Rough Drafts (6 page)

Candace
delighted in the rise of Jameson’s hips and the arch of her back. She tightened
her hold on Jameson’s waist and brought her closer. Even a day apart from
Jameson always seemed too long for her liking. She missed holding Jameson,
missed seeing the playfulness in her eyes,
wanted
to kiss her goodnight and wake up beside her the next day. Making love was
wonderful
. Candace had never yielded to anyone
the way she did to Jameson. She never felt the desire to lose herself in the
feel of another person’s body. Candace was convinced she could make love to
Jameson forever and never grow tired. Feeling Jameson submit to her touch so
completely not only overwhelmed her emotions, it aroused her in a way she had
never experienced with another soul.

“Please,”
Jameson pleaded again.

“Please
what?” Candace asked. She
raised
a hand
to Jameson’s breast and tugged lightly at a straining nipple.

“God!”
Jameson cried out. “I need you. Please.”

Candace
circled Jameson with her tongue and then softly entered her, thrusting gently.
“That? Is that what you need?” she asked. Jameson couldn’t answer. She felt her
heart lurch dramatically and her legs begin to tremble. “Mm,” Candace
replied
. She began moving in painfully slow
motion inside Jameson. Jameson writhed beneath her. Candace watched for a
moment in rapt fascination as Jameson’s head went back and her lips parted in
anticipation. She lowered her kiss again and teased Jameson as her thrusts
became gradually more insistent. Her own center began to flutter in response to
Jameson’s movements and appreciative moans. She desperately wanted to feel
Jameson let go.

Jameson
was becoming dizzy. Candace would bring her to the edge of sanity and let her
hover there only to pull back and start all over again. Her entire body tingled
as her heart raced. “God. God, I need you. Please,” Jameson begged.

Small
tremors were beginning to erupt in Candace’s
core
.
She felt Jameson shift slightly beneath her and Jameson’s body
start
to shudder lightly. She was losing her
ability to concentrate, amazed that she could feel her own pending release
building. She was caught off guard when Jameson moved to pull her upward. “What
are you doing?” Candace asked.

Jameson
did not answer. She kissed Candace passionately and pulled her higher. Candace
lost her breath at the unspoken request. Her heart fluttered as she positioned
herself above Jameson. She moved to turn and Jameson stopped her by reaching up
and taking hold of her breasts. “Jameson?” Candace was confused.

“I
want to feel you right now,” Jameson said. Candace trembled violently as
Jameson’s tongue met her need. Jameson let her palms barely graze over both of
Candace’s nipples and Candace cried out.

Candace
wanted to lose
herself at
the moment. It
would have been easy to do so. She needed to feel Jameson reach the pinnacle
with her and she turned swiftly. Before Jameson could mount a protest, Candace
had resumed her earlier exploration.

Wordless
and breathless, Jameson answered Candace with a deep moan. She
held
onto Candace and continued to lose herself
in the softness that was uniquely Candace. Without warning, her body exploded
in an array of sensation that overtook all of her senses. Light exploded from
behind her eyelids, her skin shivered, her muscles quaked, and her ears were
met with a persistent ringing. Her tongue tasted the woman she loved. Candace
followed her over the edge. Jameson held onto her wife tightly as another wave
of pleasure descended on them both. She refused to let go of Candace until
Candace began to rise again.

“Jesus!”
Candace pulled away slightly, struggling to hold herself up. Jameson would not
relent. Candace grabbed onto Jameson’s thighs to steady herself. Her head was
spinning as Jameson lifted her still higher. “Jameson!” Candace screamed. She
collapsed against her will and slowly rolled off of her wife. Jameson pulled
Candace up and into her arms. “Jesus,” Candace said as she tried to calm her
racing heart. “You forget, I am a Nana,” she chuckled.

“You’re
the sexiest Nana I know,” Jameson replied.

“What
brought that on?” Candace asked.

“I
could ask you the same thing.”

“I
told you, I missed you,” Candace finally began to catch her breath.

“I
missed you too,” Jameson said. Candace held onto her tightly and snuggled
closer. Jameson closed her eyes and kissed the top of Candace’s head. She was
content to let silence envelop them and enjoy their closeness. They remained
silent, tenderly caressing one another for what seemed to both like hours
before Jameson spoke. “You know,” she began.

“What?”
Candace asked.

“You
really do have a lot of stamina for a Nana,” she chided. Candace smacked
Jameson’s stomach. “What? That was a compliment.”

“Uh-hum.
Don’t forget that you are a grandmother by default.”

