Chapter 34

Standing to the side of the bar, Juliet cast her gaze around the room and smiled. Edie had been beside herself when she arrived an hour ago, her excitement only growing now that all of her friends were here. On arrival, each guest had their photograph taken with Edie in front of a backdrop, followed by their drink of choice from a selection of mocktails on offer. Juliet had hired a DJ for the evening, but the piano sat in its usual place should Paige wish to give them a song or two.

She eyed Paige where she stood close to the huge spread a catering company had provided. Juliet adored that smile, she craved to see the light in Paige's eyes daily, and right now, it was there and then some. Hannah and Caz chatted with Edie and her friends, Henry worked the bar with Stephen, and Juliet felt unbelievably calm. So calm that she couldn't recall what had happened here recently. But that spoke volumes. Her friends and the people she loved had helped her to forget. They'd been by her side, cheering her on when it came to her recovery, and she couldn't ask for a better group of people to have in her life.

Edie turned to Juliet, grinning from ear to ear.

"Having fun?"

"Oh, my God! Yes! Thank you so much." Edie stepped closer but hesitated. "Can I…hug you?"

Juliet laughed. "Of course you can."

"Mums say I have to be careful if I hug you in case I hurt you." Edie wrapped her arms around Juliet's waist and pressed the side of her head to Juliet's chest. "Thank you so much. You and Paige are the best."

"We wanted you to have a great night. You're excelling in school, you have a wonderful group of friends, and you deserve to have a great birthday."

Edie pulled back, eyeing Paige before she turned her attention to Juliet again. "Do you think Paige will sing?"

Juliet snorted. "Try and stop her."

"Oh, my God. Really?" Edie's eyes widened.

"I'm sure of it. Maybe a little later when you and your friends have eaten and done some dancing." Edie didn't know that Soraya would be joining them yet, but she would find out soon enough. She was due in the next few minutes.

"Okay." Edie held her mocktail as though she'd been drinking them for years and turned back to her friends.

Juliet stepped away from the bar and made a beeline for Paige, Hannah, and Caz. They spoke amongst themselves, laughing and joking with one another, the air this evening electric. It was nice to see some life back inside The Hideout.

Caz turned to Juliet. "Juliet, could you send us an invoice for what we owe you? I've asked Paige plenty of times, but she won't give me a bloody answer."

"There is no invoice. This party is from Paige and I. You two have enough expenses just keeping Edie in clothes. I swear she's grown another foot since I last saw her."

Hannah stepped in. "No, that's far too much. We love you both for everything you've done, but we'd like to contribute."

"Not necessary." Juliet heard the familiar sound of the security system. She looked over to Henry who was squinting towards the monitor, rolling her eyes as she laughed and excused herself from the group. "Have you always needed glasses, H?"

Henry's head shot up. "You can't tell me you can see who the hell is outside the door without glasses. That screen is tiny, Jules!"

Juliet peered down at the screen, recognising the face immediately. It was Soraya with her band, and Juliet was impressed by the fact they had shown up at all. They surely had better things to do than spend an hour in a bar with a group of screaming sixteen-year-olds. "It's okay. You can let them in."

Henry pressed the door release and got back to cleaning behind the bar. Since Paige had shown him what went where, he rarely left a thing out of place.

"Paige! She's here!" Juliet spoke over the noise of the DJ as she motioned towards the stairwell. "You'd better prepare yourself for whatever the hell is about to happen in here. Edie is going to lose her mind."

"Yep. She certainly is."

Soraya stepped into the bar, and the place fell silent. Edie and her friends stared, mouths agape, frozen in place.

"Or that." Paige laughed as she took Juliet's hand. "She's shocked, but I guess that's better than high-pitched screaming. I know which I prefer."

"At least she's not performing. That would have brought the ceiling down with this lot." Juliet lifted a hand and waved in Soraya's direction. Soraya had already explained to Paige that there would be no songs from her tonight—she had recently had a bout of laryngitis and was still recovering—but just her presence was sure to be enough for Edie.

Paige beamed a smile when Edie rushed towards her, flinging her arms around Paige's shoulders and almost dragging her to the floor. "I can't believe Soraya is here! How did you do that?"

