Desiree entered the living room, looking toward the woman seated on the floor in front of the roaring fireplace. Having left the bathroom wet and naked, Piper was now dry and dressed in a pair of blue cotton sweatpants and a black T-shirt. Legs bent, she had her arms wrapped around them, chin resting on one of her knees while she blankly stared into the fire.
Desiree, dressed in a nightshirt with a picture of her favorite animated bird printed on the front, cleared her throat to get the other woman's attention. Piper glanced up at her but did not say anything. Heading in her direction, Desiree occupied the space on her left. For the next couple of minutes she wordlessly joined Piper in looking at the dancing flames.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she finally asked.
"About what?"
"About your father. About growing up with a man who..." Unwilling to finish that sentence, Desiree trailed off.
Piper shook her head. "The last thing I wanna do is talk about that bastard. Despite what your opinion of what I did, I'm relieved he's dead."
Desiree fell momentarily silent. "Then how about we talk about your mother? Where is she? Does she still live in San Francisco?"
Piper's eyes began to fill with tears. "She died," she whispered.
Sympathy clouding her features, Desiree also felt like crying. So much, too much wretchedness for one person to contend with. She yearned to wrap her arms around Piper, and never let go. "What happened?"
"She killed herself a few months into my sentence." Piper took a deep breath. "She put my--that bastard's handgun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. Left a note saying that she couldn't live with herself any longer, and that it was her fault that I was put in prison because she didn't have the courage to leave my father early on in their marriage. It was her fault that I turned to violence just like he did on a regular basis."
"Oh, Piper, that's horrible. I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry." Desiree hesitantly put a hand on Piper's back and began to rub in a circular motion. "Do you have any other family?"
"My mother has a couple of sisters but I don't know them well. Haven't seen them since I was eight years old."
A few minutes passed in non-verbal fashion as Desiree continued stroking her back. "I'm sorry about what I said in the bathroom. That was cruel and inconsiderate."
Piper offered her a small smile. "That's okay. I don't blame you." She stared at Desiree for a moment before she leaned in to place a light kiss on her lips. Raising a hand, she caressed a cheek, fingers steadily moving back and forth. "I don't know how you feel, but it's good to have you here. I'm glad to say that I have met you and I'm sorry for this mess. Wow...mess?" She chuckled without any humor. "Not quite accurate enough." After a thoughtful pause she added, "I'm sorry for this convoluted boatload of bullshit that I've tugged you into."
"Same goes for me. Not the being tugged into a boatload of bullshit part, but the glad I met you part." That earned Desiree a flash of a grin that she promptly returned. "Piper, I know deep down in my heart that you didn't do those things. Although my own brother said that you tried to kill him, there must be some explanation. You could never do such a thing. My belief is in you."
A tear escaped an eye. She swiped at it quickly, hoping that the other woman hadn't noticed. "You are simply amazing, Desi."
"I just believe in you. I know I'm right. You're innocent and that's all there is to it." Having a request in mind, Desiree mulled it over before making up her mind to inquire. "May I have a hug?" She knew that Piper needed one as badly if not more so than she did.
Without a single word Piper scooted closer to Desiree, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. Grateful for the contact, Desiree wound her arms around her neck, clinging to her tightly. As she nuzzled her face into the crook of Piper's neck, she started to cry tears of both sadness and joy. Sadness because of everything Piper had been through in her life and was still enduring. Joy because despite everything that was happening, Desiree was so happy that Piper had found her and that they were together. She didn't quite know how, but somehow they would make it through this together.
They silently held each other for nearly an hour before Piper heard soft snoring coming from the one in her arms. Carefully placing Desiree on the floor, she rolled to her knees, soon rising to her feet. Deciding to take a few seconds to do so, she gazed upon her own version of sleeping beauty. She smiled, thankful that Desiree still had faith in her innocence. She needed all the people she could get on her side.
