Work Text:
Winter 2019
“Well, I’d call that an unqualified success!” Lou said as the door of the penthouse closed behind them.
Debbie tossed a smile over her shoulder and stepped out of her heels. She let her purse drop onto an armchair on her way to the balcony doors, spilling wads of one-hundred-dollar bills over the floral upholstery. Her hair fluttered in a warm breeze as she stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at Venice Beach several stories below. The height was just enough to be dizzying, and Debbie loved it – the clenching in her stomach, the thrill of adrenaline, the tingle at the back of her neck. The air smelled like the sea. Debbie sighed contentedly as the tingle at the back of her neck registered as Lou’s lips on her skin. Turning around, she accepted a glass of champagne.
“Cheers, baby.” She clinked her glass against Lou’s and they both drank.
“So?”
“I’m not gonna say I told you so,” Debbie said, turning back to watch the sun set into the Pacific.
“I would deserve it, if you did,” Lou said gallantly.
Debbie smiled and leaned her head on Lou’s shoulder. “I had my doubts, too, you know.”
“About the job?”
Debbie shook her head. “Wasn’t sure Rusty would deliver on our cut.”
Lou sighed. “I suppose he’s not all bad.”
“He might be, but he still plays fair,” Debbie reasoned.
“When he feels like it.”
Debbie shrugged. “Works for me.”
Lou was quiet for a minute, stroking tantalizing circles on Debbie’s bare back. The halter dress suited her, and she liked having Lou’s hands on her bare skin even in the most casual of touches. “It’s not as though we need the money,” Lou murmured.
“Well, if that’s your attitude, I’ll take your cut,” Debbie teased.
Lou pressed a kiss to her hair, and Debbie felt her eyes close instinctively, savoring the affection. “Take me out,” she said quietly.
“What?”
“Let’s go out,” she said, more loudly, slipping her hand into Lou’s to play with her fingers.
Lou eyed her carefully for a moment with her tongue in her cheek. “Where do you want to go?”
**
The club was loud and the bar was crowded. Debbie accept her drink from the bartender with a word of thanks. Lou stood close to her, between Debbie and the stool next to her where one half of a young couple was sitting. Debbie liked having her close, liked being able to reach out and run a finger from Lou’s belt up to the top of her silver vest and into her tangle of necklaces. Lou grinned at her and sipped her beer. Her other hand slid onto Debbie’s back, warm against the skin at the base of her spine near the edge of her halter dress. As she reached past Debbie for her beer, Lou slid two twenty-dollar bills into the tight bodice of Debbie’s dress.
“Next round is on the guy behind me,” Lou whispered in Debbie’s ear.
Debbie smirked and sipped her martini. It wasn’t as dry as she usually preferred, but it was strong and cold. Martinis weren’t her drink to begin with; they were Danny’s. After a job, she drank them and thought of him. Debbie ran her finger around the face of Danny’s watch on her wrist, and smiled as Lou’s hand covered hers.
“He’d be proud of you,” Lou murmured.
Debbie smiled. “It was a pretty small job, baby. I’m not sure he would have even noticed.”
“I didn’t mean the job.”
Debbie shot her a questioning look.
“Rusty,” Lou clarified. “You’re looking out for him.”
“Hm. Maybe. Danny would have done the same for you if I’d—”
“Don’t,” Lou interrupted sharply. “Don’t go there.” She shook her head with a pained expression.
Debbie assented and sipped her drink. “I’m not planning on dying, baby,” she said after a moment, concerned by Lou’s silence and the way she was looking at her own hand covering Debbie’s as though she thought Debbie might disappear at any moment.
“No one ever is,” Lou shot back.
Debbie sighed. “What if I told you I wanted lower risk jobs from now on?”
Lou gave a humorless laugh. “I’d ask you where you’d hidden the real Debbie Ocean.” She took a long swig of her beer. Debbie turned on her stool and gave Lou a hard look. Lou’s smile faltered around the rim of her drink. She released the bottle from between her lips. “Wait, seriously?” she asked.
