Sugar Rush (5 page)

Funny how that seemed a lifetime ago, yet Gianna looked no
different from their last day together as lovers and friends.

Gianna’s smile appeared less fake now, and more placating.
“I know, I’m that obvious. Neve, when we broke up—”

“When you left,” Neve corrected her, and watched for
Gianna’s reaction. The other woman stiffened but took a deep breath as though
determined not to take any bait.

“I was a total shitheel, I’ll admit that,” she said, “and
you deserved better, closure. Every time I thought about reaching out to you, I
was afraid you’d tell me to fuck off. Soon it became two years, and that seemed
too long a gap to pick at old wounds.” Gianna paused for a breath, then said,
“If it’s any consolation, she ended up leaving me for somebody else, so karma
came back to bite me on the ass.”

“Well, I’m sorry to hear it.” Not really, but Neve had to
say something to keep from thinking about that delicious, karma-bitten ass.
I
used to nibble on that tush.

They came to a stop in front of the restaurant occupying the
other end of the plaza, a Mexican cantina Neve fought to avoid because of its
delicious and fattening lunch buffet. She perched on the low iron fence that
cordoned off the patio dining area and stuck her hands between her thighs to
warm them.

Thinking about it, she wondered what she would have done if
Gianna had returned to her earlier. She’d always thought she needed an
explanation for Gianna’s betrayal, to know why the woman she’d wanted as her
life partner had suddenly spurned her for somebody else. Other times, she felt
content in her ignorance. She didn’t want to hear that her replacement gave
Gianna bone-shattering orgasms or indulged the fantasies Neve refused her.

Truthfully, she had enough on her mind and didn’t want to
have this conversation now. The news that Gianna was unattached again couldn’t
have come at a more awkward time, right when the bakery was busier than ever.
And she could smile at a couple holding hands or kissing without swallowing
back tears.

“What you did for those women getting married,” Gianna said,
“that was awesome of you.”

“That was business. I bake and sell wedding cakes, they
wanted to buy one. I’m not marching on Washington.”

Gianna sighed, shaking her head. “You opened your door to
equality, Neve. I always found your confidence sexy, but it’s allowed to take a
break from modesty once in a while.”

“Thanks for the tip.” Neve shivered at
always
. What
did Gianna feel now? Neve refused to presume Gianna was fishing for lingering
feelings.

“When I posted on your Facebook page, I wasn’t expecting you
to answer,” Gianna said, looking away from her.

“I didn’t, actually. That was Corky, my other assistant.”

“I figured that. It sounded like a pat response.” Gianna
nodded. “Still, my post wasn’t deleted or anything, which got me thinking…”

“About what?”

If Gianna held those aforementioned thoughts now, she didn’t
say so outright. The brunette let her body speak for her as she stepped closer
and nudged her leg against Neve’s knees.

Neve held her soft gaze, recognizing a spark in those dark
eyes that signaled a silent plea for less talk, more action.

No, don’t do this
. Neve gripped the with both
hands—Gianna had her trapped. She used her leg to gently pry Neve’s knees apart
and towered over her.

She wanted to avert her gaze, but Gianna’s beauty proved too
strong to resist, even with their past acknowledged. This woman had dumped her
without ceremony, not even a damn e-mail, and now with one doe-eyed glance, she
set the low heat pooling in Neve’s belly. Her clit pulsed and her pussy
throbbed, wetting the crotch of her pants, aching for a touch.

“Neve,” Gianna whispered, smoothing her hands over Neve’s
shoulders. “I missed you. I was stupid and selfish and—”

“Hello?”

Neve looked past Gianna and gasped.

* * * * *

Judy knew to expect a hectic time at work, since all the
local military were paid today. Her eight-hour shift passed so quickly she
didn’t have a second to feel tired, much less lean on the front counter for a
breather. Young enlisted men sorted through their inventory of pewter figures
and dice for role-playing games, while a few officers Judy knew by name stopped
in to replenish their stores of model glue and enamels. Not to be outdone, the
ladies spent a fair amount at Main Street Hobbies. Judy estimated she rang up a
hundred skeins of yarn, thanks to their clearance sale.

Thirty minutes before closing, traffic finally quieted, and
Judy took advantage of the lull to sneak a bite of the candy bar she’d hidden
near the register. She savored the decadent combination of fudge and caramel,
thinking it hardly compared to anything she could enjoy at Sugar Rush.

Judy sighed happily, anticipating Neve’s tasty treats…and
perhaps a taste of the beautiful chef. She closed her eyes as she chewed and
focused on the sweet and salty flavors overloading her senses. Neve worked with
chocolate every day, surely, and no doubt her taste would prove sweeter.

