Chapter 56

Olivia remained blissfully unaware for several long seconds, even as the soft lips that previously claimed her own suddenly vanished. A profanity was uttered by the other woman and —in her lust-filled haze— Olivia decided to take it as a sign of encouragement. She ravaged Natalia's neck with urgent kisses and playful nips. It wasn't until she felt Natalia's hands on her shoulders, quickly pushing her back, that she heard it.

The sound of Natalia's phone ringing was like hearing an alarm-clock going off during the best part of a most wonderful dream; a dream which you struggle to hold onto long after you hear the fowl intrusion because you know you may never remember its glorious content as soon as you open your eyes. Olivia was indeed struggling.

"No," she whispered, her breath still ragged though her heartbeat was starting to slow. "No no no nooooo."

"I have to... just..." Natalia muttered as her legs released their grip from around Olivia's waist. "Just... don't move... seriously..." She wriggled a leg free between them, lowered herself from the counter and quickly made her way towards the offensive phone that was ringing loudly on the dining-room table. Before pressing the talk button, she looked over at the blonde who was leaning with her hands on the side of the counter. The brunette held a finger up in warning, though Olivia wasn't facing her. "I’m serious, do not move," she commanded as she answered the call and raised the phone to her ear.

Olivia did as she was told, staying perfectly still where she had been left, trying desperately to hold onto that sweet dream, silently praying she would be able to fall back into it but sorrowfully expecting to watch it slip away.

"Jacques now isn't really a good time,” Natalia stated. “What… Right now?"

Olivia heard Natalia's laboured sigh and closed her eyes tightly as she watched her dream fade.

Natalia was caught between knowing she had major responsibilities to attend to and the intrinsic desire to run as far away from them as she could. She glanced again at the woman in her kitchen, whose head was now hanging slightly in defeat. "No... yes... I mean, of course I'll go. I guess I have to... I just," she sighed again as she subconsciously tugged down the sides of her skirt that were rumpled high on her thighs. "Never mind, have Bobby ready to pick me up in ten minutes."

Olivia raised her head and took a deep breath as she waited for Natalia to return. She kept her position as she saw the other woman lean against the counter beside her with her back facing out into the open room. They stayed like that for several long seconds, Olivia staring up at a mug in the clear glass cupboard above her head and Natalia eyeing a dripping faucet at the sink on the center island.

"They're ready to go over the medical reports and give me some release forms," the brunette explained. "I have to be there to sign paperwork". She folded her arms and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I'm burying my father tomorrow," she stated in an eerily emotionless tone.

Olivia pushed off the counter and re-buttoned her jeans. "I know," she said quietly.

Without looking up Natalia continued. "We were about to have sex on my kitchen counter."

Olivia looked over at the younger woman and tried to read her facial expression, but it was as neutral as the tone of her voice. She couldn't tell if the statement was meant for her or was simply part of Natalia's internal thought process, almost as if she was trying to acknowledge those brief moments as being real. In the current moment, it all seemed rather unbelievable. There wasn't a hint of desire left in her eyes or her voice, yet Olivia knew it had to be just under the surface. Nor was there a sense of guilt and shame though she suspected those emotions would plague Natalia any moment now.

"I know," Olivia said again, as steadily as she could. She looked away from the brunette as she finished rearranging her clothing. Should I apologize? I'm not really sorry? Olivia reflected. Should I be?

She wasn't sure what she had expected to happen as a result of their heated encounter —in fact she hadn't thought any further than simply getting to the act itself— but reality was starting to set in and she didn't want to see a look of regret in Natalia's eyes.

"I'm going to go," she said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "I've got some business calls to make and some emails to send out... stuff like that. So..." She turned and moved to the living-room to find her purse and phone. Her conscience tried to goad her into an attempt to talk about it. Considering it had just handed her over completely to her own reckless desires, Olivia decided that her conscience could no longer be trusted. Without knowing what else to say, she muttered a quiet "Call me later", and turned to leave the suite.

