~ Comfort Zone ~
by Shea K.

Disclaimer: Welcome to another original story by this lunatic. The story and the characters are mine. Do not use them without my permission. Also, any and all characters, events, and situations found in these stories are fictional. If there are any similarities between these things and real people, events, and situations, it is purely a coincidence.

General warning: I'm sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don't know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story.

If this story looks familiar to anyone, it's because its actually based on a fanfic I wrote called "There for You." The characters are different, but the plot is very similar. I hope you enjoy it.

Contact the lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think of the story. Thanks and enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386

Many thanks to my betas - Rleef and RevSrVixena.

Comfort Zone

4: Muse

Poe panted as she wiped strands of her hair away, including her lilac strand. It was sticking to her forehead and continued to do so, even as she pushed it back. Her body glistened with sweat, which made her muscles seem more pronounced. There was a sweet shine to it that made Mallory want to lick her whole body … again. But, the look in those sweet cocoa eyes, pleading exhaustion stopped her from doing so. Poe was worn out and she was the same. After all, she was operating on only five hours of sleep.

"How you feeling, Poe?" Mallory asked with a teasing smile. Poe could only moan. The redhead smiled proudly now. "That good, huh?" She chuckled and settled down on her pillow, next to Poe.

The artist managed something close to a nod. "Uh-huh."

"You gonna sleep here?" Mallory hoped that was not the plan. She did not share her bed for anything beyond sex and even that was rare.

Poe managed to shake her head. "I need to get home …" She yawned.

Mallory almost smiled, but kept it in because she knew that would be bad. She did not want to make it seem like she was eager for Poe's departure because, truly, she was not. She just did not want someone sleeping next to her.

"I'll call you a cab," the pale woman offered.

Poe shook her head. "Don't bother. I'll walk."

"What? You can't walk. It's three in the morning. Let me call you a cab," Mallory insisted, sitting up to look her guest in the face. While she did not want Poe to sleep in her bed, she did want the younger woman to make it home all right.

Poe sighed because Mallory reminded her of Nadi for a moment from her persistence. "Okay. I don't get why you're being so nice to me."

Mallory was somewhat at a loss herself. Saving Poe from those guys in Goodies was a no-brainer. While she could be annoying, she was not enough of a bitch to let a kid get beaten up by a group of drunkards. The soccer offer came from feeling sorry that all Poe wanted to do was watch TV and she knew that the artist did not own one. Maybe this was pity sex. I feel sorry for her for sure. So, that's probably it.

"It doesn't matter. Maybe it's because you're so cute," Mallory remarked. Okay, that's part of it, too. Not to mention, her body makes me shiver. She liked muscles and Poe definitely had those.

Poe laughed and managed to roll out of the king-sized bed. She gathered her clothes with some noted difficulty. Mallory smiled proudly again as she called for Poe's cab.

"You know, I'm glad we did this. You're fun once you let loose. I was scared for a moment that I was your first," Mallory admitted.

"No way! I've been with women before!" Poe huffed, scowling at the perceived insult.

The older woman chuckled. "Oh, trust me, I know that now." A few of the things that Poe had done screamed experience. "It's just the way you were acting before made me think you might be a virgin. Glad I was wrong."

Poe snorted, but did not reply. She started getting dressed and Mallory enjoyed the show. The way that Poe's rippled muscles moved was enough to make Mallory's mouth water. While blatantly staring at Poe wiggle into the sleeveless t-shirt that she had been wearing under her shirt, Mallory silently admitted that she was physically attracted to Poe. With those muscles, how could I not be?

It did not help matters that she also liked thick physiques. Poe was solid and perfect as far as Mallory was concerned. It was rare for her to meet a woman with what she considered the perfect body type. There had been others, but not many. Thinking about that made her lick her lips and she was very tempted to yank Poe back into bed, but she knew that she would not be able to do many of the things that she wanted now.

"Well, I'll be going now. Thanks for everything," Poe said, walking to the door.

"Wow, I don't even rate a goodbye kiss? Was I that bad or are you that rude?" Mallory remarked with a teasing smile.

Poe yelped and her delightful chocolate eyes went very wide. Mallory had to hold in a laugh as the younger woman rushed over to her. Poe leaned down and seemed to be aiming for Mallory's cheek. When that was indeed where the kiss landed, Mallory made it a point to scowl and she shook her index finger at Poe. Poe's forehead wrinkled cutely and Mallory pointed to her lips to help Poe figure out where she should be kissing.

While the kiss on the lips was just as chaste as the one on the cheek, it satisfied Mallory. She smiled at Poe when the artist pulled away. In return, Poe gave her a small smile.

"See you around maybe?" Poe said and there was some hope in her voice.

"I'm at Goodies a lot." What the hell? I mean, not like I won't like having her in my bed again or being in her bed again.

"Me, too. So, maybe."

Mallory nodded and watched as Poe left. The redhead sighed and fell back on her pillow. A smile worked its way onto her face as she ran her hand through her wild, crimson locks.

"I think I needed that," she muttered because she felt good in every way that she could think of for the first time in a long time, she realized. She then she shook that thought away. "What I need is a shower and more sleep. I can't fall asleep on my next date."

Of course, she did not have another date for two days. She could sleep and catch up on her reading. Maybe I can even get in a little writing. I haven't written any poetry in months. She snorted at the realization. I've been spending too much of my free time drinking.

After taking a long, hot shower, Mallory fell into bed naked. She was asleep within seconds. Strangely, when she awoke in the afternoon, she was clutching the pillow that Poe had rested her head on in between passionate sessions. She inhaled the scent to find it still smelled like Poe. She quickly flung the pillow away.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" Mallory mumbled, scratching her head.

She got up and went about her day, eating a light breakfast and then going to the gym. After several hours of working out and some light socializing with her friends, who all had nine-to-five jobs to get back to, so Mallory went home for a shower and a late lunch. Then she curled up with a book on her sofa and even managed to write a poem in one of her journals like she wanted to. The fact that she was able to pen even a short verse was brilliant to her and she beamed at being able to do so after so long.

Occasionally, she glanced at the spot Poe occupied last night. She tried to shake it off and go back to her book or write more in her journal, but she could not help herself. Every now and then, she could see a phantom of Poe focused on a soccer match that was not playing.

"She is cute," Mallory said with a small smile and then shook her head, ridding herself of the expression. "Why is my mind focused on that kid? I mean, yes, I'm attracted to her, but so what? She's not the first girl I've been attracted to and I just want her body because that is a damn sexy body. And, now, I'm talking to myself."

She grunted and frowned before turned her attention back to her book to continue reading. She ordered dinner and went to bed at a decent hour, only to repeat her actions the following day. She stayed at the gym longer since she woke up earlier, but other than that it was the same. Some of her friends teased her about not having to go to work, but little did they know that she was getting bored. She would love for them to have a spare moment to go out, but that would not happen until the weekend and she was booked for the weekend.

As the night drew on, Mallory found herself restless. She reread the same sentence at least five times and tapped her fingers against the couch cushion. The silence seemed to creep up on her, clawing at her. It felt like it was seeping into her, trying to hack its way inside of her. Her eyes darted around the apartment, as if looking for an escape route. She tore herself from the couch and fled the apartment before the silence drove her mad.

She went to a few clubs, did some dancing, and some drinking. She entertained several men and women, but nothing beyond dancing and talking with them as much as the noisy clubs allowed. Eventually, she found herself in Goodies near closing time. It was empty and all if the televisions were off. Lysander was cleaning the bar and smiled when he saw her.

"Hey there, pretty lady. What brings you by so late and in such casual clothing?" he asked in a teasing tone. While she was dressed provocatively in a short, tight black dress, it was nothing like the clothing he was used to seeing her wear.

"I was just out at a nearby club and thought I'd pop in for a quick hello," she lied.

He smiled and nodded. "We should go out clubbing one day."

She laughed, throwing her head back a little to just exaggerate it. "So your father can kill me and serve my body to customers to get rid of the evidence? Where is he, anyway?" Blue eyes scanned the bar just in case she missed him the first time she looked around.

"In the back. Don't worry about him. He's all bark and no bite," he replied with a chuckle, waving his father's attitude off.

She smiled. "Well, then, maybe one day we can hit the clubs." He was a great guy, after all. She could not mind spending time with him without him having to pour her a drink to keep up their conversation. "You don't mind me waiting in here until my cab comes, right?"

He shook his head and gave her a look that let her know that was a stupid question. "No problem. I'd never throw a lady out in the middle of the night."

"Your father would say I'm no lady."

He shook his head and shrugged. "I'm not my father. I'm a little more open minded," he said with a wink.

She smiled again and bid him farewell as her cab pulled up. She returned home with a feeling of disappointment gnawing at her gut. She tried to ignore it. She made herself a drink and prepared for bed.

"Poe! How dare you call us and then not return our calls when we call back!" Nadi screamed as she stormed into Poe's apartment like a powerful hurricane. Justin was right behind her, with much less flare and anger.

Poe turned away from her perch in front of her painting to see Nadi glaring at her, as if she had committed the worst of sins. "Nadi, I gave you a key for emergencies, not for you to just let yourself in whenever you want to," she pointed out with a slight frown.

"You didn't answer our calls! What the fuck registers as an emergency in your book, short of a goddamn alien invasion?" Nadi hollered, exploding over to her and making wild, flailing hand gestures. Justin was right behind her, but was more focused on Poe's work than anything else.

Poe scratched her head and shrugged to concede just a little bit. "Sorry about that. I got wrapped up in soccer and then in my painting. I haven't looked at my phone since I called you guys actually."

Nadi growled and threw her hands up. "I swear you are the most insufferable, frustrating person I have ever met!" Her face turned a bright red. If smoke came out of her ears, no one would have been surprised.

"Sorry?" Poe shrugged, not sure what else to say.

"Sorry doesn't make it better!" Nadi was so keyed up that there was a vein popping out of her forehead as well as her neck. Poe thought that her dear friend might faint if she worked herself up anymore, especially since her face seemed to only be getting redder.

Poe sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I'm really sorry, Nadi. I didn't mean you to worry. I really just forgot about my phone and that I called you both. I got so wrapped in soccer and then when I got home, I got a creative burst. I've been working on this all day!" She motioned to her newest piece. Before working on her painting, she had gotten some writing done, so it was a win all around for her.

"It's nice," Justin chimed in. "You've got your stroke back and this is a surprising use of color. Lots of red and light blues." He moved closer to the canvas, tilting his head to the side as he inspected the piece.

Poe nodded and beamed from his praising tone. "Makes it pop, right? Like it's going to come to life and sit with you?"

"Yeah, actually. It's really soothing."

"Excuse me, this isn't art class! I'm not done yelling at you yet!" Nadi declared, going so far as to stomp her foot.

Poe sighed, but turned back to Nadi, who laid into the artist for five minutes at an incredible volume. By the end of the loud lecture, Poe would have promised Nadi her first-born child to get her to stop. But, thankfully, Nadi was done without any input from the tan-skinned female and Poe could go back to discussing her painting. She did hope her neighbors had not heard all of the yelling or she was sure the police would be at the door soon enough to make sure no one was murdered in the loft.

"This is beautiful. Your muse must be working overtime to come up with this," Justin commented.

Poe shrugged. "I'm glad my damned muse is working at all. It's been on vacation for well over a month. I couldn't paint or write."

He gave her a sympathetic look while folding his arms across his stomach. "That sucks. But, at least it came back with a vengeance. This is really a piece above the rest. Keep doing this and all your work will sell at the expo in a few months."

"That's good because I need the money," Poe smiled.

"For what? You don't buy anything and the only bill you have is for rent," Nadi pointed out with a scoff.

Poe only shrugged. She knew that everything she said to Nadi would be met with hostility until the dancer calmed down, which could possibly take days depending on how much she freaked out when Poe had not returned her calls. So, Nadi fumed while Poe and Justin ignored her with practiced ease. She was not looking for attention, but had to let out her frustration. Poe just hoped that her friend did not start compulsive cleaning to calm herself down; she had only just found many of the things she needed from when her mother cleaned up.

"So, what brought on this wonderful bout of inspiration? I'm so surprised that you painted something with a live person in it, even if it is just the back of a head. I hope this isn't going to be your new thing. I really like your forest and wilderness scenes. Although, that series you did of the apocalypse was fascinating. I'm still surprised you sold those paintings, especially The New Plague and The Old Plague."

Poe scratched her head. "I'm not the only person on Earth that sometimes feels like humanity is a plague. I do agree with you about The New Plague, though. I didn't think anybody would be morbid enough to buy a painting full of dead bodies and cannibalism."

Justin shrugged. "You were morbid enough to paint it."

Poe could not argue that and shrugged. She had been going through some things, which included night terrors of her past, when she had painted her apocalypse series and it all came to a head with the final piece called "The New Plague." Not only was it full of dead bodies, some were old corpses and others were fresh, showing disgusting, oozing sores and worst of all, showing the couple of survivors devouring the festering corpses. Somehow, those paintings had helped stop the nightmares. Painting soothed her inner demons, no matter what she painted, which was why not being able to paint always sent her into a spiraling depression. She needed to get out what was inside of her, be it dark or light as her latest painting was proving.

