Throw Away the Key

Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Emma exited the bathroom to find Sadie standing at the kitchen counter on her cell phone. She began pacing back and forth, rubbing the back of her neck as she waited for a response.

“Hey Sal, I'm gonna need you to send someone over here. We have a broken key jammed into a tenant's lock. “Yeah, I know, this never happened here before, but we're probably going to need new keys for that particular unit. Maybe make a few extra copies while you’re at it,” Sadie mused.

She was lifting the lid to the baker's box when she spotted Emma drawing near. “Sorry,” she mouthed.

Emma waved to her that it was fine.

“About how long?” Sadie sighed. “Okay. Yeah. Well, we'll be here. In my apartment for the time being. Okay. Thanks, man.” Her mouth curved to one side as she disconnected the call. “So the guy is already on another job, and he said that they'd be here in about two hours.”

“I'm so sorry. It feels like I just keep making things worse for you.”

Sadie smiled slightly. “Well, unless you have superhuman strength, this one actually wasn't your fault. Were you headed to a party or something? Some bookstore event?”

Emma’s brow furrowed. “No, why?”

“Oh, I was just curious what the treats were for.”

Emma’s head bobbed with understanding. Here goes… “Actually, they’re for you.”

“For me?” Sadie stared at the box as if it would start moving any second.

Emma shrugged. “Yeah, I felt like I wasn't leaving a good impression on you, and I just wanted to make it up to you since you've had to bail me out so frequently already. I figured I’d get you a few things from my favorite bakery and hopefully smooth things over a little bit.”

Sadie bit her lip as she frowned, turning her attention to Emma. Her dark eyes locked onto Emma’s searching for something, Emma squirming under her gaze. “Were you under the impression that I was mad at you?”

Emma cocked her head to the side thoughtfully. “No, but I also wasn't thinking that I was becoming your favorite tenant. I don’t want to be the annoying one that you regret approving.”

Sadie’s shoulders relaxed. “Well, I don't know if there is anybody that actually holds the title of favorite, but anybody that brings baked goods is alright with me.” She peered at the top of the box, the energy around her becoming lighter.

“I wasn't sure what you liked or whether you have any allergies, so I just picked at random and hoped you weren’t avoiding carbs.”

“Is it okay if I open it?” Sadie gestured, hovering over the lid with curiousity.

“Of course, it's yours!” Emma pointed out the different items in the box. “I’ve got some sweet, some savory, some chocolate, and some gluten-free.”

Sadie opened the package and reached in, sampling one of the matcha madeleines, her eyes lighting up. “Wow. These are really good.” She said, her cheek full. She captured a crumb with the tip of her tongue, catching Emma off guard.

Emma’s stare zeroed in on the wet mark on Sadie’s lower lip, her cheeks warming as she gulped and found her words. “Yeah… I am telling you this place is amazing and I strongly recommend that you check out Kerri's if you've never been there before.”

Sadie polished off her madeleine. “I'm going to have to do that for sure. Thank you again. Please, I'm not going to be able to eat all of this myself,” she pointed to the box. “Besides, we’ve got a couple of hours to kill. If you’re hungry, this is basically what I’ve got in the house.”

“Okay, well, thank you.” Emma nodded, reaching for a madeleine. She took in more of the apartment. The walls had been painted a slate blue and were covered in colorful paintings depicting Black women joyfully gathering and dancing. The dining table was bare except for a decorative bowl full of decks of playing cards from different places. She must travel a lot. Emma imagined Sadie jet setting with nothing more than a pair of sunglasses, a hi-res camera and a shoulder bag. “Wow, this is a really nice setup. How long have you lived here?” She glanced back.

“About five years.” Sadie leaned her hip against the kitchen counter, her elbow resting on the surface.

“Have you always done property management?”

“No, but I actually own the building.”

Emma stilled, the other half of her madeleine dangling before her open mouth. “Oh, I did not realize that. Wow, good for you!”

“Well, I don't exactly advertise it,” Sadie shrugged. “My grandparents used to own this place and it was one of the few things we were able to keep in the family with my parents passing so early,” her voice trailed off. She blew out a breath and rubbed the side of her neck.

