*warning: lil bit of nakey time in this*

Chapter 17

All The Space

"I've been coming here a lot," Karma said, as they rode the elevator up to the top. Amy was nervous again, acting strange. She talked a lot about not being good with touching. And then there was that thing with her boss. Karma remembered it sweetly now with all this other info in mind. "Liam has made living at home impossible." She wanted to calm Amy, comfort her, make her feel as safe as she felt in her presence. But thoughts came easier than results. She held the railing near her friend and gave her a little space.

For the record, Karma wasn't like Liam. Karma hadn't slept with anyone else. Not yet...

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"I mean, I don't feel safe with him. I don't feel happy when he's there." There were a lot of things she could say.

"He's not like…" A disturbing thought shook Amy.

"He doesn't touch me," Karma pushed, beating Amy's thoughts and sending them away. It wasn't that he was physical. It was mental. And it all hurt. Karma needed to be touched. She was just that sort of person. "He treats me like I'm not there or like I'm bothering him…"

"Oh…" Amy sighed. It was too sad to think about.

"So I leave," Karma sighed. "A lot of the time…" She hated the distance from Amy. She hated that a few seconds had actually gone by when they weren't touching each other. She hated it.

In her mind, Amy was sure that the mansion might've had more to do with Karma than with Liam or Shane. Liam was probably anticipating this. Amy wondered how much Lauren knew. But she didn't want to ask about all that. If Lauren was making enough to own several houses then Karma could have her own mansions too, or certainly her own small modest house. She must've tried to stay though. And she must've tried for too long.

The silence was heavy and the elevator kept going up.

"What are you thinking?" Karma asked, sure now that Amy was jumping to conclusions about her without breathing a word of them out loud.

"I wish he didn't treat you like that," Amy said. It was simple. It was sweet.

"It's not your fault," Karma reassured.

"That doesn't make it any better," Amy confessed. She couldn't stop looking at Karma now and thinking of Karma stuck with this cold person and this broken life she didn't deserve. Liam was wrong to be cold. People just shouldn't treat other people that way. Especially people who are pretending to be in love. Amy would hate to be treated like that.

The elevator dinged and opened up to a large living room with enormous windows looking out over the city.

"Whoa," Amy said, noticing how immaculate the space was.

"Welcome home," Karma sighed.

"I guess it pays to be rich," Amy walked straight out to a wall-sized window and pressed her hands against it. From up high the city was gorgeous. In truth she'd never seen it look so good, not even from a plane. Since it was dark out it was all blackness and moving lights.

"You have no idea," Karma said, sizing Amy up from behind and moving to be closer to her. All that distance was bullshit. All of a sudden she knew what she was about.

Amy was in front of her, this beautiful woman who obviously had a heart of gold and a mind to call people out on all their bullshit. Karma's eyes followed Amy's body across the room and drank her in, wanting more. Her mouth fell open and she took in a deep breath.

"You can see everything from up here," Amy said, distracted by the view.

While Karma had thirsty eyes set on her and the thought in her mind to pounce Amy was far away somewhere else.

Karma approached her slowly from behind and surprised her. She pressed her body up to Amy's and laid her arms and hands on Amy's arms and hands just to touch her in every place and press her up against that wall.

"Not everything," Karma said, drinking in the feel of her and rubbing her hands on Amy's hands.

"Fuck…" Amy sighed, all her senses completely heightened. Her eyes closed as she felt Karma's body up against hers.

This should just be illegal, Amy thought. She was trapped there against the window, her breath steaming up a small bit of the glass as Karma's entire body pushed against hers and forced her to feel as if she was dangling just above the city just one thin piece of glass keeping her safe as Karma clung onto her for dear life and wished to feel more.

"You'll have to forgive me," Karma said, clearing her throat. "All that talk about touching… Or maybe it was the drinks?" Karma teased. She slid her arms down Amy's skin until they met with the fabric of her shirt and ignored it pulling down to Amy's sides and feeling her form on both sides. She'd been wanting to do that probably since the restaurant but who could say? "It must've done something to me," she confessed.

"Karma…" Amy asked, the name barely able to escape her.