“By
whose fault?” Jameson quipped.

Candace
laughed. “Lunatic.”

“Nanas
love lunatics.”

“Lunatics
love Nanas,” Candace retorted.

“Guilty,”
Jameson confessed. “What’s my punishment?” she flirted.

“I’ll
think of something,” Candace promised. “After I sleep for about twelve hours.”

Jameson
chuckled. She was about to tease Candace about being worn out when she realized
that Candace had already fallen asleep, which was rare. She combed her fingers
through Candace’s hair and watched her sleeping. Jameson took a deep breath and
closed her eyes. She replayed the day in her mind, Jonah’s words, Candace’s
gentleness—it amazed her. Jameson was
sure
that the last two days had rattled her wife. Things had been going smoothly for
quite some time. Jameson somehow understood they were just starting to hit a
rough patch in the road. It had been inevitable. Life seldom stayed on an even
path.

Life
certainly was not what Jameson had envisioned a few years ago. Married. Married
to a woman who very well might be on a path toward the White House one day.
Married. Married to a woman with three grown children and now looking at
welcoming a third grandchild. Two years ago, Jameson would have called herself
certifiable for even considering marriage—to anyone—ever. Now? Married. Married
to the one person Jameson knew she never wanted to live without, no matter what
happened. She kissed Candace’s head again and felt Candace shift closer in her
embrace. “I love you,” Jameson whispered to her wife.

“I
love you too, lunatic,” Candace mumbled.

“I just don’t
understand why you feel the need to stop there this weekend,” Jeffrey told his
mother.

Pearl
smiled. “Jeffrey, why don’t you want to see Candy?” she asked.

“It’s
not that. You are with Candy all the time,” he pointed out.

“Um.
Jealousy
does not become you,” she said
knowingly.

“I’m
not jealous, Mom. I love Candy too.”

“Yes,
I know you do. You used to follow her around like a
little, lost
puppy,” Pearl laughed. Jeffrey blushed. “Oh, come on.
She’s over all of that now,” Pearl said.

Jeffrey
shook his head. “I don’t know about that.”

“I
do. You were right. She knows that. And, she knows you love her.”

“Yeah,
but I decked her husband. And, I called her girlfriend a bimbo. I’m not sure
she wants me around her wife,” Jeffrey said.

Pearl
laughed raucously. “Jameson? Trust me, Jameson can handle you all be herself,”
Pearl told her son.

“You
really like her, don’t you?”

“Jameson?”
Pearl asked. Jeffrey nodded. “I love her almost as much as I love you two
fools,” she said.

Jeffrey
laughed. Pearl always called Jeffrey and Candace her two fools. Jeffrey had
always looked up to Candace. Candace was his big sister in every way that
mattered. He emulated her constantly, even following her footsteps into law. He
was also fiercely protective of her. At times, Pearl thought her son’s
protectiveness of Candace might surpass her own. It had caused a few issues
over the years. No one was good enough for his Candy, no one. He had never
liked Jonathan Fletcher, not from the moment the man walked into Governor
Stratton’s home. He thought Jonathan was smug. Jeffrey had told Pearl more than
once that he would love to wipe the smug look off Candace’s husband’s face.
That finally happened late one night after a family party.

Jeffrey
was just getting ready to enter law school. He’d spent four years studying
Russian language and culture. Now, he wanted to delve into international law.
Candace had helped him with his applications and encouraged him forward. He had
been anxious to see her before leaving. Jeffrey had gone off to find Jonah, who
was five at the time. He found Jonah staring into his great-grandfather’s study
where his father was engaged in a lip-lock with some woman Jeffrey had never
seen before. Silently, Jeffrey had guided Jonah away and to his mother, his
temper simmering. He had promised himself he would confront Jonathan Fletcher
calmly. But, when he came face to face with Candace’s husband he lost all hope
of civility. Words were exchanged. Jonathan told the young Jeffrey to mind his
own business. Candace was his business, not Jeffrey’s. Jeffrey’s answer was a
swift and hard punch to the man’s jaw that sent Jonathan Fletcher cascading to
the floor.

