Chapter 5
Early the next morning, Chelsea groaned as she rolled onto her back. Her shoulder was stiff and it felt worse than the day before, but she forced herself to sit up, knowing she had to get ready for work. Looking over at Raven who was sleeping soundly, she carefully leaned over to place a kiss on her cheek before climbing from the warm bed. After making sure the designer was tucked in, Chelsea made her way to the bathroom for a shower.
A short while later, when she returned to her bedroom dressed and ready for her day, she saw that Raven was still asleep. "Raven, wake up," she said quietly as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, rubbing a soothing hand up and down the designer's back. Raven moaned softly and finally opened her eyes.
"What time is it?" she asked groggily.
"Almost seven. I have to get to work," Chelsea explained.
Raven could see that she was completely dressed and she hadn't heard any of it. "How's your shoulder?"
"It's still sore, but better," Chelsea answered as she brushed some of the hair away from Raven's face. "Listen, I need to get going, but you should get some more sleep. Stay as long as you want and help yourself to whatever's in the fridge," she offered.
Raven smiled and gave a cat like stretch. "I want you to stay with me."
Chelsea looked at the warm bed longingly. "You don't know how much I want to," she said before leaning down to kiss Raven softly. After a few minutes, she pulled away slowly and stood from the bed much to Raven's dismay. "I'll call you later."
"Okay," Raven said as she watched Chelsea leave. After hearing the apartment door close, she sighed in contentment and snuggled back under the blankets to get some more rest.
"Chelsea, you should've stayed home," Eddie said as he watched her sit up straighter in her chair. She winced as strain was put on her injured shoulder.
"I'm fine. Besides, all of this paperwork isn't going to get done by itself," she said, gesturing to the stacks of files on both their desks.
"Yeah, but it's not going anywhere either. It'll still be here in a couple of days," he joked.
Chelsea smiled and grabbed a file off the top of the heap. After a few minutes of entering some information into the computer, her cell phone chimed.
Eddie watched as she looked at what seemed to be a text message and smiled. She rapidly typed something in response and continued with her work.
"Chelsea," Eddie said after a few more minutes of staring at her.
"What?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the computer screen.
"Girl, stop playin' and tell me who that was."
"Excuse you, I don't recall you being my father," she said flippantly.
"Please, I know you, too, well," he said, ignoring her comment. "You're seeing somebody aren't you?"
Chelsea watched annoyed as a knowing smirk formed on his face. "Maybe," she responded cryptically. She didn't plan on keeping it a secret forever, but today she had no intentions of telling Eddie that she had been seeing Raven. Besides, their relationship was new and she didn't want to jump the gun by announcing it to anyone before she even really knew what was going on.
One thing she did know was that she was unbelievably attracted to the beautiful fashion designer. There was no denying the physical pull, but there was also something more. After the horrible misunderstanding about whether or not Raven was seeing anyone else, Chelsea felt her heart break when Raven left her apartment in anger. It was as if she had just lost her best friend. But now she understood why Raven had behaved the way she did. She was still a little worried about dating a celebrity, wondering if her life would all of a sudden be on display, but it was a chance the detective was willing to take if it meant being with the designer.
Raven smiled as she poured some bath oil into the steaming water. Chelsea was due at her house any moment and she wanted to surprise the detective by running a nice relaxing bath to soothe her injured shoulder. The tub was large enough to fit two people and Raven had to stop that train of thought before she got carried away. Tonight was for Chelsea to relax and nothing more.
"Yeah right," Raven said aloud as she turned off the water before making her way downstairs.
As she walked into the kitchen to prepare a snack for them, she remembered the stench she had come home to that evening and gave the air a test sniff. It was odd, but she had no idea where the odor had come from. It seemed to be gone for the time being, but she would have to be sure and have her maid clean every nook and cranny.
Smiling as she finished preparing a fruit and cheese tray, Raven grabbed two glasses and a bottle of wine to take upstairs.
Chelsea hoped she wasn't being, too, forward by bringing an overnight bag and clutched the handles tightly as she made her way to the front door of the designer's beautiful home. The sun was setting and the automatic lights were shining brightly from where they stood in the flower beds on either side of the porch.
The detective looked around the property observantly as she approached the door. It hadn't been that long since the attempted break in—nearly a month—and she was glad to see that nothing appeared out of order. She would be sure to do a more thorough check later.
Ringing the doorbell, she waited patiently for Raven to answer and it wasn't long before she was looking into lovely hazel eyes. Chelsea was quickly pulled inside and Raven wasted no time in kissing her hello.
"Hi," Raven said against Chelsea mouth. She smiled when the redhead moaned in response. "How was your day?"
"Long and sore," Chelsea said as she allowed herself to be pulled into a comforting hug. She buried her face in Raven's neck, inhaling the wonderful scent.
"I have a surprise for you," the designer smiled as she pulled away slightly.
"If it's food, I'll promise to love you forever," Chelsea said without thinking. A blush immediately rose to her cheeks and she watched as a slow grin spread across Raven's face. "I…I mean…"
Raven laughed softly. "It's okay," she reassured with a kiss. "I know what you meant."
Chelsea took a deep breath and allowed herself to be led upstairs.
"Just a few more minutes," the detective said to herself as she closed her eyes and relaxed in the large bathtub. She had been soaking for nearly twenty minutes and the hot water was doing wonders for her shoulder. Her mind kept imagining the designer in the spacious tub with her.
