The Motivated Employee

Kayla handed Dani the hose. "You missed a whole streak of bird shit on the back."

"Did I?" Dani squinted at the boot door. "Maybe you just don't understand art."

Kayla flicked a spongeful of soapy water at her. Dani yelped and ducked behind the open car door.

"Kayla!" she laughed, holding the hose as a belated, useless shield. "Now I'm all wet."

"Uh, speaking of all wet..." Kayla drawled, squeezing the sponge out. "How was dinner last night?"

Dani shook water off her arms and stepped away from the cool metal. "It went really well. She...uh...she kissed me."

Kayla leaned against the hood. "Ahhh, so that's why you were staring into your cereal."

"Yeah, well, turns out my brain doesn't know what to do with this kind of input." Dani protested, flinging a few drops of water at her.

"It's that exact expression. Right there." Kayla responded, wiping the water off her face.

"What?" Kayla shrugged. "Did she spank you before or after?"

"Kayla!"

Kayla grinned, grabbing the hose from Dani and lifting it like a sword. "Before, right? She strikes me as a 'discipline first, dessert later' kind of woman."

"Please stop talking," Dani muttered.

Kayla softened. "Hey. Jokes aside. What was it like?"

Dani leaned her hip against the wet car, voice quick and a little breathless. "I was nervous, okay? I looked at her once, then away, then back--next thing I know, our lips just slammed together."

Kayla nodded. "That's good. Did Jo watch? Or join in?"

"Probably." she grinned. "Their doorbell camera was aimed in that direction."

"If she breaks your heart, I will egg her car."

"Fair."

"And TP her house."

"Ok."

"And hire an actor to dress up as the shame nun and follow her around town ringing a bell."

"Ha. Got it."

Dani watched the soap swirl down the driveway, then glanced at Kayla. "Can I ask you something?"

Kayla raised an eyebrow. "You just did."

Dani rolled her eyes. "Seriously."

"Yeah, of course."

She hesitated, then said, "Have you ever been with a woman?"

Kayla didn't answer right away. She kept her eyes on the car, moving the sponge in slow circles. "I've never really been with anyone," she said finally, her voice quieter than before. "Not like that."

Dani stayed quiet, unsure if she should say something else.

Kayla gave a small, almost apologetic shrug. "I don't really like talking about me. It always feels... weird. I'm better at listening."

"You don't have to share anything you don't want to. I just hope you know I'm here if you ever do."

"It's not you," Kayla said quickly, still not meeting her eyes. "Most people don't ask. Mostly just the old ladies at church. And when they do, I usually deflect." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Guess I've just been waiting for the right time. Or the right person. Still figuring out what that even looks like."

Unsure what to say, Dani reached for the detergent bottle, fiddling with the lid. "Well... if it makes you feel any better, I only just figured out I like women, and a minute later I found a kink for corporate punishment. So... you're doing fine."

That earned a soft snort from Kayla. "You know what else is kinky?" She grinned. "This hose." She flung the hose out to wring out the kink.

Dani grinned. "Well, that's one way to change the subject."

Kayla still didn't look at her but her smile was genuine now. "Well, what can you do about it? Let's rinse this off." Once the last suds were rinsed off, Kayla stretched her arms over her head with a satisfied sigh. "And that concludes our car wash. Thanks for tuning in."

Dani laughed, shaking her damp sleeves out. "Your car's so clean I could lick it."

"Please don't. I know where your tongue was last night." Kayla said, already peeling off her wet T-shirt. She wrung it out in a practiced motion and slung it over the backyard clothesline. "This thing weighs, like, the same as a baby now."

She toed off her sweatpants too, leaving her in black boyleg underpants and a faded sports bra. Her skin gleamed where the sun had caught it, water tracing the dip of her lower back, the gentle lines of her shoulders. She grabbed a towel and scrubbed her arms dry, completely at ease.

Dani looked without thinking. Just a glance, and then another.

It wasn't weird--they'd seen each other in underpants before, as well as bathing suits, and changing at the gym. But something about today felt... different. Slower. More vivid. The curve of Kayla's waist, the contoured lines of the muscles on her shoulders and thighs--it all seemed unusually sharp.

She shifted her eyes away.

Probably just the sun. Or the long week. Or--

Kayla turned and tossed her a towel. "You're dripping. Again."

Dani caught it midair. They headed for the porch, barefoot and laughing.

Dani didn't think any more about it. Not consciously, anyway. But that night, her dreams did the thinking for her.

