The Brass Ring (7 page)

"We need to talk," CC offered gently.

"No, we don't," Jamie argued before something occurred to her. "You said that last night," she mumbled.

"Yes, I did." CC sighed deeply. "Right before you tore my clothes off."

"It was a mistake," Jamie blurted out as she stumbled to the door. She threw it open and then slammed it behind her. The sound of a baby crying pierced through her head. She turned to see a brunette woman standing in the living room holding a screaming infant. "She has a wife and kids," she muttered.

"Who does?" The woman looked at her in confusion as she tried to comfort her child. "Rough night, James?" The woman smirked.

Jamie's jaw dropped in realization. "Stevie?" Jamie stammered. "Little Stevie?" she babbled. As she looked past the woman out the picture window, another realization struck her.

"Something wrong?" Stevie inquired.

"I live here," she stammered as she stared out at her parking lot. "I live next door." She felt sick.

"Jamie?" CC's voice beckoned from behind her.

Jamie turned to find CC clad in an old pair of sweatpants and a rumpled T-shirt. "I need to go," she muttered absently before she turned away and walked out the front door.

CHAPTER NINE

C
C RUBBED HER throbbing temples as she stared at the door. "Want to talk about it?" Stevie offered in a sweet tempered tone. CC turned a weary bloodshot gaze on her younger sister who was holding her daughter. "No," she answered, the heartbreak evident in her voice. She could feel her bottom lip start to tremble. "Yes," she whimpered as she walked over and removed her fussing niece from Stevie's arms. "First, just let me hold the peanut."

CC held her niece tightly, taking in the sweet scent of the infant's hair. It was the only thing that would bring her peace at the moment. "Don't ever grow up on me, Peanut," she cooed to child who was clinging to her, seeming to understand her pain. "Is she okay?" CC asked as the child clutched at her tightly. "She feels a little warm."

"I've called her doctor," Stevie explained. "I'm sure it's nothing." Stevie's tone wasn't very convincing.

"What did the doctor say?" CC asked hurriedly.

"I didn't get him," Stevie continued. "I left a message with his service. I'm just waiting for a call back. I checked her temperature; she's not running a fever."

CC looked over at her sister who seemed more than a little concerned. CC sensed that Stevie would feel better if she was holding the child. Reluctantly she handed the infant back. "So," Stevie began slowly, relaxing a little when her daughter was nestled in her arms. "While we’re waiting for Dr. Damarcus to call, why don't you fill me in?"

"Last night I was working the hotline." CC swallowed the bile that was creeping up. "There was this teenage girl, Susan. She sounded odd when she called. I suspected something right away. Her tone was so flat and unfeeling."

"Oh God," Stevie choked out.

"She was having problems dealing with her feelings towards other girls," CC continued as the tears began to well up in her eyes. "I talked to her. Everything by the book, you know. But I just knew that she’d done something. It seemed like an eternity before she admitted that she just wanted to stop hurting. Then she told me about the pills. I kept calm. I kept her talking, got her to tell me where she was. I kept her talking while I wait for the ambulance to reach her. I wasn't on the phone with her that long but it seemed like forever. After the EMT's reached her, I rushed off to the hospital." CC looked over to see her sister holding her breath. "She didn't make it, Stevie," CC choked out.

"I'm so sorry, Caitlin," Stevie said in a soothing tone. "Do you want to talk about it? It must have reminded you of Donny," Stevie offered, referring to the brother she had never known. "You need to talk to someone," she encouraged.

CC brushed away the tears and smiled a shy smile. "I did," she said as she blinked rapidly, the blush creeping across her body. "Jamie was her doctor. I ran outside and collapsed when I realized that Susan was dead. Jamie came to me. We ended up going to the bar across the street from the hospital. It was hard for her as well to lose a patient that young. We talked and talked about it. Not about us or the past, just about the senselessness of it and the waste of a young life. Unfortunately, while we talked we also drank. Margaritas," CC added with a grimace as the pain of her hangover shot through her.

"Ooops." Stevie snorted. CC knew that her sister was holding back laughter.

