8. Phone sex
"You did well," Everett told her on her return. There was no mention of the imprisonment, or of how close to execution she'd been. Taking Evony's advice, Lauren kept her mouth shut.
But the words didn't leave, they couldn't be swallowed back. Every night she'd gasp awake, hand at her throat as she looked for her executioner in the bedroom. It came, and came and every fear she'd ever had, came with it, circling around the nightmare.
Afghanistan came back, Interpol fears cropping up, but it was the fae that took majority reoccurrence in her nightmares. Her apartment her prison. She couldn't stay there.
She'd taken to sleeping next to Nadia, where waking in the stark room would immediately show her that there were no iron bars confining her, no lingering death, only the ache in her spine from sleeping on the floor. But it was Nadia she longed for.
For the two years after Afghanistan, Nadia had been there to soothe every nightmare, ever fear, however Lauren needed her to. She'd been the one to drag her to a professional, scolding Lauren that there was no weakness is asking for help.
It was out of hope that Lauren slept beside her now. Hope didn't quell her fears. She still awoke in the bright room, a gasp in her throat, but aware of her surroundings. At least that was better than a dark bedroom where her mind couldn't piece the differences between reality and dream.
It'd been ridiculous to hope that Everett would listen to her, that she'd ask what happened, or maybe she'd know and reach out to comfort her. The death of the Light Fae scientist was hardly a kept secret, so she doubted her own imprisonment would be either. But no words were spoken. No one reached out for her.
And not for the first time, Lauren looked around the medical ward and realized that she was all alone. Her colleagues may not speak their prejudices near or around Doctor Everett, but Lauren knew, deep within her, that they all thought them. Even her mentor.
Rather than rationally dealing with this, she closed it off, choosing rather to take what was offered. Small praise, here and there, a well-deserved nod. It wasn't much, less than others received, but it was at least, something.
It was a week after her time in the alps that Lauren was looking through her phone, meaning to find Everett's number and ask for a missing file, when she came across a new number stored in her phone. Her phone was hers, it rarely left her side in case of emergencies, so it took only a few confused moments to remember Evony sitting in her room as she slept. No doubt, having perused through the uninteresting contents of the mobile device and found nothing else to do, she'd placed the number in there.
Though as to why Lauren couldn't figure out. It was obviously a game of some sort, but there was still no rational reason as to why the Morrigan insisted on chasing after her.
She hovered over the number, curious to write, to say something, but reason won out. She chose to ignore it, opting to scroll for Elena Everett. There were only twenty-seven contacts in the phone so far, Evony's number stuck out.
It imprinted in Lauren's mind, the way everything else about the Morrigan had.
Sometimes, in the middle of work, Lauren was struck by the sudden remembrance of Evony's hand in her hair, tugging gently to ease her mouth open; teeth against her lip, sliding over in a tease; or the way she sounded, a soft exhale of disappointment in Lauren's ears, when she fell away.
The encounter was sharp in her mind, the memory of how bitterness had rose in her gut before suddenly been taken from her in a wave of euphoria.
Lauren rang Doctor Everett, asking for the location of the file, before she returned back to work. Though she stood in her lab, it was not experiments that occupied her attention, but rather the paperwork that followed when dealing with patients. Only the third week of every month, she was allowed two days to station herself within the lab. A special occasion.
Today was not that day.
She didn't mind paperwork. Paperwork, after a long day, was refreshing. She could tick the right boxes, empty her mind onto the contents of the page, then neatly tuck the files away. It was ordered, structured, easy.
But that evening, it was difficult. The phone sat in her pocket, solid, and there, pressing against her as she wrote on the clipboard. A constant reminder that she had Evony's number, how easy it would be to dial that number and feel Evony's finger slide through her hair, lips hushing any doubts Lauren felt. She could almost feel Evony tugging the lab coat down her shoulders, the image sharp and frightening in her mind.
It would be bad to contact her.
Not just because it was treason, or because of how the fae would react if they found out. But Evony was like rich wine, that spilt over her tongue and flowed in her bloodstream. She made her mind clouded and her body malleable against her touch.
She was dangerous.
But god, Evony made her feel the closest to herself since Nadia. The need for that, to have someone who made her feel real, who would maybe talk to her about what happened…
Or not. Evony had better things to attend to, and so did she, starting with one paperwork about why their morphine stock was significantly reduced (berserker, high resistance).
Over the next few days, the fae tested her. Overall, people whose lives had been saved were generally quite thankful and there was begrudging respect growing for her – only when Doctor Everett made sharp comments. It was something, but still a long way from anything substantial.
