—Purse Strings—
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JENNIE
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"Wow, you're in a good mood," Rosé observes the next morning. "It's almost like you've got the post-laid afterglow going on."
I stop writing the daily special on the chalkboard to look at her.
Her eyes go wide. "Holy hell! You did get laid!"
I slap her arm. "I don't think the people outside heard you!"
She rushes toward the front door. I'm not sure if she's kidding or actually planning to scream it down the street, but I chase after her and slide my body in front of the door before she can open it and shout my private information to the world.
She rolls her eyes. "I wasn't really going to tell the entire neighborhood, you loon. What the hell happened?" She grabs me by the shoulders. "Oh my God, you slept with Lisa, didn't you?"
Judging by her expression, I don't need to respond with words.
"You did! How did that happen?"
"Well, Rosé, when a woman like me and a woman like her get naked—"
She waves her hand in the air to stop me. "Don't be sarcastic. I mean, I guess it was bound to happen because you two have turned bickering into foreplay, but what happened to make it finally happen?"
"Mistletoe."
"Mistletoe?"
"She kissed me under the mistletoe at midnight on New Year's."
Her face falls. "That's actually romantic."
"Why do you look so disappointed?"
"Because I assumed you two would get into an argument and end up hate fucking each other or something. But that just sounds sweet."
"If it makes you feel better, she's a bit of a dirty talker."
Her expression is a mix of surprise and glee. "She is not!"
"Oh, she very much is."
"So the sex was stellar? She's got it going on?" She motions to her crotch.
"Oh yeah, she totally has it going on, and the sex was mind-blowing. She actually stayed over last night." I can feel my face heating up, partially at the memories of what happened between the sheets, and on top of them, and in the shower.
"Whoa, wait, so this isn't a one-time thing?"
I'm not sure what to make of her shock. "Uh, no, not a one-time thing."
She props her hip against the counter, concern furrowing her brow. "Is that really a good idea? I mean, sure, scratch the itch, but now you're what? Sleeping with the enemy on the regular?"
"She's not the enemy."
"Aren't you the one who said she's your competition? You're both in the semifinals for Best Bar, and she's got a lead on you." She makes a hand motion below the waist. "You don't want to let the D distract you when you're in the home stretch."
She makes a good point, one I'm not all that interested in admitting, if I'm going to be perfectly honest with myself. It's been a very, very long time since I've had great sex, and while she's right about not losing sight of my goals, I feel like I can balance having my cupcake and eating it, too.
I motion across the street to the gaudy, ugly glowing DB sign. "We have bigger competition to worry about now."
Rosé raises a hand. "I know. I just don't want you to get taken for a ride." She rolls her eyes when I arch a brow. "You know what I mean. I don't want you to get taken advantage of. She's a smooth mother-fudger and damn pretty and you're gorgeous and definitely beddable. I want to make sure she's not using you to get what she wants aside from orgasms. There were orgasms, right?"
"Several." I smirk. "I don't think she's using me. I mean, she introduced me to her family yesterday."
"Seriously?"
"Yup. We went over for New Year's cookies at her grandpa's place and I met her brothers and their wives. People don't usually do the family-intro thing when their plan is a hump and dump."
"This is true." Rosé leans against the counter. "So this is a real thing?"
I shrug. "I think so. She introduced me as her girlfriend."
"Oh, wow. You must've been amazing in the sack." She rounds the cupcake display case. "You need to tell me all about it over coffee. I need details."
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I fully expect there to be a bit of a lull in business after New Year's, especially with Dick and Bobby's opening across the street. January can be a slow month for businesses, everyone tightening their purse strings thanks to big credit card bills post-holiday spend.
What I don't expect is for BB to be a virtual ghost town apart from when Lisa and I have our joint events. I was barely scraping by before, and now I'm veering into dangerous territory, dipping into my overdraft more and more often to make ends meet.
Even the attention we managed to garner from our New Year's party on social media doesn't buffer the impact of DB opening up across the street. The great press from Tori Taylor and the fact that both The Manoban Cap and BB have made it into the top ten Best Bars doesn't seem to be helping me keep my head above water.
