Page 21 of Throw Away the Key
“I… oh my god,” Emma smiled. “That was um, wow.”
Sadie nodded, resting her chin on her arms splayed across Emma’s abdomen. “That was something I had been thinking about, I just didn't think it would actually happen.”
Emma ran a hand over her hair as she tried to catch her breath. “I didn't think it would either. I honestly didn't think that you liked me very much.”
“What?” Sadie pulled back to hover over her, studying her face.
“You just seemed so annoyed with me. Do I remind you of an ex or something?”
Sadie buried her face in Emma’s neck, nuzzling her bare skin. “Looks can be deceiving,” she mumbled as she moved to Emma’s side, pulling her close. “I was drawn to you that very first day, but I was trying to keep things professional. Maybe I overdid it.”
“You looked at me like you hated me,” Emma chuckled.
“Looks can be deceiving,” Sadie repeated as she scooted closer still, kissing Emma. “I’m sorry it made you feel like that though. I didn’t handle that well, and I try to mask what you do to me.”
“Oh yeah?” Emma breathed, gently raking her nails against the nape of Sadie’s neck and earning a faint gasp. “What do I do to you?” Emma unbuckled Sadie’s belt as she tasted herself on Sadie’s tongue. When she drew down the zipper, the front door buzzed.
“You've got to be kidding me,” Sadie murmured against Emma's lips.
“What? Who's that?”
“Probably the locksmith,” Sadie ran her tongue down Emma’s jaw before planting a kiss below her ear. She rolled away from Emma, kicking her feet over the side of the bed to search for her clothes.
“Oh, fuck,” Emma whispered. “I thought they were gonna take longer.”
“He must have finished early.” Sadie pulled on her shirt. “You can wait here if you want.” A question hung in her voice, but Emma couldn’t discern whether the question was asking her to stay.
As much as she wanted to stay and continue to explore, her anxiety rose to the surface. “No, it's okay. I'll get dressed.”
Sadie eyed her curiously and nodded, closing the bedroom door behind her as she went to let the locksmith in. By the time Emma had dressed and returned to the living room, Sadie was seated on the couch, finishing her slice of guava and cheese tart. The front door of her apartment was wide open. “He's almost done,” she said between chews. “God, this is so fucking good.”
Emma watched Sadie lick a flake of pastry from her lips, her eyes zeroing in on the wet patch of skin. “Wow, that's fast.” She could care less about getting into that damn apartment.
Sadie licked her fingers, seemingly unaware of Emma’s inner turmoil. “Yeah, they're really good at what they do. That's why I always keep them on speed dial.”
Emma nodded, sitting next to Sadie on the couch and planting a kiss on her lips. “Did you have plans today that I totally ruined?”
Sadie shrugged, a lopsided smile on her face. “It wasn't your fault.”
“So that's a yes.”
Sadie’s head bobbed. “It's okay. I can still make it for the better part of the event.”
Emma nodded, running her hand up Sadie’s thigh. “Well, I'd like to finish what we started if you wouldn’t mind being a bit later.” She stared into Sadie's deep brown eyes with her curling lashes.
“Yeah,” Sadie cleared her throat. “That sounds entirely doable.” She leaned forward to kiss Emma again as they heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. Emma bit her lip, giggling as Sadie sighed, “Foiled again.”
They smiled at each other, rising from the couch.
“Hi there,” the locksmith called into the apartment as he poked his head in the door and Sadie beckoned him inside. “I believe these are for you.” He handed a key to Sadie and two keys on a keychain to Emma. “I’m Eddie. I understand that you have a hard time locating your keys.”
“Nice to meet you. So I'm infamous already,” Emma grinned, turning a playful side-eye to Sadie, who looked up, as if she’d seen something up on the ceiling.
He shrugged, laugh lines crinkling. “We get to hear little bits and pieces here every now and again. But, Sadie thought this might help you out.” He handed her a bright orange carabiner for her keys. “You can keep them connected to your purse or backpack or whatever it is you use. So at least if you are good at remembering your purse but bad about remembering your phone or your keys, this might help.”
“Wow, thank you! This is very thoughtful.” She hooked her keys into the carabiner and connected it to a belt loop on her jeans, beaming at Sadie.
She nodded. “Just don’t forget they’re attached to your jeans when you take them off.”
