Page 30 of Phoenix Rising

"Will you quiet down?" Lucinda hissed.

"So what happened next?" Artie sat his head on his fist, his eyes wide with wonder.

A blonde teenage girl with braces rolled up to the pair. "Artie, when's your break over?"

"Carol, I'm literally in the middle of something," Artie snapped.

Carol rolled her eyes and skated to the front of the restaurant.

"Do you need to go?" Lucinda asked.

Artie waved a hand. "No, no! Keep talking. This is like a fucking soap opera."

Lucinda blushed and whispered, "Well, we slept together."

"Oh my god!" Artie hit the table with his hand. "Was it good?"

"Good" was the understatement of the year. Lucinda didn't think she had ever came so hard in her life. After Becky had left that night, Lucinda had passed out on the couch in utter bliss and slept for the next twelve hours.

"It was great, yeah." Lucinda stirred her drink.

"So, are you guys going to start dating or what?" Artie downed the rest of his chocolate shake.

The question sent Lucinda spiraling. Did Becky think they were dating? No, they were just having some fun. It was too soon for Lucinda to be thinking about dating someone. She literally moved to Phoenix Ridge to focus on her career, not to find a girlfriend. She couldn't pick out how she really felt about Becky. All she knew is that she didn't want to stop seeing her.

"We're just...hanging out," Lucinda said cautiously.

Artie snorted. "Was that the first time you've ever said that phrase?"

"Yeah, probably."

He broke out into a loud laugh. "I love you, Dr. England."

Later that night, Becky showed up at her door. Because of their busy schedules, they hadn't been able to see each other in a few days.

Becky's short sandy hair was slicked back and wet, like she had just gotten out of the shower. She was wearing the most normal clothes Lucinda had ever seen her in: a black t-shirt and black sweatpants. Was it concerning that Lucinda found the outfit so hot?

"Hey, sweet girl." Becky smirked and walked into Lucinda's apartment.

Lucinda's stomach flipped at the nickname. "Hi, how was your day? How's Ember doing?" She closed the door and followed Becky to the couch, where Becky pulled her into her lap.

Becky leaned her head back on the couch, placing Lucinda's legs on both sides on her hips. She looked tired—exhausted, actually.

"It was good. Ember is good," Becky said, running her hands up Lucinda's legs.

"Don't lie to me. You look exhausted!" Lucinda leaned her hands on the back of the couch.

"Pft, you need to work on your bedside manner, Doc," Becky joked. "Just a long day is all."

Lucinda ran her hands down Becky's chest, slipping her hands under her shirt. "I'll have you know I have excellent bedside manner."

Becky raised an eyebrow. "Do you, now?"

"Yes, I'm very good at taking care of my patients. Zero complaints." Lucinda put her hands in the waistband of Becky's pants.

"I don't know if I believe you. Care to show me an example, beautiful?”

God, every time Becky called her that, she soaked her panties. She wasn't sure why Becky had this effect on her. Was it her husky voice? Or the way her eyes darkened? It was probably how she elongated every syllable like she had all the time in the world.

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