Original: "Girls Don't Hit," Chapter Twenty-One and Twenty-Two
Here's another chapter! If LJ will let me freaking post... Moving on! If there's another chapter today I'll simply add it to this post. ;D
AO3
21
The client requested they leave a mess, and Joss was grateful that she didn’t have to worry about cleaning blood and piss out of the carpet under Leon Singh’s body. Echo opened her purse and took out the rolled clothing she’d tucked away inside of it, then they both stripped out of their party clothes and changed into black jeans and T-shirts. Joss sent Echo to find shoes so they wouldn’t have to leave in high heels; she’d been wearing them all night and her feet felt numb. It wasn’t an ideal situation for fleeing a crime scene. She fished through the pockets of Leon’s blazer and sorted through the chips she found there. She left chips for the Shenandoah, the Oceanic, and the Oasis Casinos scattered around his body as per the client’s instructions. The cops would investigate, but they would find no connection between the casino bosses and the dead man. But anyone who wanted to cheat would get the message loud and clear.
Echo came down the hall from the garage. “Joss. You have to see this.”
Joss left Leon’s corpse on the floor and followed Echo back outside. The fallout shelter was centered in a space large enough to fit a car on either side of it, and Echo had input the combination to lift its hatch. They approached the edge and peered down into a pool of money. The bills were stacked and bound, but they seemed to have been carelessly dropped and left to settle against each other. Joss crouched and craned her head to the side.
“It can’t fill the entire space. Do you have any idea how much money that would be?”
“No,” Echo said. “And that’s just it. Leon said his bosses didn’t know, either.”
Joss looked up at her. “What are you thinking?”
Echo shrugged. “It’s money, right? I mean... free cash just sitting here.”
Joss stood up and brushed her hands together. “I already have more money than I can spend, and each job gets me even more. I don’t need any of this.” She thought for a moment and then looked at Echo. “You could take some.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Get away from your parents, get away from your life. Find a spot to lie low while you’re waiting for Myles to call. You could be free, never have to worry about anything in between jobs. Just relax. The cops are just going to confiscate all of this anyway. You think they won’t be skimming a little off the top?”
“It’s stealing.”
Joss laughed.
“Oh, you... you know what I meant. It’s drug money.”
“So? It’s clean. It’s just not exactly tax deductible. You’d have to find some way to justify where you got it. A friend’s inheritance or winning the lottery. Hell, head to the casino. You won’t have to worry about explaining to people where you’re going all the time.” She thought for a moment. “Where do you tell people you’re going?”
Echo smiled. “I go for long drives. I tell them I’m still suffering flashbacks from what happened in the therapist’s office, and they give me space. Mom actually gave me some cash for a hotel last time. I told her not to, but...” She shrugged. “Then I fly out, do the job, and come back home. They think I’m working through some issues. And this really helped.” She touched her hair. “Mom said it was like I’m trying to figure out who I am.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No. I know exactly who I am. And it’s not a college student, and it’s not a business administrator. I’m meant to be doing this.”
Joss bent down and retrieved a stack of fifty-thousand dollars. She placed it in Echo’s hand, folding her fingers around it.
“This is how you achieve that. Buy a cottage somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Be that mysterious lady who disappears for days and weeks at a time. Somewhere isolated, where you have a lot of room to run and train. Hell, get a real part-time job so you can have some mad money to live on. But this is your ticket to adult life, Echo.”
She looked at the money in her hands. “I don’t know.”
“I do. You earned it.”
“You’re the one who had to give him a hand job in the car.”
Joss chuckled. “No skin ever came in contact with skin. If I thought you would take it, I would gladly give you the money from my own savings.”
“Even after New Orleans? You still trust me after that whole shitstorm?”
“You did your best. You made your mistake and you learned from it. The important thing is that when you made your mistake you didn’t run away and you didn’t surrender.”
Echo looked at the money and Joss knew there was no way she would leave without it. “How much do you think I could take?”
“Well...” Joss crouched again and looked, then began taking stacks off the top. When she was finished there was no noticeable decrease in the size of the money pit. She held the pile with both arms and counted the stacks. “Nine stacks, plus the one you’re holding. That’s half a million dollars.”
“Holy shit. I can’t steal half a million dollars.”
Joss sighed. “Would it make you feel better if I stole it and then just gave it to you?”
Echo thought. “Oddly, yeah. I think it would.”
Joss loaded her pockets with the stolen loot, then bent down and took another stack off the pile. When Echo watched her take it, Joss shrugged. “Finders’ fee.”
Echo chuckled and held Joss stow the money in her various pockets. When they were done they closed the fallout shelter, spun the combination lock, and went back into the house to finish the second half of their mission.
#
The desert sun rose early in Vegas, and Joss woke when it began to illuminate the sliding glass door off the kitchen. Leon was still where he had fallen, and Echo had set up a box fan between the kitchen and living room to keep the reek from spreading. Joss stood and did a quick set of exercises to limber up before she went to find Echo. The girl was sitting in the room that faced the front of the house, out of sight but where she could see the driveway. She was asleep, and Joss lightly stroked the hair off her cheek. Echo murmured, and then her eyelids fluttered as she woke. She wet her lips and sat up straighter to look outside.
“Did they come?”
“No,” Joss said softly. “Do you know how beautiful you are when you sleep?”
Echo blinked up at her, at a loss for a response, and Joss stroked her cheek with the pad of her thumb. She smiled and turned away, leaving Echo half-awake and completely confused. She eventually got up and followed Joss into the main room. They sat at the breakfast table and listened to the sounds of the neighborhood coming awake around them. Joss perked up when she heard the car engine nearby, then the hollow thud of a door closing. She stood up and Echo moved to stand in the front hallway.
Their guest was a frequent visitor to Leon Singh’s. Every night that Leon spent at the casino, Lawrence Mancuso arrived bright and early the next morning to collect their employer’s clean cash. He rapped the back of his knuckles twice against the door and let himself in without waiting for a response. Mancuso was an older man, bald and so cragged he looked carved from stone. He was a former boxer, and his body was a tight coil of muscle. He was looking at his keys as he entered the room. “Yo, Leon. How much you clean this time?” He looked up and saw Echo at the head of the hallway and stopped. “Oh. Hello, sweetheart. Leon get lucky last night?”
Joss stepped out of the kitchen behind him and pressed a gun against the base of his skull. Mancuso inhaled with surprised, but let the air out with resignation. Echo took out her gun and aimed it at the man as well, and he held his hands out to the side to show he wasn’t fighting.
“No, Larry. Leon did not get lucky last night. Want to see how unlucky he was? Walk forward. Slowly.”
He did as she said, but on the second step he threw his weight back and to the left. He swung his elbow up and hit air, thrown off-balance as Joss punched him in the kidneys. He cried out and dropped to his knees, and Joss wrapped her arm around his to twist it painfully backward. He arched his back and grunted with pain.
“You looked at where my friend was aiming and said to yourself, ‘surely she wouldn’t be aiming at her partner’s head.’ So you took a guess and assumed I was standing to your left. That was stupid, Larry. Very stupid. Because now I know you’re just looking for an opening and I have to make you do something humiliating just to protect myself. Drop down. Hands and knees.”