“I'm so sorry to hear that,” Emma shifted her eyes, her thoughts going to Zora when she lost her parents. “But that's quite a legacy for them to leave behind. Such a beautiful gift, and you obviously take good care of this place.”

Sadie nodded. She had a faraway look on her face, as if she was thinking about a distant memory. “Yeah, I’ve had time to upgrade some things and my grandparents showed me the ropes. We have a couple of tenants from back when they managed the building…”

“Is this them?” Emma walked toward a set of bookcases covered in vinyl records and photographs. An enlarged portrait of Sadie in a graduation gown standing between two elders stood out from the rest–an array of pressed flowers in an acrylic frame at its side. Her hair was longer and hung around her face in two-strand twists. She smiled widely, her arms around the waists of her grandparents.

“Yeah, that's them.” Sadie's face softened, her eyes glistening as she looked away.

Emma studied the photo. “ Your genes are strong! You look just like your grandmother.” Sadie’s elder had the exact same complexion, her high cheekbones and the smallest shock of gray hair running through her shoulder length sisterlocks. She was a few inches shorter than Sadie, with a proud smile as she reached to get her arm around Sadie’s shoulders.

Sadie laughed, “Yeah. Down to our baby pictures. She was my heart.”

“How long ago did you lose them?” Emma’s tone was pensive—she didn’t want to overstep, but Sadie smiled sadly.

“They passed away, within about a year of each other—my grandfather first. It was maybe six months after this photo was taken—my college graduation.” Her grandfather stood tall and strong, his eyes shielded with wire-rimmed glasses. He cupped one side of Sadie’s face and was turned slightly, kissing her temple. “He was strong as an ox until he started to have heart problems, but he was well into his seventies by that time. Too set in his ways to change.” She leaned forward, resting her hands along the back of the couch, her shoulders drooping slightly.

Emma started to reach out to her and thought better of it. Maybe she doesn’t like to be touched. She turned away from the photo. “I'm really sorry. Do you have siblings?”

Sadie shook her head, “Nah, but I've got a good group of friends who pour into me and vice-versa. Most of them I’ve known since high school.”

“Solid friends are a blessing.” Emma thumbed through the covers of some of the albums. There were all kinds of musical genres, and Emma wondered whether they were arranged in any sort of system. “You have quite a collection here.”

“Yeah, I keep telling myself I need to stop buying more, but it's a habit,” Sadie moved closer and ran her fingertips over the edges of several worn covers fondly.

“That's how Zora is with books. She literally owns a bookstore and still can't help but buy new books. She has this ever growing collection—her ‘to be read’ pile,” Emma laughed lightly.

“Yeah, I get that. I think I buy according to my mood.”

“What were you listening to most recently?” Emma's chin jutted toward the record player.

“Uh, Billie Holiday.”

“Ooh, do you mind if we play that?”

“Sure.” Sadie moved to turn on the player and start the record from the beginning.

“Which one is this?” Emma asked.

“ An Evening With Billie Holiday ,” Sadie replied.

As Stormy Weather began to play, Emma smiled wide. “Oh, this is one of my favorites.” She continued searching the albums, admiring the collection and humming along with Billie as she crooned.

“You have a nice voice,” Sadie watched her quietly, her umber eyes trained on Emma who immediately stopped.

The rasp in Sadie’s voice sent heat climbing to Emma’s cheeks. “Thanks. Um, is it okay if I sit down?”

“Sure, of course. You're gonna be here a while, so you might as well get comfortable.”

Emma sat on the couch. “I should have asked you when I came in if you prefer for people to take their shoes off. I picked up the habit when I lived with Z.”

Sadie pointed to her bare feet. “I usually do.” She grabbed the baker's box and a couple of paper towels and set them on the coffee table. “Can I get you something to drink?”

“Sure.” Emma slipped off her shoes and moved them off to the side as she pointed and flexed her feet, a happy sigh escaping her lips.

“I have water, tea… some wine,” she glanced at Emma curiously, the air in the room becoming electrically charged more and more with each look.

Emma’s mouth watered. How would she react if I said wine? “What kind of tea do you have?”

Sadie broke eye contact to peer into her cupboard. “Chamomile, green, Earl Grey, and chai.”

