Chapter 18 #2
Phoenix Ridge looked different at dusk in January, emptied out and quieter than it had been in the morning.
She had spent the day watching Alexandra navigate a room with competence and the trust the community had in her, and the way people responded to her was telling.
Simone understood with that particular discomfort of recognizing something she couldn’t unknow that she had been doing the same thing too.
The two seconds of eye contact at the coffee station, when the rest of the room had melted away and the only two people in the world were them, had all but confirmed it.
She found herself on Ridgeline Drive before she had consciously decided where she was driving.
Alexandra’s house was lit from within when she pulled up, warm light spilling out of the study windows.
Despite not having called ahead, Alexandra let her in without comment, already turning back to walk toward the study before the door had fully closed.
Simone turned the deadbolt before following her through the hall, shrugging off her coat.
By the time she reached the doorway, Alexandra was already settled in the armchair with a glass of something burgundy.
“Do you want some?” Alexandra asked. “It’s a Gevrey-Chambertin.”
“Yes please.”
She watched as Alexandra stood and poured her a glass, letting it breathe before handing it to her.
“Thank you,” Simone said and took the armchair next to Alexandra. She swirled the crimson liquid a few times before sipping it, the flavor deep and earthy, a faint hint of smokiness underneath.
They talked about the summit and the community response to the panel. The competitiveness that had been the undercurrent of their dynamic so far had disappeared somewhere along the way. Simone wasn’t sure when; she wasn’t sure she cared to track it.
At one point, she found herself watching Alexandra’s fingers clasp the stem of the wine glass instead of listening to what she was saying. “The principal,” Simone said, redirecting, “at the end. What did she say to you?”
Alexandra was quiet for a moment, her gaze trained on the wine swirling in her glass.
Simone wasn’t sure if she was going to answer her, but she eventually said, “She said her students made something for me for a school project. Cards, apparently. She asked if I would come by the school next week to pick them up.” She rotated the stem between her fingers. “She said they wanted me to have them.”
Simone waited.
“I don’t really know what to do with that,” Alexandra said.
Simone looked at Alexandra’s profile in the warm lighting, tracing the line of her jaw and the curve of her cheekbone where it lifted.
It took her a few moments to realize why Alexandra looked so different tonight; she had an air of stillness around her, but it wasn’t the same kind of stillness she had observed across the negotiating table.
Simone reached over and took the wine glass from Alexandra’s hand and set it beside her own. Alexandra’s fingers lingered for a moment in the empty space where the stem had been, then withdrew, her hand settling open on the arm of the chair.
Simone watched Alexandra’s hand settle on the arm of the chair, her fingers curling slightly, as if testing the emptiness left by the glass.
The room’s warm light caught the faint lines of Alexandra’s knuckles, the subtle shift of tendons beneath her skin.
Simone had noticed those details before—months of stolen glances across boardrooms and tense dinners—but tonight, she let herself hold the observation without pulling back.
There wasn’t that familiar rush in her chest, just the quiet pull toward the woman across from her.
She leaned forward, her knee brushing Alexandra’s as she closed the distance between their chairs.
The contact was light and deliberate, the fabric of her slacks whispering against Alexandra’s skirt.
Simone’s hand found Alexandra’s knee first, her palm flat and warm through the thin material.
She felt the muscle tense for a heartbeat then yield, and that small surrender sent heat blooming low in Simone’s belly.
It was completely unlike the spike from their past encounters, where everything had been edged with rivalry or unspoken scores to settle.
This was slower, like sinking into water that matched her temperature exactly.
Alexandra’s eyes met hers, steady and unblinking, the composure there softening at the edges.
Simone slid her hand higher, tracing the line of Alexandra’s thigh, feeling the give of flesh under her touch.
She remembered the way Alexandra had yielded to her before, in that charged moment when her body opened despite the anger simmering between them.
But now, there was no anger to push against. Just… this.