“Look, my knees, they’re shot all to hell...”
“Not yet. But they could be.” She tapped the back of his head with her gun. “Crawl.”
He sighed and dropped down, crawling over the tile with increasingly pained grunts. When he reached the edge of the living room the smell hit him and he recoiled. “Ah, Jesus.”
“Find another way to launder your money. The casinos are sick of seeing your business. You have about half an hour before the police get an anonymous tip to come check out sounds of a disturbance. You’ll probably need most of that time to figure out the combination of Leon’s fallout shelter. Move quick, Mr. Mancuso. You won’t get all the cash out, but you can minimize your losses if you hurry.”
She motioned at the door with her head, and Echo lowered her gun and left. Joss backed away from Mancuso and then followed. They had Leon’s keys and would use his car to get as far away from the house as possible. She heard Mancuso get up and start moving before she was out the door, but he was moving away from her and toward the garage. Outside on the front walk, Echo finished dialing Leon’s cell phone and then tossed it into the bushes. The police would be there in under ten minutes, but Joss didn’t feel any qualms about lying to the drug dealer who would be caught in the house with a dead body. Even if Mancuso was free, he was hardly the type of guy who would admit he’d been taken down by two women.
They abandoned Leon’s car behind a nearby strip mall and walked to the lot where they’d left their own car. During their walk they were passed by police cars going the other direction with lights and sirens flashing. They slowed down and watched the cars streak pass as any ordinary citizen would, then resumed their casual stroll.
“When do we have to be back in Sacramento?”
“Thirty-six hours,” Joss said. “I was thinking we could use some of my finders’ fee to celebrate a successful job.”
Echo smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
#
The Black Keys were playing in the club, and Joss was reminded of dinner with Beauregard and Devlin. She and Echo found seats near the stage, and Echo carefully lowered herself into the chair without taking her eyes off the dancer currently undressing on the catwalk. The club had three stages, and Joss chose a table near the far wall so they could see all three dancers at the same time.
“Have you ever been to a strip club before?”
Echo shook her head. “I’ve thought about it, but it always just seemed weird to go alone. And it seemed weird to ask someone to come with me.”
“Is it weird to have someone invite you?”
“No. God, she’s gorgeous.” She turned to look at the topless waitresses buzzing around the tables with drink trays held high so their breasts weren’t covered. “They’re all so gorgeous! I always kind of thought women in strip clubs would be... well, I mean, they’d...”
Joss said, “This is Vegas. Everyone looks like a supermodel in Vegas.”
A waitress approached and placed two glasses of water on their table. “Evening, ladies. I’m Tricia, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”
“Hi, Tricia. I’m Joss, and this is my friend...”
“Erica.”
Joss smiled at the way Echo’s eyes had widened when the waitress approached. “Scotch for me. She’ll take a gin and tonic. Also I’d like to buy her a private dance. Are you available for that?”
Tricia’s smile widened. “Yes, ma’am. We help out at the bar when we’re not on stage.”
“No! No, tha-that’s not...”
Joss put her hand on Echo’s thigh and locked eyes with her. “You deserve it.”
Echo swallowed and smiled at the waitress, torn between desire and wanting to remain inconspicuous. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.”
The waitress winked at Echo and stepped around Joss’ seat to rest a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go get your drinks, and then I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. You’ll get three songs for a hundred bucks.” She turned back to Joss and flipped her hair out of her face. “If your friend wants to watch... tell you what. If she wants to watch, it’ll be free.”
Echo chuckled nervously. “Okay. Uh. Okay, cool.”
“See you soon, sweetie.”
Tricia walked away and Echo bashfully watched her go, smiling behind her hand before she kicked the side of Joss’ shoe. “What was that for?”
“Bonus. I’ll pay it out of my finders’ fee. This is another lesson in the life. Once you’re finished with the job, you can’t let your guard down. You have to be careful about getting caught. There’s a dead person in town and you might look very suspicious trying to leave town immediately afterward. This is a transition. This is how you go from someone on the lam to someone who is just on their way home.” She sipped her water. “You replace what you’re walking away from. If you’re walking away from a crime, you’ll feel guilty. But if you’re walking away from something you enjoyed, you’ll be relaxed and calm. Your body language will be your disguise.”
Tricia brought over their drinks, leaning down between them and giving Echo a quick smile before she retreated. “Give me a high-sign when you’re ready and I’ll come get you, okay? I’m going to go put something on so I have something to take off.” Echo managed to nod and the waitress disappeared.
Echo lifted her drink and tilted it back, wincing at the alcohol but still swallowing a decent portion before she put the glass down. She touched her wrist to her lips and looked over her shoulder to see if her waitress had returned yet. She relaxed in her seat and took another drink, touching her tongue to her top lip when it was gone.
“How do you find women after a job? I mean, women you don’t have to pay for a no-touch dance.”
“There are a lot of ways,” Joss said. “Bars and such.”
“You just walk up to women? I can’t do that in my real life, let alone when I have to watch my back.”
Joss said, “It’s easier after a job. You’re not at home, you’re out in the world. You’re surrounded by people you know you’ll never see again. You can be anyone you want to be. Be Echo Barrett, not whoever you are when you get off the plane at home. Be accountable to yourself and no one else. If you see something you like, be willing to take it. The worst that can happen is they say no, and what do you care? You’ll just walk away and find someone else, and in the morning you’re half a country away.”
Echo thought about that for a long moment. “My name’s not really Erica.”
“I figured. I prefer Echo anyway.”
“Me too.”
Joss looked back and saw Tricia approaching. She had changed into a black bra and matching panties, her curves mostly hidden by a sheer robe. She smiled when she saw Joss watching and waved her fingers. Joss nudged Echo, who tensed when she saw what Tricia had changed into.
“Wow. That is worth way more than a hundred bucks.”
“Then tip generously. You can afford it.”
“Yeah.” Echo finished her drink for the liquid courage and motioned for Tricia to come over. She looked at Joss and raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to watch?”
Joss looked at Tricia, then locked eyes with Echo.
“What the hell.” She took a long drink from her glass and put it back on the table before pushing her chair back. “Free’s free.” She took Echo’s hand, squeezed it, and stood to let Tricia lead them away.
22
The private dances happened in a side room with plush loveseats ringing the perimeter against the wall. Each seat was blocked off by curtains that were open to the middle of the room for the safety of the dancers. Joss offered Tricia Echo’s hand, and the dancer led the younger woman to one of the furthest seats, offering them a modicum of privacy. She turned on the ball of one foot, twisting her long legs as she pointed to a seat Joss could take. Joss smiled as she settled in and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other as Echo nervously sat in the hot seat. She looked past Tricia with an expression of horror and excitement, and Joss winked at her.
The music started, an Arctic Monkeys song called “Arabella,” and Echo leaned back as Tricia began to dance. It was immediately apparent that she was worth a hundred dollars for three songs; Joss wasn’t a dancer and couldn’t choreograph anything outside a fight, but Tricia obviously knew what she was doing. She swung her hips and used her whole body to symbolize the beat of the music, twisting her arms as she lifted them over her head.