I'm terrified, because Tori Taylor is planning her trip to Seattle this month and now more than ever, I need business to pick up.
To combat the slowdown, Lisa and I coordinate more joint events with deals and promotions to help entice the college kids to come to us rather than Dick and Bobby's. I try not to let my desperation show, or to let Lisa know how bad things are getting. I know she's feeling the pinch, too, but I don't think it's nearly as dire for her as it is for me since The Manoban Cap is long established and she only has to recover the renovation costs.
It's a Thursday morning and tonight I have a trivia night, followed by karaoke over at Lisa's bar. Our duets have become a thing over the past few months, and we've started allowing patrons to request songs. I figure it's a smart co-event with Tori coming to town because it always generates tons of posts and lots of interaction on social media before and after.
It's only nine in the morning when Lisa drops by, far earlier than usual for her, even on an event night. "Hey, you got a minute? I need to show you something next door."
"Sure, everything okay?"
"Oh yeah, I just want you to check something out."
I leave Callie in charge and follow Lisa next door to The Manoban Cap.
She ushers me down the hall to her office. "In here."
I step inside, expecting there to be some kind of surprise, but it looks like the same old in-need-of-updating office. "Okay. What do I need to check out?"
I turn around and she takes my face between her hands, tips my head back, and slants her mouth over mine. I gasp in surprise but sink into the kiss.
Her hand eases down my side and curves around my butt, over my dress, and she pulls me closer, grinding her erection against my stomach.
I fight a moan, not wanting anyone to know there are non-business-related things going on behind Lisa's office door. Her other hand leaves my cheek and her ancient and very squeaky rolling chair bangs into the wall. A few seconds later she picks me up and deposits me on the desk.
"What're you doing?"
"Reenacting the fantasy I've had since New Year's." Her left hand slides under my dress, up my thigh.
I have to press my knees together so they don't automatically part for her. "Someone will hear."
"They won't."
"I can't be that quiet and you can't not say dirty things." I'd like to say I can bite my tongue, or her shirt, or something, but whatever her plan is, there is no way in hell she's going to be able to keep her mouth shut and neither will I.
She gives me a knowing, satisfied grin. "We're alone. There's no one else here."
"No one?"
"No one. I came in early on purpose." She slides her other hand under my skirt and up my thigh.
"So you planned this?"
"Only after waking up for the seventh day in a row from the same damn dream."
"Which was what?" I lift my butt, allowing her to drag my panties down. I help by removing my crinoline.
"A repeat of New Year's, except on my desk." She tosses my panties and crinoline on her chair and drops to her knees, making good on that repeat performance from start to finish.
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When I open her office door, I'm a little sweaty and definitely flushed, but oh-so-sated. I accidentally kick something on the floor.
"What's that?" Lisa grabs me by the hips to keep from knocking me over since she bumps into me from behind when I bend to retrieve it.
I hold it up for Lisa to see. "Air freshener?"
"Weird. I don't remember leaving that in the hall, but clearly I'm on the ball. Oooh, and it's festive scented." She releases a spray into her office. It smells like a cinnamon roll. It's probably a good idea since it helps cover the latex and sex.
She walks me down the hall and I come to an abrupt stop when I spot Chan behind the bar, cutting lemon wedges. Lisa bumps into me from behind. "Oh, hey!" My voice has that high pitch associated with surprise and embarrassment.
He pauses his chopping to tip his chin in our direction. "Hey."
"Chan? How long have you been here?" Lisa sounds more annoyed than embarrassed.
"Long enough." A wide grin spreads across his face.
"Oh my gosh," I mutter as Lisa ushers me down the hall toward the back entrance.
Once we're out of hearing range I turn to face Lisa. "He heard me."
"Us. He heard us." She rubs her jaw.
I throw my hands up in the air. "I thought you said we were alone!"
"We were." She glances at her wristwatch. "Looks like we got carried away with the foreplay."
I twist her wrist so I can check the time. "It's ten! We were in there for an hour!"
She shrugs. "I was hungry, and you didn't seem to be in a hurry."
