Chapter 12
In Zion’s apartment Jane did her best to dry off. She’d been caught in the rain, and white silk and rain meant her dress had become see-through, and without a bra, it was rather X-rated. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she reapplied her red lipstick and touched up her hair. Jane knew she looked hot. She felt her pulse quicken when she heard the door to the apartment open and close.
“Jane?” Zion queried.
Jane stepped out of the small bathroom, the white sheath of her dress touching the floor as she did; the dress outlined her best assets, since she wore no undergarments whatsoever. She heard Zion suck in her breath sharply.
“I…” Zion began, her eyes roaming all over Jane’s body, the lust showing in her eyes.
Jane’s lips parted in a seductive smile. “Do you see something you want?”
Zion nodded, taking long strides to her, her lips capturing Jane’s in a passionate kiss. As Zion’s mouth roamed down her neck, Jane gasped in pleasure.
“Are you strapped?” Jane asked breathlessly.
Zion made a sound in her throat, something between a moan and a growl. “What do you know about that?”
“I know I want you to fuck me with it,” Jane told her brazenly.
Zion pulled back, looking down at her. A lascivious leer appeared on her face.
“And I want you on your knees in front of me.” With the command, Zion took Jane’s shoulders and pressed her down to her knees.
Jane moaned loudly, excited beyond reason at the tableau playing out. “What else do you want?” Jane asked, staring up at Zion with her dark eyes.
Zion unzipped her pants, and pulled out the strap on, holding it in her hand. “I want to see those red, red lips wrapped around this.”
Jane opened her mouth to respond, but Zion shoved the tip of the phallus into her mouth. Surprised and excited, Jane began to orally service Zion. Zion’s hand clutched a handful of blonde hair in her fist, guiding her. It only excited her more.
“Yeah, you like that, don’t you?” Zion goaded. “You want me to fuck that hot mouth of yours, don’t you?”
“Mmmhmm…” Jane mumbled, with her mouth around the dildo, her nipples hard and straining against the white satin material of her dress.
“Yeah, you do,” Zion reached down to touch her hard nipples, her fingertips brushing back and forth, exciting Jane even more. “Now get up, and turn around,” Zion ordered, using a handful of hair to pull her up.
“I…” Jane began.
“Shut up, turn around!” Zion growled.
Jane did as she was told and felt Zion pulling up the back of her dress. Then she felt the tip of the dildo at her ass. Zion’s hands were pulling her ass cheeks apart, the tip slipped between them.
“I don’t…” Jane began again.
“You’ll do what I tell you,” Zion snapped, the tip pushing farther in.
“Oh my God!” Jane screamed, coming loudly as she opened her eyes. She looked around the empty bathroom. The bubbles from her bath were scattered and there was water everywhere. Not that she cared, she didn’t have to clean it up.
She had just given herself one hell of an orgasm.
The idea of Zion not being the gentleman for once, and taking her almost savagely was too exciting not to use, at least in her fantasies. Jane sighed, laying back in the tub; maybe it was time to get Zion to be a little more aggressive…Yes, it was time that Zion start doing her job.
***
It was mid-week and Morgan was surprised to get a call from Zion. Surprised but very happy.
“Hello.” She smiled warmly, as she answered the call.
“Good morning,” Zion replied smoothly. “I was calling to see if you were possibly free today.”
“I absolutely am,” Morgan agreed readily.
“How about a wander through Cannery Row?” Zion suggested.
“Sounds wonderful!”
Two hours later, Zion arrived to pick her up. Morgan was pleasantly surprised to see Zion in jeans and a navy-blue henley thermal shirt, she even wore tennis shoes on her feet.
“I think this is the first time I’ve seen you truly casual.” Morgan smiled brightly.
“Gotta take a day off now and again, right?” Zion winked.
Morgan agreed. “Indeed!”
“You look beautiful, I love that color on you.”
Morgan was wearing a plum-colored cashmere sweater with dark jeans and black knee-high boots. As always, she was wearing very little makeup, just enough to enhance her features. Zion found that she very much liked Morgan’s style, she wasn’t overly flashy, but always looked classy.
Morgan bit her lip; she loved that Zion complimented her. It always made her feel very special to have this handsome woman admire her.
“Thank you,” she replied.
As always Zion escorted her to the car and opened the passenger door for her, holding out her hand to help Morgan inside. Morgan also noticed that Zion never slammed the door, she always closed it gently. As gentle as the woman herself.
They spent a couple of hours wandering in and out of shops. Zion proved to be a great shopping companion as well, noticing the types of items Morgan tended to look at and proceeding to point out things she thought she’d like. Morgan also noticed that Zion never commented on how much things cost, or made derogatory remarks about how much she thought things should cost. Quite the opposite.
In a shop that featured local artists’ jewelry, pottery and paintings, Zion stood looking at a painting of Cannery Row itself. Morgan walked over, standing next to Zion to join her looking at the painting.