Usually, she painted with dark colors, even if she was not painting something that others would view as grisly. Her current painting had colors that she never even considered. There was something airy inside of her that wanted out, something that lived in yellows, bright reds, pastel blues and greens. She felt happy putting it out and noted that it did not feel like it was escaping her like other emotions when she painted.

"I might paint another like this," she told Justin.

"I think people would a few of these from you. I think you're doing a good job, even if it's not your usual fair," he replied. "I do think you should stick to your long strokes, though. There's nothing wrong with the short ones, but your long ones seem so much bolder," he stated and they both focused on the painting. She studied it for a moment and considered that he might have a point. But, if the painting calls for short strokes, I'll still do it.

Her friends stuck around until they were hungry. Nadi had offered to cook, but as she checked Poe's cabinets, she found that would be an impossibility. Poe only had small amounts of food and nothing that could be made into a proper meal.

"Remind me to take you grocery shopping," Nadi sighed, shaking her head as she slammed the last cabinet closed.

"I have stuff." Poe pointed to the fridge. There were plenty of things to eat in the refrigerator. Okay, maybe not plenty, but there's stuff.

Nadi offered her best friend a glare for daring to utter that. "None of that stuff goes together and it's not a lot. You have a few random items and it's enough for one person to nibble on before it's all gone. You could at least have bread."

Poe's eyes went wide, offended by that. "I have bread! … I think."

Nadi's expression did not waver. "No, you don't."

"How about you come eat with us?" Justin proposed with a smile.

Poe shook her head to decline. "I want to keep painting and my food is fine for me. You two have fun. Thanks for coming to check on me."

"Just answer your phone from now on. God, that's not too much to ask for," Nadi sighed, throwing her hands up.

The writer at least had the decency to appear sheepish and offered Nadi a hug for her troubles. The dancer accepted, but gave Poe a tug on the ear as a reprimand. The shorter female hissed as Nadi pulled away, but she did not complain about the abuse. It was just Nadi's way of letting Poe know how much she was worried and Poe was sorry for putting Nadi through that.

Poe moved right along and hugged Justin farewell. The couple left the apartment a wave from Justine and a final glare from Nadi. Poe went right back to work. Her muse had returned full force, with new inspiration as well. Her hand seemed to glide across her canvas as she used new and exciting colors. Each stroke filled her body with some delightful form of energy and she hoped that it would never wane.

"I would love to be able to produce like this forever," she muttered with a smile, but she knew that was not possible. Still, she did not let it stop her.

After a while, she halted for food and saw what Nadi was talking about. She did not have any bread, but that did not matter to her. She had peanut butter and she had marshmallows. That was more than enough for her. She sat down to do some writing while eating fluffy marshmallows covered in creamy peanut butter.

Her writing was different from her painting, even though she believed they flowed together. She felt like they had different muses, but muses that were closely linked. Her demons went out in her paintings, but her ideas went into her writing. She had wild flights of fancy that she enjoyed putting into stories and found that she could weave a tale probably better than she could craft a painting. Even though her writing was different, it was just as much of a necessity for her to get out or she thought that the things she imagined would invade her dreams, mix with her demons, and drive her insane.

She smiled as she typed and then stopped to have another peanut buttered covered marshmallow. "Let's see how Maru is going to get out of the mess she's put herself in now," she said, almost merrily.

Poe was not sure how much time passed, but eventually her burst of creativity began to wane, as she knew it would. It was not like before where she ended up lost and felt like despair was circling her like hungry buzzards. Just gradually, she could paint or write for less and less time in the day, like her mind required other stimulus. She needed a break and a soccer game or two would be nice. Briefly, she thought about the game on a huge, clear TV with a beautiful redhead sitting on a lush sofa away from her and smiled.

"Maybe Mallory is at Goodies," Poe considered as she went to get dressed. She found herself putting a bit more care into what she put on than she normally would, but did not think much on it since she was still wearing her usual clothes. She even dared to brush her hair a bit before venturing out.

She went out to the Goode Bar, finding it a bit packed. She knew that she would not be able to watch soccer there. Making matters worse, she did not see Mallory. Frowning, she was about to cut out, but she saw the bartender flagging her down. She did not know him well, but she went over to him anyway.

"You wanted me?" Poe asked, pointing to herself just to be sure.

"Yeah, I have a message for you. It's been here for over a week," Lysander informed her in a friendly voice. He went under the bar and handed her a note.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

Lysander waved her off with a kind smile and she walked away, reading the note on the way out. "I go to a gym on eighth avenue sometimes. There's an art supply store across the street. ~ Mallory." Poe smiled. The redhead was trying to increase their chances of meeting. She decided to put some effort into it herself and went down to see if Mallory was at the gym.

The gym was a thirty-minute walk from Goodies, but Poe did not mind. She knew the art supply store that Mallory was referring to. She scanned the display windows in front of the rather expensive gym to try to spot Mallory's distinctive crimson mane. She did not see it, but decided to keep a vigil for a while from the art supply store. After an hour-long stakeout, she was rewarded with the sight of Malloy leaving the gym.

Poe dashed out of the store with a bag of new paintbrushes because she did need some and bolted across the street, not even bothering to watch for traffic. She trotted behind Mallory and almost got her head knocked off as Mallory whipped around with a powerful kick. Poe yelped, ducked, and laughed. Mallory chuckled as her blue gaze fell downward to Poe.

"Poe?" Mallory said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, fancy meeting you here, huh?" Poe stood up to her proper height.

Mallory smiled and her eyes, already an enchanting blue, seemed to shine. She surprisingly reached out, running her fingers through Poe's hair. Poe nearly purred, but was able to keep the sound in her throat. Her eyelids drooped a bit, though. How did she know?

"Come on, I'm headed home. I need a shower and you're free to watch as much soccer as you like," Mallory announced.

The artist nodded and her face lit up at the offer. She followed Mallory just as faithfully as she had the first time when football was offered. They returned to Mallory's apartment. Poe wordlessly went for the couch while Mallory went for the shower. Poe wasted no time turning on the television to find it was already on the soccer channel.

"Sweet," she mumbled with a smile.

Mallory took her time in the shower, needing to process why she felt joy the moment that she saw Poe. She was not sure what that meant. It had been a long time since a person brought happiness into her life. And the last time a person had done that was her two-year-old niece.

She shook that thought away and consciously decided that she did not care. Once her body was completely relaxed thanks to nearly scolding hot water and aromatherapy in the form of her body wash and shampoo, she exited the shower. She dried her hair as best she could and then went to put on a nearly see-through slip with a plunging neckline and embroidered roses around it. Two laces crossed just below her breasts. She doubted Poe would notice at first, but the younger woman would appreciate it when the time was right.

"Still watching soccer, huh?" Mallory asked, a teasing smile adorning her face as she marched out into the living room. She had contemplated wearing heels with the slip, but she figured it would take Poe a while to notice what she was wearing on her body, so she probably never would realize what was on the redhead's feet.

"Yes, ma'am," Poe answered distantly, deep cocoa eyes focused on the television.

"Yes, ma'am? Where are these manners suddenly coming from? I might miss my rude little Poe," Mallory remarked with another bright smile.

Poe gave her a quick glance. "My mom instilled some manners in me," she stated, almost as if she were insulted.

"I'm sure. You want something to drink?" Mallory offered because there was nothing better to do.

"Yes, please."

Mallory chuckled at the response. I think I like her with manners just as much as I like her rudeness. She grabbed a soda for Poe and some water for herself. They sat quietly for a while with Poe enthralled with soccer and Mallory read a book. Every now and then, Mallory sneaked looks at her guest.

Again, she thought that Poe was odd, and very quiet. The way that she watched soccer, on the edge of her seat, but silent as a church mouse, was strange. She was prone to snapping if pushed, but polite and accepting if she wanted to be. She was not afraid and had built her body to frighten off people that might otherwise challenge her. Mallory suspected that Poe might have been bullied when she was younger and now that she was stronger would not be pushed around by anyone.

"So, Poe, why soccer?" Mallory suddenly asked. Maybe I can prove my theory, if she's willing to talk.

"My dad got me into it," was the simple response.

Sounds normal enough. "How?"

Poe shrugged and she was quiet briefly, as if deciding if she wanted to tell Mallory. "One day we were both in the living room and he was watching a match. He just started randomly explaining the game to me. It took me awhile to realize he was talking to me, but when I did, I got curious."

And now we're back to strange. "Why'd it take you a moment to realize he was talking to you? Were there other people in the living room?"

Poe shook her head. "No, just me and him."

A dark red eyebrow craned. "So, who did you think he was talking to? The voices in his head?"

Poe chuckled. "No, not the voices in his head. Just not me. I didn't expect my dad to be so nice because the last few families I was with weren't very nice and a lot of the time talking got you into trouble or meant trouble, like you weren't spoken to unless something bad was going to happen. But, my mom and dad turned out to be great."

"You were a foster kid?" That makes sense. She's quiet, so she won't be kicked out, but she's feisty in cases where someone tries something with her.

"Yup, up until I was twelve. My parents legally adopted me," Poe said freely, actually proudly. She held her head up and those dark eyes shined like black diamonds.

Mallory nodded and smiled slightly because of the emotions that Poe expressed for her family. "Must've been tough."

The younger woman nodded and her eyes drifted to the floor momentarily before going back to the television. "It was. It made things really scary when I got to my parents. I didn't know what to make of my parents at first. I had a few kind foster parents, but only for a short time and none of them were truly like my parents. Plus, before them, I had been in a lot of bad homes, nasty places. I was always scared to end up in places like that. I ran away a lot, ended up in even worse places sometimes. But, I hit the jackpot with my mom and dad."

Mallory nodded, not wanting to carry on such a serious conversation. But, then again, Poe talked about it as if it were all right now. Mallory still decided to let the matter drop. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with something that required serious thinking on her day off. She also did not want to end up playing someone's therapist on her day off, even if that someone was Poe. So, she went back to her book and Poe kept watching soccer.

"Hey, Poe, what do you want for dinner? I'm thinking Thai. I have a menu if you need to see it," Mallory offered after some time had past.

Poe shrugged. "Thai sounds good. I'll take whatever."

"Are you sure?"

"Yup. I haven't met something I couldn't eat."

Mallory laughed. "I can believe that, kid."

Mallory found that to be the truth when their dinner arrived. Poe had no idea as to what her meal was called, but devoured it just the same. Mallory had to pause from eating as she watched Poe lick her fingers clean. The redhead felt herself throb as she remembered that tongue and those fingers on her. It feels so good to be turned on without it having to be on demand.

Mallory did not act on her building desire yet. She would wait until the end of the soccer match, allow the fire to build to a delightful ache, and then she would pounce. The very thought of how sweet it would be sent a frisson racing down her spine. So, she went back to her book when she was done with her food. Poe went back to her match, as quiet as always.

Mallory had to shift in her seat as she watched Poe lean forward as a player pushed toward the goal. Poe's muscles tensed and bulged in her arms as the player took the shot, which made Mallory groan slightly. Poe settled down as the goalie caught the ball and Mallory sighed under her breath. I might not make it to the end of this game if that's how I react just because she moved! God, such a sweet torture! She enjoyed every agonizing moment of it.

Poe seemed none the wiser to her effect on Mallory while she continued to watch the game and react to things happening on screen. As soon as the match was over, Mallory was all over Poe, lips on Poe's spicy mouth. She took Poe's hands and put them on her ass. Poe groaned and kneaded the plump flesh in her hands without any direction.

"Take me to bed, Poe," Mallory breathed.

"I didn't -" Poe was silenced by a finger to her lip.

"I know. You didn't come here for this, but I want this." Badly. So fucking badly.

Poe only nodded and kissed Mallory deeply. Briefly, Mallory gave herself over to the pleasure of the Poe's mouth, allowing Poe to control the kiss. The older woman felt her blood boiling and just attributed the feeling to the fact that she rarely got to feel what she believed was the perfect mix of feminine softness and hard muscle.

"Poe, you feel so good. Hard just where I like and soft just where I like," Mallory sighed contently, pressing herself against Poe and drawing out a hiss from the younger woman.

"Shit!" Poe grabbed Mallory's ass tighter, pulling her closer.

"Maybe we should just stay here, right on the couch and then maybe on the floor," the redhead whispered before flicking her tongue in Poe's ear. "You'd like that, right? To fuck me on the couch and then on the floor?"

Poe's eyes were clouded over, but she managed to nod. "Uh-huh." She sounded like she was in a complete daze.

The older woman chuckled softly. "You ever do that before?"

"Uh-uh." Somehow, Poe had enough brain cells left to shake her head once.

"Then we'll do it now and as many times as you want after. Then we'll continue your education."

Poe could only nod and then Mallory's mouth was on hers again. The redhead growled as she took control of Poe's mouth, exploring each and every spicy inch of it with her tongue. Poe moaned loudly, wantonly, which only made Mallory growl, craving more of her. She began making short work of Poe's clothes.

"I love that you don't wear a bra," Mallory commented as she slid Poe's soccer jersey and undershirt off, filling her hands with Poe's small breasts. She started another kiss, so Poe could not respond to her words. Not that it was important. The only important thing was getting naked and then having her way with Poe all over the apartment.