I poke her in the chest. "This isn't funny! What if that had been Gramps and not Chan?"
"Gramps doesn't leave the house before eleven these days."
"Not the freaking point and you know it."
"Babe, relax. Chan isn't going to care, and it wasn't Gramps so we're safe."
"But he probably heard me coming and saying…things!"
"I'm sure he didn't press his ear to the door. He probably passed by, heard some noise, got cheeky with the spray, and steered clear."
"You can't know that."
"Well, he better hope that's what he did. Look, I'm sorry. Next time we'll wait until after closing before we get freaky in my office."
"What makes you think there's going to be a next time?"
Lisa cocks a brow and smirks. "Because you loved that just as much as I did."
I don't respond to that, because she's right; I did love it. "I have to get back. Callie is probably wondering where I am." I turn to stalk off, but Lisa grabs my arm.
"Hey. Don't walk away angry." She pulls me in for a hug and presses her lips to my temple.
"I'm embarrassed, not angry," I mumble against her chest.
"I love the sound of your orgasms," she murmurs in my ear. "I love the way you moan my name. I love that you're not quiet about what feels good for you. It's sexy as hell."
"And now I'm really leaving. We can talk more about that later. When we're not at work and have to function for the rest of the day."
She gives my hip a squeeze and releases me. I stand outside in the cold January morning for a couple of minutes to allow the sweat to dry and the heat in my face to calm before I go back in and apologize for taking as long as I did. Not that I regret it all that much.
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As January rolls through, I do everything I can to pull in more customers—fun new cupcakes, bachelorette parties, cupcake-decorating classes in the evenings—but I'm still struggling to compete against DB's super cheap prices and their endless marketing money. I manage to find a great part-time baker to help alleviate some of the strain on my time and demands. Financially it's going to be a bit of a struggle for a while, but I can't reasonably run a business on no sleep.
On the downside, hiring a new baker means I have to find a way to reduce other costs. I end up cutting back on Callie's hours. It's the beginning of a new semester and the workload is heavy so she's not heartbroken over it, but it still doesn't feel good.
The new part-time baker is great about helping to get the shop open, but cutting back on Callie's hours means I'm working just as many as I was before. There have been a few occasions when I've been able to enjoy sleeping past five in the morning, usually with Lisa, but if business doesn't pick up soon I'm going to have to put an end to those altogether.
The only saving grace seems to be our cohosted events. I'm grateful that Tori is planning her stop around one of those events, because those tend to be the busiest nights. She always makes her appearance a surprise, but based on her previous stops over the past week, Lisa and I predicted she'd be coming our way this week, and we were right.
She stops by during one of my comedy nights and Lisa's live bands. Of course, that morning I got a call from the best of the three comedians saying she had the flu and there was no way she could get up onstage without a bucket and a toilet. I was prepared to host it with just the two comedians, but Chan said he had a friend who was hilarious and would love the opportunity.
His friend was hot, which was a bonus, and had a pretty big following on social media so I took a chance, shuffling the acts around so he could go last. As it turned out, his pretty face was the only palatable thing about his act. It was more frat boy humor than anything my clientele would find funny, so he was met with some embarrassingly pathetic chuckles and not much else.
To make matters worse, Tori has the pleasure of witnessing it firsthand. If she'd shown up at the beginning, when everyone was crying with laughter, it would've made the final act seem a little less awful, but since she's missed the best part, it's taken the shine out of the evening. She stays for a drink and samples the cupcakes, expressing how much she loves the décor and the concept.
She's certainly done her homework, asking about my family and why I chose to go out on my own with a low-key local vibe instead of catering to celebrities. I explain that my heart is in baking and that I wanted the opportunity to prove myself, which she seems to appreciate.
She heads over to The Manoban Cap while I close up. I'm feeling disheartened. I know BB is a great place with an awesome atmosphere, and usually my entertainment is top notch. Tonight we were packed, not an empty seat in the house, but if I'm honest with myself, The Manoban Cap has something special—beyond the axe throwing, which I hate to admit is really fun.
One night when I stayed to help Lisa behind the bar during a cohosted event, she convinced me to leave on the steel-toed boots and give it a shot.
