I hit the button on the remote to the garage door and drove under. After grabbing my handbag off the passenger seat, I climbed out and met Deanna in the driveway.
A curtain lifted next door, and Gladys waved before dropping it back into place.
“I see you have your own guard dog,” Deanna said as I turned the key in the lock.
“Yeah. Gladys is great.” Shadow and Casper came running from the living room. Casper spotted the newcomer and put on the brakes, skidding across the kitchen floor. I bent down to her level. “Come on, sweetie. Come meet Officer Dunn.” Shadow jumped at me, and I fell backwards. “Not you, you big goofball.”
Deanna knelt beside me, her gaze on Casper. “You’ve got a shy kitty.”
I shot her a grin.
She pointed a finger. “Don’t.”
I zipped my lips. Deanna flopped onto her backside and scuttled backwards, back against the wall. I watched her closely. Casper did the same. Shadow, who was a big cat with a personality to match, climbed into her lap. Before long, his loud purring filled the room.
As if finally realising Deanna wasn’t a threat, Casper approached. She sniffed the hem of Deanna’s jeans, sneezed, and continued to suss her out. When she put a paw on her arm, I wanted to jump for joy. I’d expected it to take longer.
“Who’s looking after Harley?” I asked.
“Harley normally looks after Harley, but tonight, I dropped him off at my sister’s for a couple of hours. Tammy’s kids love him.”
“Nieces? Nephews?”
“One of each. Twelve-year-old twins.”
I sat beside Deanna, and Casper climbed into my lap. “Oops, coffee.” I went to stand again, but Deanna stopped me. I settled beside her and crossed my legs at the ankles. “So, you have a sister?”
“Three, actually. One lives not far from me. Michelle’s in the South Island, and my youngest sister, Charmaine, lives near my folks. I have no time for her.”
“Why’s that?” I glanced sideways. We must’ve looked like a right pair sitting on the dining room floor with cats in our laps.
“My youngest sister’s a loser. And I don’t say that lightly. We were all given the same opportunities, yet she feels the world owes her. By the time she turned twenty-eight, she’d been married, divorced, and had two kids. She dumps them on my parents whenever she can, and it pisses me off. They did their bit raising four girls. It’s time for them to enjoy life, not be part-time parents to two boisterous boys.”
I bumped her shoulder. “Maybe they like it after all that oestrogen. Jeez, I can only imagine. Four girls on their period can’t have been any picnic.”
“Five, if you count Mum.” Deanna scratched Shadow under the chin. “My father had the patience of a saint. Still does. He’s great with my nephews.” She shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right, but Charmaine still pisses me off. She fucked up her marriage and expects everyone else to clean up the mess.”
Curious, I raised an eyebrow.
“Cheated. Twice.”
“Ouch.” I winced.
“Yeah, ouch. She made her bed.” Deanna pointed a finger. “That was a figure of speech.”
Without thinking, I sucked her finger between my lips. Her eyes blazed, and I released it.
She cleared her throat, her expression serious. “Why did you originally phone to catch up?”
It would’ve been easy to play dumb, but I had too much respect for Deanna, so I told her about Juliet’s missing ring and the prime suspect.
“You know, every time I help you, I’m putting my job on the line.”
“I do. And I’m not asking you to do that. I’ve got this.”
“From what you’ve told me, this bitch needs to go down.”
“Ew,” I joked.
Deanna shook her head. “How the hell your mind turned to sex at the mention of a thug’s name is beyond me.”
“When you put it like that.” I screwed up my face. “Would it sound better if I said I want to punch her in the twat?”
“That’s such a disgusting word.”
“Would you prefer cunt, pussy, va-jay-jay, pink taco?” I saved the worst for last. “Gutted hedgehog?”
“Oh my God, stop!” Deanna screeched. Casper bolted. Shadow looked up and yawned.
“Off.” I pushed him off Deanna’s lap and got to my feet.
Deanna did the same, shaking out her legs. “For the record, I prefer vagina.”
“Me too.” I grinned, knowing full well what she’d meant.
She shook her head. “I’ll take that coffee now.”
“Sure.”
