Sophia had been staring at her computer screen for fifteen minutes and had read and reread the same sentence multiple times. She had no idea what it said. She’d been distracted and irritable the further out they got from the moment she and Reggie parted ways at the river.
She was beginning to fear that the two of them were a lost cause. Her heart seemed intent on hope, but she was a rational woman. She had expected more than to be ghosted though. She pulled out her design team notebook and read over the notes she’d taken, and each time she’d highlighted something worth revisiting in her meetings with Valencia. The design team that had brought so much excitement then was like a clap of thunder now, promising a deluge of tears on the horizon.
She had a second meeting with the new group she and the governor had put together to continue refining the bill she and Valencia had started. More than a few of the ideas in her notebook were weaving their way into the bill since she and Reggie had worked so hard to produce their piece of the recommendations. If only Reggie were interested in hearing about the direction their work was taking now.
She wanted to throw something to relieve the pressure of so many emotions—anger and sadness primarily. It was good she didn’t since Rodrigo was on his way in the door.
“Hope you’re not busy. You have a constituent, or a voter, or a someone here to see you. I cleared your schedule.” He looked at her desk skeptically as if he knew she hadn’t done any work yet today.
“A voter or someone? That doesn’t sound worth clearing my schedule.”
“Trust me.” Rodrigo mouthed the words as he waved in her unscheduled appointment.
She sat back in surprise and nearly toppled her chair when Reggie walked in. Rodrigo looked like he wanted to stay, but Sophia waved him out. He closed the door reluctantly as he left.
Reggie looked nervous standing in her office. Sophia thought she ought to have a hat in her hands the way she seemed about to launch into an earnest speech. She also looked so damn good Sophia was almost willing to skip whatever Reggie had to say and beg her to kiss all the turmoil and angst away.
The inconvenient fact that Reggie was the source of those feelings kept her in her seat.
“I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch.” Reggie didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands. “I couldn’t call you until I knew what to say. That took a little time to sort out.”
“But you know now?” Sophia leaned forward.
“Yes. I love you.” Reggie took a hesitant step forward.
Sophia stood up and came around the desk. “That’s it?”
Reggie shook her head. “Oh no, not at all. There’s more, but that’s the most important thing. Even if you’re not interested in hearing the rest I wanted you to know that.”
“Which one of me do you love?” Sophia crossed her arms.
“I love Representative Sophia Lamont. And Astronaut Sophia Lamont. And Sophia Giraffe. Whoever you want to be and exactly who you are.” Reggie half smiled.
Sophia studied Reggie’s face. “That’s a pretty good answer. How long have you been working on it, Hellhound?” She returned Reggie’s grin.
“Not sure if I want to reveal that. I’m sorry, Sophia. Please don’t kick me out of here before I can say that a few more times.”
“You’ve got some explaining to do and so do I, but I’m not kicking you out. I’m pissed it took you this long to get over here though.” Sophia took Reggie’s hand and led her to one of the seats in front of her desk. “Start talking.”
“To start with, everyone I’ve talked to thinks I’m an idiot for making you doubt my love for you and that I’d be here to support you. To stand proudly next to you. My best friend, Ava, was not shy in her disapproval of my behavior, and the Zookeeper didn’t seem impressed either.”
“How many people know our business?” Sophia crossed her legs and put her hands on her legs.
“Just those two. I didn’t think I needed to reconvene the design team for their input, and I left you out of it when I called my father.” Reggie ran her hands through her hair, making it stick up wildly.
“That conversation reverberated through these hallways. Did you really demand a cell phone be brought to his cell so you could speak with him?”
“No, I didn’t demand that. I didn’t care at all how they got him on the phone, a landline would have been fine. I needed to talk to him. It was important.” Reggie picked at her nail. “How does anyone here know about that call?”
Sophia patted Reggie’s knee. “Remember how you said the Speaker was put in place by your father and there are rumors you’re plotting with your father to stage a coup? Well, throwing your weight around and demanding instantaneous access to Bartholomew Northrup made a few people around here quite nervous. The hallways are alight with gossip. Rodrigo is in his element.”
