A Ponderous Tea


Tulip was smiling at her. Julia was enjoying the tea. It was nice to have someone to complain about the petty little work things with. Plus, Tulip tended to indulge in whatever Julia wanted to do. This included food and activities.

"And then he asked me out."

Julia felt the edges of her vision go red. He did what?! "Excuse me?!"

Tulip arched a brow at her. Julia coughed into her drink. Right. At least she could console herself with the fact that she was wealthier than all of Tulip's suitors. "I mean, did he make you uncomfortable?"

Tulip rolled her eyes at Julia. Julia took a sip of her soothing tea. "I'm used to it. He wasn't particularly rude or persistent about it."

Julia grumbled under her breath. That was not an excuse. Work was for work. Besides, she wanted Tulip all for herself. She knew that she may or may not be slightly biased when it came to who Tulip should be dating. "Still disgusting. You were trying to work."

Tulip gently put a hand on hers. Julia let out a sigh and threaded their fingers together. There were snacks in front of them. Tulip looked very relaxed in the chair. Getting the expensive couches had been worth it. They were just so much nicer. "I'm sure you get hit on a lot more."

Julia laughed. Tulip got asked out more. Most likely because her coworkers felt like she was more approachable. "More like drooled on. It's nice to have someone who can look at me and still string a sentence together."

Julia made sure to look Tulip in the eyes as she said that. She was sure the other woman was remembering their first meeting.

Tulip sent her an amused look back. "I'm sure it is."

The other woman's voice had turned particularly dry. Brat. Julia was sure that there were other uses for that snark. Preferably ones involving chains, whips, and knives since she was dreaming right now. Fantasies were nice to have. "How's it going on your end?"

Julia let out a sigh. Honestly, it was rather dull. The men were dull. The logistics were dull. Her boss's pickup lines were stale. "The usual."

Tulip smirked slightly. Julia wanted to spank her. Just a little bit. She would even be gentle. Okay, so maybe the gentle bit was a complete lie. "That bad, huh?"

Tulip occasionally made Julia hope that she found erotic asphyxiation sexy. This was one of those times. Just a little bit of strangulation. As a treat. "You're awful. You're supposed to be making sympathetic noises and handing me biscuits right now."

Tulip's eyes danced. Julia watched as she got out of the chair and sauntered over. The woman ended up behind her and ran a hand up Julia's arm. "Is that so? Maybe this is why my friendships never worked out."

Julia glared at her as Tulip reached over her shoulder and picked up a biscuit. Tulip's expression turned mischievous as she gently pressed the biscuit to Julia's lips. Julia eyed her suspiciously as she bit into the small treat. Tulip continued being gentle as Julia finished the biscuit. Tulip's eyes were still dancing. "Better?"

Julia glared halfheartedly. Tulip was giving her such a hopeful look. If Tulip ever got tired of banking, she could make bank as a submissive. Seriously, those big brown eyes were doing it for her. "We're getting there."

Tulip walked back over to her chair and sat down. Julia took advantage of the moment to watch her ass. The suit gave her such nice, crisp, lines. Tulip settled back into the chair. "What did you have in mind for the rest of the evening?"

Julia smiled. This was going to be fun. Besides, with all of her late husbands' wealth and her salary, she could afford the occasional splurge. "I was thinking about dinner. And then a massage. I just hired a new one and I'm anxious for your opinion."

Julia was more anxious to see Tulip in fewer clothes than get her opinion on the masseuse but flirting was about subtlety. It wouldn't hurt to gauge her reaction in a semi-nude state as well. Julia was hoping Tulip would do the couples' bath with her.

They would be eating something new tonight. At least somebody appreciated her chef properly. Poor Enrique almost cried whenever someone asked for steak and potatoes these days. The man had made it almost every day for her late husband for years on end.

Besides, this was about proving to Tulip that she could give her a nice life and that neither of them needed to get married to a man.

"Sounds good?"

Julia batted her eyes at Tulip. Tulip flushed slightly. Progress. It was always the little signs. "Don't worry, we can share a room for the massage if you want. Just to make sure nothing scandalous happens."

Tulip picked up another biscuit. Julia sipped her tea. She was not going to sit here like a nervous-

"Do you have two masseuses?"

Julia beamed at her. Excellent. Perfect chance to show off. "Oh, yes. You can have the one I like if you want. I got a second one for easier couples' activities. Sitting and waiting on dates isn't very sexy, you know."

Tulip looked bemused. Julia realized that she was blabbing.

"No. Stick with the one you like. I wouldn't want to put you out."

Julia beamed at her again. Tulip was great. "Excellent."

Julia looked at the other woman. Tulip was leaning back in the chair. It was a nice chair. "Do you want to go on a tour of the house before dinner?"

Tulip opened her eyes. Julia offered a hand. Tulip pulled her down into her lap. Julia felt Tulip's firm thighs beneath her. The warmth traveled between the two of them. Julia leaned against her shoulder. Fingers gently brushed a few strands of hair off her face. Tulip looked into her eyes. Julia wondered if she was going to finally get a kiss.

Tulip smirked and quirked her eyebrows. The other woman's voice was warm and smooth. "The tour sounds nice."

Goddamn it. Julia was back to wanting to strangle her. It was just getting good.


Fin


Based on a prompt by Zyzyax (see story summary). This is the 279th work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection. We have an index of all the prompts used in this event so far and going forwards - join the discord to get access to the online index (and to take part in our events, chat about everything and anything, and meet a load of awesome people!