Lauren felt her heart bloom and ache in the same breath when a patient would thank her out of politeness, reserving the gushing for a number of any of the other staff members. Or a polite comment spoken, before bringing up her amazing ability to 'overcome' her limitations of humanity.
Ideally, she knew she shouldn't be working for thanks. She was saving lives, that in itself was rewarding. But…
It'd be nice to be credited. Really, truly credited without a backhand comment in the same breath.
Instead, she kept working, kept moving forward, and every night she'd stay in overtime, preferring to do the day's paperwork then, rather than to allow it to accumulate over the week and be struggling on her day off to finish it in time.
Paperwork should be easy, but without the busy day-to-day actives occupying her mind, it became difficult to forget the phone in her pocket, the number that she hovered over more than once in the past days.
It was a friday when Lauren gave in. Not at the office, but in the safety of her apartment after she caught the fifth mistake on her paperwork.
She told herself she just needed to call once, get it out of her system. If Evony didn't pick up, Lauren would delete the number, as she should have done earlier.
Evony picked up on the fourth ring.
"You know, three days is the general rule of thumb. After then a girl suspects that you're not interested." Lauren felt the blush pool over her cheeks. "Then again, I assume you've been busy with menial work meant for someone with a third of your intelligence, hmm?"
"I-" ah. Crap.
"Yes, dear?"
"Hi?"
"Hello, Doctor Lewis. What have you been up to this evening?"
Oh . Lauren felt her self stutter, then speak, her day coming out is hesitated bites, then all at once, from the troll to the siren with a gunshot wound in his abdomen, and the harpy going through menopause. It ended with a short, "Sorry, I just-"
"No, no, it's quite fascinating. I admit, I don't spend much time in the medical clinic here, perks of healing through other means, I suppose."
A shiver ran down Lauren's spine, the idea of what other means could be. Sex, she assumed, though there were many sex fae, and sex fae-crossbreeds, that healed through a variety of others methods. She almost wanted to ask, then quickly shut that thought down. It wasn't polite conversation.
"So," Evony prompted, "what finally prompted you to dial that number in your phone?"
"I knew it was you," Lauren said, finding her tone surprisingly playful. "I mean, you're the only person who's had the opportunity to access my phone, so…" there was a pause and Lauren took a breath before spilling out, "though I'm not sure why you put you're number in the first place or how you'd know I'd ring or-"
"There were about four contacts in the phone-"
"Twenty-seven."
"-And I knew you'd check on it eventually and see my number. I had expected it earlier, but, no matter."
Lauren smiled, chuckling softly. Just listening to Evony now made her heart slow and firm in her chest, the ache leaving. She shouldn't enjoy it, however. Sometime soon, she was going to force herself to get off the phone and place it down and delete the number forever.
But it didn't happen. Conversation flowed, moving from Evony's day in a prompted silence, to pieces of each of their histories in the nineties – both their times being drastically different but sharing embarrassing tales nonetheless – when Evony's attention was taken elsewhere, giving a short, unimpressed "Apparently I have to leave, something supposedly life-threatening is requiring my immediate attention. I'll call you tomorrow." Lauren realized that she'd been on the phone for the better part of nearly two hours.
Two hours.
Where she'd poured herself a glass of white and settled on her couch, laughing, and joking and feeling relaxed.
With the leader of the Dark Fae.
Then her stomach rumbled and Lauren remembered she had to eat, because it was something to distract herself away from remembering Evony's voice and thinking of how else it could sound.
While she prepared dinner, she tried not to think about their conversations, about her laugh or the way she could make so many every-day things sound so sexual.
It didn't work.
Her meal was prepared in fifteen, and her fingers shook the better half of the preparation. She took slow breaths until her fingers relaxed and her heart slowed from the panic. Then she took two more, re-hydrated herself, and told herself firmly that she'll delete the number there and then.
Lauren fell asleep in her bed, the phone next to the table. Evony didn't ring until Sunday.
And on Sunday, Lauren was pulled away into an emergency call shortly after. But it was Monday when things changed, by then, Lauren knew she was in over her head. Way over head, and she'd already gone through all the mental procedures on how to politely say that, yes, while she enjoyed it and though it still rested in 'innocent' territory – or rather as innocent as you could get when Evony was teasing her playfully – she had to put an end to this, sooner rather than later.
Because it was treason. She was speaking with the enemy. And she had a girlfriend.
But Monday came and Lauren rang Evony in the evening, her paperwork well and truly finished. Evony greeted her with, "Excellent, just the scientist I needed. Tell me, what do you know about poisons that only affected particular species of fae?"
