Cupcake Supremacy🧁

She remembers every second leading up to that fateful moment—Aislinn, pale and frozen, staring at the masked robber, at the phone, the key to this entire case.

She remembers feeling something flare up inside her, a spark of anger, ignited into a blue flame that crawled through her entire being. A feeling that felt a lot like fear.

Quinn Michaels believes herself to be a rational human being. She was smart, top of the class, the popular, hotshot lawyer in her old town. She was hired by Sadie McGraw herself, not to mention being handpicked by Gabe Ricci.

But in that instance, all logic flew out of her head when she feared she would lose everything. Marcus. This case. The partnership.

There's a gun on that man's belt. And Aislinn is right between the two of them.

She ran.

"Don't! He's got a—!"

"Quinn, no—!"

The gunshot rings out in an instant. A flash of bright light from the barrel of a small gun.

She swears she must have passed out. For a second. Or two. Maybe more.

Because when her eyes blink open, she's on the ground, alive and catching her breath. Hands pressed tightly to her ears. The man is gone, and so is Aliana's phone.

She feels a bead of sweat trickle down her nose and onto the tiles below. She hears—no, feels Gabe and Aislinn hovering over her, talking, asking her questions.

All she hears is the gunshot ringing in her ears. The frantic beats of her own heart. She vividly recalls her own life flash by in the instant that bullet flew over her.

"No, I—" She gasps. She blinks a few times, shaking her head. The ringing won't stop. "The phone... the—"

"I don't care about the goddamn phone, Quinn! I care about you!" Gabe interjects sharply. He sounds angry, but his voice is trembling.

Aislinn is much softer, and her voice quivers as she speaks. A pained look crosses over her features.

"Gabe's right. You're what matters here. You've always been what matters..."

She feels Aislinn take her hand. She meets her downcast gaze, eyes dark and heavy through her lashes, a thin sheen of moisture covering them.

What's that saying in novels, Quinn vaguely wonders. The thing about staring.

Well, Aislinn is looking at her as if she’s the most precious thing in the entire world. And because she chokes under the weight of her gaze, she looks away and at Gabe.

The man sighs.

"We'll have to call the authorities. Report a break-in, a criminal assault, and... goddammit, where the hell is security anyway?" He hisses.

His fingers are flying over his phone in an instant. Quinn keeps her gaze trained on the floor, the diffused reflections of three figures beneath her.

She feels Aislinn squeeze her hand.

"Let's take you home," she says in the softest voice when she finally looks at her.

==

The ride to Quinn's apartment is quiet, the air heavy with unsaid words and restrained emotions. Though the building isn't too far off from McGraw Byrne, the journey felt longer than it really was, further amplified in the slow and much more cautious manner Aislinn drove through the busy New York streets.

Only when they pull up in front of the apartment building does Aislinn break the silence with a sigh.

"Are you okay?"

Quinn blinks out of her trance. "Oh, just..."

She meets Aislinn's piercing gaze. She realizes she can't make up any excuses.

"I'm not... but I'm better than I was," Quinn finishes weakly.

Aislinn nods slowly, turning away to unbuckle her seatbelt. "Let's get you inside."

Quinn isn't used to this—this... tension and silence between them. They'd always been comfortable with each other, in spite of Aislinn's reserved nature conflicting with her own much more forward one. But in the elevator ride up, she can't seem to find the words to say to her.

Truthfully, she can still vaguely hear the ringing deep inside her ears.

It's Aislinn who breaks the silence again when they arrive at the apartment.

"I guess my little favor paid off," she chuckles softly, looking around the chic New York apartment.

Quinn watches her scan through the living area, at the few remaining boxes strewn beside the foyer, the little trinkets of memories she had placed on the shelves and sideboards, the magazines and newspapers lying on the coffee table, the laundry sitting on the couch.

Finally, her gaze lands on Quinn, and she smiles.

"I like what you’ve done with the place," she comments.

"You mean, absolutely nothing besides throw some trash around? Sure,” Quinn manages a joke, and she relaxes when she sees Aislinn’s smile widen.

