Disclaimer: All recognizable The Bold Type characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners including, but not limited to Freeform. Additionally, the song "Lady Marmalade" is not mine, no matter how much I wish it were, and all rights to it and its performance belong to the associated artists. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this fan fiction story. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material. No financial gain is associated with the publishing of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's note: I'm apparently in love with Melora Hardin. The fact that both she and Katie Stevens are singers begs for song fics. -dkc
Satin Sheets
The print edition made the deadline by less than five minutes. It took the entire staff, including the guys in the mailroom, to make it happen. Oliver pulled off a last minute photo shoot; Jane and Alex pulled double-duty to make up for the loss of every last piece centered around a topic they'd learned the magazine was about to be sued by a Fortune 500 for; Jacqueline herself wrote the feature; and, Lauren and the copy editors did yeoman's work to get the issue off to print.
Celebratory cheers went up around the bullpen when the final mock up was approved. It was ten o'clock and some of them had been at the office for over sixteen hours and had also been at the office well after midnight the night before. Sleep deprivation had turned to delirious happiness.
"I could really use a drink," Alex said loudly. "Who's with me?"
Kat's hand went up in the air and then grabbed Sutton's wrist to raise her hand in the air, too.
"Tiny Jane, you in?" Sutton asked.
"It's karaoke night!" Kat added.
Alex had walked over to another group of staffers to entice them out.
"Hey, Jacqueline, join us for drinks? You deserve a drink. I'm buying," Sutton's question was directed at the boss who approached them to thank them for their hard work.
"Surely she has better things to do than go out with the staff," the writer jumped in before their boss could speak. "Like sleep."
Jacqueline furrowed her brow wondering whether Jane was quick to offer her a way out or, she feared this, hoping to avoid her.
"Actually, a drink sounds nice."
"Let's get out of here," Alex threw on his suit jacket, smiling that ridiculously charming smile of his.
Those who were going headed for the elevator. Kat, Jane, Sutton and Andrew were the stragglers. It was when they stepped in their own elevator to leave the Scarlet offices that Jacqueline caught up to them. Stepping in, she smiled peculiarly at Jane who not so subtly dropped eye contact.
"It's so cool that you're coming along," Kat said to the editor-in-chief.
"It's been a long week," Jacqueline need not elaborate.
Looking once again at Jane, she noted a slight coloring of cheeks. She gave a knowing wink.
...
Earlier that week...
"Writers and department heads, conference room now!"
Everyone looked around with confused looks on their faces. Not only had they already given pitches, fashion was ready for their part and many of the writers had turned in copy.
Taking her usual seat, she could feel the waves of tension and frustration rolling off the woman sitting next to her. Once Jacqueline explained, Jane was surprised there was no panic along with that tension.
"Robinson got wind of our issue and has served us with a cease and desist letter. They've threatened to file a breach of contract suit against our parent company as well as a libel suit. We need to regroup and fast. I need pitches for a theme, then Oliver can get started on fashion, the graphic artists will take a run at it and I really need you writers to step up. Sage, I'm handing digital over to you for the week. Alex and Jane, I'm going to lean on you."
The look Jane received at the word 'leaning' left her puzzled. It felt personal for some reason.
"Alright, let's brainstorm."
...
That first day nearly everyone stayed at the office until seven or eight. At ten, Jane Sloan decided to call it a night. Standing and stretching, her arms reaching toward the ceiling, she felt eyes on her. Looking up she locked eyes with Jacqueline who was standing in her office looking out the glass partition. The very notion that fierce blue eyes were watching her stretch brought warmth to places the brunette wasn't expecting. A magnetic force drew her to her superior's office.
"It's late," Jacqueline greeted her.
"Yes it is," she replied. "Staying much longer?"
It was really none of Jane's business what the boss was doing. She knew Jacqueline was under the gun.
"I haven't decided. You should go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be as crazy."
