The Muse (10 page)

“Yeah,” Olive murmured, and shot Kate a smile that turned her knees to liquid. “I’ll take the next turn.”

Between Olive’s focused attention with the vibrator and Kate’s vigorous race to the finish, Erato was crying out for mercy within moments. Instinctively, Kate shared a triumphant fist bump with Olive, who giggled in a way that almost made her forget the aching in her thighs and calves. After such a long period of chastity, her body was screaming at this full-throttle reintroduction to sex. Yet nothing would stop her from rallying with the prospect of fucking Olive in front of her. Finally coming to rest within Erato’s sated body, she withdrew with a kiss to her sweat-dampened shoulder and rolled onto her back at Erato’s side.

She would just take a moment to rest.

Erato patted her stomach. “That was lovely.”

Kate laughed, swiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. “Yes, it was.” Determined not to make Olive wait, she swiftly sat up and moved to kneel, but Olive stopped her with a hand on her chest.

“Let’s give you a little break,” Olive murmured. She pressed against Kate’s shoulder until she had her flat on her back again. “I’ll get on top.”

Kate nodded dumbly. “Sold.” She put her hands on Olive’s hips once she clambered onto her body, glad for something to hold on to. Her heart had started to beat alarmingly fast. She felt somehow different being with Olive than Erato. Maybe it was the fact that Olive seemed like a normal, sane person, and therefore she cared more about what she thought. Maybe it was the bucket list and the strange responsibility she felt about ticking off its items in the most pleasurable way possible.

Erato propped herself up on her elbow and watched them with a peaceful half smile. “Oh, I like this.” She touched Olive’s thigh, smoothing her hand over the soft skin. Then she reached between their bodies and grasped the dildo in her fist. She rubbed the head over Olive’s wet folds while Kate focused on her breathing. Olive hovered over her, a look of deep concentration etched across her beautiful face.

Kate took one of Olive’s hands, warmed when the slim fingers interlaced with her own. “Go at your own pace.”

Nodding, Olive angled her hips and sank down onto the cock with a quiet exhalation. Kate nearly came just from the sight of her, mouth open, face contorted with pleasure amid mild discomfort. Brown eyes locked onto hers, vulnerable and intense. Kate reached for her other hand, squeezing them both without breaking eye contact.

“Does that feel good?” Kate murmured.

Olive rolled her hips, biting her bottom lip as though trying to suppress a smile. “It’s big.”

“Do you want to use the other one?” Kate asked. Erato had chosen the larger of the two. She didn’t want Olive to feel obligated to take on the same challenge. “I can switch.”

Olive allowed a grin to overtake her face. She bent until their mouths nearly touched, only breaking eye contact at the last moment. “I think I can handle you.” Dragging Kate’s right hand between their bodies, she guided her fingers into hot, wet folds. “Rub my clit?”

Kate was already making circles with her fingertips. She raised her head the scant distance required to capture Olive’s lips in a passionate kiss, delighted by the wetness she could feel on her thighs. Olive rocked back and forth atop her, slowly, her hips grinding sensuously against Kate’s busy hand. Beside them, Erato watched in silence, seemingly content to stroke the backs of her fingers over the sides of their breasts, their flanks, their hips. Her presence lent an exciting air to sex that already ranked among the best Kate had ever had, if only for the novelty of knowing she was the first to have Olive like this.

Olive sat up, eyes screwed shut and nostrils flared. The new position allowed Kate better freedom of movement with her hand, and she took advantage by working her thumb and index finger along the rigid shaft of Olive’s clit. Olive’s thighs tensed, then quivered, as she matched the rhythm of Kate’s caress with her lower body. Before long, her eyes flew open and she grabbed Kate’s shoulder, jerking her hips erratically as her steady chant built from a whisper to a loud, throaty exclamation. “Yes, yes, yes…yes…
yes!
”

Kate realized they were still holding hands when Olive nearly broke her fingers as her orgasm hit. Wincing in pain, she didn’t allow her other hand to falter in its rhythm even momentarily. Her plan was to overwhelm Olive with pleasure or die trying, despite the iron grip on her fingers and her shoulder. “That’s right, baby, give it to me.”

Hips moving almost violently, Olive rode her to a breathless climax that seemed to completely drain her of energy. She collapsed onto Kate’s chest, hanging on to both shoulders as she fought to regain her breath. Kate slipped her hand out from between them and rubbed Olive’s back while she recovered from her climax.