“So? It makes it feel more lived in. I mean, considering the circumstances…” Aislinn trails off.

Quinn feels the air become thick again as they both grow quiet. As the awkward tension rolls back in. She sighs, leaning back against the nearby counter.

“I’m sorry you had to… come here. That you had to see what… we all saw.” Quinn’s tone comes out more bitter than intended. “Really, I’m just a mess. I’m a lawyer for a murder suspect. I shouldn’t be surprised to be getting death scares. It was my fault anyway.”

Her mind wanders to the various news clippings she’d caught over the course of the years. Naïve lawyers standing up to political leaders, big-name companies, royal dynasties—it never ended well for any of them. Koenig was no different. If he had the guts to kill someone as big as Aliana Velazquez, then what does that make her?

Quinn Michaels. The country bumpkin lawyer, a dolphin swimming in a sea of sharks. Hired by Sadie McGraw over the goddamn Tree Law.

If anything, he probably viewed her as an annoying ant.

Sensing the growing turmoil in her head, Aislinn swiftly makes her way towards her. Quinn feels Aislinn’s hands close around hers, consuming them in a small, warm embrace.

The woman squeezes her hands.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. I know that look. And just because it’s happened to others before doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to feel scared or just… breathe,” Aislinn says as she rubs soothing circles around her knuckles. “You can talk to me.”

Quinn stares at her for a long moment, before she sighs and gives in.

“I just… feel so… angry. So useless. Not like myself. Just…” Quinn grits her teeth. “We were so close. We had everything. And it just… disappeared like that.”

“There was nothing we could do,” Aislinn mutters.

“Yes, there was. We could have made backups the second we found—God, Quinn, why didn’t you think about that?” Quinn hisses, looking away. “Maybe if we’d been faster. If I’d run faster. If I just risked it all—!”

“No,” Aislinn interjects. Her leveled tone is colored by a drop of anger. When she speaks again, her voice trembles with a mixture of pain and fury. “What are you saying, that you’d throw your life away for one client?”

Quinn presses her lips together. “That’s not—we were just… this close, Aislinn! I could still be hit and live. I could have gotten—!”

“So, you want to be a sacrificial lamb?” Aislinn’s face twists in anger. “What are you even saying? You’re Quinn Michaels. You’re smarter… you’re better than this. Don’t act like a martyr just because you feel bad about yourself.”

Quinn falls silent.

“You could have been hurt... or dead! You have…” Aislinn’s voice softens. She raises Quinn’s hands to her chin. “So much to live for. So, what if we lost the phone? We have other sources to look to. We can look for other ways. We can still build a solid case. But if we lost you… If I lost you…”

Quinn feels the weight of her words, breath caught in her lungs as an indescribable emotion fills her entire chest. She meets her gaze. She hears her own heartbeat ringing in her ears.

Aislinn’s eyes glisten with the whisper of oncoming tears.

She holds her gaze for a long, meaningful moment before she closes her eyes and presses a soft kiss on Quinn’s knuckles. When she pulls away, the ghost of the kiss still lingers on her flushed skin.

“I’d be pretty sad if I lost you, Quinn Michaels,” Aislinn lets out a wet chuckle.

Quinn doesn’t know what compels her to do it. All she knows is that she feels the universe tugging her towards this woman, and she closes the distance between them with a soft kiss.

Aislinn sighs as they pull away, resting her forehead against Quinn’s.

“Sorry,” Quinn mumbles.

“You better be,” Aislinn grins cheekily. “I know how you’re feeling… to some extent. But I don’t want you to act like this is your fault, because it isn’t.”

Quinn chuckles, pressing another quick kiss on the other woman’s lips. “Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?”

“What do you mean?” Aislinn asks.

“Just a few months ago, we were at the Brass Monkey,” Quinn grins. “I was giving you a pep talk because you said you were afraid of speaking up. Now, look at you. Now, you’re the one giving a pep talk and I’m being stupid.”

“Ha, it’s like we switched places,” Aislinn laughs.

“We’ve come so far, haven’t we?” Quinn smiles, leaning even closer so their noses touched.

