9.10
The night was warm and a dense fog rolled through the streets of Manhattan. Andrea was walking beside Miranda on the sidewalk, hand in hand, strolling along the sidewalk together without a care in the world. There were other couples walking the streets in front of them. All of them men and women but they didn't acknowledge each other as they passed.
The fog was thick and it seemed to consume every corner of the street. It rolled over them, darkening the street lights around them. Andrea looked at Miranda for an answer, but the woman was oblivious. Her eyes forward and her face without expression. Once the fog broke, the streets were deserted and everything was covered in a fine powder. She had never seen the streets so empty. It was eerie, like she imagined the end of the world to be like.
There was no noise, not a car engine or the sound of their feet against the pavement. Andrea looked at Miranda and she too was covered. Her silver hair and beautiful skin muted by the fine white powder.
Miranda's lips were moving but Andrea could not hear anything. She wondered if she had gone deaf somehow. The older woman was trying desperately to tell her something. Her eyes dark and her face sallow. She looked absolutely defeated.
"I can't hear you!" Andrea shouted but even her own voice was silent.
Andrea was jerked from her dream by the sound of the alarm clock screaming in her ear. She woke to a dark room in her tiny apartment. She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered her dream, it was so strange. Everything was covered in powder.
She didn't let herself fall back asleep, but she took her time rising from bed. With one final huff, she pushed herself into the bathroom. She showered and dressed quickly before heading out the door to meet the day.
The streets were alive with all walks of life. Business men and women hurried to the subways stations with children in their wake on their way to school. Andrea walked underground and managed to slip into a car just before it sped off down the tunnel.
It was an excellent morning. She couldn't wait to get to the office and see Miranda. She knew that her boss would not treat her any differently at work, and she preferred it that way, but she knew working with her would never be the same.
She got off in the garment district to pick up the different fabrics and accessories that Nigel had ordered. She greeted a small Indian woman and without a word handed her a few bags of goodies. Andy thanked her and stepped back into the busy streets, tall white paper bags hanging from her arms.
The ladies at Starbucks greeted her by name when she entered and already had Miranda's coffee sitting on the counter waiting for her. A small fruit smoothie was sitting next to it with the words 'happy Monday' written on the side. She gave them all a genuine smile and grabbed the warm coffee cup and the chilly pink smoothie.
"The smoothies on us" A woman with a dark ponytail said behind the counter.
Elias Clark was as busy as ever. The Clackers were stomping their way across the lobby floor to their different destinations. Andy followed a few of them through security and shared an elevator car with five of them. She nearly gagged at the overwhelming smell of floral perfume. The girls really slapped it on today. She tried not to breath until all of them got off at the floor before hers.
Andrea sat the coffee on Miranda's desk and situated all of her papers in a neat pile for her to review for the day. Emily peeked around the corner and told her to hurry up, the devil was approaching.
Andrea stood beside her desk at ease, listening to Miranda spouting off demands to her team following shortly behind her. The fashion maven paused for a moment in front of Andy to hand the girl her purse. She winked at the young woman when she caught her eye before turning around to allow her to pull her jacket from her shoulders. Andrea smiled at the woman, sat down at her desk, and watched her disappear into her office, feeling her cheeks redden from the flood of heat she felt just looking at the woman.
It was a long day. Andrea had been running between different departments shadowing Nigel. He began his monthly tirade on all the people who did not seem to want their jobs enough. He was always making sure that everyone was doing there absolute best; no less would ever be tolerated. She stood quietly behind him as he ripped the graphic designer apart.
"Mindy, hey, are you busy" he smiled innocently at the unsuspecting young woman.
"I've got a minute, what's up?" The girl replied setting down her pen and focusing on the man towering over her.
He pulled out the pages she sent him that she designed for a spread on vintage Italian handbags.
"Do you think this is acceptable? Why did you choose this font? The color scheme is atrocious, is that mustard yellow?" Nigel began brutally dissecting the pages in front of them.
Andrea felt sympathetic for the designer when Nigel told her it was some of the worst work he has ever seen. It was hard to watch, the poor girl had no chance.
When she was permitted to go back to her desk she sat down to return an email when her cell phone lit up with a new message from Miranda.
'Meet me downstairs in fifteen" the text message read. She couldn't help the stupid smile that spread across her face.
"What are you smiling about, six?" Emily chided from across the room.
"Nothing" Andrea answered a bit too quickly.
Emily's eyes narrowed, she stared questioningly.
Miranda emerged from her office and Andrea stood to hand the woman her purse and to slip her jacket over her shoulders. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary between them to the naked eye, but they were fighting the urge to reach out and touch.
Exactly fifteen minutes later, Andrea turned off her computer and grabbed for her purse.
"Where are you going?" Emily barked
"Home" She smiled innocently at the fiery redhead and walked away.
Miranda was sitting inside of her silver Mercedes waiting for Andrea, returning personal e-mails on her blackberry. Roy opened the door for the young brunette as she approached. She slipped in and immediately wrapped her arms around the beautiful silver haired goddess.
"I've been dying to do this all day" She sighed, smiling into Miranda's chest.
