2. Josephine

2

JOSEPHINE

D r Josephine Mars felt incredibly guilty. She’d sworn the Hippocratic Oath, graduated top of her class all those years ago, received all those awards for excellence as a doctor and a surgeon, only to get to this point in her life where saving lives didn’t feel as fulfilling as it used to anymore.

It might have had something to do with the fact that most of her patients these days were from the upper class in the exclusive private hospital she worked in. Too many of them too wealthy to even appreciate their own lives. What was the point of bringing someone back from the brink of death only for them to overdose the following week? Sure, they were alive, but most of them were dead inside.

“It’s not something you should feel guilty about. You’ve spent decades of your life serving the people. It’s about time you did something for yourself.”

Becky Thompson, as usual, always had very reasonable, very logical responses to all of her problems. It was one of the reasons the two of them had remained friends for so long, in spite of the distance. Well, not too long. They met at an emergency response summit in New York about five years ago and instantly connected. They decided to stay in touch after that.

They were on a late-night call, one of many they usually had. With how busy both their schedules were, it was the only time they had to actually talk and unwind. Becky Thompson, well actually, Chief Becky Thompson, was the head of the fire department at Phoenix Ridge. She knew what it was to serve, having spent most of her life as a firefighter. Those words, coming from her, carried a lot of weight.

“I’ve had enough of the wealthy patients we have here. And the men in positions of power. It has been a constant battle against them my whole life.”

“Have you ever considered moving out of New York? You might like it at Phoenix Ridge,” Becky suggested out of nowhere.

“What?!” Josephine laughed. Her friend must have been joking. The idea of moving out of the city she was born and raised in was completely outlandish.

“Consider it. Phoenix Ridge is up and coming. Women hold many of the positions of power. I think you might like it a lot.”

They eventually ended their call. Josephine went back to her normal routine, but her friend’s words never left her mind. It snuck up on her in moments she didn’t expect, right in the middle of work, on her way home, early in the morning when she got up. The thought was like an insistent child that didn’t know when to stop. Even though Becky never spoke about it again since that day, she never stopped considering it. Eventually, Josephine found herself applying for Head of Hospital at Phoenix Ridge and tendering her resignation letter at the exclusive hospital she worked at.

It had all happened so fast. She quit her job at the hospital, packed up her things, and had them safely kept in a storage unit.

She gave Becky Thompson a call while she was at the airport, minutes away from boarding the plane to Phoenix Ridge.

“What?!”

It sounded like she had caught the chief at a bad time.

“I’m getting on a flight to Phoenix Ridge,” Josephine squeaked. She knew it was on short notice, but she wanted to do it before she got the chance to talk herself out of it.

“I should be there in six hours. Can you pick me up at the airport?”

“Well…uh…wow! Screw it! I’ll be there!” Becky sounded equally exasperated and excited. Josephine had that effect on people.

True to her word, Becky was at the airport to pick her up. She was still dressed in her fire chief uniform, looking sharp and businesslike, but her rigid face broke into a wide smile the moment Josephine walked into her view. Josephine found herself smiling too, the knot in her stomach unraveled. Perhaps this wasn’t such a bad move after all .

“Sorry for bothering you,” Josephine apologized. “I didn’t want to give myself time to chicken out.”

“I understand,” Becky smiled. It was a nice contrast to the severe bun in her reddish blonde hair. “But how does your partner feel about all of this?”

“Oh,” Josephine looked away, staring out at the rugged expanse outside the window. That was a rare sight in New York. The city was so densely packed, even though she got to travel from time to time, it was often from city to city. The outskirts of Phoenix Ridge looked unforgiving but there was a certain beauty to it.

“Eva and I broke up. Sorry I didn’t tell you.”

The last time Josephine and Becky met in person was at the summit. She was with Eva at the time. Things had ended pretty recently, but in reality, their relationship had been dead for years. So, although a big change, there had been nothing dramatic or heart wrenching about their break-up.

