Code of Conduct Read online

  For a moment she glanced up, along the length of Gabriela’s body.

  Her head was bent, her eyes intent on Viva.

  “Open for me.” Viva whispered the words.

  Gabriela shifted position to a wide-legged stance.

  Viva explored the satin length of Gabriela’s inner thigh, seeking the delights between.

  Gabriela’s breath came in shallow pants, and she moved her legs even further apart, allowing access.

  Viva’s fingertips stroked, long and lingering, before she pushed one finger into the clasping, wet heat. She sucked in a breath. No matter how many times she did this, the intimacy, the trust, of the act always made her pause. The first time inside a woman was something to savour.

  “More.” The intensity of the word was echoed in Gabriela’s glittering eyes. Her hand came down to clutch Viva’s hair in a tight grip that pulled her scalp.

  Viva leant forward, her nose bumping Gabriela’s flat belly. The angle made it difficult, but she persisted and her tongue trailed a wet path up Gabriela’s inner thigh to join her finger in the heat between Gabriela’s legs. Her musky scent filled Viva’s nose, and her own sex clenched in anticipation. She dragged her tongue through the dampness and circled Gabriela’s clit. Her other hand reached around to cup Gabriela’s backside.

  Gabriela cried out, a long shuddering sigh, and her grip intensified on Viva’s hair to the edge of pain. Her legs jolted into stiffness, and instantly her buttock was rigid under Viva’s hand.

  Viva circled again, mapping Gabriela’s response, increasing her efforts. Gabriela’s thighs squeezed closer as she drew nearer to her peak, but there was nowhere Viva would rather be than right there, her knees digging into the hard floor, her neck cricked from the angle, and the joy of giving pleasure to a woman. Her woman? Maybe.

  Viva persisted, mapping the folds and crevices of Gabriela’s sex with her fingers and tongue. Her pulse thundered, and she concentrated on learning the movements and pressures that Gabriela liked. When she cried out, and her sex fluttered around Viva’s fingers in the shivers of orgasm, Viva stilled. The scent of arousal filled her nose.

  Gabriela slumped, her thighs relaxing, and her grip on Viva’s hair eased.

  Viva straightened and stood on stiff legs. She stepped forward, and they embraced, lips meshing in a sticky kiss.

  Gabriela’s eyes were golden in the city lights. “Now you.”

  A low buzz of desire surged anew in Viva’s belly, arrowing lower. “Oh yes,” she breathed.

  “But not here. Where’s the bedroom?”

  In answer, Viva took her hand, and they crossed the shadowy living area to the bedroom.

  Gabriela glanced around as they entered, as if cataloguing the room, but then her gaze snapped back to Viva. Her heated glance travelled the length of Viva’s body, lingering on the waistband of the skirt as if imagining what was underneath.

  Gabriela approached and reached out to explore Viva’s breasts, barely there feather touches that sent licks of flame across Viva’s skin. Gabriela slid her fingers down, hooked them into the skirt’s waistband, and tugged down the material, centimetre by centimetre, brushing over each newly exposed piece of skin with the same light touches. When the skirt reached Viva’s hips, Gabriela bunched the material from the bottom, so that cool air brushed Viva’s legs. With a final tug the skirt descended and pooled at Viva’s feet.

  The thrum of blood in her head was almost painful. She stepped out of her skirt and kicked it away.

  Gabriela trailed her fingers along the line where tanned skin turned to pale, the line where Viva’s tennis dress stopped. She traced around the leg of her undies, running once over the juncture of her thighs to map the other side. Her fingers hooked in the elastic and pulled them down.

  Viva’s legs went weak. That slow-moving finger, the promises it elicited. Impatient, she reached for Gabriela’s hand and drew her down onto the king bed.

  Gabriela’s gaze was intense, and Viva shivered under the heat and hunger in her look. Then Gabriela did more than look.