Simone rose from her chair, pulling Alexandra up with her, their bodies aligning close enough that she could feel the rise and fall of Alexandra’s breathing against her chest. She cupped Alexandra’s face, her thumb brushing along the sharp line of her jaw, and leaned in.
The kiss started soft, their lips pressing together without any demands, but then Simone deepened it slowly, her tongue slipping past to taste the lingering red wine on Alexandra’s mouth.
Alexandra responded, her hands coming up to rest on Simone’s hips, her fingers pressing in with a quiet hunger that made Simone’s pulse quicken.
Their tongues explored without rushing until Simone’s back met the edge of the desk. She broke the kiss just long enough to murmur Alexandra’s name against her lips, the sound low and unadorned. Alexandra’s breath hitched, and she pulled Simone closer, their bodies pressing flush.
Simone’s hands worked at the buttons of Alexandra’s blouse, undoing them one by one, her fingers steady despite the warmth spreading through her.
The fabric parted, revealing the lace edge of Alexandra’s bra.
Her pale skin beneath was flushed slightly.
Simone pushed the blouse off Alexandra’s shoulders, letting it slide to the floor, and traced her collarbone with her fingertips, noticing the way Alexandra’s breath caught at the contact.
Alexandra reached for Simone’s shirt, her movements unhurried as she undid the buttons with a focus that made Simone’s skin prickle.
The air in the study felt thicker now, the quiet of the house amplifying every small sound: the rustle of cloth and the soft exhale as Simone’s shirt joined the pile on the floor.
They stood there for a moment, half-undressed.
Alexandra’s hands slid up Simone’s sides, her thumbs brushing the undersides of her breasts through her bra.
Simone shivered from the attentiveness in Alexandra’s gaze and the way it lingered on her body without a hint of possession.
She guided Alexandra back toward the chairs, but they didn’t sit.
Instead, Simone turned her, pressing her gently against the arm of the larger one, and knelt slightly to kiss the exposed skin of her neck and shoulder.
Alexandra’s head tilted, giving her access, and Simone took it, her lips trailing down to the swell of her breast above the bra.
She unclasped it with one hand, letting it fall away, and cupped Alexandra’s breast, feeling the weight of it as the nipple hardened against her palm.
Alexandra’s hand threaded into Simone’s hair, holding her there, and it grounded Simone and kept her present in a way she hadn’t been before.
Simone’s mouth followed her hand, her tongue circling the nipple before drawing it in, sucking gently.
Alexandra made a low sound, her body arching into the touch, and Simone felt a rush of wetness between her own legs.
She switched to the other breast, lavishing it with the same slow attention, her free hand sliding down to hike up Alexandra’s skirt.
The fabric bunched at her hips, and Simone’s fingers found the edge of her panties, tracing the seam before slipping beneath.
Alexandra was damp already, her arousal slick against Simone’s fingertips as she stroked the outer lips of her pussy.
She let her fingers simply explore, feeling the heat and the way Alexandra’s thighs parted slightly to invite her inside her.
Simone pressed a finger along Alexandra’s slit, gathering the wetness, then circled her clit with deliberate slowness.
Alexandra’s hips rocked forward, seeking more, but Simone kept the pace steady, watching the way Alexandra’s eyes fluttered half-closed and her lips parted.
“Simone,” Alexandra whispered, the name roughened by her need, and it sent a jolt through Simone’s body.
Simone stood, capturing Alexandra’s mouth again, kissing her hard while her hand worked between them.
Two fingers now, sliding inside easily and curling to find that spot that always made Alexandra gasp into her mouth.
Simone thrust them in and out, unhurried, feeling the clench of muscles around her and the way Alexandra’s body responded to her with a desperate urgency.
They shifted, Alexandra turning in her arms, and Simone felt hands on her own skirt, tugging it down along with her panties.
The cool air hit her skin, but Alexandra’s touch followed immediately, warm and searching.
Alexandra’s fingers found her pussy, stroking with the same deliberate care that Simone had shown, and she moaned into the kiss, her body pressing back.
It was reciprocal now, their bodies moving in tandem as they explored each other.