Lovestruck (12 page)

"Hey there, kiddo," Barbara murmured and rifled Jenny's hair.

Jenny closed her eyes, enjoying Barbara's touch. "Hey you. Have you been up long?"

"About an hour or so."

Jenny opened her eyes and let out a deep yawn. She leaned up and looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall next to the muted television broadcasting the news. The time said 7:20 A.M.

Jenny stretched and sat up. Barbara leaned down and Jenny met her halfway for a morning kiss. A long, lingering morning kiss. When Barbara finally sat back, their gazes met and they both smiled.

"Did you have a nice rest?" Barbara asked.

Jenny nodded and pushed a piece of hair behind her ear.

Barbara rubbed her forehead against Jenny's. She closed her laptop and patted Jenny's leg.

"Don't stop what you're doing. I should get going. I have to be at work at twelve." Jenny climbed out of the bed and stopped when she gasped in pain.

Barbara placed her computer on the nightstand. "Rough night?" She joked.

Jenny wrinkled her forehead "Ha. Ha." She stood unsteadily on her feet and hobbled to the bathroom, much like an old woman would. She let out a moan and closed the bathroom door.

Barbara chuckled, stood up and stretched. Her back and legs throbbed, but it was a sex ache, so she didn't mind. She spotted Jack on the floor and picked it up.

As she turned up the sound on the television, the toilet flushed and sounds of water running came from inside the bathroom. The door opened and Jennifer came out.

She stopped and her eyes went wide at the sight of Barbara holding the vibrator.

"I think I may need some time to recover from good old Jack. Maybe next time?"

Barbara stood there holding Jack, watching Jennifer pick up her clothes.

"Why the rush to leave?" she asked. She placed the vibrator on her dresser, walked over to Jennifer and wrapped her arms around her.

Jennifer held her bra and settled back into Barbara's embrace. They both faced the mirror that stood in the far corner. Barbara's gaze roamed over their reflections. She played with Jennifer's right nipple. Jennifer let out a small sigh and settled more into Barbara's embrace.

"Stay." Barbara rubbed her face against the side of Jennifer's neck.

"I wish I could but I can't."

Barbara placed her chin on top of Jennifer's shoulder. "When was the last time you called in sick?'

"Never." Jennifer turned her head and rubbed her cheek against Barbara's.

"Perfect. You're due for some down time. We can spend the day together. Let's have some breakfast in bed, fool around, take a nice bath to soothe our aching muscles and fool around some more."

Jennifer snorted. "Is sex all you think about?"

"When it comes to you, yes."

Jennifer moved out from under Barbara's arms and turned to look at her. "I don't know . . . ."

Barbara grabbed Jennifer's arms and gave her a light squeeze. "All I'm asking for is half the day. As much as I want to stay holed up in here all weekend long with you, I know you have some studying to do and I have work. Why don't we play hooky for a few hours? Come on. It will be fun."

Jenny sighed. Barbara's suggestion sounded great. And Barbara herself looked so happy and relaxed, which she loved seeing. She knew Barbara didn't have many free moments to herself and if she told Barbara no, she would be heartbroken.

"Okay. But I can't stay the whole day. I really do have to go home and study. I can't be a total slacker."

Barbara gave Jenny a lip-smacking kiss and grabbed her hand, pulling her along to the bathroom. "For the next few hours, you are mine, Caffey. Why don't we take a bath first and discuss what we want for breakfast?"

Jenny squeezed Barbara's hand. "Sounds like a plan."

Barbara smiled. "I have big plans for you."

Jenny caught Barbara's mischievous grin and couldn't help but wonder what Barbara had planned. Not just for today, but for the rest of their lives. She did want to work on a future with Barbara, despite everything that seemed to be working against them.

After a nice, soothing bath that led to more wonderful loving, both women napped for a while, entwined in each other's arms.

Jenny was the first to awaken. She unwrapped herself from Barbara's arms and legs. The other woman didn't even stir, but remained sleeping, dead to the world. Jenny gave her a light kiss on the cheek and moved off the bed. She glanced at the clock. A little after eleven. She pulled on her robe and walked out of the room and down the stairs to grab her bag. She took out her cell phone and made a call.

