Don't say I wasn't clear about the following:
NOT
SAFE
FOR
WORK
(Even Lucille hardly dares read it as she thinks it's her job to sit on my shoulder and paint her nails.)
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
James Powel stepped over the threshold and kissed his girls that were waiting for him next to their packed bags. Andy felt quite exhausted, having witnessed the girls running around like rabbits on speed to get everything sorted.
"Miranda." James leaned in and air kissed her. "You look radiant."
Miranda raised her eyebrows but answered without malice. "Thank you, James."
"Andy. I heard you had resurfaced." James regarded Andy long enough for her to start to feel awkward, but before Miranda had a chance to slip into dragon mode, Hannah nudged her husband with her elbow—hard enough for him to wince and stealthily rub his ribs.
"James. You're making the poor woman uncomfortable." Hannah extended her hand. "Andy, I'm Hannah. I've heard about you from Caroline and Cassidy. They sing your praise." She shot James a look. "To a degree that I think someone who shall not be named is a bit jealous." She stepped closer to Miranda and rather than yet another air kiss, she hugged Miranda gently. "Good to see you, Miranda. James is right about one thing at least, you do look radiant."
Only the fact that Miranda merely patted Hannah on the back, instead of pushing her into next week, suggested that this was not the first time. Hannah was pretty, but not beautiful in the provocative way that most of James's very young exes had been. She seemed calm and humorous and the way the twins looked at her, it was obvious that they liked her.
"I hear you moved in, Andy," James said, clearly making an effort to speak casually.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration. I'm staying here at the moment, but I still have my own place." Andy felt, rather than saw, how Miranda grew rigid.
"I see." James made it clear that he didn't. "As Hannah says, the girls are infatuated with you, something I seem to remember being the case already four years ago. Before you abandoned them."
"James!" Miranda's and Hanna's voices blended in chorus.
"No. It's all right. James isn't wrong, even if he isn't entirely right either," Andy said, still looking at him. "I didn't get in touch with the girls. It has always been painful to realize that by putting myself first, I let the girls down. But back then, I was Miranda's second assistant. I did not belong to the family. I was not in charge of, or responsible for the girls, no matter how fond of them I was. When I had to, uhm, leave, I left them with the people that were most important to them—their parents. So yes, I left, and I never meant for that to be hard on the girls."
James studied her for a few moments longer, and then a broad smile formed on his lips. "You were always one with a spine, Andy. Glad it's still there. And even happier that you can speak for yourself. Living with Miranda, that'll be very helpful." He winked at Miranda who stared at him as if he had fallen from the sky into her foyer.
"James?" Hannah blinked. "What—were you testing Andy?" She placed her hands on her round hips.
"She's going to be around the girls a lot, from what I understand. I just needed to know she was still crazy about them, but also have her feet on the ground." James pulled Hannah close and kissed her cheek.
"Hey, Dad," Caroline said and shook her head, clearly exasperated. "There was another way to do this than the third degree. You could talk to your daughters. We're not babies anymore."
"True, true. But as your dad, it's my job to look out for you." James's expression became serious. He gently tugged at one of Caroline's red locks.
"James is right," Andy said and hooked her arm around Miranda's. As they were being open and honest, she saw no reason to play any further games. "It is his and your mother's job. I respect that."
"But we love you. All four of you. How hard can it be to understand that?" Cassidy flung her hands in the air. "Dad was not a very good dad before Hannah, we all know that. Mom was not very happy before you came back Andy. That's hardly rocket science to figure out."
Andy blinked. Can open. Worms on the loose.
Miranda had been quiet for several minutes. Andy wasn't sure if it was because she was shocked at the candid topic, or if she was simply biding her time. Andy took Miranda's hand in hers and squeezed it gently. This seemed to press an invisible button.
"The girls are very perceptive, and I haven't hidden anything from them, James. Andrea is perhaps not officially moved in, but she can come and go here as she pleases, whether Caroline and Cassidy are here or at your place. She has her own key." Miranda kept Andy's hand, and she knew this was as demonstrative as Miranda was ever going to get.