“Yeah, I guess,” Aislinn returns her smile. “Back then, I’d just fantasize about kissing you.”

“But what’s stopping you now?”

At that, Aislinn presses her lips to Quinn’s again. Soft, at first, but as they move to the rhythm of their rising heartbeats, their kiss deepens. Grows and grows and turns more desperate. Quinn’s hands pressed to the sides of her face, pulling her closer, even closer. Her own hands gripping and twisting at the fabric of the other’s suit. When Quinn’s thigh brushes against her center, it’s only then she pulls away, flushed and gasping for air.

“I…” Aislinn’s voice is a desperate whine. She clears her throat, blushing deeply. “We shouldn’t…”

But Quinn holds her by her elbows, giving her a meaningful look. “Won’t you stay with me tonight?”

Aislinn stares at her, silent and thoughtful. The gravity of her words slowly sinking in as each second passes. She sees Quinn’s eyes, final and resolute—a sparkle in them reminiscent of how she’d been before the evening’s incident had occurred. She sees herself reflected in the dark pools of gray in Quinn's eyes, her own expression conflicted.

Then, she sees a flash of a memory. Quinn diving at the armed robber. A pistol pulled out of its holster. The cold terror that seeped into her entire being.

She presses her hands on the sides of Quinn’s face, gently pulling her closer until their lips meet again.

I can’t bear to lose you.

“Of course,” Aislinn whispers into her lips.

==

New York is colder tonight. The clouds are dark and heavy, rolling in as thick clumps of gray that obstruct the moonlight. The winter months are slowly approaching, and pedestrians meander in the streets in thicker clothing.

Quinn swears she sees her breath cloud around her as she gasps into Aislinn’s mouth. But she’s not at all cold. In fact, it’s warm everywhere. Her lips, her cheeks, her ears, her arms, her abdomen—every inch of her Aislinn has touched. And it’s especially warm… down there.

From above her, Aislinn meets her eyes with a heavy-lidded gaze. Pausing only for a moment, before she meets her halfway once again in a feverish kiss. One of her hands finds hers on the bed, their fingers intertwining with each other.

Their blazers are already scattered on the floor of the bedroom. And Quinn is halfway done with opening Aislinn’s button-up when she suddenly pulls away.

“Are you sure about this?” Aislinn says in a single breath. “I mean, the circumstances…”

“I don’t care,” Quinn rasps. “I just want you.”

Aislinn looks at her for a moment, dark eyes pooling with unbridled desire, cheeks and lips flushed in the heat. She sighs, bringing up their entwined hands to her lips and pressing a soft kiss there.

When she lowers their hands, she’s smiling fondly at her. “Let me take care of you. Just this once.”

At that, she lowers herself unto her and kisses her deeply, before she begins peppering soft kisses on her cheeks, her jaw, her ears, her neck. Hands stroking along her arms, her chest, her stomach. Every touch spelling a quiet confession of adoration and something deeper for each other.

Quinn’s hands roam around Aislinn’s figure, grasping and pulling at her sides in a desperate and silent plea for more. More.

“Aislinn, I—” Quinn’s voice dies in another moan, as Aislinn’s fingers find their way to her bare thigh.

“Every part of you…” Aislinn whispers across her skin, pushing the fabric of her blouse further open. “I adore.”

She moves lower still, peppering kisses every step of the way until her lips meet soft flesh through the fabric of Quinn’s bra. At the touch, Quinn’s gasps devolve more and more into groans and moans, and she pulls Aislinn even closer to her.

“Wait—”

The words die once again in her throat, as Aislinn pulls her bra down and takes her breast in her mouth. One hand massages the other breast while the other strokes teasingly along her inner thigh. Every touch and stroke adding more and more fuel to the fire burning up within her lower abdomen.

Quinn slowly grinds up to meet her hips, desperate for relief. But Aislinn is determined to take her time. This is the one moment, the only moment she can do this.

It’s true that she’s never been good with her words, even with Quinn in her life present to support her.