“You eatin’ on the job there, girl? Not very sanitary, is
it?”

Judy nearly choked on the last chewy morsel sliding down her
throat as she snapped to attention. She groaned upon seeing Rachael, still in
her barista apron, laughing in front of her.

“I thought you were working late tonight?” Judy asked. “I
was going to come by after I closed here.”

“I’m on dinner break, got about ten minutes left.” Rachael
checked the time on her phone before slipping it into her apron pocket. She idly
brushed off a patch of powdered sugar from the brown fabric and looked around
the store. “Sooo, do I at least have a say in what’s happening at the birthday
party I didn’t really want, but is now going on anyway?”

Judy said nothing at first, but waited until a customer
wandered deeper into the store and out of earshot. Her manager was working in
the back office at the moment, and Main Street Hobbies enjoyed laid-back
operations, though Judy knew not to take advantage of her superior’s good
nature. Finally, she leaned closer to Rachael. “I almost don’t want to tell you
because I’ll never hear the end of it. I know those people upset you.”

Rachael’s pierced eyebrow arched. Today she’d colored her
brows to match the turquoise in her hair.

“I sort of met somebody this morning. The lady who owns the
bakery in Hilltop Plaza, she’s doing the cake for that wedding I told you
about,” Judy began.

“Yeah. Deenie said there was a blowup on Facebook
yesterday.”

Judy tried to remember where Deenie fit into Rachael’s overactive
social life. She didn’t think Deenie was the Fonzie clone putting on the show
last night. “Anyway,” she continued, “I wanted to show my support, and got to
talking…next thing I know I’m hiring her to cater your party at Little Dude’s.
I know you said to forget it when that Russian asshole kicked us out of his
place, but you know…it’s your damn birthday. You shouldn’t let other people
spoil it for you.”

They’d had more than one conversation about this before Judy
found Sugar Rush. Friends had offered to do potluck for the party, but Judy
knew Rachael had looked forward to a fancy spread like on some Food Network
show. Until she’d unfortunately let some bigots get under her skin.

“During my break today, I started calling people to let them
know and the buzz is pretty good, Rach,” Judy said. “People want to celebrate
your birthday,
and
your coming-out anniversary.”

The powdered sugar had momentarily caught Rachael’s
attention again. “Really? I still have friends?”

Judy laughed. “Don’t be a drama queen. Even
you
can’t
possibly have dated and broken up with every lesbian in town in the space of
two weeks.”

Rachael shot her a look that implied she was up for the
challenge. “I appreciate that you want to do this, and yeah, I let the haters
get to me. You said it’s at Little Dude’s? Dot’s going to just let us take over
the bar at the last minute?”

“I talked to Dot. She doesn’t have a problem with it.
Sundays are usually dead there and she’s not going to turn away paying
customers,” Judy said.

“I guess. After the week I’ve had, a party would be a nice
pick-me-up,” Rachael conceded.

“After the week…” Judy shook her head. Her friend had a
frickin’
threesome
last night! “What’s a bad week for you?”

Judy waited a moment and then it happened—the other woman’s
smile curled wide and high. “Never mind,” Judy said quickly. “I don’t think I
want to know.”

“Am I getting a stripper?” Rachael batted her eyelashes.

“Only if somebody volunteers.”

“Well, whatever, I’m in. Especially if it means I get more
presents.” Rachael laughed. “Since you have the catering set, let me add a few
more people to the guest list.” Out came the phone again and Rachael headed
toward the door, texting all the while.

“Hang on.” Judy held up a hand. “What if we don’t have
enough cake to go around?”

“Some of these guests will find someone
else
to eat.”
Rachael winked. “We’ll talk more at the café, but it’s open mic night so
enunciate, ’kay?”

“It’s a birthday party, not an orgy!” Judy called after her
friend.

A last-minute crush of customers checking out the yarn sale
kept the anxiety over the party at bay, yet as Judy rang up sales, she thought
of Rachael and her rapid-fire thumbs. One wrong slip might send an invitation
to everybody in her miles-long contact list, then what?

I shouldn’t have done this
, she realized after seeing
out the last customer of the evening. She locked the door to the outside world
and prepared to close up shop. She should have just conceded to Rachael’s
earlier wishes, then later asked Neve out on a date like a normal, everyday lesbian.
Seeing Rachael smile, though, made the spontaneous planning worthwhile.

Especially if she got to see Neve’s smile too.