Reaching down, she picked up the lightweight causing Desiree to automatically wrap her arms around her neck, though still deep in sleep. Piper carried Desiree to her bedroom, immediately exiting with her sleeping beauty after discovering a snoozing Tobias in the middle of Desiree's bed. She made her way to her own bedroom and deposited Desiree on her bed. Pulling the covers around her, she kissed her on the tip of her nose and whispered goodnight.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
The next morning after feeding Tobias, Piper headed back to the bedroom with a tray laden with a bowl of strawberries, a bowl of whipped cream, and a basket of warm freshly baked croissants. There were also a couple mugs of hot chocolate with minuscule white marshmallows floating on top. She smiled as she opened the door, discovering that Desiree remained dead to the world.
Piper sat on the bed and placed the tray next to her. Looking toward her, she wondered if a kiss on the lips would cause her to awaken. She thought the idea worth a try. Besides, nothing would give her greater pleasure than to kiss this gorgeous sweet thing.
"Worked with Sleeping Beauty," Piper stated aloud. Leaning down, she kissed Desiree with little pressure. She looked at Desiree unable to notice any sort of a response, so she kissed her again with more pressure, but no dice. Piper decided to try another tactic. Reaching into the glass bowl of strawberries, she selected one. She then dipped it into the whipped cream and placed it against Desiree's lips. Nothing happened so she smeared her lips with the whipped cream and was rewarded when the tip of a pink tongue reached out and rubbed against a sweetened upper lip. Piper groaned, remembering what that little tongue could do.
That tongue quickly emerged again, soon licking all the whipped cream from her mouth. Dark brown eyes opened and squinted at a grinning Piper. Desiree grinned back while sitting up in the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, which was very messy, but Piper thought that she still looked sexy as hell. In fact, the mused look somehow only proved to enhance her sexiness. I've got it bad, Piper jubilantly thought to herself.
"Were you trying to wake me up?" Desiree asked in a voice thick with sleep. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and then peered toward Piper quizzically.
Piper's grin returned. "Guilty as charged." She dipped the strawberry once again in the whipped cream and offered it Desiree. The young woman opened her mouth and bit down on the juicy strawberry that Piper still held in her hand. A thin stream of red juice dribbled down her chin to which Piper quickly leaned forward to lick clean with one swipe of her tongue. She leaned back and offered the sweet fruit again. Desiree swallowed, and then took another bite leaving only the green stem in Piper's hand.
Dropping the stem on the tray, Piper started to reach for another strawberry when Desiree wrapped a hand around her wrist and dipped all five of her fingers into the bowl of whipped cream. Bringing the creamy digits up to her lips, she parted them in order to draw in Piper's thumb. Desiree kept eye contact with her lover while she sucked Piper's thumb clean. She moved on to the next finger giving it the same attention. Piper could only offer little moans of complete pleasure while she gazed into such warm eyes.
Desiree soon made her way to Piper's pinkie finger, removing every trace of cream. During the whole process the two women kept eye contact without either breaking away, although Piper had come close more than a couple of times. She just wanted to close her eyes with the ecstasy, but there was no way she was going to be the first to look away. She breathed quite heavily while watching Desiree turn her hand so that her palm was in view. She leaned forward running her tongue around the center of Piper's palm in a circular motion a few times, causing the woman to moan even louder. It tickled yet it felt so good.
Her lover's hand dropped, she shifted onto her knees on the bed, and leaned toward Piper. Dipping one of her own fingers into a bowl, it came out with the tip covered with a dollop of the sugary cream. She painted Piper's lips with the whipped cream while lust-filled blue eyes studied her with much intent. Piper had no idea whatsoever that breakfast would be this fun. Desiree brought her mouth close to Piper's and poked out her tongue to run it lightly across the woman's now completely white lips. Piper attempted to stick her own tongue out, but every time she tried Desiree would pull away until she obediently placed it back in her mouth. She finally licked Piper's lips clean and sat back on her heels, licking her own lips much like Tobias did after a good meal.