This is the only thing she thinks she can do, for this precious person before her. Sprawled across the bed and at her very mercy.

“Help me out, will you?” She chuckles drily, tugging at Quinn’s remaining piece of clothing. Though flushed and panting, the woman sits up, and they both help each other out of their own clothing.

“Wait, let me—” Quinn starts, but Aislinn quickly shushes her with a searing kiss, slowly pushing her back down on the bed.

When she pulls away, her eyes are twinkling, and a fond smile rests upon her face. “There you are.”

Aislinn’s fingers find Quinn’s center, eliciting a whimper from the woman beneath her, hips bucking up to meet her. As she peppers soft kisses around the woman’s face, her fingers continue rubbing slow circles around Quinn’s heat.

“Have I told you,” Aislinn whispers across her lips, “how beautiful you are?”

Her fingers enter Quinn’s center, and the woman cries out, hips grinding up slowly to the rhythm of her fingers, moving in and out. Aislinn’s other hand rises up to stroke her cheek, wiping the beads of sweat that have formed on her forehead.

She presses a tender kiss on her nose, her cheeks.

“Every part of you is beautiful,” Aislinn mutters, capturing her lips in her own. When she pulls away, Quinn looks at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “I… adore… everything about you, Quinn Michaels.”

She kisses her again, leaning her forehead against Quinn’s. Her rhythm slows and steadies for a moment.

“I won’t let anything happen to you again,” Aislinn says. “I promise.”

Quinn’s gaze flickers between her two eyes, inscrutable. A myriad of emotions—desire, adoration, and uncertainty—floating in the endless pools of gray. Her breaths are heavy with the warmth that fills and burns within her chest.

Quinn isn’t sure if it’s because of Aislinn, or the shitty circumstances that led up to this wonderful moment, or just herself—but as the warmth inside her chest overflows, a single tear rolls down from her eye.

Aislinn’s eyes widen and she pulls her fingers away immediately. “Quinn? Oh my god, I’m so sorry! Did I do something—?”

“No, no, no,” Quinn chuckles weakly, pulling her back down and embracing her. With their bodies flush against each other, she feels Aislinn’s racing heartbeat.

“Then, wha…?”

“I’m just… Ha, I’m happy,” Quinn murmurs into the woman’s ear.

At the sound of that, Aislinn pushes herself up to meet her gaze. Quinn presses her hands to her face, pulling her closer until their lips are a whisper from each other.

“You promise?”

Aislinn searches her eyes for a moment, before grinning widely. “I do.”

“Then stay. Stay for the night. Come and take me.”

It’s all Aislinn needed to hear. She leans down, whispers to her ear.

“Let me worship you tonight.”

Koenig might have stolen crucial evidence from them, but that’s not what matters now. What matters is that Quinn is alive and here, embracing her, grasping at her skin, begging and crying for more and more and more. What matters is that she’s here with her, coaxing her through her climax, deft fingers working through her heat.

They’re a tangled mess of bodies covered in sweat, arms and legs entwined together. Gasping, moaning, clawing, and writhing against one another, as they chased after their highs desperately, grinding down over and over against each other’s centers.

The strangled cry that bellows from Quinn’s throat is enough to send Aislinn over the edge, and they hold each other as their bodies quivered, as their hips moved to ride the final rhythms of their climax.

And then everything was still. Only their tired breaths lingered in the thick atmosphere of Quinn’s bedroom.

When they finally settled down into the sheets, Quinn turns to face her, practically glowing.

“You’re unfair,” she huffs.

“How? I think I did a pretty good job,” Aislinn teases.

“I’m not used to being… not in control,” Quinn slings a hand over her side, tugging her closer.

“There’s a first for everything,” Aislinn grins.

They both laugh softly. For a while after that, they remain silent, enjoying each other’s quiet company. Quinn’s eyes are unfocused as she draws slow, lazy circles on Aislinn’s skin, a myriad of thoughts racing in her mind.

She’s awoken from her reverie when she feels Aislinn stroke her face, pushing a few stray strands of hair back and behind her ear.

“What are you thinking about?”

