For Disclaimers, see Ch 1.
Author's Note: We're getting settled into our house, mostly. I only have a few boxes left to unpack, most of the rooms are painted and we're FINALLY ready to put down the new floor in the kitchen. All and all, its been a really busy few months. On a wonderful note, a new co-worker is self published and has promised to show me how to put this story up on Amazon and start selling it if I can. The only downside, I have to finish it first, lol. But I'm almost there, I swear. So please, as always please read, review and enjoy.
Feedback is always welcome at modern.bard@yahoo.com. Flamers need not apply.
A Chance Encounter Ch 15
by
Bobbie Halchishak
* * *
Luce slammed through the door to Don's office, suddenly so disgusted. She felt dirty, almost violated by the confrontation, and she needed some air. She stomped to the elevator, punching at the buttons, feeling the need to put some distance between her and Don's office pushing at her. The elevator couldn't get there fast enough for her.
When it finally arrived, she didn't even give the doors a chance to open all the way, slipping through them before they were even halfway open. She stabbed at the button for the highest floor, in a near panic as the doors seemed to take forever to close. She felt an almost frantic need to get to the roof and the open air.
The elevator moved upwards, with Luce tapping her foot impatiently the whole way. When it finally slid to a stop, she almost bolted through the doors, walking through the small hall as fast as she could, making a beeline for the far door that would open out onto the roof.
She slammed through the door with sudden violent force, taking a deep, shuddering breath as the sun blinded her for several seconds. She stood there waiting for her eyes to adjust to the sudden change in light, feeling the panic receding as the wind whipped around her, almost wiping her clean.
She let the door shut slowly behind her, feeling the last of the horrible feelings receding and finally going quiet. She hoped she never had to do that again, not like that, not to someone she knew and respected. Her resolve suddenly firm, she decided that now was time to break the bad news to Jerry. And she reached for her phone.
It rang only once before he picked up. “Hello.”
“It's done, Jerry. I handed everything off to the feds today.”
“You figured it out then?” He asked softly.
She nodded. “I did and it's a real mess. I told Carl to take a week off. I wouldn't be surprised if they started making arrests by the time he gets back.” She tried to tell him the rest of it, tell him that after all this settled down he'd have to find a new right hand. But the words wouldn't come and she found her mouth snapping shut.
Jerry sighed. “I'm sorry for all this; sorry that it was you I had to lean on for it.”
She sighed herself, feeling defeated all over again by the mess. “It's my job, it's what you hired me to do.”
“I don't think death threats and FBI tails were part of your job description.”
That dry statement made her laugh. “It was in the super fine print; found it last week.” This time he laughed. She sobered a bit. “Besides, its not the first time I've gotten death threats.”
He sobered too, sighing loudly again. “No, no it's not. What are you going to do now?”
That question took her aback for a second. She wondered if he knew more than he'd been letting on. She decided the smartest thing to do was play stupid. “Do?”
“Well, it seems I interrupted your vacation several weeks ago. Maybe you should think about taking it for real this time.”
Part of her relaxed at that. He had no idea what she was planning for the moment. The other part of her perked up at the mention of the three weeks she was owed. She could relax, find her balance again, maybe start breaking ground on her new dream. She could even drag Kylie off somewhere for some much needed fun.
“That sounds like heaven right now. Kylie will probably send you flowers for getting me to finally relax.” Her eyes closed at the thought of finally being able to let this all go and relax.
“Kylie? I had heard you were seeing someone new.” He asked hopefully, his voice implying the dozen of unasked questions he wouldn't bring himself to voice.
She chuckled at his eager tone. “Yeah I am. And in a strange way, I have you to thank for that.”
“Me?” He seemed genuinely surprised at that.
“Yeah, you. If you hadn't asked me to stay and help you, I might never have met her that night.” She smiled at the memory of that rather random night.
“Well then, make sure the wife and I get an invite to the wedding.”
She blushed suddenly at the sure tone in his voice. “Wedding? It's not that serious.”
He didn't seem to believe her, ignoring the sudden fear in her voice. “Go on, enjoy your vacation and be safe. I'm expecting to meet this new woman you're seeing. And soon.”
