Then she gave her ass a little pat-pat when it was time to walk on stage. Juniper turned back before she took a step past the curtains and widened her eyes. She mouthedRowan Birdsong. Rowan just shrugged and smirked.
Juniper flicked on the mic pack that was clipped to the back of her pencil skirt, adjusted her lilac button down shirt she’d tucked into it, and placed her hands on the podium. She took a deep breath.
“Wingapo. Hello. My name is Juniper Banks. I’m the daughter of Anita Banks and granddaughter of Helen Deerfoot of the Runapewak Indian Tribe. I have the honor of being in community with you all today to share our Tribe’s efforts in restoring our connections to traditional food systems through the establishment and recent expansion of our Tribal gardens. As most of you know, foods Indigenous to the Americas – like corn, potatoes, tomatoes, chocolate, and my favorite, coffee – have shaped the entire world’s palette; in fact, they make up nearly three-fifths of global agriculture.”
Once Juniper got going on the presentation, she fully relaxed into herself. Then she wondered what she had ever been so nervous about to begin with. She was excited to share what she had learned with other Indigenous people in the audience. She looked across the room at them, most of them representing their communities and cultures with some accessories or clothing elements that identified them as a part of their people, and felt true hopefulness for the future. And the rest of the audience members needed to understand why food sovereignty work was so important, and why they needed to support it. She could convey both of those messages seamlessly and passionately. She understood now why Rowanenjoyed doing this so much. She could definitely get used to this.
When she was done with her part of the presentation, she walked back from the podium and sat down in her seat. Rowan waited for her to be seated and flashed her the biggest smile before she stood up and approached the podium for her half. As soon as she stood, Juniper saw how her whole demeanor changed. She was poised as she tugged at her shirt cuffs to adjust them. She projected confidence, intelligence, and charm. It was commanding. It was fuckinghot.
Rowan angled her head back to Juniper as she leaned against the podium.
“After you all had the honor of hearing from my esteemed colleague Ms. Banks, I’m not sure there’s any reason for me to be up here.”
Juniper caught her wink that was so barely visible, anyone but Juniper would have missed it.
Once the presentation was done, Juniper and Rowan mingled in the room for a while, answering questions and talking to some of Rowan’s connections. Juniper was surprised they almost always immediately turned their attention toward her. She was definitely not expectingthat.She received business card after business card, appreciation and accolades for her work. Juniper challenged herself to accept what appeared to be true right in front of her. She was meant for this, meant for everything she’d ever dreamed of. She was born for it.
There was one thing she couldn’t shake though, after the adrenaline from the presentation and networking began to wear off and something else sprouted in its place. After about the twentieth time she’d been referred to as Ms. Banks, half of that by Rowan, Juniper couldn’t help herself anymore.
She leaned in to whisper in Rowan’s ear. “You have to stop calling me Ms. Banks.”
Rowan turned her head with confused, narrowed eyes. “Why?” She whispered back.
“Because it makes me want you…”
Rowan’s eyes widened, her head still turned towards her.
“To fuck me,” Juniper finished.
In a move that surprised Juniper, she felt Rowan grasp the back of her elbow and quicken their pace toward the ballroom doors. Rowan leaned into her ear as they hit the elevators.
“I knew that did something to you. Didn’t know it didthat.”
Elevator doors opened to their right, and Juniper sighed in relief that it was empty. Rowan slammed the ‘door close’ button in rapid fire succession, and the very second the last strip of light dimmed from the doors closing, she had Juniper pressed against the wall, her lips crashing against hers messy and wanting.
Juniper pulled back to take a breath, but Rowan continued her line of searing kisses down Juniper’s throat as her hands slid underneath her skirt and up her outer thighs. The elevator bell dinged, and Juniper proceeded to launch herself at the doors. Rowan used one of her roaming hands to grab Juniper’s and pull her back.
“Not us. Unfortunately.”
Juniper was unable to fully stifle a half growl half laugh that erupted from the absolute depths of her frustrated body. As the other unwelcome and unsuspecting elevator visitors, party crashers, clam jammers funneled into the elevator, Juniper and Rowan shuffled to a back corner.
???
Rowan gave a quick smile and a head nod to the man whose eyes snapped to watching her hand slide behind Juniper and start to roam her curves on the other side of her body. He needed to mind his own business. She was doing the best she could.
Then she caught sight of her hair in the mirrored paneling of the elevator wall. She was so unbelievably happy and in love,she just started laughing. She started laughing so hard, she just bent over and went with it.
The styling pomade that usually defined her waves and gave her that tousled look that she had learned drove Juniper wild had been reconfigured by Juniper’s own meandering hands in a way that screamedwe were about to have sex in this elevator. She didn’t even try to smooth it down. She turned to Juniper and simply pointed upwards with one finger. This caused Juniper to also devolve into a fit of loud laughter, while running her hands through her own hair that was less wild, but still equally as guilty-looking.
Juniper silently mouthed a very weaksorryin return with a shrug suggesting she was very much the opposite of sorry. Then, she pushed the front part of Rowan’s hair down and back to the side, causing them both to start laughing again. They just stood there smiling at each other in pure, throw all caution to the wind joy.
“Why are we on such a high floor of this hotel?” Juniper mouthed to Rowan, giggling again.
Rowan smiled as she did a facepalm motion. Thankfully the bell dinged again, indicating that this was finally their floor.
“This is us, thanks,” Rowan announced imperviously, grabbing Juniper’s hand and shepherding her through the crowd and into the open air of the hallway.
Rowan wasn’t even sure if they had waited long enough for the elevator doors to close before their lips found each other’s again. She was about 99% sure that the elevator crowd, dressed in classic sightseeing gear of white sneakers and crew socks, weren’t there for the summit. She was 100% sure, however, that she didn’t care either way. She didn’t need to be asked twice to take Juniper to bed, or wherever they were headed.