Still leaning against the doorframe, Jane watched as the blonde stood; coming around the desk to lean on its corner, arms folded across her chest in a typical fashion.
"You look tired," she said.
"And you never do," Jane spoke.
"You are too kind."
"Or hopelessly biased."
This got her the Jacqueline Carlyle eyebrow tip. She had a way of soliciting truths like this.
"Hopelessly?" she smirked.
Jane wasn't sure what to say to this. Her boss was almost certainly flirting.
"You know you're a knockout," she bashfully answered.
"Ah," a hint of understanding crossed the striking features of one of the most amazing women Jane had ever met.
Not wanting to press further without knowing for certain what Jacqueline's intentions were, Jane took the easy way out.
"Goodnight, Jacqueline."
"Goodnight, Jane."
The writer managed to walk away.
...
"Where are we at?" the morning meeting was under way.
"Models arrive at noon," Oliver began.
Jane should have been listening to the logistics of the photo shoot, but her eyes were entranced by the way Jacqueline was spinning a pen between her fingers.
"The opening article, Jane?"
She looked up, a deer in the headlights expression, and saw would have sworn she saw recognition in the eyes of the person at the head of the table. A twitch at the corner of a lipstick-painted mouth caused faltering. She needed to stop whatever this was before it got out of control.
"A draft will be ready in a few hours," Jane said. "I'm going to meet a source this morning. "
"Alex?" Jacqueline continued on apparently accepting of Jane's timeline.
An hour later the meeting wrapped up. Jane was making her way to the door when she heard her name.
Turning around she saw Jacqueline catching up to her.
"Hey," her hand ghosted over Jane's bicep. "Did you get any rest?"
The voice was concerned. How to play this, Jane contemplated. She found herself speaking without much consideration of what she could be suggesting: "I had a lot on my mind."
Dropping her hand, Jacqueline offered a sympathetic if not mysterious look.
"Anything I can help with?"
"Um, no," Jane felt the heat in her cheeks. Dammit, she castigated herself. "Thank you."
Nodding, the boss watched Jane walk back to her desk. They were playing with fire. And the timing was awful.
...
Jane was walking down 52nd street when her phone rang. Going for her purse, she was afraid she wouldn't catch the call.
"Hello?" she rushed the word as if saying it quicker would make it less likely the caller had hung up.
"Jane?" the familiar voice asked.
"Jacqueline, hey," she tried to sound natural but always failed when speaking to this, and only this, person.
"What are you wearing?" Jane barely caught the phone as it began slipping out of her hand, her whole body stunned by the question.
"Umm...excuse me?" her mouth went dry. She found herself saying 'umm' a lot in recent conversations.
"I'm wondering if you can do something for me," there was a pregnant pause. "What do you have on today?"
"I...a romper?" Jane had never been so perplexed by a phone call.
"Heels?" came the quick rejoinder.
"No, no."
"I need you to pick up two boxes from the printers. They don't have someone who can deliver them and the mailroom guys are out to lunch. If you need me to send someone to the lobby with a cart, I can, but you'll have to carry the boxes to a cab."
Finding her breath, as she understood why her attire mattered, nodding replaced speaking as if her boss could decipher it over the phone line.
"Will you be able to?" Jacqueline's voice had a lilting quality to it as if she might be smiling on the other end of the phone.
"Yes. I'll go now."
The brunette hailed a cab and was stopped mid step by one last question.
"What did you think I called for?" the playful tone was undeniable.
A noticeable exhale could be heard by Jacqueline.
"See you soon."
The line went dead before the writer could come up with anything coy or even coherent.
...
"Oh, hi," Jacqueline strode into the fashion closet on a mission. "I didn't mean to intrude."
"No, no, I'm done. I was making a phone call, no worries."
Jane knew better than to make a personal call at her desk with so many listening ears. The morning bustle wouldn't have allowed much quiet, either. The fashion closet was her only option when she heard her voicemail and needed to respond.
"I need something before meeting with the board," the blonde began looking at the latest jewelry display. "What would you suggest?"
