In Too Deep (31 page)

She raised up then and took Patricia’s lips aggressively into her mouth, sucking and nibbling away any resistance. Yes, she had to have her now. Right now.

Patricia’s head swam as her body instantly reacted. Erin’s fingers eased their way in with surprising confidence, cupping her hot flesh through her cotton panties. She tore her mouth away, her lips swollen, her body aching.

“Christ,” she let out for the second time in mere minutes. But this time the word was nearly shouted out as she shuddered above Erin’s hand.

“I want you,” Erin cried out. “I want to feel you in me.” She took Patricia’s hand by the wrist and shoved it between her legs where her flesh pulsed and hummed, painfully engorged.

Patricia felt the desire and hunger conquer her insides with skilled blades and knowing swords, leaving everything in its wake burned, broken, and useless. Erin hauled her down for another powerful kiss, and Patricia worked hurriedly at Erin’s shorts as Erin whispered her demands in her ear.

“Yes, please. Hurry. I need you inside.” Erin bucked up against her hand. “Hurry.”

Patricia yanked down the shorts, and Erin raised her hips and helped get rid of her underwear. “Hurry,” she urged Patricia once again. “Fuck me.”

As the words crumbled the last remaining gate to her castle, Patricia allowed her desire to conquer her entire body. She crawled atop Erin like a predator who had hunted for years for this one special prey. Their mouths met and battled, followed quickly by their hands. Erin grabbed Patricia’s hand again, forcing it upon her wet, hot folds. As soon as she felt the heated flesh, Patricia moaned and plunged her fingers deep inside.

Erin at once arched up off the sofa. “Yes! God, yes.” She shoved down Patricia’s panties and jeans. “Let me feel you.”

Patricia started to stand so she could remove them but Erin stopped her. “No, don’t move. Stay just like that.”

Erin couldn’t bear the thought of Patricia pulling out of her. She needed her inside, needed to feel her long hot fingers fucking her. Patricia’s pants were just below her hips, exposing her glistening flesh under a small tuft of hair. Suddenly desperate to feel her, Erin reached out and nearly choked as she felt how hot and slick she was. Her hunger grew to new heights as she eased her fingers up inside another woman for the very first time. Patricia sucked in a quick breath and moved her hips against Erin’s hand, her body clamping down and around Erin’s fingers.

“Oh God, yes.” Erin closed her eyes, completely overcome with pleasure. She felt Patricia plunge into her then, sending heat up high within her belly. Crying out, she did the same in return, causing Patricia’s hips to dance atop her hand. As pleasure built inside of her, she could only think of her dream, deep blue eyes morphing into piercing ice blue, looking up at her from between her legs, somehow knowing her. She threw her head back, the pressure mounting. Then an image of Liz atop her, riding her fingers and groaning with pleasure, sent her over.

Erin cried out loudly, her entire body tensing under Patricia’s, her face contorting with intense pleasure. The beautiful sight made Patricia break, a weak cry escaping from deep within her chest. As she rode out the powerful, incredible orgasm, her eyes remained trained on Erin’s face—so beautiful, so innocent, so vulnerable. God, it felt so good to be with her, to be the one who gave her such great pleasure, to be the reason she was coming.

Erin bucked several more times, her body milking the last of the pleasure that had rocketed through her. A few seconds later she stopped moving, her breath coming out in short rasps. Patricia eased herself out, and Erin let out a hurried breath at the birth of the writer’s fingers. She didn’t want be left, now feeling literally hollow inside.

“Sorry,” Patricia said, with a smile. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Erin rested her hand on her forehead, overwhelmed by what had just occurred. Reality came smashing back to her, weighing her down. She maneuvered slightly, realizing she was uncomfortable, and pulled her fingers from Patricia. They ached as she bent them, and she was amazed at how unaware she’d been of the pain.

“It’s okay if you’re feeling a little strange,” Patricia said softly, stroking Erin’s cheek. “Sometimes this can be very emotional, especially the first time.”