"Me too" Miranda said in a soothing tone, rubbing the girls back in slow circles.
They rode back to the townhouse and came home to two very excited little girls. The twins split up and hugged both Miranda and Andrea, squeezing them tight.
"Are you two ready to see the show?" Andrea laughed, kneeling onto one knee to speak to them on their level.
"Yes!" They answered enthusiastically.
"Well, your mom wants to go change. So, were going to run upstairs and then we can leave. Okay?" Andrea said as she stood and ruffled the hair on top of their little heads.
"Ugh! Andy!" they both protested, their hands flying to their heads to fix their hair.
The two women climbed the stairs together. Andrea trailing slightly behind Miranda, watching her hips as they worked to climb each step. Miranda looked over her shoulder and saw that the girl was fixated on her backside. She looked forward, hiding the wicked grin that spread across her lips.
When they entered the large master bedroom, Miranda began to peel off each piece of clothing from her body before she walked into her closet to browse her collection. Andrea watched the older woman trying to decide what it was that she was going to wear. Her body bare and firm, but plump in all the right places. She finally decided on an emerald green dress with black suede pumps.
Miranda paused to press her lips against her lover's cheek, as she tried to put her earrings in. Andrea pulled her closer to kiss her lips. Electricity surged between them, nearly knocking the breath right out of their lungs. They allowed themselves to indulge for a moment, letting the kiss deepen and hands roam but only for a moment.
The two redheads piled into the silver sedan first and then Miranda and Andrea followed shortly after. The two women held onto each other the entire car ride to the theater. Her children noticed and smiled shyly up at their mother.
"Mom, Is Andy your best friend?" Caroline asked her head tilted to one side, her eyes curios.
"Yes, she is my very best friend" Miranda said in a voice soft with affection.
Roy dropped them off in front of the theatre. They all stepped out of the car one by one and under the bright lights of the entrance. There were already people piling into the auditorium. Miranda walked down to third row center and they settled into their seats, waiting for the show to begin. Andrea noticed several people whispering and staring at them around the theater, all having recognized the famous fashion editor. Once the lights dimmed and Miranda reached for the young woman's hand in the dark, she forgot about the people around them.
They emerged from the theater a couple of hours later. Creatively intoxicated from the performance and craving something sweet. They all decided that Ice cream was an excellent idea. They ducked into a nearby ice cream parlor and sat down in a corner booth to enjoy their tasty treats together.
"Mom, my birthday is in three months!" Caroline announced, bouncing on her feet, holding three fingers in the air with strawberry ice cream around her mouth.
"I know" Miranda smiled as she reached out with a napkin to wipe the mess from her daughters face.
"It's my birthday too!" Cassidy added loudly, not wanting to be left out.
"How old are you two going to be?' Andrea asked with a fond smile, licking her ice cream cone.
"Seven!" They chimed together
"Wow, where are you going to have your big birthday party?"
"Well, Caroline wants to have it at the Hayden Planetarium. But I really want to have it at the central park zoo!" Cassidy exclaimed her bright blue eyes wide with excitement just at the thought of it.
"They both sound awesome! I hope I'm invited!" Andrea said cheerfully.
The little girls shifted in their seats, and giggled
"Of course you're invited! You're mom's best friend!" Cassidy said with a big bite of blueberry ice cream melting in her mouth.
"You two are so messy, I should just dress you in ponchos" Miranda said when she noticed that both of their dresses had drops of ice cream on them.
They stepped back out into the street and Roy was already waiting for them with the car door open. The ride home took longer than it normally would; the traffic was awful this time of night in this part of city. The girls dozed off together in their seats. Miranda rested her head on Andreas shoulder with a small smile. Her daughters adored her 'best friend'. It gave her a sense of relief to think that they would handle their relationship a lot better than she expected.
When the car rolled to a stop in front of the townhouse Miranda climbed out first and unbuckled Cassidy from her seat, picking her up under her arms and holding her on her hip. Andrea did the same with Caroline and they carried them upstairs to their bedrooms. The girls were cranky when they were woken to change into their jammies but they lifted their arms when told and then crawled under the covers and fell asleep within moments.
Once the two women were alone in Miranda's bedroom, they removed their clothing quickly and slid under the covers together. They pressed their bodies close, and rocked against the pressure they found. Wet flesh slid against strong thighs, causing shocks of pleasure to surge in both of them.
Miranda rolled her body on top of Andrea and held her arms down above her head. She positioned herself between the young woman's legs and pressed against the warmth she found there. She leaned down and blew on the brunettes' nipple before taking into her mouth to suck and bite. She writhed beneath her, little moans escaping her lips.
Her movements were slow and methodical. She took her time teasing the girl. Her heart lept at ever little sound she made. Her hands caressed her and held onto her hips as she settled between the young woman's trembling legs. She bit her inner thigh; drawing a low groan from above her.
They danced through the intricate steps, conquering each beat. Their pace was slow. They desired to savor each second. There was no control, just instinct. Their bodies slid easily against each other, coated in sweat. The hushed sounds they made were feral in their pursuit of release. They brought each other to the brink and rode the waves that carried them out to sea