"I am hardly the person to ask," Jane said.
"You have style, undoubtedly."
She'd never been told that. She stepped toward the display and considered the options. Gold was Jacqueline's color. It was perfect for her skin tone and made the highlights in her hair shine.
"This would look...nice," Jane's hand traced a necklace. "Not overwhelming, professional and yet assertive."
Jacqueline nodded her assent. She picked it up and laid it across her arm to ensure it went with the stack of bracelets she was already wearing.
"Help me put it on?" she hummed.
Jane felt a nervousness invade her limbs. Her legs were weak and her hands shook with excitement. She took the outstretched necklace. Making her way behind Jacqueline, she looped the item around the front of her neck, trying not to brush the warm skin there. A hand went up to hold the accessory at the divot where her neck met her chest and it brushed Jane's hand. Jane felt her knees sway. Taking the two sides of the clasp in opposite hands, Jane stilled her hands to bring them together.
The sides of her pinkies were singed when they came into contact with skin. She noticed a quick inhale, shuddering breaths followed. It wasn't her own breathing she had heard.
Securing the clasp, Jane did not want to lose the contact of skin on skin. She found her fingers fanning out, following the path of the gold, but not touching it directly. Her fingers were blazing a trail directly on Jacqueline's neck.
Her thumbs stopped on that breathtaking neck. Her eyelids fluttered shut.
"There you are!" Andrew burst into the closet startling both women and causing Jane to drop her hands to her sides while stepping back. "The board is ready for you."
"Right," Jacqueline moved to follow her assistant but stopped at the door to look back. "Thank you, Jane."
What the hell was that?
...
"Jane! Alex!" Jacqueline was heard from the elevator bay, making her way toward her office. "Come with me."
Grabbing their notebooks, they followed like schoolchildren.
"Have a seat," the boss sat behind her desk and it was then that Jane realized how short Jacqueline's miniskirt was. Her eyes widened and she didn't care that the boss noticed. "We need to get both pieces from each of you to the copy editors by noon. Will that be possible?"
"Absolutely," Alex answered.
"Mmhmm," Jane said, her mind nowhere near whatever they were talking about.
Jacqueline cleared her throat. It snapped Jane out of her trance.
"Good, let's say 10:30 for final drafts? I'll make my edits, you can go over them and then over to Lauren at noon."
At this point Jane was avoiding any direct eye contact. She glanced at Alex who seemed to be oblivious to whatever had happened. Thank god for oblivious men, she thought.
When they were excused she darted out of the office before Alex. She couldn't handle a one-on-one with her boss right now.
…
Barefoot before the mock up board, Jacquelyn Carlyle looked smaller than she ever had. The miniskirt she had on was matched with a provocative, tight vest, slimming her even more. The outfit did wonders for her curves.
Jane had arrived in the bullpen with Sutton, the latter peeling off to Oliver's office so they could finalize layouts. The girls had taken a break for dinner and were ready to dig back in for a few hours.
"Anything change?" Jane walked up behind Jacqueline, startling the woman slightly. She watched the flinch and placed a hand at the small of her back as an apology.
Looking over, the blonde noted how Jane had an inch on her given her own lack of shoes and the four-inch heels the brunette was wearing. Looking down to follow Jacqueline's glance, Jane noticed the deep red polish on manicured toenails. For a split second she wondered what those toes must look like gripping bed sheets. Her face flushed.
"I don't believe anything has changed," the boss's tone left open the question of whether she was speaking of the magazine or whatever was happening between the two of them.
Swallowing hard, Jane paused before a brazen overture.
"And would you like it to?" she whispered.
"Jane…" Jacqueline sighed. "I—"
"Jacqueline, we have a problem." Lauren's timing was as bad as Andrew's.
"Show me."
An apologetic look promised they would resume this conversation.
…
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" she hollered at the elevator doors as they were closing, her heels clack, clack, clacking as she attempted to run.