"I wonder if the rest of you tastes so good," Desiree said in a low silky voice. "Guess there's only one way to find out. Leaning forward again she captured Piper's lips in an earth shattering kiss. She pushed the woman back on the bed and moved the tray out of the way. Pulling Piper's sweatpants off, she flung them across the room, and straddled her hips. She seductively smiled while removing her nightshirt, leaving her only in a pair of cotton bikini cut underwear.
Piper reached up to rub Desiree's stomach, only to have her hands swatted away by a frowning former sleeping beauty. Desiree picked up her nightshirt and proceeded to tie Piper's wrist together with it. She then placed her captive's hands above her head. Desiree did not bother to remove Piper's T-shirt the correct way. Showing an amazing amount of strength, she managed to rip it off with her bare hands, surprising and exciting her human chair in the process.
"I hope you weren't too attached to that shirt," Desiree said, a little grin curving her lips.
"No, no. It's totally cool." Piper's breathing had become uneven in anticipation of the events to come. "There are plenty of shirts in the sea."
"Good, good. I'm glad."
Both of them only wearing panties, Desiree began to rock on top of Piper, closing her eyes as she massaged the other woman's delectable breasts, stimulating their rosy tips. Piper groaned loudly, beginning to grind her hips right along with Desiree. She tested the piece of clothing binding her wrists together, only to discover that she could not get free. She admitted to herself that part of her did not wish to be free.
Desiree leaned down and the pair shared a passionate kiss before she abruptly broke away causing Piper to growl in frustration. She reached over, chose a strawberry from the bowl, and bit into it while Piper closely watched her wondering what she would do next. Desiree rubbed the remaining part of the strawberry on Piper's abdomen, smearing the sweet juice all over her stomach. She bent down to blow on the now wet stomach, causing the muscles underneath to contract. Desiree looked up at her lover, her expression showing her arousal.
"Do you want me, Piper?"
That inquiry had such a simple answer that she might have well asked if Piper enjoyed oxygen. "You know I do, baby."
"How much do you want me, lover?"
Another simple answer ensued. "I want you so much that I feel like I'm gonna die if you don't take me soon."
Desiree smirked. "Well, we can't have that." She crawled up, buried her face in the crook of Piper's neck, beginning to gently suck on overheated skin. "I mean if it did, who would be my playmate?" She continued her assault on Piper's neck. Piper moaned, closing her eyes. Never in her life had she felt something so incredible. Piper was sure that she would have a hickey after Desiree was done, and she would proudly wear the telltale mark.
Desiree placed her nose close to Piper's. "Piper?"
"Yeah, baby," she dreamily answered with her eyes still closed.
"Where are those handcuffs?"
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Taj walked into the small bare room and took a seat waiting for Detective Gibson to come in. He was thoroughly annoyed because a couple of policemen had shown up at his church that morning claiming that they had to bring him in for questioning. He was allowed to travel in his own vehicle, and they would escort him. At least they waited until the service was over, but Taj had better things to do and it was quite embarrassing to have the police coming after him in front of the entire congregation.
Dressed in a midnight blue two-piece suit by Calvin Klein, Taj sat ramrod straight in a cold metal chair. Impatiently, he tapped his fingertips on the old scarred wooden table as brown eyes nearly bored a hole through the closed door, willing the detective to open it. Finally, the man entered the room with a portfolio tucked underneath his arm. Offering Taj an obviously insincere smile, he leaned against the edge of the table. Taj frowned, noticing that something about the detective seemed vaguely familiar, as if he had seen him before. However, he shrugged the thought off, considering the fact that he would remember this man if he had ever met him.
Taj figured he knew what this was about, and his suspicions were confirmed when the detective opened the portfolio and he caught a glimpse of a picture of Piper. He made up his mind right there that no way were the cops going to get information out of him. Piper was his best friend and he would do all he could to protect her.
Detective Gibson glanced down at Taj. "May I get you something to drink, Taj?"
Taj shook his head. "No, thank you. And the name is Mr. Potter."
The detective's smile couldn't have been described any other way except chilly. "Whatever you say, Mr. Potter." He studied Taj's suit. "Nice suit."
Taj straightened his tie. "I was at church when you sent your men after me."
