“Hers to Love”

A Lesbian Romance

Christine L’Amour

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This book is intended for Adults (ages 18+) only. The contents may be offensive to some readers. It may contain graphic language, explicit sexual content, and adult situations. May contain scenes of unprotected sex. Please do not read this book if you are offended by content as mentioned above or if you are under the age of 18. Please educate yourself on safe sex practices before making potentially life-changing decisions about sex in real life.

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner & are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Products or brand names mentioned are trademarks of their respective holders or companies. The cover uses licensed images & are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any person(s) that may be depicted on the cover are simply models.

Edition v1.00 (2020.02.14)

www.christinelamourauthor.com

Special thanks to the following volunteer readers who helped with proofreading: Suzanne, RB, Naomi W., Jenny and those who assisted but wished to be anonymous. Thank you so much for your support.

Interested in a FREE Lesbian Romance Book?

Thank you for downloading my book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Without readers like you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love. As my way of giving back, I started the Christine L’Amour Reader Club & you are invited to join. Members get an exclusive free book titled “Sealed With A Kiss”.

It’s also your chance to connect with me personally. No spam, I promise! Membership is free. No obligation to buy anything & unsubscribe anytime. You will receive your free eBook immediately after subscribing, sent via email.

Click Here to Download Your Free eBook!

Table of Contents

Chapter One

I was looking for someone to be a model for me. Someone who I could paint, someone who I could capture. Definitely not someone full of their self. I don't like overconfident people.

Sitting in my living room, I take interview after interview, and I'm not sure that I can get the painting that I want out of any of the girls that are wanting the job.

By the end of the day, I have a screaming headache. All I want to do is go to sleep, but I have one more. Then, I can call it a day.

I roughly run a hand through my blonde hair. My blue eyes are burning from how tired I am. I'm about ready to call it quits.

The doorbell rings just as I get up out of my chair in the living room. I like people to feel comfortable when entering my home. I don’t want them to feel like it’s a job interview. I want to see how comfortable they are.

Opening the door, I see a mousy looking woman with thin glasses. She has straight, blah-looking brown hair. Almost a musty looking color. She has brown eyes, and she's carrying a small folder with her. None of the others brought anything with them.

"My name is Sonya Griffin. I was wondering if the job was still available?" She asks me, her voice is so soft. Not that I should be surprised given her size and the way she looks.

"Yes, it's still open. I would've called you if it wasn't," I assure Sonya, running a hand through my blonde hair.

I'm sure that I look a wreck for the end of the day as I move and let her into the house, closing the door behind me.

"You do realize that this is a modeling job for a painting," I ask her.

“Yes.” I watch her face grow red.

"It does entail taking your clothes off. Some people think that nudity in art is vulgar. But it's just art. That's all." I raise my eyebrows at her.

Her face is getting redder, and I'm already thinking that it's not going to work.

"I know that. I have a portfolio that I've brought with me." Sonya hands over the folder as she sits back in the chair.

I think that it's just another waste of my time with this interview until I open the folder and see how good she looks in front of the camera. Her lips are full and painted, her hair is pulled back, and the brown in her hair shows.

Though she has glasses on, she looks fabulous. The size of her breasts is perfect in the picture, although she has on a bikini. I try to size her up over the top of the folder, but she's in a suit.

I get it. Sonya is nervous about the interview. However, she isn't shy in front of a camera. I don't understand how she can show up like a "plain Jane" and then hand me this folder.

Sonya is precisely the model I'm looking for. When I look between her legs in the photos, I can see her bikini fit. The way her mound shows off without being naked makes me think that she can do the job.

"Again, you do know that you have to get undressed," I tell her, closing the folder and not giving her any hint that she might have the job.

“I understand that. I have done some jobs like that, but I haven’t in a long time. I might need to have just a little encouragement when it’s time. Other than that, I believe that I can do this job.” She isn’t overly confident.

Sonya is shy when I look at her. She isn't desperate, but I can see that she also needs a job. A job that will pay.

The room is quiet, and I watch her as she bites down on her lower lip. I want to tell her, but I also want her to squirm around a little more in her seat.

"You've got the job." I finally state. A smile breaks out over her face.

“You won’t regret it. Thank you…” Her voice trails off.

"Melinda O'Neal. Please don't call me anything other than Melinda." I tell her.