She cleared her throat, ignoring his amusement. “I'll call you in three weeks.” And hung up the phone before he could add anything further. She stared at it for several minutes in puzzlement. “Is everyone bound and determined to see me married off?” The puzzled muttering was carried off by the wind into the strange silence of the city.
* * *
Luce stayed up on the roof for almost half an hour, letting the sun and the wind sooth her and wipe away the dark feelings her talk with Don had dredged up. It was a very enjoyable 30 minutes; even if the original reason she was out there was not. And by the end of it, she felt cleaner, almost lighter, and finally prepared to face the rest of her day.
Taking a final deep breath, she stood, deciding to leave for the rest of the day, to go enjoy her time off. And what better way to enjoy that day than to find the love of her life and spend it with her? That thought lightened her step a great deal and she found herself practically skipping back to the elevator.
In a matter of minutes, she was outside the building, driving away without a single look back. She had three weeks; three weeks that were long in coming and much needed. She had every intention of using every moment of them to forget all about this final investigation; putting it and the company firmly behind her, once and for all. It was time to cut the ties and start over and to be honest, it couldn't have come at a better time.
Feeling completely uplifted by that decision, she grabbed her phone, dialing Kylie's number.
Her lover's voice floated over the line on the second ring. “Hello?”
Luce smiled. “Hello, beautiful.”
Kylie sighed softly, a soft smile on her own lips. “Hello, yourself. To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice?”
She snorted softly, as she deftly negotiated the increasing traffic. “Can't I just call to hear your sexy voice?”
Kylie laughed. “Oh you could, not quite sure how sexy it is at the moment.”
Luce noticed the slight note of fatigue and tension in her lover's voice. “Everything alright?” She asked softly.
Kylie sighed again, rubbing her hand across her forehead to ease the headache beginning to blossom there. “Yeah, at least I think so. We're just slammed at the moment and it just seems like any little thing that can go wrong, is going wrong.”
“So I guess lunch is out of the question.” She tried to hide the desperate hope in voice.
Kylie nodded. “Can I get a rain check?”
“Of course, love. If anyone understands about being busy, it's me.” Luce did her best to bury her disappointment, forcing her voice to be pleasant and understanding.
“Well, how bout I call you when I get done here and we try to do something tonight? I could totally do steak tonight. And a couple of really dark beers.”
That surprised Luce a bit; Kylie wasn't often that big a carnivore. “You must be having a bad day.”
Kylie gave a shrug. “That and I think my period is getting ready to rear its ugly head. That would explain the red meat.”
She laughed at the image that popped into her head of Kylie tearing into a medium rare steak with her bare hands. Even going so far as licking her plate clean. It was something so far removed from what she usually did. Even the beer craving was a mystery.
“But what explains the dark beer? I didn't think you liked chewing it.”
Kylie shrugged. “No idea. Maybe I'm pregnant.”
Luce burst into laughter. “Well, that'd solve the period problem, but I'm not quite sure how your girlfriend would react to that.”
She smiled. “True, but I can always blame the toilets in public restrooms or something.”
That made Luce laugh even harder and she was glad she was at a red light. She wouldn't have been able to drive otherwise. She was delighted when she head Kylie laughing too. After a few minutes, she calmed back down.
Luce wiped a tear from her eye. “Oh I needed that.”
She chuckled softly. “So did I. I'll see you tonight?”
Luce smiled again. “Yeah, I'll be waiting for you.”
“Good. Be safe, I love you.”
Hearing those soft spoken words made Luce smile. “I love you too.” Then, Kylie was gone.
She put her cell phone down, biting back a loud sigh, feeling a bit disappointed that Kylie wouldn't be able to have lunch with her. She chewed her lip, stopping for another light while she thought of what to do.
She couldn't just go home. She was way too anxious and antsy at the thought of puttering around her empty condo. And going to Kylie's wasn't an option either. Wandering around her empty house, waiting for her to come home was not appealing in the least. So what to do?
Luce looked around, noticing for the first time that she was near the mall. She looked at the large cement storefronts, wondering if maybe a walk around the interior and some time spent aimlessly window shopping might help. Maybe she could even find a small surprise for Kylie while she was at it.
