I had a mini-breakthrough this morning.” As they started walking back up the hill, Bren added, “I called you last night, too. Candace and I decided to go out, but I couldn’t reach you. Early night?”

Liz knew she was blushing. “No. I spent the evening with Reilly.”

“Oh. How did that go?”

“It was really nice.”

“Liz! Bren! Wait up,” Candace called from across the field.

“I guess I better hold the rest of the story until she gets here,” Liz said.