6. Mia

Mia hadn’t been this nervous for a date in a long while. She hadn’t liked anyone as much as she liked Genevieve… well, ever. She looked at herself in the mirror, reminding herself that Genevieve was already attracted to her and that wasn’t going to change based on whether she wore the red halter neck or the navy blue cocktail dress.

Genevieve hadn’t told her where they were going, but she had told Mia to dress fancy, which limited her choices. Genevieve probably had a whole wardrobe of fancy evening clothes, but Mia seldom went to such events, and had only these two choices.

She eventually decided to go with the red—who didn’t look good in red?

Genevieve was picking her up, wanting to keep the location a surprise.

Mia was just starting with her makeup when the doorbell rang. She glanced at her watch in panic. It was still quarter to seven. She had fifteen minutes left to get ready—or so she had thought.

She dashed to the door, her lipstick still clutched in her hand, and pulled it open.

There was Genevieve, holding a bunch of red roses that were a near-perfect match for Mia’s dress.

“Oh,” Mia said stupidly. “You’re early.”

“Sorry—I guess I was a bit over-eager. I can wait in the car if you’re not ready for me?”

“No, please, come inside. I just need to finish my makeup, and then we can go.”

“I’ll put these in water. You go do your thing.”

As frazzled as she had been when she opened the door, Genevieve’s easy manner quickly put Mia at ease.

She went back to her room and put on her makeup, trying not to hurry too much to avoid making mistakes. When she was done, she found Genevieve putting the flowers in vase for her.

Mia wanted to kiss her, but she was afraid of getting her bright red lipstick on Genevieve’s lips, which looked utterly luscious in a pale pink lip gloss that matched her light pink dress perfectly.

“You look beautiful.”

“So do you. I’d kiss you, but I don’t think red lipstick would look very good with this dress.”

Mia chuckled. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

She loved how she and Genevieve always seemed to be on the same wavelength. Instead of kissing her, Mia leaned in and pulled Genevieve into a hug. They stayed there for several moments, enjoying the simple feeling of being in each other’s arms.

“Shall we go?” Genevieve asked after a minute.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

Genevieve drove for twenty minutes, slightly out of the main bustle of the city, to a fancy Italian place with fairy lights wrapped around the trees in their expansive garden.

“This place is beautiful. How did you find it?”

“A client introduced me to it. He spent the whole night hitting on me. I only told him after he’d signed the contract that I’m gay.”

Mia snorted. “I bet he wasn’t impressed.”

“No, not particularly. He got over it once he started seeing results from our partnership, though. If there’s one thing men like more than sex, it’s money.”

“You have that right.”

One of the waiters took them inside. Mia felt self-conscious in her fancy dress and couldn’t help eyeing the other customers, comparing herself to them and wondering if she was dressed right.

Genevieve seemed to read her mind. “You look beautiful—like you belong here.”

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“Know what I’m thinking.”

Genevieve shrugged. “Maybe I’m psychic and using my witchly powers on you.”

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see what else those witchly powers can do. Do they extend past public spaces?”

Genevieve smirked. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.”

They ordered and chatted as they waited for the food to arrive. Mia had been worried that things would be awkward—first date and all—but she and Genevieve connected easily and never struggled for things to talk about.

“Have you given any more thought to the series you’ll be working on?”

“I was actually working on the proposal today. I should have it ready for you by tomorrow.”

“Care to give me an advanced peek?”

“Well, the idea I have isn’t my usual work. If you’d like something more according to my typical style, I can always modify, but… well, I was thinking about doing a series of women. I’ll sketch out some of my ideas, but it’ll be things like a naked woman lying over rocks near a waterfall or in a field of flowers. I can always cover anything important if the nudity is going to be an issue.”

“You do whatever you think will be best for your brand, and I’ll promote it. I’m all for body positivity, and nudity isn’t going to be an issue for me.”

Yeah, Mia was definitely going to like working with Genevieve.

“There’s one other thing. A request, one you’re welcome to say no to.”

“Well now I’m intrigued.”

“I’d like you to model for me,” Mia blurted out.

“Model? As in, for your paintings?”

“Obviously I wouldn’t make them look exactly like you, but you inspire me. I know some places we could go where we wouldn’t be disturbed, or where we could book out the venue. I mean, lying naked on the ground or on rocks certainly isn’t for everyone, and I could always hire a model… but you’re the one who inspired this idea in the first place. I’d love it if it could be you.”

