Chapter 9 Kaelee
Kaelee
The thought of going back to someone’s place was somehow less awkward than inviting anyone into the space where she slept.
Even if she was in a hotel like she was tonight, Kaelee had a thing about space.
She suspected it was a result of having been violated in a space where she ought to have been safe.
Since Kyle, she always had a pit in her gut at inviting anyone into her apartment unless they were truly close.
Back in DC, she’d invited exactly two people to her apartment: Toni and Cherie.
She thought she’d be okay with Toni’s future wife, Addie, or with Evander, but she hadn’t felt the need to test that theory.
Realizing that Marie could easily be on her trusted-people list after such a short time unsettled Kaelee, but she was an expert at compartmentalization. So she shoved that thought down deep to ponder later.
With a quick peck on Marie’s cheek, Kaelee said, “That’s perfect. I can order the takeout later tonight if you have sandwich supplies or something at your place.”
“Done.” Marie pivoted and marched away, glancing over her shoulder. “Let’s go. The sooner we grab a cab, the sooner I can get you naked. You should know, though: I’m a step ahead of you.”
“Oh?”
A man walking by gave them a second look, but right then, Kaelee couldn’t find it in her to care. She smiled, looked Marie over from head to toe, and asked, “Are you not wearing panties under that?”
“If you’re subtle, you can find out yourself in the taxi.”
“Excuse me?” Kaelee’s brows shot up.
Marie laughed. “Lee, I’m not as sedate as you seem to expect. One of my exes had quite the exhibitionist streak.” She shrugged. “I realized I liked it, too.”
And Kaelee followed after her with a silent prayer of thanks.
Becoming friends with this woman might be a dangerous prospect, but Kaelee felt sure she could resist catching feelings.
Sex and friendship could complicate things, so she needed a minute to weigh it.
Realizing it could work didn’t mean she was ready to commit to that decision, but Kaelee could admit that it was tempting. Marie was tempting.
On the street, Marie gestured to the taxi stand.
“Love the shirt,” Marie said lightly.
“I can’t spend all my hours working or at the gym.” Kaelee shrugged. “I read a lot.”
“Same.” Marie put a hand on Kaelee’s arm. “I like the results of the gym hours, though. In case I didn’t mention that last time.”
Kaelee smirked. “Which results? The muscles? The strength? The improved lung capacity and energy so I can fuck you longer?”
“Yes. That.” Marie squeezed her arm. “All of that.”
They stood in a silence that ought to be awkward, but somehow felt comfortable instead. After a moment, Marie pivoted to face her. “Dietary restrictions?”
“Food that’s not expired?” Kaelee offered with a shrug. “I have no known allergies. Not celiac either. I’m not a huge meat eater, but … I grew up in a steak and potatoes household.”
“What’s your stance on salads?” Marie cocked a hip, stared at her, and asked the question like it was the most serious topic ever.
“Versatile. Cheap. Happy if they have tofu, chicken, or steak on them.” Kaelee frowned. “I don’t think fish and salad really works, though. I like salmon, but not on salad. Salmon is for sushi or maybe as a main entrée. Not on my lettuce.”
“Chinese takeout?”
“I’m a fan.” Kaelee grinned. “I spend an hour or two most days at the gym, so I eat like there are no rules.”
Marie gave a nod. “I walk every day, but I’m not really a gym person. Far too many offers to ‘help’ me.” She made air quotes. “Typically by men. Not my scene.”
Kaelee rolled her bag forward and paused as it was their turn, but she had no address to give. She looked at Marie and said, “That’s you. Address?”
Marie rattled something off, and Kaelee pointedly tried not to listen. It was a little foolish, perhaps, because she’d need to get a taxi out later. Trying not to memorize addresses was on the list of rules to prevent relationships.
She opened the door for Marie and then put her own bag in the trunk before going around to the other door.
Once the taxi driver slid into traffic, Marie looked at her. “So your friend needs dating help?”
“Cherie.” Kaelee paused, realizing that she had used a real name. “She wants someone who treats her like she matters, and she wants that someone to be a person who gets her where she needs to go.”
Marie made no move to reach out, so Kaelee put a hand on her knee. It wasn’t hand-holding or anything. It was just a way to touch her. Perfectly normal. Nothing weird about wanting to have contact with the woman she intended to have moaning in the next hour.
“It speaks well of you that she asked you about that.” Marie parted her knees slightly, an invitation that Kaelee wasn’t sure she should take.
“How long to get there?”
