The Marriage Deal [Jenlisa FF]

Part 17

The first rays of sun awoke Lisa from her peaceful slumber at six-thirty the next morning. With a tired yawn, she sat up in bed, wondering why she had woken in the first place. The house was as quiet as a mouse, not a sound coming from the first floor where Jennie and her friends were sleeping. It wasn't until she glanced at the window that she realized when she was awake: she had fallen asleep while reading the case file and had forgotten to close the blinds. Sighing, Lisa climbed out of bed.

Lisa took full advantage of being alone upstairs and headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Although she and Jennie had worked out a schedule for the bathroom so as neither one of them would accidentally walk in on the other. Lisa had all-but-forgotten what it felt like to take hot shower. One thing she didn't like about her new wife was her tendency to use all the hot water.

Emerging form the bathroom twenty minutes later dressed in blue jeans and a gray sweatshirt, Lisa walked downstairs. The sight that awaited her brought a smile to her beautiful face. All four girls lay in sleeping bags on the floor, a bowl of popcorn sat between Nayeon and Winter, and a bowl of potato chips to the right of Mina, who snored softly. her gaze rested on Jennie, sleeping parallel to the television. Her sleeping bag slipped to her waist, and she could see the fine hairs on her arm stand on end. Running her right hand over her arm, Lisa covered her from the chilly air and went into the kitchen to fix her breakfast.

******

"Mmm..." Jennie groaned an hour later, rousing form a blissful dream. She had dreamt that she ran into Keanu Reeves at the mall and spent the rest of the day in her hotel room with her, sating their undeniable attraction. 'What time is it?' she wondered. Sitting up, she squinted her eyes and checked the time on the VCR. 'Seven fifty-six. Too damn early to get up.'

She tried to fall back to sleep but was awakened once again when she heard one of the cupboard doors close. 'Who could be up this early?' Looking around, Jennie found all of her friends still sleeping soundly on the floor. 'Must be Lisa.' Pulling herself out of the sleeping bag, she adjusted her pajamas and made her way into the kitchen.

"Morning," she greeted groggily when she saw Lisa sitting at the table reading the morning newspaper.

Lisa looked up, surprised to hear her voice. "Hey, good morning. I didn't wake you, did I? I tried to be as quiet as possible."

"The cupboard door closing woke me up, but don't worry about it. I think I'm the only one out there who heard you."

"That's good."

She opened the refrigerator door, took out a carton of orange juice and began pouring herself a glass. "What are you doing up so early? It's not even eight in the morning on a Saturday."

"Couldn't sleep, I guess. I've actually been up for over an hour. Last night I must have fallen asleep while reading a file, and when I woke up the sun was shining right in my face. Rather than try to go back to sleep, I got up and took a shower."

"I see. Got any plans for today?" Jennie wanted to know.

Lisa shook her head. "Nothing really exciting. Probably work on the case Irene, Henry and I took on."

"Is it big?"

"It could be. We're defending the CEO of a company for the kidnapping and assault of a twenty-five-year-old prostitute. It happened in Seoul, so I want to get as much office work done on the case before Irene and I go there to gather evidence from the crime scene. We leave December twenty-seventh. I think I mentioned that to you a few days ago."

"You did, but it's still early yet for me to start recalling anything of importance. It sounds like an interesting case, though."

"There's no shortage of those, as I'm sure you'll find out when you start practicing law."

Jennie smiled at her. "Yeah, I gathered that much. So, tell me what did you and GD do last night? Pick up women, perhaps?" she joked.

"I'm a married woman, I take offense to that," Lisa stated in a teasing tone. "Like I told you last night, we just went to Pub's. Did some catching up, nothing worth gossiping about. I should mention that GD left with some woman named Paige. He picked her up after I told her I wasn't interested."

"At least one of you two is getting some. Why weren't you interested in her?"

"I told her I'm married."

"In name only, remember?" Jennie reminded her.

Lisa nodded. "I know, I know." 'As if you'd let me forget, even for a minute.' "But it's a good enough excuse to use when I want to get rid of an unwanted suitor."

She gazed down at her wedding band and engagement ring. "Yeah, I know." Jennie paused, collecting her thoughts. "How do you feel about making it real?"

"What do you mean?"

"I got to thinking last night. We've never shown any true emotions towards each other since we got married. I think maybe we need to start."

"How, exactly?" her curiosity got the better of her.

She shrugged. "I didn't really give it *that* much thought, but we should at least start slow, and make it convincing. A kiss here, a touch there. Just do what married couples do, except without the love and the sex."

"I can handle that. Can you?"

"Yeah, I can." 'Kissing and touching Lisa such a rough gig. Where did that come from?' Jennie wondered. "And telling each other stuff like a real husband and wife would. That doesn't seem too difficult. I already know what you wear to bed." 'Or don't wear.'

Closing her eyes, Lisa laughed. "I can't believe I told you that. You didn't tell your friends, did you?"

"Nope. Remember what I said about it being our little secret? I'll take it to the grave."

*****

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jennie questioned Lisa Sunday afternoon. They sat facing one another on the living room couch. "It won't be uncomfortable at all for you?"

Lisa gently placed her hand on her leg. "Jennie, don't worry about me. We'll be safe as houses. Unless you're uncomfortable with it."

"Not at all. It's for the good of the cause." From outside, they heard the slamming of a car door. "That's Ella. Ready?"

"Ready."

As they listened to the jiggling of the doorknob, Jennie and Lisa's lips moved closer and closer until they finally touched. While her hands played with the long strands of Jennie's flaxen hair, her right hand lay flat against the back of Lisa's neck and her left one held her arm. Without either one of them realizing it, the kiss grew in intensity, and Jennie felt her mouth open wide enough for her wife's tongue to slip inside.

When Ella entered the house, she caught sight of her sister and sister-in-law making out on the couch. She could almost feel the heat they were generating from across the room. "Check out the love bunnies," she muttered before heading upstairs to her bedroom.

It took close to a minute for the embrace to end. Both were left breathless, and shocked by how passionate their kiss became. "Is she gone?" Jennie whispered, out of breath.

Lisa couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from her catlike eyes. "Yeah, I think so. Do you think she fell for it?"

"Pretty sure." Jennie took a deep breath. "That certainly got a little out of control."

"A little." 'A lot,' her body told her. Glancing down at herself, Lisa was embarrassed and promptly moved to the other side of the couch. "It was a nice kiss, though."

"Definitely one of the best I've ever had." 'Why did she move away so quickly?'

"It ranks up there."

Jennie nodded her head. "But that's all it was, right? Just a fake kiss that got slightly out of control?" 'Sure, Jen. Like you weren't thrilled when you felt her tongue in your mouth. Who are you trying to kid?'

"Right. I guess I got caught up in the moment."

"We both did. But it makes it more realistic. And that's what we were aiming for."

"Yeah, realism." 'A little *too* real.'