by Laura Conway
“Let’s go to bed,” Andrea said as she leaned in to brush her lips across Carley’s.
Chapter Forty-Five
In the last two weeks, Carley’s anxiety about her future slipped away. Andrea wanted to make this work, and just knowing that gave Carley the feeling that everything was going to work itself out.
She stood in front of the mirror in her room, turning to see how her teal sleeveless top fell over her reliable skinny black jeans. Carley didn’t think she had to dress up tonight. She’d met Andrea’s parents before, but at the same time, she wanted to make a good impression. This was the first time she was meeting them as Andrea’s girlfriend.
She should probably be nervous about having dinner with Andrea’s parents, but she’d spent the day thinking about something else.
“You look amazing,” Andrea said as she came into the room as Carley swept her hair to the side to clasp her silver necklace. When she didn’t get it on the first go, Andrea’s hands were on hers, doing it for her.
Andrea’s lips brushed across the nape of her neck as she took a step back, and Carley felt that familiar tingling sensation run through her body, all the way down to her fingertips.
“Thank you,” Carley breathed, turning to face her. “Andrea... What if we call off the contract?”
Andrea stared at her for a second, and Carley kept going. Andrea had no idea that she’d spent most of today thinking about this.
“Maria said that she was ready to start right now... I could get her up to speed. I just... I want us to be a real couple. Not just after business hours,” Carley said, voicing the thoughts that had been in her head all day.
If they were both willing to forget about the last two months of her contract, there was no reason for Carley to finish their original agreement.
Andrea’s hands slid around her waist. “You’re tired of working for me?”
Carley couldn’t miss the glint of mischief in her eyes. “Yes. I don’t want to think about when I can or can’t put my arms around you or kiss you. I know I’m being selfish, but if this woman is going to be my replacement anyway, I don’t see why we can’t-”
Andrea’s lips covered hers, silencing her. Carley sighed into the kiss, raking one hand through Andrea’s long locks as they deepened the kiss. Andrea’s hand cupped her neck as her lips parted against hers, and Carley melted into the kiss.
Andrea backed them up until Carley’s thighs were touching the edge of her bed. Andrea gently pushed her onto the white duvet, her lips returning to Carley’s again as she lowered her body on top of her.
“I think you’re right,” Andrea said from on top of Carley, her lips hovering above Carley’s. “We should see if Maria would be ready to start next week.”
“Really?” Carley asked, unable to keep the smile off her face.
“Yes.”
Andrea’s lips were on her neck, trailing kisses over her chest to where her top dipped, revealing a hint of cleavage.
“We’ll be late for dinner,” Carley breathed, trying to keep her desire in check.
“I can be fast,” Andrea said, her voice husky. “In fact, I’m not even going to undress you.”
Andrea unbuttoned her jeans and lowered the zipper, making room for her hand to slip into her panties. Andrea’s lips were on hers again, and Carley moaned into the kiss as Andrea’s fingertips circled her clit.
Carley’s fingers raked through her dark hair while her other hand squeezed Andrea’s ass through the skinny white jeans she was wearing. She would have preferred if Andrea wasn’t wearing anything at all, but this wasn’t bad either.
Carley broke their kiss as Andrea’s fingers slid inside her. Andrea knew what she needed, and she kept her promise to be fast. Her strokes were short and fast while her thumb grazed across her clit, and Carley was clinging onto Andrea as her orgasm swelled inside her.
Carley let go, throwing her head back into the sheets as she came. She found Andrea’s lips, kissing her hungrily.
Andrea never removed her hand, keeping her fingers inside of her as she moved them back and forth. Carley’s body hummed from the last orgasm, and it didn’t take much to bring her to the edge again.
Andrea’s fingers moved faster as she pressed her palm into her clit, and Carley groaned as she came, her breath ragged as her body shook.
“Fucking hell,” Carley gasped as she pulled Andrea into another kiss.
“I said I’d be fast,” Andrea said with a smirk between kisses. “But we have to go. Come on.”
Carley watched Andrea push herself off the bed and hold out her hand. Carley let Andrea help her up, and she had to close her eyes for a second. She was almost dizzy after that.
“How do I look?” Carley asked, smoothing her hands over her top.
“Like you’ve just had sex,” Andrea said with a laugh as she went into the bathroom to wash her hands. That smile would be the death of her.
“Not the look I was going for...” Carley followed her into the bathroom to fix her hair and touch up her makeup, glancing at her watch. They really were going to be late. At least Vega wasn’t half as punctual as her daughter was.
Carley stared at her reflection. She could do this. She’d met both of Andrea’s parents before, and she liked to think that Vega already approved of her. Carley just had to make sure that Andrea’s father felt the same way.
Chapter Forty-Six
Andrea helped her mother carry their empty dishes into the kitchen, leaving Carley to chat with her dad in the dining room. She didn’t know why it still surprised her that Carley fit in so well whether it was a work situation or meeting her friends, and now her parents.
