Taking a Shot at Love Page 18

  Celeste grabbed her purse, locked her door, and she ran into Jackie as she turned around.

  “Where’s the fire, doll?”

  “Excuse me? Did you just call me ‘doll’?”

  Jackie leered at Celeste, and she’d had it.

  “I’m serious, Jackie. If you don’t start leaving me alone, I’ll take this to Gerald Prescott and let him take care of you.”

  Jackie snorted. “For what? For trying to win you back? For calling you terms of endearment?”

  “No, for sexually harassing me. For making unwanted advances. For making me uncomfortable in my place of employment. For the last time, leave me alone.”

  Celeste nudged her out of the way and went to pick up Olivia at her office. She wouldn’t tell Olivia about her encounter with Jackie. More important matters were at hand. They walked to a nearby restaurant and found a table near the back that was free. After they’d ordered their iced tea, Celeste got to the point.

  “I think I’m starting to have feelings for Lisa.”

  Olivia stared at Celeste and didn’t say a word.

  “Stop rolling your eyes at me.”

  “I did no such thing.”

  “Mentally, you did.”

  “What do you want me to say? At the risk of sounding like a thirteen-year-old…duh.”

  If Celeste was thirteen, she would’ve thrown something at Olivia and called her a smart-ass.

  “This is serious. I need you to give me reasons why I shouldn’t have feelings for her.”

  Olivia thought for a moment, then Celeste could almost see the light bulb go off.

  “I know. She’s single. She’s really good-looking.” Olivia started ticking off her fingers. “According to you, she’s great in bed…and against the wall. She treats you with kindness and respect. She forgives you when you’ve acted like an ass. She has a great job, great best friend. She seems normal. Shall I go on?”

  “I think you misheard me. I said reasons not to fall for her.”

  Olivia placed her finger under her chin like she was considering what Celeste said.

  “Huh. I guess you’re right. Let me think for a moment.” Olivia picked up her iced tea and sipped it, keeping Celeste waiting. “No, I can’t think of anything.”

  “Are you serious? What about when she takes another coaching job, leaving me and GU behind?”

  “What if she takes another coaching job in Southern California? Are you aware of how many universities there are in Orange and Los Angeles Counties? You’d be willing to deny a possible relationship based on if she gets another coaching job? Have you considered that you might be a game-changer for her? That she might want something more with you than an occasional night of sex?”

  “Well, there’s also the problem that she works at the same university.”

  “I’ll admit you had a good reason when you implemented that rule.”

  Finally. Celeste felt like she was finally getting somewhere with Olivia.

  “But Lisa is not Jackie, and she wouldn’t betray you like that.”

  Their food came and Olivia doctored her salad while Celeste sat there looking like someone kicked her puppy. Olivia pointed her fork at her.

  “Stop pouting and eat your salad. You know I’m right.”

  “You’d certainly like to think so.” Celeste had to get in one last jab to make her feel this lunch wasn’t a total loss. Despite her diminished appetite from Olivia’s dressing down, Celeste managed to eat most of her lunch. Every once in a while, Olivia would mention another wonderful thing about Lisa, just to drive her point further in. It appeared that Celeste would have a lot to think about when it came to Lisa.

  If she decided to take a chance on a relationship with Lisa, how would she even bring it up with her? That is, if Lisa was even interested in the same thing. God, she’d wished she had more experience with women. She’d felt so out of her element with that whole dating thing. And, honestly, she still couldn’t believe that a woman as good-looking as Lisa would be interested in Celeste. She guessed the saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” might be true.

  * * *

  “Hey, let me ask you a question.”

  “Shoot, Ice.”

  Lisa and Athena were sitting in their office, both quiet as they did some work on their computers. They still had a couple of hours before practice started, and Lisa needed to voice some things she’d been thinking about.

  “I might be in trouble.”

  Athena looked up from her computer and over at Lisa. “What did you do now?”