Lauren found the words she went to say disappearing from her mind as files filled her thoughts on the range of fae DNA. Kelpies and goblins and maenads being the first to come to mind. "What type of fae?"
"The details don't matter. Hypothetically, could it be done?"
"Yes, But, actually, the details do matter. Certain fae biology is more susceptible to certain elements than others. Fairies have a particular allergy to iron, where as vampires can't ingest coagulated blood that-"
"So," Evony cut, "Let's say that there was a meeting held with very powerful figures today, and we all drank from the same contents, cameras showing that neither the glass not the drink post-poured was contaminated. Could someone, knowing we would be using that particular bottle for that evening, add something to the liquor?"
Lauren smiled. It almost felt like a test. "It would depend on the fae, and it'd have to be something specialized to them that wouldn't affect the others."
"Like what?"
"Well, it depends on the type of fae. It could be a plant, a flower, roots, certain chemicals in pure forms, something as simple as tree nuts, or-"
"Narrow it down."
"What happened to him?"
"Lungs were burned. Insides all messy like he swallowed acid or whatever, I don't know. He started coughing up blood and it was a disgusting mess. What caused that?"
Lauren huffed, growing frustration. "You have to tell me what type of fae he was."
"Do you know how rude that question is?"
"No less rude than your doctor asking your recent sexual history when going for a check up. To properly help you, I'll need more details."
"Fine," she said, the word sounding as petulant as a twelve-year-old. "If you really must know, he was a crossbreed."
"A crossbreed of what?"
"Something, I don't know." Lauren sighed, listening as rustling papers filled her ear. "Oh, here it is. He was a merperson, merman I sup-"
"Fresh water," Lauren replied.
Evony was quiet. Then a low, warm chuckle filled Lauren's ear. "Well, now. Aren't you the resource of information?"
"I was with a patient not long ago," she explained. "Minor injuries sustained due to rain. Apparently they don't like that fact known about them."
"Oh, Doctor Lewis, if you were only here," Evony sighed. "I would have you running the medical facility. If they only knew your abilities…"
Lauren smiled. Everett had mentioned that if she continued her work, it was conceivable that in ten years, she'd be running the Light Fae medical. An achievable goal, that Lauren didn't desire to work towards. Not truly.
"Though I suspect you'd be more inclined towards the labs," Evony said. "If you ever leave the Light, I could make that happen."
"Promises," Lauren spoke wistfully. Labs, science, experiments. Her heart thundered against her ribs, thinking of the sterile environment, of the paperwork, of the research she'd be in charge of. Her patients not coming to her because of a broken bone, but actually doing good in the world.
It was tempting, and Evony knew it.
"As you prefer. Though, seeing as how my own team is incompetent, maybe I should ask for your consultation on the odd, important case. Occupy your mind while the Light bores you."
"I…" Lauren swallowed. "I shouldn't even be speaking to you."
"No, you shouldn't, and yet here you are."
Lauren didn't reply. Her throat swelling as she realized the impact of what she was doing.
"Take a breath, Doctor Lewis. I assure you that everything is fine, right now. Consultation across borders is just frowned upon, not illegal."
Lauren took a breath, nodding. Then, realizing that Evony could see, she whispered a short. "Okay."
Over the weeks, Evony rang her up three times. Lauren found herself excited for the phone call, her movements jittery the next day, feet bouncing off the feelings caused from Evony's praise. The first two times being soft, lovely praises spoken by her. "A true asset," followed by, "Oh, Lauren, why don't you come to the Dark. You would be challenged as you deserve."
Everett would call Lauren out, mentioning how smiley she seemed to be. On one occasion, a colleagues snickered about pulling out the stick being pulled from her ass, and still, Lauren's smile held on. Looser than before, but there.
The third praise was different. It'd been a month since Lauren first rung Evony, and the phone call was in the evening, edging somewhere close to late in the evening hours. Evony had laughed, pleased with Lauren's reply, when she said, "Really, I shouldn't be surprised."
"No, you shouldn't," Lauren teased back.
"Mm, well, if you were here I would have you on my desk."
"Your desk?"
"Mm. Or the floor. I'd hate to make you clean up all the paperwork I tossed off, even if it would be fun to watch."
There, Lauren's mind clicked, her breath pulling; a short "O-oh," sounding in her throat.
"There we go."
"I see," Lauren felt it warmth in her belly, imagining herself strewn across Evony's desk, the woman's fingers buried in the dark slacks Lauren wore. Shutting her eyes, she resisted the wanton moan.