Thinking quickly, she changed lanes and went charging into the parking lot, ignoring a blaring horn as she cut someone else off. She gave a wolfish smile, suddenly glad to have a mission to distract her.
Several minutes later, a cold drink in hand, she was meandering her way through the large shopping plaza, stopping whenever something caught her eye. And she spent several minutes admiring the Victoria's Secret display, her mind wandering over the possibilities of seeing Kylie in some of the rather risque lingerie.
The images brought back wonderful memories of Kylie's wonderfully romantic dinner the night they admitted they loved each other. Which led to all sorts of thoughts on what they'd done to each that night and last night as well.
Luce felt her pulse speed up a bit at that last memory. The physical side of their relationship had always been intense, always beyond satisfying. But last night had been above and beyond even her wildest fantasies. And a part of her was almost terrified at the thought that it might get even better.
She snorted to herself softly at that. If it got even better between them, it'd probably kill them both. But damn, what a way to go.
She walked away from the store window, forcing her mind to change gears. She wanted to do something for Kylie, something touching and romantic. Especially after what had passed between them last night. But at the moment, she had no idea just what that nice romantic gesture might be. It was a bit frustrating.
After what seemed like forever, and after peering in nearly every store in the mall, she was just about to give up and head somewhere else, when a strange flash caught her eye. It was coming from a lovely set of lights shining from a store window she had never really noticed before. A specialty store that sold stationary and lovely writing utensils. Intrigued, she wandered closer.
The window display was wonderfully clever, a seeming scattering of paper, pens, fountain pens, inks and such. All random, and yet all so carefully placed.
She never really had much use for a place like it; to her, writing was a sluggish, menial task better accomplished using her keyboard, and that attitude showed. Her own penmanship being rather blunt and unimpressive.
But Kylie's was beautiful, a flowing gentle script that seemed to just pour out onto the paper, covering it with a loveliness that went far beyond the words written there. The first time she had ever seen it, she found herself in awe that Kylie had produced what was for her, a work of art. It was so fitting that someone who loved the written word so much had such lovely handwriting herself. She was like an artist in a way. And a true artist needed exceptional tools to show off her art.
Luce found her eyes drawn to a rather lovely silver and green fountain pen, imagining it in Kylie's small hand as she wrote with sure, quick strokes. The vision was so vivid, she could even hear the scratching of the pen tip on paper. And that strangely soothing sound made her smile.
She went inside and was immediately surrounded by the smell of freshly printed paper. She took a deep breath, trying to decide if she liked it or not. It was clean and sharp. Not unpleasant, just not something she was used to. Almost like a bookstore in its own way; a place of possibilities and unrealized potential.
For the first time, Luce started to understand why writing things out long hand appealed to Kylie so much. And she knew that something from here would be a wonderful, touching gift for the woman she loved.
That decided, she walked over to the counter.
The clerk looked up, giving her a beaming smile, megawatt smile. “Good morning.” She was so pleasant and perky, Luce was tempted to check her coffee for drugs.
“Good morning. I was hoping you could help me.” Luce smiled back out of habit, feeling a flash of panic in the face of all that perkiness.
The clerk's smile never faltered. “Of course I can, that's why I'm here.”
Luce pointed to the window display, deciding to ignore the urge to run out of the store as fast as she could. “I would like to see the pen in the window, the silver and green one.”
The clerk hurried over to grab it and set in front of her. She moved so fast, Luce began wondering if it was really coffee she'd been drinking that morning.
The clerk set the pen down in front of the taller woman. “She's a beauty, isn't she?”
Luce nodded as she gazed at the pen, noticing for the first time that the green insets matched Kylie's eyes almost perfectly. Staring at it, she knew Kylie would just love it.
This time, when she smiled at the clerk, it wasn't forced. “I'll take it.”
The clerk nodded. “Of course you will. Now, you have ink and paper, right?”
Luce shook her head. “No, I figured I'd let her pick all that out.”
For the first time, the clerk's smile faltered. “I take it this is a gift.”
Luce nodded. “Yes, my girlfriend will love it. She has such lovely hand writing.”
Her gaze sharpened as she studied Luce. “Has she ever written with a fountain pen?”