“Sonya.” She shakes my hand.

"I know, I have it on your info. Make sure that you're here bright and early tomorrow morning so that we can do a dry run. Then we can get started." I explain to her.

“Thank you. I’ve seen some of your work in the art gallery to find out what you’re all about.” She tells me.

“You mean to make sure that I’m legit and not just someone who wants to see others naked?” I laugh at her.

"That too." She giggles, and I walk her to the door.

We talk for a few more seconds. I watch Sonya go to her car. It's not until after she pulls out of the driveway that I shut and lock the door.

Turning off the living room light, I'm more excited than I thought I was going to be. It has been a long day, and now it's finally over with a bit of success. I found my model.

I'm sure that Sonya may think she knows me because of my artwork. It's how I make my living. I'm that good at it, but she doesn't know me. She doesn't know my desires. She doesn't know who I am, deep within.

I'm hoping the more we work together, the more she'll understand who I am — the reason why I have pictures of the exposed. I want her to understand the job thoroughly, and I think she will by the time we're done working together.

I find myself thinking about her on my way up the stairs, getting into bed.

I don’t know her from a hole in the wall.

"Tomorrow's another day," I whisper to myself as I roll over in my empty bed, feeling the loneliness sinking in.

I like to sleep with no lights on. The shades closed across the windows so the streetlight doesn’t peek in at me.

Chapter Two

I always get up bright and early, no matter how late I go to bed. I get up before my alarm does and shut it off. Heading downstairs, I don't have to rush. I work from home. I'm not complaining about it, but it would be nice to work out of the house. Sometimes just to get out.

I’m so busy that I forget that there’s an outside world behind the closed door leading to the front yard.

I look over the paper and see that there still isn’t much competition in the art world. I would like to have someone who might be talked about other than me.

I know that I'm good. I'm not cocky about it. I walk around in a pair of gray sweatpants that hug me. I have a matching sports bra that is tight showing off my body. I at least take the time to take care of myself.

The doorbell rings, and it's not even eight in the morning. The only one that I'm expecting is Sonya.

“Coming!” I call out and make my way to the door.

Unlocking it and opening it, Sonya is standing there with a pair of jogging shorts on and a short zip-up hoody. All white, including her sneakers.

Sonya looks beautiful. She just has those damn glasses on. Maybe I can convince her to get contacts or something, at least for this job.

"Coffee. I didn't know what you take, so I didn't put anything in it." She tells me, handing me the coffee and stepping into the house.

Sonya makes her way down the hall to the kitchen, and I feel a smile come to my face. It seems she's comfortable. More so than last night.

I take three sugars black. At least Sonya got the black part right. I take a sip and wince. That's why it's too bitter without sugar.

Following her into the kitchen, I add three sugars. I see she's made herself at home sitting at the kitchen table.

It's almost like she's been here for a long time.

“I like your attitude this morning.” I compliment her before she asks me why I’m looking at her so strangely.

"Thank you. Last night was the worst for me before I came in. I had to make sure that my mother was taken care of. I knew about the interview for over a week now. I get that. It's just so hard to find someone who will take care of her while I'm working," Sonya explains.

“Do you not have a sitter?” I ask.

“I do, I just don’t trust too many people.” She shrugs one shoulder.

Had I known this earlier, I wouldn’t have hired her. I didn't want anyone standing in the way of my creation.

“Are you sure that you’re going to be able to handle this?” I don’t like to think that she might not.

“I’m going to make this work. I need a job. My mother…she’s just hard to handle.” She rushes on.

“What do you mean?” I ask her, seeing she needs more of a friend than someone who’s going to boss her around.

"She forgets a lot of things, and well, she sometimes forgets who's watching her. I don't like that sometimes she hardly remembers me." She bites down on her lip.

"I know what you're going through. My mother had dementia before she died. It was the hardest thing that I had to live through," I tell Sonya.

At least we have some common ground. Family that we miss dearly. For her, it's missing her mother, the one who remembers. For me, I would do anything to get my mother back. No matter what was going on in my life.

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” She whispers to me.

“Okay, now let’s get you into some things before we start this.” I clap my hands together. I don’t want us crying and sounding like we don’t have a life because we do.

I can see that Sonya is so close to crying. All I want to do is comfort her. I want her to know that she's not the only one that goes through these kinds of things.