"Well," Paige said as she took her phone from her back pocket. "I used this little device to make a phone call."

"You two are seriously the best ever!" Edie looked to Hannah and Caz. "You have the most amazing friends."

Hannah tipped her wine glass slightly. "You're not wrong, kid. Now, go and enjoy yourself with your friends. Get plenty of pictures!"

All four of them breathed a sigh of relief when Edie rushed towards Soraya and started chatting away to her. Could Juliet finally enjoy the night now that everything had gone to plan? Damn right she could. "Henry, I'll have a large whiskey. And pour yourself one."

Paige threw herself down into Juliet's office chair, far more tired than she thought she would be from hosting a sixteenth birthday party. Edie and her friends had been great, but God, they knew how to neck mocktails faster than some men drank pints of beer. Still, it had been the perfect birthday for Edie, and it had been the perfect opportunity to reopen The Hideout. Juliet had been right. This had been ideal when it came to moving on with life.

She held the arms of the chair, closing her eyes as she rested her head back. Did they really have to take care of the cleaning up tonight? Couldn't they just come in a little earlier tomorrow and get the place ready then? Paige eyed the clock on the wall. It was almost midnight. Maybe tomorrow was a better idea.

As Paige crossed her legs, taking a moment or two to catch her breath for the first time tonight, Juliet came strolling through the office door. "Remind me never to say yes to a sixteenth again!"

Paige grinned, eyeing Juliet where she stood. "Tired, babe?"

"Tired? I think I'll sleep for a week after that."

Paige got it. Even though Juliet looked the picture of health on the outside, she did still have moments of anxiety, the odd sleepless night, and really…her body was still healing. "You want to head home? I'll come in tomorrow morning and take care of everything else."

"Yes. That sounds like a good idea." Juliet stalked towards Paige, leaning down as she braced her hands on either side of her. "You've done an exceptional job tonight."

"I was only working the bar. Same as I usually do."

Juliet cocked her head. "But you looked very good doing it. This dress…" Juliet's eyes dipped to Paige's cleavage as she took her bottom lip between her teeth. "You should definitely wear this dress more often."

"Oh, yeah?" Paige looked up at Juliet, the fire in her eyes a reminder of just what they did to one another. "Maybe it'll be on the bedroom floor once we get home."

"Mm. I'm tempted to just take you right here, right now."

Fuck. Paige loved this side of Juliet.

She opened her mouth to respond, only to remain speechless when Juliet lowered a hand to Paige's thigh. She drew her fingertips higher, encouraging Paige to spread her legs. She uncrossed them, Juliet's stare pinning her, and waited with bated breath.

"Everyone has left, by the way…"

That was an odd feeling. They were used to having Henry around until they'd entered the main block of the apartment. This would certainly be a new experience when they left for home in a little while. "Interesting."

"You know what that means, don't you?" Juliet lifted a brow as she slid her hand higher and beneath Paige's dress. "That nobody will hear you when you're moaning my name."

"Fuck, babe." Paige gripped the arms of the chair tighter, almost trembling at the mere thought of Juliet touching her. It felt as though an eternity had passed since she'd had the pleasure of Juliet's hands on her skin. The idea that it could happen right now had Paige soaked. "Y-you're something else."

Juliet dipped her head towards Paige's ear and whispered, "I've been dying to touch you all fucking night."

Oh, God. This was going to be intense. Paige felt it in Juliet's tone, her stare—and those hands? Oh, those hands were capable of so much. "Then what are you waiting for?" Paige shifted down in the office chair and spread her legs a little more. "You know I'm always wet for you."

Juliet took Paige's hand and guided her to her feet. She pushed the papers from the desk and cocked her head towards the empty top. "On there. Now."

Paige quickly obliged, grinning when Juliet took a seat in front of her. Her heels dug into the wood as she lifted her legs, but it was the look on Juliet's face that really had Paige going now. "How's the view?" She asked as she planted her palms flat against the desk.

"Oh, the view is so fucking beautiful." Juliet wheeled the chair closer, gently tracing her fingertip over Paige's lace underwear. Paige whimpered, craving so much more.

"T-take them off." Paige's legs shook when Juliet repeated the movement again. "Babe, please. Take them off."

