Chapter 2
She’d created a monster; the evidence was terrifying, thrilling to see. She wasn’t the only person to be taken by Gale’s beauty. Downstairs at the bar she watched as men, women, those who were neither, tracked Gale’s movements, their eyes snaking over her bared legs, resting heavy on the peek of her shoulder under her scarf. They desired her, just like she found she did; the thought unleashed a pang of jealousy - she loved to be looked at like that too, relied on it - that was quickly eclipsed by her own want. That didn’t matter as long as Gale was looking at her, seeking her out, the only gaze she needed. And she was, she was; even as she held court with strangers, laughing easily with them, tipping her head back so her hair would catch in the light just so, she’d turn and find Ari from across the room and wink. Ari would drift over to her, under a spell, a curse she’d never had to suffer before, and join the conversation. Gale would invite her in, showering her with compliments, her hand persistent in the hollow of her back, skimming over her arm to get her attention. Had she always been this funny, this witty and charming and she’d simply never noticed? The mousy lab scientist hiding behind a labcoat and large glasses, plugged into some inane sounding podcast, bore no resemblance to the confident, and frankly wolfish, woman beside her. And most bewildering of all, it all seemed genuine, not a trace of sarcasm to be found. Had Gale liked her all this time? Had she been oblivious to that too? To how her eyes creased with genuine amusement when Ari made some lacklustre wisecrack, how they never seemed to leave her. The idea of it shook her to her core; since when was she likeable? Desireable, hateable, infuriating, sly - Ari would concede all of those easily but likeable was certainly new.
It was intoxicating, a wine she couldn’t stop sipping. And, adjusting to Gale’s warmth, Ari found her stride alongside her, both of them amping the other up, covering blind spots and questions seamlessly, a polished team. And if people looked quizzically on when they turned to each other for a beat too long, eyes bright and finishing each other's sentences, they didn’t notice.
‘Another drink, darling?’ Gale murmured more than once, her hand splayed across Ari’s naked back. The tape in Ari’s mind would fast forward in a frenzy, black ribbon unspooling madly, to them in bed like this, Gale pressing her down into the mattress with a soft command, a domineering goddess. It wasn’t supposed to be like this - she was the one in control, her finely choreographed routine of seduction at hand to get any woman into bed. Yet one of Gale’s fingertips trailing for a second over the hill of her shoulder had her short circuiting, leaving her staring stupidly at the one woman who’d overturned her years of dogma.
Innocent - no, she wasn’t, despite the sugar of her smile. Seated for their evening meal side by side she felt it, Gale resting her hand on Ari’s stockinged thigh to get her attention, a response to someone else’s question, Ari struggling to find words when all she wanted was those fingers to carry their journey up her leg, to feel the wet heat waiting for her between them. She needed to howl, bark at the moon, rip off her clothes, fuck herself naked and half deranged in a bathroom but still Gale and polite company held her there, asking her to pass the salt as she combusted in her seat.
She could barely eat, her dessert left untouched. Another drink, a flute of champagne, Gale continuing on valiantly as Ari sank into a horny stupor, inclined to tug at her hand like some demanding toddler and demand that she be taken to bed. And, as if she’d heard her wail of frustration, Gale turned to her and smirked, an eyebrow quirking with an evil knowledge.
‘Goodnight, gentlemen. It’s been a pleasure but I believe it’s time for us ladies to retire,’ Gale purred, her voice an almost perfect imitation of Ari’s but suffused with genuine warmth. The men sighed and pouted, devastated to lose her, Gale turning smugly on her vertiginous heel and leaving them wanting, her hand insistent and heavy on Ari’s lower back, guiding her to the lift. This close to her and finally alone, Ari felt the panic consume her, blanketing the electricity humming over her skin. She just felt good about herself, she was playing the game, just as she’d asked, the cheques piling up and already signed with kisses she’d never feel. She had it wrong, she must have, Ari clutching so hard at her bag her knuckles turned white; anything to stop her from reaching out and touching her, risking her position.
Only when they were back in their bedroom did she make a gamble, stripping her dress offnand turning back to her in her underwear, Gale preoccupied with pouring them drinks and celebrating their victory. She looked up, eyes unashamedly dragging over Ari’s laceclad body, almost trembling in the low light.
‘Are you ogling me, Dekarios?’ She asked, her voice shaking.
Gale took her drink and downed it in one swift gulp, the bob of muscle showing in the hollow of her throat, and replaced the glass on the table, stepping in closer to her.
‘It seems like you want to be ogled, Ancunin, parading yourself in front of me in those impractical knickers. If anything I should be asking you the same, the way you’ve been staring at my tits all evening -’
Quiet, as loaded as a gun, hung between them.
‘Gale -’ Ari willed the shiver from her voice. ‘Before I go any further with what I want to do, I need to know if you’re on board. And if you’ll come to HR with me afterwards.’
Gale grinned back at her and winked.
‘I’m all green, darling, give me everything you have.’
She’d barely finished the sentence before Ari’s hand was wrapping her hand lightly around Gale’s throat.