“Usually not very,” Marie said with a laugh in her voice.
Kaelee gave her a stern look. “Be good.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Marie practically purred the word, and Kaelee couldn’t help but laugh as Marie scooted a little closer.
“Patience is a virtue.” Kaelee kept her hand right where it was, not accepting the invitation—although she considered it for a brief moment. They had all night, though, and a quick touch in the back of a New York cab wasn’t exactly the thrill she was seeking.
After a moment, Marie said, “You know, when I was a kid, I thought the expression was ‘Patience is a virgin.’ I spent a lot of time wondering what a virgin was, and then when I found out when I was in middle school, I had a lot of questions about who Patience was. It was incredibly awkward when I transferred schools to St. Lucia’s and met not one but two girls named Patience. ”
“Tell me you didn’t!” Kaelee said.
“Sister Theresa was not amused when I asked which Patience was the virgin in the expression, and if it meant she would have an immaculate conception like the Virgin Mary.” Marie smiled widely at the memory. “I was so grateful that my nonna had a sense of humor when Sister Theresa called her.”
The cabbie laughed from the front seat, obviously listening to their conversation. “My abuela would not have laughed at that.”
Marie met his eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded. “Patience wasn’t laughing either.” Then she glanced at Kaelee. “I got sent home the next day for announcing ‘Maybe Patience is not a virgin!’”
Kaelee laughed. “Tell me you didn’t say that loudly.…”
“At lunch,” Marie confirmed. “She shoved me and left.”
“Poor Patience.” Kaelee squeezed Marie’s knee. “So Catholic school?”
“All twelve years,” Marie confirmed.
“Are you … close with your family?”
“Now? Yes. There were years when I think they wished I was more like Patience, though.” Marie stared at the window then, drifting into thoughts that Kaelee both wanted to ask about and didn’t.
Not a date. I do not date. This is not a date. Friends chat.
The cab dropped them off in front of a nice building that had a very late 1800s architecture vibe with arches at the top of tall windows that were evenly spaced on a grayish stone front. A tall iron fence with spiked tops encircled the property.
Despite knowing that personal details weren’t the way to keep a distance between them, Kaelee felt like a jerk for not saying anything personal.
“I have no contact with my family,” she blurted out.
“Changed my name. Left. My grandmother was cool, but she’s gone now.
My parents are hardcore evangelicals of the ‘hate the sin and the sinner’ sort. ”
“They’re missing out. Even without knowing you that well, I’m sure of that much,” Marie said lightly, directing her to the front of the building and keying in a five-digit code on a box.
“I have a few cousins who don’t stay in touch because of their closed-mindedness.
My parents are great, though, and Nonna is amazing. ”
Once they were through the gate, Marie gestured toward the front of the building and walked up the steps to the main door, where she waved a pass at another box.
“You don’t need to tell me things if you don’t want, Lee.
I would like to be your friend … maybe friend with extras if that works for you, but I’m not trying to pry out secrets. I’m just a talker.”
Marie shrugged, and her tone was light. She held the unlocked building door open and nodded toward the stairs. “Fourth floor. Do you want to take the elevator?”
She gestured to the side, where a cage-style elevator waited. The car was open and looked ancient. The metal cage had been painted a bright teal at some point, but there were faded patches now.
“Does it work?”
“Most of the time. It’s as slow as walking up the stairs, though.” Marie looked down at Kaelee’s bag. “Your call.”
“Stairs.” Kaelee said nothing more as she followed her up the first flight and the second. Then she added lightly, “This was the better plan.”
Marie glanced over her shoulder. “Why’s that?”
“You have an amazing ass. I half thought I’d imagined how perfect it was because I was desperate at the hotel, but it’s just right, a Goldilocks-level ass.”
The answering trill of laughter made up for Kaelee’s feeling of awkwardness. “Goldilocks ass?”
“Not too flat, not too big. Just right.”
“Oh, Lee, I could like you,” Marie said quietly.
“You’re irreverent and gorgeous and…” Her words faded into a sigh, but Kaelee understood.
They had a strong physical spark, but she liked Marie, too.
She liked making her laugh, liked her joyous personality, and found her sense of adventure tantalizing.
I don’t date. I need to get out of here. Kaelee’s panic flared at the comfort she felt around Marie. They very obviously had the potential to be friends, but how was that even possible when they were likely both lying about their names and everything else?
By the third floor, Kaelee suggested, “Can we agree to saying something like ‘can’t answer’ rather than lie?”