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Melissa stepped out of her car and pushed her sunglasses into her hair as she leaned against the door and roof. “You sure this is where Janine lives?” She asked Barb who’d just got out of the passenger seat and shut it.
“It’s what the invitation says.” Barbara replied, face a bit dubious as they took in the building. “We were once young, broke, single teachers too, though, Melissa. Don’t judge too harshly.”
Closing her door, Melissa slung her purse over her shoulder. “Not judging, you shoulda seen the place I had right outta college, not even roaches wanted to live there.”
Nose wrinkling in distaste, Barbara headed for the door. “Well, let’s just be glad we’re past that stage in our lives.”
Eyes landing on her target, Melissa lengthened her stride to catch up to Barbara, slapped her on that gorgeous ass, and then quickly moved up the steps not giving the other woman time to retaliate. “Yeah, now we’re just broke teachers, ain’t nothing young or single here.”
A huff of surprise and indignation escaped Barbara. “Melissa!” She hissed, hurriedly looking around.
Melissa imitated her aghast expression and tone. “Barbara!” Chuckling, she pushed the intercom button next to the door to let Janine know they were there.
Straightening her jacket, Barbara sighed. “You know how I feel about public displays of affection. Especially ones like that!”
Lips curling up mischievously, Melissa leaned in close. “Yeah, I do know. I know they make you we-“
“Hey all!” Janine’s bright voice sounding from the speaker cut Melissa off, “come on up!”
Her face blazing, Barbara narrowed her eyes at Melissa and pushed past as the door buzzed, indicating it was open. “You are playing with fire, Melissa Schemmenti,” she breathed, though there was no true anger or scolding in her voice.
Pleased with herself, Melissa followed a tad too closely after Barb as they walked in, and waited for the elevator. “Maybe, but I like the heat.” She murmured into Barbara’s ear as the doors swished open and they entered.
Visibly squirming, Barbara turned to her once the doors shut and they were—what seemed to be laboriously—lifted up. “Mel, sweetheart, please don’t tease. You know I’m not ready for everyone to constantly be in our business even more than they already are. The number of times I’ve been asked if I’m ‘okay’ since the divorce.” She rolled her eyes. “And your voice…” her own turned slightly husky and despite what Barbara was saying, her eyes fell to Melissa’s mouth.
Melissa smiled softly at Barbara. “I do, I’m sorry, sometimes I can’t help myself. Feel like I gotta make up for lost time, ya know? Forgive me?” She touched Barbara’s cheek.
Turning her head to kiss Melissa’s fingers, Barbara beamed at her. “Always.”
Before Melissa could contemplate if she had time to steal a kiss, the elevator shuddered to a stop and deposited them on Janine’s floor.
With a final squeeze of Melissa’s hand, Barbara winked and led the way.
As they bopped around the kitchen, helping clean up, Melissa had a suspicion Janine might’ve set some of this up… she’d given this girl enough cooking lessons by now that she had to have more spices than this! And she had to know better to to store them in such random places!
But before she can yell out to the younger woman to accuse her, Melissa caught a glimpse of Barb humming as she cleaned and it dawned on Melissa that they were being hustled.
Smirking to herself, Melissa nodded and kept working; she did enjoy this kinda thing after all. And, well, while Janine might think she knew them so well, Melissa knew the kid too. Janine enjoyed the attention, not in a limelight seeking way, but in the people around her care enough to pay attention, to go that extra mile, type of way.
So, if Melissa and Barb could provide a little pseudo-mothering, even if Janine would never call it that, she was happy to step up, and she knew Barb would too if she cottoned on.
And besides, Melissa could definitely organize this kitchen better than Janine. If only she could find where the other spices were hidden!
A drink in each hand, Melissa sashayed her way back to Barb where the other woman was swaying and waiting for her on the dance floor.
