Incognito Page 4

  Starshine: I might be tired.

  Kylie: Pizza is the best thing for when you’re tired. You’ve never had late night pizza? You’re missing out.

  Starshine: Maybe if you have the munchies.

  Kylie: Yeah, maybe that’s why I like it. I pretty much live with the munchies.

  Starshine: I’ve never had them before.

  Kylie: Then we have a lot of things for you to try.

  Starshine put her phone down, wondering if she had just agreed to hang out with Kylie.

  It couldn’t be that bad. She could keep a lid on her secrets for an hour or two. That was part of the package in this job.

  She’d known going into this gig that she’d have to be secretive. She and Krista had gone over her cover story for hours at a time. She’d read everything she could get her hands on about journalistic techniques and biographies of famous investigative reporters.

  It was just that her brain stopped working when she was around Kylie.

  Seven

  Kylie had lived in this room all her life, which meant the walls were still covered with posters she’d put up in her teen years. She paid no attention to them as she lay in bed with her laptop propped up on her knees. The ripped athletes and busty supermodels had nothing on a certain bandana-wearing waitress, anyway.

  None of her favorite time-wasting websites had anything new to offer, so she opened up the app she sometimes worked on. Numbers and letters filled the screen, and Kylie looked at the code for the millionth time. She had been working on this for months now. It was something of a hobby for her. Even if she was just screwing around, it was coming along pretty nicely.

  She had learned programming on her own. After getting started with online tutorials, she’d progressed through trial and error. The app was a video streaming service that picked up free videos, and she enjoyed fiddling around with it to make it better. It even had some features that premium video apps didn’t have. All just for fun, though. She wasn’t planning to show it to anyone.

  A mistake in the code became clear, and she spent a few minutes fixing it. The troubleshooting was oddly satisfying. It felt good when she could figure out what was wrong with the app, and even better when she could find a simple, elegant solution for it.

  “Kylie!” her grandmother called. “Time to take out the trash!”

  She got up reluctantly, saving her work and closing the window. She would come back to it later. For now, she should help her grandmother. She did so much for Kylie. Her parents worked a ton, and her grandparents were there for her much more. Her whole family was cool, she couldn’t complain, but she was closer with her grandmother than to any of the others.

  So she went downstairs, where her grandmother gave her a pat on the back and then put the bag of trash in her hands. “Take it outside for me,” she said. “Your grandfather doesn’t have the strength for these things anymore.”

  “I know, Gran. I do this every week, and I never complain, do I? You know I’m here to do all these things for you.”

  Even though Kylie sometimes thought about moving out, she hated the thought of leaving her grandparents in the lurch. She knew they needed her more than they wanted to admit. They were proud people. Living with them made sense for her as well. She saved on rent, and they had a fully capable young adult around to take care of the chores that they couldn’t do. She doubted they would ever get the lawn mowed without her.

  Kylie grabbed the garbage bag and took it out to the garage. As she pushed the trash can to the edge of the driveway, she wondered what Starshine was up to and what she was thinking about. They were finally going to hang out tonight, and Kylie was cautiously excited.

  She’d almost been sure the other waitress would keep saying no to her. It was getting to the point where she thought Starshine just didn’t like her. Kylie wanted to hang out because she was curious, but Starshine probably had better things to do with her time. She had to be a busy girl between her job and her relationship… and, of course, whatever secrets she had going on.

  Whatever reason Starshine had for agreeing, Kylie was just glad she had finally done so. She wondered what they’d talk about when they did get the chance. She would have to try to get more information out of her. If Starshine was, by any chance, a cop, Kylie would figure it out.

  The more she thought about it, the more her suspicion made sense. Starshine was always asking questions—usually weird ones. She seemed especially intrigued by the illicit activities that she never partook of herself.

  Kylie had never seen Starshine smoke weed with the others. She seemed to be on the straight and narrow. Then there were the interrogation tactics she had told them about, and the way she’d been talking on her phone when Kylie walked in on her.

  The theory made more sense the more Kylie thought about it. She’d definitely be weirded out if Starshine was a cop… but she’d still be into her.

  Again, Kylie reminded herself that they were just going to hang out as friends. For all she knew, that was all that Starshine would want from her anyway. Even if Kylie was attractive, she couldn’t just assume that everyone was into her.

  She came back into the house empty-handed and sat down with her grandparents for dinner. By the time they were done, it was just about time to get ready for work. Although she had showered in the early hours of the morning, she had a particular reason to do it again.

  After locking the door, she turned up the radio and got under the pouring stream. Hot water ran down her limbs as she squirted body wash into her palms. She rolled her head back, soaking her curly hair.

  As the hip-hop beat filtered through the shower curtain, she exhaled. Being in here had her a little turned on. She brought her hands up her calves, scrubbing the body wash in circular motions. She took her time, imagining that Starshine was in here with her. “Mm…” She let out a soft sound at the idea of Starshine’s fingers on her body.

  As she moved up to her thighs, she allowed the fantasies to get dirtier. She worked the suds into one leg, then the other, as she pictured Starshine’s soaking body next to her. Straightening up, she ran her fingers lightly over her stomach. She added more body wash and lathered up her chest, wishing Starshine was here to do this to her. Her palms brushed over her nipples, and she let out a sigh.

