Chapter 1 #2
Seraphina clenches her jaw until pain radiates through her head.
“You don’t know what I was thinking that night.”
“You were thinking about Elliot. About your children. About everything except yourself,” Nerissa says.
Nerissa takes another step closer.
“And I got tired of always being that part of your life you hide whenever panic takes over.”
Something cracks inside Seraphina. For six months, she’s convinced herself she did the right thing, that the distance was necessary. But having Nerissa standing right in front of her shows her just how exhausted she is from pretending to be indifferent.
“Daphne Mercer seemed like a good distraction,” she blurts out, unable to hold back.
Nerissa raises an eyebrow, surprised.
“So you were asking about me?”
Seraphina looks away, embarrassed.
“These places thrive on rumors.”
“The thing with Daphne only lasted a few weeks,” Nerissa confesses.
Seraphina’s chest tightens in an absurd way.
“And why did it end?”
Nerissa looks at her for a moment that feels like an eternity.
“Because I kept comparing her to what I had with you. And that never works.”
Seraphina’s heart pounds violently.
“Nerissa…”
“Just tell me once that you’re happy with your husband and your perfect life,” she murmurs, lowering her voice in case anyone might hear them. “Look me in the eyes and tell me you really mean it.”
Seraphina opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. She can’t lie to her. She’s never been able to lie to that woman.
Nerissa exhales slowly, as if the silent answer is exactly what she expected.
“I thought so.”
Seraphina feels her entire body tense.
“You can’t just show up after six months and do this.”
“This?” Nerissa asks.
“Getting this close to me.”
Nerissa’s smile fades. Then, with deliberate slowness, she raises her hand and strokes Seraphina’s cheek. The touch—that simple touch—sets her skin ablaze.
“I’ve tried to forget you…” Nerissa confesses, looking at her without hiding a single thing she feels. “Believe me, I’ve tried for my own sake. But there comes a point when you get tired of merely surviving.”
Seraphina should step back; she should do a lot of things. Instead, she takes a step toward her, and the space between them disappears. She can feel the warmth of Nerissa’s body despite the cold air.
“This is a bad idea,” she whispers, no longer sure whether she’s trying to convince Nerissa or herself.
“Yes,” Nerissa admits.
Seraphina looks at her lips for a moment and is about to kiss her. Then she thinks of Elliot, of her children, of the family name, of all the expectations she’s carried since childhood. She thinks of the perfect life she left inside the ballroom. And then she looks at Nerissa.
“Come with me.”
*
They walk slowly through the crowd, though Seraphina feels as if her heart is about to burst out of her chest. And as if nothing were wrong, they step into the private elevator on the main floor.
As soon as the doors close, Nerissa pushes her against the empty wall and kisses her hungrily, sliding a hand under her clothes to squeeze her thigh.
Seraphina moans into her mouth, desperate, and pulls her hair.
The elevator emits a soft ding on the executive floor. They practically run out.
The hallway is dimly lit, silent. Nerissa tries a couple of doors until one gives way: a spacious, elegant office with views of the city and a dark mahogany desk. She closes the door behind them and looks at her with fire in her eyes.
There’s no time for pretty words.
Seraphina pounces on her. She pushes her against the wall next to the door and kisses her furiously.
Her hands roam over Nerissa’s clothes, pulling at each garment, desperate to touch her skin.
Nerissa growls against her lips, unzips her dress, and the fabric falls to Seraphina’s waist, exposing her breasts.
“Fuck…” Nerissa mutters. “I’d forgotten how much I love seeing you naked.”
Seraphina stifles a loud moan, arching against her. The pleasure is immediate, and she grabs her head with both hands while Nerissa sucks and nibbles on both her nipples. She feels Nerissa’s hands slide up her thighs, push aside the lace thong, and slip between her legs.
“I knew you hadn’t forgotten me…” Nerissa whispers against her skin, seeing how wet she is.
“Shut up and fuck me,” Seraphina demands, almost out of breath.
Nerissa obeys. Two fingers sink into her suddenly, deep and confident. Seraphina lets out a stifled gasp and digs her nails into Nerissa’s shoulders. Soon after, she begins to move against her hand, and the office fills with a delicious sound she’d already been missing.
Nerissa suddenly turns her around, bends her over the desk, and pulls her dress up to her waist. Seraphina clings to the edge of the wood, panting, as she feels Nerissa kneel behind her and spread her legs wide.
The first lick makes her tremble. Nerissa devours her mercilessly, and Seraphina bites her own forearm to keep from screaming.
The pleasure surges in violent waves, so intense that even her muscles ache.
“Nerissa… oh God…” she moans, pushing her hips against Nerissa’s mouth.
And then, the surgeon seeks her own pleasure by slipping a hand into her panties.
“I’ve missed you so much…” Nerissa growls into her ear, biting her earlobe. “You have no idea how much.”
Seraphina can only moan. The orgasm hits her suddenly, and she comes hard, trembling. The pleasure blinds her for a few seconds, and when she opens her eyes, Nerissa has turned her over again and is kissing her desperately, seeking her own release.
Seraphina doesn’t hesitate. She sits Nerissa on the edge of the desk, spreads her legs, and kneels between them.
The taste of Nerissa intoxicates her. She licks and sucks greedily, probing her insides with her fingers until she drives her wild.
Nerissa grabs her hair tightly, guiding her, and begins to pant her name through clenched teeth.
“Harder… like that… Seraphina, fuck…”
She comes with a stifled moan, clenching her thighs around Seraphina’s head and trembling violently. When she finally relaxes, she pulls her up and kisses her, tasting herself on her lips.
For a few seconds, all that can be heard is the murmur of the streets.
Seraphina presses her forehead against Nerissa’s, still trembling.
Reality begins to seep in little by little: the unfamiliar office, the gala, her husband…
But when Nerissa strokes her cheek with her thumb and looks at her as if she were the only real thing in the world, the fear returns…
though this time it doesn’t quite manage to overcome her.
“We can’t stay,” Seraphina whispers.
“I know,” Nerissa replies, kissing her swollen lips. “But this… it hasn’t ended here.”
Seraphina closes her eyes for a moment, knowing the meaning of those words. Her composure, that perfect facade she’s worked so hard to maintain, has just shattered once again in Nerissa’s hands.
And she has no desire to put it back together.