After making our hot drinks, we wandered into the living room. I put my mug on the coffee table and pointed the remote at the stereo. Soft jazz filled the room.
“Once again, you surprise me,” Deanna said.
“Did you picture me as a headbanger?”
“Not necessarily. More of a Barbie girl.”
I immediately got the reference to Caroline and her boy toy. “I actually don’t have an issue with age-gap relationships.” I sat beside Deanna on the sofa. “My boss’s wife is fifteen years her junior, and they make a great couple.”
“Victoria?”
“Yes.” Sometimes I forgot Deanna knew who Victoria was. She’d met her when she first came to Libellule’s, and Victoria had immediately added Deanna to my client list. I made a mental note to thank her for that.
“What’s your story, Soraya? Why are you so anti-relationships?”
I sipped my coffee, taking a minute to ponder my reply. “I’m not against them. They’re just not for me.” At least, I didn’t use to think so. “I’ve been in two relationships. Both of them ended spectacularly badly.”
“So you closed yourself off to love?” Deanna said it like it was a forgone conclusion.
“Yes and no. The reasons I don’t date changed over the years. It used to be because trust didn’t come easily to me. I believed it was safer to be alone. If I didn’t put my heart on the line, I couldn’t have it broken.” Everyone I’d loved either trampled all over my heart or abandoned me.
“And now?” Deanna asked, her expression curious.
“Now, I don’t date because of my job. I don’t intend to give it up, and I don’t expect a partner to sit at home knowing I have sex with other women.”
“Are you emotionally involved with your clients?” Deanna asked.
“Do I care about them? Yes. Do I have romantic feelings for them? No.” I ran the back of my fingers down her cheek. “Not until you.”
“Like I’ve always said, I know the score, Soraya. I wouldn’t expect you to change any more than you’d expect me to give up my job because I’m essentially putting my life on the line every time I go into a hostile situation. And that’s more often than you’d think.”
She was right. I didn’t want to think about it. But I had a healthy respect for what she did, and I loved how passionate she was about her job. “I guess all we can do is live the life we love and love the life we live.”
“Do you love the life you live?” Deanna asked.
“For the most part, yes.”
“What part don’t you love?”
My stomach churned, and sweat broke out on my forehead. My body screamed at me to retreat, but, for once, my heart ignored all the alarm bells. “I miss having someone I can call when I need a hug. Someone who will listen when I need an ear. Someone who’ll be there to pick me up when I fall and give me space when I need it.”
She searched my eyes. “Isn’t that what we all want? Companionship?”
“Most people want all the ships. Partnership. A relationship. Commitmentship.”
Deanna huffed out a chuckle. “Is that a word?”
“It is now.” I returned her smile.
“How about friendship? Can we start there?”
“Depends. Does that ship come with benefits?”
“Of course.” Her warm smile filled my heart. It splayed it open too. Whether I liked it or not, I was in over my head.
Shit.” Deanna glanced at her watch. “I didn’t realise the time. Tammy will be wondering where I am.”
“Standby date?” I joked.
“No. My sister who lives nearby.”
I almost said my fur babies don’t have any aunts or uncles, but I stopped myself in the nick of time. I didn’t want to talk about my childhood right then. I hadn’t been lying when I said it could take a while.
We stood at the same time, both looking awkward. We’d been having sex for years, yet something as simple as saying good night made us both blush like virgins.
I cleared my throat. “May I kiss you?”
“Please.” Deanna’s voice was little more than a whisper.
I cupped her face and lifted up on my toes. Our lips met, and I basked in the feel of our bodies aligning. I slid my arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. Deanna moaned, and it took all my willpower not to fall back onto the sofa and drag her into my lap.
When I finally broke the kiss, we were both flushed and breathing hard. “Are you sure you can’t stay?”
“If I’d been more prepared, I could have,” Deanna said. “But I honestly didn’t expect the night to end this way.”
“What way?”
“In your arms.” She blushed.
Feeling bold, I leaned in close. “Think of me when you come tonight.”
She nodded. “Yes, Mistress.”
Elation stole over me, followed by frustration. I was elated Deanna hadn’t bothered denying she was horny and frustrated that my orgasm was going to be at my own hands.