Jenny lowered her voice to make it sound scruffy. She let out a small sigh of relief when she heard a female voice on the other end. "Hey, Carole, Jenny here. Is Jeffrey there? I'm not feeling too well." Jenny leaned against the couch as her co-worker placed her on hold. She jiggled her leg. When the phone clicked and someone called out a greeting she exhaled again, thankful to hear Steve, the assistant manager's voice. She'd forgotten today was Saturday, and Jeffery and Steve both worked the concierge desk.

"Steve, it's Jenny. I think I have a bug or something. I'm not feeling too hot. I have been . . . throwing up all night long. Yup . . . it's better if I stay home. I wouldn't want to infect anybody. Okay, well hopefully I'll be feeling better by tomorrow. Yes . . . thanks again. Bye." She let out a small cough and closed her phone, relieved she didn't have to talk to Jeffery, who would have given her the third degree.

Jenny heard clapping and looked up at Barbara who stood naked on the catwalk above. Barbara leaned over the railing and smiled. "You sounded perfect. I would've never known you were lying."

"I don't do it often." Jenny pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"If it makes you feel any better, I lied too. Earlier, while you slept, I sent Jeffery an e-mail explaining how I couldn't come in today because of more important work-related issues. I asked him to reschedule all my meetings."

Barbara looked so proud of herself. Jenny wished she could feel the same way.

"I hope Ba—um, Jeffery doesn't figure out what we did or where we are."

Barbara shrugged. "Why would he? He thinks I'm straight, and unless you told him you're gay, I don't think he has any clue. And even if he did, why would he put us together? No one knows anything. Give me a minute and I'll meet you downstairs and we can have brunch." She walked away and back into her bedroom.

Jenny sat on the couch waiting. She soon became antsy and walked over to the window to open the drapes. She noted they were automatic ones and found the button on the side of the wall. She pressed it and as the drapes opened, Jenny scowled, disappointed in the weather. The day was somewhat overcast with a few patches of blue peeking out in between the clouds. She still couldn't believe the view. The New York skyline looked like a perfect picture postcard.

Barbara came down the stairs and Jenny turned as she came over to stand beside her.

"Even though I see the same sight every day, the view still amazes me. Every morning before I leave for work, I take a moment to look out at the world and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead."

Jenny put her arms around Barbara and placed her head on her shoulder. "The fantastic view I have from my window is a brick building."

Barbara rubbed her cheek against the top of Jenny's head. "You're more than welcome to come back and see my view anytime."

Jenny didn't respond. Instead, she moved away, patting her stomach. "I'm starving. We used up a lot of energy last night."

"Oh, poor baby. We wouldn't want you to starve now, would we?" Barbara brushed Jenny's cheek and walked toward her industrial-sized kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and took out a loaf of bread and some eggs. "Does French toast sound good?"

"From scratch?"

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Of course."

Jenny's stomach growled. "I think that sounds perfect."

"Why don't you start on the coffee and I'll make the toast?"

Jenny walked over to the coffeemaker. She was trying to figure out how to turn it on when Barbara came up behind her and gave her a hug. Jenny turned and hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you decided to stay with me."

Jenny gave her a quick kiss. "How else would I get breakfast made for me?" She turned away again and Barbara slapped her on the ass.

"Hey." Jenny said without too much heat. She winked at her lover and then turned to the sink to fill the carafe with water.

Barbara watched Jennifer for a moment, smiled and started on breakfast, her heart full with the emotions she'd begun to develop for Jennifer.

Barbara recommended they have their breakfast outside on the balcony where they could both enjoy the comfortable, spring-like day. Jenny had never eaten on a balcony before, not to mention one thirty floors up. She practically bounced with excitement at the idea.

Along with the French toast, they ate yogurt and fresh blueberries and strawberries, as well as a nice pot of Columbian coffee that did an excellent job at perking Jenny awake. She limited herself to two cups because she didn't want to scare Barbara by bouncing off the walls from the intense brew.

She and Barbara talked of small things, such as their likes and dislikes and about the people in their lives. The clouds had moved on, leaving behind a perfect blue sky.