"Then all is well," James said lightly. "You girls ready?" He winced after peering behind them. "Are you bringing everything you own? You do have clothes still at the house."
"We know, Dad. These are our favorite things that we always want to have around. We just never know when we're going to need them. It's better we haul them back and forth, rather than you or Mom having to buy double. That's just wasteful." Caroline's clear, innocent eyes nailed her father. "Did you bring the hybrid car?"
"I wouldn't dare bring any other, knowing how you feel," James said with a sigh. "I'd never hear the end of it."
"So true." Cassidy grinned. "All right. Let's go. I have an essay to edit that's due tomorrow."
"Cutting it close," Miranda murmured as she hugged and kissed Cassidy goodbye.
"I know—I'm almost done though." Cassidy hugged Andy and then began pulling two of her four carry-on bags through the door. James took the other two, and Hannah and Andy helped Caroline who had five bags.
When Andy walked back inside after waving at the girls, she went looking for Miranda. She found her at the window in the living room, where she watched her girls get into James's car.
"You never wave from the stairs." Andy wrapped her arms around Miranda's waist from behind.
"No. I don't. I can't. I used to, but it used to make me cry, and that upset the girls—and I don't want that."
"So, you stand in here, fully visible through the window, as if it is an armor against how much you'll miss them." Andy watched James drive away, taking a large piece of Miranda's heart with him.
"Yes. That's a good analogy for how I feel." Miranda leaned back against Andy, turning her head so she could kiss her cheek. "I don't drown in these feelings anymore. Not after James and Hannah vowed to always put the girls first. That gives me peace of mind, which makes it easier to deal with my missing them."
"And now, perhaps, James realizes that you also have someone else that loves you." Andy spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. "Part of James being a good father, is that he wants to know who's around his kids on a daily basis. He knew me as your second assistant four years ago. I could have gone in a million different directions since then."
"I suppose. I wonder if he knows how lucky he is that you're so wise and humble. I was ready to throttle him for daring to question your character." Miranda snorted and pivoted in Andy's arms.
"That's why you were so quiet? Getting ready to launch at James?" Andy chuckled. "I think, if Hannah had thought he was drilling into me too hard, she would have kicked him in the balls. She looks very sweet, but I got some tough vibes from her."
"Cassidy claims Hannah whipped her father into shape. I'm not entirely sure that she's speaking metaphorically." Miranda's eyes glittered. "I like the literal imagery of that a lot better."
Andy tossed her head back and laughed. "You are wicked." She pulled Miranda away from the window and kissed her. "As it is Sunday evening, I thought perhaps popcorn and a movie?"
Miranda smiled. "I'll start the popcorn machine, and you pick the movie." She held up a hand, palm toward Andy. "No rom coms tonight. I've practically tasted blood today. I need to watch something a little more exciting."
"The Walking Dead?" Andy asked, infusing her voice with mock innocence.
"Andrea." Miranda's tone held a clear warning, even if she was smiling.
"Just kidding. Crime. Excitement. Less on the gory side. TV room or the den?"
"The den, I think. Closer to the kitchen when you want your fourth glass of coke." Miranda elegantly moved out of reach when Andy tried to pinch her. "Too slow."
Andy sat down on the couch in the den after picking out a movie. After looking it up online, she knew it was a quality movie, at least. Miranda had no patience for anything subpar.
Miranda returned with one glass of Pellegrino and one holding Andy's coke. A large bowl full of buttery popcorn goodness completed the movie experience. As Miranda curled up against Andy, who draped a blanket over their legs, and placed the bowl between them, Andy knew Miranda had been right. She didn't wallow in hurt when it came to missing the girls, and it wasn't hard to distract her. Andy saw that as a good sign.
