The candidness of that question from a stranger caught Amelia off guard. “I… uh, thank you.” She didn’t mean to sound so meek. Could she help it, though? This was somehow new to her. She wasn’t the same woman she had been the last time she did this. “What do you mean by role-playing?” Wasn’t it obvious that she liked kinky roleplays? God, has so much changed in the few years since I was last on the market? Shit. I need to go out and watch people a bit longer, maybe. Finally, it dawned on her what Bree meant. The ears? “Oh! No, I don’t pretend to be a bunny or anything.” She laughed, uneasy. “I only think it’s cute. The ears actually came with a tail and some gloves, but they were a bit much for me. Also, do you think they’re better than cat ears? I feel like cat ears are a bit overplayed and send the wrong message.”
Bree chuckled. “They look cute on you.”
“Thanks.” Amelia took one more sip of her cocktail before placing it on the table. Right next to the bowl of condoms. Lovely. “I like your whole look, too. You don’t see white pants in a place like this often. Everyone wants to be mysterious in black, or sexy in red.” Her own chuckles became more awkward as the seconds passed.
“Yeah, well, it’s LA. Shit gets hot if you wear black during the summer. I’ve got a pretty firm constitution for heat, but I draw the line at tight, black pants in the middle of a hundred degree heat. I love my crotch way too much for that shit.”
Amelia’s chuckles exploded into a petite flurry of giggles. If a man referenced his crotch baking in the LA heat so soon after we met, I wouldn’t be laughing. Yet here they were. “As you can see, I prefer to let things air out.” Amelia swung her legs around, but didn’t bother opening them. Not yet. Let’s see where this goes first. “It’s important, you know. Especially after you take a shower or something. My hus…” Her laughter faltered. “Someone I used to know was from Georgia and had spent a lot of time in China. He said the biggest lesson he ever learned was keeping things aired out when the air is, um…”
Bree raised one of her eyebrows. “Moist?”
“I wasn’t going to say it.”
“So, I said it for you.”
Amelia snorted. “I suppose so.”
Bree’s good humor was shadowed by the look on her face. “You have a husband?”
“I… I used to.” Great. Amelia wasn’t supposed to share this about herself to night. This was about having mindless sex with someone I didn’t have to seduce. That’s why she cashed in her membership chips for the one free key party. If she didn’t hate the way she felt in the morning, she’d be back the following month, this time with settlement money to pay for the privilege. “Sorry. Wasn’t going to bring it up, but yes, I’m recently divorced.”
“Does that mean you’re single, then?”
Bree asking that so quickly after Amelia’s big “reveal” almost startled her. “I guess?” she said. “I mean, yes. I mean, no. I’m not seeing anyone.” She scrunched her nose. “Not sure what question I’m answering now.”
“You’re unattached. Legally, emotionally.”
“Yes. How about you?”
“Uh huh. About as single as a virgin stranded on a deserted island.” Bree laughed at her own stupid imagery. “Imagine that existence! I think I’d die if I got stranded on a deserted island and I was still a virgin.”
Amelia wasn’t sure how to process that at first. Then, “Me too. Sounds miserable.”
“Good thing we’re not virgins, then.” With a flourish of her hand, Bree motioned to her companion on the bed. “Makes these situations a lot easier to get through. Or maybe I should say it makes it easier to start them. God knows I would have been a total mess at a key party when I was much younger.”
“You can’t be that old,” Amelia said with a hint of shyness to her leveling voice.
“Old enough to laugh at who I was ten years ago. Anyway… I don’t mean to keep coming back to personal things. You’ve done this before. I’ve done this before. Doesn’t mean we can’t have a small chat and get to know each other first, but I also leave that up to the person I’m with. Whatever makes you comfortable.”
“I don’t mind some talking,” Amelia said. “Although, I will say I wasn’t thinking of deep and long conversations when I came here tonight.”
“No,” Bree was quick to reply. “I suppose you were thinking of something else that was deep and long.”
How did that make Amelia blush? Only women make me blush like that, I swear to God. Women like Bree, specifically. A woman like Amelia would have simply shared in her giggles and probably clammed up. I’d probably have to lead the night. Not really my strong suit, but I do it when I have to. Too many experiences with swinging in her past. I always end up with women more submissive than me. They still had fun, but it wasn’t usually what Amelia was looking for. She wanted the ultimate escape. To slip away from the troubles in the world with one person she trusted taking everything onto their shoulders instead of hers. That was the ultimate fantasy. The sex was a mere bonus.
“Sorry,” Bree said. When she smiled, she had such a boyish – no, girlish – charm that Amelia was instantly entranced with that button-nose and full lips. She always did love kissing full, invigorated lips. Not like her own, which were so thin that putting on lipstick took about ten seconds. Took me years to get it right, though.
To sum it up, Amelia wanted to be consumed.
“You’re fine,” she squeaked. “Thank you for the drink again. I can tell Kyle made it.”
“You know Kyle?”
“Of course. He’s the best bartender in Hellfire.”
Bree grinned. She was as adorable when she smiled as she was mysterious when she smirked. Watch yourself, Ames. She shouldn’t fall for someone so easily. That’s what happened with Roger, and look where it got her? Not that Amelia ever saw herself dating a woman in the near future. But it was a wild, new world for her now. Anything was possible. She was older – a little wiser – than she had been in her early twenties. Now was the time for exploration. As long as she felt a connection to someone… what was stopping her from giving it all she had?
“Kyle’s a friend of mine. I mean, he’s not a bestie, but I knew him before he worked here. He’s a good guy.”
“Rog… my ex-husband used to say that he would be threatened by Kyle’s flirting with me if he weren’t gay.”
“Oh, honey, bartenders have to flirt with everyone in this place. It’s how they get amazing tips.”
Amelia giggled. “That’s what I used to tell him. But he was a…” This was already TMI. Bree didn’t want to hear it. Yet Amelia was compelled to at least finish her thought. “He could be a jealous man.”
“Let me guess – a Dom?”
“How could you tell, huh? My outfit?”
“Your giggles.”
“Huh?”
Bree smiled once more when Amelia fell into another fit of awkward laughter. I can’t stop it. Looking at her smile makes me giggle. The more they talked, however, the more relaxed Amelia became. And the more I relax, the more likely I am to enjoy this. Women could be as forward as men, right? Amelia’s fantasies of someone coming in and “making it happen” might come true as of yet. It simply might take a little longer.