"But we can just sleep if you want," Karma whispered, her lips dangerously close to Amy's bare neck, her breath tickling her. She could tell how turned on Amy was but that was nothing compared to her own sexual thirst. "I've had years of sleeping with the same person. A man who's hardly ever been able to please me," she teased. Amy felt Karma's hands pull at her hips and force them back into her body. Amy let out a small gasp. "But you're right, I guess," Karma said, teasing her. "We can just sleep."

What a dance to be had. All day Amy thought about her and wanted her. And now she was here, in this hotel, just like it always happened in the movies.

Karma took a deep breath in. She swallowed her own cravings and backed away from Amy to give her that space she pretended to need. "I'm gonna take a bath," Karma said. Undoing the buttons on her shirt and walking off toward the large tub. "Feel free to join me… If you want," she added on. "But no pressure."

The look she sent Amy. God it was to die for and Amy felt her eyes narrow as if angry with her for being such a tease and a cheat.

Karma had walked off and gone away. But Amy was still standing at the window and she had turned and watched as Karma drifted elegantly out of sight, dropping her shirt at the door to the bathroom as she disappeared inside.

Fuck. Amy thought to herself. Her nipples were hard just from the little contact she had had. She noticed them, right away, though and felt strange. Away from the window she felt herself breathing hard as if she had just sprinted a few blocks and then stopped right out of the blue. It was sad how easy it was for Karma to get her excited the way that she had. It did feel like Karma was cheating. Amy confessed things and Karma was using them.

In some way, Amy wanted to be mad at her. In another she just wanted to give in and see what it was Karma wanted to do.

Still at the window, stunned, and lost in thought, Amy twitched at the sound of the water turning on. The light from the bathroom suddenly dimmed. A match was lit, Amy's eyes followed the distant flame as it moved. When the flame shook away Amy noticed that Karma had been lighting a candle, and then another in the room where she herself had never been.

"I'll make bubbles!" Karma sang, tempting her. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

Amy sighed and tried to gather her composure but it was gone, all gone.

She pushed her heels off and left them on the floor. The living room was so large. The hotel space was like an elegant apartment.

"Do you get lonely up here?" Amy asked.

"Not enough time," Karma teased. It was a lie though. Of course she got lonely.

"That view is insane!" Amy yelled.

"Isn't it great?!" Karma asked, taking her earrings off and dropping them into the empty decorative dish by the sink. "I honestly try not to come here," she said, staring at herself in the dim light.

"Why?" Amy asked without thinking.

"Bad habit, I guess," Karma said. She saw this place as her escape.

What Amy was seeing as some beautiful room, Karma was seeing as a reminder of a huge problem.

"I'm sorry," Amy said, she'd come near the door and been standing there. "I didn't think-"

"It's fine," Karma said, noticing her in the mirror and giving her an emotional smile. "Come on," she said, "help me with this." She had a necklace on that she wanted off. It'd taken some patience to get on since it was so delicate.

"I don't do things like this," Amy reminded. She'd only come close to apologize for forgetting again about Karma's shamble of a marriage.

"You're fine," Karma said, feeling as Amy's fingers fumbled at the back of her neck. She huffed out a happy sigh. "I do get lonely here," she said. "I just lied about that… I don't know why."

"I have to remind myself that you're married," Amy said.

"I won't be soon," Karma made sure to say. "We are, really, we're done…. You caught the tail-end."

Amy held the two ends of the necklace. "Here," she said, staring at Karma's sad expression in the mirror and noticing how true her statements were from before. When Amy spoke though Karma glanced up and her smile returned.

"Thanks," she said, taking Amy's hand and turning around to face her.

Amy stepped back but not too far. Karma leaned her body back on the counter.

"You okay?" Amy asked.

"Not really, no," Karma confessed, looking down again at her own hands.

"I can leave," Amy said.

"I don't want you to leave," Karma said, looking up at her and feeling small. She wasn't okay but that had everything to do with Liam. It wasn't Amy's fault, not at all.

"Okay," Amy said.

"Take a bath with me?" Karma asked. "Please?"