Lauren had been good as of late. She'd resisted the urge to slide fingers through coarse hair, and bring herself to another climax. It didn't stop the dreams, the familiar memory of Evony's perfume and the feeling of her teeth and tongue, but it stopped the guilt.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why what?" Evony returned.
"Why…that. I mean. Why?"
"Oh darling, if you have to ask…"
"I am asking," Lauren said. She didn't know what to expect. The question wasn't about sex about why Evony, in that moment, wanted to sleep with her. She understood attraction, understood desire well; biologically, chemically and personally. She was asking why. Why her, why this game, why.
"I want you," Evony said casually, as if it could summarize everything in a tidy, simple way. It didn't.
"But why? For the Dark, because this is a game, because you're bored-"
"All of that and more," Evony said. "I want you, Doctor Lewis. I want you working for me, I want you in my bed. I mean, the moment I met you I could see your potential everywhere. In science, in music, language and art. You don't just have talent, you are…extraordinary. And I like extraordinary things. I like having extraordinary things more."
"I…" Lauren paused, feeling the conflict inside of her. "I'm not sure if I'm complimented or insulted," she said truthfully.
"What did you want to hear?"
"I don't know."
"Well, what didn't you like?" Lauren shut her eyes, frustrated. This wasn't what she expected. "You said you felt insulted. I'm sure I could guess, but I'd prefer you to say it."
"You talk about me like I'm something to own," Lauren said. "Something to obtain, chattel."
"You are. Everyone is. You're an asset, Lauren. Just as I am to the Dark, and Elijah is to the Light. We are only ever valued for our use."
"That's just horrible!" Lauren spat. "That's not a way to live."
"No, but we like feeling valued."
"I don't!"
"You enjoy feeling wanted. It's the same thing."
"No it's not!"
"Yes it is. But let's not discuss this further, it's upsetting. Tell me what you liked?" she asked. "What made you feel complimented?"
"What?"
"About what I said of you. You told me that you were conflicted about your feelings, so, what was the positive feelings." Lauren blinked, confused.
Evony was…strange. The way she jumped from one conversation to another as she pleased. It was frustrating most of the time, especially now. She didn't want the conversation to end. She didn't believe what Evony had said.
But she answered: "I guess…the word extraordinary. I've never been…"
"Extraordinary? Well, you were always were." Lauren didn't reply, her thoughts confused, the word soured by the previous conversation. Evony may have a point, but Lauren still didn't believe it. Value and want were two different things. Sociopaths valued, people cared and loved. And you could love valueless things for sentimental reasons.
She had recipe books her grandmother had given her, that were of little use to her now, they were essentially valueless to her, but she kept them because they were all she had left of her grandmother. That was something, wasn't it?
"I wonder," Evony spoke out loud, catching Lauren from her thoughts. "Do you ever do something for yourself?"
"What do you mean?"
"Something." Lauren could picture Evony gesturing, "Not for your girlfriend, not for the fae, or humanity, but you. Do you ever do something for you?"
"Yes," Lauren replied.
"Really?" Lauren's nose scrunched up at the scrutiny in her voice.
"Yes,'" Lauren said. Then quickly adding, "I didn't delete your number."
There was a quiet, and the words held, hanging in the air between them both. Lauren's eyes shut, her cheeks casting pink. She shouldn't have admitted that, regardless of the truth of the words. Then, Evony spoke again. "I want you to do something else. Something you want whatever it may be." Lauren felt a protest rising in her throat, thinking about Everett, the fae, the Ash. "Nothing grand, just do something selfish, don't think about anyone else."
"I-"
"Eat a whole block of chocolate, the last slice of pizza, stay up all night masturbating, splurge on new books, whatever it is you want to do, do it. But it has to be what you want to do. And then, I want you to ring me tomorrow and tell me what you did. That's an order, Doctor Lewis."
The receiver clicked off. Lauren looked at her phone, blinking at it in surprise.
She knew, deep down she knew that if Lauren rang her up and said she stayed up all night finishing her star trek marathon which, yes, she wanted to do, Evony would be disappointed.
Because Lauren knew what Evony wanted her to do. And Lauren knew what she wanted more than Seven of Nine or Catherine Janeway.
She stared at the phone, half expecting Evony to ring back. Then, when she sure she wouldn't, she shut off the lights in the house one by one. She undressed, then showered, brushed her teeth and finally, she placed on a cotton shirt and pants and slipped into bed. Evony's words, her praise, staying in Lauren's ear until she fell asleep.