Becky cocked her head. “How long has it been since you…?”

“Well, only a month since the official break up, but honestly, we had been living separate lives for a couple of years at least.”

“Wow.”

Josephine sighed and slinked down her seat, trying to hide from the world.

“Hey, hey, don’t get like that. It’s fine. We just need to get you back into the dating pool again. It’ll be easier now that you’re in Phoenix Ridge. A new start and all that!”

“I’m not sure I’m ready to get in another relationship just yet.”

“Fair enough.” Becky nodded. “Well, then you can at least have some fun. A couple of years is a very long time for a dead relationship.”

“Fun?”

“Yeah, dating, just for the fun of it. I know it’s not normally your thing but, well, packing up and leaving New York wouldn’t have been your thing either. Since you’re out here, have some fun!”

“Oh god, I would love to get laid! It has been so long,” Josephine laughed after a brief pause. “But I’m not sure I know how to do that. It’s been so long.”

“That’s why we have dating apps, my dear.” Becky laughed. “The girls at the fire station are always messing around on them. Let’s get one downloaded.”

A couple of days later, Josephine found herself scrolling through a dating website. She’d created a profile using a fake name and an ambiguous photo of herself. For some reason, the thought of somebody she knew stumbling upon her on a dating website terrified her. At least with a different name, she could always deny all knowledge.

“Suzanne is such an obviously fake name,” Becky had jested the day she set up her account.

“Yeah,” Josephine shrugged. “Doctor Josephine Mars sounds even more fake, though. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

Josephine ignored most of the matches she got. Some of them looked like men hiding under women’s profiles. Even she could spot these types in spite of her relative inexperience. In the end, only one person caught her attention. Emma 35 . Emma had tousled reddish blonde hair and a wild look in her strong brown eyes. Emma was fiercely attractive.

And before she could stop herself, her fingers were dropping Emma a message.

“This is a bad idea,” Josephine said to herself on the ride to the restaurant where she and Emma had agreed to meet. She’d never had the chance to visit the place since she arrived in Phoenix Ridge, too busy as she was handling her new employment at Phoenix Ridge hospital. They were eager to have her, naturally. They didn’t have a lot of doctors with her level of qualification—or reputation, for that matter.

The taxi pulled into The Golden and she instantly fell in love with the place. Contrary to what one might expect, it wasn’t filled with gaudy golden designs and decorations. The themes weren’t too on the nose. It felt more like walking into the sunset. The golden hues were subtle and tasteful. It was an open space area, letting in ample fresh air and very little noise. She was more than happy to see that the place wasn’t overly cluttered. That had happened too often in New York.

Josephine walked into the restaurant, feeling rather self-conscious. She’d worn a form-fitting pencil skirt, heels, and instead of the blouses she might wear for work, she had gone with a beautiful blouse made of sheer material. She hadn’t worn anything like this for years. She knew her lace bra and the shape of her breasts were easily visible through it and she realized she liked that. It was rather risqué, but it fit well with what she intended for her evening. This was a new version of Josephine who was pursuing fun, and fun tonight was a date with a beautiful, younger women. She might have lied about her own age on the app, but only by a few years, and anyway, she was lying about her name and job too. Wasn’t that what everyone did on dating apps? She stood at the entrance, hoping she could have no trouble finding her date.

“Suzanne?”

It took a moment before she realized that was the name she used on the dating website. Josephine whirled around, coming face to face with her date.

“Emma?”

The young woman flashed her a playful smile. Emma was gorgeous. Her profile picture didn’t quite show how tall she was. She was a little under six foot, and powerfully built with a wild mane of beautiful reddish gold curls. Her incredible physique made Josephine wonder what she did for a living. Perhaps she was a personal trainer, or an athlete.

“Hi there,” Emma had a confident and sexy voice. The kind that rarely ever had to repeat herself. “Our table is over that way.”

