Just This Once (11 page)

“Hi there, handsome,” Wynne cooed, stretching out a hand slowly to pet the indifferent orange beast.

But after three strokes, he was fully on his back, now quite interested in these soft new hands that adored him so. This tall person could stay.

“I’d say you have a new friend.”

“He’s adorable,” Wynne offered, still stroking the white belly as Slayer lay in nearhypnotic bliss.

“Let’s see if you say that when he tries to eat off your plate. I won’t even tell you some of the other adorable things he does.” But when coaxed, Paula did share a few of the cat’s more colorful exploits.

“Sounds to me like he’s just doing his job,” Wynne defended the cat, who had followed her back into the living room.

“Figures you’d take his side. You’d be singing a different tune if he dropped a squirming lizard in your bed!”

Wynne chuckled softly, still scratching her new furry friend. “I really like this place, Paula, everything about it. I bet you’re really comfortable here.”

“I am. I sort of wish I’d bought a three-bedroom so I’d have a little more room, but I don’t get much company. My mom comes over from Cocoa once in a while, and my best friend stayed with me when her place got tented for termites.”

As she talked, Paula poured them each a glass of cabernet sauvignon to enjoy with crackers and cheese as their dinner simmered. Shaking her head in resignation, she watched as her guest shared the cheese with the now positively slutty Slayer.

The friendly cat was a welcome distraction for Wynne, who would otherwise have fumbled nervously for conversation. It was practically tormenting to be here in Paula’s home, to witness her in such a casual, familiar way. The blonde was barefooted, dressed in faded jeans with a tightly fitted long-sleeved top that crept up her muscular midriff each time she moved. Wynne had never before been so aware of another woman’s sensuality. Coming here was not a good idea, she now realized; but she didn’t want to be anywhere else.

“Dinner should be ready,” Paula announced. “Go ahead and have a —”

“Let me lend a hand,” Wynne cut her off, following her host into the kitchen.

“Why don’t you pour more wine? I have white on the top rack of the refrigerator if you want it.”

“The red is fine with me. You want the other?”

“No, I’m fine too.”

Together, they carried dinner to the table. Paula noticed as they ate that her guest gradually relaxed. She’d seemed nervous when she first arrived, almost standoffish. She wondered if that was the residue from Wynne’s discomfort after running into her CEO.

“So how are things going at work?”

Wynne talked about how their presentation was shaping up. “Cheryl walked through it today in her office with Martin and me. He’s the assistant VP for operations. Tomorrow, she’ll give it again to Ken and the guy who handles the analysts.”

“What do you do next time?”

“Just wrap it all up, I guess. I suppose I’ll work a couple of days with the human resources department to lay out how they might shift some of the talent around in the company. It would be a shame to lose some of these people just because their jobs are getting cut when there are others who are underperforming. I’m glad I don’t have to make the final call on that one, though.”

“Is your job really going to get cut?”

“Yeah, it looks that way,” Wynne acknowledged.

“Do you think you’ll be offered something else? I mean, surely, you’re one of those people they’d hate to lose.”

“I don’t know, Paula,” she said wistfully. “I’m not sure I want to move into just another slot. Eldon-Markoff’s a great company, but one of these days, I’d like to sit in one of the big chairs, like Cheryl’s. But she’s only 47 years old, and she’ll probably work at least another 15 years. I’d like to move up before then, so I don’t really see much chance of doing that here.”

“Maybe you ought to think about the hotel industry,” Paula suggested.

“Yeah, or one of the cruise lines, or even another travel company. I’m not limited to just tourism, but I feel like I know the market pretty well.”

“I think whatever company hires you on is going to be awfully lucky.”

“Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, can we talk about something a little less depressing? I’d hate to suddenly get the urge to slash my wrists with your cutlery!”

Paula chuckled at what she hoped was a joke. “Oh, no, I wouldn’t let you do that.” More seriously, she added, “I hope you get your dream job someday, Wynne. I know I haven’t known you that long, but I happen to think you’re a pretty special person.”

Both women looked at each other quietly, slowly pushing their hands together as they had in the restaurant.

