Page 24 of She’s a Big Deal

Olivia slid upwards to gather her trembling lover in her arms.

“I’m here.”

“Olivia,” Grace murmured in a husky whisper.

“Yes. Right here.”

She wrapped her arms tightly around her and simply held her in silence for a while. She had felt all that tension. Heard the single sob as Grace let go. She understood what it took to let herself fall wide open. And Dana would be pissed off... Because Olivia knew she was in love. Desperately and irrevocably in love with the mighty Grace Michaels, and so be it. Her friend was just a fleeting thought at this point. Only Grace mattered. The two of them together.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Sure?”

Blue eyes flashed, still glistening with a layer of tears. “Yes. But you tricked me.”

“What?” Olivia chuckled. “No, I certainly—”

“Thank you.” Grace held her gaze, fierce and tender at the same time. “Thank you, Olivia. I think I needed it.” And on these words, she took her mouth in a ferocious kiss.

Oh, Jesus! Startled at the renewed intensity, but definitely all for it, Olivia clung to her.

“You said you wanted to try it my way.”

Once again, mischievous and teasing. And apparently, dead serious all at the same time. Grace sounded like she was back on her A-game, and Olivia laughed in delight at the now gleam of challenge in her eyes.

“I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes,” she answered coyly. “I’ll do my best to satisfy you, Ms. Michaels.”

“This is about compliance. You’ll do what I tell you to do.”

Arousal hit sharp and deep between her legs, making Olivia tighten. This kind of ruthless confidence was such an attractive trait to her... And Grace so easily took charge.

“Okay, I’ll obey you.”

“Good. We’ll see.”

She pressed herself sensuously into her. Rolled her tongue around her erect nipple. She gave it a soft pull and just grazed her teeth over the sensitive skin. Olivia purred in reaction.

“But I am not calling you Mistress. I draw the line at that.”

“Right.” Grace arched an amused eyebrow. “Are you going to be the unruly and disobedient type, then?”

“Ah.” Olivia gasped as she cupped a heated hand precisely between her legs. “Yes?”

“Not sure? You sound conflicted, my dear.”

“Uh… You’re making it really hard to think.”

“You are so wet.” Grace lingered on her nipples, spreading tingles. “So beautiful.”

“Unruly,” Olivia reminded her. “What are you going to do about that?”

“Hmm…” When she moved her leg, Grace shifted on top of her. Pinning her down with the weight of her body, molding her own breasts to hers. So erotic… And the sparkle in her eyes too. Olivia loved having her on top. “Do you think I should punish you?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t we eager all of a sudden, huh?”

“Tell me what you would do,” Olivia demanded.

◆◆◆

Grace suspected she liked dirty talk more than she would enjoy the real thing. Maybe they could try spanking in the future if Olivia really wanted to. For now, Grace just wanted to lavish simple pleasure, even if no less intense, and bring her to a memorable orgasm. So she spoke low and hot against her ear of all the ways in which she might restrain her, bring her into line, and teach her to be a good girl. She remarked on how slick she was. And how sexy, how much she liked it. She made Olivia moan by softly caressing her and applying the faintest bit of pressure to her swollen clit. Just precise and gentle strokes to make her harden even more.

“You’re all over my fingers, Olivia. Hmm…” Grace with-drew only briefly to lick one. “You taste delicious.” She gathered a little more evidence of her arousal and offered it to her. “Suck.”

And tried not to lose it when Olivia complied. The sight of her doing that… Spectacular. Her eyes had grown much darker now with need and hunger. She jerked her hips and gave a little whimper, seeking to resume contact. Grace returned her fingers to the inside of her thigh and just stayed there, tantalizingly out of reach.

“Something you want?”

“Touch me!”

“Say please, darling.”

Olivia shuddered, chuckled, and whimpered again. “Please. I need you, Grace. I—”

Grace entered her smoothly with two fingers, stealing the rest of her sentence and making her eyelids flutter wildly.

“Keep your eyes open. Be with me, Olivia.”

“Grace…” She gasped again. “I want to! I want to be with you.”