“It never occurred to me how it would look. Did it cause problems for you?”
Sophia shrugged. “It hasn’t hurt. The Speaker still hates me, he’s still trying to break free from your father’s grip, and my friends are still loyal to me. People know we’re together, but so far the sky hasn’t fallen. Actually, not much has changed except Rodrigo has a lot to talk about.”
“Are we? Together, I mean?” Reggie leaned so far toward she looked in danger of toppling out of the chair.
“You’re the one I want. I thought I made that clear. If you’ve decided I’m who you want too, then I think we’ll find our way through this. I feel like I’ve finally found something worth fighting for.” Sophia took Reggie’s hand.
Reggie squeezed Sophia’s hand. “Me too. It took me a while to come to peace with the things I can’t change. Maybe I can’t change who my father is, but I don’t have to live in his shadow either. You’ve shown me it’s possible to understand the risks and still take them. But if you need to talk to my father, you’ll have to stick to regular visiting hours. I quit my job right after I hung up.”
“I was wondering how you avoided being fired. I can’t imagine breaking all those rules gets you a merit badge. Are you happy to be unemployed?” Sophia searched Reggie’s face.
“It feels like I unloaded a backpack full of rocks I didn’t know I was being forced to carry. I’m going to take a few weeks off and then look for something else while I wait for word on graduate school. I applied to teacher programs.” Reggie toed at the carpet.
“Reggie, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you.” Sophia pulled their joined hands closer and kissed Reggie’s knuckles.
“Thank you. We’re off topic though. I still have a couple of apologies to make. You said you resented being compared to my father and you’re right. I shouldn’t have made that comparison. I’m sorry.”
Sophia nodded. She wanted to interrupt and tell Reggie it was okay, she didn’t need to say more, but it was important that they aired this out. When Reggie was done, Sophia had a few apologies of her own.
“I called my father for you. For me too, I guess, but I needed to know why he did what he did. He needed to hit me over the head with his greed, selfishness, power seeking, cruelty, and narcissism. Those are traits he possesses in spades and none of which afflict you, and I like to think I’ve avoided them too. It felt like as soon as he told me why he did what he did, I felt free. I think I’ve always thought I should have known what he was doing and stopped it. Like it was my fault somehow. It’s not though. He is who he is and he didn’t need my permission to hurt people. I gave myself the power to feel responsible for all these years so I also had the power to walk out of my self-imposed confinement.” Reggie traced her fingers along Sophia’s cheek with her free hand.
Sophia leaned into Reggie’s touch. How hard that must have been for Reggie to hear and process.
“For the record, I also looked back at your campaign promises and the characteristics you highlighted as essential to a good public servant. You said an open mind, willingness to listen and compromise, never falling in love with your own ideas, and integrity. My father would hate every one of those. You two are nothing alike.”
“I could have been lying.” Sophia moved closer to Reggie.
“But you weren’t.” Reggie leaned in and whispered in Sophia’s ear. “Because I know you.”
Sophia shivered. She wanted to be done talking. She wanted to kiss Reggie, maybe test the boundaries of upstanding public servant and the weight limit of her desk. Would she ever be able to work on that desk again if Reggie made her come on top of it?
“Did you hear me?” Reggie looked amused. “I was trying to offer my second apology, but it looks like your mind was elsewhere.”
“I’m listening now.” Sophia’s face felt hot.
“As I said, I know this is a small one, but I’m sorry for freaking out about the design team legislation and not trusting you. I know we didn’t see eye to eye on some of the issues that came up during the meetings, but you can’t move forward with something that impacts your career. At the end of the day, the rest of us go back to our lives without any consequences if the legislation fails, but that’s not true for you.” Reggie swung their joined hands and smiled.
Sophia took a breath. “My turn for apologies too. I should have been more sensitive about how stepping back into the political arena was for you. I saw how our design team and the cochairs and my colleagues reacted to you, but I still brushed it off. I was more worried about my own career, and that wasn’t fair. You were concerned about my job, and I should have been looking out for your heart.”
Reggie leaned forward and snuck a quick kiss. “My heart has always felt safe with you.”