“Yes.” She nods her head, clearing her throat and taking a big sip of her coffee.

“What do you take for coffee?” I ask her.

"Black with four sugars." Sonya states. I feel a smile come to my face.

More than just mothers in common. Minus the extra sugar.

"It's the only thing that gets me motivated in the morning. I say if it's not broken, don't fix it." Sonya smiles.

“I like that saying.” I agree with her.

I walk out of the kitchen, and she follows me. I go up the stairs and hear her footsteps behind me.

"How big is your house?" Sonya asks when she sees the long, carpeted hallway.

"It's big enough. I have a wardrobe that I want you to go through. We'll start out slow since you haven't been exposed in a long time." I am straight forward with her.

"Thank you," Sonya tells me.

"I just want to make sure that you're comfortable," I assure her.

There's no rush on the artistic piece. I have my eyes set on a month of working together. Depending on how the piece sells, I will keep her.

We enter a large room. Sonya's eyes widen at the rows of clothing she can pick from.

"Whatever you're comfortable with. There's a changing room on the other side of the room. I watch Sonya push the clothing aside on the hangers.

"I'm going to be right on the other side of that brown door." I point down the room. Sonya sees where I'm pointing.

“I won’t take too much time.” She tells me.

“Take your time. I don’t want you to rush on the things that you pick.” I state.

She has all the time she needs. I’m not going anywhere all day.

Chapter Three

When she comes into the room, I am already setting up my paint easel and the canvas that I want to use. Making sure that all the colors that I want to use are right next to each other, my paintbrushes all in a row from small to big brushes.

“This is amazing. You’ve done all this work?” She asks, looking around the room and seeing the paintings that are hung.

"Yes, ones that I don't believe are good enough for the art gallery but are good enough for me," I explain.

"They are nice. I like this one." Sonya goes over to the other side of the room. I see she's wearing a robe that was on the backside of the dressing room door.

I smile.

Sonya likes to be mysterious.

Sonya points at the topless mermaid on a rock where waves are coming up and splashing her. The light of the moon guiding her way as a ship is coming into view.

"It's so magical." Sonya reaches out to touch and then pulls her hand back.

“You can touch it if you want.” I encourage her.

For someone who enjoys the beauty of art as much as I do, I can hear the dripping tone of awe in Sonya's voice. It's not something a person can fake.

The more I think about it, the more I'm glad I didn't just rush on a model. I don't believe that any of them would've been as sincere as she is.

I watch as she brushes her fingertips against it.

“You can feel the paint. I was thinking it was going to be flat.” She is surprised at how it feels.

“A lot of people are surprised. Maybe that’s why my art is so good.” I shrug.

"Your art is good because you take your time. You're talented, and you have a vision in your head that you want to come alive." She looks at me from over her shoulder before looking back at the painting.

She does make me feel better about myself. I have to say it never gets boring hearing about how much talent I have.

"The piece that we are doing is 'exposed woman.' She's innocent, fragile-looking. You can see that she has the flare and the confidence, but she needs that push. I think that I can make the piece come alive." I tell her.

Sonya turns around. I see the look of surprise in her eyes. The same way I want to capture them in the painting.

She comes back and walks toward the table that’s in front of me. I want her to untie the robe and to show me what she’s chosen, but I want her to do at her own speed too.

If I rush her, she may have second thoughts about the job.

Then Sonya slowly unties her robe. She isn't looking at me. However, my eyes are focused on her actions.

When she parts the robe, I see that she's wearing lace. I would've gone silk, but lace looks nice on her too.

Sonya is going with something that she's comfortable with. The bikini. It's what she knows. I can't fault her for that.

"Nice. I thought that you would pick something more revealing, though." I tell Sonya, choosing my words wisely.

Sonya's face turns red. I know that I shouldn't have said anything at all.

"Not so revealing as this. But a sexy look. A confident but shy look." I try to explain it to Sonya.

I was hoping that Sonya was going to pick the dress that the straps hang off the shoulders — showing off how sexy they are and a little tighter around the breasts.

Sonya has found something that fits her a little too loosely, in my opinion.

"If you didn't like what I chose, why would you make me choose? Why didn't you just set something out for me?" She has no problem being blunt.

