Winds of Fortune (25 page)

“At least I can count on you to hang with me.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll come.”

“You can always bring a date.”

Deo rolled her eyes. “Yeah right.”

“Still seeing Allie?”

“Not that way. We’re friends, that’s it.” Knowing where the conversation was headed, Deo tried to extricate herself from Pia’s grasp. “Look, I have to get back to work.”

“Uh-huh,” Pia said, grabbing the bottom of Deo’s T-shirt and twisting it in her hand. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing. Not a thing.”

“You looked just like this when you were up to your eyebrows in Calley O’Reilly a week before she was supposed to marry Jimmy Jones. You didn’t want me to know you were fooling with her because you knew I’d kick your ass.”

“She was a dyke,” Deo protested. “She didn’t marry him, did she? And now she has a pregnant wife and so does Jimmy. It all worked out just fine.”

“That’s not the point. Jimmy wanted to kill you.” Pia dragged Deo over to the porch and pulled her down onto the steps “You couldn’t hide the good stuff from me then, and you still can’t. Who is she?”

Deo wanted to say no one, because technically it was true. She and Nita hadn’t slept together and they certainly weren’t dating. But denying her didn’t feel right. “I’m sort of in the middle of this…thing, right now. It’s just temporary.”

Pia frowned. “A temporary thing. Define thing.”

“Jesus, Pia. Gimme a break, will you. I have to go back to work.”

“You’re the boss. You should be sitting in a lounge chair under a tree telling the boys what to do. You can spare me fifteen minutes.” Pia rested her hand on Deo’s leg. “You look like shit, by the way. What’s going on?”

“I just had a rough night.” Deo stared hard at a sliver of blue water that was visible between two houses across the street. By day, the harbor looked beautiful, by night, its dark surface reflected her tormented memories. “I told Nita about Gabe, and it kind of twisted me up. That’s all.”

Pia took Deo’s hand and drew it into her lap. “You told Nita.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re seeing Nita?”

“Not exactly,” Deo said quietly.

“Sleeping with her?”

“Not exactly.”

“What does that mean? Heavy petting?”

Deo laughed. “We kind of have this thing.”

“You said that already, sweetie. Your vocabulary is a little lacking today.”

“I can’t get her out of my head, and if I don’t get her into bed soon I’m going to do more than fall off the roof.”

Pia squeezed Deo’s hand. “I thought there was something when I saw the way she looked at you this afternoon.”

“What way?” Deo studied Pia intently.

“When you first walked in she got really still, for just a second, and looked at you…how should I say this. Like she wanted to swallow you whole.”

Deo groaned.

“How long has this
thing
been going on?”

“I don’t know. I think maybe since the first time I saw her.”

“Uh-oh.”

Deo closed her eyes. “You got that right.”

Pia kissed Deo’s cheek. “She’s beautiful. And I really like her.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Deo, sweetheart,” Pia murmured. “If you told her about Gabe, then this is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. You know that, right?”

“I’m not like you, Pia. I don’t do relationships.”

“I know.” Pia stood up and dusted off the back of her slacks, then smiled at Deo. “Of course, you’ve never had any reason to before. Bring her to the party this weekend.”

“No fucking way.”

“Never say never,” Pia called back over her shoulder. “Love you.”

“Yeah,” Deo muttered, wondering how it was Pia always got her to tell her everything. Even the things she didn’t want to admit to herself.

*

“Can you believe it?” Tory said to Nita as they walked up the hall together, leaning into the examining rooms and turning off the lights as they went. “We’re actually done at a decent hour. Both of us.”

“I think this is the first time that’s happened in almost two months.” Nita shrugged out of her lab coat and stepped into her office to hang it on the coat tree. She had an hour before she was due to meet Deo, and she was inordinately pleased that she could go home and change into something more casual than what she wore to work. It seemed foolish, because they weren’t actually having a date.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m going to make the most of it.” Tory waited while Nita collected her bag. “I’m going to find Reese and make her take me out to dinner. How about you? And don’t tell me you’re going to stay home and read a book.”