“Hey, no kissing. I’m in the middle of an apology.” Sophia frowned but it didn’t look like Reggie was taking her seriously. “Lily suggested I bring you to work with me one day so you can see what I do and don’t have to fill in the blanks with some of the criminal activities your father filled his calendar with. I want you to trust me and what happens in this office. And I should have told you sooner about the Speaker’s offer. The bribe.”
“Thank you. I’d love to learn more about what you do. I don’t have a very good idea how you spend your days.” Reggie leaned forward again but seemed to catch herself before she kissed Sophia again. She sat back but looked a little grumpy.
“I’m almost done. I know how much the design team meant to you, and I believe deeply in the work we did. Maybe the recommendations as written can’t be implemented right now, but that doesn’t mean changes can’t be made. I’ve been working with Valencia and the governor, and I put together a larger team to draft a bill that can actually get passed.”
“Really?” Reggie sat up straight, practically bouncing in her seat.
“I’ve been calling it ‘operation middle ground.’ I know it’s not what you were hoping for, but it has the backing of the governor and will make a difference. I hope once you read it, you’ll be proud of it. Of me.” Sophia looked at her hands.
“I’m already proud of you, Sophia Giraffe.” Reggie took both of Sophia’s hands in hers and smoothed her thumbs over Sophia’s knuckles. “What now?”
Sophia pulled Reggie to her. She paused when their faces were inches from each other. “Please don’t make me miss you so much again.”
She closed the distance and sighed as Reggie’s lips met hers. She fell into the kiss. It hadn’t been that long, but it felt like the experience was brand new.
Reggie’s lips were soft and demanding. Sophia slipped her hands under Reggie’s shirt and dragged her nails lightly across Reggie’s back. Reggie went still.
Sophia traced the contours of Reggie’s torso, from her back, to her side, to her stomach. Reggie’s abs twitched under her touch, but otherwise she let Sophia explore. Sophia tried to kiss her but Reggie didn’t react.
“You’re playing with fire. I’m wound awfully tight.” Reggie looked pained.
“Who says I don’t know exactly what I’m playing with?” Sophia bit down on Reggie’s neck. “Go lock the door.”
Reggie looked from Sophia to the door as if not believing what she’d heard. Sophia nodded and Reggie sprang across the room.
Sophia’s clit was throbbing as she thought of what they were about to do. It had always been a fantasy. Reggie stalked across the room desire written all over her face. She didn’t touch Sophia, but the look in her eyes was commanding enough to walk her backward until Sophia’s ass hit her desk.
When Reggie demanded access, Sophia arched her neck. Reggie kissed her way down. Sophia shivered and felt her nipples grow hard. She wrapped one leg around Reggie’s calf.
It felt like an entire legislative session passed before Reggie worked the first button of her shirt free. Sophia was going to offer to help until she saw the look on Reggie’s face. She was teasing her.
The problem was Sophia wasn’t in the mood to be teased. She’d waited too long for Reggie. Her body’d been ready at the first touch.
“Pick up the pace, Northrup, or you’ll lose your privileges.” Sophia directed Reggie’s hand to her breast and squeezed both their hands.
She leaned into Reggie’s neck and moaned against her. She pulled Reggie’s other hand to her chest. Sophia started to protest when Reggie immediately moved her hands, but quickly quieted when Reggie grasped her by the hips and lifted her onto the desk.
Sophia grabbed Reggie by the ass and pulled her close, between her spread legs. Reggie’s hard stomach rubbed pleasurably against Sophia’s clit. She arched back, supporting herself with her hands behind her on the desk.
“I’d planned on being more of a gentleman and taking my time.” Reggie worked the buttons free on Sophia’s shirt.
“Fucking on the desk in my office doesn’t lend itself to slow and romantic, Reggie. I want hours of that, but right now, I want you inside me until I come.” Sophia hooked the heel of one shoe into the waistband of Reggie’s jeans.
“Jesus Christ.”
Reggie trailed her hand from Sophia’s ankle along her calf and up her thigh. As she moved up her leg she pulled Sophia’s skirt with her until her lacy bright pink underwear were exposed.
