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It was enough for Charlie to unravel with lust. She’d missed Elda’s body and wanted her. She couldn’t shake the feeling of being out of place here, and maybe the distraction of a few minutes of bliss would do them both good. “Can I touch you?” Charlie waited for words, but Elda responded with a hard kiss. She placed her hand at the base of Charlie’s neck and forced her hips against her.

“I’m yours. Of course, you can touch me.” Elda smiled and pulled Charlie’s T-shirt over her head.

They kissed again. A long, sleepy kiss that built with intensity until Elda leaned back, arching her neck for Charlie to devour. Elda shifted, edging down and kissing Charlie’s supple skin and travelling further to take her nipple between her teeth.

Charlie was on fire. She wanted nothing less than loud, messy sex. Her lungs needed to be free, but she remembered Linda along the landing and bit down on her lip to stifle her moans. “I’ve missed you, so much.” Her breath was shallow. Elda’s hands were moving across her stomach, sending her boxers to the floor and her pelvis towards the ceiling. A dull ache spread between her legs, where she longed to be touched.

Elda flicked her tongue across her crease of soft skin. “You taste amazing.” She covered her whole sex with her mouth.

Charlie tipped her head back and let the desire flood her entire frame. It was electric from the tips of her toes to the top of her scalp. Every cell simmered with energy. She forced her face into the pillow to dampen her own gasps as Elda teased her open, spreading her wide and kissing her deeply.

She wasn’t used to giving up control, but she was weak and powerless under Elda’s touch.

“I want you on me.” Elda flipped her over so Charlie was on all fours, holding onto the headboard.

Elda shuffled underneath, bringing her face in line with Charlie’s clit and eased her hips down over her mouth. Charlie thrust up and down on Elda’s tongue, allowing her to fuck her with her mouth. Elda stroked her cheeks and touched her centre. Every nerve twitched in sync. Elda found a rhythm, and Charlie was losing control, aware of nothing but the sensation between her legs. She opened her eyes to take in Elda’s control over her body. It was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. She was giving herself to this woman, allowing herself to be seen, touched, and undone.

Elda’s eyes shone and filled with desire. They connected, silently declaring their need through their writhing, glistening bodies. Charlie’s insides contracted, and she shattered into pieces, her arms and legs shaking. Her hips jerked as Elda’s tongue drew in and out from underneath her. She was a goddess, riding her wave of pleasure, oblivious to everything around her. Seeing just Elda, feeling her touch, hearing her sighs. Tears sprang to Charlie’s eyes, and she cried out, clasping her hand to her lips as she came, hard and heavy into Elda’s mouth.

“Wow. You are something, Miss Brown.” Charlie collapsed onto the bed and wrapped herself around Elda. She pulled her in close, kissing her own essence from Elda’s lips.

“I wish we were anywhere but here. That’s awful, isn’t it?” Elda nestled into the crook of Charlie’s neck.

“No, it’s normal to want to escape hard things. Fight or flight.” She stroked Elda’s hair and inhaled her mint conditioner. “Where would you take me if we weren’t here?”

Elda leaned back and stared towards the ceiling. “We’d take the river boat along the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay. It’d be late night opening on a Thursday. It’s the best time to go, after they’ve kicked out all the tour groups.” Elda leaned on her elbow and wrapped her legs around Charlie’s hips. “We’d wander through the atrium. I’ve seen it twenty times or more, but it’d still take my breath away. I’d show you the Sappho sculptures, just for fun.”

“I like this place already.” Charlie brushed her lips across Elda’s hairline. “Keep going.”

“We’d get lost in the maze of corridors where they dim the lights. We’d huddle over a tiny sketch, one of the early masters, and I’d sneak a kiss, maybe more.”

“Sounds dangerous. You know I have to follow the letter of the law, don’t you, Miss Brown?”

“Absolutely. I’d never get you into any trouble.”

“What next?”

“We’d sit too close together in a booth next to the gigantic clock for a glass of something French. It’d break the bank, but it’d be worth it for the view.”

“The view’s pretty nice here too.” Charlie kissed Elda’s cheek.

They both jumped when Nancy called out. Elda pulled the cover over her face and let out a low groan. Charlie squeezed her arm, rushing with adrenaline. For a moment, they’d both forgotten the weight of their responsibilities.

“Stay here. I’ll go and check on Nancy and bring you some tea.” Charlie climbed out of the bed and threw on the creased white T-shirt and Elda’s joggers that were hanging on the edge of the bed. Her thighs were soaked and still tingling from her orgasm. She wriggled, enjoying the sensation of the heavy fabric against her raw skin.

Downstairs, Nancy’s discomfort had been short-lived, and she’d fallen back to sleep. Charlie rested at the doorframe to make sure before she stepped into the kitchen and leaned against the worktop. Her thoughts slowed down, and she listened out for Nancy’s breathing in the room next door.

Charlie made tea like a robot. Reaching without thinking into places that had become routine to her. Her few days with Elda were coming to an end, and she was dreading going back to work. An emptiness crept through her gut. She knew Elda needed her here, and the last thing she wanted was to abandon her. But she couldn’t press pause on her job. People relied on her and needed her at court.

Tiptoeing back upstairs, she practiced the words she wanted to say next. She nudged the door open with her knee, walked across to the bed and put the mugs on the bedside table.

“Is she okay?” Elda stirred and lifted herself up.

“She’s fine. She fell back to sleep, cheeky thing.” Charlie left the door ajar, so they’d hear any more movement downstairs. They sat together for a few moments. Charlie took Elda’s fingers in her hands. They were so delicate, she found it hard to believe they could wreak such heavenly havoc inside her. “I’m going to have to go back soon.” Charlie hated herself.

“Really? Work stuff?” Elda asked.

“I don’t want to. But the KC is putting pressure on…” The thought of her far-off promotion, which had consumed her a few weeks ago, seemed pointless here, in this house. Her head dropped, and her stomach swirled. “I wish I could stay with you. But I have a big case. If I go back for a few days and file some papers, I can get back here for the weekend.”