Page 21 of Phoenix Rising

"Out!" Becky threw a wadded piece of paper at Ember.

She hurried from the room, laughing as she shut the door behind her.

Becky leaned back in her chair, trying not to replay the vision of Lucinda being a flustered mess on her desk. She pulled out her phone and typed out a message.

Becky: U alright?

She raised her right hand to her nose again and sniffed it.

Oh, fuck, yes.

Lucinda didn't text back immediately. Becky tossed her phone on her desk, trying not to obsess about the doctor. As she stared up at the ceiling, regret began to set in. She hoped Lucinda hadn't felt pressured to kiss Becky.

No, she kissed me just as much as I kissed her.And you can’t fake that kind of wetness.

Typically, Becky would have cared for someone after they had been intimate, but she hadn't had that opportunity.

Typically?Becky rolled the word over in her head.

There was no 'typically' for her. Becky hadn't had sex in probably three years. She hadn't reallyfelt the need to. No one brought that side out of her. No one interested her.

Until now.

Her phone pinged.

Lucinda: Yes

Becky's fingers hovered over the keyboard, unsure of what to say next.

I'll finish you off next time, if you want a next time.

I want to taste you. All night.

I’m going to fuck you until you scream my name.

My place tonight.

Do you want to grab dinner?

Becky placed her phone face down, not wanting to be tempted to send Lucinda anything else. She had done enough today. The fire chief just hoped Lucinda had enjoyed it as much as she had.

6

LUCINDA

Lucinda had liked that kiss too much for comfort. She paced in circles in her apartment, repeatedly replaying her time on Becky's desk in her head.

Say my name, Lucinda.

She had snogged the fire chief with her legs spread in a fucking place of business. Lucinda wanted to scream into her pillows from the embarrassment. She couldn't be in her apartment anymore. The nervous energy in her was going to make her explode.

She slipped on her black heels and rode the elevator to the lobby, stopping the doorman.

"Where's the nearest bar?" she asked.

"Battle Cattle. One block over, ma'am."

Lucinda tried her best not to gasp at the funky restaurant. It was like the 70s and millennial farm core vomited across the restaurant. It was full of bright memorabilia and different farm-themed decor. One wall was painted white with vinyls scattered across the walls. She wondered if it was supposed to look like cow spots. All the tables had papier-mâchéTV Guidesand magazines pressed underneath the glass tops. “Battle Cattle”was written in chalk on another black wall in between two giant fork and spoon hangings.

---