“Dead serious,” Debbie said with a nod. “Or, well, not dead, in this case. I’m not going back to prison, Lou, and I’m not out to get myself killed. Because God knows, if I’m putting myself in danger, you’d be right there with me, and I can’t do that anymore,” she said in a rush.
Lou stared at her, eyebrows raised, for a long moment. Debbie almost laughed at her bemused expression, but instead she bit her lip and waited. “You…” Lou began finally. She shook her head a little incredulously and then leaned forward to place a warm kiss just in front of Debbie’s ear. “I love you, Jailbird.”
Debbie’s stomach jumped with pleasure. She turned her hand over in Lou’s and interlaced their fingers. “Don’t go all watery on me,” she chided as Lou’s eyes sparkled more brightly than usual.
Lou took a deep breath and shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.” Debbie grinned and pushed herself off the stool to stand chest-to-chest with Lou. She took a long sip of her drink, fished out the olive, and popped it into Lou’s mouth. Lou closed her eyes as she chewed and swallowed. Debbie felt her pulse race as her tongue swiped across her lower lip. She casually twisted one of Lou’s necklaces and ran her fingernail back on forth along the neckline of her vest.
“Let’s go make some money, baby,” Debbie said. She finished her drink and slid the glass across the counter.
“Just like old times?” Lou asked. She drained the last of her beer.
“Just like old times.”
Clubs were always easy money. Lou had taught her that ages ago. Swaying next to Lou in the middle of the dance floor, Debbie’s hands moved as quickly as the strobe lights. The bar had a significant mark-up, and most people were carrying twenties and fifties. She brushed Lou’s bare nipple as she slipped a hundred dollars into her bra. Debbie’s dress was already at capacity. The halter style wasn’t really made for storage purposes, after all. Still, she expected Lou had added at least two hundred since they had arrived. She felt a warm body move behind her and looked down to see a silver high heel inching between her legs. She squeezed Lou’s waist to get her attention. Lou’s eyes flicked towards the woman behind Debbie, and then she smirked. Lou spun Debbie around, both hands settling on her hips.
The woman was young – probably thirty. Her sparkly dress barely came to the middle of her thighs. She was pretty and blonde with heavy, colorful make-up and green eyes. Years ago, it was these sorts of encounters that Debbie and Lou had sought out on occasion – fun, willing people to seduce and bring home. But tonight was different. Debbie noticed the diamond choker on the woman’s throat and knew that Lou had seen it too. She didn’t give anything away, continued to dance with Lou’s hips tight against her ass and the girl’s leg between her own. She made eye contact with her and the woman’s eyes dropped to Debbie’s cleavage and back. Her cheeks flushed, and Debbie smirked internally, giving the woman a heavy-lidded smile. She slipped her arms over the woman’s shoulders, felt Lou’s hand squeeze her ass at the same moment.
Debbie almost gasped, but she caught herself in time. She liked this game, liked fighting against Lou’s distractions even while staking out a mark. Lou’s hand slid lower to caress Debbie’s inner thighs. Debbie kept her eyes fixed on the younger woman, letting her eyes dart teasingly over her features, dipping to look down between their bodies every so often. The woman was enthralled – lips parted, pupils dilated. Debbie thread her fingers into the soft hair at the back of the woman’s neck, scratching and tugging gently. As she did so, Lou’s fingers crept higher and pushed Debbie’s thong to the side. Debbie did gasp this time, but she disguised it as a response to the other woman’s light touch on her waist, just above Lou’s hand on her hip. Her fingers worked swiftly at the clasp of the diamond choker, even as two of Lou’s slid inside her. A second later, the diamond choker was in her hand, and she kissed back as the young woman’s lips found hers. It was brief and elegant, the choker slipping from her fingers to Lou’s free hand with practiced ease. Seconds later, the song changed, and Debbie broke the kiss to look a little regretfully at the woman and allow herself to be whisked away by Lou, disappearing into the crowd.
