Page 13 of Pyg

PURPLE PICKLE

SIX MONTHS EARLIER

A lice awoke in a king-sized bed, her head pounding with a king-sized hangover and her legs bound in a confusing tangle of hotel bedsheets. Fran’s wayward limbs draped across Alice as if she was part of the furnishings, further adding to the suffocating constriction. A fizz of pins and needles prickled under Alice’s skin as she tried to extract her numb arm from beneath Fran’s naked body.

Fran murmured a disgruntled groan before rolling over and pulling the sheets with her, freeing Alice’s legs. Alice tried to shake some feeling back into her hand as her fuzzy eyes squinted into focus on her watch face.

“Shit. Fuck.” Alice sprang from the bed.

Fran groaned her displeasure at the noisy commotion.

“Sorry to wake you, Fran… but it’s Monday morning and I’m late for work.”

Fran didn’t stir, so Alice crawled over the bed and stroked her lover’s arm. “Fran?... Fran?”

“Yes, I heard you, Alice. And you know this is no way to wake me.” Fran shrugged off Alice’s hand and snatched the sheets up around her head.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you… but I promised Truscote that I’d?—”

“Gaaawd, it goes from bad to worse.” Fran voiced her muffled protest from under the covers. “The last thing I want to be thinking about at this time of the day, or in fact any time of the day, is Catherine-bloody-Truscote.”

Alice flopped back against the plush pillows. “I know, but?—”

Fran arched around and shot her a dangerous look. “Just call in sick. Tell Jeremy you’ve got your monthlies. He always gets squeamish about that. He’ll probably give you the whole week off, silly old fool.”

Alice’s insides squirmed. “Fran, don’t be unkind. Jeremy’s good to me.”

“Well, if he’s that bloody great, why aren’t you sleeping with him ?”

Alice gave her a look that didn’t need words.

Fran huffed and retreated under the sheets.

Alice sipped from the glass of water on the bedside table, savouring the quench of her dry mouth. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to piece together a plan.

Fran was far too precious about her car to let Alice borrow it, so that wasn’t an option. Perhaps she could get an Uber? But they’d driven miles to get here, and where exactly here was, fuck knows. Do Ubers even come this far out of town?

Alice picked up her phone and scrolled. When she looked up again Fran had twisted around to look at her. Her tousled hair fanned across the pillow and a wicked grin lifted her lips, coated in the patchy pink remnants of yesterday’s lipstick.

“I’ll call Jeremy myself and tell him I’ve asked you to run some errands.”

“No, Fran. I’m not your bloody PA. I’m the Exec Assistant at T her thumb made quick work of tapping out a text.

Sorry, car troubles…

Technically, not a lie — the trouble being that she was nowhere near her car .

Will be there as soon as I can.

With a swoosh, the message sent to both Catherine and Jeremy. An immediate response pinged back, but without looking Alice placed the phone face-down on the bedside table. She sucked in a deep breath and scooched down the bed until her eyes were in line with Fran’s.

Fran smiled her approval and cupped Alice’s breast, pinching the already erect nipple between her fingers.

“You’re going to get me fired, one of these?—”

Fran hushed Alice with a deep kiss, pushing her tongue into her mouth. She released the firm grip on Alice’s nipple and her fingers travelled lower, but stopped short of where Alice hoped they were heading. Alice quivered in anticipation of Fran’s touch, but Fran wouldn’t play nicely; she never did. There would be punishment for the rude awakening — exquisite punishment. Fran took Alice’s bottom lip between her teeth and bit it.

“Do you want me to touch you?”

Alice nodded.

Fran coiled a fistful of Alice’s hair around her hand and pulled her head back, exposing her throat. “I want to hear you say it.”

“Touch me,” Alice rasped.

“Turn around.”

Alice obliged and rolled onto her stomach. Fran straddled her naked buttocks and leaned forward, her soft breasts pressing into Alice’s shoulder blades. “I want you to beg,” she breathed into Alice’s ear.

Fran traced her tongue along the curve of Alice’s neck before sinking her teeth into her shoulder. Alice’s breath hitched.

“Beg.”

“Please.” Alice’s hips rocked into the mattress, desire ripping through her at the sensation of Fran grinding on her arse cheeks.

“Please, what?”

“Pleeeease fuck me.”

Fran licked a trail down Alice’s spine and inched herself back until she was between Alice’s legs.

“Let’s see how much you really want it.”

Alice released a low moan as Fran traced a finger along the slick length of her and lingered at her entrance.

“Oh yes. I can feel that you’ve got your priorities straight now.”

Fran’s weight shifted from the bed, and she started rummaging around the room. Alice lifted her head. “What are you?—”

“Did I tell you to move?” Fran barked.

Alice buried her face in the pillow, desire pulsing through her as she waited, ready for whatever was coming.

Then… slap .

Pain seared across Alice’s arse cheeks. “What the fuck, Fran?”

“Not okay?” Fran’s confident tone was belied by a hint of reticence.

“You know it is, you just… took me by surprise.” The stinging subsided, only to be replaced by a throbbing ache between Alice’s legs. She wanted this, and everything that was coming to her.

“Good girl,” Fran said with a smile in her voice. “That was for the rude awakening.”

