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Leah sighed. She had been so close. She went to the bar for a drink,
to waste time, ended up with a Shirley Temple. No falling asleep drunk
tonight. She sipped the sweetness, let the bubbles tickle her nose,
smiled at the bartender. He had no idea who she was and Leah was
tempted to tell him, as his eyes followed Sophia across the room. She
was the one taking Lady Macbeth home.
Sophia came to the bar. The bartender flushed, but she ignored
him." I have to stay. There's going to be cake."
"Cake?"
"And photos," Sophia said.
Leah draped an arm along the bar, behind Sophia's back."I'll wait."
"Thanks."
"Do I get cake?"
"Yup," Sophia said.
"Is that against protocol?" Leah dropped her hand behind the bar,
settling on Sophia's back, just above her ass.
"I don't care."
Leah squeezed her waist and Sophia sighed with pleasure and took
a sip of the drink the bartender handed her. When she turned to Leah,
the scent of gin wafted between them. Leah licked her lips.
"Miss Medina!"
Leah was beginning to hate the sound of that.
"Can we get a picture?" Glick Brice lifted his camera, and smiled
charmingly at them. "It's for the Daily," he said. Leah frowned at
Sophia.
"Independent weekly," Sophia said.
"Ironic, right?" Glick asked.
"It caters to the gay community, you know," the bartender said
behind them.
Leah looked over and said, "You can't be in our picture."
He sulked.
Leah tucked herself against Sophia's side and gave Glick her
celebrity smile. Sophia wrapped an arm around Leah in turn.
"Fabulous, girls," Glick said. "I can't promise you the cover, but at
least a quarter page."
Leah kissed Sophia's cheek. "You'll be famous."
Glick snapped a few more as they sagged against each other, and
then let his camera hang around his neck as he pulled out a notebook.
"Sophia Medina," he spelled it out. "That's your stage name?"
"Yes," Sophia said.
"And Leah Fisher?"
Leah nodded.
"I'll grab your bios from the playbills," Glick said. "Thanks, ladies.
Oh, there's the deputy mayor. Excuse me."
Sophia gave a little wave.
Leah cupped the back of Sophia's neck. "Where were we?"
"Not here," Sophia said, and twisted away, a little.
Leah slumped against the bar. "This is the worst party ever."
Sophia smiled and lifted her drink.
Leah clinked hers. "To us?"
Sophia nodded, and took a sip of the gin and tonic. Leah ran her
fingertips down Sophia's arm. Sophia closed her eyes.
Leah said, "In three seconds, someone is going to call your name."
Sophia shook her head. Leah put her glass on the bar, and took
Sophia's hand, and tugged.
"Where are we going?"
"The bathroom."
"I don't have to go to the bathroom."
"Neither do I."
Sophia bit her lip as Leah pulled her along. The sea-green-painted
bathroom was cramped, and smelled of potpourri. The two tiny stalls
were empty, and there was enough space for Leah to wedge herself
against the door and pin Sophia against the sink.
"Leah," Sophia whispered.
"Just for a little bit," Leah said. "Or I'm going to go crazy."
She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her makeup was still
intact and her hair, moussed and styled by the men in her life, had not
strayed from the setting. She looked perfectly normal in her opinion
and not like the sex-crazed maniac she felt like. She swallowed and
looked at Sophia.
Sophia parted her lips, panting, and her eyes were wide.
"Too much?" Leah asked, her thigh already between Sophia's legs,
and her hand around Sophia's waist, protecting her back from the sink
edge. She brushed hair away from Sophia's face, the black strands
giving way to smooth skin.
"I'll tell you when it's enough."
Leah leaned in and then hesitated, her mouth hovering just in front
of Sophia's. She waited for the cell phone to ring or the knock to come
at the door or Sophia to protest. There were no sounds beyond Sophia's
breathing, no signals other than the tingling in her hands and the low
ache that insisted she kiss Sophia. So she did. Sophia mewled against
her lips, a faint cry of need that compelled her. Sophia's arms went
around her neck. Leah braced herself with both hands against the sink,
leaning into Sophia, offering her mouth for kisses. Already her heart
was racing.
