“Holy fucking shit.” Cherie backed up. “Chill out. I caught a glimpse as I slowed to turn into your driveway. Some woman was bending over shoving suitcases into her car.”
“Really!” Lisa jumped up on the sofa and peered out. She caught a glimpse of Bella’s orange Corolla as she backed out the driveway.
“What’s going on?” Cherie eyed her with suspicion.
“That’s the thing. I can’t explain it…and we’ll be late for pool.”
“So what? Spill.”
“We went to school together.” She was intentionally vague.
“And?” Cherie quirked an eyebrow.
“We fooled around a bit.”
“And?”
“That’s it.” Lisa shrugged. If she told Cherie the entire story, they would never make it to the pub.
Cherie didn’t seem to care. She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t make me spank you.”
Lisa chuckled. “You tried that, remember? It’s why we don’t date.”
“Oh, yeah.” Cherie snorted. “But come on, you have to tell me what’s going on. You looked like you wanted to throttle me when I said she had a nice arse.” She held up a hand in surrender. “An observation.”
It was an accurate one too. Bella had a gorgeous backside. “I’ll tell you on the way.”
By the time they pulled into the car park at the pub, Cherie had the lowdown on what happened at school, and what had happened since Bella moved in.
“Firstly, there’s only one type of pussy that should be wet. No more tormenting her cat. Got it?”
Lisa unbuckled her seat belt. “Whose side are you on?”
“Yours. I’m going to give you a lift home tonight, and we’re going to wait up until she gets home and find out what all this suitcase shit is about.”
“And how do you propose we do that?”
“Good question.” Cherie climbed out. “And I’m actually meeting up with Alice later, so springing your neighbour will have to wait.”
Relieved, Lisa exhaled a breath. Cherie meant well, but she could be heavy-handed, which was exactly why Lisa hadn’t told her about Bella before now.
“Once we find out what she’s up to, you can decide if you want to go there again.”
“Why would I do that?” Lisa protested a little too loudly.
“Because you have unfinished business. I can see it in your eyes.”
Feeling annoyed and exposed, Lisa held open the door to the pub, letting Cherie go first and hoping that was the end of it.
***
By ten that night, Lisa had had enough. Enough of playing pool, enough of watching Alice moon over Cherie, and enough of thinking about her neighbour.
She swung the strap of her pool case over her shoulder. “I’m off.”
Cherie pushed off the bar leaner. “I’ll give you a lift.”
“It’s fine. I’ll grab a cab.”
“You don’t have to do that. It’s time we were off too.”
Alice picked up Cherie’s pool case and smiled coyly at Lisa. She’d shown up a little over an hour ago and had stuck to Cherie’s side ever since.
Fifteen minutes later, Cherie dropped Lisa at the foot of her driveway. As soon as she climbed out of the car, Alice got out of the back and hopped in the front.
Lisa had said she was happy to sit in the back, but neither Cherie nor Alice would hear of it. The power imbalance between them was a little too much for Lisa, but it seemed to work for them.
“Ring me tomorrow,” Lisa said, pulling up her jacket collar.
“Of course,” Cherie replied. “And I expect you to have news.”
“Whatever.” She scoffed, knowing exactly what Cherie was referring to.
“Bye.” Alice waved out the window as Cherie pulled away from the kerb.
The outside lights came on, illuminating the driveway. Lisa put the key in the lock and glanced over her shoulder. All was quiet next door; the yard was shrouded in darkness.
She filled a glass with water and sat on the couch. She watched the clock, feeling like she was waiting for Cinderella. Two minutes before midnight, she heard a car pull into her neighbour’s driveway. She glanced out the window to make sure it was Bella before making her move. Elation stole over her when the orange car came into view. Lisa fist-pumped the air. The time had come to find out what the hell was in those suitcases.
Hoping she didn’t smell like a brewery, Lisa gargled some mouthwash before heading out. Standing at the foot of Bella’s driveway, she called, “Hi, it’s just me.”
Bella shielded her eyes, squinting into the darkness. “Lisa?”
“Sure is.” She approached slowly, her sneakers barely making a sound on the uneven concrete.
“What are you doing? It’s late.”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Lisa shot back.
“I just got home from work.” Bella hefted the suitcase off the ground. “I’m tired, and I have to be up early. Good night.”
“Let me help you.” Lisa lunged for the handle.
“No!” Alarm flashed in Bella’s eyes. “It’s fine.” She shoved at Lisa’s hand, but Lisa wouldn’t let up.
A brief tug-of-war ensued, and then…almost in slow motion, the bag burst open, spewing its guts all over the concrete. Stunned, Lisa stared at Bella, mouth open, words failing her. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this scenario.
She picked up a double-ended dildo, her gaze flicking from the monstrosity to Bella. “Just what kind of job requires one of these?”
Bella crouched, tossing items back into the suitcase: handcuffs, vibrators, novelty items, lingerie. “I host sex toy parties.”
Relieved it wasn’t body parts or stolen goods, Lisa bent and helped pick up the spilled contents. “And your husband’s okay with that?” She looked pointedly at the wedding ring on Bella’s finger, wanting to get to the bottom of what that was all about.
“I wear it to ward off any unwanted advances. Most of my customers are women, but some nights, like tonight, there are men too. I got followed home once. It wasn’t pleasant.”
The rumble of a car engine pierced the night air. Bella stiffened. It continued on up the street, and she relaxed her posture. “What are you doing here, anyway?”
“I came to offer a hand.”
“You never were a very good liar, Lisa Barnett.” She smiled shyly. “Good night.”
Not ready to be dismissed, Lisa remained rooted to the spot and watched Bella disappear inside. Shortly after, Bella popped back out carrying a vacuum cleaner.
She jumped, hand flying to her chest when she saw Lisa still standing there. “Fuck!”
Lisa shook her head in disapproval. “Swearing doesn’t suit you.”
“And stalking doesn’t suit you.” Bella pursed her lips. “For someone who likes to dish out orders, you’re not very good at following them.”
Before Lisa could think twice, her hand shot out. She grabbed Bella by the chin, and their gazes locked. Bella’s eyes blazed, but not with fear. They were swimming with desire. Lisa pressed her lips to Bella’s and the years between them fell away.
She captured her bottom lip, nipping gently before sucking on the fleshy pad. Bella moaned into the kiss, and Lisa revelled in the way she responded to her. By the time they came up for air, they were both breathing hard.