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Three hours after signing the release forms —three and a half since she'd blindly tried to rip Olivia's clothes off— Natalia sat quietly behind her office desk. The sun was setting now and the room was gradually getting darker, but it went unnoticed. She had decided not to go back to her suite because returning to the 'scene of the crime' would be a major distraction. She had a funeral to prepare for, a tarnished reputation to repair, and nowhere in the past few weeks had the franchise' financial concerns miraculously lifted. There were sinking vessels to rescue and some major decisions to be made on how to bail them out.

That topic of course reminded her of the merger. The merger reminded her of her father's vision of the future of their company, of his desire to begin a new frontier. Was she now morally obligated to do what her deceased father would have wanted? What would it say about her loyalty and love for him if she resisted? Was she even allowed to disagree?

The merger was also a reminder of Olivia.

No! You have to focus!

As her mind raced, she grabbed a random report from the long pile of unread papers on her desk and made an attempt to read the words but nothing sunk in.

"Why?" she sighed as she tossed the paper haphazardly back onto the others and tried easing the tension in her temples with her fingertips. It was one word, and yet a multitude of questions: Why now? Why her?

"Why her?" she whispered out loud. If she needed a distraction from everything that was happening, she could find that in anyone. She could call up an old 'friend'—she knew she wouldn't be denied—and yet there was no desire for the typical detached hook-up. The implication of this terrified her and she immediately cut the engine to that train of thought.

"Not now," she scolded herself. "You have a hotel to run, damn it!" She grabbed the piece of paper again and reread the same words as many times as it took to finally get into 'work mode'. Pretty soon reports were being filed, orders were being approved, and several meetings were being scheduled. By the end of the evening, Natalia was almost pleased with herself and what she'd managed to accomplish. It reminded her of what she was truly good at, of why she’d gotten into the business with her father at such a young age. Success was just a cover. The pursuit of it –or moreso the countless hours spent labouring over the finer details—was the fundamental reward. If she was too busy building an empire, she wouldn't have time to notice the cracks in the foundation.

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"Forget the quarterly report. Your new mission is to discover a way to make the meal plan at the Springfield Sanitarium as succulent as the menu in our hotel restaurants." Olivia shifted the phone from one ear to the other as she bent over to release a sling-back from each heel and slipped off her shoes. She lined them up neatly by her bedside table before sitting down on the bed. No need to take out her frustrations on her Manolo Blahniks.

"Having a dreary day in sunny California?" Andy replied. Olivia had called him because, out of anyone she knew, he was most used to the melancholy moods of his long-time friend. Normally he knew the right thing to say to get her out of a funk, but lately, her actions had utterly confused the man and she knew he had little to offer about her current situation. Nevertheless, she needed to talk —to anyone.

"Well, if I'm going to be spending the rest of my days locked up for my impending insanity, I want to make sure my palate is satiated."

"You'll be doped up on mind-numbing drugs. Your palate will be oblivious."

"I have lost my mind, not my exquisite taste in luxurious culinary cuisine."

"You didn't call me to talk about your taste-buds," Andy assessed. "Unless..." he paused in thought. "Unless your mouth has been experiencing some rather foreign delicacies lately? Perhaps from a Southern climate, yes?"

"You're perverted." Olivia lay back against the plush pillows behind her and rested a forearm under her head. "I am here to help a friend in a time of need."

"You can pretend that it's just a guy thing for me to jump to conclusions about which 'need' you may be helping her with, but I started this phone-call by stating that our quarterly finances have grown by 7% over last session's numbers and you completely deflected with 'I'm checking into an asylum'. Just tell me when, where and why it happened, and don't leave out any of the sordid details."

"This afternoon, on her kitchen counter, and I have no fucking clue as to the why."

There was a noticeable silence on the other end of the phone.

"You still with me?"

"Holy shit! I was mostly just kidding about my assumptions."

Olivia sighed. "Well, as luck would have it —either incredibly good or horribly bad, I haven't decided— we were interrupted before anything really happened."

"Uh huh..." Andy responded, clearly still in shock.