#
Miranda came out from the ensuite bathroom and stopped at the sight of a multitude of tea lights. They flickered everywhere and she made a full turn, trying to find Andrea among them somewhere. There were tea lights in the window, on the dresser, on the floor, on their nightstands, and—in the bed!
"Andrea?" Miranda called out. "Are you trying to burn down the house?" She tiptoed over to the bed, set on blowing the dangerous flames out, when a sultry voice spoke behind her.
"All the lights except for the ones on the dresser, run on batteries."
Miranda swiveled and her mouth fell open when she saw Andrea stand a few feet away, dressed in a white, lace nightgown that ended mid-thigh. "How did you have time…oh God, darling, you look beautiful…sexy…" She stepped close to Andrea who merely held up her hand.
"Not so fast, Priestly," she said, a definite purr lacing her words. "I have plans for you."
"You do." Miranda gripped the lapels of her favorite gray silk robe. "Care to tell me, perhaps?"
"Of course. In time." Andrea rounded Miranda and stopped behind her. "Mm. You smell wonderful." She reached around Miranda and untied the belt. "I think we should lose this." Pulling the robe open, Miranda shivered when the cool air in the room reached her skin. "Don't worry," Andrea said. "You'll be warm enough soon."
"Promises, promises." Miranda tried for haughty, but her words came out breathless.
"Mm-hm." Andrea pressed her lips against the back of Miranda's neck, nibbling, kissing, and even licking, her way down, along her shoulders and back to her hairline again. "And you taste even better."
Miranda didn't know what to do with her hands as Andrea was behind her. Andrea tugged at the robe and then it ran down Miranda's body like water and ended up on the floor. Pressing her entire body against Miranda's naked back, Andrea's breathing escalated. Her lace nightgown teased Miranda's skin, and she could easily make out Andrea's hard nipples against her back.
"Now. The question is which route to take tonight. So many choices. So many decisions." Andrea chuckled. "Maybe I should ask what you want. You might not be in the mood to make love. Perhaps you're tired?"
"I—I'm in the—mood." Miranda groaned inwardly. She was embarrassingly in the mood, and clearly not able to string four words into a sentence.
"Thank God. I hoped you would be." Andrea slid her hands down along Miranda's sides, then resting them on her hips. "Spending an evening with you on the couch, feeling you against me, looking so cute when you actually pressed against me, forgetting about the popcorn. That crime story was rather scary. Even you thought so."
"I was merely surprised." There was no way Miranda would tell Andrea that she'd regretted her category choice halfway through the movie. If Andrea ever caught on to the fact that she'd rather have watched a rom-com, she would never hear the end of it.
"Uh-huh. Yes. I could tell." Andrea's hands migrated from Miranda's hips to her stomach and up to cup her breasts. "Oh…yes." Rolling Miranda's nipples between her fingertips, Andrea tugged and flicked at them, making her moan.
"Andrea."
"You like this."
Miranda drew a deep breath as oxygen seemed to be at an all-time low in the bedroom. "I love this, and you know it."
"Tilt your head to the side." Andrea latched on to Miranda's exposed neck with her full lips, licking along it. "I know what you like. Yes. What I can't be sure of is what you would like tonight."
"Should I write you a list?" Miranda murmured, arching her back to increase the pressure against her nipples.
"That'd be a first. I'm surprised you're not handing me a pen and paper." Andrea bit her gently on the side of her neck. "So—foregoing pen and paper—do you wish for me to go down on you? Or should I prop you up on a stack of pillow and take you from behind? Or slow and sweet—and by that, I mean very slow, while I hold you in my arms?"
Miranda's mouth went dry, and she had to clear her voice twice. "I—I don't know."
"You're never indecisive. Sure, you know." Andrea startled Miranda by letting go of her breasts and rounding her, so they stood face to face. "Then perhaps, you want to go down on me. Or take me in the way that makes you nearly come from watching me come undone. As you see…possibilities are endless."
Miranda flung her arms around Andrea's neck. She pulled her in for a kiss, and Andrea returned it with such passion, Miranda's knees began to give in.
