"Are you... lost?" Someone asked, her tone impatient.
I stopped scanning the room to find the woman behind the voice. I blinked.
She had the most luminous blue eyes I had ever seen. Even in the dim glow of the bar they glowed brightly, like her pupils were some type of smooth stone at the bottom of a clear blue ocean. Within her blue there flickered tiny speckles of silver, which gave her an icy, somewhat stony appeal. But it was her slight, lopsided smile that erased any signs of wanting to be alone.
No wonder this bar was so popular.
"Uh, no," I said, holding up the Help Wanted sign I had snagged from the front window. The woman's cool eyes flickered between the sign and me. She didn't say anything, only looked slightly thoughtful as slender fingers raked through her long blonde hair.
"What can you do?" She finally asked, definitely not expecting me to be able to do much of anything at all. She'd be right.
"Anything and everything," I answered-lied-instantly, hoping I didn't look too desperate, didn't sound too eager. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't worked a day in my life. My hands were used to weekly manicures not hard labor.
But desperate times call for desperate measures.
The blonde appeared thoughtful again. Those magnificent eyes gave me a once over, slow and steady. You could see the cogs turning in her head as she considered it. I decided to try and sound more convincing.
"I have many skills," I added. Okay, so I stole that from Xena, but I was hoping it worked as well for me as it did for her.
The blonde lifted a sculpted brow and the smile was, once again, back on her lips. She seemed amused. Maybe she was a Xena fan?
"Alright... I'll start you off cleaning the bathrooms, sweeping the floors, doing the dishes..."
Crap.
"I am going to kiss you." Her husky voice reached my ears making me open my eyes to meet hers again.
Do it.
"No. I do-don't want you to." I lied as I tried to keep my rising heartbeat under control. I shouldn't kiss her.
She chuckled darkly, a smirk spreading through her lips and she replied, "Don't lie, Ms White. We both know it's a lie." I yelped when she wrapped her right arm around my waist pulling me flush against her.
I averted my eyes as I tried not to give in. It...this could only end in heartbreak. I shouldn't.
"Look at me, Ms White." Her soft command made me whimper as I looked into her eyes. Her eyes didn't display any malice. Only care, need, admiration, and safety.
Maybe...maybe she is worth the risk.
"Kiss me."
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
River Jones is a lesbian & intersex woman who is hired as a bodyguard for Valentina White. A millionaire and an amputee who uses prosthetics for both her arms. She is traumatized by the incident causing her to become closed off. This is a story of Valentina opening herself up to River and their eventual love story with twists and turns.