Josephine allowed herself to be led to their table. Her mind was in the clouds. Everything felt so surreal since the moment she arrived in Phoenix Ridge. Part of her had been expecting that feeling to go away when she met her date. It would break the illusion, finally. Her date would be the one thing that finally let her down in this beautiful city. She had been so wrong.

She couldn’t stop looking at Emma’s ass in the tight pants that she was wearing. Emma’s body was awakening something within her that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Desire. Raw, unfiltered desire was flooding through her.

Sex had been something she hadn’t thought about for a long time. But she was certainly thinking about it now.

“You seem distracted,” Emma commented, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her hair was reddish gold in some lights. Reddish brown in others. Josephine pondered it. It was messy but so beautiful. Such a contrast to the immaculate way Josephine liked to present herself. Emmas fingers in her hair was such a simple gesture, but it captivated Josephine’s attention.

“I’m sorry,” Josephine said.

“You don’t have to be. It was merely an observation. I just wanted to know what’s on your mind, am I not what you expected?”

“What? Well, no. Not at all. But, in a good way.” Josephine blushed furiously. It wasn’t often she felt wrong footed in life, but this woman was throwing her off balance for sure. “Your profile picture didn’t do you justice, that’s all.”

Emma smiled and she was radiant. Her smooth skin shone bright and golden in the light. It was the most beautiful thing ever. The glow of the lights hitting her face, it made her look like an angel.

Her emotive brown eyes flashed alluringly. Josephine couldn’t remember the last time she found someone so attractive.

“Neither did yours,” Emma responded. “Well, actually, the one thing yours was was intriguing. It certainly gave you an air of mystery. But, well. I like your face.” Emma met her gaze and her hand reached and touched Josephine’s chin, and Josephine felt electricity sparking through her from the touch of her long, strong fingers.

“Did you move to Phoenix Ridge recently?” Emma asked.

“Yes, I moved recently,” Josephine replied. She felt a loss where Emma’s hand had been. “I used to live in New York.”

“Oh, the big city huh?” Emma looked genuinely interested. “What’s it like over there?”

“Claustrophobic.”

Emma laughed showing off her lovely white teeth. Her smile was neat, but not overdone and too perfect like all the New York women and their expensive cosmetic dentists. “Yeah, I imagine so. I’ve lived in Phoenix Ridge all my life.”

Josephine smiled. Conversation is flowing surprisingly smoothly for someone I’m meeting for a one-night stand, she thought.

Am I really going to have a one-night stand? New city, new me and all that. The messages with Emma had been flirty and suggestive, and Josephine remembered a time years before where she had met women and just followed her desires exactly where they lead her.

They talked until they were one of the few couples left in the restaurant. Time seemed to fly by in a blink. They hadn’t talked about work. Emma clearly assumed Josephine to be the businesswoman she had claimed to be on her profile. Josephine felt like the mystery nature of what they were doing didn’t warrant probing into Emma’s real life, so she didn’t. Josephine found herself conflicted. Torn between the conversation she was enjoying and finding out what exactly it was Emma was promising beneath her knowing brown eyes. In the end, they had to leave before the restaurant closed.

“Did you drive?”

“No,” Josephine shook her head. Her date smiled broadly.

“I did, come on.”

Josephine wasn’t sure what exactly she was expecting her date’s car to be. A Camaro was definitely not it. The car looked incredibly well maintained for something that was built decades ago.

“Wow.”

“You like it?” Emma asked, turning to look over her shoulder.

“I love it. It’s a beautiful car.”

“Her name’s Joan. She’s incredible.”

Josephine felt her eyebrows raise slightly, Emma was like no woman she had ever met before—so different from her immaculate, uptight ex and so different to all of the women she had dated in New York over the years.

They got into the car. Josephine reached for the seatbelt but found it a little more complicated than the cars she was used to.

“Hold on, I’ll get that for you.” Emma reached around to help her put it on. Her perfume engulfed Josephine. Her natural scent lingered tantalizingly underneath, making her swoon. Something deep, woody, and earthy. It was perfect. Josephine unconsciously found herself taking deep breaths. It drew her in until she found her lips almost touching Emma’s neck.