At this point in the night, everyone was drunk enough that dance moves were a bit less coordinated, a bit looser. And Melissa couldn’t help if she used this to her advantage. Used it as an excuse to invade Barb’s space and touch her a bit too often as a means to ‘steady herself’ than was strictly necessary.
But then, then Barbara’s drink free hand was on Melissa’s hip, gripping possessively, and sliding around to her lower back to draw her in closer; her eyes nearly black with desire.
Summoning all her willpower, Melissa grinned at Barb before discreetly spinning away to break the intimate contact. While she loved the demonstration, loved Barb being comfortable enough to let loose, Melissa figured sober Barb wouldn’t appreciate it in the light of day. Specifically because it was in front of coworkers.
But Melissa was only a woman, and Barbara was, well, a goddess.
Which was how they ended up crammed in the hall linen closet; though closet was a generous word for the cramped space. It was barely big enough to hold one person, let alone two, but there were people everywhere else and the eyes Barb was giving her broke through the last of Melissa’s, now totally drunken, resolve.
A soft moan escaped Melissa as Barb pressed her against the wall, kissing her slowly, deeply, hand in her hair while the other tried to hike Melissa’s leg over her hip, her blunt nails scraping lightly against the leather of her pants.
A coherent thought flashed inside Melissa’s mind as she gripped Barb’s shoulders—they shouldn’t be doing this, not here. Barb was still a bit fresh out of her divorce, she wasn’t ready to have their relationship be the center of the break room gossip. But Barbara slotting her thigh between Melissa’s scattered all thoughts other than that she wanted Barbara.
And what Barb wanted right now was her… so she wasn’t going to resist. Instead she hitched her leg up further onto Barbara’s hip, anchored them closer together, and ground down. Both of their groans muffled by their kiss.
Melissa was unsure how far they’d have gotten, space was limited, after all, but a shuddering against the closet door abruptly broke their kiss apart and had reality crashing in.
Breathing a bit unevenly, Melissa grinned crookedly at Barb. “If this is heaven, I’d sure love more than just seven minutes of it.”
Eyes rolling at the quip, Barbara shook her head affectionately. “Let’s go home,” she breathed, voice an octave lower than it’d been before.
Her knees wobbled and if Barb hadn’t still been propping her up Melissa likely would’ve have fallen. Stealing one last kiss, Melissa carefully disengaged from Barb, careful not to knock anything over. And though they made a valiant attempt at rearranging themselves, Melissa knew they weren’t discreet—if Barb’s kiss swollen lips were any indication of her own appearance.
There was little else to be done about it though, so with as sneaky a peek as they could take, they slipped out of the closet. They froze when one of Janine’s friends stumbled out of the bathroom right next to them, likely the individual who’d bumped into the closet and disturbed them. But their glassy eyes and happy, dazed face made it clear they wouldn’t remember two middle aged women squeezing out of a closet like a coupla teenagers caught necking.
Cheeks a bit flushed, but nothin that couldn’t be blamed on booze and dancing, they split up to find their things and say goodbyes. As she passed through the kitchen, Melissa snagged a little party favor and slipped it into her purse, figuring Janine’s little game with the cleaning deserved a tiny consequence.
On her way out the door though, Janine caught her. Grinning, Melissa took the booze out of her bag and handed it over. And, before she could overthink it, Melissa slung an arm around the kid in a hug. “You did good.” She murmured in Janine’s ear to be heard over the music. “Thanks for letting us play mom, we need it sometimes.” At Janine’s stunned face, Melissa winked, kissed the top of the kid’s head with an exaggerated ‘mwah’ and then released her. “Me and Barb are headed out. See you on Monday.”
Expression going from shyly pleased to concerned, Janine caught her. “Whoa, whoa, you good to drive? I can call an Uber.” She offered.
