Chapter 8
Over the next few weeks, Miranda managed to both grow closer to her daughters and to Andrea, mostly because she was leaving work promptly at 5 o'clock. Most nights after work, Andrea would swing by either for dinner or just to visit, and at the office, the two were constantly using their Microsoft Communicator instant messages to send each other notes during the day. Miranda spent a considerable amount of time with the girls over the weekend, but the Priestly women were very happy to have Andrea as a dinner guest on Sunday evening. Andrea was counting down the days until the following Friday, when the girls would be spending the weekend with their father and she could have Miranda all to herself once again. It wasn't an ideal situation, but her love for Miranda had only strengthened over the past month, and she was willing to jump through whatever hoops Miranda laid out for her.
Friday afternoon, shortly after Miranda left, Andrea offered Emily the chance to take the night off, explaining that she would deliver the Book and Miranda would be none the wiser.
"But Andy, she entrusted me with that responsibility. You can't possibly think I will just give you her key," Emily argued.
"Look, I may have made a copy of the key a few weeks ago. Just in case. Seriously, Em, you need a break. I will totally take the blame if Miranda finds out—but think about it, has she ever so much as spoken to you when you deliver the stuff?" Andrea reasoned.
"No, she hasn't. I suppose you're right. One night won't hurt. Are you sure?"
"Yes! Now go and have fun for me," Andrea said. Emily quickly packed up her things and left the office. The Book was ready early that night, and Andrea was eager to get over to Miranda's townhouse. While she was waiting, she packed a small bag with a few new items from the closet.
By 7:30pm, she was heading up the stairs, letting herself into the townhouse. She quietly hung the dry-cleaning in the closet and set the Book on the table with the flowers. She set down her bag against the closet and slipped off her heels, tossing them into her bag as she tiptoed into the den. Silver hair peeked over the back of the sofa, and Andrea slowly crept around, finding Miranda sleeping peacefully, still in her clothes from work.
Andrea gently sat on the edge of the sofa, brushing the woman's hair from her eyes. A smile graced her sleeping lips, and Andrea leaned forward, softly pressing her lips to the editor's. "Mmmm…Andrea…," Miranda moaned as she pulled Andrea closer, deepening the kiss. After several minutes, her eyes shot open and she sat up, pushing Andrea away. "Andrea? Wh—when did you come in?" she asked.
"Hey, sorry. I brought the Book, and couldn't resist you laying here so peacefully," she said, trying to wrap her arms around the other woman.
"No, no, wait," Miranda said in protest, pulling herself to sit up on the couch. "The girls are upstairs…we can't." She could see the disappointment in Andrea's eyes. "I'm so sorry," she said, "James is stuck in Tokyo on business and won't be back for a few days."
"It's okay," Andrea said, "Really. I've waited this long—" she said.
Miranda gazed deeply into the young woman's eyes. "Too long," she said, "What are we going to do?"
"Well, we can always send the girls to a friend's house. Or, we can let them watch a movie upstairs. Or, we can give them some Tylenol PM and make as much noise as we want," Andrea said, wagging her eyebrows.
"Shut up!" Miranda said, slapping Andrea in the arm. "God, but that does sound so tempting. Do…do you think we could be…you know…quick?"
"Miranda Priestly," Andrea whispered, "Are you asking me for a quickie?"
"Must you label everything, Andrea?"
"No. And yes, I can do anything," she said, winking as she slid Miranda's skirt up and pressed her fingers to her warm, wet folds without any preliminaries.
"Ohhh ho hoo, goddd," Miranda whispered, throwing her head back as she clutched the pillow next to her. Her heart began racing as she realized just how much she needed the release, how Andrea's fingers set her body on fire in ways her own hand could never emulate.
"Mom! Mom!" the girls called as they came storming down from the third floor. Andrea quickly pulled her hand away while Miranda jumped up, smoothing out her skirt and walking over to pick up the Book from the table. Miranda glanced over at Andrea, blushing as she watched the brunette lick her fingers.
"What?" Andrea whispered, shrugging. "Do you need me to leave?"
Miranda shook her head, "Girls, what's going on?" she called as they approached the foyer, hoping they didn't question her flushed skin.
"Since we're not going to Dad's, can we watch a movie or something?" Caroline asked.