Sophia tugged on her lower lip. Leah snaked out her tongue to
protect herself and met Sophia's. Warmth turned to heat, tongues met.
Leah could only hold herself up by pressing herself against Sophia's
body. Sophia squeezed her neck, tangling fingers in her hair and
tugging as she enticed Leah's kiss. Leah abandoned the sink and held
Sophia close. If she sank, she sank.
Something banged into the door, which only half-opened as it
slammed into Leah's hip. She yelped. Sophia bit into her lip and she
yelped again.
"Sorry," a woman's voice called.
Leah let go of Sophia and ducked into the passage beside the stalls,
and Sophia gingerly opened the door. "It's okay," she said.
"Tiny bathroom."
"Yeah." Leah waved the woman into the stall and then met Sophia's
eyes.
Sophia laughed.
Leah went back to the sink. Her hair was now tousled from being
pulled, her eyes and lips were swollen, and her lipstick was smeared.
But she mostly still looked like herself. Sophia, too, was wild-eyed but
not indecent. "I'll see you at the bar?"
Sophia nodded.
Leah escaped. Her drink was gone. She ordered a new one, just
water and lime, earning a scowl from the bartender. She put a dollar on
the bar.
"When's cake?" she asked.
He went into the back to check. Sophia came out of the bathroom,
waved at her, and went over to the Macbethians. Leah wanted to kiss
her again so much that she clutched the bar to keep from running across
the room. Having a taste, tempting her desire, had been worse than
denying herself completely. She gulped her water and made herself not
look at Sophia.
Ward came up behind her. "Waiting for cake?"
"I am," Leah said.
"You think they'll let experimental-musical-sters like us partake?"
"You've been getting it, too?"
"Yes. Everyone loves theater as long as they've heard it before a
thousand times."
"Works for Shakespeare," Leah said.
"Yeah."
"Sorry you took the part?"
Ward leaned on the bar and shook his head. "Everyone who comes
to see me--They'll know. They'll feel it. They'll be the special ones."
Leah pressed her forehead against her glass. Waiters wheeled out
the cake with blood-red icing.
"Apropos," Leah said.
"Cool," Ward said.
"It's like a wedding. As soon as we eat the cake, we can leave."
"To the happy couple," Ward said, raising his glass of water.
Leah clinked.
Glick was there taking photographs as the director, Macbeth's lead,
and Sophia smiled and cut the cake, all three hands on the oversized
knife. And then the waiter took over and Sophia took the first two
pieces and struggled through the mass of people.
"I hope one of those is for me," Ward said.
"Go away," Leah said.
He slunk toward the cake and Sophia came to her side.
"No forks?" Leah asked.
"I thought we could eat back at the hotel," Sophia said and then
looked away, as if avoiding the way Leah's expression changed.
"Do you need to say goodbye to anyone?" Leah asked.
"Nah."
Leah took the cake from Sophia. "Lead the way."
Sophia raised her eyebrows. "You have the keys."
"Oh, right."
They headed straight for the door, ignoring all cries of "Miss
Medina!" and "Miss Fisher!" and refusing to talk to anyone.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sophia drove to Adam's with Leah's hand resting on her thigh.
When the car stopped, Leah looked longingly at the house. The lights
were on in the living room.
"Would you--um," Sophia started.
"I was just thinking, a shower, maybe some more makeup... I'm
fine. Right? I'm fine," Leah said, mostly to herself. She glanced at
Sophia as they got out of the car.
Sophia tilted her head. She took the cake.
Leah turned away from the house and put her hand on Sophia's
back. "Let's go," she said.
They walked together down the street, too enchanted by each other,
too worked up, too expectant, to worry about muggers or drive-bys.
The theater was dark as they strolled past. They held hands, walking
together, listening to the crickets and frogs and the distant traffic. A
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