JENNIE
The next day I convinced Jimin and Margie to run to town with me. Becca came along just in case we needed her, but I felt like it was overkill. The good news was I didn't have to dress up for something like this and no one was expecting me to show up.
We parked the car in one of the public lots and hit some of the local shops. I wanted to show my support of the family-run businesses, so I avoided the chain stores. When we entered a florist shop the woman inside seemed shocked. Jimin was laughing to himself while the woman tried to hand me every bouquet I looked at. I ended up buying flowers for my room and a set for Jimin, but only because I insisted on paying.
"Sheesh. I can't remember the last time someone didn't want me to pay for something." I tucked the flowers under my arm and fiddled with my purse. "When I was eating macaroni and cheese in college, everyone wanted me to pay for things. But now that I have money, I have to force them to take it. I thought I was going to have to pull rank!"
"Don't worry, there will be lots of people happy to take your cash." Margie shook her head.
"Too right." Jimin shot me a look, obviously thinking about Jeremy from the zoo.
It was actually sort of fun to walk around the town. Some of the people didn't know what to say and just stared at me while others talked nonstop. I wasn't sure if that was because they were nervous or because they thought it might be their only chance to talk to me. Margie and Jimin often stepped in to help me escape when that happened, but for the most part people seemed to understand I had other things to do.
At one point a young mother with a baby in a stroller stopped to welcome me to the town. Just when I was getting ready to go pay for the homemade bubble bath I was holding, she asked me to take a picture with the infant.
"Sure." I smiled at the little girl and turned to face the mother's phone for the picture when I felt something warm cover my arm. I didn't say anything until she had gotten her pictures, but there was no hiding the wet spot on my jacket.
"Oh my Lord! Duchess, I'm so sorry. So sorry. Here, let me buy you a new coat." The young woman handed me a towel from her diaper bag.
"It's fine! Really, don't worry about it." I couldn't help that a laugh bubbled up out of my throat. "My first picture with a baby and I get peed on. It's pretty funny."
"I've never been this embarrassed before in my life." The young woman looked close to tears.
"Here, hand me the baby and take another one. When she grows up, you can use it as blackmail."
She chuckled weakly. "Oh, no. I couldn't do that to you."
"Just send me an e-mail with the picture. My father will think it's hilarious." I held my arms out for the baby and made a silly face while Jimin laughed. He gave her his e-mail address and she promised to e-mail it that night.
"What if that ends up in the papers?" Margie asked me.
"I don't care. What're they going to title that article? 'Duchess Gets Peed On?'" I laughed. "Maybe it'll make everyone realize I'm just human."
"It was really sweet of you to make sure that mother didn't feel so bad."
"Meh. It was funny. I mean, who else would get peed on? It would only happen to me." I shrugged out of my jacket and shirt in the dressing room of a nearby shop. "Or I'd be the mother whose baby peed on someone famous."
"Still very nice of you." She passed me a shirt over the door.
"Not really. I could have been upset or laughed it off." I opened the door and walked out. "There was nothing to do for it at that point."
The rest of the day went smoothly. We ate in a local pub, which I loved. For the first time since arriving in the country I felt like I was experiencing the real culture. People spoke a mix of English and Lilarian, often in the same sentence. I liked how birds were a common thread. They were painted on signs and featured on wind chimes.
The pub owner came over to introduce himself but didn't stay. Most people smiled in our direction and apparently the story of the peepee picture was already starting to circulate. One of the waitresses was related to the baby and brought us a basket of chips.
"Sally was so embarrassed, but she couldn't get over how sweet you were."
"I didn't do anything special." I shook my head.
Most of the people who came in would shoot me a look and then act like I wasn't there. It was perfect. By the time we headed back to the house, I was tired but happy.
I worked with Stanley through the week to understand more about the running of a manor and found that it was as intimidating as I had thought it would be. Selene made a visit, but since my title hadn't been officially reinstated, I couldn't take on any of the local cases to present to parliament. I enjoyed her visit and found myself looking forward to working with her. She was a bright woman who loved her home.
Lisa called every night and I found myself looking forward to her voice more each time. Despite the demands on her time, she never seemed frustrated or angry, even though I could hear how tired she was. She asked questions about the manor and how I was adjusting. When I told her about the baby incident she laughed so hard I thought she was going to snort.
"It's not that funny!"
"Oh, that is priceless." She chuckled. "And you thought the best thing to do would be to take another picture?"
"Yeah. I mean what else was there? Wave her off and leave her feeling horrible?" I shrugged my shoulders even though she couldn't see me. "It was the first thing that popped into my mind. I was hoping it would make her laugh."
"And has it shown up in the papers?"
"The local post contacted Jimin and requested a copy. Apparently Sally, the mother, told them they needed my permission." I laughed. "They were good sports about it."
"That was right of her." I could hear her voice growing thick.
"I think so." I sighed. "Go to bed. You sound exhausted."
"Sorry, today was incredibly long."
"I'll talk to you soon."
"Good night."
Later, after my shower, I plugged my phone in to charge and realized there was a text message from Lisa.
Lisa: Miss you.
I bit my lip for a second before responding.