‘Insolent little…brat.’ She was so breathless the words just sounded feeble, Gale smirking even harder to hear how weak they were.
‘Have you been teasing me, Gale Dekarios? All night with your winks and touches -’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ Gale whipped back, her eyes large and full of purity.
‘Punishment - you need to be punished -’ Ari all but gasped, grasping desperately for control.
‘Oh I’m sure I do, but first, don’t you think I deserve a little kiss?’ Gale asked airily, Ari’s thumb stroking over the thin skin of her neck. That at least she could do, reaching for her and nearly collapsing in her arms. It was only as she felt Gale’s mouth open on hers, felt her tongue slide over her own, Gale surrendering naturally to her, that Ari felt order restore itself. She pushed Gale up against the wall, felt her moan into her mouth with pleasure at the force of it, fisting a hand in her pristine hair, another making for straight between her legs, brushing over soaked cotton.
‘Let me feel you, darling,’ she whispered in her ear, Gale biting at her neck. She pulled away, eyes wild, her hand steadying on Ari’s waist.
‘Not yet.’
‘Why not?’ Ari asked, gazing into her eyes, all inkspilt.
‘I want to please you first. Then you can discipline me however you want, but first i tend to you.’
Ari looked back at her, perplexed.
‘It’s only polite. Now for fucks sake, get me out of this dress.’
Whatever remained of her routine flew out the window, not that she cared anymore. She turned Gale briskly to the wall, guiding her hands to the hard surface of it and pushing down between her shoulder blades until she heard her hiss with anticipation. Satisfied she was frustrated enough Ari unzipped her, peeling the dress off of her and kissing each new portion of revealed skin, moving her limbs until it was pooled on the floor beneath them. Her body liberated, Ari descended on it, pressing herself flush against her back as her hands sought out her breasts, the dart of her waist, the curve of her stomach, teasing at her neck with her teeth while Gale laughed, happy.
‘Steady on, tiger,’ she muttered with no real force, cradling Ari’s jaw in her hand then turning to kiss her in earnest.
‘You should suffer for your rudeness,’ Ari shot back, voice hoarse already, Gale’s hand threaded through the curls at the back of her head.
‘Should I now?’ Gale asked sceptically, as if she didn’t think Ari capable of it. That was all she needed, her authority returning.
‘On your knees, darling, hands behind your back.’
Ari left her, sitting on the bed to watch her sink down to the carpet, willingly assuming the position. Only when she was sure she had her full attention did she pull her legs slowly apart, Gale looking on unblinking.
‘Crawl.’
And she did, without a seconds doubt, making her way towards Ari on her hands and knees, her eyes completely black. When she was bracketed by Ari’s stockinged thighs she rested her hands on them, eager for the next part to begin.
‘Ah-pah-pah,’ Ari intoned disapprovingly, picking her hands off of her legs. ‘No touching, darling. If you’re to pleasure me then it will be for me alone; you’re not getting a bit of it.’
Gale whined, joining in with the performance.
‘If you can’t cooperate I’ll have to find ways to make you, darling. Here, I have an idea-’
Ari leaned forward, reaching behind Gale to undo her bra and slipping it off of her, revealing her breasts, full and pert, nipples small and pink, tantalisingly hard. She ducked down lower to kiss her harder, possessive now and awed that she was the one out of everyone to have her like this, to witness her beauty. Gale hummed into it, tipping her head back into Ari’s cupped hand.
‘My gorgeous girl -’
She ran her tongue over each pebbled nipple in turn, sucking until he heard Gale moan, felt her reach out and touch her hair.
‘No touching, sweet, you heard me. Here -‘
Ari took Gale’s wrists and bound them behind her back, wrapping her bra around and between them then tying it into a makeshift knot.
‘Colour?’ She asked, crooking a knuckle under Gale’s chin.
‘Green, bright green,’ Gale answered with a hazy smile.
‘Good girl, good girl. Now, do you think you can get these off me with your teeth alone?’ Ari asked, sliding a finger along the waistband of her underwear.
‘I can certainly try.’
‘Good girl; if there’s one thing I know about you it’s that you’re not a quitter.’
‘No ma’am,’ Gale grinned, Ari rolling her eyes and silencing her for a moment by pressing her thumb into her mouth and feeling her suck it.
‘I can give you something else to suck,’ she started, guiding Gale closer to her cunt, the other woman shuffling closer to her on her knees. Gale tugged gamely at elastic, delicate but with enough to get them part of the way down her thighs before Ari relented out of sheer desperation, pulling them down and throwing them across to the room and baring herself to her. She was about to do the same with her shoes but felt Gale lean imperceptibly against her knee to get her attention.
‘Keep them on,’ she requested from between Ari’s legs.
‘You like them, do you?’
Gale gave her a slight but unmistakeable nod.
‘Very well, darling, I will,’ she replied, cradling Gale’s cheek in her hand as she drew her closer to her cunt. She made sure she had one of those heels pressing into Gale’s waist, the point of it boring into the flesh of her thigh, as she came, Gale’s mouth a hot vice over her clit.