Luce shrugged. “I have no idea, why does that matter?”
The clerk tsked in disapproval. “A fountain pen isn't simply an instrument for writing.”
Luce looked at her dumbfounded. “It's not?”
She shook her head emphatically. “No, in the right hands, it's like a paint brush to the artist, a chisel to the sculptor, a hammer to the carpenter.”
Luce froze. “A hammer? A bit blunt, don't you think?”
The clerk ignored her snide tone. “My point is that in its own way, good penmanship is like a work of art. Just as it takes a long time to learn to paint, to sculpt, to build, writing takes a long time to learn to do right. And having the right tools to do it makes the job easier and more pleasant.”
Luce looked at her in confusion, still lost. “But I'm buying her the pen.”
She nodded. “Yes, and that's a great the start. But for a true artist, there are other tools, just as important that you must have to do it right.”
A light dawned on Luce. “She needs good paper and ink.” No one could accuse her of not paying attention.
She gave a small nod, pleased that Luce had managed to figure it out. “Bingo.”
Luce sighed loudly knowing she'd just been caught neatly by the sales pitch. “I have no idea how to pick any of that out.”
The beaming smile was back. “I can help you with that too.”
By the time Luce left the store, almost a half hour later, she had found herself the proud owner of three reams of paper, the pen and four jars of ink, each one a different color. As well as oter tools to help Kylie to clean the pen and keep it in good working order.
She never even cringed at the total and simply had to give the clerk credit. She was thorough and knowledgeable. She was also a devil of a salesman. So much so that Luce found herself recruiting the woman at the end of the transaction. Giving her a business card with the number for head of sales on the back of it.
Shocked, the clerk stared at her for several seconds before finding her voice again and asking what it was for. Luce smiled and told her that if she ever wanted to try a change of pace, to call the number on the back and tell them who sent her. Based upon what she'd just seen from her, she'd have a job by the end of the conversation, at a much higher pay rate.
She left the store and a very flabbergasted clerk behind quickly after that.
Lugging her bags through the mall, it suddenly occurred to Luce that she had no idea how to present this lovely gift to Kylie. She groaned when she realized that meant more shopping and another trip back into the mall. Grumbling to herself, she headed to the car to drop off the gift before heading back into the fray to figure out how to wrap it up.
Nearly an hour later, she was in her car, headed towards Kylie's store, her car full of bags. The seemingly random thoughtful gift had exploded far beyond its original intention. Now instead of a simple gift of a pen in a small box, she had at least a dozen details to deal with.
Half way through perusing the gift wrap, she simply gave up. Not only could she not pick something out, but she knew she really couldn't wrap the gift all that well. And for the first time that she could recall, she cursed the loss of mall gift wrap.
She stood there, in front of the bows feeling frustrated when it occurred to her that Kylie would need something to store the pen and inks in anyway. Why not make that the gift box? Bolstered by this quick thinking, she grabbed a pretty purple bow edged with silver and went in search of a beautiful gift box.
She had almost zero luck until she found herself wandering into an art supply store. There she finally found a lovely maple wood box, stained almost red, silver hinges and latch polished to a dazzling gleam. It was large enough to hold all the ink she'd bought, the tools and a good chunk of the paper. And it was solid too. And she snatched it up before she could change her mind, tearing out of the mall as fast as she could.
Now, in her car navigating her way through traffic, her stomach gave a loud growl and she decided that one more stop was in order. And she made a bee line for the nearest decent pizza place.
Figuring it'd be bad form to show up with just enough food for her and Kylie, she took a guess at how many people were there and then ordered enough pies to feed a small army.
While she waited for them to finish the order, she sat in her car and arranged her impromptu gift for Kylie, wanting everything to be just so. Looking at it arrayed in the wooden box made her smile and she knew that she'd made a good choice.
Twenty minutes later, the gift “wrapped” and the hot pies sitting her car, she was off to Kylie's main store.
It was only as she was parking that she realized she was going to have to juggle things a bit to get inside. Grabbing the bag with the gift in it and the pies, she carefully made her way to the front of the store where someone was kind enough to hold the door for her.
She gave the person a grateful smile and went inside. She walked right into a mad house. There were people everywhere she looked. And the staff was behind the counter looking frazzled and a bit haggard.