Alice steadied her breathing, waiting for the…

Slap . Tense and release.

“That was for even thinking of going to work before pleasuring me.”

“Fuck, Fran.”

Fran softly rubbed Alice’s buttocks and placed a gentle kiss on each cheek before… slap .

Alice whimpered.

“And that was for mentioning Catherine-fucking-Truscote.”

Alice felt Fran’s weight shift back onto the bed and she moved between her legs again. Alice writhed in anticipation; she’d combust if Fran didn’t touch her soon.

“Arch your hips for me,” Fran commanded. Alice did what she was told, lifting onto her knees and presenting herself to the woman in charge.

“Good. That’s good.” Fran reached between Alice’s legs and slipped a finger into the wetness she found there. Alice’s knees almost buckled at the touch. “Ooh, we like that, don’t we?”

“Fran, please…” was all Alice could utter before Fran thrust into her — she’s wearing the strap . “Fuck,” Alice cried out and stars fizzed behind her eyes. Even though she had a feeling it was coming, the penetration shocked her system.

Fran held still inside her, allowing Alice to adjust to the sudden intrusion.

“And this is for being so fucking delicious. You drive me wild, Alice French, but I think you know that.” Fran gripped Alice’s hips and unrelentingly fucked her. It didn’t take long to tip Alice over the edge, the sheets clenched in her fists as she screamed into the pillow with an unholy release.

Fran collapsed, hot and breathless, on top of her. “Now, tell me that wasn’t better than a dull morning with Truscote?”

“Truscote couldn’t be further from my mind.” Alice chuckled. “What is it with you two, anyway?”

Fran groaned and rolled off Alice. “Let’s not go there and spoil the moment.”

Fran’s purple latex protrusion stood to attention in its leather harness. Alice gripped her hand around it and sidled up close, resting her head on Fran’s shoulder whilst she ran her fingers up and down the smooth shaft.

“I’m very pleased you brought your purple pickle along for the weekend. That was... a nice surprise.”

Fran sighed. “You know I don’t like it when you call it a pickle, Alice.”

Alice giggled, traced her fingers up Fran’s stomach and played with her nipple instead. Fran frowned.

“What’s up?”

“It was you mentioning Truscote.”

“But you brought her up this time!”

“Either way, it made me think about Jeremy. Do you remember what we talked about before?”

Alice’s fingers froze in place.

Fran continued. “You know, about me leaving him… and you and me starting over somewhere new?”

“I thought we agreed that was a bad idea. I’m forty-two and all I own is a shitty car and the tiny flat I bought with the money my mum left me. I can’t offer you the life Jeremy does.”

Fran twisted her fingers into Alice’s curls and kissed the top of her head. “I know, but would it matter? I think about us together and imagine our days like this.”

“This isn’t real life, though, is it? I need to work; I have bills, and there’s my overdraft and my credit card?—”

“I have needs too, you know.”

Alice rolled her eyes. “Needing to get laid isn’t the same as needing to get paid, Fran.”

“Shh! Don’t be a bore.” Fran traced lazy circles over Alice’s upper arm with her fingertips. “Just imagine you and me, our own cosy little place somewhere. Not having to do all this sneaking around in hotels. We’ll have our own big bed and our own soft sheets… I’d be able to have you whenever I wanted to…”

Alice scoffed. “You kind of do that anyway.”

Fran turned and muted her with a fervent kiss.

“But what would I do for work?”

Fran slipped her hand between Alice’s legs. “You’d be my little sex slave,” she purred.

“That’s not a real job.”

“I beg to differ. With a body like yours, you could fetch good money.”

Alice clenched her thighs around Fran’s hand. “That’s really offensive, actually.”

Fran pouted. “Oh, play nicely, Madame French.”

Alice relaxed her legs and Fran pushed on. Alice gasped as Fran’s fingers found their way inside her. “See, you’re not so offended now,” she said and glided a third finger inside.

“Oh fuck,” Alice murmured, partly in pleasure, partly in disgust at her body’s insatiable appetite for this woman.

“There’s a good little sex slave.” Fran’s cackle trickled through Alice, intoxicating her like a potent cocktail; she’d always want just one more sip of her.

Fran built up the tempo, her fingers curling inside and causing waves of pleasure to crash over Alice; her thoughts scrambled until she latched onto something bright and firm… clarity. Oh, how she adored this woman … why shouldn’t Fran leave Jeremy? Maybe the two of us could make a go of it?

And fuck , here she was again, screaming in release as she toppled over the edge, completely undone by the fingers of her lover, Francesca Dalton .

* * *

Fran pulled up two blocks away from the offices of T don’t you worry about that. We’ll figure it all out.”

“I don’t just want to freeload, though, I want to contribute to our lives together.”

Fran squeezed Alice’s hand. “Oh, you’ll do your part alright.”

Alice rolled her eyes but smiled in spite of herself. “I better get going.”

Fran leaned in and crushed Alice’s lips with a hard kiss, mussing her hair and smudging her lip gloss. “Think about me,” she purred into Alice’s mouth.

Alice pulled back, breathless from the bruising kiss. “Christ, Fran. I barely think of anything else.”