Nita flushed, imagining herself saying,
I’m meeting a woman for sex.
“I’m having dinner with Deo. To talk about the house.”

“Ah. A business dinner.”

“Yes,” Nita said quickly. It
was
a business dinner of sorts. They were going to deal with the unfinished business between them. Clear the air. Scratch the itch that had been driving them crazy. Driving her crazy, at any rate. She still wasn’t certain why Deo would bother when there had to be any number of women who would likely volunteer to scratch her anywhere she needed it.

“I hope she’s taking you to Porto’s. It’s her cousin’s restaurant. Really hard to get into during the season.”

“I’m beginning to think that Deo has a family member available to fill every need.” Nita laughed as she and Tory entered the deserted waiting area. Randy was still behind the reception counter working on the computer.

“Don’t stay too late,” Tory called to him.

He waved. “Don’t worry. I’m out of here in five minutes. I can still catch the last hour of the tea dance.”

Tory held the door open for Nita, then followed her out into the parking lot. “I hope you have a great time tonight.”

“It’s not a date,” Nita clarified.

“I haven’t forgotten that conversation we had about a certain gorgeous someone you weren’t really attracted to,” Tory teased gently.

“Oh God,” Nita said, stopping by her car. “I don’t know why I’m pretending with you. I haven’t the slightest idea what I’m doing with her.”

“Maybe that’s good,” Tory said. “Maybe it’s better not to have expectations, either good or bad. That way, whatever happens will just be true.”

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Nita whispered as she slid into her car. She rolled down her window and waved as Tory unlocked her Jeep. “Have fun with your sheriff.”

Tory grinned. “That’s my plan.”

The station house was empty except for Gladys, sitting behind the semi-circular counter that held several computer screens and the radio equipment.

“Hi Gladys,” Tory said. “Reese around somewhere?”

“In the office,” Gladys replied, inclining her head toward the closed door behind her. “I hope you came to kidnap her.”

“You’re reading my mind.”

“Good, because as much as I love her, I’m getting tired of her company.”

“I’ll take her off your hands for tonight, at least.” Tory saw by the large plain-faced clock on the wall that it was closing in on six-thirty. Gladys usually left two hours earlier. “Shouldn’t you be getting out of here too?”

“I will, as soon as one of the boys shows up to relieve me.”

Tory wagged her finger as she pushed through the wooden gate and threaded her way between the desks towards the chief’s office. “I know everyone’s working overtime, but I’m counting on you to set a good example for this crew.”

“You know damn well that if Reese works eighteen hours a day so will everyone else, even if she doesn’t tell them to.”

“Well I’m going to take care of that problem right now. She won’t be back tonight.”

“Good.”

Tory tapped on the door which said Nelson Parker in bold black letters and walked into the unadorned ten-by-twelve-foot office. Reese was behind the desk, her tie askew and her eyes red rimmed. She looked more harried than tired.

“Hello darling.”

Reese dropped her pen and leaned back in her chair, a welcoming smile on her face. “This is a nice surprise.”

“Busy?”

“I can probably spare you a minute.”

“Oh, you think so?” Tory circled the desk, grasped the arms of Reese’s swivel chair, and kissed her. Once certain that she had Reese’s attention, she slid onto her lap and wrapped her arms around Reese’s neck. Reese gripped her waist, groaning softly as Tory slowly and thoroughly explored her mouth. After a minute, Tory realized her plan to seduce her lover into leaving work was about to backfire. They hadn’t made love in a few days, and the kiss was quickly getting away from her and turning into something far more serious. Reese felt so good, her body so tight and hard, her lips so soft, so hot. Tory wasn’t thinking about dinner anymore, she was thinking about Reese’s mouth on her, teasing her until she was too helpless to do anything except come. Tory pulled back, breathing hard.

“I think I need more than a minute.”

“Christ,” Reese muttered. “Kiss me again like that and I’m not even going to need thirty seconds.”

Tory laughed and massaged Reese’s shoulders while gently rolling her hips in Reese’s lap. “I have every intention of kissing you again like that.” She brushed a quick kiss over Reese’s mouth. “In fact, I’m going to do a lot more than that. After you take me to dinner.”