Her date had stopped moving when she noticed. Josephine could hear her breathing quicken too. The moment seemed to stretch on forever yet it was somehow too brief. Emma pulled back and sat in her seat, putting her seatbelt on as well. She cleared her throat.

“Hang on,” she warned before turning the ignition. The roar of the engine as it came to life made her jump slightly in her seat.

Emma chuckled. “Joan is a bit loud.”

“Do you race Joan?” Josephine asked as they pulled out of the parking lot faster than anticipated and screeched around the corner.

“Yeah, how can you tell?”

“It’s the way you drive.”

“Oh?”

“It’s…”

“What?”

Josephine smiled. “I guess it’s a bit attractive.”

“Just a bit?”

“You like to tease, don’t you?” Josephine shot back.

Emma smiled broadly and Josephine enjoyed the tiny chip missing from her front tooth. “Only when I like someone.”

Josephine felt lust burning inside of her. She wanted to have sex with Emma, that was for sure.

“Do you want to come back to my hotel room at The Grand with me?”

Emma’s fierce brown eyes fixed on her own. “I thought you would never ask.” She flung a sharp right on the steering wheel, and Joan roared through the city, and Josephine couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this alive.

Josephine couldn’t get the door of the hotel room open fast enough. Emma was behind her, surreptitiously running her hands over her body, feeling up her curves. She struggled to contain the moans that threatened to escape her lips.

The key missed the lock three times before she finally slid it in and the door opened. She turned around and pulled Emma inside, pressing her lips against hers in a deep kiss. She heard the door close behind them and then the latch as it locked. Their lips remained locked together as they made their way to the bed, shedding their clothes on the way until they were wearing nothing but their underwear.

As much as Josephine had worried she would have forgotten what to do with a woman sexually, it had come back to her remarkably quick. Her mouth kissed as though on instinct and her hands moved without conscious thought. She felt wetness between her legs. She was turned on. Very turned on. Of that, there was no doubt.

Josephine got on top as her date seemed content to let her take the lead and she was enjoying herself. She was happy she had her best lingerie set on from La Perla. The quality of the white lace was just unmatched. She wasn’t sure if Emma cared about lingerie quality as much as she cared about car engine parts, but never mind. She felt sexy in it and that was what mattered. She straddled Emma on the bed. She felt Emmas tight stomach for a second against her clitoris and she moaned. Emma wore masculine underwear—black Calvin Klein. Of course she did. She ran her hands over Emma’s thick shoulders, feeling the strong muscles tensing up underneath her fingers. Emma didn’t remain idle, she felt Emma’s strong hands moving all the way up her hips to the small of her back, stopping briefly to cup her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. This time, Josephine moaned out loud. She couldn’t keep it down any longer. It had been far too long since she’d felt this pleasure, and Emma was hitting all the right buttons, reawakening a part of her that had been lying dormant for years.

Emma ran her hand up her back, ending at the area between her shoulder blades. She pulled Josephine harder against her body, deepening their kiss. It felt like she was trying to merge them into one and she was pulling her tight against her hard enough to achieve just that. Josephine could feel her own large breasts pressed into Emma’s much smaller ones. Everything about Emma was turning her on. She was some kind of sweet, sweet blend of masculine and feminine and it turned Josephine on like nothing else.

Josephine found her own hands burrowing underneath Emma to help free her of her Calvin Klein bra. She pushed the front of it up, freeing her firm breasts and then continued to drag it off over Emma’s head as she enjoyed Emmas erect little nipples being exposed. Emma’s arms were quickly seeking behind Josephine’s back and seconds later her La Perla lace was on the floor and her breasts fell free. Now in the open air, her nipples quickly hardened. Josephine couldn’t resist the temptation, she wanted to take her time, but the sight of the younger woman’s beautiful body exposed below her was driving her crazy. She dipped her head taking one of Emma’s small brown nipples in her mouth and sucking.