The robe came off and was draped over one arm of the chair as Tricia turned to face her customer. Echo pressed back into the chair, eyes wide as she balled her hands into fists on her thighs. Tricia arched her back and lightly lifted Echo’s right hand, massaging the fingers with her thumb until they relaxed. She moved the hand to her hip, and Echo obediently placed her left hand without being prompted. Joss moved her hand between her legs, working her fingers against the crotch of her pants and rocking forward slowly as she watched Tricia slowly lower herself onto Echo’s lap.
The bra came off and Tricia leaned forward, cupping the back of Echo’s head to draw her closer. Echo closed her eyes as she was cradled to the stripper’s chest, and Joss preemptively reached into her pocket. Echo’s tongue flicked out against the nipple and Joss saw Tricia tense slightly, look back at her with her lips parted to protest, and Joss held up two hundred dollar bills. She folded it half and rolled her wrist to imply there was more available, and Tricia resumed grinding.
Echo turned her head and kissed between Tricia’s breasts, then leaned back as Tricia’s knees dug into the cushion on either side of her. Tricia put her hand on the front of Echo’s shirt and curled her fingers in the material, using her as leverage as she pressed down and rubbed herself hard against Echo. Echo’s hands, which had remained on Tricia’s hips the entire time, slipped lower and squeezed her ass. Tricia looked back and Joss raised her thumb and flicked it upward. Tricia shrugged and reached down between them. Echo gasped and said something that was lost under the beat of the music, but she heard Tricia whisper, “It’s okay.”
Joss wasn’t aware the second song had started until she heard it end. In the lull between it and the final song, she heard the rasp of a zipper as Tricia straightened and then pushed her hand into Echo’s pants. Echo arched her back and parted her lips as Joss rubbed between her legs, watching Tricia’s arm move as she tried to finish before the song ended. Echo twisted to the left and dropped back with a choked cry, trembling and pulling Tricia tight against her as she came. Tricia was whispering something Joss had no hope of overhearing, and then bent down to lightly brush her lips against Echo’s. It was more of a gesture than a true kiss, but Echo’s entire body went limp.
Tricia leaned back and rose off Echo’s lap, leaving her unzipped and sated. She hooked her robe on one finger and wrapped it around herself as she turned to Joss.
“We don’t normally provide those services,” she said, arms crossed but not exactly angry. “You and your... girlfriend?”
Joss decided it was easier to nod.
“Well, it seemed right with you two. But for that, it’ll be more than a hundred. Sorry, but--”
“No, I understand.” Joss took out her wallet, which she had loaded with cash from Leon’s stash. She saw Tricia’s eyes widen at the sight of its girth and counted out fifty Benjamin Franklins. “Will that cover it?”
“Hell yeah. You want me to go down on her, too?”
Joss grinned. “That’s fine. I think you satisfied her for now. Thanks for the show.”
“Sure thing, sweetie. Let me know if you’d like a dance of your own before you head out.”
Tricia left, and Joss went to Echo. She sat next to her and watched until her eyes opened and she was able to push herself up into a sitting position.
“That was a good dance,” she said.
Joss said, “One of the best I’ve seen.”
“Did you pay?”
“Yeah. You were a little too indisposed, might have given her all the cash we had.”
“She earned it.”
Joss laughed. “Put yourself back together. We’ll catch another dance, maybe get something to eat, and then we’ll start out for Sacramento.”
“Okay. Joss... what you said about replacing the experience?” Joss nodded. “I think I’m still going to act guilty when I think about what just happened.”
Joss stood up. “That’s okay. That’s just Vegas guilt. It’s normal. Button your pants and let’s go finish our drinks.”
#
Tricia had a turn on the stage before they left the club, and Joss convinced Echo to give her another fifty. Tricia crouched and turned her legs to the side so Echo could slip it under the strap of her G-string. She winked and straightened up, turning her hips and kicking up her legs as she strutted back to the pole. She hooked her fingers around it, swung in a wide circle, and swayed her hips as she dropped back down. The girl was popular with the crowd, and she had a fair amount of tips waiting to be gathered when she left the stage. She winked at Joss and Echo before she tossed the curtain aside and disappeared into the back of the club.
Joss and Echo decided to leave, since no dancer would top Tricia’s performance, and they headed for the door. Echo squinted as they stepped back out into the sun and heat. Even Joss was startled by the change in atmosphere, and she slid on a pair of sunglasses as they walked across the asphalt to their car. Before getting in, Joss shed her T-shirt and exchanged it for a white tank top. She put on her sunglasses and waited for Echo to get in the car before she started the engine. A blast of lukewarm air burst forth from the dashboard vents, and Joss hoped it would become a semblance of cool soon. They left Vegas behind and were soon the only car driving north in the midday heat.
“Can I tell you what I do between calls?”
“Sure,” Joss said.
“I hide away. My parents want to bug me about the trips I’ve been taking, and they keep asking me to see a psychiatrist. Why would I ever want to go back to a shrink after what the one I killed supposedly did? Although...” She chuckled. “You know, you’re kind of like my new psychiatrist. You’re the first person who has ever made me feel normal. I love being around you because I don’t have to fake anything. I can finally be who I’m supposed to be. I guess that’s what you were saying about the hook-up thing. I don’t have to put on a show for you.”
“I’m glad.”
Echo looked at her. “Thank you for the money. I’m going to use it. When I go back this time, I’m going to tell them I need a change of scenery. I’m not sure where I’ll go, but anywhere they can’t pop in to check on me. I’m sitting here thinking about cutting everyone I know out of my life, all my friends, my family, my professors, my classmates. And the only person I’m worried about never seeing again is you. I spent my whole life trying to wedge myself into a box and then you showed up in my car and fucking threatened me.” She laughed. “You made me the person I’ve been trying to be for my entire life. I could never repay you for that.”
“You’re very welcome, Echo.” She was willing to let it drop there but, after a few false starts, she finally managed to voice her other thought. “You’re the first person in a very long time that I’ve cared for. Maybe the first since...” She closed her lips and sucked her teeth for a moment, then finished. “Since the first and only person I ever loved. I lost her and after that I never really felt much for anyone else. I’m honored.”
Joss nodded once and focused on the horizon.
They drove through the rest of Nevada without speaking beyond idle chitchat. They saw a truck stop and got something to eat, along with snacks to tide them over until they were back to civilization. Echo munched on potato chips, her feet in the seat with her legs tucked up against her chest. Joss occasionally glanced over, stunned at how quickly she could transform back into a harmless college student. The third or fourth time Joss looked over Echo finally said, “What? What is it?”
“You’re going to be amazing at this work, Echo. You really are.”
“Oh.” She licked the salt from her lips and shrugged. “Well. I have a great teacher.”
“I have to go back to my husband,” Joss said, apropos of nothing. “You were right. I can’t just cut them loose, and it’ll be better for everyone involved if I just find a way to stick it out.”
Echo lifted a shoulder. “Sorry.”
