Page 61 of Spicy Sapphic Christmas

Bea cringed. She had to distract Jo as best as she could. She had to stop the bad thoughts from consuming their entire night, and while she couldn’t stop her own turmoil over Bunny, she could certainly distract the both of them with whatever budding relationship was happening with Piper and Jo. “Well, why don’t you tell me more about Piper? I’m sure that’ll help keep your mind off the crazy one.”

“I miss this.” Jo almost bounced out of her seat as she spoke.

Bea smiled, letting the statement wash over them for a moment or two. She didn’t turn to Jo, and Jo seemed to remain staring straight ahead as well.

“I miss it too, baby sis.”

Thankfully, neither of them needed to be anywhere in the morning, and studio time hadn’t been available until the afternoon. They could stay up late, eat junk food, and sleep in all morning.

“Do you ever think you might one day just call me sister, or better yet, just Jo?”

“Probably not.” Bea chuckled as she tried to work out what the characters of the scene were talking about. Her emotions were too much, and the conversation had taxed the last of her energy reserves.

“Thanks.” Jo laughed, and she all but vibrated as she spoke about Piper with the energy of youth and affection.

Once Jo had gushed about the main points of Piper’s brilliance several times, she finally stilled enough for Bea to relax into the couch.

“I like Bunny, too,” Jo added. “And you seem different since we’ve started working with them.”

“Is that good or bad different?” Bea stiffened unexpectedly. She should have been able to hide her discomfort better, but it was so hard with Jo.

Jo shrugged as a yawn took over, but she didn’t answer. Which left Bea in even more turmoil. Crushing on Bunny was probably a bad idea. And if her temper was anything to go by, Bea really needed to stay as far away as possible. The last thing she needed was to fall in love with someone who couldn’t even love themself. But Bea hadn’t really considered what Bunny had been through, what Bunny had seen and experienced herself.

Another hour passed before Bea realized that Jo had fallen asleep. Leaving the television on, Bea sauntered to her room and changed her clothes. So much for a late night. Maybe they were getting too old for those kinds of things. Burrowing under her blankets, she stared at the ceiling. Her thoughts swirled in so many spirals she couldn’t untangle them.

But one thought was clear.

What the hell was wrong with Bunny?

mandy

NINETEEN

bunny

Bunny hadn’t slept.

She had gotten a meeting request from Siena for ten in the morning the next day. Her body and mind had taken turns tormenting her throughout the evening with fears and doubts colliding with anger and frustration.

At three in the morning, she had given up. She stood in the shower, letting the sound of the water lull her into calm. It was nothing but a false one for sure, but the relief made her almost weep. By eight, she felt like she’d run a marathon. By nine, she’d been ready to go for an hour, and she stepped out of her door to head to Siena’s offices.

The world bustled around her, people pushing and shoving on their way to their jobs or lives. Her irritation at those completely lost in their own world took on a whole new level of annoyance as Bunny pushed her way through.

At one time it had annoyed her that people didn’t recognize her and Piper when they were out in public. But it turned out, most people never expected to see anyone even remotely famous in their day-to-day lives, and it had just been her big fat ego talking. Today, Bunny had never been more grateful for the complete ignorance of the human race.

Before pushing open the door to Siena’s offices, she stood still and took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly, forcing her shoulders down from around her ears as she did.

Gripping the coffee cup as tightly as she dared in her right hand, she finally pushed open the door with her left. No matter what happened today, she wouldn’t walk in, or out for that matter, with her tail between her legs and the weight of the world visible on her countenance.

“Morning, Bunny.” Paula, she was pretty sure her name was Paula, greeted her the moment she stepped into the reception area of Siena’s office.

“Morning Paula. I have a meeting with Siena.”

“Oh, it’s Polly, and absolutely, I have you down here in the calendar. Just take a seat, and Siena will be with you shortly. Can I get you a drink?”

Bunny lifted the cup and shook it a little only to discover that there was no longer any weight in it. When had she finished it?

“Oh, that would be great.” Bunny felt her insides deflated like a flower in the summer midday sun. So much for not having her tail between her legs.

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