“I inspired you?”

“You have to know what you look like, Genevieve. I love the curves of your body, the lovely smoothness of your skin. I love the effortless grace that you exude whenever you move. You embody beauty.”

Genevieve blushed and Mia enjoyed that she had caught her off guard for once. “If you think it’ll help with your work, I’ll gladly model for you.”

“Perfect. Shall we make that our next date?” Mia was already running through options in her head. She knew of a sunflower farm nearby. Or would it look better in a field of lavender? She concluded that Genevieve—especially a naked Genevieve—would look good anywhere, but the sunflowers might go better with her skin tone.

“That sounds great. Where do you want to go?”

“Oh no, you don’t get to know that yet. You got to keep this date a secret until the last moment. Now, it’s time for me to return the favor.”

“I hate surprises,” Genevieve grumbled.

“Trust me, you’ll love this one.”

“You know, there’s a hiking route a few miles away that could be perfect for one of our modeling sessions. There’s a small trail that not many people know about, leading to a lake. I remember one rock that was partially in the water, which was perfect to lie on. I bet I could swim to it without getting my hair wet. Then I could lie on it and you could paint me there?”

Mia was already imagining it. Sunlight glinting off Genevieve’s wet body, with Genevieve’s pale hair lifted slightly from a light breeze. The image was as beautiful as it was enticing.

“That can be our third date. I’d better get some new canvases. This is going to be great.”

They discussed ideas for paintings for a while before moving onto other subjects. Mia was having such a good time talking to Genevieve that she barely noticed what she was eating. The food was pleasant, but not nearly as pleasant as the warmth of Genevieve’s palm against hers when they held hands over the table.

The time slipped away from them, and all too soon, the manager was informing them that the restaurant was closing. Mia was surprised to see that it was nearly midnight and they were the last guests left.

“I guess we overstayed our welcome.”

Genevieve shrugged. “They’ll get over it. They know me here—I always tip well and never give them any trouble.”

“So you come here often?”

“Yeah, I’ve taken to bringing clients here. I remember the last time—”

The manager cleared his throat.

“Oh, right. Leaving. Yes, here you go.”

Genevieve handed over her card and stood up. Mia did the same and took Genevieve’s hand again.

The two of them strolled through the garden on their way to the car. Mia wished they had time to explore further, but the manager was already giving them the stink eye as they took a circuitous route back to the parking lot, and she didn’t want to push her luck.

As they got into the car, exhaustion hit Mia. She hadn’t realized how tired she was, she’d been having so much fun with Genevieve.

She glanced at Genevieve, wondering what she was expecting when they got home. The idea of making sweet love until the sun came up was delicious, but Mia’s eyes were already drooping and she didn’t want to fall asleep on Genevieve halfway through what was meant to be a passionate encounter.

“Do you want to come inside?” Mia asked as Genevieve walked her to the door.

“I’d love to. I’m afraid I’m not up to much, though. It’s been a long night—extremely pleasant, but long. I’d be delighted to sleep beside you, though, and maybe we could do more in the morning?”

Mia almost laughed. Of course she and Genevieve would be on the same page. They usually were.

“That sounds great. I’m also really tired.”

Tired though she may be, that didn’t stop Mia from watching Genevieve as she undressed. She wondered…

“If I’m awake first tomorrow, can I wake you up with oral sex?”

Genevieve dropped the dress she was currently folding up and turned to face Mia. “You want to do that?”

“Only if you want to.”

“Fuck, yes. Though I don’t know how I’m going to sleep now, knowing what’s coming.”

“Well, if you don’t sleep, you can hardly wake up with me going down on you, now can you?”

“That is a very good point. I suppose we’d best get to bed, then.”

Mia quietly set an alarm on her phone, wanting to be sure to be the first one to wake up. She was already looking forward to tomorrow, so much that she wasn’t even worried about nightmares.

She cuddled up close to Genevieve and closed her eyes.

When she next opened them, it was to the soft buzzing of her alarm.

Huh. She’d done it again—not a single nightmare. This was probably more than a coincidence. It had to be Genevieve.