"Okay…" It was a new request, a very new one. Karma moved forward and began to slowly unbutton Amy's shirt with both of her hands.

The last time Amy had taken a bath with someone she'd been about 8 years old. And sure she'd swam with Shane in his pool but this was obviously different than that.

"You don't have to," Karma reminded. But as she touched Amy's shirt she knew that she wanted her too. She'd be sad if Amy refused.

"Right boss," Amy teased, looking down at Karma's hands.

"Stop," Karma asked with a warning. That was pure scandal and Amy knew. Plus, Karma had already seen that this had nothing to do with her power or her fame. "You're not really the kind of person who would just let your boss force you into sex, are you?" Karma asked honestly. She knew the answer to that. She'd seen enough of Amy to know that she wasn't the type. But she wanted Amy to say it. She needed to know that Amy wasn't actually thinking that way about herself just from one situation.

"I'm actually starting to wonder," Amy joked nervously.

Karma pulled Amy's shirt out of her pants and pushed it off of her, surveying her body.

"Wow," she said, rubbing her thumb on Amy's stomach and using a hand to tug at the hem on Amy's tight pants. "Your picture was great but this is…"

Amy pushed Karma's hands away and began to undo her pants on her own.

"Can I get in first?" She asked. The way Karma stared made her nervous.

"Sorry, yeah," Karma said, shaking her head. She took a few steps into the darkness of the large bathroom and hugged her arms in tight. She listened as Amy stripped bare and placed one foot at a time into the tub.

"Whoa, it's hot," Amy said.

"You can add cold," Karma suggested, looking on accident.

"I'll get used to it," Amy said, lowering herself inside.

"You good?"

"Yeah," Amy said.

Karma loved that when she turned around Amy had her head back on the tub and her eyes shut. She was so sweet.

"Liam would stare at me if he was here," Karma said.

"Yeah well, I'm not Liam," Amy reminded.

"I'm glad," Karma smiled as she approached the bath. She'd gotten undressed so quickly and she slipped inside across from Amy. The tub was so large, it was nearly the size of a hot tub.

"Better?" Amy asked.

"Better," Karma agreed laying back.

The jets were on and massaging their backs.

"You know I was joking about the boss thing, right?" Karma didn't like feeling that maybe Amy did think this was all some one-night thing.

"I know," Amy said, her eyes still closed as she enjoyed the warmth of the water and the company nearby.

"Can you imagine Lauren walking in and finding us like this?" Karma teased and Amy laughed.

"She's probably run right out and act weird for the better part of a year."

"I know," Karma laughed. That's exactly what Lauren would do.

"Every time she'd see a bath she'd have an emotional flashback."

"Stop," Karma laughed, and Amy felt as Karma's hand gripped around her ankle and pulled her so that she'd slip and have to open her eyes.

"Hey," Amy said, regathering herself but seeing Karma now rather close.

"Why won't you look at me?" Karma asked, feeling strange.

"I like seeing you too much," Amy said. It sounded lame but it was actually the truth.

"Come 'ere," Karma said, she wanted her closer. She wanted to be touching her again.

"Bad idea," Amy said.

"Bullshit," Karma fought her. What bad could come out of getting closer?

"If I go over there you'll kiss me," Amy said matter-of-factly.

"And what's so wrong about that?" Karma mused. Their kisses had only been good kisses.

"Nothing's wrong," Amy said. It wasn't about what was right and what was wrong. It was about enjoying being close and wanting to be close like this more than once.

"Amy…" Karma urged. She didn't like not having an answer.

"What if I let you have what you want and then tomorrow you're bored with me," Amy asked.

"That's ridiculous," Karma scoffed.

"Is it?"

"Yes," Karma confirmed, "it is." She moved in the water until she neared Amy. "Here," she said, turning her back to Amy and laying back on her, pulling Amy's arms in around her body and forcing her to hold her. "Mmmmm, that's better," Karma said. She could feel Amy's body beneath hers and she could smell Amy close since her face was next to hers and her hair down.

"Mmmm," Amy agreed, letting her eyes close as she tightened her grip on Karma, holding her close beneath the water.

"I'm not gonna get sick of you, stupid," Karma whispered lovingly.