Quinn hums. “Just… everything, really. About Koenig… Sweetwater… Marcus… the Velazquez… Sadie, Gabe, and… everybody else at McGraw Byrne…” her gaze drifts upward to meet Aislinn’s. “You.” Her brows knit together before she grins. “A lot of you.”

“I’m flattered,” Aislinn scoots closer. “Care to elaborate, though?”

“I guess… after everything we dug up, what happened today is definitely not going to be a one-time thing anymore,” Quinn looks away. “They know we’re on to them now, however way they found out. That means you and I... and everyone else we work with has been compromised.”

Aislinn’s gaze turns serious. “You’re right. Which means we can’t gather evidence as freely as we did before.”

Quinn groans. “This just got harder than any of us could have imagined. Not only do we have to worry about the press and Marcus, but we also have to worry about Koenig getting to us. Our lives are at stake now.”

Aislinn grows quiet and contemplative, but her gaze remains fixed on the planes of Quinn’s face. The sharp curve of her nose, her plump lips, her sharp jawline. The dark circles beneath her eyes. Her fingers stroke languidly at her arm.

Quinn meets her gaze.

“Ash?”

Aislinn blinks back in surprise.

Quinn flushes. “Can I call you that?”

Only her family calls her that, and the thought makes Aislinn blush deeply. Though, in spite of her rising heartbeat, she smiles softly.

“Sure.”

“What are you thinking about?” Quinn leans closer, inquisitive eyes boring into hers.

“Just… that I almost lost you…” Aislinn mutters.

“Oh…” Quinn visibly swallows. “Are… are you okay?”

Aislinn answers after a beat, her tone heavy. “I’m fine, but… I keep thinking about it. About a while ago, and how easily we could have lost you back then.”

She pauses for a beat. Quinn lets her continue.

“I remember how scared I was that you… that we could have never…” She doesn’t finish the thought, shaking her head off it. “I’m afraid that something like that could happen again. And I know it can and it will, knowing our ‘enemy.’ And I know what I promised, but…”

Her eyes begin to glisten with the onslaught of tears, and her cheeks, as well as her ears, burn a bright red.

“I don’t… want us to stay like… this,” Aislinn struggles to say. “Just colleagues or friends or whatever we are. Seeing you back there, just seconds away from getting shot—it made me realize if I don’t say this now, I might regret it for the rest of my life.”

Aislinn takes Quinn’s hands in hers, pulling it up to rest at her chin, as she rubs soothingly at her knuckles. Her voice trembles as she speaks.

“I like being with you. You’ve always been at my corner here when everyone else liked to play sharks. I like working with you, being your friend, your colleague, but…” she chuckles sheepishly. “I guess it’s not enough, because most of all, I like kissing you, and hugging you, and being with you like… this. I know it’s selfish, and if you say no, I’m alright with staying as friends, no hard feelings, and I know I’m not really doing a good job with my pitch—”

“‘Pitch’?” Quinn interjects teasingly, squeezing her sides to keep her from rambling further.

“Shut up,” Aislinn grins as she squeezes her hands, taking in a deep, placating breath. “What I’m saying is, I want to be with you, Quinn. Now. Tomorrow. Wherever, whenever. I want to be with you and keep doing cliché things with you like they do in hallmark movies.”

“I guess it’s fitting that you’re making a speech,” Quinn teases once again.

“So,” Aislinn scrunches her nose. “I was… hoping you’d… uh, want to be with me too?”

Quinn doesn’t answer. Instead, she looks at her—really looks at her, gaze dark and unreadable, but heavy with the weight of a thousand unsaid words. Aislinn meets her gaze with a look that is uncertain, but undoubtedly filled with adoration and longing and most of all, a desperate question meant only for her heart to hear.

It’s silent for a few, albeit long, excruciating moments, in this dark room, with nothing but the sounds of their breaths in the air.

Then, just as their phones light up with the arrival of a new message, a soft smile spreads across Quinn’s flushed lips.

In that moment, eyes locked on Aislinn’s, she only hears the sounds of her heartbeat ringing in her ears.