“Earl Grey would be perfect if you have a little bit of milk or cream.”

Sadie gave her a sideways glance. “Is oat milk okay?”

“Yes, thank you.”

She put on the kettle and returned to sit with Emma on the couch.

Emma wanted to know everything. “So are you from DC?”

Sadie nodded. “Born and raised. I've never lived anywhere else.”

“Do you travel a lot?”

“Some. I've been on a couple of trips with my friends. I don't particularly like planes, but I will go if it means I can enjoy a beach somewhere. I just take something to help me sleep.”

Emma giggled. “I hear that—I’m such a baby with any bit of turbulence. What's your favorite place that you've been so far?”

Sadie tilted her head and pushed her lips to one side as she thought. “Portugal.”

“Ooh. That's on my bucket list! I haven't been, but I hear so many good things.”

“I would highly recommend it.” Sadie sat back and rested her arm along the back of the couch, close enough to touch Emma’s shoulder if she extended her fingers. “I could move to Lisbon tomorrow and be perfectly content.”

“Yeah?” Emma pictured Sadie in a string bikini, sunlight glowing on her dark brown skin, mirrored sunglasses on her face as she stretched out on the sand with her hands folded behind her head. Lucky beach…

“Yeah. What's your favorite place that you've traveled to thus far?” Sadie pulled her arm back to rest her head on her hand, Emma immediately clocking the absence.

“I mean, I'm from the West Coast, so my favorite place is always going to be Hawaii,” she smiled. “But I will say, I spent some time in Belize, and it was really beautiful there. I’d go back in a heartbeat.”

“Oh wow. I haven't been there, but I follow a content creator who was there recently. I’ve got to get there sometime soon.”

“You do,” Emma agreed. “I just love that feeling of landing somewhere tropical and feeling the stress roll off of my shoulders. I feel like there's so many places that I want to see and I haven't had the chance, but there’s still time. I just need to start planning.”

“I feel you. The ultimate stress reliever.”

Emma sighed dreamily. “Yes… I could use a trip sometime soon.” She stared off in the distance, imagining the warm sunshine and a balmy breeze kissing her skin. She blushed as she opened her eyes to find Sadie watching her, having apparently witnessed her mental transportation. Her cheeks warmed and she bit her lip.

Sadie cleared her throat and looked away. “So you're from California?”

“Yup.”

“What part?”

“Bay Area. My parents are still there—they are thinking about downsizing so that they can travel more. I try to go home for the holidays,” she sighed. “I don't always make it, but they know my heart. Sometimes I can’t make the trip, so I’ll spend them with Zora and her granny.”

“Does your family know Zora well?”

“Oh yeah. She's practically been adopted by my parents–she’s from the Bay too, but her mom and grandmother are from here. You two have some things in common–she lost her parents and her grandmother has been, you know, that constant in her life since then. Honestly, she’s been the constant in mine for a long time at this point too. We’re really close.” Understatement. Emma’s lips twitched at the thought of her vintage bestie.

Sadie nodded gently. “It really helps to have people around you when you experience loss like that.”

“I can only imagine.”

A comfortable quiet grew between them, and Sadie reached into the box and broke the guava and cheese tart into pieces. “This looks really good.”

“It's honestly my favorite thing.” Guava jelly was artfully pooled and ribboned over the cream cheese filling, the buttery pastry a golden brown that wrapped around the filling at the edges forming crispy bits of perfection.

“Well, please have some with me.”

“I will,” Emma nodded, leaning back against a pillow. “But you've got to try it first.”

“Okay.” Sadie eyed her dubiously before she took a bite, the flaky crust crunching as her lips closed around the filling. “Oh my god.” Her eyes shut and she hummed as she chewed. “This is heavenly,” she whispered, her shoulders swaying slightly.

Emma watched Sadie as if she moved in slow motion, the heady scent of Sadie’s perfume wrapped around Emma, arresting her full attention. Her eyes traveled to Sadie's lips as she licked them, trying to catch pieces of the pastry that had stuck to her lip gloss. Emma blinked, her mouth watering more in response to the woman than the delicacy.

“This is otherworldly,” Sadie hummed.

“Yeah,” Emma swallowed. “Here you have a piece of pastry.” Emma leaned forward. “Actually, you have a little bit of the guava jelly too,” she laughed.

