Page 67 of Breadwinner
“I think I’m starting to feel something. Are you?” Sarah asked softly, her fingers tapping along with the music against the couch cushion, lips parted, eyes slightly dilated.
“What are you feeling?” Nell asked.
“Like I want to dance.” The words tumbled out of Sarah like she couldn’t keep them from bubbling up. “Please. Dance with me.”
She didn’t have the heart to deny Sarah, not when she looked at her like that—like Nell held the answers to all of Sarah’s questions.
Nell didn’t hesitate. She rose, taking Sarah’s hand, guiding her out of the booth, descending the stairs into the thick crowd, working their way to the center of the dance floor, and mixing themselves in with the mass of light and sound and shadows that tangled around sweaty bodies. Still, Nell only had eyes for Sarah, and the way she gave herself over to the rhythm of the music pressing in on all sides of them as she followed suit.
Sarah’s body found hers instantly, hands skimming along her waist, her back, her hips, like she had done earlier when Nell had whispered those two words—touch me—before she lost control.
Like earlier, Sarah’s hands felt incredible against her as she explored as much of her as she could. Nell melted into the heat of Sarah’s breath, hot against her neck, and the insistent press of their thighs as they moved together, lost in the moment of sound and the feeling of skin on skin. There was no space, no air, no room for anything but the two of them. She moaned into Sarah’s ear from the sheer release of finally letting go, letting herself feel everything as Sarah kissed her jaw.
Time seemed to move in strange ways as they danced. Had it been minutes or hours? She wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Eventually, she guided Sarah back to the booth. She was sticky with sweat from their movements, desire pooling low in her belly. Nate stood on the balcony, overlooking the dance floor below.
“Ladies, everyone doing okay?” he asked.
Sarah giggled as she patted him on the arm before sliding past him into their partially enclosed booth.
“We’re both good, Nate.” Nell’s eyes followed Sarah, who was pouring water into glasses from the pitcher. “Please make sure we’re not interrupted.” She gave him a knowing look before moving towards Sarah.
They collapsed together on the couch, tangled and breathless as they laughed. Sarah reached for a water glass, took a long sip, and then offered it to her. Nell accepted.
“Your life doesn’t feel real. You know that, right?” Sarah said, leaning back into the cushions.
Nell turned toward her, amusement tugging at her lips.
“I mean it,” she continued. “Being with you is like—like falling down the rabbit hole into some billionaire wonderland. Private jets, sanitized stacks of cash, back-of-house entry, Molly in the back of the club...”
Nell laughed. A real, full-bodied laugh. She couldn’t help it. Sarah smiled at her, watching. “I mean, when you put it like that...”
“But at the same time, all of this feels so normal with you. Like I’ve known you forever, and you’re just this person who has a few weird quirks that I find so incredibly endearing.” Sarah studied her with an intensity in her eyes Nell had never seen before. Nell watched her, watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as she continued to pour words out onto her. “I’m starting to feel like I can’t picture my life without you in it, and I wasn’t expecting that from you. I wasn’t expecting any of this.”
Nell’s heart hammered in her ears as Sarah spoke, or was that from the drugs? She couldn’t tell right now, but hadn’t that been the whole point of this? Of letting go of her control for a little while?
“Maybe you need to be a little more flexible with your expectations.” She reached forward and took Sarah’s hand in hers, their fingers intertwining. The weight of her hand felt delicious and decadent. “You might find yourself pleasantly surprised from time to time.”
Sarah was quiet for a moment.
“You’re an enigma, Nell.”
“That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” she said absently.
“No, it’s not. Lucky for you, I love a good puzzle.”
Her brain couldn’t form a follow-up to that. All she managed was to look at Sarah like she was some marvel of the universe... her perfect paramour.
Sarah continued talking, and by the time Nell realized, she only caught the end of what Sarah was saying.
“You’re likerich-rich,” Sarah said, dragging Nell’s thoughts away from where they had been spinning.
“Excuse me?” Nell nearly laughed. This conversation was absurd.
“I’m doing fine. I have plenty of money to take care of myself and my family, but you... you’re wealthy. Like, impossibly wealthy, in a way that shouldn’t be real.”
“Oh? You think?”
“Yeah. You know what? I’ll say it. I don’t think billionaires should exist,” Sarah said.