“No, you were right. You gave me much needed perspective. I was so eager to get free that I didn’t think far enough ahead. If I let him divorce me it’ll cause way too many problems.”
“Better the devil you know, huh?”
“Truer words, Echo.”
They arrived in Sacramento just after dark, leaving behind the harsher temperatures of Nevada far behind them. Joss found a hotel near the airport but not so near that they would be flooded with tourists. Joss checked them into a room with two beds and helped Echo take the bags up to their room. Echo sat on the foot of her bed and looked out the window, then watched as Joss took some of the clothes from her bag and started hanging them up.
“This was a lot more like a vacation than a job. I mean... watching him was pretty easy. And we basically just spent the whole four days hanging out in the casino. I won seventy-dollars.”
“You won five hundred thousand and seventy-five dollars.”
Echo chuckled. “Well, sure, you could put it like that.” She bent down and took off her shoes. “But mostly I just hung out with you. It was great. It was one of the best weeks of my life.”
Joss ran her hand down the sleeve of the blouse she had just hung up. “Mine too.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious,” Joss said. She walked around and stood next to Echo, who looked up at her. Joss cupped Echo’s face and extended her thumb to brush it across the girl’s bottom lip. She took a breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes and raising her eyebrows as Echo kissed the pad and then scraped her bottom teeth across it. “I slept with two people I’ve really cared about in my life. Every other time it was biology, lust, or to protect a cover. Or to get their guard down so I could finish my job. I don’t connect love to sex. But something stopped me from using you the way I normally would have. You were more than that, Echo. From the beginning, I knew you would be more than that.”
“Joss...”
“Sh.” She bent down and kissed Echo’s lips. Echo stretched so Joss wouldn’t have to stretch as much, scooting further back on the bed as she kicked off her shoe. Joss kept her eyes open as they kissed and watched as Echo’s eyes closed. The girl’s hands felt small and cold on Joss’ cheeks before they pushed back into her hair, tangling with the cord Joss had used to tie her hair back during the drive. It came loose, moist from sweat and it made her shiver when it dragged along her neck to settle around her face. Joss stroked Echo’s hair and urged her to lie back, and Echo complied.
Joss climbed onto the bed and stretched out next to her. They continued kissing, Joss’ tongue thrusting into Echo’s mouth and then curling back. Echo whimpered something that sounded like Joss’ name before the kiss continued, and Joss twisted to put her thigh between Echo’s legs. Echo dragged her fingernails down Joss’ bare arms, then moved back up to the collar of her tank top. She flattened her palms and massaged the cotton covering her breasts.
Echo was still wearing a T-shirt and she twisted back, arms over her head, as Joss lifted the shirt up and off of her. Echo gripped the tank top and Joss helped her take it off. They fell against each other again, arms intertwined so they could unhook each other’s bras. Joss was breathing heavily when she broke the kiss, sitting up on her knees to straddle Echo’s thigh. Echo dropped her hands to either side of her head and admired Joss sitting astride her like a conqueror, then crossed her hands at the wrist over her head. Her hair was splayed around her head like a sunburst, and Joss dragged the side of her hand down the middle of Echo’s chest like a blade. Echo squirmed and her lips worked hard to contain a whimper of need as Joss unbuttoned her pants.
“What were you thinking about when that stripper fingered you?”
“You,” Echo moaned. “Watching.”
“Did it make you wet?”
“Yeah...”
Joss scooted down to get the pants off, and Echo lifted her legs to assist. Joss left her underwear on for the time being and lowered herself onto her elbows. She pressed her hand against the crotch of Echo’s underwear, but Echo surprised her by taking her fingers and lifting it off.
“I have to know before you do this. Is it going to be reciprocal this time?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“I don’t want to do it if the answer is no.”
Joss pulled her hand free and put it back. Echo’s eyes closed and Joss moved the heel of her hand in slow circles. “It’s reciprocal, Echo.”
“Then fuck me, Joss.”
Joss turned her head to kiss Echo’s thigh. Echo cupped her breasts and squeezed the nipples, lifting her ass off the bed to meet Joss’ hand. She lifted her head between her hunched shoulders and gasped a question.
“How many people have you killed with those hands?”
Joss had to think for a moment. “Ninety-six.”
“Put your fingers inside me.”
Joss pushed the underwear inside, pausing just long enough to slip two fingers into her mouth to make them wet before she rubbed the knuckles against the labia. Echo gasped and gripped the blankets, closing her eyes as she tightened her inner muscles so Joss had to work a little harder to get inside her. Joss twisted her wrist and pushed, leaning down and taking Echo’s clit into her mouth through her thin underwear. Echo arched her back and cried out.
“Joss, you’re killing me...”
“You don’t count as ninety-seven.”
Echo chuckled throatily and writhed. “Don’t make me laugh... gotta... come.” The last word was a groan, and her elbows dug into the mattress as she tensed. Josh continued to twist her wrist, thrusting in a slow rhythm until Echo reached down and touched her forehead. Joss backed off, her lips wet with Echo’s juices, both of them gasping as Joss withdrew her fingers and tasted Echo off of them. She was still savoring the taste when Echo suddenly sat up, grabbed Joss’ shoulders, and wrestled her back. They fell off the bed and Joss slowed her fall by bracing one arm against the floor as Echo perched on top of her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not giving you a chance to back off.”
“You think you’re in charge?”
Echo slapped Joss hard across the face, something that was too shocking to hurt and too surprising to make her made. The sting spread, and Joss faced the girl with renewed pride. “I might make you pay for that, little girl.”
“You’re welcome to... when it’s your turn again. Take your pants off.”
“Make me.”
Echo grinned. The two wrestled for a moment, Joss reaching for Echo only to have her hands slapped away. She twisted, kicked, and fought until finally her pants were off and she was lying face-down on the carpet with Echo on top of her. Echo had taken her panties down as well so she was naked with Echo on top of her wearing only a thin, wet pair of panties. Joss panted for her to wait, and Echo slowed to a stop.
“Wait... stop.”
“What?”
“Just...” Joss closed her eyes, pinned, Echo’s breasts against her back. Joss spread her legs and closed her eyes as Echo instinctively settled between them. “Hold me down,” Joss whispered. Echo did as she was told, her lips in Joss’ hair, and after a few moments of stillness Echo began to rock her hips. Joss grunted her approval and lifted her lower body to meet Echo’s thrusts. Soon they were both gasping and moving erratically. Joss reached back and Echo found her hand, their fingers clasped together, and Joss felt her orgasm building. She grimaced and dropped her cheek to the carpet, her body making a pyramid to meet Echo’s thrusts, Echo’s body rubbing against Joss’ sex with each upward stroke.
The orgasm that hit her was much more powerful than she expected. She trembled and cursed under her breath, then stretched out flat against the floor. Echo lay on top of her and kissed through Joss’ hair until she found her cheek. Joss lifted her head and their lips met, and Echo slid her arms around her waist.
They stayed like that until the sweat cooled from their bodies, and until both of them were breathing normally again.
“I love you, Joss.”
Joss was quiet for a very long time. “I love you, too.”
For the first time in nearly two decades, she was startled to discover she truly meant it.