"Of course, Bobbsey. Did you want to watch Mean Girls? We could get it setup in your room and I can bring you some snacks if you want," Miranda said.
The girls took a seat at the bottom of the stairs. "Aren't you going to watch it with us?" Cassidy asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Well, you'll have to ask Andrea," Miranda said, gesturing towards the young woman sitting on the couch in the den.
"Andy!" they both shouted, jumping up to give her a hug. "We didn't know you were here. Do you want to watch a movie with us?"
"Hey girls," she responded, hugging them back. "You know, I'd love to watch a movie with you," she said as she glanced up at Miranda. Miranda shook her head ever so slightly and Andrea continued, "but your mom and I actually had plans tonight. How about we make plans to do something tomorrow? I think they're showing Grease in the Park, or we could go to a show or something."
"Really?" Caroline asked, "You'd spend time with us even though it's your day off?"
"Oh of course, sweetie," Andrea said, wrapping her arm tightly around the young redhead's shoulders. "Why don't you and your sister go watch a movie now, and then you can decide what you want to do tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure, Andy!" they said. "Are you spending the night, too?"
Andrea blushed as her eyes darted over to Miranda. "I—uh—no. I think your mom is looking forward to spending time with you tomorrow morning. I'll come by later in the afternoon."
"Okay, see you tomorrow!" they called as they pounded back upstairs.
"I'll bring up a tray of snacks in a few minute, girls," Miranda called after them.
Andrea walked over to meet Miranda in the hall. "Now, where were we?" she said, slinking down to her knees, hiking Miranda's skirt up around her waist.
"Andrea!" she gasped, jumping away. "Why don't you go work on those snacks in the kitchen and I'll change into something more comfortable…and clean," she said, hurrying upstairs to avoid further contact with the sultry brunette.
Andrea chuckled to herself as she headed to the kitchen. There was nothing hotter than an embarrassed, aroused Miranda. She pulled out a kettle and heated up some oil, making homemade popcorn. Knowing Miranda would likely be a while getting ready upstairs, she pulled out the blender and made the girls strawberry smoothies, too. She added a small spoonful of whipped cream to garnish the smoothies and scooped the popcorn into three bowls: one for Cassidy, one for Caroline, and one for herself and Miranda. She carried a small tray upstairs to the girls room, and they were far too excited for the strawberry smoothies.
"Andy, can I ask you a question?" Cassidy said as she was leaving their room.
"Of course. What's up?"
"Do you like Mom?"
"Of course I do, sweetheart. Why would you ask?" Andrea said.
"Uh, well…" she stammered.
"Dad says you're just using Mom to get ahead," Caroline interrupted. "Is that true?"
Andrea sighed and pursed her lips, silently counting to ten, reminding herself that cutting down the girls' father will get her nowhere with any of the Priestly women. "Listen," she said, sitting down on the floor with the twins, "I don't really know your dad, and I wasn't there for that conversation, so I really can't speak to that, but I will tell you this: I do like your mom. I care about her, and I would never do anything to hurt her. She and I have become good friends over the past few months, and I think—I hope—she cares about me as much as I do about her. Yes, I work for her and I know how influential she is. Someday, I might ask her for a reference, or to make a call to an editor at a paper I want to work for. But, if it ever comes to that, I want you to know that I will still want to be a part of her life—of your lives."
"Even if you don't work at Runway?" Caroline asked.
"Absolutely. In fact, I'll probably try to spend even more time with your mom if I don't get to see her all day at work. Would you two be okay with that?" Andrea asked.
"Yeah," they said in agreement.
"If you ever want to ask me anything or just need to talk, you guys can call me, okay? I don't want you worrying yourselves over what other people say or what you might read, got it?"
"Sure thing," Cassidy said.
"Okay, I'm going to go back downstairs and find your mom. Let us know if you need anything else," she said, hugging each girl before standing and walking out of the room. As soon as she stepped out into the hallway, she felt a hand grab her wrist.
"Darling, I do," Miranda whispered into her ear, "I do care about you, perhaps more than you will ever know. Come on," she said, tugging Andrea down two flights of stairs and back into the den. "Thank you," she said, "I won't even apologize for James—he's such an asshole. But I am sorry it's affecting you. You handled it so gracefully, darling." Miranda curled up next to Andrea on the couch and wrapped her arms around the young woman, tucking her head into her shoulder. "You don't have to do all this, you know."