ME: Miss you too.
By the time the weekend rolled around, I was itching to see him again. I had almost forgotten that Ryujin was coming until she texted me Friday morning. Stanley and I were in the front yard discussing some of the fencing damaged by the last snowfall when she arrived. She was wearing jeans and boots, which was the first time I had seen her looking so relaxed.
She hopped out of the car with a package in her hands. Running straight to me, she threw her arms around my neck.
"Hey!" I hugged her back.
"You look good." She pulled back to look at me. "I knew you'd feel better once you got out here."
"I'm really starting to love it." I took her inside and she handed me the package.
"Happy housewarming."
"You didn't need to get me anything." I held it in my hands and examined the wrapping paper.
"Hush. You don't go to a person's new home without a gift!" She smiled at me. "Open it."
I pulled the bow off and tore into the wrapping. Inside was a beautiful bird statue. I pulled it out and examined the detail. It was a merlin, small but fierce.
"It's gorgeous."
"It's considered good luck. Most homes have a bird tucked somewhere. When I saw this was a merlin I had to get it."
"Thank you. I love it." I reached out and hugged her with my free arm. "Where should I put it?"
"A lot of people keep them in their kitchens or offices." She shrugged. "But it doesn't really matter."
"I know just the place." I led her upstairs and put it on the desk in the library. "Perfect."
I showed her the house and told her about the few things I had decided to change. While I loved all the history, I wanted to make it feel a little more personal. Most of the things would be very small but would help me settle in.
I had invited Ryujin for a pizza party, but I hadn't known there wasn't a pizza parlor anywhere nearby. Instead of ordering in I had bought all the ingredients and we were trying to figure out how to make pizza dough.
"You've never done this before?" She looked at me over a glass of wine.
"How hard can it be? A little flour, a little water, knead. We can do this." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Grab the measuring cup."
I had told Margie to take the night off, so it was just me and Ryujin. She looked behind her at the cups on the counter and frowned. "How big?"
"What?"
"Which one do you want? There are four measuring cups here."
"I don't know." I picked up the instructions and read over them. "Three-quarters of a cup."
"These are in metric." She laughed but handed me the right one. "Here."
"I forgot about that." I frowned. "I hope I don't mess this up."
Forty minutes later we were both covered in flour and giggling. The dough had been runny, so I had added more flour, but that hadn't helped. Ryujin was trying to scrape the sticky mess off the counter when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." I grabbed a towel on my way and tried to scrub the mess from my hands. I pulled open the door and my heart thumped in my chest. Lisa was standing on there with a small duffle bag and a huge smile.
"Hi."
"I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow night!" I smiled and stepped back so she could come in.
"I managed to get stuff done early, so hurried home." She dropped her bag and walked toward me.
"Is that why you were so tired last night?" She had snored at one point, but when I told her about it, she denied it.
"Maybe." She pulled the cloth out of my hands and threw it onto the entry way table. "It was worth it."
Her hands wrapped around my waist and I melted into her. When her lips slid over mine hungrily, I returned her kiss with fervor, devouring her taste. she growled against me and lifted me in her arms so that my feet didn't touch the ground. There was no hesitation when she turned and started walking for the stairs.
"Now I know why you look so happy." Ryujin's voice had me pulling my head away from Lisa's. "No, no. Don't stop for me. I'll just eat this nasty pizza all by myself." The fake hurt in her voice made me roll my eyes. I looked over at her and laughed. There was flour all over her face and sticky dough clumped in her hair.
"Funny, huh? You don't look much better," Ryujin pointed out.
I looked at Lisa, who was still holding me off the ground, and realized I had rubbed flour on her face. "Oh no. I must look a mess!"
I wiggled and she set my feet back on the ground before kissing my nose. "I don't care."
"When did this happen?" Ryujin leaned against the kitchen doorframe. "And I can't believe you didn't tell me."
"Last weekend." Lisa watched as I retrieved my towel and wiped at my face.
"So your big plan worked."
"Big plan?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Yes, it did." She smiled, completely unbothered.
"Oh, it was a doozy." She snorted. "Incredibly intricate and well thought out."
"Is that so?" I looked from her to her.
"Stick around as much as possible until you gave in." She shrugged.
"And it worked!" Ryujin laughed.
I shook my head with a smile. It certainly had.
"Are you going to tell me why you're covered in goop?" Lisa reached out and scooped a chunk from my hair.
"Pizza party." I led her to the kitchen.
"The pizza party from hell." She whistled. "Margie is going to have a heart attack."
I looked around and cringed. She was right—we had made a mess. "Yesh."
"You're lucky I'm a good cook." She moved past me and went to work. I looked over at Ryujin, who was nodding her head.
"Sit! Talk." Ryujin patted one of the chairs at the island. "What happened?"
"Um." This wasn't really a talk I wanted to have with Lisa's sister, especially not when she was listening in. "I just realized I was being dense."
"And what was your big clue?"
"Jimin poked me."
Ryujin threw her head back and laughed. "I'll have to remember that in case you decide to overthink things in the future."
"I need to tell him thank you." Lisa winked at me over her shoulder. Her hands were busy turning our sloppy mess into something familiar.