AO3
21
The client requested they leave a mess, and Joss was grateful that she didn’t have to worry about cleaning blood and piss out of the carpet under Leon Singh’s body. Echo opened her purse and took out the rolled clothing she’d tucked away inside of it, then they both stripped out of their party clothes and changed into black jeans and T-shirts. Joss sent Echo to find shoes so they wouldn’t have to leave in high heels; she’d been wearing them all night and her feet felt numb. It wasn’t an ideal situation for fleeing a crime scene. She fished through the pockets of Leon’s blazer and sorted through the chips she found there. She left chips for the Shenandoah, the Oceanic, and the Oasis Casinos scattered around his body as per the client’s instructions. The cops would investigate, but they would find no connection between the casino bosses and the dead man. But anyone who wanted to cheat would get the message loud and clear.
Echo came down the hall from the garage. “Joss. You have to see this.”
Joss left Leon’s corpse on the floor and followed Echo back outside. The fallout shelter was centered in a space large enough to fit a car on either side of it, and Echo had input the combination to lift its hatch. They approached the edge and peered down into a pool of money. The bills were stacked and bound, but they seemed to have been carelessly dropped and left to settle against each other. Joss crouched and craned her head to the side.
“It can’t fill the entire space. Do you have any idea how much money that would be?”
“No,” Echo said. “And that’s just it. Leon said his bosses didn’t know, either.”
Joss looked up at her. “What are you thinking?”
Echo shrugged. “It’s money, right? I mean... free cash just sitting here.”
Joss stood up and brushed her hands together. “I already have more money than I can spend, and each job gets me even more. I don’t need any of this.” She thought for a moment and then looked at Echo. “You could take some.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Get away from your parents, get away from your life. Find a spot to lie low while you’re waiting for Myles to call. You could be free, never have to worry about anything in between jobs. Just relax. The cops are just going to confiscate all of this anyway. You think they won’t be skimming a little off the top?”
“It’s stealing.”
Joss laughed.
“Oh, you... you know what I meant. It’s drug money.”
“So? It’s clean. It’s just not exactly tax deductible. You’d have to find some way to justify where you got it. A friend’s inheritance or winning the lottery. Hell, head to the casino. You won’t have to worry about explaining to people where you’re going all the time.” She thought for a moment. “Where do you tell people you’re going?”
Echo smiled. “I go for long drives. I tell them I’m still suffering flashbacks from what happened in the therapist’s office, and they give me space. Mom actually gave me some cash for a hotel last time. I told her not to, but...” She shrugged. “Then I fly out, do the job, and come back home. They think I’m working through some issues. And this really helped.” She touched her hair. “Mom said it was like I’m trying to figure out who I am.”
“Aren’t you?”
“No. I know exactly who I am. And it’s not a college student, and it’s not a business administrator. I’m meant to be doing this.”
Joss bent down and retrieved a stack of fifty-thousand dollars. She placed it in Echo’s hand, folding her fingers around it.
“This is how you achieve that. Buy a cottage somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Be that mysterious lady who disappears for days and weeks at a time. Somewhere isolated, where you have a lot of room to run and train. Hell, get a real part-time job so you can have some mad money to live on. But this is your ticket to adult life, Echo.”
She looked at the money in her hands. “I don’t know.”
“I do. You earned it.”
“You’re the one who had to give him a hand job in the car.”
Joss chuckled. “No skin ever came in contact with skin. If I thought you would take it, I would gladly give you the money from my own savings.”
“Even after New Orleans? You still trust me after that whole shitstorm?”
“You did your best. You made your mistake and you learned from it. The important thing is that when you made your mistake you didn’t run away and you didn’t surrender.”
Echo looked at the money and Joss knew there was no way she would leave without it. “How much do you think I could take?”
“Well...” Joss crouched again and looked, then began taking stacks off the top. When she was finished there was no noticeable decrease in the size of the money pit. She held the pile with both arms and counted the stacks. “Nine stacks, plus the one you’re holding. That’s half a million dollars.”
“Holy shit. I can’t steal half a million dollars.”
Joss sighed. “Would it make you feel better if I stole it and then just gave it to you?”
Echo thought. “Oddly, yeah. I think it would.”
Joss loaded her pockets with the stolen loot, then bent down and took another stack off the pile. When Echo watched her take it, Joss shrugged. “Finders’ fee.”
Echo chuckled and held Joss stow the money in her various pockets. When they were done they closed the fallout shelter, spun the combination lock, and went back into the house to finish the second half of their mission.
#
The desert sun rose early in Vegas, and Joss woke when it began to illuminate the sliding glass door off the kitchen. Leon was still where he had fallen, and Echo had set up a box fan between the kitchen and living room to keep the reek from spreading. Joss stood and did a quick set of exercises to limber up before she went to find Echo. The girl was sitting in the room that faced the front of the house, out of sight but where she could see the driveway. She was asleep, and Joss lightly stroked the hair off her cheek. Echo murmured, and then her eyelids fluttered as she woke. She wet her lips and sat up straighter to look outside.
“Did they come?”
“No,” Joss said softly. “Do you know how beautiful you are when you sleep?”
Echo blinked up at her, at a loss for a response, and Joss stroked her cheek with the pad of her thumb. She smiled and turned away, leaving Echo half-awake and completely confused. She eventually got up and followed Joss into the main room. They sat at the breakfast table and listened to the sounds of the neighborhood coming awake around them. Joss perked up when she heard the car engine nearby, then the hollow thud of a door closing. She stood up and Echo moved to stand in the front hallway.
Their guest was a frequent visitor to Leon Singh’s. Every night that Leon spent at the casino, Lawrence Mancuso arrived bright and early the next morning to collect their employer’s clean cash. He rapped the back of his knuckles twice against the door and let himself in without waiting for a response. Mancuso was an older man, bald and so cragged he looked carved from stone. He was a former boxer, and his body was a tight coil of muscle. He was looking at his keys as he entered the room. “Yo, Leon. How much you clean this time?” He looked up and saw Echo at the head of the hallway and stopped. “Oh. Hello, sweetheart. Leon get lucky last night?”
Joss stepped out of the kitchen behind him and pressed a gun against the base of his skull. Mancuso inhaled with surprised, but let the air out with resignation. Echo took out her gun and aimed it at the man as well, and he held his hands out to the side to show he wasn’t fighting.
“No, Larry. Leon did not get lucky last night. Want to see how unlucky he was? Walk forward. Slowly.”
He did as she said, but on the second step he threw his weight back and to the left. He swung his elbow up and hit air, thrown off-balance as Joss punched him in the kidneys. He cried out and dropped to his knees, and Joss wrapped her arm around his to twist it painfully backward. He arched his back and grunted with pain.
“You looked at where my friend was aiming and said to yourself, ‘surely she wouldn’t be aiming at her partner’s head.’ So you took a guess and assumed I was standing to your left. That was stupid, Larry. Very stupid. Because now I know you’re just looking for an opening and I have to make you do something humiliating just to protect myself. Drop down. Hands and knees.”
“Look, my knees, they’re shot all to hell...”