* * * * *

Judy bade good night to her manager and greeted the crisp
evening with a deep breath. A recent revitalization of the Main Street shopping
district brought a few bistros and an art house movie theater that attracted a
growing clientele. Once a month, the businesses participated in an after-hours
sidewalk sale that proved popular—the city closed the street to allow for food
trucks and live music. Luckily the event wasn’t scheduled for this weekend, so
Judy could concentrate fully on Sunday’s party.

She stood at the crosswalk, waiting for the signal.
Buzzhouse Coffee wasn’t far, and Judy usually left her car in the work lot on
nights she capped off with a latte and a snack. Tonight, however, thoughts of
Neve overpowered the craving for caffeine and the willingness to hang out with
her friend and the crowd of regulars who gathered for marathon Scrabble matches
and acoustic guitar. The bakery had closed a few hours ago, she knew, yet Judy
wondered if Neve stayed behind to work on special orders.

Images one might construe as ordinary turned sensual for
Judy. Neve kneading a ball of dough, coaxing the soft stickiness into delicious
cinnamon buns. Neve dipping a finger into a bowl of chocolate icing to test its
richness and flavor, slowly licking her skin clean.

Judy’s stomach growled. She needed Buzzhouse but wanted a
different kind of sugar rush.

Hell, if she’s not there I can always come back.

She stepped away from the crosswalk and retreated to her
car.

Judy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, waiting out
the red light so she could pull forward and turn into the shopping plaza.
Should
I park in front of the bakery? That’ll make it look obvious, huh? Desperate
cupcake groupie looking for something sweet.
In Neve’s mind, however, it
might look as though Judy didn’t trust Sugar Rush to deliver the party treats;
that perhaps she wanted to spy on her.

Of course, that notion had to occur just as she’d pulled
into the lot and drove past the bakery storefront.
This is silly
, she
thought, and decided to pull through to the opposite exit and join Rachael at
the coffeehouse. As much as Neve enchanted her, Judy didn’t want to come off
like a stalker.

The lights were still on at Sugar Rush and she saw activity
within…and nearby in front of the Mexican restaurant. An overhead lamp
illuminated the two figures, one perched on the short iron gate, and Judy
recognized Neve’s outfit. The woman looked upset.

Worry seized Judy by the throat until she couldn’t swallow
so easily. Did Neve need help?

Creeper or no, Judy changed her mind and wheeled into the
first available space. She’d never forgive herself if she drove away and Neve
ended up the victim of an assault so close to work.

“Hello?” she called out, approaching the sidewalk. The
figure hovering over Neve, a woman, whirled around and glared hard.

Neve, by contrast, appeared relieved to see her.

“Oh hey, Judy. You’re early.” Neve stood and eased past the
other woman, surprising Judy with a full-on embrace. Neve’s arms wrapped around
her tightly, and Judy’s body reacted with a quiet surge of lust. Even with the
winter clothing barriers, her skin tingled and her pussy throbbed.
Unconsciously, she pushed her groin closer in hopes of more intimate contact,
but Neve’s next words proved more sobering than the coldest shower.

“Play along, please?” she whispered in Judy’s ears. “I’ll
explain later.”

Judy gave a sound that must have satisfied her as assent,
though inside her heart dropped to her shoes. Okay, so she had to play pretend
in front of this stranger, which could only mean Neve wanted a quick escape.
The woman had to be an ex on the make—this scene didn’t have the look of a
confrontation with a disgruntled customer.

Neve withdrew but kept a soft grip on Judy’s hand. “I’m
sorry, I have to go,” she said to the slow-burning brunette. “I have plans for
tonight, and I need to finish up at the bakery so my employees can go home.”

“I get it, sorry.” The woman nodded and drew her coat
tighter around her waist. “I’ll see you around, I guess,” she added, and
stormed off without acknowledging Judy.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Judy whispered close to Neve.

Yeah, right.
This had lover’s spat written all over
it—and Judy noticed Neve was grinning like an inmate on parole.

You’re not sorry at all that I showed up, are you, Neve?

She tried not to smile herself.

Neve waited for the woman to get into her car. “Not at all,
you were right on time. A minute more and I would have been in serious
trouble.” She didn’t elaborate, but instead turned to Judy. “You saved my ass.”

Judy’s face flushed hot. An ass-related thought came to
mind, and stayed wisely unsaid.

They walked back to the bakery. “So, what’s shakin’, bacon?”
Neve asked. “Did you have any questions about your order? Changes? Or…you’re
not here to cancel and let me down easy?” She laughed nervously. Customers had
canceled orders in the past, usually through e-mail or an after-hours
voicemail, probably so as not to incur wrath. Judy seemed the polite type,
though, and Neve figured she could always sell the treats she’d already
prepared.