  “You say that like I get into a lot of trouble,” Lisa said as she threw a paper clip at Athena.

  They laughed at the absurdity of that statement.

  “Shut up so I can ask you a question. I think I might be having some feelings for Celeste.”

  “You don’t say.” Athena pretended to yawn and placed her hand over her open mouth.

  “I’m serious.”

  “Oh, I know. I just find it funny that you took this long to realize it.”

  “You’re right. Actually, my question is, what do I do about it? Celeste and I already decided we’d be just friends and the whole benefit thing is working well for us, but I find myself thinking about her all the time. How do I get over that?”

  “Why would you want to? Why not take it to the next level?”

  “A couple of reasons. One is because of the possibility of me leaving the school, and two, she doesn’t want to date anyone she works with. I met her ex the other day and she’s a real piece of work. I won’t tell you Celeste’s story with her, but the ex spread some rumors about Celeste when she broke things off.”

  “Wait. She has an ex that works here?”

  “Yeah, some butch chick who teaches in the business school She looks kind of like Jane Lynch.”

  Athena laughed. “How do you do that?”

  “Do what?” Lisa played dumb because she knew exactly what Athena was talking about. She’d always had this uncanny ability to assign a regular person to a celebrity—either in the way they looked, their mannerisms, or the way they spoke. “If we’re ever together when I see her again, I’ll point her out, but you’ll already know.”

  “I’m almost tempted to walk over to that building and look around until I find her.”

  “Believe me when I say you don’t want to waste your time. She’s a piece of work that’ll make you frustrated and you’ll want to throat punch her.”

  “Did you want to throat punch her?”

  “So many times, you have no idea. Celeste and I were having coffee the other day and she interrupted us, didn’t even acknowledge me, and told Celeste they could work things out. When she finally did acknowledge me, she basically told me to stay out of it, that it wasn’t my business. After she finally left, Celeste told me their history. I have a feeling, though, that that isn’t the last time I see her.”

  “We should go have a talk with her.”

  “Athena, I appreciate you wanting us to protect Celeste, but she held her own and gave it to Jackie. Besides, we’re not in our teens. We’re almost fifty and we have to act mature, even if we don’t want to. At least in public.”

  “I know, but I can’t stand bullies. And being butches, we want to help save the damsel in distress.”

  “Yes, except when the damsel isn’t in distress and can take care of herself. I saw the way Celeste talked to Jackie, and she can definitely handle things on her end. Anyways, back to my question. What do I do about it? I’m really starting to care for her a lot and I don’t want to lose her, especially as a friend.”

  “I think you’re just going to have to buck up and tell her how you feel. She might feel the same. Or maybe you two can stop having sex and go back to being just friends without benefits.”

  That last idea sounded awful. The few times Lisa and Celeste had had sex were amazing. Lisa couldn’t get enough of her. Celeste liked to explore Lisa sexually, and Lisa certainly didn’t have a problem letting Celeste explore unt
il her heart was content. But Athena was right. Lisa needed to talk to Celeste about her feelings to see where she was and what she thought about possibly dating. If Celeste wasn’t down for it, they could always just stop having sex.

  “You’re right. This should be something we both have a say in. I’ll talk to her later about it.”

  After practice, Lisa texted Celeste to see if she was still on campus.

  Yes. Are you all right?

  Yeah. Just wondering if I could come by and talk to you about something. Can I come to your office in about thirty minutes?

  Sure. I’ll see you then.

  Lisa paced her office for the next twenty-five minutes, talking to herself and planning what she was going to say to Celeste. She wanted to be cool, not let Celeste think they couldn’t be friends if she didn’t want to date. Keeping Celeste as a friend was important to Lisa if that was all she could have. She didn’t want any awkwardness between them. She looked at her watch and decided to leave a little early. She spent the walk across campus mentally going over her planned speech. She didn’t even see Emily Logan walking toward her until she almost ran into her.

  “Hey, Coach. What’s going on?”