“Not yet. But they could be.” She tapped the back of his head with her gun. “Crawl.”
He sighed and dropped down, crawling over the tile with increasingly pained grunts. When he reached the edge of the living room the smell hit him and he recoiled. “Ah, Jesus.”
“Find another way to launder your money. The casinos are sick of seeing your business. You have about half an hour before the police get an anonymous tip to come check out sounds of a disturbance. You’ll probably need most of that time to figure out the combination of Leon’s fallout shelter. Move quick, Mr. Mancuso. You won’t get all the cash out, but you can minimize your losses if you hurry.”
She motioned at the door with her head, and Echo lowered her gun and left. Joss backed away from Mancuso and then followed. They had Leon’s keys and would use his car to get as far away from the house as possible. She heard Mancuso get up and start moving before she was out the door, but he was moving away from her and toward the garage. Outside on the front walk, Echo finished dialing Leon’s cell phone and then tossed it into the bushes. The police would be there in under ten minutes, but Joss didn’t feel any qualms about lying to the drug dealer who would be caught in the house with a dead body. Even if Mancuso was free, he was hardly the type of guy who would admit he’d been taken down by two women.
They abandoned Leon’s car behind a nearby strip mall and walked to the lot where they’d left their own car. During their walk they were passed by police cars going the other direction with lights and sirens flashing. They slowed down and watched the cars streak pass as any ordinary citizen would, then resumed their casual stroll.
“When do we have to be back in Sacramento?”
“Thirty-six hours,” Joss said. “I was thinking we could use some of my finders’ fee to celebrate a successful job.”
Echo smiled. “What did you have in mind?”
#
The Black Keys were playing in the club, and Joss was reminded of dinner with Beauregard and Devlin. She and Echo found seats near the stage, and Echo carefully lowered herself into the chair without taking her eyes off the dancer currently undressing on the catwalk. The club had three stages, and Joss chose a table near the far wall so they could see all three dancers at the same time.
“Have you ever been to a strip club before?”
Echo shook her head. “I’ve thought about it, but it always just seemed weird to go alone. And it seemed weird to ask someone to come with me.”
“Is it weird to have someone invite you?”
“No. God, she’s gorgeous.” She turned to look at the topless waitresses buzzing around the tables with drink trays held high so their breasts weren’t covered. “They’re all so gorgeous! I always kind of thought women in strip clubs would be... well, I mean, they’d...”
Joss said, “This is Vegas. Everyone looks like a supermodel in Vegas.”
A waitress approached and placed two glasses of water on their table. “Evening, ladies. I’m Tricia, and I’ll be taking care of you tonight.”
“Hi, Tricia. I’m Joss, and this is my friend...”
“Erica.”
Joss smiled at the way Echo’s eyes had widened when the waitress approached. “Scotch for me. She’ll take a gin and tonic. Also I’d like to buy her a private dance. Are you available for that?”
Tricia’s smile widened. “Yes, ma’am. We help out at the bar when we’re not on stage.”
“No! No, tha-that’s not...”
Joss put her hand on Echo’s thigh and locked eyes with her. “You deserve it.”
Echo swallowed and smiled at the waitress, torn between desire and wanting to remain inconspicuous. “Uh. Yeah. Sure.”
The waitress winked at Echo and stepped around Joss’ seat to rest a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go get your drinks, and then I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes. You’ll get three songs for a hundred bucks.” She turned back to Joss and flipped her hair out of her face. “If your friend wants to watch... tell you what. If she wants to watch, it’ll be free.”
Echo chuckled nervously. “Okay. Uh. Okay, cool.”
“See you soon, sweetie.”
Tricia walked away and Echo bashfully watched her go, smiling behind her hand before she kicked the side of Joss’ shoe. “What was that for?”
“Bonus. I’ll pay it out of my finders’ fee. This is another lesson in the life. Once you’re finished with the job, you can’t let your guard down. You have to be careful about getting caught. There’s a dead person in town and you might look very suspicious trying to leave town immediately afterward. This is a transition. This is how you go from someone on the lam to someone who is just on their way home.” She sipped her water. “You replace what you’re walking away from. If you’re walking away from a crime, you’ll feel guilty. But if you’re walking away from something you enjoyed, you’ll be relaxed and calm. Your body language will be your disguise.”
Tricia brought over their drinks, leaning down between them and giving Echo a quick smile before she retreated. “Give me a high-sign when you’re ready and I’ll come get you, okay? I’m going to go put something on so I have something to take off.” Echo managed to nod and the waitress disappeared.
Echo lifted her drink and tilted it back, wincing at the alcohol but still swallowing a decent portion before she put the glass down. She touched her wrist to her lips and looked over her shoulder to see if her waitress had returned yet. She relaxed in her seat and took another drink, touching her tongue to her top lip when it was gone.
“How do you find women after a job? I mean, women you don’t have to pay for a no-touch dance.”
“There are a lot of ways,” Joss said. “Bars and such.”
“You just walk up to women? I can’t do that in my real life, let alone when I have to watch my back.”
Joss said, “It’s easier after a job. You’re not at home, you’re out in the world. You’re surrounded by people you know you’ll never see again. You can be anyone you want to be. Be Echo Barrett, not whoever you are when you get off the plane at home. Be accountable to yourself and no one else. If you see something you like, be willing to take it. The worst that can happen is they say no, and what do you care? You’ll just walk away and find someone else, and in the morning you’re half a country away.”
Echo thought about that for a long moment. “My name’s not really Erica.”
“I figured. I prefer Echo anyway.”
“Me too.”
Joss looked back and saw Tricia approaching. She had changed into a black bra and matching panties, her curves mostly hidden by a sheer robe. She smiled when she saw Joss watching and waved her fingers. Joss nudged Echo, who tensed when she saw what Tricia had changed into.
“Wow. That is worth way more than a hundred bucks.”
“Then tip generously. You can afford it.”
“Yeah.” Echo finished her drink for the liquid courage and motioned for Tricia to come over. She looked at Joss and raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to watch?”
Joss looked at Tricia, then locked eyes with Echo.
“What the hell.” She took a long drink from her glass and put it back on the table before pushing her chair back. “Free’s free.” She took Echo’s hand, squeezed it, and stood to let Tricia lead them away.
22
The private dances happened in a side room with plush loveseats ringing the perimeter against the wall. Each seat was blocked off by curtains that were open to the middle of the room for the safety of the dancers. Joss offered Tricia Echo’s hand, and the dancer led the younger woman to one of the furthest seats, offering them a modicum of privacy. She turned on the ball of one foot, twisting her long legs as she pointed to a seat Joss could take. Joss smiled as she settled in and leaned back, crossing one leg over the other as Echo nervously sat in the hot seat. She looked past Tricia with an expression of horror and excitement, and Joss winked at her.
The music started, an Arctic Monkeys song called “Arabella,” and Echo leaned back as Tricia began to dance. It was immediately apparent that she was worth a hundred dollars for three songs; Joss wasn’t a dancer and couldn’t choreograph anything outside a fight, but Tricia obviously knew what she was doing. She swung her hips and used her whole body to symbolize the beat of the music, twisting her arms as she lifted them over her head.