Near the door, Debbie leaned against the wall and tugged Lou against her, crashing their lips together as she rolled her hips into her. She felt Lou’s throat vibrate with a moan, and Debbie smiled against her. Lou’s hands were steady and warm on the bare skin of her waist. Minutes or hours later, they broke apart. Lou stared at her, eyes hazy and lips kiss-swollen. Debbie laughed, and Lou joined her after a moment’s hesitation.
“Shall we get out of here?” Lou asked. Debbie nodded and took her hand.
At the exit near the bag check, there was a table covered in giveaway bags. Lou – ever on the lookout for interesting club swag – picked one up and began looking through it as they made their way outside. A hundred yards away, the waves crashed on Venice Beach. Debbie closed her eyes and tilted her head back for a moment, relishing the warm evening air on her skin. Back home in New York, it was wintery and frigid, and part of her loved that, too. But it was nice to get a break, and a weekend in California running the back end of a job with Rusty – it didn’t get much better than that.
“It’s mostly condoms,” Lou said, sounding a bit disappointed as she shifted through the contents of the giveaway bag. “There’s some different types of lube samples, too, though – icy hot, tingling, extra smooth, glittery—”
“Do not put that inside me. Jesus,” Debbie exclaimed.
“I guess some people are into that. How do you feel about numbing?” she asked, taking out the last package and shaking it in front of Debbie’s nose.
Debbie’s wrinkled her nose. “Why would I want that?”
Lou grinned. “But the other ones…?”
Debbie shrugged. “Could be fun,” she said, keeping her voice casual.
She paused and took off her shoes as they reached the sand. Lou did the same. The surface of the sand was cool, but an inch below the surface, it was still warm from the day’s sun. Moonlight sparkled off the waves and shone on the wide expanse of beach. It was still somewhat crowded – nothing compared to the evening rush, but it was clear that the nightlife along the shore spilled out of the clubs towards the waves. Debbie watched a group of teenagers splashing water at each other in the shallows. It reminded her of Danny. She remembered working jobs with him when they were young, when they could get away with big shit just because no one ever suspected them. The Pacific along the California coastline was warmer than her favorite spots on the Atlantic, but the air smelled similar, and the teenagers’ laughter sounded like her own.
“I miss him, Lou,” Debbie said matter-of-factly, kicking at the sand with her big toe.
“I know.”
“The martinis, the ocean—”
“Only you can make that pun,” Lou teased.
“—the day-to-day hustle,” Debbie went on, slipping a handful of money out of her dress and sorting through the bills. “I miss his stupid, smirking face.” She laughed briefly.
“How sure are you?” Lou asked.
Debbie looked up from the money to meet Lou’s gaze. She looked right through her, thought of Rusty’s certainty, of how Amita reminded her that multiple witnesses had corroborated the events surrounding her father’s and Danny’s deaths. “Ninety-five,” Debbie said.
Lou averted her eyes and nodded. “Okay.”
“Maybe ninety-six.”
“What will convince you?”
“I told you, if he’s not at the wedding…”
“Yeah.” Lou sighed. “And then?”
Debbie chewed her lower lip. “I don’t know.”
“Just don't…” Lou squeezed her eyes shut, as if she was forcing the words out. “Just don’t do anyth—”
“I told you, baby,” Debbie said softly, slipping the money into the giveaway bag in Lou’s hand and then grabbing her other hand and admiring the way the moonlight reflected off the opals and gold of her engagement ring. “I told you,” Debbie said again. “I’m done being reckless.”
Lou looked at her again, brow furrowed. Debbie swallowed, silently begging her to understand. Finally, Lou’s eyes softened, and she nodded. “I trust you.”
Debbie squeezed her hand. “I love you.”
Lou grinned, eyes sparkling the way they always did when Debbie got up the courage to say the words, no matter how bluntly. Debbie grinned back and then turned to walk south down the beach.