“I really like this,” Morgan declared.
“The use of color here and there is fantastic, the artist really sees things with a great eye, don’t you think?” Zion observed.
“Absolutely.” Morgan was enchanted. She reached up to flip over the price tag, and saw that the artist was asking $750 for the painting.
“It’s an original work,” the shop owner commented hurriedly, as if to justify the price tag. “The artist is a local woman, who tries to capture the essence of our little area here.”
“She does an excellent job.” Zion glanced back at the shop owner. “It’s beautiful. It’s obvious this work took many hours. The detail alone is incredible.”
The dark-haired woman smiled. She was happy that these people actually seemed to appreciate the hard work the artist, who was a close friend of hers, had invested into the painting.
“I’d like to buy it,” Morgan told the lady, “but we’ve just begun our walk and I’m afraid I will damage it trying to carry it around. If I pay for it now, can you reserve it for a few hours?”
“Of course,” the owner said, smiling brightly. “I’ll get it wrapped up, so it’s protected and keep it in the back for you.”
“Wonderful!” Morgan enthused, following the woman over to the cash register.
When the purchase was complete, Morgan and Zion left the store.
“I think you got a great deal for that,” Zion told her.
“Me too!” Morgan beamed.
The truth was, Morgan was both pleased with the purchase, as well as the way her companion had interacted with the store owner. Far too often, Morgan found that men she dated liked to comment about how items weren’t worth what a shop owner was charging. It was embarrassing to Morgan, and always made her feel foolish for liking something. As if she didn’t know what things were worth.
“Ready for some lunch?” Zion asked, reaching down to take Morgan’s hand in hers.
Morgan found herself biting her lip, always thrilled when Zion held her hand. “Absolutely!”
“Are you okay with seafood?”
“I love seafood!”
A few minutes later they stood at the kiosk to wait for a table at the restaurant.
“I’m sorry,” the younger woman told them, looking flustered, “we’re super busy right now, it could be as long as thirty minutes. Do you want me to put your name on the list?”
Zion glanced at Morgan to see how she was taking the news, but was happy to note that Morgan smiled at the young woman.
Morgan turned to Zion. “I’m good with that, are you okay with waiting?”
“I am.” Zion nodded, looking back over at the hostess. “Please put us down, the name is Calvert.”
“Great!” The hostess smiled, happy these people weren’t going to yell at her for the wait. “If you like, you can wait at the bar until your table is ready.”
“Sounds great!” Zion led Morgan to the bar. “They have a really good wine selection here.”
At the bar, a woman with blonde hair and fuchsia lips smiled brightly at Zion.
“Hey Z! How are ya?”
Zion put her hand out to the woman, accepting the friendly pat. “I’m good Becca, how are you doing?”
“Can’t complain but you know I will.” Becca laughed.
“Becca,” Zion said. “This is Morgan Collins.”
Becca’s eyes widened. “Wait, are you the Morgan Collins? The one who wrote Ten Minutes to Midnight ?”
Morgan smiled warmly, nodding her head. “You’ve read it?” she asked, sounding beyond pleased.
“Read it? Only like a million times! I love that book! I actually love all of your books!”
“Wow, thank you, that really means a lot.” Morgan nodded.
“No problem! So, Z, are you lucky enough to be dating this woman?” Becca chuckled.
Zion gave her friend a lopsided grin. “I do believe so.”
“Dayum…” Becca exclaimed. “I didn’t even know you swung our way,” she told Morgan.
The interest made Morgan blush.
“Wine menu?” Zion asked, to deter the focus away from Morgan.
“Well, duh.” Becca said, handing Zion the large menu. Becca sauntered off to help other customers, getting the hint that Morgan might need a minute to recover from being called out.
“You okay?” Zion asked solicitously.
“Yes.” Morgan nodded. “I just wasn’t sure how to answer a direct statement.”
Zion chuckled. “I’m guessing I’m a first for you?” she asked, looking somewhat surprised.
“Well, no…I mean, I have dabbled a bit but you are definitely the first serious woman I’ve dated.”
“Meaning I’m serious, or the date is?” Zion asked with a sly grin.
“Oh!” Morgan put her hand to her mouth, her eyes wide with embarrassment.
“I’m just kidding,” Zion teased.
Morgan blew her breath out in a huff and pretended to be mad at Zion. “See how you are?”
“I do,” Zion murmured as she moved closer, kissing Morgan’s lips softly. “And I like the idea of being the first,” she whispered.
Morgan felt her entire body light up in response, so much so she couldn’t form a reply.
Becca returned to their place at the bar to take their order for drinks, interrupting the moment. Zion ordered them both a glass of her favorite, and Morgan was grateful to not have to speak.
Half an hour passed and they had engaged in a great deal of small talk. They were then seated at their table out on the covered patio, and after ordering their lunch Morgan looked out at the ocean. They were eating at a restaurant called The Fish Hopper, which was located right on the Monterey Bay. It featured beautiful views of the ocean and there were sea lions playing in the slight swells of the bay.