"But still, a lot happened... you know?"

"Nuh uh."

"Andy this is serious! I'm in serious shit with a serious problem in a serious situation. I need serious help here! What is your advice?"

"Seriously?"

Olivia huffed in annoyance. "I'm going to hurt you."

"Alright, alright! Listen, you are a highly successful business woman with a rapidly growing company and, more importantly, a beautiful and brilliant daughter who adores you no matter who you are or what you do."

"I'm aware of this, but continue."

"So maybe once you get your ass back home, away from this Californian confusion, and get back into your normal routine, you'll have a better perspective on things. You can get your priorities in check and focus on what your good at.”

"Greg has been doing a marvellous job in helping me keep the Beacon afloat in my absence, though I may remind you that much of my job revolves around phone calls, which I have been able to continue making here in California. And I will excuse the subtle, yet hideous, assumption that I'm somehow neglecting my daughter. She’s only been out of my presence for half a day." Olivia kept her voice calm but her tone was stern. "I am well aware of—and continue to handle—my priorities, thank you very much."

"Well then, bang Natalia and get it over with. What's the big deal?"

Olivia let out a long sigh. "Maybe I should’ve called Greg for some advice. He'd be much more sensitive."

Andy snorted. "Yeah, okay. Ask your gay secretary for advice on women. Let me know how that goes."

"Probably as well as this conversation."

It was Andy's turn to sigh. "Look, this is never really an issue for most guys because typically the only girl trouble we have is finding the fastest way to get into their pants. I'm not going to make us sound any more sophisticated than that. So yeah, my Neanderthal brain would tell me to get her done and get her out of my system."

"Helpful, thanks."

"No, it's not. And you do you want to know why?"

"I'm on the edge of my seat... well, bed."

"Because Natalia is in your system, and no amount of sex is going to rid her from it. In fact it will do the opposite. And that terrifies you because you think you might just be okay with that."

Olivia sat in silence.

"I'm right and you know it."

“That was some surprisingly poignant insight, for a man.”

Andy let his friend mull the realization over in her head a little while longer before speaking again. "You know what puts a person that deeply into another's system, right?"

Olivia gasped. "No! Don't say it," she pleaded.

Her friend chuckled. "Sorry kiddo, but it would seem as though you've got it bad. And you know what they say..."

"Oh, dear God..."

"There ain't no cure for love."

Chapter 55

The ride back to the hotel was fairly quiet. Silent, if not for the brief phone call Olivia made to check up on her daughter. The blonde stole a quick glance at the woman driving. She knew that Natalia had many things going on inside her head and most likely none of them could be at all pleasant. She contemplated saying something to break the silence in the car. Maybe silence is good right now. Maybe she needs it. She decided not to push Natalia into a conversation and instead watched the scenery as it passed by.

Her own mind raced with a mixture of concern, and curiosity, but she didn’t feel she could ask what was on the other woman’s mind for fear of upsetting her. Is she being quiet because she still feels bad for making the assumption that I would continue helping her? Is she thinking about the funeral? Oh god, she isn’t fretting because I jokingly mentioned wanting a dinner-date as payback, is she? Her mind sped on, trying to guess at the reason for Natalia’s sudden speechlessness.

Buildings of vastly different architectural style to those in Illinois flashed by her vision. The trees, the people, the hustle and bustle of the city all reminded her that she was far from home. Her mind quickly snuck in a hopeful thought. Did my phone call to Emma remind Natalia that I would be leaving soon? Is she wishing I would stay longer? For a few brief moments Olivia allowed herself to dwell on those thoughts before reminding herself of the conversation the two had shared the morning after Natalia’s father had passed away. The one that essentially ended the notion of discovering anything more about the rapidly growing attraction between them.