She disobeyed, the weight of it sitting in her, whispering that she could do it, just later, Evony didn't have to know she waited. But the next evening came, and when she knew it was time to ring Evony, Lauren stared at the phone, and thought of a lie.
"So," Evony's voice said when she rang. "What did you do?"
The lie was there, Lauren felt it lift in her throat, went to sound it out with her tongue and voice. The word, "Nothing," coming out instead.
Dammit. She cursed herself, eyes falling shut as she swallowed the lie away. It was too late. Evony hummed quietly, before a pause fell over them. In the silence, Lauren imagined the Morrigan reclining back in an office chair as she thought over the predicament.
She should have done it, Lauren realized, thinking over last night, over now, of what she should be doing. She could feel disapproval weighing on her. Guilt that sat thick and sticky in her gut. Evony would never speak to her, she thought. Disapproval would turn to disappointment, punishment would be quick and severe, and penance would be needed.
As it was with the Light.
Then, just as Lauren went to say something, anything to break the unnatural silence, Evony spoke. "I see."
"Sorry?" Lauren said.
"Oh, I don't require a sorry, you're the one who went through her day being selfless. How boring."
"That's not true," Lauren fought. "I'm not selfless."
"No, I suppose not. You're practical, however, which is just as boring, if not more so."
Lauren sighed, bowing her head. "Sorry," she said again, meaning it this time.
"Oh honey, you don't need to apologize to me. It's you that's suffering. I mean, really, can you remember the last day that you were happy?"
Happiness, Lauren thought, was not something to achieve. It was a bonus, an addition to everything else. She didn't join the fae to be happy, she didn't become a scientist to be happy. The only thing that made her happy was, "Nadia," she answered.
"Ah," Evony replied. "Well, that's another situation entirely."
Lauren hummed, an ache settling inside of her. She missed her girlfriend, her partner. She'd take the worst of their arguments and more for a single night longer with her.
"How were you and Nadia?" Evony asked curiously. "Relationship wise before the Congo fiasco."
"Well. We were…" Planning, Lauren thought. She remembered the call from the jeweler painfully. An engagement ring that Nadia had put down a deposit on. There'd been conversations, real ones, on family, on her history. She'd even opened up to Nadia about the truth, the first person to have known.
Of course that had ended with a fight and Nadia turning up on her doorstep two weeks later, drenched from the rain at four in the morning. "How dare you walk into my life and make me love you. I hurt. I hurt every day and it's all your fucking fault. And you…you lied to me. I love you and you lied to me and that's not okay."
She missed every day.
"So…" Evony hummed, drawing her out of her thoughts.
"Good," Lauren said, the word dragging out painfully. "We were so…"
"You were moving to the next stage, I take it."
"We were."
"And do you think she would have wanted you to be happy?" Evony asked. "Let's move pass the niceties of maybe she'll wake up, maybe she won't, and work on the fact that if you do find a way to wake her up, it'll be a very long time from now, will it not?"
"She…yes, yes it would."
"So, she'd want you to be happy."
"I-"
"How about this. If the situations were reversed, would you expect her to spend night and day hanging over your bed, feeling guilty about whom she may be on the phone to, because let's be honest, I know that that eats away at you and really darling, isn't that just ridiculous?"
"Well…" Lauren paused, a lump in her throat. "No, it's more compli-
"So, would want her to be happy?"
"I…would. Yes, but-"
"Exactly. If she wakes up, when she wakes up, she'll want you to have been happy. So, how about you worry less about Nadia and more about yourself, hmm? A happy worker, after all, is more productive and you'll be a step closer to finding a cure."
Lauren felt a bittersweet laugh hum in her chest. "You sound like some marketing scheme."
"Worst ten years of my life," she said, as if answering the question. "But it is true."
"Sure," Lauren said, the word sounding more cynical than she intended.
"Excellent. Now, how about you go and do something just for you. Don't worry about Nadia, I'm sure she'd want you to be happy, however that may be, and don't have a fit about the fae, all they care is that you're a busy bee, doing all their dirty work without needing to be paid."
"I'm sure," Lauren replied dryly.
"Good. So you'll do something, just for you. I'm sure there was something that you wanted to do last night that tricked yourself out of doing, am I right?"
After a pause, Lauren replied "Yes."
"So you'll do it?"
"Yes," she said again, swallowing. Evony knew, now. She knew what she was going to do, knew that she would be doing it. And god, probably knew where her thoughts would lie while doing it.
"Do you promise?"
Lauren felt her heart pound. It was such a flirt of a question, catching Lauren off-guard. "Sure," she replied, her voice sounding hoarse. "No problem."