Standing up, she grabbed the fluffy towel that had been left out for her and quickly dried her body. She looked around the spacious bathroom and saw a robe hanging on the back of the door. It was the same silky, black robe Raven had been wearing the night of the attempted break in.
After making sure the security alarm was set, Raven made her way upstairs to wait for Chelsea. Stopping at her dresser, she took off her earrings and other jewelry before making her way over to the bed. A few minutes later, the door opened and she saw the detective walk out wearing her robe.
Chelsea made her way over to the bed and sat down next to the designer. "I hope you don't mind," she said, gesturing to the silky robe as she removed the clip from her hair.
"Not at all," Raven said distractedly as she watched the red tresses spill around the other woman's shoulders. "It looks good on you," she smiled. She watched for a moment as Chelsea turned her attention to the tray of fruit sitting on the bed behind them and munched on some grapes. "Let me look at your shoulder," she said, urging Chelsea to turn around so that her back was to Raven. The designer held her breath as the robe slid down, exposing the smooth skin of the redhead's back. She brought a hand up to push her hair aside and gently ran her other hand over the bruised area.
"How does it look?" Chelsea asked softly, trying to control her body's reaction to Raven's touch.
"Much better. How does it feel?" Raven asked as she continued to run her hands gently over the skin of Chelsea's back.
"Much better," Chelsea said softly. "Especially when you do that."
Raven's touches became firmer and she leaned forward to place a light kiss against Chelsea's neck.
She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of Raven's lips against her skin. Maneuvering until she was facing her, Chelsea kissed Raven hungrily. "I don't want to stop this time," she whispered as she pulled back to look into Raven's eyes.
"Neither do I," Raven said breathlessly.
Chelsea helped Raven undress and it wasn't long before both women were naked. They lay in the center of the bed, sharing long, slow kisses, legs tangled and bodies pressed together, hands and mouths exploring, tasting, touching.
A couple of hours later, Chelsea and Raven lay closely on the bed facing each other, their cooling bodies having migrated underneath the blankets. They had taken their time, neither wanting to rush the experience and now they rested, softly touching each other, sated for the moment.
"That was amazing," Raven said softly as her hand caressed Chelsea's hip and thigh underneath the covers. Her body tingled at just the thought of what the redhead had done with her hands and mouth.
Chelsea closed the short distance between them and kissed Raven's lips firmly. She couldn't seem to get enough of her. She trailed kisses down to her chin and then to her neck where she used her tongue to taste the warm skin. "Raven?" Chelsea asked.
"Huh?" the designer responded, only halfway paying attention. She rolled onto her back as Chelsea continued to kiss her neck and she was amazed at how her body could be aroused again so soon.
"If I ask you something, you promise you won't get mad?" Her lips moved back to the designer's mouth and she kissed her deeply, her tongue delving inside to caress Raven's. She pressed her leg between smooth thighs and settled their bodies together once again.
Raven was left breathless when Chelsea pulled away, unable to stop her hips from rocking against the firm thigh. "Mmhm," she said, finally answering the detective's question.
Chelsea was just as affected as she continued to kiss Raven over and over again, her hips moving at a steady pace against Raven's. Her question was forgotten for the moment as her hand caressed a full breast. Raven moaned and Chelsea continued her journey downward as her hand reached between them. Her fingers slid into the soft, warm flesh between Raven's thighs and massaged steadily, slowly.
"Don't stop," the designer whispered. She could feel the pressure building quickly.
Chelsea continued, her fingers entering the warmth deeply as Raven moaned, her body reaching its climax. She slowed her movements as Raven's hips stilled and tapered her kisses.
As her body relaxed once again, Raven opened her eyes and smiled over at Chelsea. She recognized the desire in the redhead's pretty, brown eyes and gently pushed her until she was lying on her back.
"So," she began as she straddled Chelsea's waist, "what was it you wanted to ask me?"
Chelsea had forgotten all about the question and blushed, having lost her nerve. It was silly. She wasn't sure why she even brought it up.
Raven smiled as she saw the detective's cheeks turn red. "Chelsea, after all of the things we've done to each other tonight, you mean to tell me that whatever you're going to ask me makes you blush?" She was charmed as she leaned down to place a kiss on the redhead's lips and then a soft peck on her warm cheek before sitting up again.
"Well, I was just wondering…if maybe there are…I don't know…rules or something I should know about dating a celebrity," she finished awkwardly, her fingers nervously playing along the soft skin of the designer's hips and thighs. Her eyes were focused on Raven's navel, too, embarrassed to look and see what her reaction was.
Raven slowly grinned as she looked down at Chelsea. Here was this woman, strong and passionate in one instance and shy and innocent in the next. She was pretty sure she was falling in love with the detective. Leaning down, she kissed her once again. "Oh, Chels," she sighed happily against the redhead's mouth, "I'm just a simple girl with a private jet…"
Chelsea felt Raven shaking with laughter and soon joined in as she recognized the lyrics from the old Maisha song. But the laughter and her embarrassment were soon forgotten as the designer's hands found her breasts and her lips and tongue began trailing kisses down her stomach.
"Chels?" Raven said as they relaxed inside the warm bubble bath together. They had been enjoying a wonderful, relaxing weekend together with minimal interruption from the respective places of business.
"Hmm?" the redhead responded, a small smile forming on her face at Raven's new nickname for her. Her hands massaged the foot that was resting in her lap.
"My show is coming up pretty soon in L.A. I would love it if you came," she said.
"Well, I'd have to make sure I could get some time off, but I'd like that," Chelsea said, watching as a large grin spread across Raven's face.
"Raven?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you really have a private jet?"