“This place is lovely,” Morgan observed, her red hair blowing in the soft breeze.
“The food is really good, much like the view,” Zion commented. Zion’s blue eyes were staring directly at Morgan over the rim of her wine glass.
Morgan noticed Zion’s gaze and blushed again. “You keep doing that to me today…”
Zion chuckled. “I’m sorry. I’ll stop embarrassing you.”
Morgan toyed with her own wine glass stem. “Thank you for this,” she said seriously.
Zion blinked. “This?”
“For today, the company, everything. It’s so nice to just wander and enjoy a beautiful day with great company.” Morgan smiled, taking another sip of her wine. Zion looked back at her for a long moment with an odd smile on her face. “What?” Morgan found herself asking.
Zion shook her head. “I just…” Her voice trailed off as she canted her head. “It’s nice to be with someone that enjoys simple pleasures.”
An instant question popped into Morgans head. She pressed her lips together to keep herself from blurting it out.
Zion spotted the gesture and laughed. “I know you just wanted to ask me something, go ahead and ask.”
Morgan bit her lip and sighed. “Am I getting that predictable?”
“Not predictable, just a little obvious when you want to ask a question,” Zion told her, a smile still etched on her face.
“I was just wondering if you were thinking of Fancy when you said that,” Morgan admitted.
“I was,” Zion answered simply. “She always needed things to be more…more.” Zion gestured to indicate a larger size.
“Can you tell me about her? And what happened?” Morgan asked gently.
Zion regarded her wine glass, lifted it to her lips, and drained it. She set it down and waved over to Becca for a refill.
“I met her at the bar,” she began, proceeding to tell Morgan the entire story, even through lunch.
They were still sitting at the table twenty minutes after they’d eaten, when Zion finished.
“Wow,” Morgan exclaimed, looking shell-shocked. “That’s crazy.”
Zion nodded. “You can see why my friends don’t really like her.”
“If I were them, I’d have strung her up by now,” Morgan said acerbically.
Zion gave a snorted. “Tell me how you really feel.”
The rest of their day was spent shopping and enjoying the sunshine. Morgan kept mulling over what Zion had said about Jane. She didn’t know how someone could be so evil. It really astounded her.
On their drive back to Morgan’s house, Zion held Morgan’s hand. Morgan wasn’t ready for the day to end.
“Is the bar open tonight?” Morgan asked.
“Nope, closed tonight and tomorrow night.” Zion grinned. “My weekend.”
Morgan laughed softly. “Well, how about we stop at one of my favorite restaurants and grab dinner to go and eat at my house? My treat.”
Zion nodded. “I’d like that.”
“How do you feel about Italian food?”
“Love it.”
“Wonderful! They make the best lobster ravioli I’ve ever had,” Morgan delighted.
“Sounds like a winner to me.”
Some time later, they were settled on Morgan’s small veranda, having dinner and chatting.
“So, what is it like to be a famous author?” Zion asked.
Morgan winced. “I’m far from famous.”
“A bartender in Monterey knew who you were,” Zion told her, “that sounds pretty famous to me.”
“She’s read a book I wrote, that doesn’t make me famous,” Morgan chided.
“Okay.” Zion held her hands up in surrender. “Let’s say that makes you well-known .”
Morgan sighed. “At the rate I’m going, I’m going to be out of my contract soon.”
“Why? Because you’re blocked? Don’t all writers get writer’s block sometimes?”
Morgan huffed. “Yes, but I doubt it’s been as long for most of them as it has for me.”
Zion looked at her, assessing. “What does it feel like?”
“Being blocked?” Morgan raised her eyebrows.
Zion nodded.
“It feels like part of me is gone,” Morgan said, looking forlorn.
“Every day I wake up and think maybe today I can get back into writing, and I sit down at my computer and nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing?”
“I mean I can’t seem to write anything; nothing comes out right, it all sounds like drivel or too cliché.” Morgan covered her face with her hands. “I feel like a failure.”
Zion extended her arm, taking one of Morgan’s hands, squeezing it gently. “You’re not a failure. If you’re still trying, you’re not a failure.”
“How do you figure?” Morgan asked sadly.
“Because you haven’t given up.”
Morgan smiled a little. “It’s still a horrible feeling.”
“I’m sorry,” Zion said, lifting Morgan’s hand, kissing her knuckles. “Is there anything I can do?”
Morgan felt her body tingle at the feel of Zion’s lips pressed to her hand. Using her other hand, Morgan reached out and touched Zion’s lips with her fingertips. “You could use those on my lips, instead of my hand.” She smiled sweetly.
Removing her napkin from her lap and setting it on the table, Zion moved to stand. Still holding Morgan’s hand, she pulled her gently up from her chair. Leaning down, Zion kissed Morgan’s lips, softly at first, then again deepening the kiss. Morgan let out a soft moan.