They were quiet for a while, just walking. Lou matched Debbie’s pace, quick and steady even though they had no where they needed to be. Every so often, Lou swung an arm over her shoulders or ran down to the edge of the waves to let the foam splash on her bare feet. Debbie took even steps, willing her melancholy about Danny to dissipate. It always did, eventually. Watching Lou helped. Her skin was luminescent in the moonlight. She was made for this, Debbie realized – made for the sea and the moonlight and the nighttime. Debbie was made for evening and dawn – times that others breezed through without thinking twice. Debbie savored the in-between hours; they were full of shadows. But Lou. Lou was moonlight, maybe. The tattoo on her right arm stood out in high contrast as the light glanced off her shoulder. Debbie had a sudden idea.
“Hey,” she called. Lou turned around and grinned at her, teeth flashing. She took long strides back to Debbie’s side and fell into step beside her.
“What’s up, honey?”
“I want to get a tattoo,” Debbie said firmly in her usual monotone.
Lou spun around to walk backwards in front of her, eyebrows raised. “Seriously? You always said—”
“That they’re identifiers? That people will recognize me?” She smiled. “Yeah, I know, but that was before I had a scar to deal with anyway.” She gestured to her left side, a little sheepishly.
Lou looked sad for a moment as she always did when the topic of Debbie’s stabbing came up. Debbie didn’t blame her. “You sure?” Lou asked.
Debbie shrugged. “Yeah. Something for Danny, you know?”
Lou stopped walking, and Debbie ran into her. Lou lost her balance and collapsed onto the sand with Debbie on top of her. She laughed for a moment, and Debbie leaned against her chest, waiting. “It’s a good idea, Debs,” Lou said finally. “What do you want to get?”
Debbie thought for a moment, but there was only one choice, really. “A martini with an olive – just an outline, something simple. And I like the white ink. It’s subtle.”
Lou nodded and looked down at her. Debbie propped her chin on Lou’s chest. “When do you want to do it?”
“Well, uh…now?” Debbie said. There didn’t seem to be much point in waiting.
Lou stuck her tongue in her cheek and then nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay.”
**
There were several late-night tattoo parlors along Venice Beach, and Debbie was unsurprised to learn that Lou knew a bit about each of them. She always had a good head for contacts.
“We pay money here,” Lou reminded her as she held the door open for Debbie to walk into the small, brightly lit shop with neon writing over the door. There was dark wood paneling on the walls, reminding Debbie of Lou. She liked the aesthetic immediately.
“Stolen money,” Debbie hissed back with a smirk. Lou spoke to the woman at the desk and handed over Debbie’s ID, which she had carried in her pocket. The woman’s eyes widened at Debbie’s birthdate, but she didn’t comment on it, merely nodded and directed them towards a booth in the back of the shop.
“Fred?” she said, poking her head around the corner. “You have a customer.” She turned back to Debbie and Lou. “She’s good. Enjoy!”
Fred was in her thirties, Debbie thought. She put down her book of crosswords to shake Debbie’s hand. Debbie eyed the puzzle book with interest – New York Times, Saturdays. Debbie was impressed. Fred clicked her ball point pen a few times and set a clean sheet of paper on top of the desk. Debbie noticed intricate line work on her hands and arms, crisscrossing and spiraling over her skin. It was minimalist and pretty. Fred’s clothes were mostly leather, and Debbie recalled a younger version of Lou – or, she reconsidered, as she caught Lou’s all-leather outfit out of the corner of her eye, the present version of Lou. Debbie smiled warmly at her.
“What are you looking for?” Fred asked.
“I want an outline of a martini glass with an olive in white ink.” Debbie told her.
“Where?”
Debbie unbuckled Danny’s watch from her left wrist and held it out. “Here,” she said, pointing to the soft skin where the watch had rested.
Fred nodded. “Okay, let me just…” She looked down at the paper in front of her, paused for a moment and then began to draw. When Debbie looked up from buckling Danny’s watch onto her right wrist for safekeeping, an exact image of what she wanted was sitting in front of her. Debbie blinked. “That look okay?” Fred asked.