Finding herself mid-sway, Melissa smiled sheepishly. “That’d probably be for the best, Barb is in even worse shape, but not everyone can match a Sicilian drink for drink.” Janine chuckled and waved at a drunk Barbara who was waiting by the door. Once the car was ordered and Janine said it would be twenty minutes, Melissa squeezed her arm. “Thanks hon, we’ll wait outside by the car, fresh air would do us some good.” Melissa met Barbara at the door and looped her arm through Barb’s to corral her out as Barb grandly bid everyone ado and thanking Janine.
It was a bit chillier outside than Melissa remembered, so she unlocked her car and ushered Barb into the passenger seat.
“Melissa Schemmenti, you’re not fit to drive!” Barbara scolded, trying to leverage herself back out of the car.
Inspiration striking, Melissa blocked the way and then crowded in the same door. “Shh! I know, but our ride is 20 minutes away, it’s chilly out, and why waste time?” Grinning wickedly at Barb’s wide eyed expression, Melissa straddled her and shut the door. “Where were we?”
Pupils dilating, Barbara smirked and then crashed her lips to Melissa’s.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, Melissa only knew her jacket had been pushed off, Barbara’s hand had found a home in her back jeans pocket to encourage her grinding, while her hands were paying homage to the beautiful cleavage in front of her when there was a rap on the window.
The sound had them both jumping about a mile high and when they whipped around to find the source, they spied Janine.
And even through the now foggy window, in the dim porch light, and with the kid intent on her shoes, Melissa can tell Janine was a brilliant shade of red.
In their haste to exit the car, they about tripped over themselves getting out. Hurriedly, straightening her shirt, Melissa cleared her throat. “Yeah?”
The forced nonchalance fooled no one.
In a choked voice, Janine managed. “Your Uber driver changed and said they were 2 minutes out, not 20, my text wasn’t going through so I figured I’d come out and tell you.” Chancing a glance at them, Janine’s eyes were so wide she might was well have been a cartoon. “Here’s the type of car and driver info,” she held out her phone.
With Barb just gaping at the younger woman, Melissa wet her lips and took the phone to look at the screen. “Perfect, around the corner, be here in a sec, in a red SUV. Thanks, Janine.” And Melissa knew her tone was a little too brusque, but there wasn’t anything to be done for it.
“Uh huh..” was all Janine answered before scurrying away only to stop at her door. “You’re super cute together.” She blurted out , cheeks pink and grin wide. Before either of them could respond, Janine fled inside.
Locking her car, Melissa slipped her hand into Barb’s as they walked to meet their driver. “So that’s gonna be a thing on Monday.”
“Yup.” Barb said, popping the last letter.
Melissa squeezed Barbara’s hand. “We care? You wanna do damage control tomorrow?” Her heart constricted with fear, she couldn’t lose Barb so soon, she’d do whatever Barbara wanted, whatever she needed to make this right.
A beautiful smile on her lips, Barbara turned to her. “There’s no damage when it comes to you, sweetheart.” Her free hand lifted to cup Melissa’s cheek as she to kissed her gently. “Come what may on Monday, I don’t care.”
Shocked, Melissa stopped short. “You, you sure? Just earlier today you said—“
Not missing her concerned expression, Barbara leaned in to rest her forehead against Melissa’s. “I know, and it was more me being selfish than anything. I want to keep you all to myself, Melissa. Once everyone knows they’re going to want pieces of our relationship that I just didn’t want to give up yet.” She sighed, “oh well, at least the silver lining is I can touch you at school now.”
Unable to help it, Melissa bit her lip. “You wanna touch me at school?! Ms. Howard!” Injecting some scandalous energy into her tone, Melissa pressed closer to Barbara.
Closing the little remaining distance between them, Barbara nipped her lower lip. “Don’t be crass.” She mockingly scolded.
”You like me crass,” she countered, one hand finding the strip of skin between Barbara’s shirt and pants and making the taller woman’s breath hitch.
Before either of them could start anything else, the uber pulled up.
”Ya headed out to party some more?” The driver asked good-naturedly as they slid into the back, giggling.
Tipping her head to rest on Barbara’s shoulder, Melissa smiled. “No, we’re going home.”