Morgan felt her body come alive, feeling like she’d been touched by a live wire. She slid her hands through Zion’s hair, eliciting a shudder from Zion. The kiss lasted much longer than any kiss they’d shared before. Morgan pressed closer, feeling her body beg for more than just a kiss.
“Please…” Morgan pleaded against Zion’s lips. She wasn’t sure what she was asking for, but knew she needed more of everything.
Zion’s hands hooked around her waist, and they dragged her closer. Zion peppered kisses down Morgans neck. Morgan clenched a handful of her hair in response. Zion groaned, then to Morgan’s surprise tore her lips away from Morgan’s neck, staring into her eyes intently.
“I want you,” Zion told her simply, “but we said we’d take this slow.”
Morgan panting a little said, “I know, but I don’t care, please Zion…please…”
With that, Zion took Morgan’s hand and led her inside, turning her head to look quizzically at Morgan. “Bedroom?”
Morgan bit her lip and lead Zion to her bedroom.
Zion began to kiss her again. Morgan wasn’t sure she could take anymore. She felt Zion’s hands tug at the bottom of her sweater. Doing her best to contain herself, Morgan waited patiently for Zion to take the lead.
Zion could feel Morgan trembling, it only added to her excitement, but she was determined to take things slow. Sliding her hands under Morgan’s sweater, Zion roamed over silky soft skin. She slid her hands further up toward Morgans lacy bra. She could feel Morgan’s breath catch in her throat. Moving her lips back down to Morgan’s neck, Zion kissed and nuzzled as her hands continued to explore Morgan’s body.
Morgan felt her insides screaming for release, the sensation of Zion’s hands on her skin was too much to bear. She wanted to throw off her clothes and beg Zion to take her right there. Instead, she gave herself over to the pleasure of Zion’s caress and the feel of her lips on her skin.
When Zion’s hands halted at the sides of her bra again. Morgan hoped she wasn’t changing her mind. Without warning, Zion’s teeth grazed her neck. Her thumbs smoothed Morgan’s taught nipples. Gasping, Morgan orgasmed. She clung to Zion’s shoulders as waves of pleasure washed over her.
No one had ever brought her to climax while she was still wearing her clothes; nor had she ever had an orgasm that strong. As the waves subsided, Morgan rested her head in the crook of Zion’s neck, panting softly. Her heartbeat finally started to slow. Zion’s hands continued to touch her skin, but only the non-sensitive parts. It felt incredible and romantic at the same time.
“That was…” Morgan began, unable to find the words to describe the experience.
Zion kissed her lips softly, telling her without words that she didn’t need to say anything. Morgan was grateful, because she knew she couldn’t adequately describe how she felt at that moment.
When their lips parted, Morgan felt awkward.
“So, anything good on TV tonight?” Zion asked with a grin.
Morgan chuckled and, taking Zion’s hand, led her back out to the living room. They ended up watching TV for a while, until Morgan observed Zion stifling a yawn.
“Getting tired?” Morgan asked.
“Mmm, yes, a bit,” Zion told her.
“Do you want to stay here tonight?”
Zion looked pensive for a moment. “I don’t really have anything suitable to sleep in.”
Morgan resisted the urge to tell her she could sleep naked, knowing that Zion’s gallant ways would probably preclude that option, and she didn’t want to put her on the spot.
“I have a pair of men’s sweatpants, if that would work for you?” Morgan offered.
Zion gave her a surprised look, but nodded. “Sure, that’ll work. Would you mind if I take a shower?”
“Absolutely not.” Morgan smiled, thinking she’d love to join her, but she quashed the thought. “There are towels and toiletries in the guest bathroom right down the hall there.”
Zion leaned over, kissing her softly on the mouth. She got up and headed for the bathroom.
An hour later they finally settled in Morgan’s bed. Zion wore the sweatpants and a T-shirt that Morgan had found. They each lay on their sides, facing each other.
“So, you have men’s clothes, men’s body wash and cologne in your guest bathroom…” Zion began.
Morgan pressed her lips together. “My overnight guests are rarely women.”
Zion nodded. “So the women you’ve dated, they’ve never stayed over?”
Morgan bit her lip. “I’ve never really gone so far as to sleep with a woman.”
Zion bowed her head, and gave her a quizzical look. “And by sleep you mean…”
“I’ve never had sex with a woman before,” Morgan admitted hurriedly. “In college I kissed and made out with women, but it never went further.”
“Interesting…” Zion commented.
“In a bad way?” Morgan said worryingly.
Zion moved closer, sliding her hand over Morgan’s waist. She leaned in and kissed Morgan’s neck, and whispered, “Like I said, I like being the first.”
Morgan shivered. “Well you certainly are.”
Zion moved to lay on her back, and she slid her arm under Morgan’s neck. Morgan snuggled closer, her head in the hollow of Zion’s shoulder. They lay that way, talking into the night.
***
“So, it’s going well with your handsome blue-eyed stranger.” Jessie grinned lasciviously.