  “Oh, hi, Logan. I’m just…” What was she doing? She didn’t want her players to know she was trying to get Celeste to be her girlfriend, or whatever. “I’m just taking a walk to get some fresh air and grab a snack. Are you okay? You need anything?”

  “No, I actually just stopped by Professor Bouchard’s office to thank her for believing in me and helping me understand her class. It meant a lot to me that she gave me extra time.”

  “That was really sweet of you. You’re right, that was nice of her.” Whew. Close call, missing Emily in Celeste’s office.

  “Yeah, and I like that she comes to our games. I’ve seen her look at you, Coach. You should ask her out.”

  What? She’d never discussed her personal life, especially her sex life, with any of her players. It wasn’t any of their business and it would be inappropriate. She didn’t hide the fact that she was a lesbian, but she didn’t flaunt it either.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I think she likes you, Coach. She’s fantastic. I think you’re fantastic. I think you two would be great together.”

  “You do, huh?” Even though it was none of Emily’s business, Lisa did appreciate that she was on her side and looking out for her.

  “Yep.” Emily looked pleased with herself that she was playing matchmaker for Lisa and Celeste, not knowing what was already going on between them.

  Lisa squinted and stared at Emily. She clapped her hand on the side of Emily’s shoulder before she started past her. “Mind your business, Logan.” The sound of Emily laughing followed her a little while longer.

  She got to Celeste’s office and knocked on the door. When Celeste looked up and smiled, Lisa’s breath caught. Damn, she was gorgeous and she had no idea how turned out Lisa’s insides got when she smiled like that.

  “Come in and have a seat.”

  Lisa shut the door, took a deep breath in, and sat down before letting it out. She rocked back and forth a little, getting up her nerve to say what she wanted.

  “I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to feel obligated to do something you don’t want to do, and if you don’t want to do it, we’ll still be friends.” Lisa took a breath and waited for Celeste’s reaction, but she stayed silent. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Lisa realized she hadn’t said anything yet.

  “Right. So, here’s the thing. I like you. A lot. I think you’re beautiful, sexy, smart, kind, funny. I’ve realized lately that I’m having stronger feelings for you and I’d really like for us to be more than friends.”

  “Wow. That’s interesting.”

  “In a good way or bad way?”

  Celeste chuckled. “Good. I had been thinking the same thing, actually.”

  “You have?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure that would be a good idea. You see, I vowed I would never date anyone I work with and you fall into that category. You’re also looking to leave the school and go to a larger university. What happens when you leave? Do we carry on a long-distance relationship?”

  “I don’t know, Celeste. All I know is that I like you. I want to be more than just your friend. I want to take you out on dates, and I’m not interested in seeing other women. And if you think about it, we’re already sleeping together. If I was an asshole like Jackie, I could’ve already spread rumors, but that’s not who I am, and I think you know that about me. I don’t like drama. I just want to do my job, take care of my team, and see where we can take this thing going on between us.” Lisa waved her finger between them.

  “You make a good argument, Coach. I actually talked to Olivia about this. I’m having feelings for you, too. More than friends feelings.”

  Lisa walked slowly over to Celeste, reached for her hands, and helped her up so that they were standing face-to-face.

  “Oh, yeah? What did she say?”

  “In a nutshell?” Celeste smirked and Lisa nodded. “Duh.”

  Lisa burst out in laughter. “Athena basically said the same.” She took another step closer so that there was only a sliver of space between them.

  “Maybe we should’ve listened to them that first night we all had dinner together.”

  “Mmm, I’m not so sure. I don’t think either one of us was in the right mindset to consider it. Besides, I liked being your friend and getting to know you.” Lisa slid her arms around Celeste’s waist and Celeste wrapped her arms around Lisa’s neck.

  “Are you going to kiss me, Coach?”