Oh, how I have missed this.

Now it was her date’s turn to let out a loud moan. Josephine felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her in closer and encouraging her. She obliged, sucking harder on one nipple and then the other. She teased with her teeth and tongue. She sucked and enjoyed the swell of the nipple within her mouth.

This is everything I wanted. I can’t believe I’ve been missing this for so long.

Emma gasped, arching her back further to get more of her nipple into Josephine’s mouth.

The sex with her ex had died soon after they moved in together. It had never been too exciting anyway. They had gotten together for reasons that Josephine could barely remember now. She had been suitable. (How very boring). Their lives had entwined.

It didn’t take long before Emma’s Calvin Kleins and Josephine’s beautiful lace panties joined her bra on the floor. Normally, she might have felt a little self-conscious at this point, but with Emma, it all felt so natural, like they had done this before. Emma easily matched her rhythm as their bodies moved, grinding against each other, moaning into each other’s mouth.

She reached down and cupped her hand over Emma’s pussy, pushing between her legs, eliciting another gasp from her. Josephine took that as consent to proceed. She gently ran her fingers through Emma’s wetness, relishing the way it made her quiver in pleasure. She repeated the motion, sliding up and down while maintaining the pace. It was driving Emma crazy. Josephine wondered if had been equally as long for Emma as it had been for her. She resolved to make this encounter worth it for both of them. They were only meeting this one time, after all. This was the time to be truly free.

Emma proved to not be a complacent lover. Her fingers worked their way from Josephine’s back, down her bare buttocks, and a finger slid straight inside her wetness. Josephine felt intense pleasure and instantly craved more.

Josephine matched Emma, allowing her index finger to slowly penetrate Emma’s pussy. That drew a long, drawn-out moan from her, forcing their lips to separate. She took Emma by the chin and pulled her lips back to hers, silencing her. The young woman underneath her was already quaking. She knew all the signs were there. She was close. Josephine kept up the motion, going in and out with just one finger curling it upwards, feeling for Emma’s G Spot with the pad of her finger.

“Yes!” Emma screamed. “Yes!”

That seemed to be the extent of the mental lexicon she had access to at the moment. Words seemed to elude her. Josephine smiled with pride, watching Emma get off aroused her like nothing before. She would have been content with just fucking Emma and watching her come, but Emma wasn’t. Emma quickly resumed her motion, adding another finger to the first one. What felt like two or maybe three fingers pushed inside Josephine from where Emma’s hand had reached around, and it felt incredible.

Why have I denied myself this pleasure for so long?

She found herself sitting up and riding Emma’s fingers, gasping with desperate pleasure. The heat between her legs mounted quickly until she found herself on the precipice of climax as well, much to her own surprise.

“I’m close!” Josephine announced.

“Yes!” Emma murmured.

The two of them felt perfectly aligned, like two gears in a clock. They moved in tandem, each one driving the other toward the climax. The motion felt unstoppable, like the surging of a wave, the orgasm came crashing through both of them at the same time. Josephine stiffened, her mind devolving into blank whiteness as the intensity raged through her.

This had never happened to her before, orgasming at the same time as a partner. But here, with Emma, it had felt easy. As though it was the easiest thing in the world. As though they fit together perfectly.

Emma shook uncontrollably underneath her. Her beautiful brown eyes rolled to the back of her head. Her grip on Josephine tightened like a vice, pulling her in and holding her as close as she could. In that moment, it felt like their two souls had melded together. This was like nothing Josephine had experienced before. Particularly not with someone she had just met. She moved until she was lying next to her lover, their legs still entangled. Emma kissed her greedily once more, her fingers working back between Josephine’s legs. Josephine moaned loudly as Emma’s fingers entered her again and Emma moved downwards dipping her head and reaching her tongue to Josephine’s clitoris.

Josephine knew she was going to explode again and it wouldn’t take long.