“Yes, I think it is,” Morgan enthused.
“And even after you told her about all the crazy reincarnations?”
“Yes, even after that.” Morgan rolled her eyes. “They aren’t crazy, they just are.”
“And you think it’s normal that you had the same blue eyes following you through your life?” Jessie asked as she took a sip of her cocktail.
Morgan shrugged, sipping from her own drink. “It’s believed that people are the same in every life, and are involved with the same people in multiple lives.”
Jessie looked skeptical. “You never found out what happened with Sam and Davis, maybe you should find out before things with your new love go too far.”
Morgan looked surprised. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, you should probably know how things end up with them, right? Did they have a long happy life together, or what?”
Morgan didn’t like the insinuation, but it got her thinking about what had happened with her previous life. With the thought in mind, Morgan called to get another appointment with the therapist. Charlotte was on vacation for the next two weeks, so it had to wait until she was back.
“Just give me whatever you’ve got available after she gets back,” Morgan informed the receptionist.
***
“Why haven’t you been returning my calls?” Jane asked, incensed. She’d swept into the bar half an hour ago, acting every bit the fiery dragon. Zion had managed to avoid her, up until she’d come to stand directly in Zion’s path as the bar owner brought up a case of beer.
“Can you move?” Zion asked in a clipped tone, far from being in the mood to have a confrontation with the woman.
Jane’s eyes narrowed dangerously; her fists placed firmly on slim hips. “Not until you tell me why you haven’t called me back!”
“Then I’m about to drop this case of beer on your foot,” Zion countered, as she shifted the heavy load.
Jane blew her breath out in a huff and stepped back out of Zion’s way. Zion proceeded to carry the case to behind the bar, setting it down. She bent down and began filling the cooler with its contents. She could feel Jane’s ire like a physical presence. Grinning to herself, she continued her task.
“Z!” Zip called from the other end of the bar. “I need an override!”
Zion straightened taking a step toward Zip.
“Don’t you dare!” Jane raged.
“I have a bar to run,” Zion said, glancing over her shoulder at the blonde. “Why don’t you come back later, or don’t, I really don’t care.” With that she walked toward the waiting bartender.
Zion spent another hour moving from task to task to avoid Jane. Every time she glanced in Jane’s direction, she could have sworn the woman was turning to stone on the barstool on which she perched.
When Zion moved back to where Jane was still waiting, she turned and began checking liquor levels in the bottles on the shelves, her back to Jane. She was stunned when a glass hit her from behind, and splashed red wine all over her white long-sleeved shirt.
“What the ever-loving fuck!” Zion exclaimed. She pivoted to see that Jane was giving her a ‘that’s what you get’ look.
“Are you insane!” Zion continued, moving to grab a towel, wiping at what little she could reach on the back of her shirt.
“I cannot believe…Zip, I gotta go change!” she called as she turned to walked toward the back stairs up to her apartment, throwing Jane a dirty look.
“You are not invited,” she snapped, “get out of my bar!”
Despite Zion’s order, Jane followed her up the stairs.
“I think you forget that I’m your partner in this bar,” Jane snapped, “so you can’t tell me to leave!”
“I can damned well remove you myself!” Zion yelled back, continuing into her apartment, unbuttoning her shirt in angry jerks.
“You can try!” Jane screamed back.
Taking off the stained shirt, Zion scrunched it up into a ball, throwing it in the hamper. She strode to her closet for another. Jane got in her way to stop her, putting her long-nailed hands on Zion’s shoulders.
“What is wrong with you!” Jane snapped, her face suffused with color in her anger.
Zion stopped her from edging any further forward, giving Jane a warning look. It was rare that Zion lost her temper, but she knew she was about to do so. “Take your damned hands off me and get out of my way,” she growled.
“Not until you tell me what’s going on!” Jane retorted hotly.
Taking a slow deep breath, doing her best to stave off her fury, Zion slowly reached up her hands. She took Jane’s wrists and moved them away from her.
Jane flexed her fingers and yanked her restrained wrists away from Zion. Jane raked her blood red nails down Zion’s chest. Zion snapped, and raised her right hand, ready to backhand Jane. The widening of Jane’s eyes and her gasp of sincere shock brought Zion to her senses. Zion walked away from Jane, and marched into the kitchen. She pulled a bottle of Jack Daniel’s out of the cupboard and took a long drink. When she slammed the bottle down, amber liquid splashed on the counter. Glancing to her right, she could see that Jane was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“Fancy…” Zion began, her voice low and dangerous. “I’m warning you; you need to get away from me right now.”
“I don’t understand…” Jane began, tears suddenly glazing her eyes. “Why are you doing this to me?”
Zion didn’t fall for it this time. Slowly turning her head to look at her, her blue eyes ablaze, she said, “Go ask your husband.”