  Only then did she drop one hand to where she needed it. She couldn’t tease herself any longer. Her lips formed an O as she rubbed a dripping finger along her clit. The vision stayed with her. As she played with her nipple with her free hand, she pictured Starshine nibbling it instead.

  She inhaled sharply, closing her eyes against the reality of the situation. As she stood with her face to the showerhead, it felt like the water would wash away anything that was illicit about this. It wasn’t her hand stroking her clit with ever-increasing intensity. It was Starshine’s. She imagined pulling that sexy body against hers. Starshine…

  Climax overtook her. She almost expected to see Starshine there with her when she opened her eyes.

  She turned off the water, feeling slightly guilty. Starshine was off-limits. They were even supposed to hang out tonight. Could Kylie really act normal around her now that she’d masturbated to her image?

  As soon as she got to the restaurant, she ran into Starshine in the change room. Kylie gulped as faintly as she could, hoping she wouldn’t show a sign of what she’d been thinking about earlier. Starshine was fully-dressed, for which Kylie was thankful. She didn’t know what she would have done if she’d had to look at Starshine’s bountiful chest and shapely legs right now.

  “Hey,” Starshine said with a grin.

  Kylie’s heart squeezed at being so close to the object of her fantasies. “Still on for tonight?” she asked, avoiding Starshine’s eyes.

  Kylie was prepared for the possibility of Starshine finding some excuse to back out. Before, she had seemed so determined to not get together with Kylie outside of work. That would probably have been for the best, given Kylie’s raging hormones.

  But somehow
, things had changed. “After work,” Starshine said. Her voice was casual, as if she had never tried to avoid their meeting. “Pizza.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Kylie attempted to go about her night as usual, although she kept an eye on Starshine as they worked. She couldn’t suppress her curiosity about that girl. She was just mysterious… enigmatic. Kylie wanted to find out everything about her.

  If Starshine was a cop, she was clearly looking for something bigger than pot. She’d seen the girls smoking a hundred times before. Kylie probably got high more often than any of them, and Starshine hadn’t busted her yet.

  Maybe Kylie could test Starshine a little, though. A cop should show some reaction when someone smoked in front of them. Kylie decided to watch Starshine’s reaction the next time she lit up a joint. Hell, she’d ask her flat-out if she was a cop and play it off like she was joking.

  Throughout the night, all she could think of was the greasy burst of pizza on her tongue… and the chance to finally figure Starshine out.

  Eight

  A few minutes after the restaurant closed for the night, Starshine walked through to the parking lot. She and Kylie had agreed to meet there. She shivered in the cool December air, wondering if this was a horrible idea.

  Hanging out with any of the waitresses one-on-one meant her caginess would be more obvious, so she’d always held back. Making actual friends was a liability in her line of work. She could get all the information she needed from interacting with them as a group, where people were less likely to notice how little she talked about herself.

  In this particular case, she was already halfway to something worse than friendship. Her attraction to Kylie was blossoming quickly into a full-blown crush. The more time she spent talking to the pretty waitress, the more she felt drawn toward her. Kylie just had that attitude that pulled Starshine in like a magnet. Starshine’s relationships tended to only move forward on occasions when the other person drew her in like that.

  She recalled one girl, Pearl, from her college days. She’d been perfectly nice and very attractive, but she just didn’t do it for Starshine. After several dates, she’d still had no desire to sleep with her. Pearl went a little crazy when Starshine broke it off.

  This time, the problem was that Starshine couldn’t trust herself to keep her secret safe. Besides, getting too close could compromise the integrity of her article. She wanted to write the brutal, raw, honest truth—not some sugarcoated fluff piece. If she was going to write fluff, she could have done it a lot quicker than this.

  She trusted herself to keep her mouth shut in general—that was why she had taken this assignment—but everything was different with a lover. Once two people started dating, they shared everything with each other. She might let her secret out in a moment of post-orgasmic pillow talk. Starshine didn’t understand how FBI agents or war spies did it. She just knew her lips would loosen the second she started to get close to someone.

  Kylie appeared at the door, and Starshine waved with what she hoped was a friendly smile. She was just going to treat this like another interview. She would get as much information from Kylie as she could while giving away as little about herself as possible.

  Everything was going to be fine. Starshine could manage this. Being undercover may have felt funny, but it shouldn’t have been terrifying. Why was being here, talking to Kylie, making her so nervous?

  “Hey, you made it,” Kylie said.

  The two of them made their way toward Kylie’s Jeep. The car fit Kylie’s personality in an odd way. Kylie was as upfront and straightforward as the car she had chosen. It was practical—meant for getting people from place to place without bells or whistles. Kylie looked perfectly natural as she jiggled the handle and slid inside. Starshine followed suit, getting in the passenger seat.

  “Of course I made it,” Starshine said. “I’m looking forward to our hang-out.”

  Was that even something people said to each other? Kylie had her second-guessing everything that came out of her mouth. She had to play it cool, had to relax. This wasn’t a big deal. It was just another assignment.