  Viva gasped, a soft sound of anticipation as Gabriela touched her, exploring Viva’s centre. Her fingers stroked seeking the patterns of movement and places she liked. Viva moaned her pleasure, and Gabriela increased her pace. How does she know, so exactly? Viva gasped again as the pressure sparked an instant pleasure, a pin-point of intensity that was so much greater than the diffuse pleasure of before. When Viva closed her eyes, stars swirled in a fast dance behind her eyelids.

  Gabriela pushed a finger up inside, curling her way to the secret places, and Viva’s head spun in a frantic whirl from the pleasure.

  The soft waves of feeling were swallowed up before she could voice them. She was caught up in the inwards spiralling of her body, sweetly increasing, pulling her ever higher along the upwards surging, until her whole world was centred between her legs. When she came, her universe exploded into a starburst of white.

  Slowly, Gabriela withdrew her fingers and moved up to lie alongside.

  Viva turned to face her, and again they kissed. After all they had just done, every inch of skin explored and touched, Gabriela’s kiss still burned sweet between them. Their skins were damp with sweat.

  Viva left the bed and returned with two glasses of water. She wrapped a thigh over Gabriela’s and nuzzled her neck.

  “Still want to go for that run in the morning?” Viva was already sinking into sleep, the boneless realisation of the sated.

  “Maybe not tomorrow.” Gabriela stroked Viva’s hair away from her face. “Another day.”

  Chapter 10

  The persistent noise of an unfamiliar alarm woke Gabriela.

  Beside her, Viva stirred and raised up on one arm. Her hair was a snarl of tawny colour. She silenced the alarm and fell back onto the bed.

  The blinds were raised, and the low light of dawn and the muted sounds of traffic told Gabriela that it was still early. She stretched, luxuriating in the soft sheets.

  “You look like you’re enjoying that.” The husky voice was close to her ear.

  She turned her head. Viva was close enough that she could see the flecks in her blue eyes and the way her lashes tilted up at the corners. “I am. This bed is very comfortable.”

  “Is that all I’ve got that’s great?” Viva’s eyes crinkled as she smiled.

  “Lovely hair.” Gabriela reached out to wind strands of it around her fingers. “Kissable lips.” She moved in for a soft kiss. “Beautiful breasts.” She touched a nipple with her free hand. It puckered instantly under her touch. “And a killer first serve.”

  Viva’s smile froze. “Not for much longer.” The words were flat.

  Gabriela closed her eyes in mortification. “I’m so sorry. That was incredibly thoughtless of me.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll have to get used to comments like that. I may as well hear them from someone who means well.” Her legs twitched, and the sensual mood of the morning fled. “I have to get going.”

  The heaviness of disappointment settled in Gabriela’s belly. “I hope you have time for coffee.” The words, supposed to sound light-hearted, came out hurt and accusatory.

  “Of course.” Viva’s smile stopped short of her eyes. She bent to kiss Gabriela. “But I need to get to the courts.”

  Was she being bundled out of the door? Gabriela forced a smile. “I thought you weren’t going?”

  “I should have called Deepak last night. He’s expecting me.” Her gaze slid over Gabriela, and her face softened. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m still retiring. But I can’t just not turn up.”

  “Of course.” Gabriela bit her lip. It made sense—indeed, to do otherwise was inexcusable. Viva still had a team of people supporting her. She could not just cut them off.

  Viva sat up and swung her legs to the floor. “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Strong with ju
st a little milk. No sugar.”

  “I’ll rustle up some breakfast. You’ll find clean towels under the vanity if you want a shower.” She was all brisk and business.

  “Thank you. I will wait until I get home. I do not have clean clothes.”

  Viva’s state-of-the art coffee machine sat in solitary splendour on the pristine countertop and was obviously well used in contrast to the blinding white benches and stainless-steel splashbacks that surrounded it.

  Viva ground enough coffee beans for two mugs and popped frozen bread into the toaster. She handed a mug to Gabriela. “Want to sit on the balcony?”

  The hum of early-morning traffic drifted up as they sipped their coffee and munched toast and Vegemite. Gabriela tried to focus on the view of the city, the heat already shimmering the air to a haze, but her glance kept sliding to the woman beside her.

