No Other Silly Girl Need Apply

By Gun Brooke

Part Five

I was having one of those dreams again and yet it felt more real than ever. I could actually smell that amazing perfume, Miranda's signature scent, and it filled my senses until my head was spinning. Never before had I actually dreamt of a scent and this thought made me force my eyes open.

The room was dark. A faint glow around the edges of the drapes at the window did nothing in the way of illumination—nor did it let me orientate myself, which was confusing and dizzying too.

"Andrea?" A familiar, slightly husky voice said quietly. "Can't you sleep?"

Miranda. Oh shit. Yes. Her house. Her bedroom. Her bed. I suddenly remembered everything. How I'd fallen asleep on her shoulder on the couch, how she'd shook me awake rather impatiently, but then guided me upstairs and into her bedroom. There, she shoved me into the bathroom, ordering me to take off makeup and have a quick shower. Naturally I obeyed, but not even the shower woke me up properly. I was still dazed to a point where I started wondering what the hell was in those Tylenols…or the juice I had before.

Miranda more or less tucked me in and then disappeared to go work on the Book. That was the last I remembered.

"Andrea?" Sounding more awake now and equal parts concerned and annoyed, Miranda rose on her elbow.

"I just woke up," I whispered. "I didn't remember where I was at first. It was dark."

"You're here, at the townhouse, with me."

"I—yes, of course. I mean, why—I'm in your bed. Again."

She flopped down on her pillow again. "Do we have to discuss this—again?" She was quickly going from exasperation to peeved, I could tell.

"No. No, but you did ask if I could sleep and I just—"

"You just thought it was a good idea to start a whole new why and wherefore debate and question everything."

"Please, Miranda, I'm not questioning it the way you think. It's not that I don't want to be here, but you've got to realize just how…how worried this makes me."

I heard Miranda shift and then her bedside lamp switched on, blinding me.

"Let me see if I get this straight. You are not opposed to sleeping in my bed, but it worries you." Miranda was on her side, resting her head against one hand and pinching the bridge of her nose with the other. "What are you worried about? You concerned that I might attack you in the night? Or that I'll demand sexual favors?"

"Miranda!" I knew I had to stop this or she would work herself up to a frenzy where she would absolutely not listen. Nobody jumped to conclusions like this woman did. I'd never met anyone who second-guessed and assumed the worst-case-scenario without even stopping to think. Perhaps that was how she'd manage to survive at the top of the corporal ladder for so long. "Breathe." I was fully awake now. "Breathe deeply and slowly and listen."

"An—"

"Listen." I slid closer and pulled her onto my shoulder. She became rigid for a few moments, but then her body slowly relaxed, if not fully. "I do want to be here, with you. You've taken wonderful care of me, but that's not why. This is more than that for me, but that is kind of scary in itself, you know? I have two weeks here with you until the biopsy results are back and the stitches come out. It was your idea that I stay, but it was my dream to get this chance to be close to you. I have no ulterior motives."

Miranda was now as relaxed as I suspected was possible for her to be. She raised her arm and wrapped it around my waist. "So, why is this 'scary'?"

I swallowed against a sudden dryness that stung the back of my throat. "Because then it's over. Two weeks of…of this and then I go back to my apartment and start looking for a new job." I was close to tears now. Perhaps Miranda's approach was right. Perhaps this was worst-case-scenario happening right now.

"Wait…what? A new job?" Miranda's head snapped up and she glared down at me, her gaze a blistering, icy gray.

"You don't think I can continue to work for you and go back to business as usual, do you? How do you think that would work? One day I'm in your arms as you hold me through the night and the next I'm bending over backward trying to accommodate everything you demand of your assistant."

"This isn't how I see it at all." Miranda held me so tight now, it hurt. "You have it all figured out, but you clearly don't get it. None of it." Now she sounded like that again. Peeved and hurt in a heartbreaking combination. "You're staying with me because we both want it. Why the hell would you go back to your apartment after two weeks unless you want to? That doesn't make sense."

"Because that is the time limit we decided on. No, you did, when I think about it."

"That's what I said to Roy. Why would I announce to him what I feel about you?" Miranda's eyebrows lowered threateningly.

"What you—huh?" My brain had stalled at her last sentence. What she felt about me? "Can you tell me perhaps? I think I'm losing the thread here."

"You did. Long ago, I think." Miranda sighed and relaxed marginally. She settled down on my shoulder again and I held her closer, nuzzling her fragrant hair. "We were supposed to talk in-depth about our situation, but I didn't think it clever to do it in the middle of the night."

"It seems we're too busy during the days," I said wearily.

"Andrea, did I misunderstand you just now, or would you be, uhm, interested in extending your stay here?" Miranda spoke carefully, her voice guarded and a lot more quiet.

I on the other hand lost my breath for the umpteenth time. One of us would have to take the leap of faith and it looked like it was going to be me. Surprise, surprise. "I would love to stay longer—as long as you would have me."