“Oh yes… oh my god, yes,” she moaned, leaning her own head back and grabbing a handful of Emma’s wild hair in her fingers to pull her head in closer.

Who is she? What is she doing to me?

She felt Emma’s strong fingers thrusting inside her as Emma sucked her clitoris deeply. Her second orgasm of the night suddenly crashed through her, and she collapsed backwards into the bed.

“Oh, my god. What you do with your fingers, your mouth. Girl, you are incredible,” she murmured to Emma, who had released her clitoris from her mouth and sat back up on her knees as her fingers slid slowly out of Josephine.

There was a wide smile on Emma’s beautiful face and her messy reddish hair was wild around her strong shoulders.

“Can I return the favor?” Josephine smiled back at her, their eyes connecting.

“I’m sure that could be arranged,” Emma sighed lazily and moved so she was leaning back against the headboard of the bed. Her knees were bent up and she allowed them to slowly fall to the sides exposing her wet and wanting pussy. She never took her eyes off Josephine’s the whole time.

Josephine couldn’t help looking down between Emma’s legs as they parted. Her pubic hair was as wild and red as the hair on her head. Her vulva was swollen and wet and so very beautiful.

Josephine felt her mouth water.

“I bet you taste like strawberries and cream,” Josephine said, smiling.

“Why don’t you take a lick and see?” Emma taunted, opening her legs wider, as though beckoning Josephine in.

Josephine moved to her knees between Emma’s legs, dipping her head so she could please the younger woman with her tongue and mouth. Emma didn’t taste of strawberries and cream. There was a sweet, sexy smokiness to her that Josephine lapped and lapped at, wanting more and more of the taste of her.

Josephine sucked her clitoris, sucked her labia, one side and then the other. She pushed her tongue inside Emma. She noticed the movements she made that drove Emma crazy and made her moan louder, made her breathing quicken.

“Oh fuck,” Emma growled. “You feel so good… Fuck me with your fingers… Please,” she begged, and Josephine was only too happy to assist.

She used her right hand to push two fingers inside Emma, building a rhythm of thrusts to match the movements of her tongue against Emma’s clit.

“Fuck… fuck…fuuuck!” Emma’s fingers gripped a handful of Josephine’s hair as her body tensed and she exploded in orgasm in Josephine’s mouth and flooded the palm of her hand.

Josephine smiled as she sat up. She raised her right hand to her mouth and licked some of the juice from her palm into her mouth. It tasted like pleasure itself.

“Dirty bitch,” Emma growled as her eyes opened and she came back to earth.

“Oh, you have no idea, sweetheart,” Josephine laughed, feeling alive, truly alive. She had never felt better.

They never came down from the high. Just when Josephine thought they had reached the peak, they broke through it and reached new heights of pleasure she had never felt before. Sex had never felt so good.

“I think I’m starting to like Phoenix Ridge a lot,” Josephine whispered to her lover as they lay in bed, basking in the glow of their intimacy.

Emma blinked tiredly at her. “Does that mean you’ll stay?”

It was a loaded question, or perhaps Josephine was reading too much into it. Things had felt too intense for what was supposed to be a one-night stand.

“I…I think so.”

Her date smiled happily. She wasn’t sure how exactly she felt. Was that how a hook-up was supposed to feel? Were people able to connect like that and then decide never to see each other again? How was that even possible? Was that what Emma wanted? Josephine didn’t know if she was reading too much into this or not. What if all of that was simply one-sided? For her, this was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime thing. For Emma, this could’ve been just another Tuesday.

Those thoughts plagued her mind until the exhaustion overcame her worries. It was one of the best nights she’d had in a very long time. She didn’t want it to end on an uncertain note. Not with a one-night stand, not by saying goodbye to the most amazing woman she had ever met.

“I won’t wake up in the morning and find you gone, will I?” Josephine found herself asking.

“Never,” replied Emma, without hesitation.

She contented herself with that for now.