“Oh,” Sadie's eyes flew open as her finger went to the corner of her mouth.

“No, I got it.” Emma wrapped a paper towel around her finger and dabbed at Sadie's lower lip, unable to tear her eyes away as the tip of Sadie’s tongue traced the seam of her lips. “You've got a little bit more. Just…”

The tea kettle began to shriek, and they both froze before realizing where the sound was coming from. Sadie jumped up to turn off the stove, setting the kettle aside as she turned back to the living room empty-handed. “Are you still thirsty?” She sat facing Emma, her dark eyes hooded as she flexed her jaw.

“Not for tea,” Emma murmured, staring at Sadie’s lips. Now devoid of gloss, her full lips let Emma’s intrusive thoughts win as an image of her nibbling and savoring Sadie’s mouth flashed in her mind. Damn, she’s so beautiful.

Sadie sat perfectly still, the rise and fall of her chest drawing Emma’s vision downward as she drank in the tattooed arm attached to a hand only inches from her thigh. Emma lifted her gaze to find Sadie studying her face, her curling lashes perfectly framing those dark orbs that Emma could lose herself in if she wasn’t careful. Should I? Emma tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, unsure what reaction would come, but she was more afraid of not trying. She ran her fingertips over the back of Sadie’s hand, tracing the petals of flowers within her tattoo sleeve.

Sadie hummed gently and leaned closer, Emma moving forward as if magnets drew them together. Emma's hand traveled upward and cupped Sadie's cheek as she kissed her, her lips soft and supple.

“Just one last bit,” Emma whispered, running her tongue over Sadie's lips, taking away the last bit of jelly.

Sadie kissed her back, softly, the intensity growing as their kiss deepened.

She leaned forward to deposit the rest of her tart on the coffee table before turning to face Emma, her hands running over Emma's braids before settling on her shoulder, her thumbs caressing Emma’s collarbone. Emma moaned against Sadie’s mouth as she trailed her lips down the side of Sadie's face, her throat.

“You smell amazing,” Emma whispered against Sadie’s skin.

Sadie shivered at her touch–Emma's fingers looping under Sadie's t-shirt as she tugged it upward, pulling it up over her head, revealing a black bralette with a deep V.

Her nipples puckered through the fabric, a small tattoo in the space between her breasts. Sadie stopped Emma from reaching for her. “Wait.”

Emma’s mouth moved to speak, confusion in her eyes, but Sadie stood silently. She grabbed Emma by the hand and tugged her up, leading her back to the bedroom. Oh. They were greeted by a king-sized low-profile bed with an intricate wooden headboard and stark white bedding. Sadie turned back as they reached the side of the bed, Emma kicking off her shoes as Sadie reached out to unbutton Emma's blouse. She

admired the swell of Emma’s breasts, grazing her palms against Emma's supple skin.

“Your skin is the most beautiful shade of brown,” Sadie murmured.

“I could say the same thing about you. Yours always looks so soft.” Emma pulled her close for another taste of her lips, her mouth still sweetened by guava as their tongues intertwined.

“I tried to fight it, but I’ve been craving you. Craving this,” Sadie breathed against Emma’s lips as she unbuttoned Emma's jeans, tugging them down and helping her step out of them before running her fingertips up Emma's thighs. Her hands reached Emma's rounded hips and pulled her closer as she gripped her ass. “You're so soft in all the right places.” Sadie traced upward along Emma's back, unhooking her bright pink bra. “Everything about you is a pop of color. You’re radiant.”

Emma’s breath hitched as she absorbed Sadie’s words, heat emanating from her core as she melted into Sadie’s touch. The world around them fell away as she let Sadie’s praise wash over her.

Sadie held one hand to Emma's throat as she ran her lips over the curve of Emma's breasts, running her tongue up the line between them before taking one of her tight nipples into her mouth. Emma moaned at the contact as Sadie's hands roamed her skin, thumbs hooking the sides of her panties and looking to Emma, waiting for her to nod before pulling them down.

Emma reached for Sadie, running her palms over her breasts before pulling at Sadie's belt buckle.

“Lay back on the bed,” Sadie whispered gently, the rasp in her voice reverberating throughout Emma’s body.

