Family Affair by Saxon Bennett

seemed to sparkle and Chase felt heartened by it rather than ashamed of her confession.
     
    "So what did you do?"
     
    "I took her advice and wrote another one. I sent it in and I'm waiting for another rejection notice, but this one is better than the last one. I took out a lot of the melodrama that I gravitated toward in my first novel."
     
    "That's awesome."
     
    Chase sipped her coffee and eyed her companion. "So what's your dream?"
     
    "I'll show you."
     
    They went to Gitana's studio apartment near the University. It seemed everyone Chase knew lived around the campus, except for her—she still lived at home in her mother's pretentious house. She avoided taking people there if she could.
     
    Gitana's apartment had a futon bed in the middle of the room, a tiny kitchenette painted sky blue which Chase thought was an odd color for a kitchen, and large south facing windows covered with precariously constructed open-sided wooden shelves that contained weird plants that Chase had never seen before. The room looked like a jungle and smelled like paradise. Puzzled, she looked at Gitana.
     
    "They're orchids. I want to have a nursery and grow orchids."
     
    "They're beautiful." Chase gently stroked a petal. It was soft and looked so fragile like the slightest breeze would send the whole plant, pot and all, back to the jungles of the Amazon.
     
    "So are you," Gitana said. She had her cornered.
     
    "Well, you know I didn't really have anything to do with that—genetic punch bowl is more like it." Chase attempted to inch away without appearing rude.
     
    Gitana put her arm up against the wall, effectively blocking Chase's escape. "Why are you making this so hard?"
     
    "Making what hard?" Chase was thoroughly confused.
     
    "This." Gitana kissed her. "I want you so bad it hurts."
     
    Chase immediately broke all her rules of engagement. She kissed her back, ran her fingers through Gitana's long dark hair, let herself be pushed onto the bed, her T-shirt and shorts removed, her stomach kissed and her legs opened so Gitana could bite, suck and fuck her until she made animal noises and cried out for more. It was almost embarrassing thinking about it now. From that moment on Gitana coursed through her veins and nothing else mattered.
     
    As they walked the grounds, Gitana tugged at her hand. "What were you thinking about?"
     
    Chase promptly returned to the present moment. "I was remembering you as a Casanova the first time we were together."
     
    "I wasn't being slick. I was so consumed with you I couldn't breathe. I thought I would die if you didn't let me touch you. You were tough to get."
     
    "True love is never an easy target."
     
    Gitana scooped her up and kissed her hard.
     
    Chase suddenly wished they were at home so they could fall into each other's arms and make animal noises. Instead, she whispered, "I have never wanted anyone the way I want you."
     
    Chase's moment of marital bliss was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder. She was certain it was Graciela and she thought her a bit rude for breaking up their moment. She turned around.
     
    A large but decidedly handsome woman with dark cropped hair and buff arms, said, "I thought it was you."
     
    Chase quickly realized who she was and blanched. This was the woman who'd been waiting for her the night she fell in love with Gitana. She'd come home late to find Tori sitting in her sleek black Saab outside the house. Chase sat in the front seat of the car smelling of orchids and sex trying to explain to Tori that she'd found the love of her life.
     
    "Well, at least you two are still together. That counts for something, considering you broke my heart and caused severe psychological damage," Tori said.
     
    "Who's she?" Gitana asked equally piqued.
     
    "This is Tori." Chase studiously avoided Tori's angry glance and looked helplessly at Gitana. The thought crossed her mind that Tori had somehow discovered Gitana's identity because Chase had never told Tori who she