It would be substantially easier for me to put my feelings aside if she hadn’t tried to seduce me in her bathroom a day after telling me to leave her life, Olivia noted with a hint of annoyance. She knew that Natalia had made a move based on her need to feel something other than the deep pain of loss. She got that, but it didn’t make it any less frustrating. And the kiss last night… Olivia remembered the way the younger woman gave her a gentle, but meaningful, kiss after their discussion about her past relationships.  That kiss hadn't been born out of a need for misdirection. It spoke of acceptance and maybe even a hint of admiration… affection even. When you tell a person you can’t follow through on something then you shouldn’t… ugh... follow through!! Olivia sighed out loud.

Natalia heard the discontented sigh leave the woman next to her and couldn’t help but glance over at the blonde who was still looking out the window.

“Everything alright?” she asked, her gaze swiftly returning to the road as she drove.

Olivia suddenly realized she'd made an outwardly display of her disgruntled internal dialogue. “Yeah, no, I’m fine,” she replied, knowing that if there would ever be a time to bring it up, now was certainly not that time. There was far too much going on for Natalia to have to deal with her own malcontent. She just needed to keep her mind off of the subject entirely and focus on what she was actually supposed to be there for.

Natalia was astute in disbelieving the non-committed response but also wise enough not to push it. The blonde had agreed to stick around a few more days, regardless of how she’d been treated. The more she pondered it, the more the situation seemed oddly ironic. That the women she had tried so hard to despise –the one she saw as the would-be thief of her beloved home—was now the only person she had in her corner. 

Sure, she had Jacques: a man who had stayed loyal to the Rivera clan despite every public fiasco any one of them could drag the Empire name into.  He knew nearly all of her demons —having been the one who regularly undertook the task of trying to keep her rebellious actions under wraps and out of the public spotlight when she was younger. Did that mean that he understood her? Absolutely not. He was merely the trusted sentinel at the front gate. A silent guardian of her secrets who never once tried to be more than what was his designated duty; the personal assistant to the patriarch of the Empire brand.

He was a good man and he cared about her well-being, this she knew. But he wasn’t a person she immediately felt able to turn to for comfort, for help… guidance even. No, that person turned out to be a relatively unknown woman from the other side of the country. Someone who she was powerless to despise no matter how hard she’d truly tried. Someone who had a level of understanding of what life was like for her. Another human being that she actually enjoyed being around; in some cases, that she couldn’t wait to be around. Natalia had never experienced anything like this —had never known anyone like the woman sitting beside her.

And now, because of the circumstances, she had to push the woman away. She made another sideways glance to her right and continued driving, trying to silence her thoughts for the remainder of the ride back to the hotel. Her mind had one last thought to throw in her face, however.

You’ve successfully managed to spend a whole lot of time with the one person you feel you have to push away.

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“So how many more names do you have… I’ve got three.” Olivia tossed her stack of papers onto the coffee table from her cross-legged position on the floor, and leaned back against the base of the couch. They were back in Natalia’s suite and had been going over names, personnel files, schedules and absentee lists for the last hour and a half. There was a perfectly adequate dining room table off of the kitchen area that would probably have been more conducive but Natalia had taken a seat there first and, for whatever reason, Olivia felt like getting a bit of distance from the brunette.

She honestly wanted to focus simply on helping the other woman out with the files and using them to find out who had assisted her brother in his schemes. Sitting directly across from Natalia didn’t seem like the best way to maintain her focus. Unless, of course, the goal was to reflect solely on how beautiful, complex, intriguing and alluring the younger woman truly was. Even in the midst of a life crises, Natalia was the full embodiment of the term ‘attractive’ and Olivia hated how easily she could be distracted when near her.

What she hated more was being powerless to stop it –to be completely unable to shut down that part of her brain. She could accept that there would be nothing between them if there was somewhere a switch inside of her that could turn everything off. 

She heard Natalia set her own files down and forced herself to listen to what the other woman was saying.

“I’ve only got a few more,” Natalia said as she pushed her chair back and stretched. “I think the hard part is mostly done. I don’t know if I should hire a Private Investigator or just call these people up myself.” She stood and walked over to where Olivia had been working and sat down. She looked at the older woman’s position—legs curled awkwardly in what little space there was between the low table and the side of the couch. “The dining room table would’ve been much easier,” she stated.