"I thought you left last weekend for Paris." Ryujin grabbed some of the cheese from a bowl on the island and popped it in her mouth.
"I did. I left the next morning." Lisa laughed while I blushed.
"Then you definitely owe Jimin a thank-you." She shook her head. "And I'm leaving after dinner."
"But I invited you to stay the weekend!" I frowned.
"I have to go back in the morning anyway. And there's no way I'm staying here while you two act like horny teenagers." She winked at me. "I'll stay at Manoban tonight."
"I can behave myself." I frowned.
"I can't." Lisa didn't look up from what she was working on.
"Yech." Ryujin grimaced. "Really, it's fine. You can make it up to me and come out with me in the city. I'm tired of it being a boys' club."
"Ryujin, I hate clubs and bars." I shook my head. "I'll do anything else."
"Please?" She looked up at me with her big eyes and I almost caved.
"Hey! Stop that! No anime eyes."
Lisa chuckled. "I thought Tabitha was still in town."
My stomach clenched at the name of her ex and I had to stomp on the jealousy. Who cared if she was at the palace? Lisa was here in my kitchen.
"It's not the same. She's all over her new boyfriend."
"What about Kai?" I narrowed my eyes. He was the person she normally went with to the clubs.
"That's who I'm talking about." Ryujin frowned.
I reached over and grabbed her hand. No wonder she wanted someone to come out with her. It was obvious that even though she had thought she was being careful, she'd still ended up hurt.
"I just don't want to stop doing things because it's uncomfortable." She sighed. "Besides, you'll have Lisa to keep the guys away."
"Jennie and I are keeping this quiet for now." I could see Lisa's shoulders tense.
"Why?" Ryujin narrowed her eyes at me.
"I just don't want the attention." I shrugged. "Or the pressure."
"We're just taking our time." Lisa slipped the pizza into the oven before turning around.
"Oh." Ryujin's mouth pulled to the side and I could see she thought it was a bad idea. "It won't stay quiet forever."
"We know." Lisa shot me a look.
After dinner I called Becca and asked her to drive Ryujin to Lisa's home. Even though she'd only had one glass of wine, I didn't like the idea of her making the trip. I took my time cleaning the kitchen because I didn't want to leave a mess for Margie, but it took a lot of willpower. I wanted nothing more than to drag Lisa up to my bedroom. I figured if I took care of it now I wouldn't have to worry about getting to it in the morning.
I was wiping the island off when Lisa moved behind me. She placed a hand on either side of me on the counter and nuzzled my neck, sending shivers over my body. When she pushed against me so I could feel how hard she was, my breathing picked up. She tugged my rubber band loose, letting my hair fall around my shoulders.
I leaned on the counter for traction so I could rub against her and was rewarded with a growl of pleasure. She pressed against me so I was almost bent over completely, her body bracketing mine. Pulling my hair to the side, she ran her lips over my neck and up to my ear.
"Are you expecting anyone else tonight?" Her teeth tugged at my lobe.
"No." The word came out on a groan as she ground against me.
"Good." She slid her hand between me and the counter to undo my jeans. "Because I don't think we're going to make it upstairs."
Her hand slipped into my pants and I moaned with desire. Pressed between her and the counter, I had nothing to do but enjoy the attention. My breaths were coming in pants and my knees were starting to feel weak. I moved my hips so that I was rubbing against her and she groaned deep in her throat.
"I really like those jeans." She leaned forward to press a kiss to my neck. Her free hand gripped my hip as she moved in a slow rhythm.
When she pulled away from me, I made a sound of disappointment. Thankfully she was just giving herself a little room and yanked my jeans down to my ankles. I gasped and started to turn, but she kept a hand on my back so I couldn't see what she was doing. When I heard the zipper of her pants, my breathing picked up and I wasn't sure if it was in nervousness or anticipation.
She moved her hands over my ass in appreciation, squeezing gently. I'd never been taken like this and I didn't know what to expect. When she reached around to massage me again, I groaned loudly. I was putty in her hands, weak with wanting.
"Is this okay?" she pressed against me so that I could feel the heat of her erection.
I nodded my head, unable to find my voice. Her fingers continued to rub me until I was slick with need. She pushed at my opening and my breath caught. I froze and had to take a deep breath.
"Jennie?" I could hear the strain in her words.
"I'm okay." My voice sounded raspy so I swallowed and tried again. "I want you."
She pressed against me again, but this time didn't stop. Slowly she slid inch by inch inside me until I could feel her balls pressed against my swollen mound. She groaned something in Lilarian and I took a deep breath. It was different, but good. From this angle she filled me completely.
When she pulled back out, I gasped and then whimpered with her reentry. Soon my hips were rocking with her and I was moaning against the counter, my hot breath leaving little clouds of condensation on the cold stone.
"Lisa." I groaned her name loudly as her thrusts sped up.
"I missed you." She slammed into me and I could feel the orgasm building to its peak. Her thrusts came faster and faster until words were impossible. With one final push, she jerked inside of me and pleasure exploded over my body. My legs shook weakly and my breath came out in heavy pants.
"Missed you, too."