Jane drew her breath in sharply, obviously shocked that Zion knew about Winston. Zion could see her mentally regrouping and didn’t wait to see what lies would come out of her mouth next. Instead, Zion strode toward her, taking her by the shoulders and turning her around, and marched Jane to the apartment door, pushing her out of it. She slammed the door after her, locking the bolt into place. Moments later, Jane pounded on the door, screaming that Zion ‘didn’t understand’ and needed to ‘let her explain!’
Zion walked away from the door, going back into the kitchen and picking up the bottle of Jack Daniels. She went into her bedroom and sat on the bed. She spent the next hour polishing the bottle. An hour later, Dax came up to tell Zion that Jane had finally stormed out of the bar, but not before causing a huge scene with the crew trying to claim that Zion had become violent with her.
“We knew she was full of shit,” Dax told Zion, who was fairly drunk at this point of Dax retelling the incident. “We all told her to leave.”
Zion nodded, blowing her breath out. “Thanks.”
“You okay?” Dax asked, already knowing the answer. Zion shrugged, her mouth curved in discontent. “Okay, well we got staff downstairs, you just take the night, okay?”
“Thanks,” Zion said, as she got up to go into the kitchen for another bottle. This time she picked up some Kraken dark spiced rum.
Dax shook her head, knowing Zion was headed for a bender. It was the first of many for the next few months and periodically whenever Jane would turn up to ‘explain.’
A week later at the bar, Jane made an unexpected appearance.
“She won’t see you,” Dax announced, as Jane swept by her and Kenzi’s table.
Jane whirled on Dax. “Leave me alone!” she snapped. Dax grinned, putting her hands up in surrender. Jane narrowed her eyes; she didn’t trust that Dax had given up so easily. “Where is she?”
Dax canted her head, an evil glint in her eyes. “That’s for me to know, and for you to find out.”
Jane’s face suffused with color as she glared at the ex-fighter pilot. She looked over at Kenzi who was watching with an amused look on her face.
“Your girlfriend is an asshole,” Jane told Kenzi.
“Look who’s talking,” Kenzi replied flatly.
Jane’s hands scrunched into fists. Dax looked pointedly at them, then back up to Jane’s eyes. “That’d be about the very last thing you’d do in this life.”
“Oh, so tough,” Jane said mockingly, but her hands immediately unclenched.
“Roger that,” Dax said.
Jane gave the couple a haughty look, then turned and continued toward the bar.
“So that’s her, huh?” Kenzi asked Dax.
“Oh yeah,” Dax sighed. “Likely to be a long night.”
At the bar, Jane demanded to see Zion.
Zip, the bartender, knew exactly who she was dealing with. “She’s not in yet,” she told Jane, a triumphant look on her face, “but I’m sure she and her new girlfriend will be here soon.”
The statement had the desired effect as Jane’s mouth dropped open.
“Girlfriend!” Jane exclaimed.
“You heard it here first.” Zip smiled, turning and walking away to help another customer.
Jane stood staring into space; it had never occurred to her that Zion would move on from her. Sure, she knew Zion had sex with other women, but Jane had always figured those were one-night stands. Maybe Zip was lying, just to make her mad. The thought made Jane smile, sure that had to be it.
When Zip was near her again, Jane snapped her fingers. “Can you at least do your job and get me some wine?”
Zip chewed on her gum, wanting to punch the blonde bitch in the mouth, but she knew that wouldn’t be acceptable to Zion. Finally, she picked up a wine glass and filled it with white wine, sliding it in front of Jane without a word. She then turned and walked away from the woman before she said anything she would regret.
Everyone knew about Jane, and what she’d done to Zion; no one liked the woman, not even the slightest bit.
An hour later, Jane was fit to be tied, that’s when Zion and Morgan walked into the bar. Jane heard Zion’s friends greet her and turned around on the barstool where she sat. She observed the redhead that Zion held hands with; she looked very wholesome and that had Jane rolling her eyes. Someone must have told Zion she was there because suddenly the blonde bar owner looked straight at her. Jane moved to stand, as Zion uttered something to the redhead.
The other woman looked over at Jane for a long moment. The redhead then took Dax’s proffered hand and let her lead her over to the table where Kenzi sat. Zion marched over toward Jane.
“Why are you here?” was the first question out of Zion’s mouth.
“You know why I’m here,” Jane told her, moving to kiss Zion on the cheek. Zion pulled her head back, giving Jane a pointed look.
“You need to leave,” Zion ordered.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Jane folded her arms in front of her chest. “You and I are going to talk.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.” Zion stared down at Jane, her blue eyes as cold as ice. “I’ve paid you back every penny of your original loan. We are done with our business arrangement.” With that, Zion turned her back and began to walk away.
“What if I leave him?” Jane almost shouted.
Zion turned around, giving Jane an appraising look. “That’s your business.” Zion continued to walk away, leaving Jane standing at the bar.