Watching Lisa demonstrate how to throw and then getting all up in my personal space so she could correct my form became its own brand of foreplay. Every time I hit the target, she'd praise me, and if I missed she'd step in and give me pointers that consisted mostly of her adjusting my stance. After a while I started missing on purpose, and eventually she caught on. That night ended with me pressed up against the wall, legs wrapped around her waist while she groaned about how sexy I looked wielding an axe. Obviously, I'm kind of in love with the whole thing now.
It's hard to compete with Lisa's incredible charisma, not to mention the history and romance connected to The Manoban Cap.
And Tori is certainly not immune, considering the dreamy look that came over her face when she mentioned Lisa. I can totally relate, because it's the same look I wear all the time around her. I finish cleaning up, send my servers home, and make sure everything is prepped for the morning. In the quiet that follows, I take a quick look at the books. I'm not entirely sure what the point is, since I already know I'm balancing on a fine line these days.
Even more discouraged, I close up and head over to The Manoban Cap to check out how Lisa's night is going. Of course the band is on point and the crowd is going wild. I spot Tori over by the bar, chatting it up with Lisa. Every once in a while, she throws her head back and laughs at something Lisa's says.
Tori is a stunning, perfect woman. She's camera ready and a successful entrepreneur who travels the world. She's smart, savvy, and gorgeous. Yes, she has a high-profile athlete boyfriend, but there have been some rumors lately about trouble in paradise, and Lisa is a professional flirt. It might be harmless, but I'm a little sensitive after the way my night has gone.
Chan appears beside me from out of nowhere and hands me a shot. "You gotta stop trying to kill her with your laser beam stare."
"Huh?"
"Tori. You look like you want to destroy her. Lisa's not flirting. She's just chatting and really fucking oblivious." Chan is smirking.
"I know she's not flirting." I toss back the shot.
"Your chill is at zero, though. I mean, I know you two got it bad for each other, but I didn't realize it was this bad."
"I don't know what you're talking about." I'm mentally preparing myself to go over and say hello without also saying or doing something stupid. I want to tell Chan his comedian friend sucked, but I figure I'm in too much of a mood not to be a total jerk about it, so I decide to save that for later.
Chan snorts and hands me a cocktail. I don't know where he's keeping the cocktails, or the shots, but I'm not about to say no to them. "Whatever you say, Jennie. Give her a few more minutes before you go over there and stake your claim. I know you're together and stuff, but she wouldn't sabotage you, so you should extend the same courtesy."
"I wouldn't sabotage Lisa!" I say, indignant.
"Not intentionally, but you've got that look in your eye, like you want to catfight her. And I think it's human nature to protect what's yours."
"That's rather insightful. Although, I've never actually been in a fight, and I don't want to get into one with the person who has the potential to help put mine or Lisa's business on the map."
"I don't mean that you'd actually fight her. I think you're more likely to do or say something that could mess up your chances when you're feeling this territorial, so it's best you just hang with me until she moves on." He drapes his arm over my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "She's going home with you, and that's really the only thing that should matter."
Tori doesn't seem to be in any hurry to move on, and I'm tired and prickly, so I decide home is a better option than spreading my bad mood to Lisa when she's clearly riding the high tonight.
"I'm going to head out."
"You want me to give Lisa a message?"
"That's okay. I'll text her that I'll see her tomorrow."
"You all right to drive?"
"I just had that one shot, and like three sips of this." I pass him my mostly full cocktail.
"You're sure you want to leave?"
"She needs her focus to be where it is, and I don't want to be the clingy girlfriend."
I leave out the front door instead of going through the bar and using the service entrance, mostly so Lisa doesn't see me. I get what Rosé was saying when I first started sleeping with my competition and how it would complicate things. Rosé wasn't wrong. I don't want Lisa to lose, but I also want to win. It's a weird spot to be in, and right now I could really use the positive press to help bolster business.
I shoot Lisa a message when I get home, letting her know I stopped by, but that she and Tori were talking and I didn't want to interrupt, so I'll see her tomorrow. I throw in a couple of kissy-face emojis to make it seem upbeat and not like I'm a jealous girlfriend, or mopey, when in reality I'm both.