“And I think you’re special, too.” Wynne was mesmerized by the calm green eyes as she laced her fingers with Paula’s. No one would walk by their table tonight. With a small tug, she urged the smaller woman forward, leaning slightly herself until their faces almost touched. “Very special,” she whispered, closing the distance to lightly touch the waiting lips with her own.

Again, they looked at one another, this time with dancing eyes. That kiss was the affirmation that they were more than just friends. To Paula, it was a welcome signal, one that she needed; to Wynne, it was an alarm. After a long moment, the tall woman squeezed the hand and released it, finally breaking the spell.

“So would you like more?”

“No, I’m stuffed. It was wonderful.”

“How about coffee or dessert? I have lemon sherbet with raspberry sauce.”

“Maybe later.” Wynne was nearly overwhelmed by the sensations that the tiny kiss had wrought. What she wanted next wasn’t exactly on the menu.

Paula stood and picked up their plates. “Why don’t you take your wine out to the porch and grab a chair. I’ll be out in a minute.” She knew that Wynne had a long day coming up tomorrow, but she dreaded the signal that it was time for her to leave. They had finally taken another step in the direction she wanted to go.

“Do you want some help?”

“No, I’m just going to set these in the sink and run some water on them.”

Wynne started to do as she was directed, but the pull was too strong. She followed Paula to the kitchen, standing in the archway to watch the woman from behind. The sensations from earlier persisted, and before she knew it, she had crossed the tile floor to position herself directly behind the blonde as she stood at the sink. Automatically, her hands went to Paula’s waist as she lowered her mouth to the bare neck.

Paula shuddered as the hot breath tickled her ear. When the lips began to caress the sinewy muscle, her head fell back against the taller woman’s shoulder. She gasped as the long fingers slid underneath her top to stroke her stomach.

Wynne was lost. She had crossed the line, she knew, but found herself powerless to resist this woman. Her right hand left the confines of the shirt to cover Paula’s breast, which she squeezed softly, but with confidence.

Paula turned, eager to have her own hands caress this beautiful woman. Their lips met fiercely, with a near animalistic fervor. Paula leaned back into the counter and pulled Wynne’s hips closer, and soon both women were pushing against one another.

“We shouldn’t…,” Wynne murmured, burying her mouth in the soft flesh behind Paula’s ear.

“We’re both big girls, Wynne. We don’t have to stop,” Paula whispered boldly. Grasping the hand on her waist, she moved toward the door, flicking off the lights as they passed through the dining room. Moments later, they were standing together in the master bedroom, the queen-sized bed cast in a glow from the bedside lamp.

The voice that had plagued Wynne since the first moment she had met the beautiful blonde had finally relented. She was on her own. Hungry to know the treasures before her, she hooked both hands beneath Paula’s top and lifted it smoothly over her head.

“Come lie with me,” Paula urged, tugging the taller woman’s hand to the bedside, where with one jerk of the arm, she sent the spread and the top sheet to the foot of the bed.

Before they sat, she made quick work of the buttons on Wynne’s silk top, pushing it off her shoulders as they tumbled downward.

Both women ran their hands over newly exposed skin as they locked again in a heated kiss. Wynne’s hand slipped underneath to caress Paula’s back and pull her impossibly closer.

Paula reached behind the broad back and loosened the clasp on the bra, pulling the straps over the shoulders. When Wynne rose even slightly, it would fall away. Unencumbered, her hands slid across the smooth plane.

“I want to feel you next to me,” the dark-haired woman whispered, releasing the clasp of Paula’s bra with a simple twist of her hand. As she lifted up, she pulled the smaller woman with her, leaning back as both removed their bras. Wynne suddenly stood and unfastened her slacks, sliding them off and tossing them over the bedside chair.

Paula eyed the beautiful woman standing before her in only a burgundy thong. If she’d ever been this aroused, it must have been in a previous life. Now matching Wynne’s moves, she pushed off her jeans, which dropped crumpled on the floor. Her eyes never left the hungry blue ones that watched her as she slipped her panties off as well. Reaching out, she hooked the thong with her index finger and lowered it to reveal a closely trimmed triangle of jet black curls.

The thong now removed, Paula lay back on the bed in invitation, taking in the sight of the beautiful naked woman who towered above her. If there were ever a doubt as to which woman was the top here, it was surely answered now.