"No kidding." CC rolled her eyes. "At closing time we stepped outside, agreeing that neither of us should drive. I hailed a cab and I turned to her to ask if she wanted to share the ride. Next thing I knew we were making out."

"Uh huh." Stevie smirked at her.

"I tried to put a stop to things," CC explained. "But we just kept kissing and touching. The next thing I knew we were in the taxi. I gave the driver our address. Well, you can figure out what happened." CC folded her arms across her body, feeling the aches and pains coursing through her.

"Well, it is how we got Emma." Stevie laughed loudly as her daughter drifted off to sleep. "Let me guess. Jamie wasn’t happy when she woke up next to you?"

"Happy?" CC groaned. "She was bordering on violent. Face it. I'm not the woman of her dreams; I'm more like the woman of her nightmares."

"Go talk to her," Stevie instructed her sternly.

"Have you lost what's left of your mind?" CC asked in a horrified tone. "She hates me."

"No, she doesn't," Stevie argued. "She's next door. Go talk to her."

"Next door?" CC said as she shook her head in confusion.

"Our new neighbor," Stevie explained. "The one we haven't met. Go to her. It's time for the two of you to bury the hatchet."

"I just afraid she'll want to bury it in my skull," CC responded sincerely.

"Stop being a coward," Stevie flared at her harshly. "Go and talk to her. If she stays angry with you, then you haven't lost anything. If she understands, then maybe the two of you can save your friendship. Go!" Stevie shouted, sending a sharp jolt through CC's throbbing head. Emma stirred slightly.

"What about Emma?" CC protested.

"I'll come get you when the doctor calls," Stevie growled.

CC knew she was fighting a losing battle yet she wasn't ready to concede just yet. Stevie's eyes burned into her. She felt her resolve crumbling. Without bothering to put on a coat or shoes, she stepped outside. She shivered from the cold. She was just about to retreat back inside her own home when she heard the lock being bolted behind her.

CHAPTER TEN

J
AMIE ALLOWED THE water to rush over her body. The hot water and steam from the shower were helping her painful physical state. She leaned against the tile wall. The events of last night were finally creeping back to her. They had talked like old friends, only they weren't. Tequila had been a poor choice. But she knew she needed it, and she needed to be there for CC. Unless you saw the horrible things that they saw on a daily basis, you wouldn't understand the pain or the need to reach out to someone to feel alive again. Then the bar closed and it was time to leave. Jamie knew she was in no condition to drive and neither was her companion.

She was relieved and disappointed when CC raised her arm to hail a taxi. She had been fighting the tingling sensation pulsating through her body all evening. She reasoned that it was the alcohol making her notice the intoxicating scent of her former lover. Reason decided to abandon her when their eyes met just as a taxi pulled up in front of them. They moved together as if drawn by some unseen force. Their lips met instantly. The kiss lacked any shyness or hesitation. They simply exploded into a fiery passion. Standing in the shower, Jamie's hand absently felt her still swollen lips as she recalled the raw aching need that had coursed through her the night before.

Jamie’s stomach clenched as the memories flooded her senses. The kiss had deepened and she found herself sucking on CC's tongue. All she wanted at that moment was to take this woman to bed to fulfill all of her carnal desires. She cupped CC's backside, pulling her closer to her. The cab driver squawked. Jamie pulled away from the warmth of the taller woman's body, yanked the door open, and started to push CC inside the taxi. "We should talk," CC protested as Jamie followed her inside.

"No," Jamie argued, the effects of the tequila clouding her thoughts. She closed the door and pressed her smaller body into CC's. "Jamie . . . we need to talk." CC gasped as Jamie kissed her neck, sucked on her pulse point, and slid her hands across CC's chest. She pushed the taller woman back and straddled her. As she teased CC's nipples through the material of her shirt, she reclaimed her lips.

She plunged her tongue into the warmth of CC's mouth as her hands fumbled, slightly uncoordinated from the alcohol. CC moaned into her mouth as her body arched. "Still want to talk?" Jamie recalled herself whispering hotly just before dipping her tongue into CC's ear.

"No," CC panted unsteadily as Jamie continued to press her body into CC's.

