Wednesday, March 15
9:30 p.m.
Savannah, Georgia
A knot of tension resided in Rashida’s gut. Not even Destiny’s passionate ministrations had been enough to untangle it.
“Stop thinking so much,” Destiny whispered, giving her a gentle shake. “You’re as stiff as a board.” She ran her hands over the taut muscles in Rashida’s neck, shoulders, and lower back. “You’ve undone all the hard work I just put in getting you to relax. Now I have to start all over again.”
Destiny rolled her onto her back. Rashida hissed as Destiny’s tongue slowly slid over her bare skin, scorching a path from her neck to her mound.
“Fuck.”
Her eyes shuttered when Destiny’s mouth closed around her clit. Destiny’s merciless tongue teased the hard knot, first with long, slow strokes then quick flicks that sent Rashida’s hands searching for something—anything—to hold on to. Destiny stroked faster, keeping pace with her rapid breathing.
Rashida felt the pressure begin to build. A tidal wave of energy strained to find release. Destiny’s hands skimmed over her stomach, dragging her closer to the edge. Then Destiny’s tongue was inside her, filling her depths while her thumb massaged her clit.
Rashida gripped the back of Destiny’s head with both hands as she ground her pulsing center against Destiny’s mouth. Then the dam burst. Arching her back, she growled in satisfaction.
“There. That’s better.” Destiny drew Rashida into her arms. “Once you leave the office, your focus is supposed to shift from work to me. What were you thinking about? Because I know it wasn’t us.”
“Can you keep a secret?” She slid the sole of her foot against Destiny’s leg.
Destiny kissed the back of her shoulder. “I’ve done a pretty good job so far, haven’t I?”
They had been practically inseparable since Saturday, parting only for work. If they happened to be in the same branch on a given day, they kept their exchanges strictly professional. Away from the office, their interactions were anything but. Destiny came over every night around seven. They’d have dinner, rehash the events of the day, and spend the rest of the night making love. Destiny would leave before dawn to go home and get ready for work. Then the cycle would begin again.
Rashida often wondered what she would say to her bosses if they discovered her illicit relationship, but she’d cross that bridge—or burn it—when the time came.
She turned on the bedside lamp and leaned against the headboard. The sheet slid off her shoulders and pooled in her lap.
“Surely you don’t expect me to care about a lame-ass business meeting when you’re tempting me with such a distracting view.”
Rashida covered her bare breasts with the sheet and slid under the covers. “Harry and I had a conference call with a former business associate. He has a team of investors in place. They’re in position to quietly amass enough stock to become the bank’s majority shareholder.”
“I thought Harry’s mother was the majority shareholder.”
“She is. For the moment. That could soon change.”
“What does all this maneuvering have to do with you?”
“The investment team wants to push Dennis out and install me in his place.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Did you give your ‘business associate’ an answer?”
“I said I’d think about it. I can’t decide if he’s bluffing or if he’s serious. If he’s bluffing, I can’t let him draw me into a game of chicken. His quarrel is with Dennis, not with me. I don’t have a dog in the fight. I want to get to the top, but I want to do it the right way. Something about this feels wrong to me. Dennis has made a few decisions I disagree with, but on the whole, he’s been an effective leader. Our deposit numbers could be better, but stock prices are holding steady and profits are on the upswing. Why would anyone want to push him out now?”
“These days, you don’t have to have a reason for wanting somebody gone. You simply cut them loose, usually without the nice golden parachute Dennis will probably receive to help slow his fall.”
“No matter what he’s offered as severance, he doesn’t deserve to be blindsided. No one does. I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I warn Dennis, I could jeopardize the deal I’m supposed to be working on. If I say nothing and he catches wind of Martin’s plan anyway, he may think I’m gunning for his job. Harry probably gave her parents the heads-up as soon as we ended the call this afternoon. I should have done the same with Dennis. Instead, I’m sitting here twiddling my thumbs.”
Destiny pulled Rashida down on top of her. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. From what I’ve seen, you don’t do anything without thinking it over first. You’ll make the right decision. I know you will.” She traced the line of Rashida’s jaw with her fingers. “No matter what you decide in this instance, you’ll make a great CEO one day.”
Rashida lifted her head to look Destiny in the eye. “How do you know?”
“Because your heart’s in the right place.”
Rashida placed a hand on Destiny’s chest, reestablishing the connection she’d felt from the moment they’d laid eyes on each other. “This is crazy.” She rolled off Destiny and lay on her side. “How can I feel so drawn to you when I barely know anything about you?”
Destiny slipped her leg between Rashida’s and wrapped an arm around her waist. “What don’t you know?”
“What’s your favorite color? How old were you the first time you kissed a girl? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Where were you stationed when you were in the military? And, most importantly, where have you been all my life?”
Destiny laughed and began to answer her questions. “Red. Nine. No. Too many places to count. And it doesn’t matter where I’ve been because I’m here now.” She rolled one of Rashida’s nipples between her fingers. “Anything else?”
“One more thing. Do you have any idea how good that feels?”
“I can imagine.”
“You don’t have to imagine.” Rashida wrested control. She flipped Destiny on her back. “Let me show you. Come for me.”
Destiny had proven to be eager to give pleasure, reluctant to receive it. Rashida wasn’t surprised when she said, “I don’t need to.”
“Are you sure?” Rashida reached between their bodies and cupped Destiny’s center. Her fingers came away coated in the evidence of Destiny’s arousal. “You’re so wet I ought to put up flood warnings.”
She pinched Destiny’s engorged clit between her fingers, eliciting a moan. She slowly unspooled a smile.
“Are you sure you don’t need to come?”
She was braced on her left elbow. Destiny nestled her face in the crook of her arm.
“Okay,” Destiny said, panting. “Prove me wrong.”
Rashida intended to do just that.
“Do you want fast or slow?” she asked as her fingers parted Destiny’s slick folds.
Destiny looked at her with eyes filled with desperation. “I want you.”
Rashida slowly entered her. She watched the muscles in Destiny’s flat belly contract as she inched ever deeper.
“God, that feels good,” Destiny said. “You feel good.”
Rashida bent and kissed Destiny’s tumescent lips. Destiny kissed her hungrily. As if she’d been holding back for some reason and only now felt comfortable enough to let go. The kiss felt like a revelation. An introduction.
“Who are you?” Rashida asked as Destiny spasmed against her fingers.
Destiny continued to move against her, stoking smoldering embers into flame. “I am the woman who loves you.”
After her last relationship ended, Rashida had thought she would never hear the words again, let alone say them. “I love you, too.”