“Uh…yeah. You’re good,” Debbie told her. Lou tossed Debbie a grin from where she was standing by the wall of the booth, looking at Fred’s designs, which were framed in the same dark wood as the walls themselves. The pictures all followed a similar theme of geometric line work. Debbie didn’t see even one she didn't like. Lou had chosen the right place.
“Great,” Fred said, “let me just get set up and then we can start.”
Debbie sat down in the padded chair that was clearly meant for clients, and Lou sprawled in the wooden chair next to her with a hand on Debbie’s knee. “You nervous?” she asked.
Debbie frowned. “Should I be?”
“Nah. It doesn’t hurt much,” Lou said.
“All set,” Fred said. “You ready, Debbie?”
Debbie nodded. “Yeah.” It was strange, but it felt like a gift to Danny, sitting here, doing something that he would have rolled his eyes at. She was letting him have a last laugh. The buzzing of the tattoo gun filled the small space. Debbie watched, fascinated by the tubes, by the tingle of the alcohol swab on her skin, by the array of needle sizes and shapes laid out on Fred’s tray of supplies. At first, she only felt a vibration as the needle touched her skin. Then, a burning pain spread up her arm. She winced. It was tolerable, but barely, and it made her want to squirm. Lou squeezed her knee.
“Okay?”
Debbie grimaced. “Hurts more than I expected.”
Fred nodded sagely. “A lot of people say that.”
Lou moved closer to her, shifting her chair so she was right up against Debbie. The table upon which Debbie was resting her arm was tall enough to block her lap from Fred’s view, for which she was grateful as Lou’s hand slid onto her inner thigh. Debbie worked to keep her face impassive, breathing hard through her nose.
“You’re doing great!” Fred said encouragingly.
Debbie cracked a smile at her and tried to ignore the tingling sensation that was spreading up her leg. She looked down and saw that Lou had torn open one of the packages of lube from the giveaway bag and was spreading it over her fingers, dripping it onto Debbie’s thigh. She caught Debbie’s eye with raised eyebrows. Debbie gave the slightest of nods and spread her legs just enough. Lou’s fingers slid higher up her thigh, under her skirt. As she had done earlier, Lou slipped Debbie’s thong to the side. Debbie gasped.
“Must’ve hit a sensitive spot,” Fred said. “Sorry!”
“What? Oh…uh, yeah,” Debbie said. She had almost completely forgotten about the pain in her wrist. Lou’s fingers were circling her clit, spreading the tingling lube over her aroused skin with slow, steady movements.
“Looks great, honey,” Lou commented, as if she was completely focused on Fred’s artistry and not on her wandering fingers, which were gradually sinking lower. Debbie shifted a little in her seat, and two of Lou’s fingers teased her entrance before sliding inside her.
“Try not to move, okay?” Fred said sympathetically.
“Yeah, sorry,” Debbie said. Heat was spreading through her body in response to Lou’s gentle stroking. Debbie could feel herself getting wetter, knew that if it weren’t for the tattoo gun, Fred would be able to clearly hear what they were up to. And if anyone walked by the booth…Debbie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her entire body was vibrating with electricity, and she knew she wouldn’t ever be able to see a tattoo gun again without feeling turned on. All at once Lou’s fingers vanished, and Debbie opened her eyes to see her wiping them on her inner thigh. Debbie caught her eye questioningly, and Lou eyed the tattoo on Debbie’s arm, which was now nearly complete. Debbie took another deep breath, watching Fred finish the last piece of line work and touch up a few places.
“I like it,” Debbie told her, speaking for the first time in many minutes. Her voice sounded heavy to her own ears, and probably to Lou’s, but she was fairly certain that Fred wouldn’t notice.