The elevator doors stopped and reopened, someone inside hearing her and taking mercy. She scurried into the awaiting lift, mumbling her thanks as she reached down to fix the strap on her shoe that had come undone while she ran.
"In a hurry, are we?" Jane's body turned to lead as the familiar voice reached her ears. She couldn't move and she found herself afraid to meet her gaze. The thought that they were completely alone without prying eyes crossed her mind, as did the memory of the fashion closet.
"Yes, I—" she stopped.
Jacqueline had an amused look on her face. This was a face reserved for putting Jane off balance.
"You know I'm not going to form a coherent thought when you do that, right?" she said.
"What is it I am doing?" Jacqueline awaited the answer without changing her expression.
"You give that look," Jane pointed a finger at her boss's face.
"How is this look different than any other look?"
The brunette took a step forward.
"Other than it turns my brain to mush and I rattle off words that end up embarrassing me?" Jane smirked.
"Are you embarrassed right now?" Jacqueline's eyes briefly looked down at red lips.
The writer's heart was doing gymnastics in her chest and throat. She felt blue eyes scorch her lips.
"I wouldn't say what I'm feeling is embarrassed, per se."
In an act of both extreme bravery and perhaps recklessness, Jacqueline's hand touched Jane's cheek. This time it was she who advanced. Mere inches existed between them.
"Is the feeling terror?" she asked.
"Possibly."
Jane's eyes had fluttered shut for a moment before coming to glimpse welcoming lips.
"Is the feeling excitement?" Jacqueline's voice was dangerously lower.
"Definitely."
That soft, warm hand slipped behind an ear, curtained by brown hair and found a grip on the back of a neck riddled with goose bumps.
"Is the feeling...desire?"
Jacqueline didn't seem to be terrified though she may have been better at hiding it than her protégé. Those deep red lips moved in and were a whisper from their intended target when the elevator stopped, signaling a passenger was joining them before they made it to the lobby. The blonde stepped back, her hand lingering as long as possible and her eyes exasperated by the intrusion. They were both desperate to resume the delicate, precarious dance they had shared all week.
Jane took a long, shaky breath.
They reached the lobby and their intruder stepped off. Jacqueline was about to follow when Jane's hand grasped her wrist and stopped her. She didn't turn around, but she found herself holding her breath.
"Yes."
Desire. Jane wasn't alone.
…
Returning to Friday night after the print deadline…
"Shots?" Kat asked as they lined up at the bar.
Jane peered over at the blonde taking off her coat at the door. The Scarlet crew was settling in to a booth and several tables.
"One and done," Jane said bringing about a bewildered look from Sutton.
"A round of shots and she'll have a vodka tonic to go with," Kat ordered, Jane rolling her eyes at Kat's bossiness.
They made their way to the booth where Alex and Jacqueline were sitting, Kat and Sutton slid in next to the devilishly handsome writer leaving the spot next to Jacqueline for Jane. At the table nearby, Sage and Andrew seemed to be hitting it off much to everyone's surprise. A couple on the stage sang off key. A perfect storm of stimulus had Jane feeling nauseous with anxiety and wanting quiet. She hoped the alcohol would quickly calm her nerves.
"What's our song tonight?" Sutton asked.
"No! We are not singing!" Jane insisted.
"Come on, Tiny Jane, Kat and I can't sing without you. You're the one with the pipes."
Jacqueline perked up at this. She didn't know Jane sang and she had never heard her nickname before. Her eyes were smiling.
"Fine," Jane pouted. "One song. And not ABBA."
"What do you have against ABBA?" the blonde looked at her feigning insult.
"We may sing it a lot," Kat admitted.
"Like every other week," Sutton spilled.
Taking a long drink of her vodka, Jane regretted not partaking in several shots from the start. It didn't occur to her that they would be singing or that she might be sitting next to Jacqueline all night.
"I've got a great song, but we need a fourth," Kat beamed with excitement.