"Miranda, what are you talking about?" Andrea asked, gently caressing her cheek.
"The girls," she said. "You're going out of your way for them, and you don't have to."
"I don't mind," Andrea said. "They're good girls, and they remind me so much of you—each for different reasons. I can't help but love them."
"I don't deserve you," Miranda said, softly tracing Andrea's face while she gazed deeply into her eyes. After several minutes, Andrea turned her head, softly kissing Miranda's palm.
"I saved some popcorn for us. Wanna find something to watch?" she asked as she stood from the couch. Miranda nodded and reached for the remote, settling on some movie channel while Andrea returned from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and two bottles of beer. She paused before entering the room, turning out the lights in both the kitchen and den, the only light in the room emanating from the LED flat-screen television. Sitting down next to Miranda, she handed her a bottle of beer and set the popcorn and her own beer on the coffee table.
"Really? Beer, Andrea?" Miranda groaned as she begrudgingly accepted the amber bottle.
"Just shut up and kiss me," Andrea said. Miranda quickly placed her bottle next to Andrea's on the table as she curled her legs underneath her and twisted around to crush her lips against Andrea's. Miranda moaned into the brunette's mouth as she snaked her arms around her, slowly pulling the silver-haired goddess onto her lap. "Miranda," she moaned, "god, I need you."
"Darling," Miranda whispered into her ear, "you know we aren't alone tonight." She slowly began trailing kisses down the young woman's neck.
"Are you suggesting we just sit here and make out like two teenagers?" Andrea asked, arching her back away from the cushions and pressing her body along Miranda's.
"Unless you have a better idea," Miranda said, gently sinking her teeth into Andrea's shoulder.
"Nooooooo," Andrea moaned, sliding down onto the sofa seat and pulling the older woman on top of her. She slipped her left hand inside Miranda's lounge pants, cupping and gently kneading her ass. Miranda spread her legs and straddled her body, lowering her center to Andrea's. She reached for the hem of Andrea's shirt, slowly sliding it up, pushing her bra up and exposing the young woman's breasts.
"Mmmm," Miranda murmured as her lips latched onto Andrea's erect nipple. She began rolling her hips, arching her back as she tried to grind her own clitoris against Andrea's body. Andrea writhed beneath her ministrations, her nerve endings on fire at the multiple sensations the older woman's body was creating. Sensing Miranda's frustration, she slipped her right hand between their bodies, roughly cupping her sex. Miranda bit down on Andrea's nipple, drowning her moan and causing the young woman to move her hand faster, creating more friction against Miranda's pants. Miranda's breathing quickened as she sucked languorously on the pert nipple. Andrea could tell she was close…one more quick thrust and—
Suddenly, the lights came on. "Mom!" Caroline gasped. Cassidy stared in silence, utterly shocked by the scene on the sofa.
Miranda quickly jumped from the sofa and covered her face with her hands, running upstairs and slamming her bedroom door in embarrassment. Andrea pulled her shirt down and readjusted her bra, sitting up to face the two preteen girls.
"Andy—what was—were you—were you making out with Mom?" Cassidy finally managed to choke out.
"Actually, yes," she answered honestly. "I'm sorry you had to see that," she added.
"So wait, Mom is a lesbian?" Caroline asked, still standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"I don't think she likes labels, so you better talk to her yourself. But I told you earlier—your mother and I care for each other very much. I love her."
"I can't believe Mom didn't tell us," Caroline said. "So much for her trying to be closer to us."
"Hey," Andrea said, "don't talk like that. I think your mom has been having a tough time lately. After the divorce, she just didn't want to lose you two. Of course she wants to be closer, but I think she might be a little scared, too. You know? Afraid of your reactions," she said.
"Well why didn't she talk to us now like you are?" Caroline demanded.
"When does your mother ever stop to explain something? I'm sure she is extremely embarrassed, and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if she tells me she never wants to see me again. You two are her life, and the minute anything threatens to come between you and her, she takes action to make sure it won't happen," Andrea said.
"You really think Mom will stop seeing you because we walked in on you guys kissing?" Cassidy asked.
"Never know. Anything's possible," Andrea said. "But are you two okay with all of this?"