They sat next to each other, holding hands, enjoying the light breeze and their meal, very content with each other's company.

Jenny wanted to enjoy the next few hours with Barbara, knowing her fantasy would soon be over and she'd have to go back to the every day grind of her life.

She bit into a strawberry and noticed the impish smile on Barbara's face "Here I'm thinking about what a wonderful morning it is, but from the smile on your face, you're probably thinking of sex again." She threw her napkin at Barbara. "You act like a guy sometimes."

Barbara took a sip of her coffee. "I can't help it. Do you know how long it's been since I had any? Plus, last night was incredible." She reached over and gave Jenny a kiss. "Thank you for trusting me and letting me do such naughty things to you."

Jenny blushed and hid her face behind her hands. "I should be thanking you. I need to get myself a Jack."

"You can borrow mine anytime." Barbara squeezed Jenny's hand and finished off the last of her French toast. "I could get used this."

"What do you mean?" Jenny asked around a bite of yogurt.

"My usual mornings, when I'm not rushing out the door to get to a meeting or running late to the office, consist of reading some boring business papers or working on my laptop while I scarf something down." She smiled and tugged on a strand of Jenny's hair.

Jenny ate another strawberry, trying to find a way to bring up their future together. The way she talked made Jenny believe Barbara wanted more nights together.

The question was how to bring it up without sounding too needy?

She finished eating her berry and had opened her mouth to ask when they might get together again, when Barbara changed the direction of the conversation.

"I know we shouldn't be talking about work, but I want your insight on something about the hotel."

"Really? I'm not an expert or anything like that. I bet you get a ton of advice from your lawyers or executives who have better insight then I do." Jenny relaxed back against her seat.

"I value your opinion. I've been thinking of possible ways to improve the St.

Jennings and would love to hear from an employee like you on how this could be accomplished."

Jenny scratched her cheek as she thought of an answer. "Hmm . . . let me see . . . ." She looked off into the distance as she mulled over the possibilities.

Barbara leaned back in her seat, holding her cup of coffee and waiting silently.

Jenny nodded. "I do have some ideas, if you're sure you want to hear them."

"Absolutely."

Jenny smoothed down her robe to give her nervous hands something to do.

"Okay. I think the hotel needs some updating. The atmosphere gives off an older vibe where we need to come up to speed in a more modern way. We're the only hotel in the city with no unlimited Wi-Fi in the lobby. Also, a perk that may get us additional reservations is free Internet in the rooms or a certain amount of free time at certain points in the day. New televisions would be nice. Maybe some LCDs or Hi Def ones.

The furniture needs updating in the lobby and in the bar area. You may also want to think about expanding the bar and turning it into a restaurant or perhaps serve bar snacks or food. Maybe think about having happy hour or live music to bring in people off the street. If they get drunk enough, they may get a room for the night and sleep it off. Let me think . . . what else?"

Barbara sat up straight in her chair and put her mug on the table with a loud bang. Jenny jolted out of her musings. Barbara gave her a blank stare.

Jenny shivered as the dark heated look grew in Barbara's eyes. "Um, Barbara did I say something wrong? Are my ideas too over the top? Cause if they are you can just—"

Barbara grabbed Jenny by the neck and pulled her in for a kiss. Jenny placed her hands over Barbara's, surprised by her action, but deciding to go with the flow and enjoy herself. She hung half out of the chair as Barbara tried to pull her onto her lap.

Jenny pulled back before she tipped over. "I guess you
do
like my ideas."

Barbara moved in closer and looked off to the side. "Damn. Maybe I've been going about this all the wrong way."

"What do you mean by the wrong way? Us?"

Barbara gave Jenny's hand a squeeze "I was woolgathering for a minute there.

For the longest time the advice I've been—never mind, it's not important. Sorry, I got a little excited."

"A little?" Jenny joked and gave Barbara a kiss. She cupped Barbara's cheeks and deepened the kiss. A moment later, they broke apart, panting, their robes hanging open for all of Manhattan to see. Jenny closed her robe, while Barbara sat back with hers half off. She made no move to cover her body and looked bemused by Jenny's actions.