Mia quickly shut off the alarm and carefully extracted herself from Genevieve’s arms. She pulled back the covers, watching Genevieve the whole time for signs of wakefulness. Fortunately, Genevieve seemed to be deeply asleep, not even stirring as Mia pushed her night shirt up her legs.

Genevieve’s legs were too close together for Mia to fit her head between them, so she started by licking a finger to moisten it and pushing it between her thighs, sliding it up until she could feel Genevieve’s clit. Mia rubbed lightly, not wanting to wake Genevieve just yet.

As Mia kept rubbing, Genevieve let out a long moan and rolled over, her legs spreading automatically. Mia glanced up at her face, but Genevieve’s eyes were still closed, her breathing still deep and even. She was certainly still asleep, but not for long.

With space for her head to fit easily now, Mia started licking Genevieve’s clit. The taste and feeling of Genevieve under her tongue set Mia alight, and she longed to do more, but she hadn’t gotten consent for anything more, and she certainly wasn’t going to get that consent while Genevieve was asleep, so she simply continued licking Genevieve with increasing enthusiasm. She was getting wetter and wetter and Mia thought she would never tire of the taste of her.

Genevieve’s breathing hitched and her eyes fluttered open. “Oh. Ooh, yes, Mia. Fuck, that’s… oh my god, yes.”

She bent her knees and placed her feet on the mattress, giving Mia better access, thrusting her hips forward to meet Mia’s tongue. Mia could see that Genevieve’s eyes were still bleary with sleep. Waking up like this had taken her off guard, but she certainly didn’t seem unhappy about it.

Genevieve’s head lolled back against the pillow as she panted, rolling her hips toward Mia. Mia’s body was urgently clamoring for attention, but she ignored it for now, focusing on Genevieve, whose thighs were trembling as she approached her climax.

Mia experimented with different touches of her tongue, hitting gold when she started flicking Genevieve’s clit with the tip of her tongue, quick and firm.

“I’m gonna come… Mia, if you keep doing that, I’m going to… going to—oh yes, fuck, Mia! YES!”

Genevieve’s hips came completely off the mattress as she grabbed Mia’s head, pressing her down more firmly onto her clit.

Mia flicked her tongue back and forth for all she was worth as Genevieve came hard, crying out and writhing beneath her. Mia stopped licking only once she was sure she had wrung every last ounce of pleasure out of Genevieve’s orgasm.

She had barely finished pulling away before her hand was in her own panties, rubbing urgently on her clit.

“Let me do that.”

“Yeah,” Mia gasped, but made no move to remove her hand. It felt so good, she couldn’t stop. Getting Genevieve off like that had been wildly erotic and had her right on the edge of coming.

Genevieve chuckled and flipped Mia over. Mia moaned, still not taking her hand off her swollen clit.

The next thing she knew, Genevieve was grabbing her wrist and moving it away. Before Mia could think to protest, Genevieve replaced Mia’s hand with her own, and then she had nothing to protest about. Genevieve’s hand was so much better than Mia’s, and she found herself hurtling toward her release faster than ever.

Mia was hit by her orgasm so fast she didn’t even have time to brace for it. It just came at her like a whirlwind, sweeping her away on a tide of pleasure. Genevieve’s fingers seemed to reach right through her body, touching every sensitive nerve ending and setting them alight.

It ended slowly, fading into short bursts as Genevieve kept rubbing on her clit, drawing the orgasm out until the touch was almost agonizing.

Mia rolled away, pulling Genevieve with her so that they tumbled to the other side of the bed in each other’s arms.

Mia leaned forward and kissed Genevieve. “Good morning.”

Genevieve laughed. “That was the best good morning I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Does that mean I’m free to repeat it?”

“Only if I can do the same for you.”

Mia didn’t have to consider this for long. “Let’s do it. If nothing else, it’ll chase away any bad dreams that are lingering in the morning.”

“Did you have one last night?”

“Nope. Free and clear. It must be you and your witchly powers.”

“I told you I could work magic.”

“I don’t know… I’m not quite convinced yet.”

Genevieve gave her a wicked grin. “Then let me show you exactly how magical my tongue can be.”

She pushed Mia flat onto her back and straddled her before leaning in for a kiss.

Mia had never thought she could feel like this. Before these last few weeks with Genevieve, she would have told anyone who asked that she had been in love before.