Marie caught her eye as she made her way to the end of the counter.
The older woman looked at the bag and then the pizzas before asking. “You here to see the boss?”
Luce nodded.
Marie nodded in the direction of Kylie's office. “She's wrapped up in a phone call at the moment but feel free to knock.”
Luce held up the pizza boxes. “Where can I put these?”
“Is that lunch? For us?” A clerk next to Marie spoke up, hope lighting up his eyes. “If it is, you're my new hero.”
She nodded.
Marie gave her a strange smile. “You can put them in the back, through that door over there. There's a table right in the break room on the other side. I'll send people back to eat.”
Luce walked away, the crowd parting for her as she made her way to the back door. Setting the pizzas down where indicated she headed back toward the door to make her way back through the crowd to Kylie's office when the door to the back room swung open on its own.
The same clerk who'd asked if she was bringing them lunch bolted through the door and dove into the pizza box on the top of the stack. Barely even registering what was on it. He gave a loud groan of pleasure the minute his teeth sank into that first slice and his eyes closed in sublime pleasure.
Despite the avid hunger on his face, she chuckled softly at his clear joy in the food.
He turned to her, blushing slightly as he realized she was there. “Sorry, but I didn't manage breakfast this morning. And then we got slammed and it didn't look like we'd eat anytime soon. Damn crazy people.” He talked around his mouthful of pizza, trying desperately to chew and talk at the same time.
Luce chuckled again. “Been there, done that. Enjoy your lunch, I'm going to go feed your boss.”
He waved his half eaten slice at her. “If she ever gets stupid and lets you go, come see me. I'll have a ring waiting!” Then he finished wolfing down the slice while reaching for the next one.
She laughed at that before walking out the door and making her way to Kylie's office. Again, the crowd was nice enough to part for her. And she found herself in front of the closed door before she knew it. Suddenly nervous, she reached up to knock, her hands shaking a bit.
Kylie's growl to come in made her smile. As did the haggard expression on her lover's face that disappeared the moment she realized who was standing at the door.
Luce stood there like a goober, pizza and gift in hand, smiling like a love struck teenager on her first date. “Hi.”
Kylie stood up, smiling, the tension literally falling from her face as she stepped up to Luce. “Hi.” She grabbed her lover and pulled her into her office, closing the door seconds before she literally latched herself to Luce's lips.
The kiss sent Luce's heart pounding, making her blood zing through her veins. Unable to wrap her arms around the smaller woman, she still managed to press herself into Kylie, feeling the shorter woman's body mold itself to her.
After the first moment, she found herself relishing the uninhibited contact between them, taking care to keep both the pizza box and gift bag firmly in hand. After the second, when Kylie deepened the kiss with a delightfully sensual sweep of her tongue, she wondered how upset the other woman would be if she just let everything fall to the floor just so she could get her hands on her.
Then Kylie's hands started exploring and her worries about the pizza were Luce's last coherent thought. Thankfully, Kylie pulled back before any real damage could be done, rescuing the pizza box, setting it on the desk behind her mere seconds before Luce would have gladly thrown it on the floor and stomped it into oblivion.
She gave Luce another soft kiss and a stunning smile. “I am really glad to see you.”
Luce gave her a dry leer. “I couldn't tell.”
She reached out, slapping her stomach softly. “Hey, I thought I wasn't going to see you until tonight. And after the day I've been having, that would have really sucked.” She led Luce over the small sofa in her office and the two of them sat down.
Luce took one of Kylie's small hands in her own, kissing the knuckles lightly. “I noticed. You look really busy out there.”
She groaned. “Busy doesn't even begin to cover it. We've been swamped from the minute we opened the door. And some of them have been really nuts, asking for really strange things. I have no idea why. Maybe its a full moon or something.”
Luce made a noncommittal sounds. “Maybe there's a witches convention in town or something and they found your store intriguing.” Luce lifted her hands, the imaginary quotation marks mirroring the sarcasm from her lifted eyebrows.
She laughed at that. “If only it were that simple. It explains the customers, not the damn phone calls and other strange issues I've been having at my other stores.”