The robe came off and was draped over one arm of the chair as Tricia turned to face her customer. Echo pressed back into the chair, eyes wide as she balled her hands into fists on her thighs. Tricia arched her back and lightly lifted Echo’s right hand, massaging the fingers with her thumb until they relaxed. She moved the hand to her hip, and Echo obediently placed her left hand without being prompted. Joss moved her hand between her legs, working her fingers against the crotch of her pants and rocking forward slowly as she watched Tricia slowly lower herself onto Echo’s lap.
The bra came off and Tricia leaned forward, cupping the back of Echo’s head to draw her closer. Echo closed her eyes as she was cradled to the stripper’s chest, and Joss preemptively reached into her pocket. Echo’s tongue flicked out against the nipple and Joss saw Tricia tense slightly, look back at her with her lips parted to protest, and Joss held up two hundred dollar bills. She folded it half and rolled her wrist to imply there was more available, and Tricia resumed grinding.
Echo turned her head and kissed between Tricia’s breasts, then leaned back as Tricia’s knees dug into the cushion on either side of her. Tricia put her hand on the front of Echo’s shirt and curled her fingers in the material, using her as leverage as she pressed down and rubbed herself hard against Echo. Echo’s hands, which had remained on Tricia’s hips the entire time, slipped lower and squeezed her ass. Tricia looked back and Joss raised her thumb and flicked it upward. Tricia shrugged and reached down between them. Echo gasped and said something that was lost under the beat of the music, but she heard Tricia whisper, “It’s okay.”
Joss wasn’t aware the second song had started until she heard it end. In the lull between it and the final song, she heard the rasp of a zipper as Tricia straightened and then pushed her hand into Echo’s pants. Echo arched her back and parted her lips as Joss rubbed between her legs, watching Tricia’s arm move as she tried to finish before the song ended. Echo twisted to the left and dropped back with a choked cry, trembling and pulling Tricia tight against her as she came. Tricia was whispering something Joss had no hope of overhearing, and then bent down to lightly brush her lips against Echo’s. It was more of a gesture than a true kiss, but Echo’s entire body went limp.
Tricia leaned back and rose off Echo’s lap, leaving her unzipped and sated. She hooked her robe on one finger and wrapped it around herself as she turned to Joss.
“We don’t normally provide those services,” she said, arms crossed but not exactly angry. “You and your... girlfriend?”
Joss decided it was easier to nod.
“Well, it seemed right with you two. But for that, it’ll be more than a hundred. Sorry, but--”
“No, I understand.” Joss took out her wallet, which she had loaded with cash from Leon’s stash. She saw Tricia’s eyes widen at the sight of its girth and counted out fifty Benjamin Franklins. “Will that cover it?”
“Hell yeah. You want me to go down on her, too?”
Joss grinned. “That’s fine. I think you satisfied her for now. Thanks for the show.”
“Sure thing, sweetie. Let me know if you’d like a dance of your own before you head out.”
Tricia left, and Joss went to Echo. She sat next to her and watched until her eyes opened and she was able to push herself up into a sitting position.
“That was a good dance,” she said.
Joss said, “One of the best I’ve seen.”
“Did you pay?”
“Yeah. You were a little too indisposed, might have given her all the cash we had.”
“She earned it.”
Joss laughed. “Put yourself back together. We’ll catch another dance, maybe get something to eat, and then we’ll start out for Sacramento.”
“Okay. Joss... what you said about replacing the experience?” Joss nodded. “I think I’m still going to act guilty when I think about what just happened.”
Joss stood up. “That’s okay. That’s just Vegas guilt. It’s normal. Button your pants and let’s go finish our drinks.”
#
Tricia had a turn on the stage before they left the club, and Joss convinced Echo to give her another fifty. Tricia crouched and turned her legs to the side so Echo could slip it under the strap of her G-string. She winked and straightened up, turning her hips and kicking up her legs as she strutted back to the pole. She hooked her fingers around it, swung in a wide circle, and swayed her hips as she dropped back down. The girl was popular with the crowd, and she had a fair amount of tips waiting to be gathered when she left the stage. She winked at Joss and Echo before she tossed the curtain aside and disappeared into the back of the club.
Joss and Echo decided to leave, since no dancer would top Tricia’s performance, and they headed for the door. Echo squinted as they stepped back out into the sun and heat. Even Joss was startled by the change in atmosphere, and she slid on a pair of sunglasses as they walked across the asphalt to their car. Before getting in, Joss shed her T-shirt and exchanged it for a white tank top. She put on her sunglasses and waited for Echo to get in the car before she started the engine. A blast of lukewarm air burst forth from the dashboard vents, and Joss hoped it would become a semblance of cool soon. They left Vegas behind and were soon the only car driving north in the midday heat.
“Can I tell you what I do between calls?”
“Sure,” Joss said.
“I hide away. My parents want to bug me about the trips I’ve been taking, and they keep asking me to see a psychiatrist. Why would I ever want to go back to a shrink after what the one I killed supposedly did? Although...” She chuckled. “You know, you’re kind of like my new psychiatrist. You’re the first person who has ever made me feel normal. I love being around you because I don’t have to fake anything. I can finally be who I’m supposed to be. I guess that’s what you were saying about the hook-up thing. I don’t have to put on a show for you.”
“I’m glad.”
Echo looked at her. “Thank you for the money. I’m going to use it. When I go back this time, I’m going to tell them I need a change of scenery. I’m not sure where I’ll go, but anywhere they can’t pop in to check on me. I’m sitting here thinking about cutting everyone I know out of my life, all my friends, my family, my professors, my classmates. And the only person I’m worried about never seeing again is you. I spent my whole life trying to wedge myself into a box and then you showed up in my car and fucking threatened me.” She laughed. “You made me the person I’ve been trying to be for my entire life. I could never repay you for that.”
“You’re very welcome, Echo.” She was willing to let it drop there but, after a few false starts, she finally managed to voice her other thought. “You’re the first person in a very long time that I’ve cared for. Maybe the first since...” She closed her lips and sucked her teeth for a moment, then finished. “Since the first and only person I ever loved. I lost her and after that I never really felt much for anyone else. I’m honored.”
Joss nodded once and focused on the horizon.
They drove through the rest of Nevada without speaking beyond idle chitchat. They saw a truck stop and got something to eat, along with snacks to tide them over until they were back to civilization. Echo munched on potato chips, her feet in the seat with her legs tucked up against her chest. Joss occasionally glanced over, stunned at how quickly she could transform back into a harmless college student. The third or fourth time Joss looked over Echo finally said, “What? What is it?”
“You’re going to be amazing at this work, Echo. You really are.”
“Oh.” She licked the salt from her lips and shrugged. “Well. I have a great teacher.”
“I have to go back to my husband,” Joss said, apropos of nothing. “You were right. I can’t just cut them loose, and it’ll be better for everyone involved if I just find a way to stick it out.”
Echo lifted a shoulder. “Sorry.”
“No, you were right. You gave me much needed perspective. I was so eager to get free that I didn’t think far enough ahead. If I let him divorce me it’ll cause way too many problems.”