"I kind of suspected it," Cassidy said, "You and mom were acting really awkward earlier, then you said how you cared about each other. I just didn't realize this was already going on."
"I didn't see this coming," Caroline said. "But I guess Mom was asking a lot of questions and making a big deal about our having lesbian friends at school," she said. "Andy," she said, "I'm really sorry for ruining everything tonight."
Andrea quickly stood and walked over to Caroline. "Sweetie, you didn't ruin anything. We were actually really stupid for thinking that by turning off the lights we'd have privacy. It was wrong of us to do anything while you two were home."
"Do you think Mom will be mad at us?" she asked.
"Heavens, no!" Andrea said. "She's embarrassed, but give her time."
"Can we still go see Grease in the Park tomorrow?" Cassidy asked.
"Of course, sweetie," Andrea reassured her. "I think I better go talk to your mom, though, just to make sure everything is okay. Do you girls need anything else?"
"No, we were just bringing our bowls and cups back down," Caroline said. "You know, if you want, maybe you should spend the night here," she said. "Even if Mom pretends she doesn't want you here."
"Yeah, you should. And we'll stay far away from Mom's room and be sure to knock like fifty times if we need to come in," Cassidy added.
Andrea chuckled. "Very funny. Now, up to bed, you two. Maybe you can even make your Mom breakfast or something tomorrow," she suggested as she followed them up the stairs. "Goodnight," Andrea said quietly as she headed for Miranda's room. She waited until the girls were upstairs and had shut their bedroom door before approaching Miranda's door.
"Miranda?" the brunette called, quietly knocking on the heavy oak door.
"Andrea, you need to leave," Miranda said. From the sound of her voice, Andrea was able to gather that she was crying, and that she was leaning against the door.
"Not until you open the door," she said. "Please, I just want to see you for two minutes, and then…well, then if you still want me to, I will leave."
After a few minutes of silence and sniffling from the other side, Andrea heard the click of the lock, and she gently pushed the door open a few inches. "What?" Miranda hissed from the foot of the bed. She was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bed with tissues scattered around her.
"I love you," Andrea said, staring dumbfoundedly at the older woman.
"What?" Miranda said, looking up as she held a tissue to her nose.
"I do. I love you. Even when you're a mess here on your bedroom floor," Andrea said, shutting the door behind her and crawling closer to her. "When you have eye makeup dripping from your chin and the tip of your nose is bright red, I love you, and nothing will ever change that."
Miranda was speechless, all of her anger and humiliation and fear melting away with Andrea's words. "You really mean that, don't you?" Miranda asked.
"Yes," she said. "And I may have already told the girls," Andrea said, bowing her head as she tried to escape the dragon's wrath.
"Wh—what?!"
"Miranda, I'm sorry. I didn't go into detail, but they saw what they saw, and you running upstairs to hide didn't give me many options. I think they were worried you were going to say you never wanted to see me again," Andrea added.
"Wh—what else did they say?"
"Well, they were just wondering why you hadn't shared this part of yourself with them. I told them that you were a little scared and didn't want this to hurt them in any way," Andrea said.
"Oh," Miranda said. "Yes, I suppose. But, Andrea, I need to be the one having this discussion with my children, not you."
"I know that, which is why I didn't go into detail. I mean, I couldn't lie to them—I was on the couch with my shirt and bra around my neck when they came down," she said.
"And my lipstick is smeared all over your face," Miranda said with a smirk. "I'm sorry, Andrea. I just don't know how to do—this," she said, gesturing with her hands to the space between them.
Andrea moved closer, sitting next to Miranda, leaning against the bed. She picked up Miranda's hand and gently began moving her thumb slowly along her wrist. "We'll figure it out together," she said as Miranda leaned over and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, each taking in the other's presence. "What kind of mother," Miranda said quietly, "lacks such control that she ravishes her lover on the family couch in such plain sight?"
Andrea saw that Miranda was now trembling as a flush overcame her face. "Are you—?"
"Andrea, please," Miranda said, her eyes conveying more than she was capable of speaking at the moment. She knew what Miranda was asking for, but Andrea did not want to get in the habit of resolving issues with D/s play.
"Come with me," Andrea said, standing to her feet and reaching her hand out. Miranda took her hand and let herself be led into the bathroom. Andrea shut and locked the door behind them, walking over to the bathtub and turning on the water. "I will draw you a bath—you may undress now," she said.