Andrea knew her mother already liked Carley and approved of their relationship, but she wasn’t sure what her father would say. He never liked Stephanie. They’d only met twice, but he wasn’t shy about sharing his opinion of her.
She glanced over her shoulder as her mother took the dishes from her. Carley appeared to be listening closely to something her father was saying. She was too far away to know what he was telling her.
“So, it seems to be going well,” her mother said in Spanish as she uncorked a bottle of red wine.
“Yes,” Andrea said, realizing that when she initially told her mother that she was dating Carley, it hadn’t been true.
“Are you going to keep working together?”
“No. That woman you found, Maria... She’s going to take over next week.”
“That’s good,” her mother said as she topped up both of their wine glasses. “Mixing business with pleasure rarely works.”
“I know. It just took me a while to realize that.”
“And what about Carley? I thought she was going to travel the world.”
“That’s on pause right now.”
“What’s she going to do if she’s not working for you or traveling?”
“I don’t know,” Andrea said, bringing her glass to her lips.
She didn’t know, but she figured that Carley must have a plan, and she had a feeling that it involved her camera. It was like an extension of her own body. Carley brought it with her almost everywhere, and from the few photos that Andrea had seen, Carley was talented. Andrea had another idea though. She just wasn’t sure how Carley would feel about it.
Andrea’s eyes caught Carley’s as she joined them in the kitchen. “Thank you for dinner,” Carley said to her mother in Spanish. “That paella was delicious.”
“It’s my mother’s recipe, and I’m afraid it’s a family secret,” Vega said as she poured more wine into Carley’s glass. Her mother leaned in to whisper something to Carley before she went into the dining room with the bottle of wine to refill her father’s glass.
“What was that about?” Andrea asked switching back to English.
“She said that I could have the recipe... That she considers me family.”
Andrea’s eyebrows rose. “Wow.” She remembered what Carley had told her about her parents, how they weren’t impressed with
the fact that she was gay. Andrea hoped that Carley would consider Andrea’s family her own someday, but it seemed to be happening faster than she thought.
Carley nodded. “Yeah. My thoughts exactly... Your dad said you bought his pub and restaurant. I pretended that I knew... I thought you weren’t interested in them.”
“I’m not,” Andrea said softly as she checked to make sure her parents were still sitting at the dining room table. “Come outside with me,” she said, holding the door open for Carley.
They sat down on the wicker sofa on the patio, triggering the sensored lights to come on around them, and Andrea couldn’t think of any reason not to be honest with her. She didn’t want to start off their relationship keeping things from her.
“I don’t have any interest in those businesses, but I need my father to retire. He has to start looking after himself, and he wasn’t going to slow down until he knew that his pub and restaurant were in the right hands.”
“So, you’re not selling them?”
“No... I was wondering if you wanted to get involved.”
“Me?” Carley asked, her mouth slightly agape.
“Yes.”
“I’m honored that you thought of me, but... I don’t think it’s the right fit. I don’t know the first thing about running a pub or a restaurant, and I don’t want to go back to waitressing or bartending.”
“Okay... Well, think about it. I asked my dad to give me a few months to sort everything out,” Andrea said, bringing her glass to her lips.
“I really appreciate the offer,” Carley said, covering her hand in her own. “But I’ve been thinking about what I really want to do... And that’s photography. I have a bit of a cushion now. I have more than enough money to buy the right equipment. I’ve always loved it, and I’ve been taking more portraits lately...”
Andrea nodded, feeling her lips slide into a smile. She had a feeling that Carley would want to take her photography more seriously.
“I hope you don’t think I’m being selfish,” Carley said when Andrea didn’t say anything.
“Not at all. I’m glad that you’re going to get to do something that you’re passionate about.”
“I just have to make sure it’s viable... It’s always been a hobby,” Carley said, tracing her finger along the rim of her wine glass. “I almost wish I could introduce you to my parents,” she said after a moment.
“I would love to meet them,” Andrea said, her hand on Carley’s thigh.
“It would be pointless.”
“Maybe they’ve changed? That was... what? Ten years ago?”
Carley shook her head. “No.... At my grandmother’s funeral they both managed to slip in a few homophobic comments. They haven’t changed.”
Andrea wanted to pull her into her arms, but her parents were on their way outside. Andrea dropped her hand instead, giving her parents a smile as they joined them, sitting on the chairs opposite the sofa.
She loved her parents, but she’d never really appreciated how lucky she was that they accepted her for who she was and that they wanted to get to know whoever was in her life. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to be rejected by them.
She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling as her father asked Carley about American football. She’d lost track of the amount of times he’d given out about the sport, saying that it wasn’t really football, but Carley must have mentioned it earlier because her father was doing his best to follow along with what she was saying.
Andrea sipped on her wine wondering how this had happened. She’d regularly stopped to acknowledge any achievements in her career but sitting here tonight with Carley and her family made Andrea realize how lucky she really was.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Carley sat on the edge of her bed, unboxing the new lens she’d just bought for her camera. It was strange being at home in the middle of the day, but she wasn’t going to just sit around. Today was Maria’s first day with Andrea on her own, and Carley planned on throwing herself into her new photography venture.