  “You better believe it, Professor,” Lisa whispered before capturing Celeste’s lips with her own. Lisa’s entire body felt on fire and she had no control over her pulse. The longer they kissed, sliding their tongues against each other’s, Lisa’s libido grew out of control. She broke free and quickly locked the office door and turned out the overhead lights. She hastily moved a stack of papers to the other side of Celeste’s desk to clear a space. She moved her hands under Celeste’s skirt and pulled her panties down around her ankles, and lifted her skirt above her hips. Celeste had high-heeled shoes on, and the heels dug into Lisa’s ass when she lifted Celeste onto the desk and she wrapped her legs around Lisa’s waist.

  Lisa kissed Celeste’s neck, moving her way down to her chest as she slid two fingers into Celeste’s hot and wet sex. She slid easily in and out, pumping her fingers faster and deeper. She felt Celeste grab her hair and pulled it hard, causing Lisa to gasp. Her own clit grew hard and Celeste’s walls clenched around Lisa’s thrusting fingers.

  “Oh, God, Lisa. You’re going to make me come.”

  “Come on, baby. You’re so close. Come for me.”

  Celeste turned her face into Lisa’s shoulder and bit down while she cried out her release. Lisa slowed her fingers and gently withdrew. She kissed Celeste and held her tight against her body.

  “That was amazing and so damned sexy.”

  Celeste chuckled. “I’ll never be able to work at my desk without thinking about this night. You wouldn’t know this, but this had been one of my fantasies.”

  “What? Having sex on your desk?”

  “No.” Celeste trailed her finger down Lisa’s neck into the vee of her polo shirt. “You. Taking me on my desk. Owning me like you just did.”

  “Jesus.” Lisa’s head spun and she had to brace her hands on the desk to steady herself.

  “Now, I’m going to fulfill another fantasy of mine.” Celeste untied the drawstring to Lisa’s track pants and slid them down to her ankles. “Sit.” Celeste pointed to her office chair and Lisa obeyed. “Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. You wouldn’t want anyone coming in here before I finish with you.”

  Lisa shook her head and said nothing. Celeste folded up her sweater that was hanging on the back of her chair and placed it on the floor in front of Lisa before getting down on her knees. Sweet baby Jesus. Lisa couldn�
��t believe what Celeste was about to do to her. In her office. On a school night. Celeste placed her hands on Lisa’s knees and unabashedly spread them as wide as they would go.

  Lisa’s scent wafted to Celeste’s nose and her mouth immediately watered. Since Celeste had met Lisa, she’d fantasized about this moment. Celeste had always been proper and reserved at school. She typically only let her wild side out while she was pole dancing. Something about Lisa made Celeste uninhibited, and she wanted to do all the sex things in all the places with her.

  She looked at Lisa, looked at her glistening sex, and she licked her lips. At first taste, Celeste closed her eyes in rhapsody and took a moment to feel her mouth on Lisa, to taste her, to smell her. She was in heaven. Lisa smelled clean, tasted a little salty, and Celeste started to feast. She took her time, kissed her labia, slowly ran her tongue from the base of Lisa’s clit to the very tip, then she pulled it into her mouth. It grew against her tongue and she felt increased wetness against her chin. Celeste released Lisa’s tight bundle of nerves and used her tongue to clean up the excessive wetness from Lisa’s opening, and Lisa’s hips bucked up toward Celeste’s mouth.

  Lisa’s breathing was loud, but to her credit, she was keeping the volume of her moans on low. Lisa’s knuckles turned white with the death grip she had on the arms of the chair. Celeste used her own hands to spread Lisa’s lips apart and blew cool air on Lisa’s clit. She used the tip of her tongue to quickly flick it, then she moved her tongue slowly around the growing bud. Celeste looked up at Lisa with her mouth open, allowing Lisa to see what Celeste’s tongue was doing to her. Oops, there was more wetness against her chin. She’d better clean that up. Without breaking eye contact with Lisa, she used her tongue to lap up Lisa’s juices before thrusting her tongue in and out a few times. Lisa’s eyes slammed shut and she begged through clenched teeth.