“Yes, but I am a sucker for punishment,” Olivia responded as she used her forearms on the seat behind her back to slowly raise herself off the ground. Sitting back into the comfortable cushions, she let out a long groan as she began to stretch out her cramped muscles.

Natalia couldn’t help but think of all the times she had intentionally tried to 'punish' Olivia, for lack of a better word. One event in particular come flooding into her mind, unbidden. The two of them in her office with her hand intimately pleasuring Olivia. Her mind took her there, blocking everything else out momentarily. It was as if time had rewound itself and she were watching the event play live in front of her eyes. She saw it. She heard it. She could practically feel—

“Natalia?”

Her name being called startled her immediately from the most delicious memory and she blushed at having spaced out. Her face reddened even more when she realized what she had been remembering while sitting directly in front of the body that comprised such thoughts. “I’m sorry, what?” she managed to sputter quickly.

Olivia gave her a concerned look. She’d noticed the far-away gaze in Natalia’s eyes even as those dark orbs settled directly upon her. She’d looked dazed and was unresponsive the first few times she'd called her name. Seeing that Natalia was now back in the present, she couldn’t help her curiosity. “Where did you go just then?” she asked, fully prepared to be a source of comfort if the other woman’s thoughts were trapped in turmoil.

Natalia bit her lower lip and quickly looked away, shaking her head. “Nowhere… it’s nothing,” she lied, raising the pitch of her voice slightly to prove she was indeed fine.

The deepening pink glow on light mocha cheeks was unmistakable. In Olivia’s mind it could definitely not be ‘nothing’. “You sure?” she pressed. “You can tell me, if you want.”

Natalia shook her head again and added in a slight wave to brush off the moment. No, I really can’t! She thought to herself. “It’s ok. I’m fine.” She could feel Olivia’s eyes assessing her and knew the older woman was hesitant to let it go. She needed to give her something, anything, to get her to leave it alone. “I’m just tired I guess. My mind keeps going blank.” She let out a small laugh and picked up the papers Olivia had been reading. “I think I’m going to give these names to a P.I.,” she offered to change the subject quickly and was appeased when Olivia finally dropped her questioning gaze. “I mean, really, what would I even say to them? It’s not like they are going to outright admit that they're involved, right?”

“Probably not,” Olivia agreed. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wedged her hands in between them as she leaned her head back. “Then again, if someone is dumb enough to get involved with Matteo in the first place…”

The brunette smiled briefly. “Yeah, but a professional would know what to say and how to say it. As mad as I am right now, I would probably blow it and get nothing out of them.”

Olivia smirked. “Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said smoothly. “Seems to me you can be quite persuasive when you want to be.”

The tone contained a hint of flirtation but was vague enough to be construed as an innocent comment. However it was intended, the only thing it did was bring Natalia’s mind straight back to that place, that moment, and she felt her cheeks blush once again and not at all out of embarrassment. And once again, emerald eyes were watching her intently. Natalia suddenly needed to move. She needed space between herself and the body she was remembering vividly in her mind's eye. She launched herself from the couch, quickly moved into the kitchen and began absent-mindedly searching through a cupboard.

“I think I could use a coffee. Do you want a coffee? I could make some… if you wanted some too… I mean I won’t make a pot if it’s just for myself, but if…” You’re rambling, shut up shut up shut—

“Natalia, stop.”

The soft voice was nearly right beside her. How did she get there so fast? She turned to see the same concerned expression on Olivia’s face that was there minutes earlier.

“Talk to me,” the older woman gently commanded. "What's going on in that baffling brain of yours?” She stepped a foot closer.

Natalia turned around completely, leaning her hips against the counter and looked at the bag of instant coffee in her hands. “I’m fine… honestly,” she managed to make it almost sound believable. Almost. The other woman was directly in front of her in seconds.