Jane could not believe that Zion had just walked away from her. Her offer to leave Winston had been her ace in the hole. She really hadn’t meant to lead with that, but seeing that Zion had a new woman in her life had made her feel a bit desperate. Getting ahold of herself, Jane realized that Zion having a new girlfriend didn’t necessarily mean anything. Women came and went, especially when it came to the handsome bar owner.
Sitting back down on the barstool, Jane ordered another drink and decided to wait and see.
“That was quick,” Dax commented when Zion joined them at the table.
“I’ve got nothing to say to her.” Zion shrugged, leaning in to kiss Morgan on the lips. “I’m sorry, I should have asked if you wanted a drink.”
Morgan smiled. “You kind of had your hands full there.” She waved in Jane’s direction.
“No matter.” Zion grinned, holding her hand up to one of the passing waitresses, who immediately noticed and walked over to their table.
“Heya boss.” The waitress, a cute brunette, smiled at them. She winked at Morgan. “What can I get you?”
“Beer for me,” Zion said, looking over at Morgan, “and white wine?” Zion queried, waiting for Morgan’s nod. “I’m thinking that new Pride Mountain batch.”
“You got it.” The waitress nodded. “Do you two need refills?” she asked Kenzi and Dax.
“Yes please!” Kenzi nodded. “Let me try that new white wine too. Thanks!”
“Beer for me too,” Dax added.
The waitress hurried away and Morgan glanced over to see that Jane was indeed watching the four of them.
“So, she’s just going to sit there?” Morgan asked, surprised by the woman’s tenacity.
Dax smirked as she looked over in Jane’s direction. “Like a fuckin’ vulture.”
“Dax…” Zion murmured.
“Sorry, like a frigging vulture,” Dax amended.
“Just try to ignore her,” Zion told Morgan.
Morgan looked doubtful, but nodded her head. As the night wore on, Jane made it impossible to ignore her. She flirted with every butch in the bar, hanging over them, dancing with them, all in an effort to make Zion jealous.
“We don’t have to stay here,” Morgan told Zion, as Jane walked by with yet another woman who was grabbing her ass.
Zion’s lips curved in a grin. “Morgan, she’s only making a fool out of herself.”
Morgan bit her lip, but didn’t comment any further. In truth it had been a nice evening. Zion and Dax had regaled them with tales from the aircraft carrier they’d both been stationed on. The stories were hilarious, and entertaining.
“Has she seen the scars yet?” Dax asked Zion with a raised eyebrow.
Zion shook her head. “No.”
“I’m sorry, scars?” Morgan asked, eyebrows raised.
Dax looked at Zion for a long moment. “Is it okay if I tell?”
Zion sighed, nodding her head.
“Zion was on the deck crew, the head of the deck crew actually, so when one of the jets came limping in with one of its engines out, naturally Z was on the deck. It looked like it was going to make it in fine, so the fire crew had started to stand down.” Dax looked over at Zion who nodded slowly.
Morgan squeezed Zion’s hand in hers, already knowing she wasn’t going to like what happened. Zion’s lips merely twitched slightly.
“So, the jet just about gets on the deck and at the last minute, the right wing dipped ever so slightly,” Dax said, eyes never leaving Zion’s.
“Yeah, just enough to have it rolling onto my deck, and catching fire,” Zion added as if it had been a personal affront.
“The fire team was too slow in reacting, so Z jumped into action with her crew.”
“But one of my men ended up too close, and I knew the engine was going to blow,” Zion interjected.
“How?” Kenzi asked. Being a pilot herself, she understood the danger of a flaming plane on an aircraft carrier.
“It was winding up,” Zion told her, which had her nodding.
“So, Zion here, being the ridiculous heroic son of a bitch that she is, ran in there to grab him,” Dax said proudly.
“Yeah, and almost got out too,” Zion commented wryly.
“Almost?” Morgan asked worriedly.
“Hence the scars,” Zion said.
“Kenzi grimaced. “Ouch.”
Zion shrugged, taking a drink of her beer.
“And she sits there like it was no big deal,” Dax commented, shaking her head as if in disbelief.
“It was a long time ago.”
“Still heroic,” Dax countered.
“Zip it,” Zion replied with a knowing grin.
At one point, Zion had stepped away to handle a bar matter, and Kenzi had gone off to the bathroom. Dax looked over at Morgan, smiling.
“What?” Morgan asked, catching the observation.
“I’m glad Z found you,” Dax told her.
“I feel very lucky, myself,” Morgan admitted.
“She’s different with you.”
“How so?”
“Usually, Fancy blowing into town throws her for a loop, but not this time.”
“Throws her for a loop, how?” Morgan asked cautiously.
“Well, we usually have to drag her out of a bottle for about a week afterwards.”
Morgan winced. “That bad?”
“Oh yeah.” Dax nodded, seeing that Zion was heading back to the table. “You didn’t hear it from me,” she intimated to Morgan with a wink.
Morgan smiled.
A little while later, there was a loud yell from the bar. Zion looked over in time to see Jane throw a drink at the butch woman she’d recently paraded by with.