She was lying on her own bed - but it felt too warm. The air smelled unusually clean, as if it hadn't been that way before.

Celina was there first. Already naked. She touched Dani like she already knew every inch of her. Her mouth was slow and certain against Dani's skin, her hands firm and practiced. Dani gasped when she was pressed down, when Celina's voice praised her.

Then Jo appeared--smiling, barefoot. She kissed Dani's thigh with reverence, tracing her nails up the inside. "You're so responsive," she murmured, and Dani couldn't tell if she was talking to her or Celina or both. It didn't matter. Everything blurred. Every nerve in her body felt lit up like a switchboard.

And then--

Kayla.

Her touch was gentler. Slower. She moved like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to want this. She pressed her lips to Dani's collarbone, soft and trembling. Her eyes searched Dani's as if asking a question Dani didn't know how to answer. It was different with her. Less practiced but somehow Dani felt the most comfortable with her.

Dani arched into all of it--too many hands, too much heat, the perfect weight of being wanted by all three at once. There was laughter, whispers, bodies moving in rhythm. She didn't know where one woman ended and another began.

And when she came, it was with someone's hand in hers.

She didn't see whose.

Dani woke with a start, her heart pounding like it was trying to outrun something.

The room was still, dimly lit by the soft orange glow of the streetlamp outside. Her mouth was dry. Her skin was hot.

She shifted under the covers and groaned. Her sheets were damp. And her pyjama pants were too.

She lay still for a moment as the dream clutched at her mind. Flashes of Celina's voice, Jo's hands, Kayla's mouth overlapped. It had felt so vivid, so real. Most of her was disappointed to wake up--but a part of her worried about how she'd face them, knowing what her dreams had stirred.

She peeled off her clothes and hurriedly stripped the bed. She moved quietly, not wanting to wake Kayla, even though her room was across the hall.

As she bundled the damp linens in her arms, she couldn't stop thinking about the way Kayla had looked earlier--sunlit skin and easy laughter--and how, in the dream, it hadn't felt strange at all to want her.

Dani paused in the doorway, clutching the sheets to her chest.

"This doesn't mean anything," she muttered to herself.

The next day, at work, Dani sat at her desk, eyes fixed on her screen, fingers moving with steady purpose. She was focused. Efficient, even. The numbers lined up, the emails flew out on time, her to-do list thinned with satisfying precision.

But the dream kept drifting in at the edges.

A flash of Kayla's lips on her skin. The sound of Jo's voice, warm and teasing. Celina's hands--confident, commanding. Dani blinked and shook it off, dragging her attention back to the task in front of her.

Focus. Just work. That's all it was.

Still, every time she hit send or totaled a column, something in her stomach fluttered. Like her body remembered something her brain was trying hard to file away.

Later that afternoon, Dani slipped outside to the courtyard under the guise of taking a call. Really, she just needed a breath of air.

The sun felt warm enough against the the leaves of a mimosa. A few mismatched tables sat scattered beneath it, half-shaded and mostly empty. Dani took a seat at one, stretching her legs and tilting her face toward the light. She closed her eyes behind her sunglasses and practised deep breaths. After a few minutes, a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Thought I might find you here," Celina said, walking over with two paper coffee cups.

Dani sat up straighter, startled but smiling. "Hi. I was just..."

"Escaping." Celina passed her the extra cup and took the seat across from her without waiting for an invitation. "Trust me, I get it."

Dani accepted the coffee, surprised. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Celina took a sip from her own cup, watching her over the rim. "You've been quiet today."

"Have I?" Dani deflected, trying for lightness.

She nodded. "Yeah, you have. Either you're planning another prank or..." she trailed off. "Is it because of the other night?"

Celina's voice lowered slightly, not sharp, but direct. "Is it because of the other night?"

That made Dani meet her eyes. "What?"

"The kiss," Celina said simply. "If it was too much, or too soon, I need you to say so."

Dani blinked, thrown. "No--no, it's not that."

Celina watched her for a beat, quiet.

"I keep replaying it," Dani admitted, her voice softening. "Not because I regret it. Because I... I liked it."

Celina let out a breath, something loosening in her shoulders. "I've been worrying I read the moment wrong. That I made you uncomfortable."

Dani shook her head quickly. "You didn't. I kissed you back. I wanted to."

Celina nodded, but her gaze stayed steady, like she was still trying to read between the lines. "Okay. I just didn't want to assume."