“You aren’t and that’s ok, I just…” Olivia reached out to take the bag of coffee that Natalia was fidgeting with and placed it on the counter beside them. “I just want you to know that you can talk to me,” she finished. She stepped closer once again and drew the brunette in to a gentle hug.

The embrace was intended for comfort. In the back of her mind Natalia knew that. Olivia couldn’t possibly know what was running through her head, she was merely showing concern. The problem was that while her mind knew that, her body could not have cared less.

She accepted the hug, wrapping her arms around Olivia’s waist and resting her chin on a soft shoulder. She tried to keep still but her body reveled in the heat it felt radiating from the other woman and her arms tightened their hold, effectively pulling them closer together.

Olivia mistook the action as a small sign of desperation and held her tightly in return. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” she said quietly, bringing a hand up to stroke long dark hair.

The smaller woman couldn’t stop herself. She knew she should keep quiet, or at the very least make something up. What good could the truth possibly do now? She already felt guilty for continuously pulling the other woman closer and then immediately pushing her away. It wasn’t fair to pull her back in—that it shouldn’t happen again—and she knew it. And she knew she was going to let it. The memories were at the forefront of her mind and they weren’t letting her go. And so she said it. She turned her face so that her lips were nearly against Olivia’s sensitive neck.

“I can’t stop thinking about how it felt when I made you come,” she whispered and instantly she felt Olivia’s hand stop moving. She closed her eyes tightly, cursing herself for saying a word. Admittedly she could have probably worded it a little better than that, but it was the honest truth and she couldn’t take it back.

Olivia didn’t know what she had been expecting to hear in response to her question, but it certainly wasn’t that. That was the kind of sentence that could immediately erase the list of unanswered questions from her mind and effectively silence any utterance from the voice of her burdened conscience. Now may not have been a good time to lose control, but when would be the right time? Olivia had already begun to accept that there weren’t going to be any magical moments of romantic grandeur with this woman.

Even as she stayed momentarily frozen, her brain was rapidly coming to its decision of how to react to Natalia’s revelation. It would only be a matter of moments before her body caught up with the program and she knew it. And she knew she was going to let it. She felt her pulse race slightly and she held her breath, not knowing what words to use to respond and silently praying Natalia would say more.

When Olivia didn’t speak or move, Natalia knew she’d made a huge mistake. She felt Olivia bring her hands to her shoulders and push her slightly away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have—”

“What did it feel like?” Olivia asked, her voice soft and low but strained with the hoarseness that becomes audible when one is trying to contain a whirlwind of desire inside one small breath.

Natalia realized then that she wasn’t being pushed away, but held onto. Olivia had only moved her far enough so they could see each other, and now the older woman’s gaze was currently fixed upon her mouth. She licked her lower lip before responding. “Incredible,” she breathed out.

Olivia smirked slightly and raised her eyebrow teasingly. “Just incredible?” She loosened her hold on Natalia and began slowly trailing her hands down the brunette’s arms. “I think you can do a little better than that, don’t you?”

If the devilishly sultry tone of Olivia’s voice wasn’t enough of a clue as to where this conversation was headed, the fact that both women had simultaneously shifted their bodies even closer together may have been a less subtle hint.

“Absolutely amazing,” Natalia slipped her hands to the sides of Olivia’s waist and let her thumbs rub slow patterns against the thin fabric of her shirt. “Touching you like that… feeling you…” She sighed as Olivia brought a hand to the side of her neck and mimicked the patterns with a delicate thumb on the sensitive skin of her pulse point. “The sounds you made…” Her breathed hitched when she felt Olivia’s other hand join its counter part in its movements. A velvet cheek brushed against her own. “The ones I made you make…when I…” The warm breath against her neck thoroughly distracted her, muddled her thoughts, and shut down her mental faculties to make room for the sensory ones to take over.

“When you were stroking me?” Olivia completed the sentence on the tail end of a laboured pant of breath. She couldn’t recall there ever being a time when she’d wanted someone so ardently as she wanted Natalia in that very second. She brushed her cheek over the shorter woman's once more and placed a small kiss on the smooth jawline.

