Radclyffe - Love On Call

When she woke the next morning at five thirty, having slept for six solid hours, she was surprised again. She lingered in bed for a few minutes, listening to the town wake up through her open window. A distant rumble of an engine, birds singing somewhere in the fields out beyond the parking lot, the quiet tick of the refrigerator in her small kitchen just outside her bedroom door. She stretched, ran a hand absently down the center of her body, felt the quick pulse between her thighs. She let her fingers linger, trailing lower, and the answering tingle made her hips press down into the bed. She closed her eyes, savoring the first blush of morning and the slow rise of pleasure. She pressed lightly, eased a finger on either side of her slowly hardening clit, focused on the tension coiling low in her belly. Her mind drifted on the slowly building waves—stroke, circle, press—and fragments of images flickered beneath her closed lids. Long-fingered hands, teasing, tugging; a warm mouth on her belly, the moist tip of a tongue teasing lower, closer. She kicked aside the sheet, too warm now, a light sweat breaking out down the center of her chest. Her hips lifted, the muscles in her forearm tightened, her wrist brushed rhythmically across her taut abdomen. Her breath caught somewhere between her chest and her throat. She groaned softly, waiting for the warmth of a mouth to close over her, to pull her in, push her over. She glanced down, seeing in her mind’s eye the dark eyes and playful smile, felt the midnight strands of hair slide through her fingers. Watching, mesmerized by need, she guided the full red lips down to her clit.

“Fuck,” she gasped, jerking half upright as she exploded into her hand. “Fuck.” She fell back against the pillows, trembling, unable to remember the last time she’d come so quickly or so hard. Absolutely certain she’d never had a fantasy quite like that one, so unquestionably focused on a woman she knew. Still throbbing, still lightly stroking, she couldn’t even pretend she hadn’t been thinking about Mari.

*

An hour later Glenn pulled into the staff lot just as Carrie was getting out of her car. Carrie waited for her as Glenn locked up and jogged over.

“Hey,” Carrie said. “What’s new and exciting in your life?”

Glenn was very glad Carrie wasn’t a mind reader at that moment, because she flashed back to what she’d been thinking about the last hour. Damn if she still wasn’t a little turned on. “Not a thing. Business as usual. You?”

“I’m so busy I don’t even feel like I’m busy. It still feels like July first to me and the month is half over.”

Glenn laughed. “I think your boss works on a different calendar than the rest of the world.”

“You got that right.”

“Mari happened to mention the two of you are related,” Glenn said as they followed the winding stone path from the lot to the back entrance.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Carrie grinned. “I’m pretty psyched about getting to know her better. Say, did you invite her to the game tonight?”

“Yeah, we’re going to grab something to eat first.”

“Well,” Carrie said, slowing until Glenn had to stop. “That’s news.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re dating the new PA? Don’t you think that’s something that you should’ve told your very best friend who at one point contemplated seducing you?”

“What?” Glenn’s mouth dropped open. “What are you talking about?”

Carrie made a huffing sound. “You are so clueless sometimes. Presley and Abby actually might’ve taken bets about whether or not I was going to get you—”

Glenn held up a hand. “Stop. I don’t want to know about that. I definitely do not want to know you and…jeez, Carrie!”

Carrie jammed her free hand, the one not carrying her briefcase, onto her hip. “Excuse me? Would going to bed with me be such a terrible thing?”

Glenn actually backed up a couple steps. “Whoa. No, of course not. Where’s this coming from?”

“Well, I’m available, you are available, although apparently you’re not now, and—”

“I’m not dating Mari.”

Carrie tilted her head. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am…” Glenn hesitated. “If I gave you the impression that I wanted us to, you know, you and me to, well…”

Carrie broke into a broad smile. “Have sex?”

Glenn’s head felt like it was about to explode. “Carrie, I mean, you’re gorgeous, and funny, and smart and—”

Carrie broke into peals of laughter and waved an arm in the air. “Stop, stop. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t resist. God, sometimes you’re so clueless.”

Glenn glowered. “You said that already.”

Carrie threw her arm around Glenn’s shoulder, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed her cheek. “I think you’re amazingly adorable and you’re exactly the kind of woman I would love to go to bed with if you weren’t my best friend already.”

“You know, you don’t make any sense at all.”

“We’re completely incompatible, so any sex between us would have to be casual and probably just a time or two.”

“Carrie, I think I’m not making myself clear. I’m not—”

“Theoretical, I’m talking theoretical.” Carrie started walking again. “But that ship has already sailed. If we were going to have casual sex, we should’ve done it right after we first met. Now it’s too late.”

Glenn squeezed the bridge of her nose, trying to keep her brains inside her head. “I wish you’d told me all of this sooner.”

“You mean you would’ve slept with me then? Don’t say anything, because I think Presley has money on—”

“No. I wouldn’t have,” Glenn said. “I don’t do that sort of thing, just for, you know…casual.”

Carrie bit her lip, seeming to be holding in more laughter. “You do do it, though, right?”

“Jesus, how did we get onto this topic?”

“You were telling me about your date with Mari.”

“It’s not a date,” Glenn shouted. A passing employee paused and stared at them. She lowered her voice. “Not a date.”

“Are you sure, because you might want to think about that before, you know, you miss another boat.”

“Are you mad at me?”

Carrie brushed a stray lock of hair off Glenn’s forehead. “Absolutely not. You are one of my favorite people in the whole world. And I am perfectly happy with things between us just exactly the way they are.” She held the door open and waited till Glenn drew next to her before whispering, “And if I’d wanted to get you into bed, I would have.”

“I believe it,” Glenn muttered.

“See you at the game.”

Glenn stared after her as Carrie dashed off toward the east wing, wondering what the hell had just happened. And what any of it had to do with Mari. She hadn’t asked her out on a date. Had she?

*

Mari pulled the last chart from the stack in front of her, flipped to the discharge page, and double-checked that she’d filled out all the necessary sections before signing. The day had passed so quickly, she’d barely had time to think about anything beyond running down lab results, checking X-rays, reviewing treatment plans, and giving patients discharge instructions. She’d had a terrific day. Even Antonelli had been a pleasure, presenting patients to her in a thoughtful and thorough fashion. He seemed calmer than she’d ever seen him. She had no doubt in an emergency, he’d still be a take-charge, rapid decision maker, but that was a good thing too. There were times to take things slow and times to act. What was important was to know the difference.

Glenn stuck her head into the staff lounge. “Hey. Almost done?”

“Just finished.” Mari smiled. When she’d had a minute’s break, she’d thought about the evening to come. She was looking forward to getting out of her apartment, to meeting new people, to spending time with Glenn. “Should I meet you somewhere?”