Luce reached out to stroke her hand in sympathy. “That bad, huh?”
She shrugged. “Not bad, per se. More like just insanely strange. Almost to the point where I'm wondering if its all a series of elaborate pranks. That seems like a more likely explanation than the moon or witches. Although they both have possibilities.”
Luce laughed. “Well, let's hope lunch helps.”
She jumped slightly as if only just remembering what had been in Luce's hands when she walked in the door. “Damn, I must be feeling weird, I completely forgot that you brought me food.” She surged to her feet, reaching over to the desk and snagging the still steaming box.
Without preamble, she opened it up and snagged a slice. The pleasure on her face at that first bite was very similar to her young employee's. However, it was much more pleasant to watch and no where near as awkward. Which was a good thing because Luce found the sight of her lover clearly enjoying her food to be surprisingly erotic.
“God, this is like heaven!” Kylie managed around a mouthful of food. “How the hell did you manage to sneak by the good squad out there with this?”
Luce chuckled, snagging her own slice as Kylie stood and began rooting around for napkins and something to drink. “It was touch and go there for a bit. But I dropped a few pies on the floor on my way in and snuck past them while they were distracted fighting each other for the food.”
“Hmmm, I'll just bet it was a close call. I caught Mike eyeing the remains of a half eaten bagel in the trash like it was made of gold.” She finished off her first slice and reached for another, glad that Luce had thought to keep the pie simple, just meat and lots of cheese.
Luce laughed through her own bite. “That explains the marriage proposal.”
Kylie gave her a sharp look and started laughing again. “He did not.”
Luce nodded. “Oh, he did. But, he did say that it was only in the event that you did something stupid, like letting me go.”
She smiled, reaching out to give Luce a soft kiss. “I don't plan on ever doing something that monumentally stupid any time in the near future.”
The taller woman smiled at both the words and the kiss. “Good to know. Especially considering last night.” She watched as Kylie's face flushed slightly at the memory, the slight crimson stain making her smile.
Kylie took a deep breath, letting it out in a rush as her face cooled. “Last night was...” she trailed off, unable to find the words.
Luce chuckled as she watched her normally verbal lover rendered silent and at a loss for words.
She took pity on Kylie. “Last night was indescribable.” She reached out and took Kylie's hand, gently kissing the palm, her cerulean eyes intense, burning into Kylie's jade ones, leaving no doubt about how she really felt at the moment.
Kylie smiled, shivering at even such simple contact. “Completely.” She squeezed Luce's hand in her's, her own eyes glazing over slightly at the memory.
Then, just as easily, the moment was gone as the smell of food penetrated Kylie's starving brain. And she reluctantly let go of Luce's hand before diving back into her lunch.
She reached for another slice, biting into it with relish. “So, what's in the bag?” She asked as she chewed.
Luce gave her a secretive smile, biting into her own piece. “A surprise.”
Her eyes lit up. “I like surprises.” Another couple of bites and the slice was gone. She reached for another.
Luce snorted. “I know you do. Finish your lunch, then I'll show you the surprise.”
She sighed, the sound dramatic and drawn out. Although the effect was ruined by the impish twinkle in her eyes.
Undeterred and seemingly in no hurry, Luce reached for another slice of pizza. The patient gesture was met with another loud sigh from her companion. Luce laughed as she ate slowly, savoring it, enjoying it, driving Kylie to distraction.
Luce knew that normally Kylie was capable of great patience. After all, she never seemed to have a problem interacting with her nieces and nephews. Even when their tiny minds made leaps of logic that often confounded and somewhat frustrated Luce.
So it was quite amusing that something so simple as the unknown contents of a paper bag could shatter that patience so easily. And it was something she took note of for later.
Finally, sensing that Kylie was actually getting a bit irritated at her nonchalance, she finished her last slice and reached for the bag. Without a word, she handed it to Kylie.
Kylie took it, surprised at the unexpected weight. Setting it down, she looked down into it, spying the wood box with its lovely ribbon on it. It was so lovely, she was almost afraid to touch it.
She gave Luce a searching look. “Luce, what is this?”
“A surprise. Open it.”