The next time Mallory and Poe "ran" into each other was a couple of weeks later. Poe had once again tried Goodies, but failed to see Mallory. She even stayed for a while, but that did not do anything. So, next she tried the gym and that took a couple of days, along with a few dollars as she ended up buying more art supplies because she needed so much paint thanks to another creative burst. Eventually, she spotted the redhead leaving the gym. Mallory turned around in time to see her coming.

"Poe, what are you doing around here again?" Mallory asked, folding her arms across her chest. Her gaze was almost accusing, but there was something underneath the beautiful, slightly furious cerulean stare. Poe could not put her finger on it, though.

"Uh … buying paints," Poe lied. Why did I have to go home and put the paint away?! Now, I look like a creep. She could tell that she was not supposed to show Mallory that she was actively looking for her. Just like Mallory did not openly show that she enjoyed having Poe around. Poe was not sure why it was, but she did not want to make the older woman uncomfortable.

Mallory arched an eyebrow and smirked. "Where's the paint?"

"Oh! Uh … I didn't see the colors I need." Mentally, Poe slapped herself in the forehead. Why didn't I just tell her I took them home? But, then again, why the hell would I come back to the store after I took the paints I just bought from the store home? She decided it was in her best interest to just stop thinking about it.

Mallory offered her a pout for her plight with the paint … maybe she knew about Poe's inner, deranged monologue and that was why she offered the expression. "That's too bad. Well, I need a shower."

Poe nodded and silently followed Mallory back to her place, somehow knowing that was the signal. They settled in their usual spots. Poe watched the soccer channel for a while and then remembered the last time Mallory had spoken to her, asked about her, and learned about her. I should do the same. I mean, she's really nice and I like her so far, even though I don't get her. I should try to find out more about her because I don't want her to think I'm using her for her soccer channel or anything. I do like her, I guess. One of the reasons that she had shared with Mallory was because Mallory had been so nice to her and she had come to like the redhead.

"What book are you reading?" Poe asked, glancing away from the television for a second.

"Hmm?" Mallory did not bother to look up, which her guest could understand.

"The book. You're always reading. What are you reading? Looks thick."

The redhead chuckled and her eyes shined as she glanced up at the younger woman. "This week I'm reading Richard III. The book itself is the complete works of Shakespeare, volume one."

Poe nodded. "I've got those. My set looks different, though."

Mallory blinked and gave Poe an odd, wide-eyed stare. "You don't seem like the Shakespeare type."

"My dad's an English teacher and a writer. When they got me, I was really behind in schoolwork. I missed a lot of school before them for a lot of different reasons and they wanted to get me up to speed to be in my right grade. Because of all of their effort and I already liked writing, so I started reading. Dad made sure I read the classics, including Shakespeare."

Mallory nodded and smiled a little. The expression seemed fond, liking a distant memory. "My dad got me into reading, too. Of course, I never had the grade problem. I grew up in pretty normal."

"That's good. Do you still see your family?"

"Yeah, every now and then. They don't live far from the city. They're still pretty normal. My little brother's in grad school and getting a degree in finance. My older sister's happily married, pregnant with her second kid, and works for a PR company. My parents are waiting for me settle down, bugging me about when they get the chance."

Poe smiled. "Wow, that is normal. My parents are normal, but I'm not, so sometimes they don't know what to do with me."

"They're doing a good job."

"Thanks. Yours, too."

Mallory chuckled and the conversation dropped. Poe went back to watching soccer with a smile on her face. I made small talk and didn't suck! Internally, she preened. She noticed Mallory glancing at her over her book, so she tried to act cool, but the small smile on the older woman's face let her know that she was busted. She blushed slightly and tried her best to act normal.

It was some time after dinner was ordered and eaten that Mallory put her book down. Instead of attacking Poe, she merely stood in front of the artist. It was only then that Poe took in the emerald slip that she was wearing.

"Whoa," the younger woman muttered. The slip barely covered anything at all, leaving so much wonderful, creamy skin on display. Her mouth went dry as she noticed Mallory's nipples were standing at attention and almost visible through her slip.

"Yeah. I feel like you like soccer more than me," Mallory said, taking Poe's hands and placing them on her hips. "Do you like soccer more than me?" she asked with a pout.

Poe licked her lips. "No, ma'am," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Really? But, you never notice these things when you're watching soccer. You never notice me."

"God, I do. You're too beautiful to miss. I just … I'm a goober sometimes." Of course, she knew what Mallory was wearing, but it did not register to her brain because she was not there to ogle the redhead. She did not want to stare or do something else that could be seen as disrespectful, but apparently, not noticing was worse than staring.

Mallory laughed. "Yeah, but you're a cute goober. Now, cute goober, if you take me to bed right now, I'll do special things to you. Play with me."

Poe's throat went dry and she had to swallow several times to get it working again. Mallory had already done "special things" to her the last time they "played." Poe could only nod as Mallory eased onto the couch and straddled her thighs. Poe's hands moved on their own, creeping under the slip to naked flesh. She shuddered and groaned as Mallory ran her tongue along Poe's cheek.

"You're going to be the death of me," Poe whispered.

"You'll go with a smile, I promise you that." Mallory rocked her hips into Poe, earning a breathless hiss.

"You're probably right."

Mallory groaned as she woke up from a sound sleep. She could hear Poe moving around the room, getting dressed undoubtedly. She heard the door slide open.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Mallory called.

Poe yelped. "I didn't want to wake you up. You're so tired."

"Come back. My goodbye kiss."

"Oh, yeah!"

Poe rushed back to the bed and gave Mallory a brief kiss on the lips. Poe left and Mallory smiled. She rolled over to take Poe's pillows in her arms. She buried her nose in the pillow.

"Even her smell is relaxing," Mallory sighed contently. She settled back into her space, inhaling Poe's scent.

Poe went home, showered and slept. When she awoke, she went to do some writing, getting through more than a chapter. She and then worked on a painting, using her long, broad strokes, but all sorts of vibrant colors. She was glad to get the work done because she knew in about a week, she would waste a few days trying to find Mallory. The thought actually brought a smile to her face.

5: Education

Scarlet growled as she tore out of a hotel room, her fiery mane whipping behind her as she yanked the door closed behind her. Her eyes were dark like a stormy sky and her black cocktail dress was ripped at the shoulder from the haste with which she put it on. She was holding a bundle of clothes that were clearly not hers, a long-sleeve, blue oxford shirt and khakis. As she punched the button for the elevator, she pulled out her cell phone. Somebody was going to get a piece of her mind!

"Tatijana, you better answer this fucking phone, you motherfucker!" the redhead snarled, kicking over a nearby trashcan. The elevator came before she could destroy anything else. She settled for punching the button for the lobby.

"Is there are reason you're calling me?" her boss demanded.

"What the fuck was up with that date? I had to beat that dude's ass!" Scarlet screamed as she started toward the first floor.

"You beat up a client?" the question was close to a roar.

"Would you rather have me get killed? The whole fucking reason I deal with you is because you're supposedly tops in this shit! You're supposed to weed out the fucking scumbags and keep them from doing bullshit like this!"

"What the hell did he do?" Tatijana's accent came out heavily and Scarlet would not be surprised when she began swearing in Russian.

The redhead growled as she thought back to what went down barely five minutes ago. "Fucking bastard pulled a knife on me! He's fucking lucky I didn't cut his balls off with the damn thing after I took it from him! I should've shoved it up his ass!"

"Is he still in that fucking room?" the boss demanded.

"He won't be walking for a while," the redhead growled. "Or talking really."

"Did you kill him?" Tatijana wondered aloud. It probably would not surprise her if Scarlet did, even though the redhead had yet to go that far when defending herself.

"He's alive. He might call the police and claim that he got robbed. I doubt they'll believe him since he's fucking butt-naked in a hotel room," Scarlet reported as she marched out of the elevator.

"Have Baran go talk to him," Tatijana ordered.

"No, the only thing Bear is doing is driving me far, far away." As she spoke the words, Baran pulled up to the car. She jumped in immediately. "I'm done for the night," she said into her cell phone.

"Why are you carrying clothes?" Baran asked curiously.

"Clothes?" she echoed, forgetting about the bundle in her arms. She opened the door and dumped them on the curb. The guy's wallet and his knife were amongst the discarded items. She figured if the police arrived fast enough, then they would be able to retrieve those things and his robbery story would look like even more of a crock.

"Why did you have the guy's clothes?" Baran inquired again.

"Just drive. Drive," she sighed, disconnecting the call with the boss since she was busy swearing in Russian.

"Going home?" Baran asked.

"Goodies."

Thankfully, he just drove and did not ask stupid questions. She felt a headache trying to come on, but she forced it down through sheer willpower. She was not sure how long that would last, though. He drove her to her favorite bar and pulled away as soon as she shut the door. She did not care and just marched into Goodies, seeking salvation. She clocked the place, noticing that it was nearly packed, but not seeing the one person that she was itching to see.

"Fuck. It's probably too early for her to be here," Scarlet frowned and shook her head. She went to the bar, settling for the next best thing to seeing Poe. "Pour a lady a drink?" she asked Lysander with a forced smile.

"I think I might make it two. You look like hell," the bartender commented with concerned brown eyes.

She scoffed and exaggerated rolling her eyes. "You just can't appreciate my beauty. But, it's been a long night and it's barely ten. Is it always packed like this around this time?"

He looked around, as if just noticing all of the people in the bar. "Yeah. We put on a bunch of games and do challenges for free drinks."

"Stupid guy challenges?"

He arched an amused eyebrow. "There are other types of challenges?"

She laughed and conceded that point. He placed her drink in front of her and went to serve some other customers. She chuckled as she watched him make eyes with a cute guy at the end of the bar, who seemed quite flattered by the bartender's open adoration. She silently admitted that Lysander was smooth and she still wondered how his father could not figure out that he was gay. Thinking about his father, she scoped the scene for Leander, thinking that if he was out and about, she might spot Poe also.

Instead of Poe, Leander was sitting with some gentlemen his own age and laughing it up with them. Scarlet sighed and her shoulders slumped. I probably won't see her tonight. With that, she downed her whole drink in own blazing gulp.

Poe yawned and put down her laptop. She rubbed her burning eyes and stood up. Been working too much. She was thankful to be able to make such a complaint, but she felt it was time to reward herself. Soccer!

She felt like she earned some soccer yet again. Unfortunately, it was too late to go stalk Mallory, so she went with her second option. She marched down to Goodies and was surprised to hear noise coming from the place at one in the morning on a weekday. As she stepped in, she discovered the playful blustering was coming from a handful of men crowded around Mallory. The redhead was throwing darts and swaying enough to show that she was quite intoxicated.

She watched as Mallory closed one eye and prepared to throw one of the many darts that she was holding. She drew back and then almost fell over, but one of the guys caught her. He compensated himself for his good deed by squeezing Mallory's ass. The redhead giggled a bit and blithely swatted at his busy hands, totally missing them. He chuckled and patted her butt, which made her turn her attention back to the dartboard. Poe frowned as she felt something flare inside of her. She was not sure what it was, but exploded throughout her entire being and made her want to pulverize those guys.

"Mallory," Poe called out as she approached the group, stomping heavily with each step.

Mallory turned and her face lit up with a sparkling grin. Her usually clear blue eyes were cloudy from alcohol. "Poe! Come watch me win at darts!" she requested cheerfully, waving the younger woman over.

Poe laughed a little because of her friend's jovial tone, but she watched and did not like what she saw. Mallory threw her darts, all missing. Some of them actually went in the wall well behind the board. The men laughed and Poe wondered why. As she watched her friend pull back several shots, she figured out why as the men reached out and touched her to their hearts content. The men seemed to think Mallory feeling the effects of alcohol poisoning was hilarious and an easy way to feel up a beautiful woman.

"Hey, Mallory, it's time to go home." Poe took the taller woman by the shoulders.

Mallory offered her a drunken smile. "Okay! Sorry, guys, but my little Poe-bo is gonna take me home and play with me!" she reported in a loud, happy voice.

"Poe-bo?" the artist echoed, twisting up her mouth as she did so. She had never had a nickname before and definitely could have done without that one. She glanced at Lysander, in case Mallory needed to pay a bar tab, but he waved her off.

To the loud, disappointed groans and complaints from the men, Poe led Mallory out of the bar. She called for a cab, doubting that her friend could walk a block, let alone the twenty that she lived. She moved them out of view of the bar and the cab showed up a couple of minutes later.

Mallory got very touchy in the taxi, pawing at Poe, bolding even putting her hands inside Poe's shirt. The cab driver looked quite amused as Poe tried to fight off Mallory without hurting her. While she had done some wild things with Mallory, becoming an exhibitionist was not going to make it onto that list, no matter how many times the redhead tried to stick her hand into Poe's pants. Poe glared at the cab driver as he chuckled and adjusted the mirror, more than likely wanting a better view of the show.

"Just drive," Poe growled and the guy finally pulled away from the curb, going off toward Mallory's apartment. The redhead busied herself by getting as close to Poe as possible, practically sitting in her lap.

"C'mon, Poe-bo, play with me," Mallory purred as she bit Poe's neck.