"You guys know I don't sing," Alex whined.
"Oh, we know," Sutton shook her head, looking at Jacqueline. "He's bad."
Laughing at her employees and enjoying getting to see this side of them, the side they shared when they were far from the office. She hadn't yet been able to get a read on Jane. Aside from her desire to not sing, she hadn't shown emotion one way or the other that wasn't obstinate. It was telling that she had put as much space between them on the booth bench as possible.
"Does Sage sing?" Kat asked.
"I sing."
All four people at the table stopped, staring at Jacqueline with wide eyes, dropped jaws or both. They were speechless. This grabbed their attention.
"You…?" Sutton was the first to vocalize any thought whatsoever.
"I did musical theater in college," she offered her qualifications as if it were a job interview. "A few coffeehouses when I first got into the magazine business."
Everyone around the table was now grinning, pleasantly surprised with the revelation and with how their boss seemed to be opening up to them tonight. Kat looked toward the bar and spun her finger in the air signaling a round of shots. The bartender knew them and smiled. Their turn on the stage was coming.
When the drinks were delivered, Sutton and Kat threw theirs back. Jacqueline followed suit as the three of them stood to take the stage; Jane ignored the shot Kat put in front of her. Then came the sixty-four thousand dollar question:
"What's the song, girls?" Jacqueline inquired as they started walking away from the booth.
"'Lady Marmalade'," Kat threw over her shoulder.
Oh, Christ, Jane panicked, throwing back the shot after all.
…
"No, it's Mya that starts," Kat argued. "P!nk takes that next bit."
"It's definitely P!nk in the music video that comes in second," Jane found herself saying with authority only to kick herself for how it exposed her intimate knowledge of the risqué music video. She rolled her eyes when Kat looked at her suspiciously and then pursed lips to prevent herself from commenting.
"I can't hit the notes in any of those parts, so if we're doing our own vocals I'll have to take the rap," Kat pointed out.
"I can probably handle either of the first two parts, but that last bit is, well, only Christina Aguilera can hit those notes," Sutton added.
"I can."
Once again they were dumbstruck by Jacqueline.
"You…?" Jane's eyes were huge and her mouth was suddenly a desert.
The music started and they began taking their places with their microphones, Jane's question never materializing. Cheers went up in the crowd, the Scarlet tables standing. Jane sidestepped Sutton to take the place at the edge of the stage, successfully avoiding Jacqueline. Her brain was on overload. One look from Jacqueline might cause it to combust.
Kat got things started in her exuberant way:
Where's all my soul sistas
Lemme hear ya'll flow sistas
Sutton marched to center stage and began writhing her hips and putting on a show. The crowd got louder, her teasing relentless. She had an incredible voice that she downplayed too often.
He met Marmalade down in ole Moulin Rouge
Struttin' her stuff on the street
It was actually the perfect part for Sutton. She knew how to strut.
Jane started to relax as the warmth of the alcohol had made it all the way to her fingertips. She closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her. She began slowly moving her body to the music. If she didn't think about Jacqueline being on the stage and potentially watching her, she could do this. Then the chorus struck and she remembered how impossible it was to forget about Jacqueline Carlyle. Even more impossible now that the woman's impeccable voice had joined in.
Giuche, Giuche ya, ya, dada (hey, hey)
All three girls looked at each other impressed with the woman who had volunteered to be their fourth. Never in a million years were they expecting that voice.
Jane amped herself up for her part, loosening her body and focusing on the words. It helped when she closed her eyes, but she found it impossible to fight the urge to see what Jacqueline was doing. She had to know how that tall, voluptuous body was moving. She made the mistake of looking right before her part began and, of course, right as Jacqueline's hand ran through her blonde hair and her other hand pressed to the front of her gyrating hip.
Jane was so fucked.
A natural performer, if she couldn't safely direct her attention to the incredibly sexy woman sharing the stage for a number of reasons, she could throw her energy into this performance and wait for the audience to reciprocate.