I change into a comfy sleep shirt, get my dress ready for tomorrow, and decide I've had enough of today. I brush my teeth, grab a glass of water, and climb into bed. I've just turned off the light when my phone buzzes, not with a message, but a call, from Lisa.
I debate letting it go to voicemail, but I decide that would be a jerk move. It's not Lisa's fault that my last act wasn't great and her band was. Or that she's ridiculously attractive and charming and women go gaga over her. Myself included.
I accept the call. "Hey."
"Hey, yourself. You took off without saying good-bye. I thought I was coming back to your place." There's no accusation in her voice, just a hint of disappointment.
"You were busy with Tori, and I didn't want to interrupt."
She's silent for a moment. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, just tired after a long day." It's more of an omission than a lie.
"Is this you uninviting me over tonight?" And now there's hurt to go with the disappointment.
I should give myself the night, especially with my mood, but I'm feeling selfish and needy. "Of course not, I always love having you in my bed. I'll leave the door unlocked so you can let yourself in."
"I'll be there in fifteen."
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I'm still staring at the ceiling, no longer quite as exhausted as I was when I slid between the sheets. I know I'm going to be tired tomorrow as a result, but my brain is too busy to settle.
When the door to my bedroom creaks open I flick on the lamp beside my bed and whisper "Hi."
"Hey, yourself." I watch as Lisa strips down to her boxer briefs, warmth spreading through my limbs as any residual tiredness fades away, replaced with want. As soon as she joins me in bed, I pull her mouth to mine and lose myself in her.
Half an hour later I'm tucked into her side, my head resting on her shoulder, fingertips tracing the tree limbs that climb her shoulder and morph into birds taking flight. It's a gorgeous, intricate tattoo.
"The band was great tonight," I say softly.
"They were. I was impressed. How was the rest of comedy night?" She'd stopped in during the first act, when everyone was laughing their heads off.
"Started great, fizzled out at the end."
"Oh no, I'm sorry, babe." She presses her lips to my forehead and tips my chin up. "What happened?"
"The last act was a dud. I should have cut it at two when Betty canceled, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give someone new a chance. I think Tori being there unnerved the guy and he just kind of shit the bed."
"Maybe it's not as bad as you think."
"It is. Or was. It's okay. I'm glad your night went well, though."
"Me, too, but I don't like that yours didn't." Her sincerity makes me feel conflicted. I want her to succeed, but I want my own success, as well.
"It would've been nice to make a better impression on Tori. I could really use some positive press and more customers."
"Your place was packed tonight."
"It was, but you know how quiet it's been when we don't have cohosted events. I don't want to cut Callie's hours more, but if things keep going this way, I might have to."
Her brow furrows. "It's that bad?"
I backtrack, not wanting to rain on her parade with my dark cloud. "I'm just being preemptive. I can't afford to go too far into the red, so I have to cut costs where I can." Not to mention I've been pulling out all the stops in anticipation of Tori, and that means spending more than I probably should have.
She's quiet for a few moments. "I have an idea."
"I'm all for one of your ideas because I'm fresh out."
"Why don't we have a street event?"
I adjust my position so I can see her face better. "How do you mean?"
"So when we cohost events both of our businesses see higher returns, right?"
"Definitely."
"What if we apply the same principle to all the restaurants and shops on the street? We could involve everyone and have a big weekend event with a focus on small businesses. We could plan it for Valentine's."
I perk up at the idea. "Like a Love Is in the Air event?"
"Exactly. It could be good for all of us, and a nice middle finger to Dick and Bobby's for screwing it up for the rest of us."
"I love this! And Valentine's is pretty much my favorite!"
"Why am I not surprised?" Lisa tucks my hair behind my ear, smiling wryly. "We can start canvassing tomorrow and see what kind of interest we have. I'm sure we're not the only ones who've been impacted by DB, and there's no way in hell I'm going to let them steal your dream from you."
My heart stutters, and my worries take a back seat, at least for tonight, because I know we're in this together. Or at least I hope so.
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