Sophia had been wet the moment Reggie started kissing her, but now she was aching for Reggie’s touch. Even though she’d said no teasing, Reggie took the time to pull her bra down and suck each nipple into her mouth.
Pleasure moved so quickly from her nipples to her clit and back Sophia was worried there would be a ten-million-neuron crash and her system would short out. She’d never experienced anyone’s touch that felt so electrifying.
Her concerns and ecstasy were amplified when Reggie directed her other leg onto the desk, heel flat on the desktop. Sophia didn’t have time to feel vulnerable or relish the fact that she was spread eagle on her desk awaiting fantasy fulfillment. Reggie moved inside her underwear, stroked along the length of Sophia’s clit, and then swiftly pushed first one, then two fingers inside.
Sophia dug her heel into Reggie’s hip and leaned back on her hands, her head thrown back. She drove down on Reggie’s fingers.
“You’re so beautiful.” Reggie kissed the inside of Sophia’s knee.
“Enough sightseeing. This feels incredible and you need to finish the job.” Sophia moved her hips, trying to find a rhythm.
Reggie grinned. She leaned forward and crawled onto the desk, on top of Sophia. Sophia was forced onto her back. She could feel paperwork and a pen under her. Luckily, she’d moved her laptop. She nearly came as she felt the full weight of Reggie on top of her while being filled by her. She clawed Reggie’s ass and stroked her arm.
Reggie kissed her, hungry and possessive. It was ferocious. Sophia met the kiss and deepened it. Reggie started pumping her hand in a slow rhythm at first, then faster. Sophia rolled her hips to meet her.
When she was close to coming she broke the kiss and squeezed her eyes shut, focusing on the immense pleasure that was rapidly building to crescendo. She wrapped her leg around Reggie’s thighs and scratched down her back.
She was vaguely aware of Reggie kissing and biting along her neck and shoulders as her pleasure built and then she tumbled over the edge with a thunderclap. It felt like an explosion throughout her body, and she would have happily stopped time to feel like that forever.
Reggie was looking down at her when she opened her eyes. “Did it live up to your fantasies?”
Sophia playfully pushed Reggie off her and sat up. “How do you know it was a fantasy?”
When Sophia got to the edge of the desk, Reggie stopped her. She stepped back between her legs and kissed her, gently and lovingly this time.
“I told you, I know you, and earlier you were definitely not looking around the room thinking of ways the two of us could redecorate. The question I have is, does your fantasy end there? Or is there more we should be exploring?”
Sophia pushed Reggie away from the desk and backed her around to the other side. She reached for Reggie’s belt and pushed her pants and underwear to her ankles.
“There’s definitely more. Would you like to find out the rest?”
Reggie licked her lips. She nodded. Sophia gave her a soft push back into her own chair. She pulled Reggie forward until she was at the edge of the chair and she knelt in front of her.
“The fantasy ends with my getting a hot woman in my chair and making her come for me.” Sophia licked the full length of Reggie’s clit. “Can I make you come?”
“I’m so primed it won’t take much. I need slow and romantic next time so I can last longer than a first-timer.”
Sophia traced Reggie’s clit again and thrilled when Reggie gripped the armrests tightly and leaned her head back against the headrest.
“I hope you’re coming over tonight. I’ll make sure there’s music and candles and elegant snacks on the menu. And when we’re done I’ll order dinner.”
Reggie groaned. Sophia smiled and took Reggie fully in her mouth. Reggie was right, she was primed and came quickly. Sophia laid her head against Reggie’s thigh and then kissed her way up her torso.
“I have more fantasies. Maybe we can make a list.”
“I’m the woman for the job.”
As Reggie buckled her pants Sophia wrapped her arms around her from behind. She never would’ve been brave enough to explore this fantasy with anyone else. She’d wanted Reggie and Reggie made her feel safe. Sexy, desired, and loved, but also safe.
“Do you have more work to do today?” Reggie sounded unsure of herself.
“No, there’s nothing else for me in the office today.” Sophia squeezed Reggie tightly. “I have everything I need right here.”