“Yes.” Talking about more? Or just about this now? Either way, it wouldn’t change the answer Grace wanted to give. “I am with you,” she murmured. “This if for you now. Take all you need.”

She encouraged Olivia to establish her own rhythm, and she followed her lead. No more games. She stopped talking, too, and used her mouth to cover her splendid body with licks and kisses instead.

“So good.” Olivia locked one arm around her neck, keeping her close and holding on at the same time.

“Nearly there?” Grace murmured. She could feel it.

“Yes. Don’t stop.”

“I won’t. Tell me what you need.”

“Harder.” Olivia tightened her grip. “Stay.”

“All the way, baby.”

“I’m so, so close… Kiss me!”

Grace took her mouth just as she felt the first telling pulse of orgasm tingling over her fingers. She pressed the top of her palm against her clit and rubbed her hard, as her lover wanted. The result was quick and wonderful. Olivia convulsed. She clenched. Grace recaptured her mouth and probed deep with her tongue. As she squeezed Olivia’s leg between her own to keep her from lifting off the bed, she found herself right back on the edge.

“Grace!” Olivia shouted.

Fuck. Grace came with her a second time. Only one word for this sort of connection, she thought dimly as a wave of blissful pleasure spread through her like a burst of sunshine: Glorious. She held her quivering partner until Olivia began to settle and catch her breath. Until the heartbeat Grace could feel pounding enticingly under her skin slowed down a bit. After a while, Olivia stretched contentedly. She smiled and snuggled back into her arms with an amazed chuckle.

“Wow. I’m having aftershocks.”

“You’re alright then,” Grace prompted.

“Hmm… Yeah.” Still purring in appreciation. “My legs are gone. It’s nice.”

“Uh-huh?”

“I feel like melting wax. Might have to lie here a few hours, you know?”

“Well, that’s good since we’ve got the rest of the night to do just that.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right!” Olivia laughed. “Time… I lost time. For a moment, you even made me forget what planet we’re on.”

“You’re so hot. And gorgeous.” Grace lay on her side facing her, smiling at the satiated look on her face. “I need to ask you something.”

“You wanna spank me?” Olivia grinned. “I knew it.”

“Not just yet.” Grace kissed her gently on the lips.

“Not after two major orgasms in a row, huh?”

“You felt that?”

“Oh yeah.” Olivia kissed her back. “You’re amazing.”

“You too. Now stop interrupting me before I lose my nerve. Or start thinking too hard about this.” Or have myself a little heart attack. Grace decided to blurt it out now and explain the specifics to her later. “Olivia, how would you like to spend Christmas with me and Charlie at the Michaels family home?”

◆◆◆

Even Dana began to get used to the new order of things.

“I’m going to want to meet this woman of yours real soon if you two start getting cozy,” she remarked.

“You’ll love her,” Olivia promised.

“Do you?”

“Well. Uh. I’m not—”

“In love,” Dana interrupted. “Your goofy grin tells all, so do not try to deny it.” And for once, no complaint followed that observation. Just a tight, warm hug. “Alright, babe. Let me know next time she’s in town and you can come for dinner. Mel would love to see you as well.”

“Okay. I’d like that.”

“Will you be spending Christmas together?”

“That’s the plan. Christmas Day at the family home.”

“Great.” Dana looked pleasantly surprised, and curious as well. “I thought she was at odds with the rest of the Michaels clan?”

“Grace is trying to patch things up with them.”

Though this prompted another approving nod from Dana, who was extremely tight with her own family and struggled at times to imagine any other way, Olivia left it vague. She would not discuss Grace’s private affairs; not even with her best friend. She also knew that things in that relationship were at a delicate stage. Grace had requested to speak to her father ahead of time. He declined, on account of a busy schedule. And let her know, via his secretary, that she and her ‘guest’ would be welcome at the house for Christmas Day. Power games, Olivia thought. Grace agreed, but she was nonplussed about it.

“It’s good enough,” she stated. And simply warned Olivia that, knowing her family, this wouldn’t be a done deal until they were all sitting down at the table. “Last-minute changes tend to be the norm.”