She hesitated but did as Luce asked, pulling the box out and setting the bag aside. She set the box down between them, running her hands lovingly over the wood. She recognized the craftsmanship someone had put into it; the wood was solid and smooth, the finish even and blotch free. And the hinges shown with a highly polished gleam.
Her hands shaking slightly, she reached for the latch. Lifting the lid, she forgot how to breathe. She stared at the objects inside, the inks, the paper, the gorgeous fountain pen, and was speechless.
All her life she'd been fascinated by not just writing, but the mechanics of it. The effort needed to produce lovely, readable, artful script. The feel of the pen in her hand, the sound the tip made as it slid across the paper. Even the smell of ink and fresh paper set her mind racing. The possibilities endless and open before her every time she grabbed a fresh sheet.
One of her guilty pleasures was to go and buy a brand new notebook, spending several long moments in the stationary aisle trying to pick out just the right one before taking it home and staring at it for hours.
The blank pages there were like a beacon, and she came to them like a moth to a flame time after time. Pondering, wondering, relishing. Where most other writers saw them as a curse, a symbol of a failure to write, she saw them as unfulfilled potential. And she spent a great deal of time pondering just how to fill those empty pages.
That Luce had recognized that joy in her, enough to gift her with something this precious, said a great deal about the other woman's feelings for her.
She looked up at Luce and knew her eyes were wide and shiny. The feelings shining clearly in them. “Oh, Luce.” She stopped. It was almost too much to feel it was so intense. She reached out, finding Luce's hand suddenly there clasping her own.
“You have such lovely handwriting, I thought you'd enjoy really getting a chance to show it off. Maybe even learn a new skill.” She spoke softly, not wanting to dampen Kylie's enjoyment.
Kylie swallowed, pressing a hand to her lips, feeling tears forming in her eyes. She had thought last night was intense. That moment when she slipped over into climax and met Luce's glittering eyes, the blue fire in them leaving no mistake that something profound was passing between them.
Something in her had come awake at that, whispering to her, prodding her in ways she had never expected. And it had brought her such joy. She had never thought she'd feel anything deeper or more soul altering. Until now.
Luce reached out at the sight of the tears. She had hoped for a reaction, but not this. “Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry.”
Kylie shook her head, taking a deep breath, trying to collect herself. “No, it's just so lovely. I can't...” she trailed off again, staring at the open box.
Luce felt a light of understanding. “I did good then, huh?”
She laughed at the smug tone in the taller woman's voice and nodded. “You did very good. In fact, no one else has ever done something so touching for me.” She moved the box to her desk, setting it down carefully, almost reverently, before coming back to the sofa and snuggling into Luce.
She straddled Luce's lap, her arms around the other woman's neck and met her gaze without flinching. “It just made me realize that I might not deserve someone like you.”
This time Luce was touched by her words. She reached up touching Kylie's face gently, almost as reverently as Kylie had handled the box and looked deep into her eyes. “You deserve so much more than I could ever give you. You deserve to be happy. And I hope that I can spend my life making you feel that way.”
Kylie leaned forward, resting her head against Luce's forehead. “You do, you so do.”
Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Luce chuckled. “Then my work here is done.”
Kylie laughed, blinking her tears away. “Oh it is, is it?”
A impish twinkle filled blue eyes. “Great sex, perfect gift? What's left to do?”
Kylie felt the look shoot through her, igniting a smoldering fire in her, tightening things low in her body. And with her own impish grin, she pressed herself into Luce's lap, slowly grinding herself against the taller woman.
“Oh, I don't know. We could just rinse and repeat.” She smiled evilly when Luce's eyes fluttered closed, a soft strangled gasp escaping her lips.
Luce let her hands wander, reaching out to cup Kylie's ass as Kylie ground against her, the fully clothed body of her lover igniting its own fire within her. Her eyes opened to see green eyes, glazed and lazy with passion, boring into her own. The intensity of it made her gasp.
Her hands slid up, climbing the length of Kylie's body, teasing and tormenting as they passed, before reaching the base of Kylie's neck wrapping firmly in the red hair and dragging her head down for a searing kiss.
Their lips met in a harsh clash that only softened when Kylie groaned softly and sagged against her. Luce slid her free hand back down, grabbing Kylie's buttock firmly and guiding the other woman's grinding where she wanted. Kylie's breath stuttered, even as she tried to stop moving.