“No, everything’s still on. Why?” Judy looked suddenly
worried. “There isn’t a problem—”

“No,” Neve assured her quickly. “It’s just with you showing
up after hours, I figured that was the reason. Maybe you wanted to cancel in
person.”

She opened the door to Sugar Rush and ushered Judy inside.
No sound or other hints of activity came from the kitchen, and when Neve looked
back through the service window, she noticed no signs of life. Where had Corky
and Terri gone? Neve hadn’t seen them exit from the front.

“Anyway,” Judy continued, now quite bashful, “I was
wondering if you had some time free tonight for, like, coffee…or something.”

“Oh.” The invitation took Neve by surprise. Did coffee count
as an official date these days? Neve hadn’t been asked out on one since Gianna
had left; the bakery always got in the way. Rather, she let Sugar Rush block
potential suitors, mainly because she knew it wouldn’t let her down as love had
in the past. If anybody appeared close to an overture, Neve usually changed the
subject or brought out pastry samples.

Judy’s offer flattered her. She’d forgotten what it felt
like to have somebody pursue her. And the woman looked rather cute standing
before her, hands behind her back and gaze cast to the floor, as though
expecting a gentle letdown. The puppy-dog silent plea radiating in the room
caused Neve’s heart to pang.

“I suppose I could get away in a few minutes, we’re almost
done with tonight’s special-order work,” Neve said, looking back at the kitchen
area again. Her cohorts still hid, no doubt giggling and high-fiving each other
in secret. “If you don’t mind waiting while we close.”

Judy visibly brightened at that. “Awesome, great. I’ll, uh,
just wait here then.”

Neve nodded and, unable to think of anything else to say,
hurried into the back.
Well, this doesn’t bode well
, she thought. If she
couldn’t talk now, how would conversation over coffee pass?

“Good Lord, we have plenty of coffee here too,” she muttered
on her way to the small office tucked in the corner of kitchen, where she found
Terri and Corky waiting on her.

“Neve’s got a girlfriend,” Corky teased in a singsong
whisper.

Neve ignored her and looked at Terri. “Why are you hiding
out in here?”

Terri shrugged. “We heard voices when you came in and
thought you needed some privacy, and we’re almost done anyway. No reason for
you to stick around,” she said. “You can take the last deposit and Corky and I
can close up.”

“You sure?” Normally Neve had no problem trusting the two
with closing procedures. She knew Terri wasn’t one to cut corners, but this
time something irked Neve. Terri looked none too happy with her proposed
arrangement.

“Go, have fun for once,” Corky said. “The delivery orders
for tomorrow are ready, and you don’t have to worry about that Sunday party,
either.” She brushed past Neve into the kitchen but returned quickly. “That’s
not the same woman from before.”

Terri leaned out of the office far enough to see, then eased
back next to Neve before speaking. “What’s
she
doing here? Where’s
Gianna?”

“She had to leave. I bumped into Judy on the way back here.
We’re going out for coffee.”

“Oh okay.” Corky shrugged and left again, just like a young
adult who knew not to pry in another person’s business. Neve liked that about
her—Corky left personal drama at the door every morning and focused on the job.

Terri, on the other hand…

Her other associate leaned closer and pulled Neve deeper
into the office, presumably so Corky couldn’t hear them. “You okay?” she asked,
concerned.

Neve blinked. “Yeah, sure. Why wouldn’t I be? I trust you
guys to close without me.”

“It’s not that. I’m talking about this thing you have going
on with that girl.”

“I don’t have a
thing
,” Neve said, annoyed. “She
wants to have a cup of coffee and some conversation.”

Terri raised an eyebrow. “Coffee is a thing. And she’s a
client.”

“A romantic weekend in the country is a thing,” Neve
countered. “We’re nowhere close to that.”
A kiss is a thing
, she mused
to herself. A touch, a lick, an orgasm…so many things to do, and she’d seen
none of them on her list for a long time. Neve shook away her frustration.
“Anyway, so what if she’s a customer? We don’t have a policy against going out
with people who buy food from us. If we did and sales boomed, we’d all be old
maids.”

Terri didn’t find that funny at all. She folded her arms and
huffed like a put-upon chaperone.

“Terri, not that it’s any of your business, but I know what
I’m doing. Yes, Judy is new to me, and if you’re worried that this girl’s a
serial killer, you can say ‘I told you so’ when you eulogize me. Hey,” she
added quickly before Terri could interrupt, “I don’t judge when you date
people.” She appreciated her friend’s interest in her well-being, but Neve
wanted to explore future romantic possibilities on her own.

