“Oh? Are we talking ‘furry pink handcuffs’ kinky, or ‘chains and leather’ kinky?”
April flushed. “I’m not going into detail.” Besides, truth was, it was something different altogether. But she couldn’t explain that to Lexi. “Anyway, I’m meeting her again next week.”
“Oh? Like a date?”
“I don’t think so,” April replied. “It sounds like she just wants a repeat of the other night.” And so did April.
“I thought hook-ups weren’t your thing?” Lexi said.
“This is the exception.”
“Good for you. Didn’t I tell you that it’d be fun? You’ve forgotten all about Christie too, haven’t you?”
“Fine, you were right.” April had barely thought about Christie all weekend. And she hadn’t been worrying about all the problems with the library as much as she should have been.
“I’m glad one of us got something out of Saturday night,” Lexi grumbled.
“What happened with the woman you took home?”
“She was a total pillow princess. I made her come four times, but when it was her turn, she gave up after a few minutes. Who can come in three minutes?”
April had come in three minutes on Saturday night. Well, at least she had the second time. She hadn’t even known that she was capable of orgasming more than once.
She felt so conflicted. She hated that Vicki was able to command her body like that. She hated even more that Vicki was able to get into her head, to turn her into a begging mess. April didn’t beg. She didn’t let others control her. Yet, Vicki had wrested control from her effortlessly. And April had enjoyed every moment of it. All those presumptions Vicki had made about what April really wanted? They were completely true.
April had tasted submission. She wanted more.
But next time, she wouldn’t give in quite so easily. Next time, she’d make Vicki work for it. It was bad enough that Vicki had her on a leash, making April wait over a week to meet her at some club without so much as a phone number.
“Are you still thinking about the other night?” Lexi asked. “You’re not falling for this woman, are you?”
“God, no,” April said.
After she had left Vicki’s apartment and the excitement of the night had faded, April had remembered what Vicki was really like. Cocky. A player. Vicki probably saw April as nothing more than another conquest. She could tell that Vicki’s dominant personality wasn’t limited to the bedroom. April had no interest in a relationship with someone as stubborn as herself. It would be a disaster.
“It’s all just raw physical chemistry,” April said. “We are completely incompatible otherwise.”
“Well, be careful,” Lexi said. “I know you haven’t done the ‘casual’ thing before, but there’s a risk of one of you developing feelings. It happens a lot, and it never ends well. Someone usually ends up getting their heart broken. Or worse, they end up falling in love and moving in together.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” April said. She switched on her computer. It was time to get to work.
“By the way, you might want to check your inbox,” Lexi said. “The mayor’s office sent out an email about the town hall meeting tonight.”
The meeting had been called to give the community a chance to voice their concerns about the impact of all the new developments in West Heights. April was planning to attend on behalf of the library, but she had low expectations. The mayor and the city council supported all the new developments in West Heights because of the money that was coming in with them. The concerns of the existing residents were barely on their radar.
“Apparently, a representative from Oasis Developments is coming to speak to everyone,” Lexi said. “It’s probably some PR person whose job it is to convince the locals that bulldozing Oakmont Street to make room for luxury apartments is a good thing.”
April found the email in question and skimmed through it, confirming what Lexi had said. “Maybe this is our chance to make Oasis listen to us about the library.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Lexi muttered.
April ignored her. This could be April’s last opportunity to save her library. Oakmont Street Library had been struggling for a while now. The library was unusual in that it relied more heavily on private funding than money from the city. The building itself had belonged to a wealthy philanthropist who leased it to the city for a token amount. But when the owner had passed away unexpectedly, his family had put his estate up for sale.
In the ensuing months, April had scrambled to save the library. Fundraising, soliciting donations, applying for state and federal grants. It wasn’t enough. Property in West Heights was now at a premium. And so, Oasis Developments had snapped up the building.
Now, they had 90 days to leave the premises. Because the city didn’t have the funds to buy or rent a space for the library in West Heights, they would be forced to close their doors. There were no options left.
Unless April could somehow convince Oasis Developments not to tear the building down.