"We're in a cab, Mallory. Control yourself," Poe said, carefully pushing the older woman away. While Mallory was the taller of the pair, Poe was certain that she was the stronger one between them. I should be able to hold her off.

"Don't wanna." Mallory arched and pushed the lower half of her body into Poe, causing the artist to retreat. That seemed to be what the intoxicated redhead desired, as she surged forward as soon as she could to attack Poe again. Poe groaned in frustration as she tried once more to hold Mallory off without hurting her.

Eventually, Poe grabbed and held Mallory's wrists, pinning her hands above her head. Of course, Mallory smiled, the expression almost goofy, seeming to enjoy having the artist manhandle her. Poe did not even want to think about that actually being the case. Poe just threw money at the cab driver as he pulled up to Mallory's building. As the taxi came to a halt, Poe now had to figure out how to get Mallory out of the cab without being molested and up to her home without dropping her. Neither seemed like easy tasks.

Mallory snickered in Poe's ear as the author gently tugged her out of the car and those busy hands started to feel on Poe. The shorter woman waved at the doorman while trying to keep Mallory off of her. The doorman chuckled and shook his head while allowing her inside with the drunken resident.

Getting into the elevator proved to be worse than being in the backseat of the cab. Mallory practically draped herself on Poe, who could not really move the redhead off of her because Mallory could barely stand. Matters only got worse when Mallory remembered there was a camera in the elevator and she seemed intent on giving a show to whoever was manning the damned thing. Thankfully, that only lasted a second and then Mallory sneered at the camera, as if it suddenly offended her. Poe breathed a sigh of relief as they got to the top level.

"Mallory, where're your keys?" Poe asked as they got to her door.

"Why do we need keys? We could do it right here," Mallory suggested with another goofy grin.

"Yeah, no. Not gonna happen," Poe deadpanned. She took Mallory's purse from her hand and rifled through it. She found the keys and let them into the apartment.

"Kitchen?" the redhead offered with a hopeful smile.

"No, You're going to bed. Why do you have sex on the mind?"

"Because you're so sexy! I love your hard body!" Mallory cooed, running her hands along Poe's abdomen.

"I'm sure you've seen better."

"But, not on someone as cute as you. You're so cute, Poe-bo, and I like having you around!" she practically howled the words. "Poe-bo is so cute!"

Poe only laughed as she helped put her friend to bed. She had no problem stripping Mallory all the way down to nothing. As soon as she hit the pillow, Mallory was asleep. Poe chuckled and covered the redhead with her blanket. She then went to watch some soccer.

Poe made herself comfortable on the sofa and turned on the television. It was still on the soccer channel, so she was starting to understand how little Mallory watched her television. She sat there a few hours, keeping an ear open in case Mallory needed her for whatever reason, and then left.

Mallory awoke feeling less than stellar and all too aware of why that was. She crawled out of bed and into the shower, which always made her feel more human. As she washed her hair, she recalled as much of the night as she could after drinking tequila like it was water.

"I hope Lysander cut me off eventually or the old man might never let me into Goodies again," she grumbled, knowing how she could get when incredible intoxicated. While Goodies was not the only bar in town by far, she liked Lysander and chatting with him over drinks. She also liked Poe. "Poe," she gasped and had flashes of making drunken passes at the artist in a cab and the elevator. She groaned. "So stupid."

Once she was done with her shower, she rushed to the living room, thinking that Poe might still be there. No such luck, though. She groaned and put on some casual clothes, jeans and a button-up shirt with heeled sandals. She decided to go to Goodies, just to have Lysander fill her in on how big of an ass she made of herself.

Since it was the middle of the afternoon on a Saturday with plenty of sporting events on, Goodies was packed. Without any consent from her brain, Mallory's clear blue eyes scanned for some sign of Poe. Of course, the artist was nowhere to be found, which caused her shoulders to drop just a bit. She sat at the bar and Lysander smiled at her.

"I hope you're not back for round two," he commented with a light chuckle.

"No, but I would like the play-by-play of what I did last night. I didn't fuck anybody on the bar, right?" she joked.

He chuckled. "We'd have had more people in the bar if you had. No, you got friendly with a group of guys, did a few shots with them, played some drunken darts, and shoved your tits in my dad's face."

Her face fell and then he started laughing. "That's not funny!"

He moved to serve a customer, still chuckling. "Except for that last part, that is what happened. You seemed like you were having a good time, so I left you alone. I will admit the guys were getting grabbing, but again, you seemed like you were enjoying yourself. Your little friend showed up before you killed anyone with the darts and before the guys got out of hand. She took you home. I'm surprised you could stand up, though. I couldn't believe how much you put away."

"Why'd you keep serving me then?"

He scoffed and then leaned in closer to her. "You threatened to tear my balls off and when that didn't work, you resorted to trying to out me to my father."

She grimaced. "Shit. Sorry, man."

He waved it off. "He wouldn't have believed you, but you seemed desperate at that point, so I let you slide. Besides, I know you're not driving anywhere. I was planning to step in if those guys got rough with you or anything or if you tried to go home with one of them."

"Still, that was fucked up of me. I'm really sorry."

Again, he waved it off. She was about to say something, thank him for putting up with her mostly, but he nodded toward the door. She turned around to see Poe walking in. The small woman scanned the place with a frown, probably mentally debating if she should stay. Mallory got up and approached Poe with a smile on her face. Poe smiled in return.

"Hey, nice to see you up and about. How're you feeling?" the artist asked with warm brown eyes that distracted Mallory for a few seconds.

The redhead recovered as Poe stared at her more intently, worry in those eyes now. "I'm good. Thanks for last night.," the older woman smiled gratefully.

"No problem. It's not like you haven't helped me out dozens of times."

"Still, I have to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I'd have been sleeping in the hallway, if I was lucky. Plus, you got me away from a group of dudes before I did something even dumber than letting them feel me up. So, just accept my thanks." While she was an escort by trade, she did not like the idea of random men that she could not even recall groping her. Her job, she was the one in control, even when the clients thought otherwise. When she was drunk, the environment was in control and she was not in favor of that when there was a bunch of horny people surrounding her.

Poe shrugged. "Okay. You're welcome."

The redhead chuckled a bit. She's so adorable. "No, this isn't my thanks. Come on, we're going to lunch."

Mallory took Poe's hand and guided her out of the bar. Mentally, she sighed in relief that Poe did not pull away. They got into a taxi and rode to a restaurant that Mallory enjoyed and they were dressed appropriately for. They were seated immediately in a corner.

"You didn't have to do this," Poe pointed out.

"I wanted to do it. Just shut up and enjoy it," Mallory ordered with a laugh.

Poe decided to go with it, not objecting or bringing it up again. Their waitress brought over menus, but Mallory offered to order for Poe to make things go faster. Besides, she knew that Poe would eat anything without complaint. The waitress took their drink and food orders since they were ready. For a few seconds, the pair stared at each other in shock.

"So, what did you after you tucked me in? Did you stay a while?" Mallory inquired.

Poe nodded. "Watched some soccer."

The redhead laughed. "Of course. You're predictable."

"I like being predictable. I like having a routine, even though I really don't have a routine."

"You like stability." Not what I would expect from someone that looks like her, but knowing her background, it makes sense.

Poe nodded. "It's something I didn't have for twelve years and when I finally got it, I almost didn't know what to do."

"You seem fine. Your parents obviously took care of business on that front. You have good parents."

"I know. What about you?" Poe asked curiously.

Mallory shrugged. "My parents are great. They'd probably get along great with your folks."

That drew a chuckle out of her dining partner. "I dunno. My parents are kinda hippies. I mean, they adopted a kid that barely talked to them."

"Turned out to be a brilliant decision. You worked out well. They saw something good in you and they were right."

Poe smiled slightly and blushed, which was completely adorable. She nodded slowly, as if her mind was trying to figure out what to say to that compliment. "Thanks. They thought I was their only shot at having a kid, though. Little did they know, almost right after they adopted me, they'd get a kid of their own."

Mallory's forehead wrinkled a little as she took that information in. "But, they treated you the same?" Poe's parents sounded too good to not treat her the same.

"Oh, yeah, and my dad made sure to get me ready to be a big sister, helped me to look forward to it, and get over the fear that they'd send me away. He was always working with me to help me be normal. He helped me out a lot. He helped me get out a lot of the poison that life had put in me, but for some reason, I still bonded with my mom faster. I think that might be natural because I've always wondered about my mother."

"You never knew her?"

Poe shook her head. "Never knew them. I never knew either of my birth parents. My parents actually looked for them for me. God, they're so great. They had only my birth certificate and they began their hunt only to find my birth parents had died."

Mallory let out a long breath. "Oh, wow. I'm sorry." She's been through so much and she's just a kid. It's not fair. I almost don't even want to tell her about me. I look like a spoiled, lazy brat compared to her. I have to remember to call Mom and Dad after this.

Poe shrugged. "Thanks, but you don't have to be. I couldn't find any family when I went looking. My parents tried, too, but they came up with nothing. I just wanted to know something about my genetics at this point. I mean, I look in the mirror and wonder about where I come from. My birth certificate says 'white' and …" She looked at her bare arms, running her right hand across her left forearm. "I dunno. Maybe half? I dunno. Sometimes, I think Native American or Mexican. The hair and the eyes. I dunno, though. I've never even seen a picture of my birth parents and I couldn't find out my mother's maiden name."

Mallory could feel her face telegraphing how hurt she was for Poe. "That is horrible. For me, it'd be easy. One look at the red hair and I know. I couldn't get more Irish if I tried," she chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. She really did not want things to get serious, even though the conversation was already there.

"Are both of your parents Irish?"

"My mother is so Irish her maiden name is O'Sullivan. I kid you not. They both still have family back in the 'old country.' We can't understand a word from any family in the 'old country,' too. What about your parents?"

Poe shrugged. "They don't really talk about ancestry and it might be because they knew I wonder about mine. My dad might come from German stock. I dunno."

By the time their food and drinks arrived, the conversation had shifted a bit. First, Mallory assured Poe that she would enjoy the chicken that she ordered for the writer and then she asked about Poe's art, remembering the painting in the younger woman's spartan loft. Poe did not say much on her art.

"It's coming along. I'll have some stuff to show at an expo a few months from now," she answered.

Mallory nodded. "Is that how you earn a living?"

"Kinda. I'm also an author."

"A regular Renaissance woman. Have you written anything I might have read?"

Poe shrugged. "Maru: Knight of the Realm."

Wow, she really is a Renaissance woman. She writes novels and paints like that? It's almost not fair. "Impressive. I've heard it's popular with teenagers and has a sort of Arthurian vibe to it. That's really impressive for a kid who can't even drink yet. How'd you manage to get published at such a young age?"

"My dad knows a lot of people because the school that he and my mother work at is, well, it's hard to explain. Have you ever heard of the Hyperion Academy?"

Mallory nodded. "A private school for talented artists of all types. I wanted to go there when I was much younger because I wrote poetry."

"You write poetry? My dad does, too. You want me to show him some of your work? He could help you get published."

Mallory smiled. "No, it's all right. I write poetry just to relax and for myself. It helps me get my thoughts cleared, much like writing in my journal. It's not something I want to share with the world. So, your parents both teach there?"

"Yeah, they teach there. My mom is a dance teacher. She used to be a famous dancer, but she got injured. She messed up her back, but she doesn't talk about it much. Anyway, I used to keep journals, too, always writing. I never wrote poetry. Honestly, I don't really get poetry. I wrote stories and such, but mostly for myself. I let my dad read them after I started wondering if I was any good and he liked what he saw. He started helping me improve. He got me a mentor, one of his former students."

"Your dad is really good guy."

Poe grinned, beaming at that. "Yeah. I'm lucky."

"So, the mentor helped you get Maru published?"

"No, he helped me get my biography published."

A creamy forehead wrinkled. "Biography? You're like five. What the hell did you put in a biography?"

"My life. My journals. I talked about my time in foster care, living on the streets for a while, putting up with all kinds of abuse, and stuff like that. It made me feel good to get it out there. It's why I can talk about it to you. It's not a burden I have to lug around anymore."

"I'm sorry, Poe. I shouldn't have …" Mallory trailed off and glanced down, feeling ashamed of herself for the first time in a long time.

"It's okay. Most people think that because I'm young, I haven't lived my fair share of life. Really, the book was to help put my demons to rest and let people know we need more good foster parents in the system. While not all my families were bad, too many of them were. I ended the book talking about how getting my parents changed me for the better and helped me so much and I want that for other kids in the system."

Mallory reached across the table. "I'm sorry about what you went through. I know that doesn't amount to a hill of beans, but I am."

Poe smiled. "It does actually. So, what about you? How'd you get into your line of work?"

The redhead chuckled. "My line of work? Nice way to put it. It's really simple. First and foremost, I love buying things. I'm a fashion hound for the most part and I like cutting corners if I can because I'm somewhat lazy," she freely admitted. "When I was in college, my parents couldn't really give me money like they did when I was younger because they had already sent my older sister to school and now there was me and they had to save for my younger brother to eventually go, too, so they didn't really have money like they used to. I didn't really want to get a regular job, even though I knew I could feed my shoe habit or my latest clothes addiction if I just went and got a job. I tried to forget about it and focus on school because I didn't want to get distracted by things, but one day I saw pair of shoes … let's just say, it was between shoes and books."