He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up
Boy drank all that magnolia wine
On her black satin sheets is where she started to freak (yeah)
Jane shook her ass, snaked her body and flipped her hair. On the last line she simultaneously ran a hand down her entire torso verging on touching her own mound. It was nearly not safe for work. By the time she had plowed strongly into the chorus, the fact that she had changed the pronoun from 'he' to 'she' in relation to black satin sheets had been missed by her and the audience, it sounded completely natural in her head, but it was not lost on the taller woman who had been watching her every last move.
Jacqueline was wet. Two can play this game, she surmised.
They all got into their moves as Kat knocked the rap out of the park. Syncing up their moves, they proudly all joined in on the line: Four badass chicks from the Moulin Rouge. The audience went wild. Sutton was really working her boobs, much to the delight of a man at the closest table and Kat was getting all the applause for what would otherwise be the hardest part of the song. Except this time instead of dropping the song half an octave to a full octave as was often done with karaoke, it remained right where it was written and the truly hardest part was coming like a freight train that would either crash spectacularly or speed down the track with precision.
Kat was nearing the end of her part; each of the women was holding her breath as the song approached the entry of the boss lady.
One more time now c'mon
Marmalade…Lady Marmalade…Marmalade
The Scarlet crowd waited with bated breath and Jane stilled when the first two notes entered her ears:
Hey hey Hey!
Kat's mouth hung open. Holy shit! Sutton nearly spit out. The woman could really sing.
Touch of her skin feeling silky smooth
Color of café au lait alright
Made the savage beast inside roar until she cried
More-more-more
This time Jane very much noticed the swap of pronouns. When Jacqueline's eyes weren't closed, they locked on brown orbs. Her hips swayed, her pelvis thrusted. Of the four of them, she easily had the fullest breasts and the lower cut of her shirt allowed her to work them. The display seemed to be intended for only one person. Jane's careful scrutiny wandered to the soft, freckled and intoxicatingly touchable skin of Jacqueline's neck. Her fingers twitched with the memory of touching that neck the day before. Her mental reaction had nothing on the reaction happening elsewhere in her body. The subtle change of pronouns had her buzzing, but hearing Jacqueline sing more-more-more was better than any fantasy Jane had ever had.
Jane felt her panties dampen.
Kat was nodding at her. She'd missed her cue and stumbled her way in a second late for her line that followed Jacqueline. She gave a sideways look at the blue-eyed blonde and received a perceptive wink.
All four women allowed themselves to let loose on the ending. Their movements weren't synced but complemented each other nicely. They moved with fluidity and sensuality. Alcohol had loosened their inhibitions and the long week had left them wanting nothing more than to put it behind them.
Sliding between Sutton and Jane, Jacqueline no longer had qualms with fraternizing with her staff tonight or about getting closer to the three best friends. The only qualm she had left—openly expressing her lust for Jane—was about to be put to rest. Jane and Sutton were twerking, the latter swatting the former's ass. When Jacqueline stepped in, Jane's ass intentionally rubbed against her boss's upper thighs. Neither was ashamed, far from it. A firm touch found the small of Jane's back provoking further contact. Stepping into Jane, Jacqueline's hips pressed against her. Her mind nearly exploded as they began all but grinding against the brunette's fabulous ass. She wished they weren't on stage in front of their colleagues. She'd like the opportunity to do this very thing privately—without clothes.
Roars went up as Kat was pop and locking. With eyes off of them, Jane turned around, pressing the front of her body against Jacqueline's and rolling her body chest to hips and back up again. Jane's body reacted to the sensation of those perfect breasts sitting just above her own; she could feel her nipples hardening and was thankful she had chosen a padded bra that morning. The look they shared did nothing to throw water on the inferno; it screamed for a kiss and more. They wisely stepped away to scratch for any semblance of control. Taking a quick look around, Jane guessed that Sutton was the only one who may have seen what had transpired.