"You might," Amy said, thinking of how Reagan slept with her and then said nothing about it after that.

Karma reached her hand back to where Amy's shoulder met her neck and held at the space right there. "I won't," she confirmed, turning around in the water to face her and be closer to her lips. "I already feel like I've known you for a long time," Karma sighed.

Amy closed her eyes again but felt as Karma pulled her body up with both of her hands and forced her to fall into a comfortable hug.

"I haven't known you long but I really like you," she whispered. She couldn't stand the thought of Amy thinking this was all some cheap racy fling. "Don't quit me okay?" Karma asked sweetly. The thought of it nearly terrified her somehow.

"Okay," Amy said, squeezing Karma tight and breathing her in.

"Being with you like this," she said. "It's the first time I've been able to relax in I don't know how long." Karma thought about saying something about Reagan. But she didn't know the girl. She didn't know anything about any of that so she kept her mouth shut.

In the bathroom with the heat surrounding them, Karma felt sleep all of a sudden and ready now to get out and rest after a VERY long day.

"Thanks for coming home with me," Karma said, feeling like she might be ready to cry.

"I wanted to," Amy said. She wanted to glue herself to Karma's side and protect her from everything bad in her life.

Karma felt like kissing her but she didn't want her to feel cheap.

"We can sleep if you want," she said.

"I'd really like that," Amy said. And she felt as Karma kissed soft kissed up her neck and lit her on fire.

"You taste good though," Karma smiled.

"I hate you," Amy teased, pushing Karma away and laying back down in the water away from her.

Karma put shampoo in her hair and rinsed it out. Amy watched her and smiled.

"You're so weird," she said.

"At least I'm the clean kind of weird," Karma teased, pulling Amy close and kissing her lips like she had wanted to for a long while.

"Mmmm," Amy hummed into Karma's mouth and Karma tasted her again, this time allowing herself to be greedy and take more. There was nothing better than Amy's smile. She liked that she affected her and that she delighted her even more. When Amy kissed her back Karma wanted to take more of her, on impulse she tried.

When Amy moaned again she felt weaker and Karma noticed and forced herself to be gentle and stop.

"Come on, sleepy head," Karma gave in to her demands. She blew out the candles so the room was nearly dark. If Amy wanted to sleep, Amy should sleep. Karma wanted to prove to her that it wasn't some passing phase, this whole liking her thing.

As she got up and found a towel she felt weak and shaky. She hadn't eaten since 1pm.

"Whoa!" Amy said, noticing and catching her as Karma nearly fell.

"Sorry," Karma said. "Guess I should eat something next time."

"Shit…" Amy said, realizing that maybe dinner really had been important for her. "Come on," she said, leading Karma out of the room.

She turned the lights off and led her to the bedroom. It wasn't the hardest place to find. It was the only door she had yet to use.

Karma crawled up on the bed and tucked her body inside. All the while she refused to let go of Amy's hand so Amy followed.

The sheets were smooth and cool and the room was chilly but it felt nice when Karma curled up to Amy like she used to with Liam. She put her head on Amy's shoulder and her arm around her waist. Amy felt as Karma's leg tucked up over her legs and she hugged her fully.

"You feel really good," Karma said with her eyes closed.

"Mmmmhmmm," Amy hummed again and let out a slow sigh. Holding Karma in her bed felt more than right, it felt amazing. It didn't matter that things were complicated or that they hadn't eaten or that tomorrow they're probably have to wake before dawn to deal with some horrible clients or some bullshit with Shane.

In less than a few minutes they both fell fast to sleep.

All that mattered was that they were together. They had that and it saved them both worry and strife.

Karma had her naked body wrapped around Amy's without qualm. And Amy held Karma's leg against herself, felt Karma's warm breath on her neck, and she felt as safe as she ever possibly could perfectly enveloped by Karma Ashcroft and her whole crazy world.

There were no more worries or fears, no more plotting for disaster or trying to stop themselves from growing close. They just were close. They just fit.

And in the morning they might feel strange but right now every bit of their night made nothing but sense.

In their sleep they both smiled and when they woke it was sudden, abrupt, and unfair.