Poe's eyes widened in disbelief. "You chose shoes?"

The older woman laughed, but she rubbed her forehead as if she could not believe her choice either. "Hell, yeah! Had you seen these shoes, you'd understand." Mallory looked at Poe. "Okay, you probably would've bought the books. In fact, buying the books would've been the smart and right thing to do, I needed the shoes! That's how I was. I'm telling you, I was addicted to shoes and the latest fashions at the time. Anyway, after I blew my money on the shoes, I find out that two professors I have teach right out of the book. Well, right out of several books. One was a science class. Do you have any idea how expensive science textbooks are?"

Poe laughed. "No college experience for me, remember?"

The redhead made a hand gesture. "Right. Anyway, push comes to shove, I had to figure out how to pull together money for these books. Making matters worse, I find out that one of my classes, the professor does like a mini-quiz every week to make sure we do the reading. I'm feeling totally fucked at this point. I couldn't fail, I'd never failed a class in my whole academic career. I couldn't go back to my parents after I blew their money already, especially on some shoes. My dad would've gone berserk. He already always wanted to know why I needed so many pairs of shoes and he used to flip when I bought a new pair every month. Blowing my book money on shoes? He'd have gone totally nuts. So, I now needed a job and I needed one that wouldn't have a three week waiting period for my first paycheck because I needed that money ASAP."

"Stripper?"

Mallory smiled and shrugged. "Hey, I'm hot. I've always known that. I stay in shape and I always have guys making passes at me, so I'm more than well aware of how attractive I am. I knew I could use that to my advantage and I know how to move my body. Fast money was only an ass shake away. And, boy, was it fast."

The tan forehead furrowed as Poe seemed to be trying to keep up. "So, you kept doing it for the shoes and clothes?"

"Hell, yeah! I don't expect you to get it and, hell, if I was who I am today back then, I probably would've done things differently, but I wasn't. I craved shoes and clothes like other women crave chocolate. It was so much money and it was so easy. I didn't have to work five days a week or eight hours a day. It worked out so well. Plus, I learned quickly that guys buy their favorite strippers gifts. I'm talking 'pay your rent' gifts. I didn't have rent, but I lied about it to get money for more shoes and clothes. I got tons of jewelry, shopping trips, and other goodies."

Poe frowned a bit. "That's …"

Mallory held up her hand. "Greedy, I know. Believe me, I know. I never realized how spoiled I was until I stopped and looked back on it. It got out of my system pretty fast, but I still accepted gifts if offered. Anyway, I stripped for about a year, saving money and still buying shoes and clothes every now and then. I think I really just spent myself out. One day, my current boss wandered into the club. I don't know what for, but she spotted a guy getting really friendly with me and I didn't want to be his friend. Before the crazy Russian could get out of her chair or security could do their job, I had the guy pinned to the wall with his arm behind his back and him screaming for someone to get the crazy bitch off of him."

The younger woman laughed, causing her eyes to shine. She liked how tough Mallory was, despite her well-put together appearance. She had met a few girls like Mallory on the street, but the fact that Mallory was from the suburbs was intriguing. She was surprised that Mallory did not have some rough, tragic story to go with her lifestyle, just an obsession that she mishandled. It was strange as to what could sometimes drag normal people into abnormal situations.

Mallory continued on with her story. "So, I think I impressed the crazy Russian because at the end of the night, she approaches me with a job offer."

"Your current work?" Poe guessed.

"Yes, my current work. I hadn't done anything like it before, but sex wasn't a new concept to me and by then I had decided that after college I wanted to start my own business. I was already trying to save money, but the salary that she offered was nothing like what I was making as a stripper. I almost couldn't say no. I figured I'd make the start up capital working with her."

The artist leaned forward and her forehead was wrinkled again. "You just jumped into it like that?"

The redhead rubbed her chin, trying to figure out how to explain it. "It was just something I thought I could do. I don't back down and I like rising to challenges. It was like she was daring me to take the job, especially when she told me the amount of money I could make. I was just thinking about that business I wanted to start and how this seemed like the easy road to it. While I don't back down and like challenges, I also like easy way more often than not. She only sweetened the deal when she mentioned the very lax work hours."

"What type of business do you want?" Poe asked curiously.

A sigh escaped the older woman and she shrugged. "Either a bookstore or a gym. I like reading and I like working out. One of the reason I haven't started yet is because I don't know which I want. A bookstore probably isn't going to make a lot of money, but I could open it by a college and make it like a café, too. I dunno."

"You seem like you have thought on it some, but maybe you haven't thought on it enough."

Mallory nodded. "I haven't thought as much on it as I like. I really haven't thought on it at all for a while now."

"Well, you're thinking about it now. So, what about the gym?"

"A twenty-four hour place with a lot of classes, but especially stuff for kids. Karate, gymnastics, and stuff like that. When I was a kid, my parents made sure me and my siblings were active and we loved it, so I'd like to help bring that to other kids. Of course, I'd have classes for adults and stuff, too. I feel like I'd probably live there." Mallory chuckled.

"Did you go to college for business?"

Another laugh came from the older woman and shook her head. "No, my degree is in English literature. Once upon a time, I was going to be an English teacher."

Poe broke out laughing. Mallory feigned offense, lightly hitting the younger woman in the shoulder. Poe laughed louder.

"Are you trying to say I wouldn't have cut it as an English teacher?" Mallory demanded, sticking her nose in the air and folding her arms across her ample chest.

The artist continued to chuckle. "I'm sure your students would be too distracted to learn much about English."

"Not if they were like you. My head could be on fire while you're watching soccer and you'd never know."

"I'd notice during a commercial and help you then."

Mallory threw her head back and let loose a laugh. They had finished dessert before they finally figured that it was time to go. Mallory pulled out cash to pay just as Poe did the same.

"I invited you out and this is supposed to be a thanks, so let me pay for this," Mallory insisted, motioning for her companion to put her money away.

Poe thought on the logic briefly before nodding. She watched a smile light up Mallory's beautiful features. The expression made Poe soften on the inside. It was a rare day when someone was happy to do something for her and she appreciated it.

"Do you have some place that you need to be?" Mallory asked as they exited the restaurant.

Poe shook her head. "Just back home."

"Come with me to the movies. There's a movie I want to see, but I refuse to go to the movies alone and it's not something I do on dates."

There was a shrug. "I don't usually go to the movies at all, but I don't have anything better to do."

Mallory laughed. "You sure do know how to sweet talk a gal!"

Poe groaned and palmed her face. "I'm so bad at this."

Mallory put her arm around the artist's broad shoulders. "It's okay. I think it's cute."

Poe smiled and merrily went along with Mallory, wondering why she felt so light and warm on the inside. The warmth did not vanish as they went into the cool theater. She focused on that and the soft hand that held hers more than what was on the screen.

The movie was mundane, but Mallory found herself smiling as they exited the theater. She had her hand wrapped around Poe's, who was silent as usual. She wondered now if the silence was a protective mechanism because Poe could not talk to women. Maybe her fumbling with women comes from her unusual upbringing. She sometimes seems so proud of herself when she makes it through a conversation with me.

"So, how about dinner?" Mallory proposed. The day's shaping up well, so why end it?

Poe shrugged. "I'm buying, though."

Mallory chuckled. "Fine, you can buy. But, only this time."

Poe's forehead wrinkled and the redhead could not help thinking that Poe's confusion was adorable. Without a thought, she reached over and ran her fingers through the artist's hair. She noticed how Poe's smiled softly when her fingers glided over her scalp and could not resist the urge to give the younger woman a small kiss on the corner of her mouth. They walked a short distance to a restaurant that Mallory liked. Dinner was much like lunch with slightly different conversation.

"So, do you still write poetry?" Poe inquired curiously as she sipped a non-alcoholic cocktail that Mallory had ordered for her. She smiled, showing that she liked it.

"Yeah, every now and then. It had been months in between poems until a while ago," Mallory answered.

"You sure you don't want to me to talk to my father and see if he can help?"

"You're sweet to offer, but I'm fine. For me, the poetry, like the journaling, is just for me and trying to make sense of my mind and the world around me."

Poe nodded. "Painting is like that for me. Other people might enjoy the paintings, but for me the canvas is to get things out and to make sense of stuff. I don't need to keep them or anything."

"Well, a poem takes up a lot less space than a painting," Mallory remarked with a teasing smile.

"You got me there."

"Thank you for the kind thought again, though."

They turned their attention back to their meals. Mallory wondered if Poe wanted to know more about how she got into her profession, but she did not want to bring it up. She did not want to say something that might drive Poe away, especially not while they were having such a good time.

"You like the food?" Mallory inquired.

"It's really good. Lunch was good, too. You know a lot of good restaurants," Poe replied with a grateful grin, along with a mouthful of food.

"Well, kid, stick with me and I'll show you some other places you'd like." She winked one blue eye.

The younger woman laughed a little and then returned to her plate. Mallory smiled to herself, pleased that her companion was so happy. They ate quietly for the most part after that and enjoyed dessert when their dinner was done.

"Any other place you wanna go?" Poe asked as they left the restaurant.

"Ready to get rid of me already?" Mallory teased.

Poe blushed, all the way up to her ears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. It's just you keep wanting to go somewhere, so I thought you might have some other place in mind. Unless you're tired. You wanna go home?"

Mallory chuckled. She should go home. She had a date tomorrow that was supposed to last all day, but she was having fun with Poe. She was all about fun, so she would stick to Poe.

"Let's go to your place. I want to see your paintings," the redhead said.

"Shouldn't I be the one inviting you up to my apartment to see my etchings?" the younger woman joked.

Mallory laughed. "You are too cute, especially when you crack a joke! But, I actually want to see your paintings. You have been painting, right?"

"Painting and writing."

"Great! Let's go! Now, I want to see both."

Poe shrugged, causing Mallory to smile. They were close to Poe's apartment, but took a cab because Mallory's feet were beginning to hurt. The redhead sat close to Poe during the ride, enjoying the slight flush to Poe's tan skin. She loved how even with the low blush, the dull red crept up to Poe's elfish ears. Ears that she wanted to nibble and stick her tongue in. Oh, well, at least we'll be close to a bed.

Suddenly, the ride was too long, even though it was only a few minutes. The trip upstairs was long, too, but as soon as they got into the apartment, she was overcome by a sudden calm. In the safety of Poe's home, everything seemed to slow down and that was fine by Mallory. She could not figure out why the urge to pounce Poe always came upon her when she was in the younger woman's presence. She figured that she should get bored with Poe eventually, even if Poe had the perfect body as far as she was concerned, but she was pleased that she had not gotten over the feel of the younger woman.

"You want to see the paintings?" Poe pointed to the corner of the apartment holding her art.

Mallory chuckled as she turned to the area. "It looks like a paint grenade went off over here. Can I just go through the pile?" She saw the canvases placed with care on a shelf and leaned against the wall.

"Knock yourself out. Just don't touch the one on the stand," Poe replied. "Uh … you want something to drink or something? I have …" She went to the fridge before finishing that thought. "Milk, orange juice, and what used to be fruit punch, but might be a science project now."

The redhead laughed yet again. "I'm not surprised with the way you keep house."

Poe looked around and scratched her head. "Uh … sorry. My mom tells me I should do better, especially if I have a girl over. Guess my mom was right."

Mallory only chuckled, finding it unnecessary to point out that Poe's mother was quite right. It was not so much that Poe's apartment was a mess, but that it was lacking. It was like Poe expected to have to leave at any moment, which she bet had to do with Poe being a foster kid. The ebony-haired artist had a sofa and a desk as far as furniture went. There was organization to an extent, but everything was kept in piles or stacks. Her paints and clothes on the floor made the only real mess.

"Do you keep it this way because you plan on moving soon?" Mallory asked.

"Nope, been here a year-plus now," Poe answered and that was followed by a crunching noise.

"Are you eating again?" the redhead inquired incredulously. She turned around to see what the younger woman had.

Poe shrugged. "Just pickles. You want one?" She held up the sliced pickle spear.

"God, no. I'm not interested in pickles, but I would love to eat," Mallory remarked with a smirk.

"We're not talking about food anymore, are we?"

Mallory giggled. "You are so cute. Finish your pickle while I finish looking at your paintings." The redhead turned back to the art and noticed that Poe painted a lot of nature scenes. "Are these places you've gone before?"

"No, all my paintings are fantasy places in my head or shadowy places in my nightmares."

As soon as Poe said that, Mallory got to a painting that allowed her to see it was fantasy. Teeth and hands that appeared demonic were coming out of the dark ground, reaching for a mountain lion that rested on a rock. The colors in the painting were oddly light for the small image that she noticed. But, there were other things in the painting that seemed to go with the light colors. She took in the details of the scene, all the way down to the unique feathers of some birds.

"You're so talented," the older woman commented. Poe did not respond, not that Mallory expected her to. She moved onto the next painting, a portrait. The colors again were striking. The face did not have much of an expression, but the colors pulled sorrow from the pit of Mallory's stomach. She then noticed a faint halo around the head.

"Hey, you want cream cheese?" Poe offered out of the blue.