"But, Andrea—" Miranda began to protest.
"You will undress," Andrea repeated firmly, "and you will take a bath."
"Yes, Andrea," Miranda said as she began to unceremoniously remove her clothing. Andrea sprinkled some bath oils into the tub and held Miranda's hand while she stepped in. Andrea cuffed up the sleeves of her blouse and dipped her hands into the water, gently massaging Miranda's upper back, neck, shoulders, and arms.
"Mmmmm," Miranda moaned softly as Andrea's hands pressed gently yet firmly along her skin. She felt gooseflesh on her skin, despite being immersed in the hot bathwater. Slowly, she began to relax, letting her body fall against the back of the tub as she rolled her head backward. Andrea leaned forward, her cheek against Miranda's, and slowly slid her hands down Miranda's chest, her flat palms grazing over taut nipples.
"I want you to imagine something, can you do that?" Andrea whispered into her ear. Miranda nodded and she continued, "I want you to imagine my hands, these hands, traveling all over your body, touching you inside and out. Can you do that?" Miranda nodded again. "Tell me what it feels like," Andrea said as she slowly and sensuously moved her hands up and down Miranda's arms.
"It…it tingles, at first. Your hands travel, leaving a trail of trembling skin, the shiver reaching deep within me. Your hands are so soft and smooth, and your sleek, long fingers…they dance across my flesh. I want to feel them all over…inside me." Miranda groaned and bit her lower lip, stifling her moan as Andrea's fingers flitted across her pelvis, mere millimeters from her throbbing bud. "I want to feel them insiideee," she moaned, thrusting her hips upward.
"Show me," Andrea whispered, pulling her hands back and gently kneading the tight muscles at the woman's shoulders, "touch yourself."
Miranda quickly slipped her right hand down her body, her lips parting as her fingers pressed against her clit. Her left hand made its way up to her nipple, pinching and tugging as her lower muscles tightened, quivering at the pressure from her hand.
Andrea gently wrapped her hands around Miranda's neck as she leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "Come for me, come now."
Miranda's mouth opened wider as she panted, her body contorting underneath the water as waves of pleasure took over her body. The feeling of Andrea's hands around her throat served only to heighten her desire, knowing that Andrea could choke her at any moment.
Minutes later, as Andrea felt Miranda's breathing return to normal, she smoothed her hands out over her shoulders and stood, fetching a towel and holding it out to Miranda. Without saying a word, Miranda stepped out of the bathwater and let Andrea wrap her in the luxurious egyptian cotton. "I'll give you a minute," she said, heading into the bedroom.
Miranda finished drying herself and slipped on the simple silk nightdress she kept hanging on the back of her door before joining Andrea in the bedroom. Andrea had turned the bed down and was leaning against the bedpost. "Miranda, If you still want me to leave," she said, "I will."
"Don't be ridiculous, Andrea," Miranda said, striding towards her young lover, "I want you to stay here, with me."
"But the girls—"
"Shhh, just come to bed, darling," Miranda purred as she slowly began to undress Andrea.
"I, uh, didn't bring anything to wear," she protested once Miranda began removing her panties. "I should probably leave my tank top and underwear on," she said.
"Let's get some sleep," Miranda said, walking back towards the bed.
"Did—" Andrea began.
"You know—" Miranda said at the same time.
"Sorry, go ahead," Andrea said.
"Are you sure?" she asked. Andrea nodded and Miranda continued, "You know, Andrea, I was just thinking of how amazing you are. No one in the world can read me how you do—it's like you can see what I want, what I think I need, and what I really need. Yo—you knew that I wanted to be punished, but you saw beyond that, how I needed intimacy and trust."
"Miranda, I'm sorry if I took it too far," Andrea said quickly.
"What? No. You didn't, not at all. You gave me exactly what I needed, even though I didn't realize it was what I needed until afterwards." Miranda chuckled, "You have me talking in circles, darling. Only you can do this to me." Miranda smiled and wrapped her arm around Andrea, pulling her close under the duvet. "Thank you for talking with the girls. Yes, it was extremely childish of me to run away, but I know I would have said things I didn't mean if I had stayed."
"I understand," Andrea said as she curled closer to the older woman, resting her head on her shoulder, falling asleep in the woman's embrace.
...to be continued