She was getting ahead of herself, anyway. Coffee was coffee,
not marathon sex. Dammit.

“Coffee and conversation is known to cure ‘new to me’, I’ve
heard.” Terri smiled wanly at her and cuffed her shoulder. “I know you’re out
of practice, but I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“Terri,” Neve whined.

“You’re right, it’s not my business. You should go and have
a good time, and I’ll shut up about it.” Terri frowned all the same, as though
fighting to give her blessing. “See how far you get past the coffee. You’ll be
awake for it.”

“No, I plan to order decaf.” Neve bent close to peck Terri’s
cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you.” She ducked away before further talk
with her friend served to change her mind about Judy.

Corky and Judy chatted while Neve gathered up her purse and
car keys. The two apparently had mutual friends and similar tastes in music.
They debated the quality of a recent concert they had attended separately.

“Ready?” she asked Judy, who smiled warmly from the table
and nodded. All at once the aura of doubt set by Terri’s skepticism faded.
Coffee and conversation did sound good on this cool evening.

So did a lot of things.

* * * * *

“How did you come to open a bakery? Was it something you
always wanted to do?”

They sat at a tiny round table at Buzzhouse, their chairs
lodged into a corner near the front door. Neve grimaced at the rising cacophony
of chatter and acoustic guitar, for the music made conversation a challenge. At
least the bearded young man onstage—totally hipster with his dark fedora and
button-down plaid shirt—played well, belting out a Dave Matthews tune in a
butter-smooth voice.

Neve curled her hands around her mug, inhaling the sweet
vanilla and cream of her latte. “I love to bake, simple as that,” she said. “My
mother got me one those Easy-Bake Ovens when I was a kid. Usually once you run
out of the mixes that come with the kit or the light bulb burns out, you stop
playing with it. I didn’t stop—I was baking cakes and cookies for my Barbie
dolls, and next thing you know I’d graduated to the big oven and had a business
in high school.”

“Really?” Judy appeared impressed. “What, you had a booth
out in the senior courtyard?”

“No, girls would pay me to make cookies and brownies, which
they’d use to lure boys. Of course, they’d claim to have baked everything
themselves.” Neve laughed at the memory of money changing hands behind desks in
Home Ec. “In the end, they all got prom dates and I bought a car.”

“That’s hilarious.” Judy nearly choked on a sip of her drink
from her merriment. “I wish I was that clever in high school. And now.”

Neve watched the young woman dab at her mouth with her
fingers to catch a stray drop of coffee. For a moment her gaze paused on Judy’s
lips—she hadn’t taken the time to really look at them, and now she noticed
their fullness and deep color,
without
the benefit of makeup. The coffee
no doubt brought a touch of pink to Judy’s cheeks as they warmed up in the
café, but Neve decided she wouldn’t mind being caught in the cold with her. She
might have an excuse to move closer to conserve body heat.

What level of warmth, too, would she experience bringing her
lips to Judy’s in a quiet kiss? People filled Buzzhouse, and many of them had
their chairs turned toward the guitarist. If she leaned forward, who would
notice or care? The way Judy looked at her now, smiling and eyelids half-closed
in a demure expression, only encouraged her.

“Hey there!”

Neve’s heart jumped. A chipper young woman in a Buzzhouse
apron slid down into the vacant chair, exhaling loudly with exhaustion. “Man, I
must have made a hundred lattes in the last half hour. These music nights are
great for business, but I can’t keep up with the orders.”

Judy introduced the young woman as Rachael, who took Neve’s
hand in a firm yet damp shake. Neve recognized the name as belonging to the
birthday girl.

“How’s the latte?” Rachael asked.

Neve held up her mug, logo side forward. “Great, thanks.”
She looked past Rachael to the line at the counter and wondered how the girl
was able to slip away. “This is actually the first time I’ve come here. I pass
it on the way to work, just never found time to stop in.”

“That’s cool. I bet after working in a bakery all day, the
last place you want to go to unwind is another place that sells pastry,”
Rachael said, and from the corner of her eye, Neve spotted Judy’s death glare
aimed at her friend.

“Oh, have you been to Sugar Rush?” she asked. “I’m sorry if
I don’t remember you. So many people come and go, it’s a challenge to get
everybody’s face down. I mean, how else would you know that I worked there?”
She cast a sly glance at Judy, who looked ready to slink under the table and
die of embarrassment.

Rachael’s lips pressed together and her eyes bulged for a
second. “You’ll have to excuse me, my break is over. Nice meeting you. Judy is
the best,” she said quickly and leaped for the safety of the barista counter.
The hipster musician ended his set right on that cue and Neve eyed her
companion in the white noise of applause.