Emma sat on the edge of the mattress, scooting herself back to the center of the bed, her heart pounding in her chest as she stared at the woman crawling toward her. She propped herself up on her elbows to watch as Sadie explored. She sees me.

Sadie slid her fingertips up the length of Emma's body, admiring her curves, kneading her thighs. She leaned forward to kiss Emma's knee and down the inside of her thigh, nipping at the soft flesh. Gently, her index finger traced Emma’s seam and split her apart.

Emma sucked in a breath, closing her eyes, reveling in the contact. She shuddered, her toes beginning to curl instinctively in anticipation.

“I wondered what you would taste like,” Sadie whispered as she applied her tongue to Emma's clit, the warmth of her breath sending delicious tremors through her core.

Emma whined, her hips circling in response. “You did?” She asked, her mouth agape as Sadie's tongue wound circles and lapped at her, Emma’s mind short-circuiting as she moaned at the contact.

“I did.” She breathed. Sadie ran her tongue along the inside of Emma's thighs before hooking her arms under them and closing her lips around the sensitive peak as her hands held Emma open.

“Oh my…” Emma gasped, unable to finish her sentence as Sadie's lips and tongue

intensified the contact, sucking and humming against Emma as she writhed at the sensation, her breath coming quicker as her back arched and her own hands grazed her breasts. Her thighs began to shake as she cried out.

Sadie inserted a finger slowly, Emma's body convulsing in reaction. “You're so wet,” Sadie whispered, her tongue continuing to apply pressure to Emma's clit. She added a second finger, angling her hand so that she teased Emma's spot.

Emma convulsed, panting. “I'm… I'm–” she moaned. “Yes. Fuck, yes.”Sadie picked up the pace, the delicious pressure building until lights flashed behind Emma's eyelids. “Oh my god.”

Her body shook as she came, Sadie continuing until every wave of orgasm left her body.

“I… oh my god,” Emma smiled. “That was um, wow.”

Sadie nodded, resting her chin on her arms splayed across Emma’s abdomen. “That was something I had been thinking about, I just didn't think it would actually happen.”

Emma ran a hand over her hair as she tried to catch her breath. “I didn't think it would either. I honestly didn't think that you liked me very much.”

“What?” Sadie pulled back to hover over her, studying her face.

“You just seemed so annoyed with me. Do I remind you of an ex or something?”

Sadie buried her face in Emma’s neck, nuzzling her bare skin. “Looks can be deceiving,” she mumbled as she moved to Emma’s side, pulling her close. “I was drawn to you that very first day, but I was trying to keep things professional. Maybe I overdid it.”

“You looked at me like you hated me,” Emma chuckled.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Sadie repeated as she scooted closer still, kissing Emma. “I’m sorry it made you feel like that though. I didn’t handle that well, and I try to mask what you do to me.”

“Oh yeah?” Emma breathed, gently raking her nails against the nape of Sadie’s neck and earning a faint gasp. “What do I do to you?” Emma unbuckled Sadie’s belt as she tasted herself on Sadie’s tongue. When she drew down the zipper, the front door buzzed.

“You've got to be kidding me,” Sadie murmured against Emma's lips.

“What? Who's that?”

“Probably the locksmith,” Sadie ran her tongue down Emma’s jaw before planting a kiss below her ear. She rolled away from Emma, kicking her feet over the side of the bed to search for her clothes.

“Oh, fuck,” Emma whispered. “I thought they were gonna take longer.”

“He must have finished early.” Sadie pulled on her shirt. “You can wait here if you want.” A question hung in her voice, but Emma couldn’t discern whether the question was asking her to stay.

As much as she wanted to stay and continue to explore, her anxiety rose to the surface. “No, it's okay. I'll get dressed.”

Sadie eyed her curiously and nodded, closing the bedroom door behind her as she went to let the locksmith in. By the time Emma had dressed and returned to the living room, Sadie was seated on the couch, finishing her slice of guava and cheese tart. The front door of her apartment was wide open. “He's almost done,” she said between chews. “God, this is so fucking good.”

Emma watched Sadie lick a flake of pastry from her lips, her eyes zeroing in on the wet patch of skin. “Wow, that's fast.” She could care less about getting into that damn apartment.