Erato broke the silence first. “That looked like a big one.”

Kate felt Olive smile against her shoulder. “It was.”

“Do you have anything left?” Erato’s arm moved and, seconds later, Olive inhaled swiftly. “Or has Kate ruined you?”

Olive lifted her head. “It’s very possible she’s ruined me.”

Kate tried not to read too much into Olive’s words despite the very sincere, very tender gaze being directed at her. She mustered the cockiest grin in her arsenal. “You’re welcome.”

“How are you feeling, Kate?” Erato scraped a fingernail along her thigh. “Sated?”

“And sore.” Despite the aches and pains associated with a day of marathon sex, she wished she had the strength to keep going. She wasn’t ready for this to be over—or for Olive to leave. “Regrettably.”

With a murmured apology, Olive pulled herself up with a subtle wince. Aching at the realization that they were no longer joined—and might never be again—Kate caught Olive’s hand before she could roll off the bed. “Stay the night.”

She wasn’t sure Olive would agree. Then Erato said, “Yes, stay. It’s too late to go home now, anyway.”

Olive glanced at Erato, then Kate. She seemed hesitant, though Kate wasn’t sure why. They’d been so comfortable together all evening. The last thing she would’ve expected was for Olive to attempt a hasty escape as soon as the act was done. To her relief, Olive’s face softened and she nodded, then settled onto the mattress at Kate’s side. “All right.”

A wave of fatigue rolled over Kate along with the relief. “Good.” Boneless, she gave Erato a grateful smile when her muse sat up to unbuckle the leather harness around her hips. “Thank you.”

Erato returned her smile. “Wake up inspired and ready to write. That’s all the thanks I’ll need.”

Kate nodded. She wanted nothing more than to be able to do exactly that. “I’ll try.” Aware she was still clasping Olive’s hand, she turned her head and gazed into soft brown eyes. “Hi.”

Flashing white teeth, Olive murmured, “Hi.”

“So it was okay?”

“It was more than okay.” Olive turned onto her side without letting go. Instead, she laced their fingers together and brought their joined hands to rest next to her stomach. “Thank you.”

“My pleasure.” Kate lifted her hips to allow Erato to take the harness and dildo away, then sighed in appreciation when her muse pulled the comforter up from the foot of the bed to cover them. Extending her free arm, she gestured at Erato. “Come on, lie down with us.”

Erato turned off the lamp and curled up at her other side. She patted Kate’s stomach fondly, then kissed her on the cheek. “Naughty dreams, Kate.”

Olive vibrated with silent giggles. “Yes, mind firmly in the gutter, please.”

Kate snickered sleepily but craned to return Erato’s kiss. “Thank you. Really,” she whispered.

“Just wake up ready to work.”

Mumbling her agreement, Kate attempted to force her fuzzy thoughts to all she’d just experienced. She had so much to draw inspiration from. Her muse. Hours of nonstop sex. Her first one-night stand. A threesome. Olive.

Olive.
Her smile. The way they’d hit it off so quickly and easily. Tasting her. Being inside her. Without conscious thought, she squeezed Olive’s hand—and felt a veritable surge of inspiration when the slim fingers tangled in hers tightened in response, seconds before she dropped off to sleep.

The next day Kate woke up feeling like she’d been hit by a truck and left to die on the side of a desert highway. Her dry throat ached for a cool drink of water, but her muscles hurt too much to contemplate a trip to the kitchen without a serious gathering of willpower. The urgency of her need for sustenance led to a second, startling realization: despite having fallen asleep sandwiched between two naked, beautiful women, she was now all alone in the center of her very empty bed.

Groaning at the herculean effort required, she raised her head and forced her blurry vision into focus to read her digital alarm clock. 12:36 p.m. She collapsed back onto her pillow and closed her eyes, unsettled by the late hour. She’d always been a heavy sleeper—and never an early riser—so it wasn’t terribly surprising that she’d slumbered past noon. What unnerved her was that she hadn’t been roused by either of her bedmates disentangling themselves and leaving.

A terrible thought tickled at the back of her mind before exploding, full force, into panic. Kate’s eyes flew open and she sat up quickly, cursing the agony of her protesting muscles. Her gaze darted around the room in a frantic search for evidence that she hadn’t imagined the whole damn thing.
A muse?
Really? Despite the very real workout she’d had, perhaps she’d finally succumbed to the isolation and mental illness almost inherent in a writer’s life. Could she honestly have hallucinated the entire day? Did Erato even exist? Her chest ached.
Or Olive?