"On the bed," Andrea said and nudged Miranda gently. "Position yourself or order me into whatever position you want me to assume. Just do it before you fall, please."
Andrea's voice was like a whip, and her sharp tone in juxtaposition to her warm smile and liquid brown eyes, made Miranda move over to the bed. Andrea was correct, she would fall if Andrea touched her again while she was vertical.
"Well?" Andrea stood where she left her, a few feet from the bed. She slowly pulled off her stunning nightgown and her beauty was almost too much in the flickering candlelight.
Miranda pushed some of the electric tea lights out of the way and climbed further up on the bed. She lay down against the pillows and pushed one of the thicker ones under her hips. "Come, darling. I need your mouth on me, and when I've come, I'll show you how I want to make love to you."
Andrea crawled onto the bed, her eyes sparkling. "You're so wet, you're glistening."
Andrea's words made more of the moisture trickle down Miranda's labia. "Your fault."
"I take that as a compliment." Andrea moved up between Miranda's legs and kissed her. Gently, she brushed her lips along Miranda's, teasing her until she shoved her fingers into Andrea's damp hair and tugged her close. Parting her lips, Miranda's tongue met Andrea's. These were the best kisses. Exploring, caressing, and tasting Andrea, knowing that she would allow Miranda to do this for as long as she liked.
When Miranda had to let go, to be able to breathe deeper and not faint, Andrea slipped down and sucked Miranda's left nipple into her mouth. She flicked her tongue over it and then nipped at it with her perfect teeth. Miranda drew in new air, again arching to get closer. Andrea paid equal attention to her other nipple and then pushed Miranda's breasts together and licked them until they were dark, wet, and Miranda was whimpering.
As Andrea pushed further down and kissed a trail that slipped over her belly button, and ended up with Andrea nuzzling her pubic hair, Miranda went from whimpering to mumbling.
Shouldering in between Miranda's thighs, Andrea kept kissing and licking. The touch was too gentle, too sweet, for Miranda to reach her orgasm, and yet she didn't rush Andrea. She raised her hips, pushed against Andrea's lips, but she only hummed and kept her intense, but light caresses.
Until Miranda felt Andrea's fingers against her opening, circling it, dipping very shallowly, and then retracting. Then her tongue was just below Miranda's clitoris. It fluttered there, and at the same time, her fingers, dear God, three, or four, she wasn't certain, but Andrea was pushing them just inside and then…was she stretching her?
"Please, please…" Miranda finally found her voice. "Please, darling. Go inside."
Speaking backfired as Andrea had to lift her mouth off Miranda's clitoris to answer. "Yes? You're sure? You're ready for me?" Breathless and purring, Andrea's voice made Miranda dig her hands into the covers and grip the bed sheet hard.
"Yes. Yes! I need you to fuck me."
Andy's fingers, however many, pressed into Miranda, and her tongue lay flat against her aching clitoris. Inside her, Andy curled her fingers in the way Miranda knew she would, wanted her desperately to continue doing. Thrusting her fingers in and out, Andrea increased the pressure against the area that held Miranda's orgasm prisoner. But if Andrea kept going… "Don't stop. Don't you dare stop. Ever…ever…" Pulling her knees up and holding onto them, Miranda cried out. "Andrea!"
Sucking Miranda's clitoris into her mouth and speeding up her hand, Andrea took everything Miranda gave her in that instant. She freed her, loved her, and allowed her to take her time, and then Miranda was there. She slammed a hand over her mouth as she knew she couldn't stop the cries that followed every time she fell off the cresting waves inside her. Andrea had let go of her clitoris, but her hand was still working deep between Miranda's legs when she moved up beside her.
"Sl-slow down…" Miranda pulled Andrea to her, kissed her, and tasted herself on her lips. "Like that. Mm. Yes."
Uncertain how long it took for her to calm down, Miranda felt safe in Andrea's arms. She hadn't noticed when Andrea extracted her fingers—she was always so careful not to jar Miranda after her orgasms. Eventually, Miranda felt another sort of desire, one that sometimes, like now, was stronger than her own urges. She could think of nothing else but to make love to Andrea.