The music was dying out as was their breath. When the song came to an end the entire bar was standing, whistles and hooting to be heard above the applause. Sutton bowed with gusto while Kat burst out laughing. Worry registered on Jacqueline's face, an emotion Jane couldn't quite follow. Meanwhile, she knew that the only emotion that could be seen on her own face was desire. She was relieved as they began trailing off the stage. Kat wrapped an arm around her, unknowingly preventing any awkwardness with Jacqueline.
"Oh my god, you guys were amazing!" Alex stood and hugged Sutton and high-fived Kat as everyone piled around the table.
Jane's heart was thumping hard and she couldn't slow it down. Jacqueline had taken a detour through the other tables. Her employees were stunned by her performance and wanted her to know it. For her part, the boss seemed to be doing two things. The first was spying. Sage and Andrew were still enjoying one another's company. It intrigued her that the assistant she had never seen in a social setting was actually having a good time and with the sex columnist. She also appeared to be using her meandering path back to the table to pull herself together. The way Jacqueline was on that stage was the rawest Jane had ever seen her.
No matter how much the older woman trusted her willpower usually, it had disappeared on stage. She was tempting fate when she sat down again in the booth and slid quite close to Jane. After a moment she leaned in, her mouth almost touching Jane's earlobe. Jane gasped.
"I didn't think about camera phones," Jacqueline whispered.
Playing back the tape in her mind, the writer didn't recall who of the Scarlet staff had been recording their performance. However, she did remember looking out the corner of her eye before she had rolled her body up and down Jacqueline's. At that moment all eyes and presumably cameras had been on Kat.
"I'll get Kat on it," Jane's lips were now precariously close, close enough that she could have snuck her tongue out to tease if she had wanted to. "Don't worry."
For all the music and talking around them, the two women may as well have been the only people in the room. Jacqueline swallowed a whimper when Jane's mouth pulled back. Luckily, the sound in the bar covered the whimper before it could draw any attention. A hand made its way to her leg. Not her knee. No, that would have been too safe. Not the front of her thigh, no. The needy hand landed on her upper thigh sneaking toward the inside. Jane felt strong thighs squeeze together.
Leaning in once again, the owner of those fantastic thighs had a predatory look on her face.
"Up on that stage you, Jane Sloan, were thinking of me in satin sheets."
No sooner had that assertion been uttered Jane felt her hand being grabbed and moved upward. The heat at Jacqueline's core would have been arousing on its own, but having her hand pushed there so assertively was its own kind of turn on.
"It wasn't even the first time this week," Jane purred.
And with that the ever-patient editor-in-chief bucked her hips.
They were in deep, too deep. Staring straight ahead, Jane took two deep breaths and stood up, her hand pulling away from where it was most wanted.
"If you all will excuse me," Jacqueline slid out of the booth and avoided Jane's gaze.
She walked away, appearing to be headed down the hall to the restrooms.
"I need some water," Jane announced.
The brunette walked around the other table and headed toward the bar. Her eyes hadn't lost track of the back of the blonde. Good god, Jane shook her head. I am hooked.
Taking a long drink of water, she tried to prepare herself for whatever she was about to walk into. Her body buzzed with anticipation. Walking across the bar felt like walking across the ocean. It was an infinite space that gave the impression of floating. None of what she was feeling had anything to do with the alcohol in her blood. She had never been so sure of that truth. She reached the narrow hallway and saw Jacqueline leaning against the wall near the door to the alley.
"Come with me," she commanded, pulling Jane by the hand.
They hit fresh air and their lips finally touched. It was charged. Desperate hands tangled in hair, tongues battled for control. The thought crossed Jane's mind that they could turn out to be two tops. Asserting dominance, Jane pushed the Jacqueline against the building's brick wall. Their bodies formed to one another. A groan vibrated against tongues.
Clutching a hip, Jacqueline wanted all of Jane. She pulled the other body into her own. She thrust her pelvis forward.