She knew enough to get a basic website up and running. She’d fine tune it later on. She’d purchased some lighting equipment too today, and Carley really believed that she could make this work. She’d go down to Puerto Banus later on and see if she could make a deal with some of the bars and nightclubs to take some photos for their social media accounts. She’d even do it for free if she had to, just to get her name out there.
Carley’s phone chimed on the bed beside her, and Andrea’s name appeared. Miss having you with me all day... Maria’s hyper efficient though, so maybe my days won’t be as long. See you this evening x
Today was their first day apart in a while, and Carley missed her too, but it was worth it, knowing that they didn’t have to try to keep their business lives separate from their personal ones.
The only thing they had to sort out was their living arrangements. Carley had been thinking about it for a while now, but she didn’t want to bring it up until Maria was settled in.
Ever since James’s wedding, Carley had been sleeping in Andrea’s bed. It had happened naturally, both of them eager to spend time together away from work, but Carley still had her room, and it was starting to feel a bit strange.
Maria was renting an apartment nearby with her boyfriend, and there was no mention of her staying here, which made Carley wonder what Andrea had really been thinking when she suggested Carley move in. Was it out of embarrassment or was Andrea already drawn to her back then?
Carley screwed the new lens onto her camera. She might never know, but did it really matter? She was here with Andrea, and somehow her parents seemed to like her and accept her, unlike her own.
Carley brought the camera up to her eye realizing that for the first time, she was actually okay with that. Her parents and her life in the States seemed so far away, like another lifetime almost.
Carley found her camera bag and packed up her gear. Marbella was really starting to become her new home. She just had to figure out how to make a living doing what she loved most, taking photos.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Andrea stood in the middle of her walk-in closet with her hands on her hips. She should have known that this would have turned out to be a lot of work. She’d cleared out the entire left side of the wardrobe, making room for Carley’s things. She had two black bin bags tied and ready to go to a local charity shop, along with a box of at least a dozen pairs of heels and boots that were already downstairs.
Andrea’s last meeting of the day had been canceled, and she’d decided to finally tackle this. She’d been meaning to talk to Carley about it for a while now. She didn’t want Carley to think that she didn’t want her here with her, but she just never had time to clear out the space. She wanted to spend all her free time with Carley, and it meant that this job always got put off, until today.
They never spoke about it, but Andrea loved falling asleep beside Carley and waking up next to her. She used to work late into the night and wake up long before the sun appeared, but since she got back from James’s wedding, she’d drifted off to sleep with her arm wrapped around Carley’s waist, and she’d been reluctant to leave her in the morning to get ready for the day.
Now that Carley wasn’t working with her, Andrea wanted her to feel comfortable here. She wasn’t living here as part of their work arrangement. She was staying here because they were a couple, and she wanted to make sure that Carley knew that.
The way that they’d met and gotten involved was far from normal, but today was the first day with Carley as just her girlfriend, not her P.A, and Andrea wanted to do everything she could to make sure their relationship was solid, right from the start.
Andrea carried the two bags of clothes downstairs, glad that she’d changed into gym clothes before she’d got started almost two hours ago. She should be able to move Carley’s clothes into her side of the wardrobe before she got back.
Carley had sent her a text saying that she was out p
rospecting, so Andrea had no idea when she’d be back, but she wanted to have it finished by the time she came home. It was a small gesture, but she thought it was a much needed one. She needed Carley to know that Andrea was taking their relationship seriously, that she was thinking ahead, and that Carley was in her future.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Carley climbed the stairs, leaving her camera bag on her bed. She was later than she’d thought she’d be, and Andrea was probably home, working in her office. She’d managed to get two nightclubs to agree to let her take some promotional photos for them, and if it went well, she’d have the opportunity to work regularly for them.
She shrugged her black blazer off her shoulders and pulled open the drawer with her shorts, but it was empty. Carley pushed it closed and tried the middle drawer, but that one was empty too. She stood there for a second, wondering if she’d lost her mind. Her clothes were definitely there yesterday unless the maid had done some deep cleaning and put her clothes somewhere else.
Carley wandered down the hall to see if Andrea knew what was going on, and she found her in her bedroom drying her hair. Carley waited a minute until she’d switched the blow dryer off and tried not to startle her. She knocked gently on the open door.
“Hey,” Andrea said with a smile, tousling her glossy hair.
“Hi,” Carley said, trying to figure out what was going on. Andrea had a strange look on her face.
“Come here. I want to show you something.”
Carley followed Andrea into her walk-in closet, and her lips slid into a smile when she saw her clothes hanging on the left side. She wasn’t the only one who had been thinking about this. She felt Andrea’s hand on her hip as she wrapped her arm around her, and Carley leaned into her.
“I wanted to do this ages ago,” Andrea said, lightly kissing Carley’s temple, “But I’ve just been so busy lately, and I knew I had a lot of sorting out to do... Anyway, I hope I didn’t make any assumptions. I know we’ve been living together for a while now, but I thought-”