As though summoned by her rising distress, Erato walked into the bedroom wearing only one of Kate’s T-shirts. She carried a tray upon which she’d balanced a bottle of water, a glass of apple juice, and a bagel, toasted and cut in half. A small container of cream cheese and a banana rounded out the selection. Dizzy with relief at the sight of breakfast and her not-so-imaginary friend, Kate sagged against the headboard and grinned. “Hey. I was just—”

“Starting to worry that your imagination had finally run away with you?”

Strangely reassured by Erato’s uncanny ability to read her, Kate shrugged. “You have to admit, the past twenty-four hours have been
slightly
unbelievable.”

Smiling, Erato climbed into bed beside her and set the tray on her lap. “Not from my perspective. But I do appreciate how you might feel that way.” She tucked a lock of sleep-mussed hair behind Kate’s ear, then gave her a gentle kiss that immediately woke up every part of her body. “Good morning, my sweet storyteller.”

Kate returned the kiss, no longer concerned about her obvious physical limits. Instinctively, she put her hand on Erato’s knee and slid toward the juncture of her bare thighs. She had no idea what it was about this woman that elicited such an unthinking, passionate response, but she liked it—and she was
damn
glad this hadn’t been a product of her imagination.

“Eh-eh,” Erato murmured, removing Kate’s hand with a giggle. “Breakfast first. You need to replenish.”

She wasn’t wrong. Resigned to focusing on her other needs, Kate backed off with a nod. That’s when she realized that her most immediate need was a trip to the restroom. “Actually—”

Erato gestured toward the bathroom while picking up the tray. “Go ahead, I’ll wait.”

“Thank you.” As she scrambled out of bed, a pang of disappointment caused her to falter. The bathroom door was open, which had to mean—“Olive isn’t in there?”

“No, she left a few hours ago.” Erato tilted her head, clearly bemused. “She woke up around nine and left almost immediately. Said she had an appointment, and to tell you that she had an amazing time.”

“Oh.” The pang became an ache. What else had she expected? Olive’s bucket-list wish had been a one-night stand, and that was that. Leaving without saying good-bye was the very definition of a one-night stand. “So she seemed okay this morning?”

“She was fine,” Erato said, still smiling. “A little tired, maybe, but very satisfied.” She paused. “Why?”

“No reason.” Not entirely sure what she’d hoped to hear, Kate fidgeted, then pointed at the bathroom. “Anyway…”

Erato laughed. “Go.”

Once alone, Kate tried not to notice how disappointed she felt about Olive’s absence. What else had she wanted to happen? She wasn’t old-fashioned enough to believe that having sex with someone equaled a relationship. Yet when she’d fallen asleep holding Olive’s hand, she’d somehow expected to at least wake up next to her. To say good morning. Maybe even steal another kiss.

Kate sighed. A girlfriend was the last thing she needed right now. She had a deadline. She was supposed to be writing. That Olive had spared her the distraction of infatuation was a blessing, truly.

Besides, she had no idea if Erato was the jealous type—and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Erato greeted her with a luminous smile. “So, are you excited about writing today?”

Kate suppressed the groan and the snarky retort that instinctively arose, not wanting to sink her mood even further. But it was too late…the fact that she would even react that way to a question about what had once been her favorite activity was depressing as hell. What was wrong with her? The thought of sitting down to work on whatever story she was telling didn’t use to fill her with dread. Now she’d become so accustomed to linking writing with frustration that the response was Pavlovian—and that was a shame, when telling stories had formerly brought her unending joy.

Dropping down onto the bed with a tired groan, Kate said, “I don’t know.”

Erato offered her half of the bagel, upon which she’d smeared an ultra-thin layer of cream cheese—exactly how Kate would have prepared it. “Eat this. It’ll help.”

She took a tentative bite, unsure if she was even hungry. As soon as she swallowed, she realized she was ravenous. “Oh,” she said, taking another bite, and then a quick drink of water. “Thank you so much for bringing this to me.”

“You’re welcome. Whatever you need, Kate.” Erato touched her leg, drawing distracting patterns with her thumb. “Remember that. I’m here to make sure you can spend all your energy and focus on writing. I’m happy to attend to all your needs.”