Erin creased her brow, frustrated. She didn’t know how she was feeling, much less understand it. “But this wasn’t my firs…” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she had just confessed. She gazed into Patricia’s eyes and wished she could take back the words.

The statement banged on Patricia’s skull, seeking entry. But she didn’t want to let it in. “What?” She cocked her head in confusion.

But before Erin could answer, the words penetrated and she released her and stood up, stricken. “Liz? Was it Liz?”

She knew it in her heart, but wanted to believe it wasn’t so.
I’m dying inside. Please, tell me it wasn’t her.
The pain flooded her insides, and she couldn’t bring herself to look at Erin.

“Does it matter?” Erin asked, suddenly defensive. Why did it matter? This wasn’t about Liz. She inwardly cringed as she realized that wasn’t true. It was about Liz.

“Yes, it matters,” Patricia replied. On shaking legs, she took a step closer. “Was she gentle?” Erin stared at the floor. She didn’t want to answer, but a part of her didn’t want Patricia to think Liz had somehow hurt her—the other detective already thought ill enough of her.

“Yes,” she replied and saw the hurt in Patricia’s eyes.

“I see.” Patricia ran a hand through her hair, trying to hide the trembling in her extremities.
Somebody kill me. Just kill me now. It hurts. Oh God, how this hurts.

Her body,
only moments before bathed in beautiful pleasure, now felt useless and ready for complete collapse. She reached out for the anchor of the sofa.

Erin continued to watch as devastation took hold of Patricia. She didn’t understand why. What was the big deal? “I don’t see why this matters,” she said quickly. “You’ve slept with her too.”

Patricia looked at her with disbelief.
Can’t she see? Can’t she see why this hurts?
“You’re right, Mac,” she said, angry at herself for allowing Erin entry to her heart. “Perhaps we should compare notes. Tell me, how many times did she make you come? Did she fuck you so hard you saw Jesus?” Yes, of course she did. Liz was an incredible lover. Unlike anyone else. Incomparable.

“What?” Erin looked alarmed.

“I know what happens on leather night. You can’t fool me. Did she tie you up? Make you her little suck pig?”

“No!” Erin shot back, wanting it to stop. “It wasn’t like that at all. It was wonderful,” she blurted, unable to stop herself from saying what she truly felt.

Wonderful?
Patricia stared at her for a moment, then turned and headed out the back door, slamming it behind her.

Erin sank back into the sofa and buried her face in her hands. She had messed up, and badly. Who had she been kidding? Thinking, wishing that being with Patricia would be like being with Liz? She should’ve stopped herself. She should’ve just admitted the truth. That while she was attracted to Patricia, it didn’t come close to the feelings she had for Liz. And now Patricia knew that too. She felt a sharp pang of guilt in her gut. What had she done? To her friend, to her colleague? Oh Jesus, this was wrong, so very wrong.

“Fuck,” she said, rising from the sofa. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Valle Luna, Arizona

“It’s good to have you back, Ms. Adams.”

“Thank you, Tyson, it’s good to be back.” Liz flipped through stacks of mail. It was seven o’clock, a mere hour before the club would be hopping and throbbing, oblivious to the troubles its owner had recently come face-to-face with. “How have things been here?” she asked her head of security.

“Mostly quiet,” he replied in his thick, booming voice. “But right after you left, the cops came around asking questions about Blade. They wanted to know if she was involved with you on an intimate level.”

“What did you say?” She tossed aside several unimportant envelopes and opened another.

“The truth,” he replied. “I had never seen her around you.”

“Thank you, Tyson. You’ve always been a loyal employee, as well as a friend.” She met his dark eyes.

Tyson unfolded his massive arms. He looked a little startled at her soft sincerity, a tone her employees didn’t hear too often. “Ms. Adams, if you don’t mind my asking, are you feeling okay?”

No doubt he thought she was ill. That would certainly explain her thinner appearance, Liz supposed. Maybe even the change in her usually stoic demeanor. She placed the mail aside, having finished going through it.