“Better the devil you know, huh?”
“Truer words, Echo.”
They arrived in Sacramento just after dark, leaving behind the harsher temperatures of Nevada far behind them. Joss found a hotel near the airport but not so near that they would be flooded with tourists. Joss checked them into a room with two beds and helped Echo take the bags up to their room. Echo sat on the foot of her bed and looked out the window, then watched as Joss took some of the clothes from her bag and started hanging them up.
“This was a lot more like a vacation than a job. I mean... watching him was pretty easy. And we basically just spent the whole four days hanging out in the casino. I won seventy-dollars.”
“You won five hundred thousand and seventy-five dollars.”
Echo chuckled. “Well, sure, you could put it like that.” She bent down and took off her shoes. “But mostly I just hung out with you. It was great. It was one of the best weeks of my life.”
Joss ran her hand down the sleeve of the blouse she had just hung up. “Mine too.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious,” Joss said. She walked around and stood next to Echo, who looked up at her. Joss cupped Echo’s face and extended her thumb to brush it across the girl’s bottom lip. She took a breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes and raising her eyebrows as Echo kissed the pad and then scraped her bottom teeth across it. “I slept with two people I’ve really cared about in my life. Every other time it was biology, lust, or to protect a cover. Or to get their guard down so I could finish my job. I don’t connect love to sex. But something stopped me from using you the way I normally would have. You were more than that, Echo. From the beginning, I knew you would be more than that.”
“Joss...”
“Sh.” She bent down and kissed Echo’s lips. Echo stretched so Joss wouldn’t have to stretch as much, scooting further back on the bed as she kicked off her shoe. Joss kept her eyes open as they kissed and watched as Echo’s eyes closed. The girl’s hands felt small and cold on Joss’ cheeks before they pushed back into her hair, tangling with the cord Joss had used to tie her hair back during the drive. It came loose, moist from sweat and it made her shiver when it dragged along her neck to settle around her face. Joss stroked Echo’s hair and urged her to lie back, and Echo complied.
Joss climbed onto the bed and stretched out next to her. They continued kissing, Joss’ tongue thrusting into Echo’s mouth and then curling back. Echo whimpered something that sounded like Joss’ name before the kiss continued, and Joss twisted to put her thigh between Echo’s legs. Echo dragged her fingernails down Joss’ bare arms, then moved back up to the collar of her tank top. She flattened her palms and massaged the cotton covering her breasts.
Echo was still wearing a T-shirt and she twisted back, arms over her head, as Joss lifted the shirt up and off of her. Echo gripped the tank top and Joss helped her take it off. They fell against each other again, arms intertwined so they could unhook each other’s bras. Joss was breathing heavily when she broke the kiss, sitting up on her knees to straddle Echo’s thigh. Echo dropped her hands to either side of her head and admired Joss sitting astride her like a conqueror, then crossed her hands at the wrist over her head. Her hair was splayed around her head like a sunburst, and Joss dragged the side of her hand down the middle of Echo’s chest like a blade. Echo squirmed and her lips worked hard to contain a whimper of need as Joss unbuttoned her pants.
“What were you thinking about when that stripper fingered you?”
“You,” Echo moaned. “Watching.”
“Did it make you wet?”
“Yeah...”
Joss scooted down to get the pants off, and Echo lifted her legs to assist. Joss left her underwear on for the time being and lowered herself onto her elbows. She pressed her hand against the crotch of Echo’s underwear, but Echo surprised her by taking her fingers and lifting it off.
“I have to know before you do this. Is it going to be reciprocal this time?”
“Do you want it to be?”
“I don’t want to do it if the answer is no.”
Joss pulled her hand free and put it back. Echo’s eyes closed and Joss moved the heel of her hand in slow circles. “It’s reciprocal, Echo.”
“Then fuck me, Joss.”
Joss turned her head to kiss Echo’s thigh. Echo cupped her breasts and squeezed the nipples, lifting her ass off the bed to meet Joss’ hand. She lifted her head between her hunched shoulders and gasped a question.
“How many people have you killed with those hands?”
Joss had to think for a moment. “Ninety-six.”
“Put your fingers inside me.”
Joss pushed the underwear inside, pausing just long enough to slip two fingers into her mouth to make them wet before she rubbed the knuckles against the labia. Echo gasped and gripped the blankets, closing her eyes as she tightened her inner muscles so Joss had to work a little harder to get inside her. Joss twisted her wrist and pushed, leaning down and taking Echo’s clit into her mouth through her thin underwear. Echo arched her back and cried out.
“Joss, you’re killing me...”
“You don’t count as ninety-seven.”
Echo chuckled throatily and writhed. “Don’t make me laugh... gotta... come.” The last word was a groan, and her elbows dug into the mattress as she tensed. Josh continued to twist her wrist, thrusting in a slow rhythm until Echo reached down and touched her forehead. Joss backed off, her lips wet with Echo’s juices, both of them gasping as Joss withdrew her fingers and tasted Echo off of them. She was still savoring the taste when Echo suddenly sat up, grabbed Joss’ shoulders, and wrestled her back. They fell off the bed and Joss slowed her fall by bracing one arm against the floor as Echo perched on top of her.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not giving you a chance to back off.”
“You think you’re in charge?”
Echo slapped Joss hard across the face, something that was too shocking to hurt and too surprising to make her made. The sting spread, and Joss faced the girl with renewed pride. “I might make you pay for that, little girl.”
“You’re welcome to... when it’s your turn again. Take your pants off.”
“Make me.”
Echo grinned. The two wrestled for a moment, Joss reaching for Echo only to have her hands slapped away. She twisted, kicked, and fought until finally her pants were off and she was lying face-down on the carpet with Echo on top of her. Echo had taken her panties down as well so she was naked with Echo on top of her wearing only a thin, wet pair of panties. Joss panted for her to wait, and Echo slowed to a stop.
“Wait... stop.”
“What?”
“Just...” Joss closed her eyes, pinned, Echo’s breasts against her back. Joss spread her legs and closed her eyes as Echo instinctively settled between them. “Hold me down,” Joss whispered. Echo did as she was told, her lips in Joss’ hair, and after a few moments of stillness Echo began to rock her hips. Joss grunted her approval and lifted her lower body to meet Echo’s thrusts. Soon they were both gasping and moving erratically. Joss reached back and Echo found her hand, their fingers clasped together, and Joss felt her orgasm building. She grimaced and dropped her cheek to the carpet, her body making a pyramid to meet Echo’s thrusts, Echo’s body rubbing against Joss’ sex with each upward stroke.
The orgasm that hit her was much more powerful than she expected. She trembled and cursed under her breath, then stretched out flat against the floor. Echo lay on top of her and kissed through Joss’ hair until she found her cheek. Joss lifted her head and their lips met, and Echo slid her arms around her waist.
They stayed like that until the sweat cooled from their bodies, and until both of them were breathing normally again.
“I love you, Joss.”
Joss was quiet for a very long time. “I love you, too.”
For the first time in nearly two decades, she was startled to discover she truly meant it.