“I told you I’m not going anywhere with you!” Jane screeched.
“Fuckin’ bitch!” the butch woman yelled, taking a menacing step toward her.
Zion and Dax were on their feet instantly and striding towards the bar; Steel and Case joined them. Shayne, Flynne and Jayden hurried toward the scene too.
Steel, who’d been up at the bar with Case, stepped up to the butch woman. Case stood facing Jane, telling her to back away too.
Zion reached the scene just as the dark-haired butch was raging at Steel.
“She’s been hinting all night, man! Now’s she’s playing the victim and shit!”
“Dude…” Steel began, shaking her head, but Zion intervened.
“No one talks to ladies here like that,” Zion warned the woman.
“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t let skanks in here then,” the butch woman snapped.
“Okay, I’m just gonna need you to back off, now,” Zion said, as Steel started stepping toward the butch.
“What the fuck, man! I come in here all the time!” the butch yelled.
“And you’re welcome back, some other night, but tonight you gotta go,” Zion ordered.
The butch woman looked from Zion to Steel and then to Dax, seeing that they were all serious. “This is bullshit!” she barked, but turned and left.
Zion turned to look toward Jane who had moved to sit on a barstool at Case’s suggestion.
“You okay?” Zion asked, her tone neutral.
“Can you believe that!” Jane seethed. Zion simply looked back at her, the look on her face unimpressed. “She was going to strike me!”
“Maybe you should go home too,” Zion commented.
“I can’t believe this! You’re blaming the victim?” Jane cried.
Zion looked at Case who was already hiding a grin. She looked to Dax who didn’t bother to hide hers and then glanced at Steel, who held up her hands as if to say, this is your problem and walked away.
“You have a good night,” Zion said, sounding anything but sincere. She turned and walked back over to where Morgan and Kenzi were standing.
Morgan commented on it later that night. “So, you defended her…” Morgan said, her tone flat.
They were in Zion’s apartment, sitting on the couch. Morgan sat close to Zion, her feet curled under her, her head in the hollow of Zion’s shoulder.
“I defended a woman in my bar,” Zion replied.
Morgan nodded slowly. “So it wasn’t that it was her, it was that she was a woman.”
“She was a woman who’d gotten herself into trouble.”
Morgan glanced up at Zion. “Some people would say she got what she was asking for.”
Zion shrugged. “I won’t let any woman be abused in my bar, no matter what stupid things they did to get to that point.”
Morgan smiled. “Very gallant.” She put her hand on Zion’s chest. “So about these scars I haven’t seen…”
Zion laughed. Moving forward on the couch, she pulled her shirt tails out and unbuttoned her shirt, taking it off and setting it aside. She wore a white sports bra, but Morgan could see a good expanse of skin. She noticed uneven skin midway down Zion’s back and curving along her left down to her waistline.
“Ouch, that looks like it would have been excruciating.”
“Oh, it hurt alright,” Zion stated.
“I’m sorry that happened,” Morgan replied as Zion leaned back against the couch again, “but it sounds like you were very brave.”
Zion’s lips twitched. “There were people I was responsible for, so I did what I needed to do.”
Morgan leaned forward, hugging Zion tightly. “That is an incredibly noble way to see it.”
Zion’s hand covered Morgan’s; she appreciated Morgan’s words, but had no response. Instead, she embraced her, leaning down to kiss her lips. After the kiss, Zion stood, holding her hand out to Morgan to help her up off the couch. She led Morgan into the bedroom, and began kissing her again. As they kissed, they helped each other out of their clothes. Zion gently pushed Morgan down onto the bed.
Zion moved to lay next to Morgan, her hand sliding over soft skin, as she kissed Morgan’s lips again and again. The passion intensified between them and Morgan was grasping at Zion’s waist, wanting more. She was on the verge of begging. She held Zion close, wanting to feel her body against her.
“Please…” Morgan moaned softly. “I want you over me.” She gasped as Zion moaned against her lips.
Giving in to the need she was feeling, Zion shifted her body, sliding it seductively down Morgan. She began moving against Morgan, slowly at first, while Morgan’s hands grasped at her back, trying to pull her even closer.
Zion was doing everything she could to hold back, wanting Morgan to orgasm before her, but in the end, they climaxed together, crying out in unison as they did. Morgan had never felt so much pleasure in her life. When Zion maneuvered her body to take her weight off Morgan, Morgan’s hands held her tightly.
“No, please, just lay here with me,” Morgan whispered breathlessly.
“Mmm, how can I say no?” Zion asked, her voice husky.
They lay together for a long while, enjoying the feel of each other.
Eventually, Zion shifted to the side, and pulled Morgan with her to snuggle against her back. “Can you stay tonight?” Zion asked.
“I’d love to.”
“Then do,” Zion replied.
Morgan smiled in the darkness, feeling happy in the moment. She wanted it to last.
They fell asleep snuggled together.