“I’m fine,” she said and walked out of her lair and across the VIP room to stand at the railing, looking down on the large dance floor. Several men worked on one of the large light fixtures, having lowered it from the ceiling above. One of them yelled for the power and the lights came to life, swinging and spotlighting, deep blues and purples. She heard Tyson approach from behind as the steel frame holding the lights rose up to its home just below the ceiling.

“Is it true?” he asked. “What they’re saying about Blade?”

She continued to lean on the railing, now watching a couple of bartenders readying the bar for the Friday-night crowd. “It seems so.”

“What about Ms. Reece?”

“What about her?” She glanced at him, wishing he would leave her be. The topic made her uncomfortable.

“Is she really dead?” he asked softly, obviously affected by what he had heard.

“I don’t know any more than you do, Tyson.” She was ready to leave the troublesome conversation. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to attend to business.”

She left him standing alone as she headed back into her private room. She had been running La Femme from afar the past few weeks and had done a fairly good job. But now she was back, and it was time to get down to business. She had bills to pay as well as the hiring of two new bartenders to attend to.

With her checkbook in hand, she sat down on the couch and pulled the neat stack of envelopes over next to her at the coffee table. She usually did most of her paperwork at her home in the Valle Luna hills, but tonight she needed to be here instead of alone in her big house. The club and its business were great distractions. And distractions were exactly what she needed tonight.

She glanced at her satellite phone, anxious for it to ring. Erin McKenzie was still first and foremost on her mind, and yet she didn’t know why. She should be able to forget about her, just like she had done every other woman she had ever come across.

Was it because Erin had beaten her at her own game? The game of seduction?

She had told Jay that she cared about Erin. Was that true? And if so, what did it mean? She ran a hand through her hair. She did care about her. Hell, she had done nothing but think about her since she had first lain eyes on her.

Impatiently, she dialed her satellite phone. When the private detective didn’t answer, she left a message.

“It’s Adams. I’m calling about Erin McKenzie.”

She opened her checkbook and began the mechanical task of paying the bills. While the work was boring and tedious, she welcomed it, allowing it to free her mind of the young detective who had somehow slipped in under the wire.

When she was done writing away her money, she leafed through several different employment applications. Tyson had attached a Polaroid of each applicant, knowing that she would want to screen her bartenders. Appearances meant a lot to her, especially since the women represented La Femme. Kris had gotten sloppy in the hiring process, and Blade had been a perfect example of that sloppiness.

And ultimately it seemed that Kris had paid the price for her hiring incompetence.

Liz examined each applicant, leafing through page after page. Not a sexy one in the bunch. Tired and frustrated, she stood up and stretched. She looked down at her watch and saw that it was well after eight. Her muscles felt tight and stressed, and she walked toward her bathroom, hoping a shower would help relax her.

She let the hot water beat down on her shoulders and back, pounding the tightness from her tense muscles. She soaped herself and ran her hands down over her body. She had lost weight, giving the muscles in her abdomen a carved look and feel. Her legs had lost some muscle mass, but they still looked and felt long and powerful.

She turned to let the water rinse the soap from her front. Her nipples contracted at the forceful fingers of the water, and a familiar rush of heat twinged between her legs. She hadn’t been with a woman in weeks, and her body was finally starting to protest at being ignored. Under normal circumstances, she would’ve never gone so long but with things being as they were, she had been too busy worrying about Jay and thinking of Erin McKenzie to care. But now that she was back, there was no reason to continue to starve her ferocious sexual appetite.

In fact, if things went according to plan, Jay would ultimately behave herself and Liz would finally be able to forget about Erin McKenzie once and for all. She just had to see her again one more time before she would will her mind to forget her.

After rinsing completely off, she emerged from the shower and stared at her reflection. Her face appeared pale and tired, a visible reminder that the past few weeks had been trying. She reached up and traced the angry red scar in her shoulder. It was there forever, just like the one a little lower on her forearm. They were scars of the flesh as well as scars of horrible moments in time, never to fade away completely.