“Luce,” the name was a soft sound on Kylie's lips.
The almost desperate pleading in her voice set the wolf free for Luce and she found herself wanting to push Kylie further. “Shhh, I've got you, just let go.”
That soft promise was enough and Kylie stopped fighting her efforts, relaxing into the slow gentle grinding motion Luce set for her. Luce watched in awe as Kylie's eyes fluttered shut and she let herself sink into the pleasure of it. It didn't take very long.
The hand in Kylie's hair slid back down and inside her jacket, feeling the hard pebbled nipple hit her palm through Kylie's thin shirt.
Kylie gasped, her movements becoming a bit erratic and more hurried.
Luce smiled, her hand teasing and tormenting the nipple, feeling Kylie speed up as she did so. Then, with a gasp and a soft cry, Kylie stiffened in her arms, pressing herself hard against Luce, holding herself so still against her Luce wasn't sure she was even breathing.
Luce held her, her eyes never leaving Kylie's face for a moment as the other woman climaxed in her lap. Then, the green eyes fluttered open, meeting hers before Kylie took a shuddering breath and collapsed against her.
Luce's arms came up and wrapped around her, holding her close. She whispered softly in Kylie's ear, soothing and loving while Kylie came back to herself after the powerful release.
Kylie started giggling, her breath still a bit shaky as she pulled back a bit. “Well that's a couple of firsts.”
Luce smiled. “First time you've ever had sex in your office?”
She nodded. “Well that and the first time I've ever managed to orgasm like that.”
Luce smile broadened. “I take it you liked it.”
She giggled again, blushing slightly. “Oh yeah, I really needed that.”
Luce's bit her lip, her eyes smoldering suddenly as she pulled Kylie down for a sweet, soft kiss. She pulled back slightly to whisper in Kylie's ear, her voice hot and breathy as she spoke. “I'll bet that if I slid my hand inside your pants right now, I'd find you ready to go again.”
Kylie shuddered at the huskiness in that velvet voice in her ear, resisting the urge to squeeze her legs together. “God.” She whispered, panting softly.
Luce chuckled, her hands gliding around her to reach for the buttons on Kylie's thin blouse.
Kylie shook her head, knowing full well that if she let Luce have her way, she'd be naked and panting again in under five minutes. But as much as the image pulled at her, she did have work to do. And she wouldn't be able to do that if she let Luce fry every brain cell she possessed.
With a force of will she didn't even know she had, she pushed the skillfully wandering hands away and pulled herself out of her Luce's arms. “No, down. I do have work to do.” She slapped the grasping hands that followed her, quickly pulling herself out of reach.
But Luce was determined and she merely followed the shorter woman, reaching for her with a devilish smile on her face.
Kylie giggled, backpedaling frantically but finding herself running out of room as she ran into her desk. Luce took the advantage and pounced, her hands encircling Kylie and stroking once more.
Kylie gasped. Despite the earlier orgasm, Luce was right, she was more than ready to go again.
Luce smiled. “What's this about work?”
Her mind blanked, simply unable to process any higher thought in the face of such pleasure. And before she knew it, she felt herself surrendering. “I have no idea.” She whispered before sealing her lips to Luce's lovely mouth.
A soft knock echoed in the room, barely heard by the two women. Dazed, they both turned to see Marie opening the door. All three women froze.
Kylie, deciding to ignore what was no doubt a very compromising position, gave Marie a slightly dazed smile. “Did you need something?”
Marie, obviously biting her lip to keep from smiling, nodded. “There's an issue out here that needs your attention.”
Kylie nodded. “I'll be right there.”
Marie nodded and slowly closed the door. But not before her soft laughter came through the doorway.
Luce sighed as the door clicked shut, giving Kylie one last soft kiss before letting her go. “I guess I started something we couldn't finish.”
She laughed at that, reaching up to straighten her clothes and hair. “To say the least.” She ran her fingers through her short reddish blonde locks one last time, hoping it was enough. “You know, we really need to learn something.”
Luce looked at her confused. “What's that?”
“To start locking the damn door!”
* * *