Dani paused, unsure. She sipped some coffee. The last time she'd spoken without overthinking - telling Celina she liked her - something unexpectedly good had come of it. So she gathered her nerve, even if her voice barely carried.

"I had a dream," she said softly. "Last night."

Something flickered across Celina's expression--interest, caution. "About...?"

Dani nodded slowly, her face flushing. "You." Telling her about the additional women felt like too much information.

Celina's brows lifted just slightly. "What was I doing in this dream?"

Dani's fingers tightened slightly around the coffee cup. She glanced away, heat rising in her cheeks, then looked back at Celina--eyes steady, even if her voice wasn't.

Dani's fingers tightened around the coffee cup, but when she caught the way Celina's gaze sharpened, a flicker of confidence sparked inside her. She met Celina's eyes directly, voice steady now.

"You were... we were touching," Dani said, deliberately. "Kissing. It felt so real I woke up... really turned on."

Celina stayed still, but something shifted -- her jaw tightened, her eyes locked on Dani's. "How... where were we kissing?"

"We were in my bed," Dani said, her voice growing stronger, "And we weren't wearing anything."

Celina leaned in, her tone softer now, but sure. "And are you telling me because you wanted to get it off your mind - or because you don't?"

Dani's lips parted, breath shallow.

But then--voices.

The sound of laughter and footsteps broke the moment as two colleagues rounded the corner into the courtyard. It was Randall and Viv, both in lanyards and holding takeaway lunch containers, mid-conversation.

Dammit, Dani thought. The timing was merciless.

Celina noticed too. She shifted subtly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, eyes still locked on Dani's. 'For what it's worth," she murmured, with a curved smile, "I'm flattered."

Dani laughed under her breath--relieved and still flustered.

The others were drawing closer, heading to a table nearby. Dani sat back, trying to school her face, but Celina leaned in once more, barely audible now.

"Next time you wake up like that," she said, voice like velvet, "maybe don't suffer alone."

Dani heart thudded like a stuck bell.

But Celina was already standing, adjusting her coat, the calm professional again.

"You're due for your review this Friday," Celina said lightly--just loud enough for Randall and Viv to catch. Then she turned and walked off, calm and collected.

"Look alive, it's the boss!" Randall called out as she passed, his voice good-natured.

Celina shot him a pair of finger guns without missing a step.

Randall ambled over with a grin, slightly out of breath as always. He was a little chubby and had a salt-and-pepper beard. Viv followed close behind.

They slid into the empty chairs at Dani's table.

"You okay?" Viv asked, setting her lunch down. "You look kind of... flushed."

Dani blinked, quickly lowering her coffee cup. "Oh--yeah. Just been staring at a screen too long today."

Randall nodded sagely. "Or is it panic before a review?"

Viv leaned in with an encouraging smile. "Just remember--bosses are supposed to be a little scary. If you're nervous, you're doing it right."

Dani laughed, trying to keep it light. "Right. Totally normal."

They didn't press, and she was grateful. But her pulse was still going strong beneath her skin. When she got home that evening, the townhouse was quiet. Kayla's shoes were by the door, but her bedroom light was off. Probably out back, or headphones in.

Dani didn't call out. She just slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her with a soft click. The day had stretched too tightly over her shoulders--too many thoughts, too much restraint. The dream, Celina in the courtyard. And yesterday, the way Kayla's skin had looked in the sunlight. It had all clung to her like residue. She undressed slowly. Not like before, peeling off damp clothes in a panic. Each layer came away deliberate, giving her body permission to feel what it hadn't let itself all day.

She lay back against her sheets--fresh ones--and closed her eyes.

First, she imagined Celina, the heat of her breath close as she murmured, "Next time you wake up like that, don't suffer alone." Then the weight of her--thighs sliding over the sheets, knees sinking into the mattress, the mattress dipping under her body. Celina's skin brushed hers, bare and warm, and then came the kiss: slow, deep, tasting faintly of sleep and sweetness.

Her mouth moved with certainty, tongue coaxing a soft sound from Dani's throat. Celina's thigh wedged between her own, muscles taut, pressure steady and deliberate. Breath mingled, damp and uneven. The sheets twisted beneath them, pulling tight with every shift of hips and hands.

In the quiet of her room, Dani stirred. Her breath had gone shallow. Her mouth parted. Saliva gathered under her tongue as if her body couldn't tell the difference--memory or not, the reaction was real. Her skin prickled, jaw tightening slightly with want. But in her mind, she could still feel Celina.