That
indiscretion had been forgiven almost immediately, at least by Candace. Some
years later, Jeffrey would confront Jessica Stein in much the same manner. Jessica
was out at a restaurant in Washington. Jeffrey happened to walk in and see her
with another woman. Jessica feigned innocence. Jeffrey had seen enough at a
distance to understand that it was not a simple business meeting. He strolled
up to her, said hello and then pulled her aside. His words of warning were
harsh. She, of course, took the altercation to Candace, who in turn chastised
Jeffrey for his behavior. It left Jeffrey angry and embarrassed. They had, of
course, seen each other since. Jeffrey had kept his distance. Perhaps he had
overstepped his bounds. He adored Candace. She had always protected him. He had
only ever wanted to do the same. She’d even secured him his position at the
State Department. She insisted he had earned it on his own merits. Jeffrey
moved up the ladder quickly. That required advocates. There were few better
advocates to have than Candace Fletcher.

“I
don’t know,” he said quietly.

Pearl
frowned. “Jeff,” she said. “You have to give Jameson a chance. Just don’t throw
any punches,” she laughed. “Trust me on this one, Jameson Reid would die before
she would let a soul hurt Candy, or me for that matter.”

“I
hope you’re right.”

“Of
course, I
am.
”

***

“Are
you going to tell her?” Jonah asked his mother.

Candace
folded her arms across her chest and regarded her son for a moment silently. “I
can. I think maybe you should tell her yourself.”

Jonah
went pale. “Grandma Pearl…”

“Will
want to know what on earth you two are talking about,” Pearl’s voice boomed
from the doorway.

Candace
raised a brow at her son. “Nothing, Grandma,” Jonah moved his chair aside and
made his way to the older woman.

“You
think because I am old, I am senile?” she asked him. Candace snickered in the
distance.

“No!”
Jonah defended himself. Just as he was about to
continue,
another figure appeared in the doorway.

Candace
smiled at the tall, attractive man who was looking at her hesitantly. “Hi,
Jeffy.”

“Hey,
Candy,” he greeted her. They
shared
a
silent glance before Jeffrey shifted his attention to Jonah. “Jesus, you look
like your Mom!” he said to the younger man. “Only younger and male.”

“Thanks,
I think,” Jonah laughed.

“Hey
, I think
I managed to fix the leak in the
old,” Jameson was carrying on excitedly as she entered the back door and hung
up her coat. “Barn,” she finished.

“Jameson,”
Pearl said. “You are filthy. What the hell are you doing outside in this cold?”

Candace
rolled her eyes and looked at her wife to answer. “Fixing the leak in the
barn.”

“In
February? I seem to see your wife here, don’t you have better projects to get
your hands on?” Pearl teased. “Warmer ones?” Candace covered her mouth to hide
her chuckle as Jameson blushed furiously.

Jonah
snickered. “What’s so funny?” Jameson asked him.

“Nothing,”
he said with a raise of his hands. “Just wondering what you were repairing at
about eleven-thirty last night,” Jonah smirked.

Jameson’s
mouth flew open. Candace closed it with her hand. “Jameson,” she said. “This is
Pearl’s son, Jeffrey.”

“Nice
to meet you,” Jameson said. She
went
to
extend her hand and withdrew it when she noticed how filthy it actually was.
“Sorry,” she wrinkled her nose.

Jeffrey
was intrigued. “No need for apologies. Nice to finally meet you, Jameson.”

“J.D.,”
Jameson said.

“I’m
sorry?” Jeffrey was confused.

“Everyone
calls me J.D. except your mom and Candace. I don’t what their problem is.”

“It’s
your name, isn’t it?” Candace said.

Jameson
rolled her eyes. “That or lunatic,” she answered smartly. Candace threw a dish
towel at her. “Hey! I get the hint,” Jameson said. “If you’ll excuse me, I
think Nana here is telling me I need to get cleaned up.”

Candace
shook her head affectionately as Jameson placed a kiss on her cheek. “Lunatic.”

“That
makes you Mrs. Lunatic,” Jameson called back.

“We
all have our crosses to bear!” Candace called after her. Jameson
waved
her off just as Jinx made his presence
known. “And, where have you been?” Candace asked the cat at her feet.

“What
is that?” Jeffrey asked.

“Oh,
that’s Jinx,” Jonah answered.

Jeffrey
was dumbfounded and looked at his mother to explain. “Candy got a cat?”

“No,
Jameson made a deal with Candy. Candy got out-negotiated,” Pearl explained.

Jeffrey
watched Candace pick Jinx up, cuddle
him
and place him back on the floor. “You hate cats,” he said in utter disbelief.

Candace
shrugged. “Like I said, we all have our crosses to bear.”

“So?”
Pearl chimed. She made her way to the kitchen table and plopped in a chair.
“What were you two discussing about me when I so rudely interrupted?”