  Viva, too, was staring at the city, but her hunched shoulders pulled a shell around her. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit distracted.” She pushed her hair behind her ears and reached out a hand across the gap between their chairs.

  Gabriela took it, stroking a thumb over the back of Viva’s fingers. “Would you like to meet for coffee later?”

  “I’d like that.” Viva tightened her grip. “Very much. But I don’t know what time I’ll be finished with…everything. Can I call you?”

  Gabriela nodded. “I hope it goes okay.”

  “Yeah. Me too.” She drained the last of her coffee. “I’m going to have a quick shower.”

  The words conjured the image of Viva’s long body, wreathed in steam, an alluring vision behind the frosted glass of the shower.

  Viva smiled. “I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking it too—but not this morning.” She bounded out of her chair, the strange lethargy of earlier evaporating in an instant. She bent and pressed a kiss to Gabriela’s cheek, then disappeared.

  Gabriela washed and dried the coffee cups and was wiping the sparkling countertop when Viva returned. She wore shorts and a singlet, her hair tied back in the long, thick plait she favoured for tennis.

  “Do you want a lift home?” she asked.

  Gabriela summoned a smile. “I will walk. Make up a little for the run I skipped.”

  In the foyer, Gabriela caught Viva around the waist. “Call me.” Her lips sought Viva’s, and the kiss scorched in its intensity.

  With a nod, Viva was gone.

  When Viva arrived, Deepak was already there, chatting with the club coach. He finished the conversation and turned to her. “We’re on court five.”

  The court was at the rear of the complex, where commuter trains rattled past every few minutes. Viva sat on the bench and pulled out her water bottle. Now that the moment had come, she didn’t know how to start. She tested the racquet strings and bent to tighten her laces.

  Deepak watched in silence. “You have something to say?”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “I think after six years of working together, I know you well. Talk.”

  “I’ve decided. I’ll retire, effective immediately. I wanted to tell you first.” They were only words. They should not have the power to rip her world from under her, but they did.

  He reached for her hands, turned them palm up, closed one into a fist, and pressed it to her breast. “That decision is right for you? You feel it in here?” He pushed her fist firmer against her heart.

  “Not yet. But it will be. And I don’t have a choice.”

  “I will miss you, Viva. Working with you has been a great pleasure.”

  “Even when I’m being a prima donna?”

  “Even then.”

  It took two tries to get the words out past the thickness in her throat. “You’re the best, Deepak. You made me what I am. I wouldn’t have that US Open title if not for you.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself.” He lowered her hand, squeezed it, and released. “You’ll call Shirley? As your agent, she should know immediately.”

  “Yes. Later today. Tomorrow maybe. There’s no rush. As long as I announce it before the Brisbane International, that will be fine.” She forced her mouth into a smile. “Maybe I’ll get some pre-Christmas sponsorship first.”

  “Not much of that around right now. What there is goes to that glamorous American.”

  “You’ll be coaching her and more like her if you join with your friend in his Florida academy.”

  “I’ll have some good Australian swearwords to teach them thanks to you.”

  She bounced her racquet on her knee. “I haven’t decided if I want to continue with doubles for a while. Maybe that would only prolong the agony. Maybe in a while I can play the exhibition match circuit.”

  He nodded. “I understand. I think I’ll go to Florida over Christmas. Take some time off.”

  “Go whenever you want. I won’t hold you to anything.”

  “Thank you. Now what do you want to do today? For now, I’m still your coach. We can work on your oh-so-terrible footwork, which you will need to improve if you’re playing exhibition matches, or we can go and have breakfast. Something unhealthy with sausages to celebrate your new freedom.”

  Freedom. An image of Gabriela as she had looked naked in her bed earlier sprang into her mind. The lightness in her chest surprised her. Maybe it would be all right. “Let’s do both. We play one set. All out. No coaching. May the best person win. And then I’ll take you to breakfast at that five-star place on the river. We’ll have sausages and bacon. Got to get you used to the huge American breakfasts again!”