And then she imagined Jo - sliding up beside Celina, the mattress shifting again under new weight. Jo laughed, wickedly. Then her fingers - cooler and more playful than Celina's - drifted down her torso. They lazily traced lines along her ribs, then dipped, just above her mons, pressing faintly. Dani flinched - not from discomfort, but from the precision of the touch. Jo's nails then grazed the curve of her hip, featherlight, dragging a slow ache up through her core. Celina's lips pressed to Dani's shoulder, while Jo's fingers taunted her. Dani's own fingers mimicked Jo's in her fantasy, as it tangled with her memories. Her breath pulled in sharp and shallow, and she pressed her thighs together, not wanting to stop the sensation but to contain it.

Jo's mouth reached her first, warm and playful, lips wrapping around one nipple while her tongue flicked with a teasing rhythm that made Dani gasp aloud. Celina followed a heartbeat later, her mouth softer, wetter--kissing the other breast with reverence, then sucking gently until Dani's back arched off the bed. Their mouths moved in tandem, one coaxing, the other claiming, the sensation dizzying, almost unbearable in its layering. Dani's nipples had hardened beneath the sheet.

And then, quietly, almost uninvited, Kayla appeared at the edge of the bed. She crawled up in between Jo and Celina, kneeling down between Dani's thighs. And then her mouth was there - open and wet. The first flick of her tongue made Dani cry out sharply, hips bucking instinctively. But Kayla held her there - anchoring Dani in place, licking her precisely, deeper, faster until Dani's legs trembled around her shoulders. Jo, laughing into Dani's skin, and Celina, murming indecipherable things, still devoured her breasts, while Kayla worked on her below, drawing the life out of her body.

Dani's fingers mirrored the rhythm Kayla set in her mind, dragging slickness over her clit until her hips lifted on their own. Her breath stuttered, chest rising and falling, nipples tight, clit aching. She pinched a nipple, imagining Celina's lips pulling it deeper into her mouth. Dani felt a noise escaped her lips, unsure of the volume, but shameless.

And then her thighs clenched. Her hand froze, pressed hard against herself. A definite cry tore out of her throat, raw and choked, as her orgasm crashed through her. It hit her in pulses, shuddering up her spine and down her legs, with her mouth open in silent wonder. She rode it out, her hips jerking as her fingers worked her through it.

After it passed, she lay there - panting, trembling, slick with sweat and slickness. As her breaths steadied, her mind felt steadied and peaceful for the first time all day.

Later that night, she went in to the kitchen. The house was dark, soft shadows pooling in corners, the hum of the fridge the only sound. As she filled a glass at the sink, she heard Kayla behind her.

"Hey," Kayla said, voice scratchy with sleep.

Dani jumped slightly. "Jesus--sorry, I didn't see you."

Kayla padded in, hair a mess, oversized shirt hanging off one shoulder. She rubbed at one eye and leaned against the counter. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just thirsty." The double meaning of the phrase made Dani try not to squirm.

"You, uh..." Kayla said after a beat, almost too casually. "You sleep okay?"

Dani blinked. "Yeah. Why?"

Kayla's mouth twitched. "Just... thought I heard something."

Dani's throat went dry in an instant. "Like what?"

Kayla tilted her head. "I dunno. A mattress squeaking. Maybe some moaning.'"

Dani choked on a sip of water.

Kayla grinned, but it was gentler than it could've been--teasing, not mocking. "Next time, maybe throw on a little background noise, huh?"

Dani covered her face. "Oh my god."

"Relax. I don't care. Just... curious."

Dani peeked through her fingers. "Curious?"

Kayla shrugged, suddenly a little shy. "Yeah. I mean... was it about her? Celina?"

Dani hesitated. "...Kind of."

Kayla looked at her, unreadable. The silence stretched.

Dani lowered her hands slowly. "You heard all that and still have questions?"

Kayla's expression flickered--humor and something else beneath it. "I'm nosy. Sue me."

Dani looked down at her glass, then back up. "It wasn't just Celina."

Kayla's face didn't change much, but her eyes softened. "Okay."

They stood in silence for a moment. Then Kayla pushed away from the counter. "Well, good for you. Get it, girl."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Unless... you wanna talk about it."

"Would that be weird?"

Kayla looked over her shoulder. "Only if you make it weird."

I imagined you, Dani thought, but decided not to say it. Instead, she smiled, faint and crooked. "Any song requests for next time I flick the bean? To make it less weird, of course."