“I’m glad,” Fred replied. She placed a large plastic bandage over the raw skin. “Michelle up front can give you some care instructions. Other than that, I hope you have a great rest of your night.” She smiled at Debbie and Lou as they left her booth. Debbie saw her pick up her crossword puzzle book and chew on the end of her pen. Debbie let Lou handle the payment. She touched the bandage on her arm and let the heat in her core ebb. No matter the circumstances, she knew she would think of Danny when she saw it. It dawned on her that perhaps she was admitting to herself that he was dead. She wasn’t sure whether to congratulate herself or kick herself for that.
“Didn’t hurt too badly, did it?” Lou said with a smirk as they walked towards the beach once more.
Debbie rolled her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t know, would I?”
Lou grinned wickedly and pulled Debbie by the hand towards the shore. Debbie stumbled in her heels and stepped out of them gracelessly, almost falling in the sand and pulling Lou down with her.
“Thank you for the distraction,” Debbie said breathlessly as she righted herself, shoes in hand.
“My pleasure,” Lou said with a mock bow. “Come on.” She grabbed Debbie’s hand.
“Oh, okay.”
They stumbled to a halt in the shallows. Debbie stood still for a moment and enjoyed the feeling of the sand running out from under her soles as it was sucked up by the water. Then Lou tugged on her hand, and Debbie lost her balance, falling with a cry of surprise onto the sand. Lou sprawled next to her, breathing hard and laughing. She looked at Debbie for a moment then sprang to her feet once more and dropped her hands to her waist band. In seconds, she had removed her leather pants and tossed them onto the dry sand a few feet above them, along with Debbie’s and her own shoes, the flyers from the tattoo parlor, and the giveaway bag from the club. Under her pants, Lou wore white satin boy shorts that easily passed for swimsuit bottoms. Debbie was more than a little hypnotized by the sight of her long bare legs paired with the black vest and necklaces.
“Lou, what—?” Debbie’s words were cut off by Lou’s lips on hers as she knelt in front of Debbie. A wave crashed a few feet away and the foam spread around their knees. Debbie could smell the tang of it all around them. Lou’s tongue swiped across her lower lip, and she opened her mouth, reached up to pull Lou closer. It had to be well-past midnight by now, but there were still a fair number of people on the beach. Debbie could hear their distant voices and laughter between the crashing of the waves. As Lou’s hands settled on Debbie’s knees, Debbie decided she didn’t care who saw them. Besides, Lou’s body was mostly hiding her own from view as she moved over Debbie and pressed her back against the sand. Instinctively, Debbie uncurled her legs from under her and spread them to bracket Lou’s hips.
“Do you want me to stop?” Lou asked, voice low in Debbie’s ear. Another wave crashed around them, spreading under Debbie’s back. The water soaked through her skirt. Debbie tangled her fingers in Lou’s hair.
“No,” she whispered, “No, keep going.”
Lou chuckled and slid her right hand higher, stroking the sensitive skin of Debbie’s inner thigh. She moved slowly this time, unlike earlier at the club and again at the tattoo parlor. Her fingertips traced spirals into Debbie’s skin. The lube was still tingling across Debbie’s arousal, or maybe it was the salt from the sea. Either way, Debbie felt herself losing control quickly, before Lou had even touched her properly.
“Feels good,” she whispered.
Lou smiled. “You want me.” It wasn’t a question.
Debbie nodded and tilted her head back on the sand, not caring that she would have to wash half the beach out of her hair later. Lou took the hint and licked up Debbie’s throat to suck on her pulse point. Her fingers moved higher at last and slipped past Debbie’s thong, which was soaked with a combination of arousal, lube, and seawater. Her fingers circled Debbie’s clit, pressing firmly, and then dipped into her. Lou rotated her wrist and curled her fingers, bringing her palm firmly against Debbie’s clit and thrusting into her roughly. Debbie cried out, and Lou’s other hand clapped over her mouth.
“Sh, honey, you don’t want anyone to hear you, do you?” Lou chided. She was still knuckle-deep inside Debbie, stroking her.