Juliet smirked when she hooked her fingers around the waistband and brought them down Paige's thighs. The moment they were discarded, Juliet spread Paige's lips and moaned, taking the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth. "God, I've missed you."

"You see what you do to me?" Paige prayed Juliet would take care of her soon, but she would admit that she enjoyed knowing the effect she had on Juliet. "How much I need you…"

"Oh, I can see exactly how much you need me." Juliet trailed a finger up between Paige's lips and teased her clit. Paige gasped, her hips bucking of their own accord. "The days I spent fantasising about you while you were away," Juliet said, moving closer again as she gripped Paige's thighs and pulled her to the very edge of the desk. "The moments I wished I could touch you and taste you…"

Juliet spread Paige's lips and dragged the flat of her tongue through her wetness. It took everything within Paige to keep herself upright, every inch of her shaking. "Y-yes." Juliet sucked her clit into her mouth, moaning when Paige managed to fist a hand in her hair and pull her face closer. "Oh, fuck!" She rolled her hips, her orgasm just about ready to peak. She knew it wouldn't take much, it had felt like a lifetime since Juliet had touched her, but they had a perfectly good bed at home to continue later. "Babe, I-I—" Paige gasped when Juliet sucked harder, rolling the tip of her tongue around Paige's clit. She couldn't hold on, and she didn't want to. No, she always wanted to come for Juliet. Paige released against Juliet's tongue, panting as Juliet drew back and looked up at her with hooded eyes. "F-fuck."

She looked back at Juliet as she got to her feet and towered over Paige. Her left hand rested flat on top of the desk, her right hand slowly stroking the back of Paige's thigh. "That wasn't enough for me."

"N-no?" Paige shivered when Juliet traced her fingertips along her soaking wet lips, her head thrown back as she moaned. "Babe, y-you have to stop that."

"Now why would I do that, Paige?"

Paige gripped the edge of the desk, whimpering. "Because if you don't, I'm going to come again."

Without another word, Juliet eased two fingers inside Paige, filling her and fucking her slowly. Juliet looked down at her, her hair dragged over her left shoulder, those dark eyes only arousing Paige further. "Then you should do that. I have a lot of making up to do, after all." Juliet wrapped an arm around Paige's back, sinking deeper and curling her fingers. "Do you know how fucking good it feels to be inside you again?"

"Shit." Paige clenched her jaw, wanting to enjoy that feeling of being filled by Juliet. But the more she spoke, the harder Paige found it to control her body.

"Fuck, baby." Juliet focused on her hand between Paige's legs. "I'm soaking just watching you. You're so fucking beautiful."

Paige relaxed her body and allowed whatever was happening to happen. She didn't need to hold back; Juliet would always want to be inside her. And if nothing else, she desperately wanted to leave the bar so she could start to undress Juliet before they even made it to the apartment door. "Fuck, yes. Don't s-stop."

"Come for me, Paige."

Paige's walls tightened around Juliet's fingers, wetness slipping to the desk beneath her. All she could feel in this moment was the intense connection they had shared from the day they met. "C-close."

Juliet pressed the heel of her hand to Paige's clit, hurtling her over the edge immediately. Paige cried out as her body shook, but Juliet slowly eased in and out of her, moaning as she rolled her fingers over Paige's clit, only to dip inside her again.

Paige squeezed her thighs together, most definitely needing a moment before Juliet even thought about going a third time. Her eyelids fluttered closed, just the sound of her wetness floating around the room when Juliet slipped out of her.

Silence blanketed them, but Juliet's arms held Paige until she'd come down from her high. Only it was a high she rarely came down from. While Paige may have known what to expect from a relationship with Juliet back when they met, nothing could come close to what they had now. This stuff… It was the stuff of dreams.

"You okay?" Juliet dipped her head and kissed Paige's forehead.

With shaking legs, Paige lowered them and slid from the desk. She turned to Juliet, pulled her in by the waist, and held her jaw. "We need to leave right now."

"Mm. We do." Juliet smirked, knowing quite well what she had created here tonight. A monster. "I know it's been a while, but have I not satisfied you yet?"

"I'm always satisfied with you, but I know exactly what's waiting for me when we get home. You…naked…on our bed."