Suddenly there was a commotion behind them, breaking their kiss. The door had swung open and a group of young men filed out. They loudly went in the opposite direction. As they had exited the bar, Jane turned her body with her back to them, shielding Jacqueline from prying eyes. Once they were out of view pressed her forehead to her boss's.
"You're sexy and sweet," Jacqueline said, appreciating that Jane was protective and considerate of the editor-in-chief's reputation.
"This is crazy," Jane purred.
"So crazy."
"I want it," Jane spoke her truth with some trepidation. What if Jacqueline didn't or, more accurately, couldn't do this?
"God, me too."
Exhaling, a liberated Jane ran a lustful hand down a long torso, taking extra care at delicious cleavage. She crossed the plane of the waistband of stylish red trousers and smirked at the lunge of hips in response. Jacqueline's chest rose and fell. She let out a long exhale. Her nipples were hard. The wetness she had felt when Jane rolled her body against hers on stage returned exponentially. She couldn't find her voice when fingers slipped into her pants. The fingertips that reached her slit shook her with craving.
"Oh, fuck," Jane hissed when she experienced slick liquid on her fingers.
"Stop," the blonde finally found spit out the word. "Not here."
Slowly extracting her hand, Jane understood. No amount of arousal could overpower logic—not for two cerebral beings.
"We can't—"
Jane cut Jacqueline off so she didn't have to hear mention of Ian. She knew what the concern was.
"If I know Sutton, she'll be going home with front row guy," she said as a way of expressing that they could take this to her apartment.
That beautiful laugh made Jane's insides turn squishy. She could fall in love with that laugh.
"How are we going to do this?" she asked once she stopped laughing.
"You go get your coat. I'll meet you at the corner down the block."
"And what do I tell them about you?" Jacqueline pressed a kiss to Jane's cheek and earlobe.
"Probably not that we're leaving to fuck."
The blonde smiled and reluctantly let Jane go.
"See you in a few minutes."
Flushed and her body still humming, Jane began walking down the alley. The cool air would be good for her. Finally pulling her eyes from the back of that departing head, Jacqueline went in the door and walked through the bar. She began by saying her goodbyes to Sage and Andrew. She was glad Andrew had seemingly struck up a friendship. She reached the table where her coat was and thanked Kat and Sutton for inviting her.
"Where's Jane?" Kat asked. "Was she with you?"
"I didn't see her," she shrugged.
"Oh, maybe she needed some air."
Yes, she definitely did, Jacqueline thought.
"Goodnight, girls. Alex," she nodded, charmed when Alex stood as a way of saying goodbye.
And out the front door she went. Down the block Jane leaned against a cab. She was very much the cat that ate the canary. She was unquestionably pleased with herself.
"Fancy meeting you here," the taller woman smirked.
Jacqueline stepped into waiting arms. She was enveloped. It was the first time that they had shared contact like this. It wasn't platonic as the few hugs they'd shared in the past had been. It wasn't sexually charged as all the touching they did on and off the stage tonight had been. There was silent conversation taking place between them. If Jacqueline was right, and she hoped she was, Jane was trying to tell her that what she had said a few minutes ago about going home to fuck wasn't fully honest. Jane was capable of many things in the bedroom, but she knew that having Jacqueline in her bed would never be simply a fuck.
"Let's go," Jacqueline murmured against the top of Jane's shoulder.
"After you."
They had settled into the backseat of the cab with their hands doing plenty of flirting in the dark.
"I better text Sutton."
Grabbing her phone, she typed in a quick message:
Don't come home tonight, it read.
Inside the bar Sutton heard her phone chirp and reached for it. She chortled when she read the text. Kat looked over at her questioningly.
"What is it?" Kat asked.
"I'll tell you later."
Sutton smiled while typing a response:
The boss lady played it smoooooth.
Inside the cab Jane read the text and beamed with pride. Oh, yes. Jacqueline was nothing if not smooth. And soon Jane would know what she looked like tangled in smooth satin sheets.
-finis-