Page 60 of Semantics

“We’re going to have sex up there, too?” Violet asked, looking down at the empty counter. “That cannot be sanitary, Stella. Even if you clean it, it–” She stopped when Stella pressed her thigh a little harder.

“It’ll be fine,” Stella told her. “Relax.”

“I don’t relax.” She laughed.

“You don’t relax? Like, ever? What exactly would you call what we just did in there?”

“It’s relaxing, yes. For like a second or two.”

“Hold on. That’s it? Just a second or two? That’s insulting,” Stella joked.

“Not how I meant it,” she replied, wrapping her arms around Stella’s neck. “I meant that briefly, I let go of the tension. Then, it all comes back again.”

“Why are you so tense?” Stella asked.

“Oh, I don’t know. Whole world on my shoulders?”

“You do give off that kind of vibe, yeah,” Stella replied with a little laugh before she moved out of Violet’s arms. “Island, Cute Butt.”

She pointed to the island again.

“What do you mean, I give off that kind of vibe?”

“You literally told me to unwind you the other night. You’re all sorts of high-strung, Violet.”

Violet lifted herself and sat on the counter, letting her legs dangle off the side.

“I’m not high-strung.”

“You didn’t want to sit on my counter naked because it was unsanitary, as if I don’t have cleaning products in this house.”

“That’s just… I’ve never had sex in the kitchen before, okay?”

“Do you want to now?” Stella asked after she removed a white ice cream tub out of the freezer and walked back over to her. “Spread your legs.”

“I thought we were eating ice cream first.”

“We are. The spoons are right under you.”

“Oh.”

“On second thought…” Stella added after she looked down and watched her spread her legs. “Can I eat you first?”

“No,” Violet said and pulled open the drawer beneath her.

Stella laughed, pulled out one spoon, popped the top off of the container, and scooped out a bite. Then, she held out the spoon.

“For you.”

Violet wasn’t accustomed to having someone feed her, but she leaned forward and went to take a bite just when Stella tipped the spoon and ice cream fell down to one of Violet’s breasts.

“Oh, no,” Stella said. “That’s Davy’s. Can’t let that go to waste, can we?”

Violet laughed as Stella lowered her mouth to her breast and licked the ice cream off her flesh before she sucked on Violet’s nipple for a moment and let it go with a pop. Violet then stole the spoon and took her own bite of the ice cream.

“Tell me. Why is the whole world on your shoulders?” Stella asked, jumping up to sit next to her on the counter.

“Not really the whole world, but the business and the house. All of that is on my shoulders.”