Debbie shook her head and playfully nibbled at Lou’s palm. Lou made to draw her hand away from Debbie’s mouth, but Debbie caught her wrist and guided Lou’s fingers into her mouth. She heard Lou’s breath catch as she looked down at her. Debbie sucked hungrily at her fingers, pumped them in and out of her mouth in time with the rhythm of Lou’s hand between her legs.
“You’re so sexy,” Lou breathed in her ear.
Debbie felt her body arch and relax as the words ran through her. She was nearing her orgasm quickly, but Debbie didn’t want it to end. She concentrated on the smooth skin of Lou’s fingers in her mouth, salty from the sea. A wave crashed across their legs, and the water splashed against Debbie’s arousal. She moaned around Lou’s fingers, muffling the sound. The tingling lube and the warm water was enough to have her on the edge again. She gazed up at Lou, determined to keep her eyes open. The moonlight reflected off Lou’s hair and skin and necklaces. Her pace quickened, and Debbie’s jaw went slack, though Lou kept her fingers in her mouth. A buzzing heat grew in Debbie’s core and rushed outward, just as another wave crashed around them, a little higher this time – the tide was coming in. The L.A. sky was too smoggy to see many stars, and the moon was a bit bright for that anyway, but Debbie could see every constellation as her muscles tautened and released. She heard Lou hum an appreciative laugh in her ear. Debbie sighed.
**
The waves crashed on around them, soaking through Lou’s underwear and vest, but Debbie didn’t want to move. It was remarkably comfortable in the shallows, feeling her body rocked back and forth a little by the sea. Sometime later, Lou pulled her further into the waves. Debbie trusted Lou in the water, knew she was smart about it. She lay her head against Lou’s shoulder and savored the feeling of Lou’s hands rinsing the sand from her body.
“Hold your breath,” Lou said. Debbie took a large lung full of air and dipped her head under the surface. Lou’s fingers wove through her hair, ridding it of the sand. As she resurfaced, Debbie was struck again by Lou’s ethereal beauty in the moonlight. She swept her wet hair out of her face.
“Hey,” she said.
Lou smiled, eyes shining. “Hey. Sorry about your dress.” Lou’s eyes fell to the black fabric, which was sticking to Debbie’s skin.
Debbie shrugged. “I’ll just steal another one.”
Lou’s lip twitched. “Ready to go home tomorrow?”
Debbie sighed and nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s nice here, but…it’s not New York.”
“No,” Lou agreed. “It’s not. You know, you probably shouldn’t have gotten that wet?” she added, gesturing towards the bandage on Debbie’s wrist.
Debbie rolled her eyes. “This wasn’t my idea.”
“But you liked it.”
“Obviously.”
They made their way back to the shore and Debbie wrung out the hem of her dress. Lou gathered their belongings, and they walked together back up towards the street, arm-in-arm. The hotel wasn’t far, but Debbie was dragging her feet by the time they reached the door of the penthouse. She checked her watch, which she had kept on her right wrist to prevent it from agitating her new ink: two in the morning. They moved slowly around each other, preparing for bed, ridding themselves of their sea-drenched clothing. Debbie shivered as they crawled into bed, tucking herself into Lou’s warmth.
“Ninety-seven,” she muttered through a sigh. “I’m ninety-seven percent sure that he’s…” She trailed off.
Lou clutched her tightly, stroking her still-damp hair. “Why?”
“I got a tattoo, and he didn’t show up two seconds later to tell me off,” Debbie explained. “He was so…”
“Uptight? Protective?”
“Observant.”
“Yeah, but even Danny wasn’t omniscient,” Lou argued.
Debbie yawned. “Doesn’t matter. He would have been there.”
She felt her consciousness fading, vaguely aware of the steady rise and fall of Lou’s chest under her lips. Her last thought before she drifted off – or maybe it was a dream that pulled her into sleep – was of Lou in the moonlight, Lou in the water, Lou in leather and satin, Lou’s eyes sparkling like stars.