"Good, you should do something now, so I know you mean it. Just start off and I'll hang up when I'm satisfied."
The pounding stopped suddenly, her cheeks turning hot and pink. "What?"
"I said, just start, dear. Is your hearing going? I really thought that happened later in life for humans."
Lauren thoughts were running in circles, picturing herself with her jeans undone, orgasming her voice into the phone's receiver. "You want to listen?"
"You make it sound as if I'd asked you to do something audacious that– oh!" Evony's voice perked up in Lauren's ear, practically a purr as she continued. "Oh, Lauren, do tell me what you wanted to do last night."
"I…it was nothing," Lauren felt her cheeks color, realizing her mistake. Oh god, no, no, no! Evony had simply meant to be selfish however she felt. There was no innuendo, no doublespeak or implication. She'd honestly just meant for her to be…selfish. Dammit, "I thought…that, it was-"
"You thought?"
"Nothing."
"Mm, this nothing, what did it involve?"
"It- I…oh god. No, no, no."
"You're in such a state that I can only presume the best," Evony hummed. "Shall we play a game?"
Lauren had dropped her head into her hand, phone still against her ear as she replied weakly, "What game?"
"Simple. I guess, and you inform me yes or no."
"Okay," Lauren replied, the sound constricted in her throat.
"Now, I do so hope it's sexual."
Lauren paused, holding her breath before, "Maybe."
"Yes or no, remember."
"…Yes."
"Good." Lauren groaned, hating the embarrassment she felt. "Nothing to be ashamed of, I mean I hoped but … Oh, Lauren, I had no idea."
"I don't like this."
"We can stop," Evony said. Lauren felt her teeth catch the tip of her tongue, her lungs holding back a breath. Evony meant the words, there was no playfulness to it, no joking around. "If you're uncomfortable and you want this to stop, you are in complete control of doing so Lauren. I won't push boundaries that you set."
"Really?" Lauren asked. "Because I've seen how my kind is regarded." She'd seen 'claimed' humans in her medical ward being treated. She'd seen them flinch, heard the fae speak when they thought she couldn't hear, and it wasn't always about the Dark, who infamously was known for loose morals. "They should be pleased that he'd even want to keep her."
Doctor Everett didn't stand for such talk, but she wasn't always around in the medical sector either.
"Lauren, listen to me carefully. I won't strip you of your autonomy. Not in sex, not between me, not ever, do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Good." The playfulness returned, "So, do tell me, where would you like this to go, so I'm aware of what I should or should not do."
"I don't know," Lauren replied. "I…" I have a girlfriend, I'm Light Fae, I'm human. But I'm so lonely and you're the first person who's made me feel good since I've been here.
"Well you know how I feel."
"Yes. But-" She cut herself off, the words turning in her gut.
"But…?" Evony prompted.
"But I'm Light," she said at last.
"Then don't kiss and tell," Evony said as if it was the obvious answer.
"That's not what I mean."
"Lauren, we're not going to do anything illegal. I mean, not right now. I'm all the way over here, and you're all the way over there. So…our options are, of course, limited."
Lauren took a breath. "This is ridiculous."
"How so?"
"I just- This is…" her cheeks burnt, her words lost. God, she was waving her hand around, aware of what she wanted to say, but unable to articulate it. "You know why!"
"How about we simplify things. Tell me what you were going to do last night."
"I thought you- I mean." Lauren took a breath, shutting her eyes. "You mentioned masturbation and I assumed that…"
She could practically hear the grin spreading across Evony's lips. "Go on," she purred.
"I assumed that that was…what…you meant?"
"And is that what you wanted?"
"I-I don't kn-"
"Yes or no, darling."
"Yes."
"Good."
Shutting her eyes, Lauren felt herself shiver. It was out in the open now, she couldn't take back. She wasn't sure she wanted to. Evony's desire of her was obvious, admitting that it was mutual was necessary, if not nerve-wracking.
Lauren looked down, seeing her hand tugging at a loose string on her singlet. She was fidgety, as if this was the first sexual experience. God, she couldn't believe herself in this state. Evony had to cut through her words, through the babble and deflections to get at the core and…and…
Lauren opened her eyes, realizing that she'd already taken off her shoes and socks, lain out on the couch, and was waiting to see what would happen next. Hoping.
"What do you think about?"
Lauren bit her lip.
"Speak up."
"Things."
"Mm. Fantasies I'm sure. Of whom?"