“Yes,” Natalia answered, closing her eyes briefly at the contact of Olivia’s lips against her skin. “But I think you may be right…” she smiled wickedly when the other woman pulled back and gave her a quizzical look. She moved her hands over to the blonde’s belt buckle and began undoing it as she watched the green eyes before her darken with understanding. “I think I could definitely do so much better than that.”

In that moment both women accepted that resistance was futile. They would allow themselves to be overcome. As Olivia quickly brought her lips to Natalia’s, every fortification they had ever placed between each other was torn down. The situation surrounding their initial meeting. The complexity of their attraction to each other. The uncertainty that followed them moment by moment. It was all being washed away in a tidal wave of desire. Even if there was still a question of whether or not Natalia was touching her out of a need to separate herself from her grief, Olivia didn’t care anymore. She would be that object of distraction if it meant gaining the opportunity to sate her insatiable hunger for the woman in her arms.

If she had ever believed her will to be stronger than this, her reaction to the taste of Natalia’s mouth was proof enough that her belief was an illusion. She moaned her delight as their tongues found each other, keeping a firm grasp of Natalia face as she tried to guide their movements.

For her part, Natalia allowed herself to be led as she tried to focus on getting the belt undone and free. Once that mission was completed, her fingers wasted no time in working on the button and, subsequently, the zippered fly of Olivia jeans. Deft fingers had woven themselves into her silky, dark mane and gently pulled her head to the side so that a pair of hungry lips could descend upon her neck. Warm and wet kisses were trailed along her skin as she absent-mindedly tried to tug Olivia’s tight jeans over her hips. She failed to succeed in baring more than an inch of enticing skin because the taller woman pressed her hips more firmly against her own, effectively halting her progress.

She felt Olivia smile against her neck when she groaned in frustration.

“You’ve had your turn, Rivera,” Olivia stated matter-of-factly and then brought her lips to Natalia’s ear once again, her hands sliding down the sides of her breasts, continuing down over her hips and moving downward still, stopping just above the her knees when her fingertips found the hem of Natalia’s skirt. “It’s my turn to make you come undone.”

Heat. Liquid fire coursing through her veins and the cool feeling of air-conditioned air hitting her thighs was all Natalia could feel as her skirt was inched upwards. When it was bunched up around her hips, she was suddenly lifted up unto the counter behind her. Immediately she spread her legs to allow Olivia to insinuate herself in between them.

Olivia was now a woman on a mission, and though the terrain was completely different to what she was used to, her hands knew exactly where they wanted to go. They rested on the top of Natalia’s thighs and she fought the urge to move them higher. Neither of them had any doubt as to where those hands would be end up, and she wasn’t exactly embarking on a timeline, but in the back of her sexually-charged brain she knew she wanted to be as thorough in her exploration as possible before traveling there right away.

Instead she grabbed handfuls of the rumpled skirt and slid the brunette closer and tightly against her. She instantly felt the heat of Natalia’s satin-covered core hit the bare skin of her lower abdomen above her loosened jeans, and her hips bucked forward of their own volition. It caught Olivia completely off-guard—the surge of primal lust. She'd been acutely aware that her body was taking over, but for it to be trying to fuck the other woman before any clothing had even been formally removed was an entirely unprecedented experience.

Natalia gasped at the contact as she pressed herself forward against Olivia, wordlessly willing for her to push against her once more. The hands gripping her skirt kept her hips from grinding as they wanted, and she took it as a hint to slow down. She owed the blonde the right to take the lead —and she knew that she would eventually be a writhing mess in Olivia’s arms— but it didn’t seem as though that moment could come soon enough. She wrapped her legs around Olivia’s waist and slid one arm around her shoulders as her other hand tangled itself in blonde hair.

They resumed their hungry kisses. There was nothing slow or gentle about the way their mouths connected against each other. No hidden messages or emotions to be read within their movements. Nothing but need.

Both women needed this and both for different reasons, but none of that mattered and nothing was going to stop them now…




…until something did.