Mallory almost could not believe the offer. "You're still eating the pickle!"

"I like cream cheese. It's a good snack."

Mallory groaned, but did not say anything. She put down the painting and went to save Poe from herself. She took control of Poe's mouth just as the younger woman was about to dip her pickle in a tub of cream cheese. Poe moaned and surrendered to Mallory's sweet assault.

"You taste like pickles and cream cheese," Mallory complained as she pulled away. Those were two tastes that she would rather not experience together again.

Poe frowned because of the end of the kiss. "Uh … You could kiss it away," she suggested with a hopeful smile.

The deadpan expression on Mallory's face responded to that. "Or you can go brush your teeth and I'll be waiting naked on your bed."

That seemed to be more than enough motivation for Poe. She went to the bathroom while Mallory went to the bed. Now that she knew Poe better, the Spartan room seemed to fit her. Of course, it also fit the idea that Poe did not view the loft as her home. It was just some place for her to rest.

"Where is home then, Poe?" Mallory wondered. She suspected home was with her foster family since she spoke of them in such glowing terms. "But, then, why leave?" Mallory did not have time to consider it as she heard the water to the sink stop. She quickly undressed, leaving on her bra and panties. She liked when Poe eased the garments off her. The artist peeked her head through the curtains and her eyes lit up when she saw Mallory posed on her bed, back arched, breasts jutting out.

The redhead smirked, beckoning Poe to her with a single finger. Poe nodded as if she was in a trance and hurried into the "bedroom." Mallory moved, crawling down the bed to settle in front of the artist, not wanting to miss the show.

"Whenever you're ready," Mallory chirped, leaning forward to nip at her host's stomach through her shirt.

Poe chuckled. "What if I don't wanna undress myself?"

"You will if you want a piece of this." Mallory caressed her toned abdomen with manicured fingers.

Poe growled and did exactly what Mallory desired and made sure to do it exactly how Mallory liked it. There was nothing flashy about it; Poe just slowly took her shirt off, revealing her dark, tempting flesh little by little. Mallory licked her bottom lip, wishing it was Poe's belly button. Poe shut her eyes and let loose a long exhale as Mallory's tongue ran across her lip.

"Come on, Poe. You have more to go or we won't be doing anything," the redhead pointed out, trying to control her own breathing. She could hardly believe the effect that this young woman had on her. She did not understand it, but did not care. She just wanted Poe and she wanted Poe now.

The artist's pants were next, unbuttoned slowly and eased down her muscular thighs, dropping down her tight calves and onto the floor. Mallory purred contently, enjoying the show while burning for Poe, even though the younger woman was in the most unflattering underwear ever. Of course, if did not matter since neither of them would be wearing underwear for long.

"Oh, Poe, you have such a hard, soccer body. You gonna give it to me?" the redhead demanded.

There were a series of nods. "You know I will."

"Then come on," the older woman purred.

Poe did not have to be told twice and climbed onto the bed. Mallory greeted the ebony-haired female with her lips while her hands made short work of Poe's horrendous bra and panties. Poe's hands caressed and rubbed Mallory, firmly, but not roughly, just like Mallory liked, just like Mallory taught her.

"Get me naked," Mallory breathed. Her skin was ready to catch fire thanks to Poe's brilliant hands. She wanted all of Poe's skin against her own.

Poe nodded, too out of breath to verbally respond. She eased Mallory's lacy black bra off, revealing sweet, heavy, alabaster breasts and rosy, puckered nipples. She massaged Mallory's ample cleavage with newly skilled hands, drawing out moans from the redhead. Lips and tongue eventually joined those hands, expertly touching and tasting Mallory.

"Yes, baby. Just like that, just how I like it," Mallory hissed, holding Poe to her and unconsciously massaging Poe's scalp.

Poe did not respond, her focus on pleasing Mallory, on devouring Mallory. The redhead clung to the shorter woman like none other. With Poe, it was about Mallory's pleasure before anything else. Poe was there for her, and happy to be so.

"You are so sweet, so good, just wonderful," Mallory cooed, running her hands through Poe's hair.

"That's how you taste," Poe whispered before going back to each sensitive mound and peak. She sucked one pink gem into her mouth and rolled it with her tongue before tugging on it with her teeth. Her other hand kneaded and pulled on the opposite globe.

Mallory only moaned, arching for more. The way Poe's lips and teeth felt on her skin made her body ignite. She managed to keep her eyes open, despite wanting to just be engulfed by the fire caused by her companion. She looked down at Poe, wanting to see how the younger woman looked as she turned Mallory's body inside out.

Poe continued fondling the redhead, enchanted as far as Mallory could tell. Poe seemed utterly fascinated with Mallory's breasts and stayed with them longer than most until the older woman began grinding against Poe's powerful thigh. Poe growled at the feel, biting down on Mallory's nipple and causing the redhead to cry out in pleasure. Mallory bucked more while tightening her hold on the onyx locks in her hand.

"Fuck," the older woman grunted, moving more, seeking delicious friction.

Poe slowly responded to the physical request, leaving Mallory's chest to remove her panties. Mallory kicked the soaked, useless, and possibly ruined, material away and pulled Poe to her before lying down. They kissed as Poe's hand trailed down Mallory's quivering form. Mallory cried out and dug into Poe's shoulders as talented, valuable fingers stroked her with just the right amount of pressure.

"You're so good, Poe, baby," Mallory purred, moving her hips to keep the slow pace of Poe's fingers.

She liked it slow and steady, which Poe did exceptionally well. She moaned as a calloused finger circled her pleasure center. She leaned down, rewarding Poe with a deep kiss on the lips, exploring every inch of her mouth. She could feel Poe smiling through their kiss, but eventually they had to pull away for air. Her noise level increased as Poe kissed down her neck, long, wet kisses. When the kisses made it to her chest, Mallory cried out again.

"Dammit, your tongue is as great as your fingers," Mallory hissed, her hips moving faster now and Poe's fingers maintaining the tempo.

For Mallory, heaven was Poe's digits and mouth. She moaned loudly as those wonderful fingers slipped inside her and hit her right where she wanted. Poe grunted and bit down on her breast, which only made Mallory more vocal. One hand clung to Poe's head and the other clutched Poe's shoulder, trying to pull the younger woman closer, attempting to get more of the artist. Poe nipped and suckled more with each bite of Mallory's nails, silently begging her for more.

"You feel so good," the redhead managed to coo as she felt herself getting closer and closer to the edge.

"You, too," Poe grunted. "Feels so good."

Ecstasy built until all Mallory could feel was the volcanic rapture exploding inside of her. She released a long breath as she contracted around Poe's talented fingers. She then fell back onto the pillows, needing to catch her breath. The world was out of focus for a long while, but eventually everything came back to her. She chuckled as Poe continued toying with her nipple, flicking the bud with her tongue and tugging on it with her lips. She ran her fingers through Poe's hair and strangely enough Poe seemed to be falling asleep.

"You want your turn?" Mallory asked curiously. The younger woman did not look like she would last long enough for Mallory to rock her world right now.

Poe shook her head slightly, refusing to let go of the gem in her mouth. "Just keep doing that."

Mallory nodded and continued rubbing Poe's head. After a few minutes, Poe was asleep, with Mallory's nipple still in her mouth. Mallory smiled.

6: A pocketful of posies

Mallory left Poe's apartment early in the morning, after Poe offered more pickles and cream cheese for breakfast. The redhead looked like she was ready to throw up at the mention of the combination. Poe shrugged it off, but she wished Mallory would stay. Mallory did throw her a bone, mentioning lunch for the following day at the same restaurant that they had gone to earlier. The offer got a bright smile out of the artist, which earned her a sweet kiss from the departing redhead.

Poe had her breakfast of pickles and cream cheese, not sure why Mallory thought it was such a problem combination when it tasted okay to her. She went to her canvas, thinking about painting, but then she realized something - she had not called her parents yesterday! She searched the apartment for her phone, finding it squished under the couch. Checking the screen, she saw that she had missed two calls from home and two from each of her parent's cell phones. She looked to see what day it was and dialed the house.

"Thank goodness, Poe! I thought something happened to you, my little Leonardo!" Rayne declared with a relieved sigh.

"I'm okay, Mom. Sorry I didn't call last night and I missed your calls. I was hanging out with my … friend." She figured that she could at least count Mallory as a friend by now. She felt "friend" was not the correct term, though. "Girlfriend" might be reaching too far, even though yesterday felt like a date. But, you have to ask a person to be your girlfriend, I think. If nothing else, you should definitely know if you're on a date with that person, at least.

"A lady friend?" Rayne asked with interest.

Poe blushed. "Yes, a lady, but it's not serious! We're just friends. Totally friends."

Rayne chuckled. "Your dad thought you might be with a girl and that was the only thing that kept me from calling the police. I thought something horrible had happened to you!"

The declaration made her smile. She did not like that she worried her mother, but it felt good that someone cared enough to worry. I wonder if Mallory would care if she couldn't get in contact with me. I'd worry if I couldn't get in contact with her … not that I can really get in contact with her now. Hell, can she get in contact with me? We just kinda keep running into each other. While it's on purpose, it takes some luck, too. She shook away those thoughts, remembering that she had to say something to her mother.

"You don't have to be that extreme, Mom. I can take care of myself," Poe reminded her mother. Growing up the way that she had, she had to learn early to take care of herself or she would have died along time ago, either by her hand or someone else's fist. Her parents had only added to her ability by suggesting formal martial arts training. They had also taught her to take better care of her emotional self, so she liked to think that she was now capable of handling anything life threw at her.

"I know you can, but I'm your mother and I reserve the right to worry my little heart out over you, especially when you don't answer my calls and you don't hold your pattern of calling us. So, tell me about this girl and what you did with her to miss my calls?" There was a hint of teasing in her mother's voice, but there was hope above all other things.

Poe scratched her head, wishing her mother would just leave it alone for the most part. Thankfully, she did not have anything to really get her mother's hopes up. "We just hung out. We went to lunch, the movies, and dinner. She came back to my apartment to see some of my paintings."

"Back to your place to see paintings? I thought you said it wasn't serious!" Rayne accused her.

"Mom! She was seriously looking at my paintings! Nothing serious!" She had learned that her view of sex and parents' view were different, but they all did agree that sex did not mean that a relationship was there.

Her mother scoffed. "Poe, how often do you actually invite women to your place?"

"Most of the time I can't talk to a girl long enough to get her name, so you know I almost never have women in my apartment."

"My point exactly! This woman speaks your language. You were able to do so many things with her while you barely can get a name out of a girl usually. I hope you scoop her up. This would be so much easier if you liked guys. They could romance you, but you need to do the romancing here."

"Mom! She's just a friend!" Well, maybe. I mean, it was kind of a date last night. Would she let me romance her? Do I even know how to romance if allowed to do it? Poe scratched her in thought.

"A friend you brought up to your apartment after spending a lot of time with her, so clearly there is something there. You should go for it, little Leonardo!" her mother practically cheered for her.

"Mom, it's not like that! Besides, I don't think she likes me beyond a friend," Poe argued. Mallory obviously likes being around me, but that doesn't mean she wants to date me or anybody for that matter. Hell, would I want to date a call girl?

"Do you like her?"

"Well, yeah."

"In the same way you like Nadi?" her mother inquired.

Poe's face twisted in disgust and she was more than happy that her mother could not see. "No! But, we don't have to like people the same for them to all be friends. Mom, just let me handle this, okay? If it turns out there's something more here, you'll be the first person I tell."

"All right."

"So, what have you guys been up to?" Poe asked, desperately wanting to get the conversation off of her.

"The usual. Your father is working with a wonderful set of students that he wants you to come talk to if you ever get the time."

"I always have time for Dad. He's Dad, after all. Tell him I'm there."

Rayne chuckled. "Of course."

"What about your group, Mom?"

"I'm enjoying them, of course. They're a younger set than I usually work with, but just as capable. We're all having fun and I'm learning things from them. You'll have to come to one of the shows at the end of the summer."

"I'm all over that."

Rayne laughed again and then Poe could hear commotion over the line. "Poe, please, talk to your brother before he tackles me for the phone." Calvin was probably crawling all over their mother.

Poe laughed now. "Sure thing, Mom. Talk to you later. Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Poe!" Calvin shrieked as he got on the line. "Poe, do the bears got you? I'll come save you!" he howled.

"Cal, what is with you and the bears?" she asked quite seriously.

"The bears don't have you? The wolves then! Wolves are sneakier than bears!" the boy proclaimed.

"Neither of them have me, Calvin. I'm fine."

"You can't be fine! You didn't answer the phone when Mom and Dad called and you didn't call us!"

"I know. I'm sorry, pal. I was spending time with my friend."

"Nadi?" he guessed.

"No."

"Justin?"

"No."

He gasped. "You have new friends?" he practically shouted it to the mountains.

"Yes, I have a new friend." An embarrassed blush invaded her face. Her little brother should not be so shocked and awed that she had somehow managed to make more than two friends in her life.

"Is she nice?" he asked eagerly.

Poe had to think on that for a moment. "She's nice to me."

"That's good. You should have more friends, Poe. Friends are great. I have a ton of friends at school." He then proceeded to tell her about his tons of friends in great detail, which she did not mind.