"Remind me, darling," Miranda said casually. "You did give me sort of carte blanch again, didn't you?"
"I did." Andrea kissed Miranda's damp temple.
"I got to choose how you made love to me—and now I get to decide again?" Miranda moved up onto her elbow. "That hardly sounds fair?"
Andrea grinned. "You have no idea how fair that is. I love it when you take charge and show me what you want done to you, and what to do to me. It's so damn sexy, just thinking about it make me go crazy."
Miranda tilted her head and smiled. "Then, by all means, stack those pillows, darling, and present your ass to me."
#
Andy could barely breathe. Miranda's words. Impossible words coming from the usually posh, soft-spoken woman she loved, nearly pushed her over the edge without a single touch.
Stacking the pillows, three of them, in the center of the bed, Andy climbed on top and wondered if Miranda realized that this was not something Andy had ever felt comfortable doing with anyone else. Not giving herself over exactly like this.
"So beautiful," Miranda said and nudged Andy's legs further apart. "And mine."
"Yes. I'm yours…" Andrea moaned when Miranda ran her fingers between her legs, spreading the wetness—and there was a lot.
If there was a downside to this, it was not being able to see Miranda, but, oh God, she could feel her.
Finding Andy's clit, Miranda slid two fingers on each side, slowly, back and forth, until Andy knew she wouldn't last if she kept it up.
"I'm going to come, Miranda," she warned. "S-so good." She rolled her hips against Miranda's fingers, and into the pillows. "God…it's starting…"
A finger, Miranda's thumb, entered her and went as deep as it could. It moved at the same pace, and small flickering lights played against the inside of Andy's eyelids. She tried to wait, just a little longer. Just a little bit, needing to draw it out.
Then Miranda's tongue pressed against Andy's perineum. She licked the area, and Andy buried her face in yet another pillow as she cried out. Her legs trembled and the orgasm was just within reach, just there.
Miranda pulled her thumb out and replaced it with her tongue. She flicked it around the entrance, sucked at the sensitive tissues there. Andy keened with every breath. "Like that. Just. Like that."
When Miranda moved up along Andy's back, and repositioned her hand, she had managed to keep her on the edge for so long, she was shaking uncontrollably. "It's time," Miranda said, her voice husky and barely carrying. "Time to make you come, darling."
"Please…please, please, please…" Andy felt Miranda's fingers and then they were inside her. Pushing, twisting, moving in and out, faster and faster. Miranda sweat soaked skin slid along Andy's, creating more heat, more connection. Andy turned her head to the left and now she could see Miranda's face. Here eyes were so dark, they looked black. Sweat dripped from her temples and her lips were pulled back in a silent growl.
"Ah!" The orgasm tore at Andy, melted her from the inside out, and she had to touch Miranda. She managed to move her left hand and cupped the back of Miranda's head. Andy's thighs trembled and she had to give in and relax more against the pillows and let the orgasm run its course.
Then Miranda's thumb was barely touching her other, puckered orifice. She didn't enter but caressed it with each stroke.
"Oh, God, Miranda!" New convulsions tore through Andy, relentless, over and over. Andy clung to her pillow with one hand and Miranda with the other. She felt tears blend with sweat, and somewhere, her mind registered that Miranda came again, pressing herself against Andy's hip.
Eventually, Andy melted into the pillows and the bed, and barely registered that Miranda shifted next to her and rolled her off the small mountain. Miranda's gentle hands pulled Andy onto her shoulder and tugged a bedsheet over them. Something clattered to the floor, and Miranda chuckled softly. "I think we lost a few of the very romantic tea lights."
"Mm. That's okay," Andy murmured. "As long as you are still here."
"Always." Miranda tugged her even closer. "Darling…may I wish the same regarding you? That you will be here.Always?"
Continued in part 29.