As her mouth and tongue continued their assault on CC's ear and neck, she could hear CC give the driver her address. "Why didn’t I get it then?" she berated herself. "Because I was loaded." She groaned in realization. Jamie didn't make a habit of drinking like she had the previous evening. She recalled how the two of them wrestled passionately in the back of the taxi and how she had drifted in and out of the present. Images of their first and last time together flooded her mind.

The memories, the taste of CC's body, and the tequila all mixed together to fuel her passion. Somehow she had managed to unbutton and unzip the leggy brunette's blue jeans. She only halted her movements when CC suggested that they slow down. She managed to climb off of CC and they both sat up. She nestled herself in CC's arms. Even in her drunken state, she knew how right it felt to have this woman hold her.

CC kissed the top of her head. Soon they found themselves kissing again. This time they took their time to explore. They shared slow gentle kisses as their tongues danced together. There was a wonderful tenderness to their kisses as they snuggled. Jamie must have drifted off during the cab ride. She could only recall the warmth of CC's body as she nestled against her.

Then she found herself in a strange apartment being led to the bedroom. "We should sleep," CC suggested as they both staggered slightly. Jamie was about to agree when one look into those crystal blue orbs re-ignited her passion. She recalled pulling CC's jacket off and casting it aside. This time it was CC who reclaimed her lips as Jamie found herself pulling at the taller woman's still unfastened pants.

Jamie felt a returning flush of desire as she recalled how her lower anatomy had pulsated while they hurriedly undressed one another. Before she knew what was happening, they were both frantically tearing the blankets back and pulling one another down onto the bed, rolling around as their bodies melted together.

Jamie could still taste the tender flesh of CC's body and the taste of her passion as she feasted upon her wetness. The moans and groans that escaped from both of them. It was as if she was a moth and CC was the flame. She couldn't recall how many times she screamed out her lover's name. Or how many times she reciprocated the gift.

A sudden blast of cold water jolted Jamie back to reality. "Son of a . . ." she screeched as she quickly retreated to the back of the shower. Tentatively she reached out, trying to avoid the icy spray of water. Finally she managed to shut the water off. Climbing out of the shower, she wrapped herself in a towel. Her head was still pounding as she threw on a pair of sweats.

Slowly she walked downstairs, her body aching from her overindulgence. She smiled slightly as she padded her way into the kitchen, thinking that alcohol wasn't the only thing she had overindulged in. "My God, I don't think I've ever behaved like that." She chuckled as she started to fill the teapot with water. Despite how and who she had been with, she had to confess that her carnal desires had been sated.

A knocking at the front door sent a searing pain through her temples. She flinched as she put the teapot on the counter and shut off the water. "Please stop," she begged as she made her way towards the insufferable noise. "Stop," she repeated in an irate tone as she opened the door. She found CC standing on her stoop, shivering from the cold. A sudden flash from the previous evening washed over her.
CC was bent over in front of her as Jamie rode her backside, pressing her wetness hard into the policewoman as she begged for release.
A blush covered her body as she tried to make the image disappear.

"Can we talk?" CC inquired sheepishly.

"No," Jamie replied in a weary voice.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

C
C SHIFTED NERVOUSLY from one foot to the other as she wrapped her arms around herself to fight off the cold. Hearing Jamie's response was almost a relief. Now she could simply go back to her condo and crawl into bed. She could picture pulling the covers over her head and hiding out until next spring. She looked over to see her sister glaring at her from the front window. CC shrugged at her younger sibling in an effort to convey that Jamie wasn't interested in talking. Stevie's glare grew fiery as she pointed towards Jamie's doorway.

CC rolled her head in defeat, turning back towards Jamie who was just leaning against the doorway looking very pale. "I'm sorry," CC began. "But we need to talk. Now may not be the best time, but Stevie has locked me out and isn't letting me back in until we talk," she explained in an exhausted breath.

"I always liked that Stevie." Jamie chuckled. "I'm just not up for this," she added in a tired voice.

"Please," CC pleaded. "If you shut the door on me too, I'll be stuck out here in my bare feet. I could freeze to death."