Reese growled and buried her face in Tory’s neck. As she bit slowly on the muscle that shadowed the pounding pulse in Tory’s neck, she skated both hands up Tory’s sides and over her breasts. Tory gasped, feeling herself get wet. Twisting her fingers through Reese’s hair, she dropped her head back and closed her eyes.

“Don’t get me too excited, darling, please,” Tory whispered, rocking her ass harder into Reese’s crotch.

“Why should I be the only one going crazy?” Reese grunted. She found Tory’s nipple and pinched rapidly.

“Oh God, Reese…don’t. You know how much that makes me want to come.”

Reese tugged Tory’s earlobe with her teeth, then skimmed the tip of her tongue along the shell of her ear. “I love it when you need to come. I love the way you rub against me, the way your breath catches in your throat. I love the small sounds you make when you start to swell and pound inside, almost like it hurts, but I know it doesn’t.”

“Stop it.” Tory pushed Reese’s hands away. “That’s so wonderful I can’t stand it.”

Laughing, Reese wrapped her arms around Tory’s waist and kissed her throat. “Didn’t you come here to seduce me?”

“Into taking me to
dinner
. I wasn’t planning on having an orgasm in your office.” Panting softly, Tory rested her cheek against Reese’s shoulder. “Sex was supposed to be dessert.”

“Let’s make it the appetizer. Then we’ll pick up the baby and get takeout.”

“Yes,” Tory murmured, nuzzling Reese’s neck. “Yes, soon. I just need a minute to settle down so Gladys doesn’t take one look at me and know what we’ve been doing.”

“Don’t settle down too much,” Reese warned, stroking Tory’s hip. “I’m taking you straight home to bed.”

“Mmm,” Tory sighed. “Will you make love to me until I scream?”

Reese’s expression darkened and her voice dropped impossibly low. “Until you scream for me to stop.”

No longer caring about anything except giving herself over to the connection she shared with Reese and no one else, Tory rose, her legs shaking as she clutched Reese’s hand. “Now. Take me home now. I need you.”

*

When Deo’s phone rang at quarter to seven, her stomach sank. Nita was calling to cancel. She’d worried all day, despite their brief conversation during the afternoon, that in the cool light of day Nita would change her mind. It was one thing to give in to passion in the heat of the moment, and quite another to view it as something you wanted, something you wanted with another person, and to allow it to happen.

Truth be told, she was nervous herself. Usually when she ended up in bed with a woman it was because she clicked with her by chance—she wanted company, and so did her bedmate, or she was twisted up inside, running on adrenaline, needing release, and a woman was there, offering a few hours of pleasure. She’d never thought about a woman the way she thought about Nita, day in and day out, remembering the way she looked or something she’d said or the slightest touch. She never thought about a woman and wanted her enough to say,
Be with me tonight.

“Hello?”

“Deo, it’s Nita.”

Deo held her breath.

After a moment of silence, Nita said, “Are you there?”

“Are you canceling?”

“Do you want me to?” Nita said softly.

“No. No, I don’t.”

“I got done early and I’m home. Can you pick me up here?”

The tightness in Deo’s chest eased. “I’ll be there in ten minutes. Do you mind walking from there? It’s not far.”

“That would be nice. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Deo disconnected, shoved the phone into her pocket, and grabbed her keys. She wanted to get there, get to Nita, before something happened to change everything. Rather than fight traffic, she swung around the far West End and drove up 6 faster than she should have until she could cut back into town. She parked on a side street around the corner from Nita’s and hurried down to Commercial. When she rounded the corner, she slowed. Nita waited on the sidewalk in front of her house. She had changed into casual black slacks with low heels and a cream colored silk blouse. Her hair was loose and the same brisk wind that lifted her hair in thick dark waves molded the silk to her body, outlining her breasts. Deo imagined the weight of Nita’s breasts in her hands and stumbled. Just at that moment, Nita turned in her direction. Her face softened as she laughed.