Page 19 of The Holiday

“Men, women… we’re not too different in the end,” Eve continued. “When we want a woman, it’s with the same amount of fervor. We women are merely conditioned to hold our passion back. You think my mother didn’t try to smack the flirtatious nature out of me? You should’ve seen me in high school.”

I should have, yeah.Natasha had accepted her desire for girls when she was a mere sixteen. There was no way she would have been able to turn Eve down back then like she was accustomed to now.

“I bet you got all the girls.” Was she trembling? Natasha better not be trembling.

“Sometimes. There certainly are a lot of pretty heiresses out there right now who will never admit to having slept with another girl, let alone this one. I’ve forgotten them, though. Women who won’t own up to who they are don’t interest me. Unlike you. Everyone knows you’re gay too, and you’ve never denied it.”

“Why would I deny it?” Truth be told, Natashaneveropenly told anyone but Ms. Coleman and later her assistant Jamie (now girlfriend and HR could suck it) that she was gay. She didn’t believe Ms. Coleman was the kind to spread that information around.It was probably one of the others in the office who overheard me.Natasha had to shoot the boss down in the executive office break room as some guy waltzed in.

“Maybe it’s because of my world of privilege,” Eve began, “but it takes balls we weren’t born with to be open about that sort of thing. So, I admire a woman of any appearance who completely owns who she is.”

Any appearance?

Eve leaned against the wall. No wonder. Not only was another maid approaching, but Eve’s best friend Kathleen was rushing by with her partner, en route to their room. Good thing the guest suites were padded enough that Natasha didn’t have to listen to it.I’d die.And blush. Like now. Fuck.

“Happy couples. Hmph.”

Okay, that made Natasha chuckle.

“Don’t you get sick of it?” Eve’s arms were crossed. “Everyone is pairing up in this world. I’m telling you, my sister andMonique are only the tip of the iceberg. After their wedding in February, there are going to be a lot more coming up.”

“You know something about those two that I don’t?”

“Huh? Oh my God,them?”Eve laughed. Nay,guffawed.“The day Kathleen marries anyone will be a cold one in hell. She’ll marry me first. In fact, she’s more than once drunkenly implied we should get hitched.”

“Have you two…?”

“No. Trust me, I’ve tried. Many times.”

Yeah, that was too good to be true. Natasha always wanted to hear about more heiresses coming out, but it rarely happened. Eve was the highest profile one. Also, one of the most reviled, based on the gossip Natasha unfortunately heard here and there.

Once the coast was clear, Eve said, “So, anyway, what I meant by appearances is that women like me,” she gestured to her hair and clothes, “don’t have much choice about coming out if we want to express ourselves. I admire you more feminine types for owning it.”

“You think I own it?”

“Of course I do. Don’t you think there should be more femme lesbian representation?”

Eve gave her a cursory glance.Hot damn those lashes.Eve sure knew how to use makeup to her advantage. Natasha felt like a bumbling mess in comparison. “I think we should haveallthe representation. Every kind of lesbian and bisexual girl. Let’s take over the media. You, me, everyone.” Her hand grazed Natasha’s. “Wouldn’t mind getting papped with you in Miami.”

Natasha played with a chunk of her hair. “I’ve never been to Miami.”

“Hm? That so? It’s a fun place. Going there in February for the bachelorette party.”

Natasha glanced at her. “Do you actually like me? Or do you flirt with me because you flirt with everyone who pings your radar?”

Maybe it was the words. Maybe it was the tone. Either way, Eve snorted incredulously. “I would never flirt with a woman I wouldn’t want to take things to the next level with.”

The words were out of Natasha’s mouth before she could check them. “I was hoping you would say that.”

“Uh-huh. So, shedoeslike me.” Eve may be crossing every limb she had, but her casual posture was more than inviting. “Why are you always playing hard to get, then?”

“What can I say? I’m a romantic at heart. I want a woman to work to have a piece of this. And…” No. Now wasn’t the time to open the can of worms about the “ace” label. In her experience, people didn’t even try to understand it. The nuances. The shifting parameters. How a whole group of attractive people could keep Natasha perpetually turned off whileonelucky woman made her do a double-take… and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.

Eve’s eyes went up, then down. Up. Down.Up.Down. Face. Tits. Hips. Ass. What piece was she thinking of taking? Even Natasha was impressed that she had said something like that.It’s like admitting I want her too.Her lips twitched. Suddenly, poor Natasha was hyper-aware of her body and what it looked like. Oh, God, Eve couldn’t see the cellulite, could she? That didn’t show up through a dress, right? Or the fact her breasts weren’t as perky without a bra as they used to be? Would someone like Eve care about that? In Natasha’s experience, hungry women like Eve fell into two categories: those who loved every part of every woman’s body, and those who could make a girl cry with one mean comment.

“Time to cut the crap.” Whoa. Where did that growl come from? And how could Natasha hear more of it? It went straightto her stomach and lit a fire in her thighs! For the first timein years!“Do you want to do it or not?”

It certainly wasn’t romantic, but for a woman who declared herself a romantic, Natasha sure didn’t care about such things now. Sometimes blunt and direct talk was more arousing than the flowers and bullshit.

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