She paused. That was true and that surprised her. Even if everything else fell apart, she had Reggie and she’d be happy. Their love was enough. But, she suspected, it wouldn’t need to be. Now that they were a team, there was no telling what they could accomplish together. First though, she wanted to burn through a few candles giving slow and romantic a try.
* * *
Reggie paused at her back door and took in her backyard. She knew Sophia was waiting for her. It had been a few weeks since they’d patched things up, and in that time, Reggie had grown accustomed to a feeling of utter contentment in her life. She knew, down to her marrow, that she’d finally found her place in the world. Kit had once had a look of serenity on her face when she thought of her wife. Reggie had been jealous then. Now, she felt kinship.
Reggie used her elbow to open the glass sliding door to her back deck enough to jam her foot in and open it the rest of the way. She shifted her armful of precariously balanced snacks before they tumbled to the ground. Sophia was lying in the wide cloth hammock stretched between two poles in the middle of the lawn. She had one arm thrown over her face, shielding her eyes from the sun. One of her legs was draped off the side lazily rocking the hammock back and forth.
Reggie stopped halfway across the deck, dropped the snacks on the patio table, and stared. Would there ever be a time when the sight of Sophia wouldn’t cause an earthquake to rumble from her stomach up through her chest? Sophia’s shirt was pulled up exposing her stomach and Reggie’s fingers tingled at the memory of Sophia’s skin reacting to her touch.
“Is there room for me?”
Sophia opened her eyes and turned toward Reggie. “I suppose I could share with someone as sexy as you. Do you think your neighbors would talk too much if I asked you to strip down naked before you joined me?”
“The four-year-old next door got binoculars for his birthday, and Gertrude, in the house behind me, keeps regular track of the watering schedule of my lawn. But if you come inside with me, I’ll take off anything you like.” Reggie raised her eyebrows suggestively.
“I plan on lots of that later.” Sophia slid carefully over on the hammock. “Right now though, come swing with me. I want you to hold me for a while. I need to memorize how it feels so I know if you feel different once you’re officially a graduate student next week.”
Reggie laughed as she settled onto the hammock and pulled Sophia into her arms. They lay together swinging in comfortable silence. Reggie couldn’t remember a time she’d felt so at peace.
“How’d your meeting go today?” Reggie traced slow circles on Sophia’s stomach, inching her shirt farther up as she did.
“The Speaker seems to have accepted reality. My group started small, but our numbers are growing. If he keeps fighting me so openly, he’s in considerable danger of losing the Speakership. I could probably push for a vote next year and I don’t know if he’d survive. I don’t know who would step up to replace him, but there’s always someone who wants power. Since he and I both know that now, I don’t think he’ll be bothering you or me for a while.” Sophia stopped Reggie’s upward progress before she reached her breasts.
“Do you think my father has anything to do with the Speaker’s new precarious political position?” Reggie let Sophia guide both their hands to her chest.
“Are you sure you want to talk about him when you could be focused on this?” Sophia put Reggie’s hand on her breast and squeezed.
“Truthfully, I don’t want to talk to, or about, him again.” Reggie rolled so she was on top of Sophia. The hammock swayed wildly making them both laugh and stretch their bodies to find the balance.
“When we met that day in the coffee shop, was there any part of you that pictured this?” Sophia kissed Reggie’s neck and propped herself on her elbow.
“Who doesn’t fantasize about the most beautiful woman they’ve ever seen choosing them? Looking back now, I don’t know why I spent so much time fighting what was already written in my heart. There were battles to be fought, but they were never against you.” Reggie kissed her.
Sophia pulled Reggie down and deepened the kiss. “You are my safe harbor.” She placed her hand over Reggie’s heart.
“You are my anchor in any storm.” Reggie traced down Sophia’s neck.
“Then there aren’t any waters we can’t navigate together. Now get inside, I’m done basking and metaphoring.”
Reggie jumped out of the hammock, careful not to flip Sophia to the ground. “Aye-aye, Captain.”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Sophia took off for the house looking back over her shoulder at Reggie with a wicked grin.
Reggie took off after her, not sure how life could get any better. Except she knew it could and would because their life together was just leaving the harbor. And she’d finally developed the wisdom to chart her own course.