  It was late afternoon before Viva called Gabriela.

  “It’s done,” she said without preamble. “I told Deepak. Released him from his contract, effective immediately.”

  “How do you feel?” Gabriela’s voice was careful, as if she expected Viva to shout and scream.

  “I’m okay.” Viva tested the words on her tongue. Okay. Was she? The tearing feeling of loss that had nearly crippled her earlier had faded, muted to a dull ache in her chest. “I’m more than okay, actually. I cried a little, then I played a set against Deepak, beat him 6-2, and then we went for breakfast. I’m not sure I can eat anything else today after that.”

  “I was going to ask you out for dinner.” Laughter resonated in Gabriela’s voice.

  “I couldn’t. How about a walk along the river, then tapas on South Bank? You can eat as much as you want, and I can watch you.”

  “Only if I can watch you as well.”

  “Nothing to see. I’ll be sipping water after the wine last night.” Viva perched on one of the bar stools at the kitchen counter.

  “I’m sure I will find something to look at. How does five suit you?”

  “That’s good. How about we meet at the Ferris wheel?”

  “That will be easy to find. I will see you then. Viva?”

  “Yes?”

  A hitch in breath came down the line. “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “Me too.”

  Viva set the phone down on the counter and stared at it. There were other calls she should make: Shirley, of course, and her fitness trainer. Personal calls too—her family. Michi as well. But those people knew what tennis meant to her. The thought of the silences on the line, the well-meaning platitudes… Those she couldn’t handle. Not yet, anyway. No. She was an officially retired professional tennis player. She could sit at a South Bank café and have coffee. With a double shot. She could do anything she wanted.

  Except continue her career. Viva shut down that line of thought, grabbed her purse, and headed out the door. She would have cake with that coffee.

  Viva was ready early, so she strolled the long way to where she was meeting Gabriela, pausing to listen to a busker and to watch children splashing in the water at Streets Beach. By the time she reached the Ferris wheel, she was already damp with sweat, and her hair curled madly in t
he humidity.

  Gabriela was waiting, and when she saw Viva, she walked straight up to her and into her arms. There were a few curious stares.

  Viva drew Gabriela closer into her embrace and bent to kiss her properly. The echo of desire from the night before kindled anew low in her belly.

  Gabriela linked her arm through Viva’s. “Haven’t these people seen two women kissing before?”

  “I doubt it’s that. Remember I’m a Queenslander. They’re probably wondering where they’ve seen me before. People usually only recognise me in tennis gear, but I get a few puzzled stares sometimes.”

  Without debate, they started along the river, through the crowds that thronged South Bank. Once they could walk comfortably next to each other, they ambled along, with other people out for an early evening stroll. They stopped to watch a man learning to tightrope-walk, his wire only a metre above the ground strung between two of the sturdy pieces of public fitness equipment. He was persistent, despite only managing to get less than halfway along the wire each time.

  “That’s me now.” Viva watched as he wobbled and slipped once again. “I expect I’ll try and fail at a few things now.”

  “What will you do first?”

  She considered. “I think I’ll go home for a bit. Being at Waggs Pocket always relaxes me.”

  “Despite having to serve beer to a crowd of rowdy pensioners?”

  “Even then. Even when it’s just Max rambling on about his cattle. Maybe I will go and work there.” She grinned. “It would put Jack’s nose out of joint. He’s been the de facto heir to the pub for a long time now.” It would be a way of winding down, a time to consider exactly what she did want to do. Her family wouldn’t pressure her; they’d give her a bar towel and tell her to go and pour beer, but they wouldn’t push her into answers or decisions.

  “It is beautiful there,” Gabriela said. “Lovely in a sparse sort of way.”

  “Wait until the rains come. It greens up in a week. Fat cows, long grass, lots of weeds. Flooded roads. You can sit in the pub and watch the mould grow.” Viva grimaced. “I better not time my trip home in the wet, or Mum will have me in the bathroom on mould patrol before I can say ‘bleach’.” They parted around a man with a dog on a long lead.