Tristan splashed her tear-stained face with the water from her bath. What she really wanted was a shower but opted for a soak in the tub. Claire was right, it had soothed her nerves.
Tristan lay back in the tub, letting the hot water surround her and remembering her conversation with Lucy regarding Claire. As much as Tristan wanted to guard her heart, she realized Claire already owned it, and it wouldn’t matter if Claire walked away today or ten years from now, it would still hurt the same. She had toyed with their relationship, thinking she could enjoy Claire and not allow herself to lose her heart.
She had really only considered her feelings until then, but the look in Claire’s eyes that night had spoken volumes. It would kill her to break Claire’s heart. And with that in mind, she resolved herself to hanging on to Claire as long as she could. All plans to run away went down the drain with her bath water.
When Claire returned, she fixed their plates and had them on the living room coffee table when Tristan emerged from her bath.
Claire opened a bottle of white wine, hoping that the drink would relax Tristan. She was determined to comfort her obviously emotionally drained lover.
118
Robin Alexander
Tristan took a few bites of her dinner before speaking. “What did I miss at work this afternoon?” “Nothing at all, really. It was very uneventful. I spent most of the day renewing hotel accounts to assure that Valor would get the best rates. The crew coordinators seemed to be having a quiet day, as well. They only requested two rental cars for some crew swaps, and that was it.
The afternoon was really boring. I think I would have enjoyed the downtime, but Mike set up camp in my office the latter part of the day.”
Tristan glanced up from her plate. She didn’t like the way Mike stared at Claire, and she felt her hackles rise at the mention of his name. “So, what did he want? Was he hitting you up for a raise already?”
“He was hitting on me, all right, but it was not for a raise. He asked me out, even though I told him a while back that I was not interested and would not date an employee. It’s like he forgot all about the conversation.”
Tristan set down her fork and looked at Claire. “I can’t believe he did that. He must have a brass set of balls to ask you out after you’ve made yourself clear. You did make it clear, didn’t you, Claire?”
Now, Claire felt her hackles rising; she didn’t like what Tristan was implying. “I can assure you that I made it explicitly clear. I reaffirmed that with him today.”
Even though Tristan knew Claire had no interest in Mike, it made her stomach turn. She was unaccustomed to the intense feelings of jealously it caused. She didn’t like the idea of someone trying to compete for Claire’s affections.
Tristan changed the subject, not wanting to discuss the topic any longer. “I have to do some work on the travel budget tomorrow. I was supposed to have done it today. I will need you to run some reports for me first thing tomorrow morning, so I can get a look at the numbers and make sure we are still on track.”
Claire welcomed the change in conversation; her anger was too close to the surface. She was more than capable of handling her staff. “I’ll have them on your desk first thing. If it’s slow for me tomorrow, I will be happy to assist you. Maybe we could split the boats in half and work the numbers that way.”
119
Murky Waters
For the remainder of the evening, they sat quietly in front of the TV. Tristan laid her head in Claire’s lap, and Claire ran her fingers through the dark locks, soothing her partner. As the evening passed so did Claire’s anger.
With the wine and Claire’s attentions, Tristan relaxed and drifted off to sleep. Claire woke her after a while, and they went to bed.
Claire lay for a long time with Tristan in her arms, regretting her anger earlier in the evening. Tonight was not the night to discuss the problems she was having with Mike.
Tristan pulled away from her and sat up in bed, startling Claire, who thought she was asleep. “I made you mad earlier tonight, didn’t I?” Tristan asked softly.
“Yes, you did, but I understand your concern. Just give me some time to deal with him in my own way. I need to prove to Suarez and myself that I can handle this position. If I can get it through Mike’s thick head that I’m not interested, maybe I can salvage a decent agent.”
“I don’t have any doubt in your abilities, Claire, and if it means anything, I am truly impressed with what you’ve done with that department. He just gets under my skin,” Tristan said as she lay back down and stared at the ceiling as the feelings of anger and jealously crept back.
Both lay in silence for a while until Claire rolled onto her side and stroked Tristan’s hair out of her eyes. “Tonight is not the night to worry about Mike and his antics. You’ve obviously had one hell of a day, and I wanted to be a comfort, not bring you down further.”
Tristan took Claire’s hand into her own and kissed her palm.
“You are always a comfort to me, Claire.”
What was intended by Claire to be a tender good night kiss turned into something altogether different. The moment her lips brushed against Tristan’s, a fire ignited inside her, and the flames quickly spread to Tristan.
Claire soon realized that one kiss was not going to satisfy her as her hands roamed over the body of her lover, who tried to roll over and take control. Claire broke from the kiss and looked into Tristan’s eyes glistening in the darkness. “Tris, you’ve never been tied up, have you?”
“Of course not.” The surprise was evident in Tristan’s reply.
120
Robin Alexander
“Well, if you don’t lie back and relax and let me do what I want, you will be tonight,” Claire said with impish glee.
Claire reached over and switched on the bedside lamp, filling the room with a soft glow. She kissed Tristan until she was compliant to her touch. Hoping to make Tristan feel more at ease, Claire stripped off her own clothes before doing the same to her nervous lover. She lay back down fully on top of Tristan, who looked a little uncomfortable with being the one taken.
Covering Tristan’s neck with kisses and soft bites, Claire was determined to make Tristan relax and enjoy what she had in store for her. She grinned, pleased with herself when she sucked Tristan’s earlobe, making her whimper. “What do you want me to do to you, Tris?” she whispered seductively in her ear.
“You specifically told me to lie here and let you do what you wanted, and now you ask me what I want?” Tristan replied with a snort of laughter.
Beat at her own game, Claire could not help but laugh with her.
“Okay then, roll over on your stomach,” Claire whispered.
“Huh?” came the startled reply.
“Tris, I’m right next to your ear, so I know you heard me. Roll over.” Claire shifted her weight, giving Tristan room to move.
Tristan reluctantly obeyed.
“Just relax, I’m not going to take you anywhere you don’t want to go.” Claire murmured as she kissed a hot trail up Tristan’s spine, making Tristan squirm under her touch. “Get up on your knees,” she commanded softly and was pleased when Tristan complied.
Tristan’s arousal was evident when Claire slipped one finger inside her and began to move in a rhythm that Tristan eagerly responded to. Claire slowed her pace and added a second finger, feeling Tristan shudder as she did. This time, she slowed her pace, teasing Tristan, who had forgotten all her inhibitions in the moment.
“Please, Claire,” she pleaded as Claire continued to tease her.
The desperation in her voice turned Claire inside out, and she quickly gave in to Tristan’s desires. Only when Tristan sank down onto the bed did Claire stop. They both lay in an exhausted heap, gasping for air.