Poe smiled through the whole conversation with Calvin, even though she did not get to do much talking. They had to hang up because her parents and brothers had things planned for the day, including work. As she disconnected the call, Poe could not help smiling at the thought of her family.

"I want to make them proud of me," she whispered and then shook that away. "Well, time to put some work in."

Poe picked up her laptop and began writing. She smiled as the words flowed from her to the story. She considered that she might be done ahead of schedule if things kept at the pace that they were going. Won't my editor be surprised!

She spent the day writing, pausing only to eat and call her friends to check in with them. They were surprised and happy to hear from her, but they did not talk long as she wanted to continue her work. The day seemed to fly by and she was grateful for that as it meant that lunch with Mallory was that much closer. She crawled into bed late that night having completed another a chapter in her book. She drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face and anticipation dancing in her belly.

Poe awoke and immediately checked her phone to see the time. She was relieved that she had not overslept and missed lunch with Mallory. In fact, she had several hours to kill before she needed to be at the restaurant. She tried to spend that time writing, but found it impossible. What had been anticipation the night before suddenly felt like anxiety.

"Why am I nervous? This is just Mallory. Lunch with Mallory. Nothing big. We hang out all the time," she said to the air while tapping a pen against the coffee table. Her other hand rubbed her forehead.

Taking a breath, she tried to gather herself, but found the unease crawling up her stomach and burying itself in her chest. She blamed her mother for putting strange thoughts in her head about dating Mallory. Date. This is NOT a date. She and Mallory were good friends, yet she found herself searching for the perfect outfit, something that would catch Mallory's attention. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped herself.

"It's just Mallory, dammit. Grab a t-shirt and some jeans and move the fuck on," Poe ordered herself.

Eventually, she listened to herself and grabbed one of her favorite soccer jerseys and some jeans. She busied herself with her paints, just thinking about mixing colors and organizing them, until it was time for lunch. She managed to leave the apartment quite normally.

Mallory was sitting at a table by the time Poe arrived. She was not surprised by Poe's slight tardiness. Honestly, she would not have been surprised if Poe forgot about lunch. She would not have held it against Poe, knowing how the adorable artist could be. Hell, she probably would have rewarded Poe for such a thing.

"Am I late?" Poe asked as she sat down.

"Not at all. You're here, so you're right on time. Sit." Mallory motioned to the chair across from her. "Did you get caught up painting?"

Poe shook her head. "No, I was trying to write."

"Oh. I still want to read your work. Maybe I'll start with your autobiography. I can learn more about you." She flashed Poe a teasing smile.

"That's not fair. I can't read a book about your life and learn more about you," the younger woman argued.

"Well, now you know not to write a biography," the redhead taunted Poe, continuing to smile broadly at her.

Brown eyes rolled and she offered Mallory a smirk. "Fine. Whatever. The book only goes up to me at twelve anyway. I've changed in the past eight years."

"I should hope so. God forbid anyone was the same at twenty as they were at twelve. I have to remember to buy the book."

Poe scratched her chin. "I think I have a copy … somewhere."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't have one."

"Why do you say that?"

"Considering the fact that you paint, but you don't have a single one of your pieces hanging in your own apartment, I suspect somewhere along the line, you stopped valuing your own artistic achievements and work." Despite Poe's adoptive parents doing an obviously good job at keeping her together, there were still some cracks in the author that appeared in her life.

Poe scrunched up her face. "Are you sure you weren't a psych major?"

Mallory chuckled. "No, but in my line of work, it's good to be able to read people and understand them. It helps you give people what they need along with what they want to get them to come back for more. It can also help save your life if you end up with someone who smells like trouble. I can't turn it off now."

Poe nodded. "Makes sense. I feel like I should've picked up a skill like that in foster care."

"I'm sure some foster kids do, but you seem to have picked up a different defense mechanism," the redhead replied. She had noted a while ago that Poe had gone with the "suspect everyone" philosophy that probably had saved her life more times than either of them would ever known.

"Like what?"

"Trust no one, for starters."

Poe opened her mouth, but Mallory could not tell if it was to object or agree. Their waiter coming over to take their orders interrupted their conversation. They ordered drinks and food before turning their attention back to each other. Poe rubbed her head and Mallory wondered if she was about to blurt out something inappropriate. The younger woman opened her mouth again, but thought better of it and remained silent.

"What's going through your head?" Mallory inquired with a smile.

"Just wondering why I never did put any of my own paintings up. I mean, it's weird, right? I know my stuff is worthwhile. Hell, you should see what people pay for some of my work."

"So, you want an unofficial psych evaluation?" Mallory teased.

"No … I don't. I think I'd rather I sort through it on my own. Sort through me on my own."

"You sure?" Mallory did not want to tell the younger woman that she suspected those were other defense mechanisms that Poe had worked out for herself, self-reliance and the desire to keep people from getting close to her, mentally and emotionally. Of course, she would have added physically, but she learned that Poe just needed to be comfortable around people for them to touch her physically. She was not sure what one needed to do to get close to Poe mentally and emotionally, though, short of adopting her.

Poe nodded. "So, we gonna do something after lunch?"

"I thought we'd go see what's going on in the park."

The plan appealed to Poe if the bright smile meant anything. Poe clearly liked the park and Mallory wondered why. From what she knew about the artist, she seemed to prefer staying inside more than anything else. She decided to not analyze it because Poe did not seem to like that. She would respect Poe's privacy. Besides, Poe was not some "date" for her to try to figure out. She did not need return business from the artist.

"I think they're doing something there today," the ebony-haired female offered, trying to make small talk despite how bad they both knew she was at it.

"They're almost always doing something there. Hopefully, whatever they're doing isn't for little kids since it's the summer," Mallory said.

The park tended to get kid-friendly in the summer, but they wandered into an event that appeared to be geared toward all ages - motorized boat racing. Neither Mallory nor Poe were very interested, but they were both surprised by the size of the crowd watching the races on the glistening, sapphire pond. They stood there for a few moments, taking in the scene.

"You think they buy or build those boats," Poe wondered aloud.

"Probably both, but let's ask," Mallory replied. She spotted someone that looked official and he confirmed that the boats were both made and purchased.

"It's cool that they build them," Poe said.

Mallory only nodded because she really did not care. Poe seemed to be impressed with any type of work done by hand. She supposed that was the artist in Poe. They continued on through the park and spotted some mimes. They paused just out of curiosity. They found that they were not as entertained as the rest of the crowd. Pressing on, they wandered the park without finding much to keep their attention.

"I guess this was the wrong day for the park," Mallory chuckled.

"Nah, it's nice to get out and it's nice to share this with someone," Poe replied with a smile.

Mallory smiled in return. "Yeah, the company isn't half bad."

The pair walked the park for a few hours before ending up at Poe's apartment. Mallory wanted to read some of Poe's work. While Poe searched the apartment, the redhead made busy by looking through the paintings again. She could understand how Poe made money off of her paintings because they were beautiful. She could see much of Poe in the work, which was somewhat unnerving because the artwork put her in Poe's head more than speaking with the ebony-haired girl ever would.

"I don't know where the book is. I have it on my laptop," Poe said, turning her computer on.

"That's fine," Mallory replied, even though she shook her head. She could not believe how little Poe valued her work as far as keeping track of it.

"Okay. You still want to read my biography?"

"Yes."

"Here you go." Poe held up the laptop.

Mallory took the computer and made herself comfortable on the surprisingly soft sofa. Poe got up, moving behind Mallory, who quickly became engrossed in the memoir. Barely a few pages in, she could feel the juvenile voice that the book was written in, which actually made it more powerful. It was a constant reminder that each unhappy event was happening to a child.

"Poe?" the redhead called, glancing behind her for the younger woman. Poe stepped into view, curious brown eyes on her guest. "Come sit with me for a second," Mallory requested.

Poe walked around the couch, easing down next to Mallory. She had a bowl in her hands filed with what Mallory thought was vanilla ice cream, but upon closer inspection was a bowl of mash potatoes. For some reason, that made sense to Mallory. It would be too easy for Poe to have a bowl of ice cream, after all.

Poe cuddled into Mallory without a word between them. The younger woman tucked herself under Mallory's arm and against her chest. Mallory's hand went to Poe's head, running her fingers through silky, obsidian locks. Soon, the empty bowl was on the floor and Poe was asleep. Mallory continued reading, through the entire biography. There were so many parts that caused her chest to tighten and it felt like her ribs were going to cave in. She looked down at the author to remind herself that Poe was fine and everything had turned out all right.

When she was done, Mallory closed the computer and eased off of the couch. She grabbed a blanket off Poe's bed and used it to cover the writer. She smiled down at the younger woman.

"I'm glad things got better for you and you had the chance to do such wonderful things with your life," Mallory whispered before kissing Poe's forehead. Poe smiled in her sleep.

A frown cut across Poe's as she read an email from her editor. She slammed her laptop down and growled. Without thinking, Poe went for her phone and yelled when she realized that she did not have the number of the person that she wanted to call.

"Dammit," she snarled. Her fingers automatically dialed the only place that could comfort her in her time of need.

"Hey, doodle," her dad answered the house phone.

"Dad!" she huffed.

"What? Why can't I call you doodle?" He pretended to whine.

"Because I said so," she replied with a smile. I love messing with my dad! I'm so happy he picked up. She honestly did not have a problem with any of his nicknames for her, viewing them all as terms of endearment, but she liked that he would feign offense when she pretended to be upset.

"But, why? You let your mom call you whatever she wants, but you're always on my case. You're so much like your mom," he said and she could hear his pout in his voice.

She chuckled at him. "Because she's mom. You know how kids are with their moms."

"Even though you can't see, I'm sticking my tongue out at you. But, what's up, kiddo? Your mom was saying that you have a lady friend," he teased her by clicking his tongue.

"No! Just no! Do not listen to Mom! Mom is a crazy woman! I have a friend that is a lady, but nothing more than that."

"That's not what your mom said," he hummed.

"Mom is just wishing aloud. She wants someone to take care of me."

"I'd like that, too. So, make sure you buy this lady friend some flowers and some chocolate and if necessary you should write her a bunch of love poems. Women love that."

"Dad, she's just my friend!"

"You say that now,'' he laughed.

"She is!" she insisted.

Her father scoffed. "Well, she'd be more if you'd follow my advice and get her some flowers."

She frowned. "She's a friend and she doesn't like me like that. Hell, I don't like her that way! We're just friends."

He snickered. "Whatever you say, doodle. Oh, women love jewelry, too! I know you can afford some nice stuff."

"Dad!"

"What? Not for her, but in case you meet another woman! You need to know these things! In fact, I should've taught you all of this stuff when you were a teen. I should've shown you all of the tricks in picking up women."

She huffed. "Dad, I don't need you to help me or tell me how to pick up women."

Another scoff escaped him. "Okay. I'm just trying to be useful. You never want my advice anymore!"

She smiled. "It's not that I don't want your advice. I just need to learn on my own how to talk to women. I do want your advice on my story, though. Can I email it to you?"

"You know you can. Send me what you have. Should I be looking for anything?"

"No, just tell me what you think of what I have so far." She popped open her laptop in order to send the file to her father.

"Send it. I'm curious as to what clever trick Maru will use to get out of the trouble you put her into."

"Well, you'll see and you tell me."

"Okay. Hey, your brother just jumped on me. You want to talk to this apple head?" Nolan asked, laughing.

Poe laughed, too. She could picture her dad ruffling her brother's hair, like she would do. It was a habit that they both picked up from her mother.

"Sure, put the apple head on."

She heard the phone being passed along and then suddenly Calvin's excited voice filled her ears. A smile spread across her face as he chattered on about his day. The storm inside of her calmed and she felt like her entire being relaxed. That did not last long.

"Mom said you have a girlfriend! Are you going to bring her by? I wanna meet her to make sure she's right for you!" he proclaimed and she could envision him puffing out his chest.

She chuckled. "She's just my friend, buddy. We're not dating."

"But, Mom said you are! I have to meet her to make sure she's right for you."

"Mom is just wishing out loud. Trust me, bud, when I get a girlfriend, you and Mom will be the first to know."

"Okay. Make sure you get a girlfriend that likes to skate, so we can all going skating together. And make sure she makes you feel happy and she's nice."

"I will, bud," she promised in a low voice. For some reason, she felt both happy and empty. I have a loving family. They're great people, they want the best for me, and I couldn't ask for better family. But … why don't I feel better?

Once she hung up with her brother, she found that she still felt like there was a hole inside of her, slowly devouring everything in it's path. Sighing, she rubbed the center of her chest with one hand and scratched her head with her other hand. The hand on her chest moved to her throat, trying to rub away the burning sensation building there. Of course, that left her chest feeling like acid was welling up in her torso.

"Dammit!" she growled and tore herself the couch. "Need soccer." Soccer and a quiet place to watch the soccer. And maybe a warm body to hold her and assure her it was not the end of the world. "Hmm … maybe Dad is onto something, if only to show some appreciation …"

Mallory yawned and resisted the urge to fall out as she exited the elevator. I can't wait to hit the pillow. Stumbling, she made her way to her apartment, only to be greeted by a strange sight. Poe was tucked in by her door, holding a small bouquet of flowers. Briefly, it felt like all of the air had been sucked out of the hallway for some reason. The younger woman had her head down, but slowly turned her attention to Mallory. She offered the redhead a weak, awkward, but adorable smile.