"Oh, Andrea." Tipping my head up with two fingers under my chin, Miranda pressed her lips to mine. Hard. Possessive. If she hadn't trembled so violently and whimpered into the locking of lips, I would've objected at the bruising kiss. Her lips were closed and she was breathing hard through her nose. She slowly ended the kiss and now I could see her lips trembling as well. I gently cupped her neck and pulled her closer. Softly, softly I nibbled her lower lip, ran my tongue along it and teased her lips open, just a little. I pressed open-mouth kisses along her jawline until I was back against her lips and then I carefully entered her mouth with the tip of my tongue.

Miranda moaned against into my mouth and reciprocated. I knew I had never reacted this way to a kiss before. I explored every part of her mouth, caressed her tongue with mine and eventually we broke away only to start over right away.

"D-don't. Don't let go of me, Andrea," Miranda murmured as she nuzzled my cheeks. "Don't even talk about leaving. I couldn't bear it."

"All right. I'll stay. I'll stay until you tell me to go."

"I said, don't talk about it!" Miranda rolled us further until she was on top of me. Her wild eyes burned against me like blue tinted flames.

"Then kiss me again and shut me up." I saw her lips pull back in a feral grin before her mouth descended on me. Her hands were gentle, but the way she touched me was possessive and greedy. I didn't mind. This was Miranda and she was touching me. She wanted me and nobody else, right here, right now. My midsection was still sore, but I didn't care. If she ripped the stiches, so what?

Then her hands gentled, caressed me in long, slow and languid strokes, careful not to touch the bandage area. "We should sleep," Miranda murmured and then ran the tip of her tongue along my neck. "Our days are crazy and we need to rest."

I knew she was right, but she kept touching me and then, oh God, her right hand was under my t-shirt. I vaguely noted that I was wearing my favorite sleep shirt and wondered how that was possible, but I honestly didn't care. I raised my hands and pushed them into her hair, held her in place as I found the pulse point on her neck.

Miranda's skin was impossibly, and seductively, soft. So silky smooth, it turned her actual years into downright lies. I wanted more than anything to see more of her skin. My eyes had gotten used to the darkness and her pale skin reflected what little light there was. I wanted to kiss her all over, tear her nightgown from her chest and take her nipples—

Gasping I stopped and put another inch between us. "Miranda. I'm sorry."

"Whatever for?" Miranda did her best to tug me closer.

"I—I damn near lost control and tore your nightgown off. That thing costs more than I make in a month!" I trembled now, my arousal still rampaging.

"I don't care. You wish for me to take it off?" Her voice husky, Miranda ran her finger tips along my cheek. "You want me naked here next to you, darling?"

That last word tested my self-restraint more than anything had ever done in my life. Not only the fact that she said 'darling', but the way her voice lowered and softened was enough to ruin my boy briefs. I pressed my thighs together, embarrassed and aroused to no end.

"You know I do." I tried to sound matter-of-fact, but that failed gloriously.

"Would it be just me, I mean, who'd be undressed, or would you take off that deplorable former t-shirt?" Miranda shifted next to me, running her bent knee up and down my leg.

"Oh!" I was done for. I was going to come in my briefs right here, without so much as a touch and make a complete fool of myself. Like a teenage boy getting a hard-on from just seeing a lady's bicycle. I went all still, trying not to put any pressure against my aching clit.

"So tense." Miranda cupped me on the outside of my briefs and I half whimpered, half howled.

"Oh, no. God, God…" It was going to happen, I could feel it. Miranda was merely holding her hand in place, not touching or caressing, but I was so close, so close. "Please?"

Her other hand gripped mine and shoved it in between her legs, firmly holding it in place. Her nightgown made up for one barrier, her panties another. Still, I could feel the heat and the tremors where she pushed my hand against her swollen sex. This sensation alone would have been enough, but she also had her hand pressed against me.

Neither of us moved, or rubbed, or pushed harder, or closer. It may have been ten seconds or so, of complete and utter arousal, and then I came. Shuddering, I buried my face in her hair, moaning her name. Only when my body began to relax some, did I notice how badly Miranda trembled. Had she come? Was she on the verge of coming?

Experimentally I wiggled two of my fingers, pressing them just a little bit firmer against her. Miranda became rigid for several gasp filled moments and then she broke into the same shudders that I just went through, clearly coming in my arms. I held her close and let her find her bearings. We were both so hot, so out of breath, but for the first time since I woke up, we were truly relaxed.

"Please, tell me you can finally go back to sleep," Miranda said, shifting to get comfortable.

Ah. So we weren't going to talk about this mutual orgasm thing tonight. If ever. Of course. I smiled wistfully as I made myself comfortable behind her. If Miranda didn't like spooning, she was going to have to tell me that. I liked it. Something told me that if I started being more forthcoming about what I wanted and what I liked, it might get a little easier to navigate around Miranda.

"'Night, Miranda," I said and yawned.

"Sleep, Andrea."

And I did.