  “Hope you don’t mind if I smoke one,” Kylie said, pulling out a joint. “You’re not a cop, right?” She gave Starshine a funny look, almost squinting at her.

  What an odd question. “Are you sure that’s a good idea when you’re about to drive?” Starshine asked, blinking back at her.

  “It doesn’t get me that high.”

  “Well, I don’t know if it’s safe.”

  Kylie dropped the joint back into her pocket. “No problem.” She turned the car on and headed out of the parking lot. “I miss blazing with Jennie. That girl was cool.”

  An opportunity to get some dirt. “Yes, it’s too bad she left. I heard you girls were tight.”

  “Yeah, she’s cool.”

  “Do you really get high at work?”

  “Of course. It makes the night a lot less boring. I don’t mind this job, but I wouldn’t want to do it without burning a few through the night. Jennie used to smoke up with me. Now it’s just me standing outside all alone.”

  “Doesn’t anyone notice that you’re not sober?”

  “Nope. I came in high on my first day so everyone would think that was my normal state. Even interviewed high.”

  Starshine turned to look directly at her. A twinge went through Starshine as she gazed at her profile. Her full lips were so enticing, and looking at Kylie’s curly hair made Starshine want to stroke it.

  She wondered what Kylie was into, sexually speaking. With the way Kylie made her body tingle, they clearly had some kind of connection. But given Starshine’s secret mission, she was never going to find out how they would click in bed.

  It was a shame, but plenty of things in life weren’t fair. Starshine would just have to deal with it. There were lots of sexy girls that wouldn’t interfere with her exposé. She could find herself some casual sex once she was done with this gig.

  Kylie wouldn’t be into Starshine’s normal self anyway. If Kylie was attracted to her, she was only attracted to the front Starshine had put up. This confident, daring thing was only part of the act.

  “Where do you usually smoke?” Starshine asked, figuring she would distract herself by investigating further.

  “Outside,” Kylie said.

  “Where exactly?”

  “There’s a corner at the edge of the building. I go just past where anyone could see me.”

  “So you never get high inside the building?”

  Kylie glanced over at her. Her eyes had been on the road most of this time, and the sudden eye contact made Starshine jump a little in her seat. “No,” Kylie said flatly.

  Starshine had probably asked too many questions. Kylie definitely seemed uncomfortable. In journalism school, Starshine had learned to dial it down when she pushed too hard. She was supposed to let the subject do most of the talking rather than asking a barrage of questions. She should let them start by revealing what they were comfortable with. Through subtle questions and comments, she could get them to say even more than that.

  “Tell me about you,” Kylie said. “You never tell anyone much. I want to know more.”

  Starshine fidgeted in the seat, getting as comfortable as she could considering the situation. “There’s nothing too interesting,” she said. “I grew up in Haberdee, and I came to Bridgehaven for a job with a small finance company. I like it okay here.”

  “So you studied finance in school?” Kylie asked.

  “Yeah.” If one introductory class in accounting counted. “What about you? Did you do anything after high school?”

  “Just fucked around,” Kylie said. “We’re talking about you, though. Tell me about the finance job. That must have been pretty legit. You must have been pretty young to have a good job like that, too. I always picture those people as being, you know, thirty-year-olds in stuffed shirts.”

  “I’m only three years away from thirty,” Starshine said.

&nb
sp; Kylie glanced at her again. “I’m twenty-two.”

  Although Kylie looked younger than Starshine, it was easy to forget. Kylie acted like she knew what she was doing, or at least like she didn’t care. She never seemed to be running around without a clue about anything, the way Starshine constantly did.

  “Tell me about your girlfriend,” Kylie said.

  Although Starshine tensed up, she had her fake background story on the tip of her tongue, ready to go. “Her name is Lindsay. We’ve been together for two years.” She paused. “We were, rather.”

  She had lied about this for the past three months, but somehow, it felt less comfortable now that she was talking to Kylie alone. She should have been honest with Kylie, as Kylie was being with her.

  All night, she’d worn her mask of confidence and raw sexuality. She’d used it so much over the past few months that it felt natural. She could even sometimes keep it up during the off hours, like when she was hanging out with all the girls at Paula’s place.

  When it was just her and Kylie, it was much harder to keep that façade going. Kylie gave her the feeling that she could see right through her to the scared, nervous girl underneath. It made Starshine feel… vulnerable. She pulled out her phone and fiddled with it, pretending that she was texting someone.

  “What do you mean, you were?”

  “We split up yesterday,” Starshine said quietly, still looking at her phone. “I didn’t really want to mention it in the group chat. I’m sorry you girls didn’t get the chance to meet her.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry. You okay, S?”

  Had she actually heard the happiness in Kylie’s voice? Even as Starshine turned her eyes toward her, she couldn’t be sure if she was imagining the subtle upturn of Kylie’s lips. If it was real, it was pretty close to imperceptible.

  Her ego certainly would have been pleased if Kylie was happy. In all other respects, she had to hope that she wasn’t.

  Of course, it was nothing but the fabrication of a wishful mind, anyway.