"Uh … hi," Poe said as she climbed to her feet. She held out the flowers with a trembling hand. They were a pathetic collection of random flowers, none of which included roses, but the sight of them bothered the redhead in more than one way.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Mallory asked and she wondered if it came out harsher than she meant it to because Poe immediately looked at her feet. "Hey, you wanna watch soccer?" she asked in a gentle tone, wrapping her arm around the smaller woman.

"Yeah," Poe muttered, eyes still focused on the floor.

"You have to be quiet. I'm going right to bed."

Poe gave an eager nod and Mallory opened the door. Poe went right to the couch, possibly forgetting that she had the flowers in her hand. Mallory did not ask about them as she just wanted to fall out in the bed and she did not like the odd feelings that were wandering through her exhausted mind and body. She would find out about the strange visit once she got up.

Mallory went to bed, not even bothering to shower. Stripping naked, she collapsed onto her firm, king-sized mattress and crawled to rest her head on her pillows. She was asleep within moments.

Hours later, Mallory woke up and went to take a hot, long shower. She washed her hair for almost the entire shower. She took her time drying her crimson mane and pampered her skin with all sorts of lotions. She then went back to her bedroom to get dressed.

She slipped on a skimpy black and emerald teddy and was not surprised that the house was quiet. She wandered to the living room and was also not surprised to see Poe on the sofa, engrossed in a muted soccer game, quiet as a church mouse. She wasted no time cuddling up to Poe, throwing her arms around the smaller woman.

"You're up," Poe pointed out the obvious.

"You're here," Mallory countered with a smile. She's so damned cute with her awkwardness!

"You said I could stay. Do you want me to leave?"

Mallory snickered and pulled Poe close to her. "If I said you could stay, why would I want you to leave?"

Poe shrugged. "I dunno. I wasn't sure if you wanted to be by yourself or something. I tried to be quiet, but I still could've woken you up. Did I?"

"No, you were fine. I woke up on my own. Now, why were you on my doorstep?"

There was another shrug. "I wanted to see … some soccer."

Mallory suspected there was more to it than that, especially since Poe had had flowers with her, but she knew not to push Poe. The artist would probably clam up on her forever and then her response would be the truth. So, she just accepted that and held onto Poe a bit tighter.

"How long were you out there?" the redhead asked.

"I dunno. A couple of hours. The doorman let me up sometime early in the afternoon."

Mallory put her hand on Poe's stomach and stroked her belly. "Sounds like you were waiting a while. You hungry?"

"Food would be good."

"You could've taken some food from my fridge. You'd be happy to know most of my food complements each other and can be together to form a meal even. You could've made a snack."

Brown eyes gazed down at the floor briefly. "I didn't know …"

"Well, now you know. You should've gone out to get something to eat while you were waiting. It's not like it would've mattered if you missed me. You could've just woken me up. How long were you planning on waiting out there?"

Poe shrugged. "Until you came, I guess."

Mallory chuckled and nuzzled Poe's silky hair. "You really love your soccer, huh?"

"It helps right my world. I dunno. Maybe it's a way to connect with my dad when he's not here. I dunno."

"Why do you need your world righted?" Maybe this is why she showed up with flowers. I shouldn't read too much into that. This is Poe, after all. That reminder helped set her at ease, but something strange fluttered in her belly just underneath things.

Poe sighed. "It's not important."

"Of course, it's important. It made you wait outside my apartment for hours."

"I'd have called, but I don't know your phone number."

Mallory sighed and nuzzled Poe's hair again. "You're avoiding. Even if you were able to call me and find out I wasn't here, you'd have waited for me, I bet. Am I right?"

"Well, yeah. I wanna see soccer."

"There's more to it than that, Poe. Tell me what happened. Why do you suddenly need your soccer fix?" she asked in soft tone and she kissed behind Poe's ear.

Poe made a sound like a deep purr and a groan. It was sexy. Mallory made a mental index of it, wanting to get Poe to make that noise the next time that they were in bed.

"My editor called me about my book …" Poe started.

"And? Didn't you finish it on time?" Mallory inquired.

"I did. My editor … he didn't like the turn that the story took. I sent it to my dad for his opinion. I don't think it's bad."

"What didn't he like?"

"I gave Maru a sidekick."

"So?"

Poe sighed. "A girl sidekick."

"I repeat, so?"

"There's already all of this speculation that Maru is gay and he felt like a female sidekick would only fan the flames and he doesn't want that. So, he wants me to lose the sidekick. It would change the whole story and Maru doesn't evolve as a character without the sidekick. I don't know what to do."

Mallory's brow furrowed. "Is the only objection to the sidekick that she makes Maru seem gayer?"

"No, he doesn't like the sidekick altogether. He thinks I forced her into the story. I think she fits and supports the story while he thinks I pushed her in there and changed the plot to add her. I don't want to change the story as it helps set up the next book in the damn series."

"Then don't change it."

"But, I might be wrong. I asked my dad to read it and I'll see what he thinks. Once I get his opinion, I'll go from there."

Mallory stroked Poe's hair. "Sounds like you have it all figured out."

The artist shrugged. "I guess. We'll see how it turns out. Why were you so tired?"

"Just one of those days. I was with a client all day. The convention was fine and almost entertaining for the first hour, but by the sixth, I just want out of my shoes. And I hate having to be clients' mommy once we get to a room. Unfortunately, that seems to be my talent."

A cute wrinkle appeared on a tan forehead. "Being a mommy? Does it make you not want to be a mommy then?"

Mallory blew out a breath. "I don't want to be a mommy to an adult, especially not for twelve hours. It also blows my mind at the number of people that want to fuck women like their mothers. Now, I love my mother, but not in a manner that makes me want to sleep with someone like her. Hell, I even love tits and puss as much as the next sexually healthy human being, but I don't want the person they're connected to be anything like my mother. I'd be waiting for her to tell me to clean my room."

Poe snickered. "That would be weird role playing."

"Yeah, we're never doing that, just so you know."

Poe laughed more, so Mallory laughed, too. As they settled, Mallory adjusted herself, so that Poe was resting against her chest. Almond-shaped eyes drifted back to the television, focusing on her precious soccer. Mallory smiled and kissed the top of Poe's head. Bless her heart. She doesn't even realize she's resting against satin and perky tits.

Mallory busied herself by running her finger up and down Poe's neck. The artist did not say anything, but she tilted her head and gave the redhead better access. Mallory suspected the movement was unconscious because Poe was very into her soccer game.

"I'm going to order lunch. Wait, is it lunchtime?" Mallory craned her neck to check the time on the cable box. "Damn, almost dinnertime. I slept too long. What do you want to eat?" Blue eyes glanced down at Poe and they both laughed. "Why am I even asking you? I could cut up cardboard and you'd eat it with fucking pickles."

"Cardboard sounds more like a ketchup thing."

The redhead laughed and she kissed the top of Poe's head. Reaching for her cell phone, she put in a call for takeout, not bothering to ask her guest what she wanted. The food arrived almost an hour later and as Mallory went to answer the door, she found out what happened to Poe's sad, little bouquet. They were sitting on the kitchen counter in one of her champagne flutes, which she supposed was the closest thing Poe could find to a vase in her home. The sight put a smile on her face and caused another strange flutter; this time in her chest.

They ate dinner on the sofa, so that Poe could still see her game. For dinner, Poe shifted her attention to her food mostly, only glancing at the TV when it sounded like something exciting was going on. After the meal, Poe's attention went right back to the soccer game.

Mallory sighed and busied herself with cleaning up. When she returned to the couch, she then busied herself with caressing Poe's abdomen under her shirt. Naturally, her hand inched its way up to Poe's breasts. She kneaded the handful of lovely, youthful boob. She was amazed that Poe did not react. She took that as a challenge and she liked a challenge.

The redhead licked and nipped Poe's little ear while rolling her nipple. The feel of the small, plump flesh rising under her fingertips caused her to purr. Her other hand snaked into Poe's pants.

"I'm sick of soccer, Poe. Let's go to bed. I wanna ride you," Mallory whispered. Poe cooed and pushed her hips up to meet the redhead's hand. Mallory smiled. "You'd like that, right, Poe? Me moving on top of you? My body getting all sweaty, my breasts bouncing in front of your face?" Thinking about it, Mallory almost groaned, but she knew that would ruin the spell that she cast on the younger woman. She knew that Poe enjoyed the enchantment, even if she never said anything and she did not want to spoil that.

Poe moaned and nodded. "Y-yes," she managed to whisper.

"Good girl for answering. I'd hate to have to spank you. Well … maybe not hate. Your ass is precious when it's just a little red, makes me want to bite it like an apple. I could ride you and pop you a couple of times with the crop?" She wiggled her tongue in Poe's ear.

Poe whimpered. "You could …"

Mallory groaned at the thought. It had taken a lot of work to get Poe to accept spankings and she understood why after reading Poe's biography. Poe took a little sting and nothing more. In fact, Mallory had never been with someone that used a safe word so often. Yet, the thought of just giving Poe a little made her ache more than giving a lot to anyone else ever did.

"If you're really good, I'll let you come in my mouth with my tongue inside you. You like that, right?"

Poe nodded. "I do …"

"So, you'll be a good girl?" She pressed her fingers against Poe, if only to disrupt the artist's already limited thought process.

Another whimper escaped the younger woman. "Uh-huh."

"Then turn off the TV and take me to bed."

Poe nodded and quickly reached for the remote to turn off the television. She rushed up, which actually cost her the joy of having Mallory's hand inside of her pants, but she did not seem to notice. Her eyes fell onto Mallory and opened as wide as they could. Her mouth dropped open as she took in the sight of the redhead. Mallory smirked and put her hand out for Poe to help her up, which Poe wasted no time doing.

"Were you always wearing that?" Poe asked curiously.

"Of course, but you thought soccer was more important than noticing my choice of outfit. Only bad girls think soccer is more important than I am, so you have to get popped. Understood?"

Poe whimpered and nodded. Mallory smirked and began walking toward the bedroom. Poe trotted behind her as if she was completely and utterly mesmerized by the sway of Mallory's hips.

Poe woke up and felt ecstasy still dancing at the edge of her nerve endings. The scent of she and Mallory still hung in the air and she swore that she could still taste Mallory on the tip of her tongue. Letting out a low, long breath, she sat up. She went to rub her eyes and found that she could not move one hand. Glancing up, she saw that her right arm was handcuffed to the bed. That explains why I can't feel my arm. Groaning, she turned to Mallory, who was asleep.

"Mallory," Poe whispered, almost like she did not wish to rouse the sleeping redhead.

Mallory groaned. "Sleep, Poe."

"No, awake. You left me cuffed."

"Wha?"

"You left me cuffed. I wanna get up, but I'm stuck."

"Stuck?" Despite the echo, Mallory sounded more awake and aware.

"I'm still cuffed."

"Cuffed? Oh, shit! I left you cuffed. Sorry. Can you still feel your arm?" Mallory shot up to get the key. She quickly released Poe before falling back down on her pillow.

"I've got the tingles in my arm," the younger woman replied as Mallory tried to pull her closer and settle down for sleep again. She resisted.

Blue eyes blinked. "What are you doing? Lie down."

"I think I'm gonna go home."

"It's not because I left you cuffed, right? I know you didn't like it at first and you only tried it for me, but I didn't mean to leave you cuffed."

There was a panic in those sapphire eyes that touched Poe in some way that she could not categorize. She gave Mallory a smile, making sure the older woman understood that she did not do anything wrong. Yes, Poe had had a lot of sexual hangups, and bondage was a big one of them, but that was not why she was leaving.

"I know you didn't mean to do it. It was a mistake and I don't mind just having one arm cuffed now. I'm gonna home, though. I'm feeling better. Maybe I can fix parts of the novel," Poe replied. She felt centered for some reason and now she could objectively look at the story to see what she could change.

Mallory moaned and hugged Poe around the waist. "Okay. Good luck."

Poe smiled and leaned down to give Mallory her goodbye kiss. The redhead smiled and then sighed as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep. Poe got up and got dressed. She was about to leave when Mallory suddenly shot up from the bed.

"Wait, Poe," Mallory called. "Come here."

Poe obeyed and went to the redhead. Mallory reached for a pen and took Poe's arm. She wrote down a number on Poe's forearm.

"So, you don't have to wait in the hall next time," Mallory explained.

Poe grinned. "Okay." She leaned down and gave Mallory another kiss before leaving, much more thorough than the other kiss. In the hall, under the bright lights, she stared down at the bold, black lines on her arm. Her heart fluttered as she quickly committed the number to memory.

Mallory sighed as she stared at the ceiling of her bedroom and mentally scolded herself. She had just broken a cardinal rule of her profession. She was not supposed to give her personal number out, but she had gone beyond that with Poe anyway.

"Well, she already knows where I live and she's not really a client. We only went on one date," Mallory pointed out and that was good enough for her. She was able to fall back asleep.

Next time: there's a party and Poe invites Mallory.

Shea K.'s Scrolls
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