“Uh…”
Jonah stammered.

“Jonah
has some news,” Candace said.

“Oh?
Is this coffee or wine kind of news?” Pearl asked. Jonah went pale. Pearl
raised her eyes to Candace’s. Candace smiled and gave the signature
raise of
her brow. “I see,” Pearl said. “Did
you get arrested?”

“What?
No!” Jonah said.

“Okay.
Did you crash that nice car your mother bought you?” Pearl asked.

“No…”

“Flunk
out of school?”

“No!”

“Hum.
Well, you didn’t elope because I don’t see any girl here,” Pearl paused. “Told
your mother you’re gay?”

Jonah
started laughing. “I’m not gay, Grandma.”

“Joined
the CIA like this one here,” she pointed to
Jeffrey,
who was now sitting beside her.

“I
am not in the CIA, Mom,” Jeffrey laughed.

“No,”
Jonah chuckled.

“Well,
that leaves two possibilities. Either you are in love or somebody’s pregnant,”
Pearl said. Jonah’s look of astonishment made Candace chuckle. “Well? How’d I
do? Wait…Tell me it’s both.”

“Well…I
mean…How could you…” Jonah tried to
speak,
but he was at a loss.

“Is
she pretty?” Pearl asked. She looked up at Candace.

“Don’t
ask me,” Candace said. “I haven’t even seen a picture of the mystery girl yet.”

“Yes,
Grandma,” Jonah answered.

“Smart?”

“Yes.
She’s in her senior year at Cal,” he said. “She’s a political science major.”

“Imagine
that,” Pearl said with a knowing grin as she looked back at Candace. She
returned her focus to Jonah. “Should be an interesting kid, then, I would
think,” she said. “So? When do we get to meet her?” Pearl asked the million
dollar question.

Jonah
shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure. I want you to. I know Laura wants to meet
you. I just…”

Jameson
entered the kitchen as Jonah began to stammer again. “I’m sure we will meet her
soon enough,” Jameson said assuredly. Jonah looked at her gratefully.

“Jameson,
look at
that, you and Candy are going to
be grandparents—again,” Pearl started laughing.

“Laugh
it up,” Jameson said.

“Next
thing you know, you’ll be telling us you two are expecting,” Pearl laughed
harder.

Jameson
shrugged. “If you can find a way to get Candace pregnant, I’m all for it.”

“Excuse
me?” Candace piped up.

“What?”
Jameson smirked. “I’ve tried,” she said. Candace’s eyes widened.

“Are
they always like this?” Jeffrey whispered to Jonah.

Jonah
nodded. “Pretty much.”

“That
is
you mother?” Jeffrey asked.

“Yep,”
Jonah replied. “Crazy, huh?”

“What
are you two whispering about?” Candace asked suspiciously.

“Nothing,”
they both answered.

“Uh-huh.
Good. You two can go out and get some wood for the
woodstove
and the fireplace while Pearl and I think about dinner,”
Candace said.

“That
means they are going to drink wine and talk about us,” Jeffrey told Jonah.

“I
know,” Jonah laughed.

“What
about me?” Jameson asked.

“You’ve
caused enough trouble for one day,” Candace said.

“What
are you sending me to my room?” Jameson asked.

“Don’t
push it. I might,” Candace answered. Jameson’s eyes twinkled. “Alone,” Candace
said firmly. Jameson’s mouth flew open.

“Come
on,” Jonah grabbed Jameson’s arm. “It’s safer outside. Trust me.”

Jameson
stopped in front of Candace. “You’re not really mad at me, are you?” she
whispered.

Candace
tried to glare. She saw the forlorn look in Jameson’s eyes and kissed her wife
on the cheek. “Go keep those two in line,” she said. Jameson nodded and headed
out the door.

“Just
don’t tell me Shell is knocked up,” Pearl said.

Candace
snorted. “At this point? Nothing would surprise me.”

“Kind
of changed your weekend plans. How is Jameson doing?” Pearl asked.

Candace
sighed. “Right now? I think Jonah’s news gave her a diversion. Come Monday when
she has to go back and face Scott? I don’t know, Pearl.”

“What
about you?” Pearl asked. “You and I both know all of this is going to play out
publicly.”

“Yeah,
I know. I’ll deal with it.”

“Mm.
You’d better reel in Marianne before she
guts
that young girl of Jonah’s,” Pearl sniggered.

“Oh,
Jesus! Maybe you should call her,” Candy suggested.

“She’s
your kid,” Pearl reminded Candace.