"You're mean," Lauren decided. She remembered Evony's hand sliding over her collarbone, down her chest. She remembered how she tasted, her perfume, and that when Lauren kissed her, Evony had a made a small, approving sound, similar to laughter. Similar to the one she made now.
Evony was the personification of pure, carnal lust.
"I know," Evony laughed. "But I must say, I do want to hear you say it."
Lauren debated, the morals in herself telling her no. There was still a line, still a thin shroud she could hide behind. She could refuse, she could hang up, she could say no. "You," she answered. "As if you didn't know. You've already asked this question before."
"Did I? Because I remember teasing about between your legs and this look of horror on your face, wondering how on earth I knew that. But in truth, I could have been mistaken about your body language."
"Bullshit."
"True. I knew. And I do believe I asked a second question."
Lauren hissed in a breath, shaking her head. "No, I don't think you did."
"Look at you. Liar. Fine, I'll repeat it again. How do I sound, Doctor Lewis, in these fantasies of yours? What do I do?"
Lauren laughed, the effects of the conversation taking its toll. She could feel the question giving her the same effects as the last time it was asked. Only now, she could feel herself becoming bold. "You make it sound like I think about it often."
"Do you?"
"No," she replied. "No. Just…"
"Once? Twice?"
"No."
"A few times then. Probably you've considered a favorite then, but let me assure you, the reality is far better."
"Many women have told me that."
"Many women are not two thousand years old."
Lauren's breath spilled from her. "Two thousand?" she said. Two thousand, she would have been born during the peak of the roman era, during the height of their domination. She would have seen Rome burn, and christianity rise, and civil wars, and history that was only scarcely documented. "That's amazing. The history, the people you've met, I-"
"Yes. And perhaps once day I'll share that information with you, but I'm about to ask you to start taking off your clothes, so I'd prefer the mood to remain…"
Breathlessly, an "Oh," came from Lauren, her heart loud and clear in her chest. Or they could do that. Yes.
"So, what are you wearing, Lauren?"
"I…" She looked down, having forgotten entirely. She'd changed into jeans at the end of the day, her clothes having been covered in blood, leaving her in a cotton singlet after having thrown her shirt into laundry. Relaying the information, she heard Evony make a noise. Something Lauren knew well that could easily have been the Morrigan stretching.
"You live alone, don't you?" Evony asked.
"Yes."
"Good, now, where to begin…" she took a breath, humming through the phone line before exhaling. "Really, I would have preferred watching you first, learn what you like, what you don't. But I suppose…"
She paused, contemplating what to do when Lauren asked. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"What are you wearing?"
Evony chuckled. "This isn't about me, Lauren."
"Well, if it's about me, I need to know what you're wearing," Lauren said. "And you swore an oath not to lie to me."
"I supposed I did. Well, as luck would have it, doctor, when I rang you, I just came home from dinner with a client." Lauren waited, Evony didn't elaborate.
"And?"
"And what information are you looking for? How detailed?"
"Ah…" Lauren paused. "I just want to know?"
"Well, in its simplest terms, I'm in a lovely dress and heels." A dark dress, Lauren suspected. Something similar to what she wore when Lauren first met her. Everything about her outfit then had been less about the dress and all about the accessories.
Lauren wondered where she was now, if she sat in her bedroom, at the end of the bed, taking off her heels, or perhaps her lounge area, strewn over a couch as Lauren was now.
Wherever it was, it would be lavish.
"Where would your hands go first?" Evony spoke, snapping her from her thoughts once again.
Lauren felt her mouth go dry, then realized the question could apply to either of them. "On who?"
"Either myself or you."
"Well, how I treat someone else is different to-"
"Selfless even in the bedroom," Evony sighed. "This really must change."
"No," Lauren said firmly.
"No?"
"I won't change."
"Oh," Evony laughed. "Have I hit a nerve?" There was a pause, as if she expected Lauren to say something, then, "I do so hope you'll keep that fire, Lauren. It really is enjoyable." Lauren didn't reply, her back pressing against the cushion of the couch. She was out of line, the knowledge of that was…good. She was fighting, stubborn, determined. Shutting her eyes, she smiled. She could almost pretend she was herself again. "Alright Doctor, undo your jeans."
Lauren paused at the command. They were doing it, they weren't playing around anymore. Slowly, she popped the button, sliding the fly down and took a slow breath. The phone pressed against her ear and Lauren was painfully aware of Evony on the other end.
And aware of the pressure the seam of her jeans had had on her, now pulling away.
"Push you jeans down."
"Okay."
Evony chuckled.
"What?" Lauren asked.
"Your voice. It is just…divine."