"Sorry about that," Detective Gibson retorted, not sounding in the least bit sorry. "Nice car you got parked outside too."
Taj sighed. "Listen," he started. "I am a very busy man so let's just get down to business. I know you want to ask me some questions about my involvement with Piper Redding so stop beating around the bush, because if there is one thing I don't have to offer you, it's my time." Taj sat back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Now get on with it."
The detective frowned. "You have quite a bad attitude, Mr. Potter. You haven't been here five minutes and you're treating me like I'm your worst enemy."
"That's because I don't like you. My impressions about people when I first meet them are usually right. It didn't take me fifteen seconds from the first instance of laying eyes on you to tell that there was something crooked about you. I don't exactly know what it is, but I'm receiving bad vibes. So excuse me if I seem a little wary of your intentions."
Detective Gibson glared at him but chose not to comment. "Well, let's get on with it then. Do you mind if I tape this?" He indicated a tape recorder resting on the table. Taj shook his head so the detective pressed the record button. He then took the picture of Piper out of the portfolio, and held it up for the other man to see. "Do you recognize this woman?"
"Yes."
"Who is she?"
"I believe that's my best friend Piper Redding."
"Your best friend, huh? Do you know that she is a fugitive?"
"It's all over the news. How could I miss it?"
"Do you know where she is?" He placed the photograph on the table while studying Taj's face.
"No, I don't have a clue," Taj smoothly lied.
Detective Gibson nodded. "I see. So when was the last time you saw her?"
Taj figured that it was best to somewhat tell the truth as the information could be verified with Piper's parole officer. "She stayed with me a while after being released from prison. Once she earned enough money from her employment she was able to afford her own apartment, so I went from seeing her on a daily basis to every so often. The last time, hmm?" He pretended to think. "Probably a couple or so weeks ago."
"And that's truly the last time you saw Ms. Redding?"
"Yes, it was."
The detective clasped his hands together and looked toward the other man intently. "Piper Redding is a very dangerous woman, Mr. Potter. If you have any information on her whereabouts, you need to level with me. We have reason to believe that she may have kidnapped a judge's daughter, and there is no telling what she will do to her if we don't find her."
Taj remained silent as he studied his perfectly manicured nails. He did not seem to be interested in what the detective had to tell him.
"Mr. Potter." Taj peered up at him. "Tell me. Honestly, do you think that Piper Redding is innocent of these crimes?"
Taj neglected to immediately answer. "No. I don't." The detective wore a triumphant smile. "I know she is innocent," he added after a pause, which caused the detective to frown.
"Was she innocent when she killed her father?" The sudden anger in his tone was quite apparent.
"She did what she felt she had to do. She saved her mother's life and in the long run probably her own just in case that asshole hadn't been carted off to prison." Taj arched a curious eyebrow. The detective sure was heated about this case.
"Just like in this case. She did what she had to do, which is kill four people, try to kill another, and kidnap a judge's daughter. Great argument, Mr. Potter."
Taj sighed. "Are we almost done?" He checked his watch.
"Almost. What makes you think that she's innocent?"
"I know her. I've known her for over ten years and she would never kill someone in cold blood."
The detective stared at him. "You honestly believe that." He shook his head and shrugged. "Okay. I guess we have nothing more to discuss then. You're free to go. Thank you for your time, Mr. Potter."
Arising from the uncomfortable chair, Taj straightened his double-pleated trousers before heading for the door. The detective calling his name stopped him. Taj turned around and waited for him to speak.
"If I find out that you lied to me, I'll bring charges against you so fast you won't know what happened. I bet that if I was to pay enough attention to you, that I would find something to charge you with. I bet you're already doing something illegal what with your fancy clothes and that fancy car. Aren't you, boy?"
Although yearning to deck him, Taj managed to keep a cool façade. "I'm not your boy, and if I were you--thank God I'm not--I wouldn't threaten me." Taj gave him a warning look as he opened the door. "You don't know who you're messing with." Walking out, he shut the door as the detective glared.