Sadie licked her fingers, seemingly unaware of Emma’s inner turmoil. “Yeah, they're really good at what they do. That's why I always keep them on speed dial.”

Emma nodded, sitting next to Sadie on the couch and planting a kiss on her lips. “Did you have plans today that I totally ruined?”

Sadie shrugged, a lopsided smile on her face. “It wasn't your fault.”

“So that's a yes.”

Sadie’s head bobbed. “It's okay. I can still make it for the better part of the event.”

Emma nodded, running her hand up Sadie’s thigh. “Well, I'd like to finish what we started if you wouldn’t mind being a bit later.” She stared into Sadie's deep brown eyes with her curling lashes.

“Yeah,” Sadie cleared her throat. “That sounds entirely doable.” She leaned forward to kiss Emma again as they heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Emma bit her lip, giggling as Sadie sighed, “Foiled again.”

They smiled at each other, rising from the couch.

“Hi there,” the locksmith called into the apartment as he poked his head in the door and Sadie beckoned him inside. “I believe these are for you.” He handed a key to Sadie and two keys on a keychain to Emma. “I’m Eddie. I understand that you have a hard time locating your keys.”

“Nice to meet you. So I'm infamous already,” Emma grinned, turning a playful side-eye to Sadie, who looked up, as if she’d seen something up on the ceiling.

He shrugged, laugh lines crinkling. “We get to hear little bits and pieces here every now and again. But, Sadie thought this might help you out.” He handed her a bright orange carabiner for her keys. “You can keep them connected to your purse or backpack or whatever it is you use. So at least if you are good at remembering your purse but bad about remembering your phone or your keys, this might help.”

“Wow, thank you! This is very thoughtful.” She hooked her keys into the carabiner and connected it to a belt loop on her jeans, beaming at Sadie.

She nodded. “Just don’t forget they’re attached to your jeans when you take them off.”

Emma blushed. That is absolutely something I would do.

Eddie turned to Sadie. “I'llsend you–”

“Yep, send me your invoice and I'm sure I'll see you this weekend.”

He nodded, taking his leave and closing his door on the way out.

Emma’s face warmed as she met Sadie’s gaze, “So…”

Sadie held up a finger. “Wait, I forgot that I got you something else too. I meant to drop it off the other day. Thought it might help you out.”

“Oh?” What could she have gotten me? She frowned as Sadie placed a small brown paper gift bag into her hand. “You didn’t have to do this!”

“It’s not a big deal, I promise. Personally, I just think everyone should have one.”

Puzzled, Emma reached for the contents and threw her head back the moment she realized what she was holding. She laughed so hard her stomach hurt.

“It’s an Airtag so you can always find your keys.”

Emma wheezed, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “This will definitely help, so long as I don’t also lose my phone.”

Sadie’s mouth dropped open. “I guess I never thought of that.”

“I’d lose my head if it was detachable,” she chuckled and stepped closer to Sadie, reaching for her hand. “Thank you. This is really thoughtful.”

Sadie’s heated gaze trained on Emma’s lips before her expression changed. She blew out a breath, her eyes darting to the clock on her soundbar. “Listen, I do some bookkeeping for a friend of mine who owns an art gallery, and we have some numbers to crunch. We just did taxes a couple weeks ago, so now we’ve got some planning to do.”

“Damn, duty calls, huh?” Emma pouted. “Are you sure you don't have time for…”

“I really hate to say this, but I don't. Raincheck?” Sadie reached for Emma’s hips, stroking them gently.

Emma nodded, pressing her lips against Sadie's once more. She wrapped her arms around Sadie's neck, pulling her into a hug.

Sadie stiffened and awkwardly patted her on the back.

Shit, maybe she’s not into hugs! “Maybe we can find some time this week,” Emma released Sadie, slipped on her shoes and inched near the door. She snuck a peek over her shoulder seeking a hint of assurance.

“Sure,” Sadie bit her bottom lip, her gaze dragging up Emma’s body as it darkened. Her voice was thick with want as she shoved her hands in her pockets. “Thanks again for the treats. All of them.”

Emma winked before letting herself out. “Anytime.” Call me.