Now, Mia could only come to the conclusion that before Genevieve, she hadn’t known what love truly was. She hadn’t realized that she could feel so much for another person. It was somehow overwhelming and comforting at the same time.

Mia hadn’t said the words yet, but she knew what was in her heart. Still, it was probably too soon for Genevieve. It had only been a few weeks, after all. She knew Genevieve cared for her, but she didn’t know if it was love yet, and she didn’t want to put Genevieve in the awkward position of not being able to say it back.

No, she was content to wait until she was sure she could receive the answer she was looking for.

They hadn’t moved in together officially, but they spent almost every night together, either at Mia’s place or Genevieve’s.

Mia went to sleep as usual, wrapped up with Genevieve, their limbs entangled after making sweet love to each other.

She woke up with a start in the middle of the night, the images flashing before her eyes.

Mia saw her stepfather screaming at her mother while she cowered in a corner, trembling. Running to her room as glass smashed behind her. Cowering in a corner watching him get progressively more and more drunk.

Mia gasped, trying to catch her breath, but there didn’t seem to be enough oxygen in the room.

Pull yourself together, Mia.This wasn’t the first time she’d woken up from a nightmare having a panic attack, and after weeks without nightmares, this one had caught her off guard.

Still, she should be able to deal with it.

Mia desperately tried to pull air into her lungs, but it felt like she was breathing pure carbon dioxide. She knew very well that hyperventilating would only make matters worse, but she couldn’t seem to help it.

“Mia? Mia, what’s wrong?”

Mia clutched at Genevieve’s wrist, trying to get the words out. “Can’t breathe,” she finally gasped.

Genevieve sat up in bed. “Medical condition or panic attack?”

Mia couldn’t answer; she was too busy trying to breathe.

“You can just shake or nod your head. Medical condition?”

Mia shook her head jerkily.

“Panic attack?”

Mia nodded as best she could.

“Okay.” Genevieve took both of Mia’s hands in hers. “Just breathe, sweetheart. All you need to do is slow down. I promise, you can breathe, but you’re trying to go too fast. Slowly.”

Mia tried, she really did, but the oxygen escaped her.

Genevieve let go of one of Mia’s hands and turned the bedside lamp on. “Just follow my hand. Breathe in…”

She lifted her hand slowly in the air.

“Now breathe out.”

Her hand went down again. Mia watched Genevieve’s hand, trying to match her breaths to the slow movement. Genevieve’s calm, assured manner helped to soothe her somewhat, to convince her that she wasn’t actually dying, even if it felt like she was.

Mia took shuddering breaths, following Genevieve’s hand. As she got herself more under control, Genevieve’s movements got slower and slower, forcing Mia to breathe more slowly as well. Tears of relief filled Mia’s eyes as she finally started to feel like she was getting the oxygen she needed.

Genevieve pulled her into a hug. “There you go. I’ve got you, Mia.”

For the first time in a long time, Mia allowed herself to let go with another person. She hugged Genevieve as she cried into her shoulder. Genevieve simply held her tighter, waiting for her to calm.

When she did, Mia pulled away, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. You’ve got an early morning tomorrow, and here I am disturbing your sleep.”

Genevieve gave her an incredulous look. “You think I care about that? I care about you. Do you want to talk? What do you need?”

Mia shrugged. “It’s nothing, really. Just a nightmare. I’m not used to them anymore, so I got caught off guard and didn’t handle it very well.”

“Do you often get panic attacks?”

“Not as often as I used to, but they turn up every now and then.”

“Have you ever considered therapy?”

Mia grimaced. “Yeah, I have… but I’m not so keen on telling a stranger about… well, everything.”

“I know it must be intimidating, but I really think it might be worth it. There are treatments for PTSD, and I think they could really help you.”

“I do know that,” Mia sighed. “Logically, it makes perfect sense. I guess I’m just scared.”

“If you’d like, I could come to the appointment with you. It might be easier to talk to a stranger if you know you have a friendly face waiting in reception when you’re done.”

Mia had to admit that this idea did sound easier than trying to force herself to go on her own. “I’ll consider that. Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure. Whatever you need, Mia. I’m here for you.”

“Thank you.” Mia pulled Genevieve back down into bed and cuddled into her, her head laying on Genevieve’s chest.

She was scared to sleep again, but the rhythmic sound of Genevieve’s breathing soon had her dozing off.

This time, she slept without nightmares.