“Not a problem,” Olivia assured.

She was also prepared for the usual aloofness and another round of radio silence while Grace was away in Chicago. Her single-minded lover, she had learned, worked hard, long hours. She liked to immerse herself in the project at hand and ignore everything else in her world. Olivia understood this very well, actually, since it was typical of an artist’s creative process. Hers, too. So, she was surprised and touched when Grace started to message her at odd times during the day. Sometimes just to say hello. Literally, just ‘Hi’ . Or Olivia would get a random photo of her surroundings with a typical comment attached to it. A piece of ugly beige carpet and, ‘Can you believe this horror?’ Or a blurred photo of a snowy street taken from the back of a taxi; ‘On the move – snail’s pace’. Sometimes, a striking piece of design would come through. Like the crisp shadow of a rose over an immaculately white wall, or the sharp angle of a piece of clean marble. Grace’s comments on those varied from a smiling emoji, a wondering face, or a single check mark. The pics were endearing snapshots of her world. The comments revealed her mindset, allowing Olivia into her private musings. In return, she sent her funny photos of her puppy, behind the scenes at a vegan event, or a selfie from her studio following a productive afternoon creating her own stuff. To which Grace replied with: ‘Stunning’, a series of flame emojis, and a panting red face. The message was clear and made Olivia smile. She began to look forward to her late-night phone calls as well. At first, always under the guise of something other than just checking in, as if Grace thought she needed an excuse. Asking her to drop in on Charlie, even though Olivia enjoyed seeing her friend, and never needed any prompting. Or asking for her opinion, which surely Grace did not really need, on a new design idea. Soon enough, all pretense was abandoned and the calls turned to, ‘Hey. How was your day?’

“You’ll never guess what happened today,” Grace told her that night as Olivia snuggled in bed with her puppy. “I had a vegan meal.”

“Yay! Wonderful! You sound astonished.”

“Well. Quite.”

“What was it?”

“Lasagna. With the funny black stuff instead of mince meat; you know?”

“You mean lentils?”

“Ah. I think it was. Lentils, yeah. I wanted to send you a pic but it didn’t look like much on the plate.”

Olivia suppressed a chuckle. “Did it taste good at least?”

“Surprisingly. Didn’t enjoy it as much as the pizza the other day, but that’s probably because the company was a lot better in Dodger.”

“You’re such a charmer.”

“I speak the truth. By the way, I told Chloe to add a vegan option for you at Christmas.”

“Oh, thanks, that’s very kind. I don’t want to give her extra work with the cooking though. I can just bring something on the day if that’s okay.”

Grace snorted in amusement. “Chloe is not cooking, Liv, the caterers will be. Gosh! I don’t think anyone in my family knows how to make food from scratch. The only reason they ever set foot into a kitchen is because wine is kept there.”

“You called me Liv,” Olivia murmured.

“Oh. Yeah, it just came out. You don’t like it?”

“I do, actually. A lot. It’s just that everyone tends to call me Oli. Liv sounds a lot more… mature, and sophisticated, I guess. Is that how you see me?”

“As an alluring woman. Yes, for sure. Liv Bianchi,” Grace stated with a knowing chuckle. “You might want to amend your name to that on the flashy new website you swore to me you didn’t want.”

“That’s actually an excellent idea.”

“Of course. What’s that weird noise in the background?”

Olivia laughed. “Everett puppied real hard today. Now he’s out for the count and snoring.”

“Okay. Look, I’ve got to go.”

“Are you still working? It’s close to eleven, Grace.”

“And early afternoon in Tokyo. I’ve got an online meeting with an architect there. And you know what they say: no rest for the wicked.”

“I like that about you, the wicked bit.”

“Good. Sleep tight. Text me in the morning.”

“I can’t wait to see you.”

“Likewise.”

Olivia put her phone down with a smile. Likewise. How so very like Grace to answer so laconically. And how attractive the sultry smile she managed to lace in that single word. Christmas and being reunited with her really could not come soon enough.