"Flatter."
"Only where its deserved. I'll have you know that If I was there, I'd tug your pants down slowly, just far enough, before I'd stroke the outside of your- you know, I bet you wear cotton. Plain or patterned?"
"I fee like you're trying to humiliate me."
"Not a kink?"
"The opposite."
"Ah, my mistake."
"And the Morrigan makes mistakes?" Lauren teased.
"All the time, it keeps things interesting," Evony said. "Now, do you like to be told what to do or-"
Lauren hissed, her fingers coming over her underwear. She was swollen, wanting desperately. Her thoughts had strayed, her mind thinking of Evony between her legs, of fingers stroking and warmth and…
"Tell me," Evony said softly, almost as a request.
"What do you want to know?" Lauren asked. She tried to sound teasing, tried to turn Evony's words back on her, but all that happened was that Lauren found her voice husked, the words only half articulated.
Evony didn't reply, there was a whole pause as Lauren pressed oversell, feeling how wet the cotton was, how much she ached for different fingers, when a soft whine sounded from her.
Evony spoke then. "I'm half tempted to come over there now."
"I don't think you're allowed."
"What are rules there for, if not to be broken."
"As a what not…to…" Lauren shivered, gasping as she stroked over her clit, through cotton. Warmth and pressure seemed to grow beneath her touch. She felt her chest constrict, her heart pounding. She wasn't close, nowhere near, but it'd been so long since she'd been in such a state.
She kicked her jeans off, pushing her underwear down as she listened to Evony speak. The women manipulated her body, her arousal, telling Lauren what she wanted to do. How long she'd tease, what reactions she'd make.
Lauren felt herself nod, humming short words, managing breathless, "Yes" and "please" as her thoughts became incoherent circles of oh god, oh god, please, yes, god. Fuck.
She followed Evony's words, imagined different hands ghosting over her breasts, pushing material over the skin, and touching shy of nipples, leaving her legs spread and exposed to the cool air.
And then, as Lauren became close, she heard the hitch in Evony's voice. A sound catching, biting back a moan before she spoke.
"Evony," Lauren asked. She was close, so close, she wanted to tell her. Close, close, closer, but she couldn't do it. She was so wet, her fingers couldn't get the friction.
"Yes."
"Yes…" Lauren tried, focusing on the words and not the impending thought. Her body was tense, hips lifted from the couch to press against her fingers. Lauren could feel her mouth open and mind cloud; all she could think of was how much she wanted to be between Evony's legs, how much she wanted to hear her come, and feel it against her tongue. "Are you..?"
"Yes."
Biting her lip, Lauren arched, stifling the noise back in her throat as she almost stumbled over the edge. Not yet, not like that. The build, Lauren thought, was the best part. That hot, wet ache that was like a pressure rising up. But you had to fall at the right time, wait just for the right moment to let go for that great climax equal to the build.
And Lauren wanted to come hard, mercilessly.
She took a breath, feeling it push against the hand at her breast, as her other worked between her legs, over her clit.
She wanted Evony inside her. She wanted something inside of her.
Her fingers were wet, pinching at her nipple, having slipped inside before. She knew her body well. And a hand over her breast and clit worked better than just two between her legs. Ideally she would have a mouth there, a hand over her clit and both of her own hands against her breasts.
"Lauren," Evony said, the word like an anchor. Lauren's eyes opened, staring up at the ceiling. "Tell me what you want, right now."
"You," she managed. "I…"
Lauren thought of what she wanted, thought of coming around her fingers, or over her mouth. She thought of making Evony come, of feeling the Morrigan rock over fingers, of her eyes squeezing shut, mouth parting, brow pinch as she came in her ear…
"Me, what, Lauren?"
"You. Here. I want…I want to…" Lauren took a breath, low and deep before shuddering out a small cry.
"Not yet. Tell me what you want."
"I want to hear you…because of…what I do…what I would…do… to you." She took a breath between words, trying desperately to get them out, struggling to find the next in the sentence, her mind vividly aware of her hips lifting up and that tension coiling in her, making her thighs tremble, her back arch. She was so fucking close.
"Good girl. You can come now."
It only took another minute. Her body tensed and clenched and rocked and she felt another breath, another and another, aware of the sound she made, of how her eyes squeezed shut before blinking open in surprise, as the release came and she felt like she was crashing back to reality, her legs shaking against her weight and tension.
Then she dropped. Feeling her sex swell and pound, as she breathed, eyes shutting tiredly. There was nothing, only a peace rolling over herself.
Before she became aware of what she did.