Wynne felt as though her whole body was on fire. The scent of their passion hung in the air as she lowered herself to completely cover the petite woman below. Instinctively, her hips settled on a muscled thigh and she hooked her hands underneath the smaller shoulders as the rhythmic dance began.

Paula stretched her arms but couldn’t reach the buttocks to pull them closer. Instead, she raised her knee, feeling her new lover’s damp center against her skin.

Wynne responded to the move by pulling back, drawing alongside the other woman.

Burying her face into Paula’s neck and shoulder, she raised a hand to stroke a breast, gently rolling the nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

Paula moaned at the tingling sensation, her hips writhing as she sought intimate contact with anything on her lover’s body. “Please.”

Wynne fought the urge to rush this encounter. That wasn’t right for this, not for the way she felt about this woman beneath her. Lowering her mouth, she engulfed one breast while her fingers teased the other.

Pushing her fingers through the long dark hair, Paula pulled Wynne’s head tightly to her as the woman devoured her breast. The sight of the mouth encircling her nipple made her want so much more.

“You’re so beautiful,” Wynne murmured as her fingers now traced the curve to Paula’s hip. When her fingertips brushed the blonde curls, she was amazed to find them soft and fine, and she couldn’t resist lingering there for longer than her partner could stand.

“Please, Wynne,” came the desperate plea. “I need you to touch me.”

Wynne’s resolve to take things slowly crumbled as her fingers slipped through the warm wetness between her lover’s legs. The woman beneath her cried out as she stroked two fingers inside and out, unrelenting as Paula’s hips matched her rhythm. Wynne had been barely aware of the hand on her breast, but now her nipple was being pulled and pinched in tandem with her own movements. She wouldn’t be able to take much more of this.

With her thumb, she flicked the hardened clitoris until she felt the body underneath her grow still and rigid. “Come for me.”

Paula exploded at the simple command, feeling herself tighten and pulse around the hand that filled her. Wynne’s blue eyes were boring into her soul as she rode the wave, and she felt herself climbing again before she ever stilled. Clutching the tall woman’s shoulders, she pushed her thigh between her lover’s legs again, astounded at the wet heat she found.

It was enough to tip her over the edge once again, and it was no surprise that Wynne soon followed.

The lovers lay motionless, both bodies throbbing from release. Suddenly conscious that her entire weight rested on the smaller woman, Wynne moved to pull away.

“No, stay another minute,” Paula whispered her plea. The body that covered her gave her more than a physical sensation. The blonde woman had never felt this close to a lover;

not to Shauna, not to Susan, women that she had loved. This connection with Wynne was as though they had known each other forever. “You feel so good.”

Wynne answered her request with a deep kiss. She could still feel an occasional tremor from Paula’s center as it gripped her fingers. Her lips traveled again to the smaller woman’s neck and shoulder. “I could just devour you.”

“Oh no, you don’t. It’s my turn now.” In a fluid move, Paula reversed their positions, reluctantly sliding off Wynne’s fingers. At once she covered the tortured nipple with her mouth, kissing, licking, nipping, and sucking. From the gasps and hisses, she knew that her touch was welcome. Now determined to have her mouth cover every inch of this beautiful woman, she left the breast and moved lower, stopping when she found a fading scar on Wynne’s left side.

“What’s this from?”

“They had to take out my spleen,” Wynne explained with apprehension, suddenly selfconscious about the scars that covered her body.

Wynne needn’t have worried, as Paula trailed her tongue along its length. As her lips traveled lower, she got a dizzying head full of her lover’s luscious scent. When she reached the black triangle, she felt the thighs beneath her part in invitation. A shudder followed — whether hers or Wynne’s she wasn’t sure — as she finally dipped her tongue into the wet folds.

Wynne rarely revealed herself this way to anyone, not comfortable with being so exposed. But she didn’t feel that vulnerability this time — she trusted Paula to share this intimacy. Reaching low, she grabbed the other woman’s hand, squeezing hard as the sensations began to build.

Paula recognized the response of Wynne’s hips and narrowed her focus to the swollen clitoris, sucking it gently but rhythmically between her lips.