It takes me by surprise, but I recover quickly.

Sonya is right, though I don't tell her that.

“I wanted to know what you were going to choose to wear. I wanted to know what you liked.” I shrug my shoulders.

My face is red. I can feel it. It's getting redder as Sonya doesn't take her eyes off me.

"I'm sorry," I mumble.

“It’s fine.” She clears her throat and throws the robe back over her.

“Would you please pick something else out?” I ask her.

She nods her head and leaves the room without saying another word.

I have to calm myself, not because I'm angry, but because I'm turned on. Seeing Sonya in that brought crazy thoughts to my head. I don't even know her!

If she had bent down, then she would have shown everything to me. Loose enough not to fall out, but to show off what she’s hiding in the lace bikini.

I didn’t even realize I had something like that in there.

She doesn't have a problem showing off her body, but she has a problem with being naked. I don't understand it. I don't think I want to.

I have to learn more about her.

Sonya takes so long that I think that maybe she decided to leave without telling me. I can see why she would.

That’s my fear when I walk out of the room to check on her.

As soon as I step back into the big room, I see her coming out of the dressing room. There’s a dress with the straps off the shoulders. Her skin looks so smooth.

The top shows her cleavage, but not too much. I like how the front hugs her breasts. Sonya walks over to me. I nod my head in approval.

"Spin around for me," I tell her.

Chapter Four

I like the way Sonya slowly turns for me as if she's standing in front of a camera. Sonya knows she's not, but she smiles like she is anyways.

I look down at the back of the dress. I like how it fits her. There's no backing, showing her smooth back, and the way it dips down to her lower back before the dress covers the ass, is sexy as hell.

The roundness of her cheeks is perfect, just like I knew they'd be.

"We're going to have to put your hair up in a bun," I tell her. That's the only thing that I don't like. How loose her hair is.

"All right. Other than that?" Sonya asks me.

"It's perfect," I assure her, giving her two thumbs up as we walk into the modeling room. I have her stand just a few inches away from the easel. I turn Sonya so that her back is to me, and her head is slightly turned.

I put her hair up in a tight bun. It will have to do, for now. There's not much I can do on such short notice.

Going back to the easel, I can see it all forming in my mind.

"I need you to look at me over your shoulder," I tell Sonya.

She does, and it's perfect as I start on the roundness of her face. I can't get past the glasses, though. That's where I stop again.

"Is something the matter?" She bites down on her lip. It makes me want to bite down on it too.

I blink back my thoughts and try to push them to the back of my brain.

What the hell has come over me?

Am I that lonely that I would hit on one of my models?

"How well can you see without these glasses?" I ask Sonya.

"Not very well. I can hardly see." Sonya giggles at me, giving me a strange look.

"Well, you only have to stand here," I tell her softly, sliding the glasses off her face. I see her squinting.

“Relax your eyes.” I need her to be completely relaxed as I put the glasses on the table so that nothing happens to them.

Going back to her, I see that she has them relaxed. Her eyes are so beautiful that I almost forget to breathe!

"Is everything okay?" Sonya asks.

It's silent in the room. I nod my head, but I know she can't see that well.

"Yes," I assure her.

I put my hands on her shoulders. They are so smooth as I push down one of the straps a little further. I can almost see her nipple!

I let my hot breath touch the back of her neck. The way she bites down on her lip makes me want to bite down on her.

I clear my throat and go back to the easel.

"Much better," I tell her softly and continue to draw out her face with the smudged markers I have.

The way she holds her eyes, though she can’t see me well, they are just amazing. I like how she stands. Her head tilted without having to tell her.

It looks as if she’s slipping out of the dress, shedding her old skin for a new one.

"Very nice," I state.

The silence between us is comfortable for me. Just as I finish with the face, Sonya is back to squinting.

"I need my glasses," Sonya tells me.

"I'll get them for you. We need to take a small break anyways." I know standing there must be hard for her.

She is straining her neck muscles.

I get her glasses. Just as I get closer to her, she turns to face me. The part of her dress in the front reveals one of her nipples. There's a surprised look on her face. Sonya feels the cool air against her nipple as I hand her the glasses. I put my shaking hands behind my back before she can fully see.

Her face grows red, and she slips it back into the top of the dress.

"Don't be embarrassed," I tell her right away.

“I don’t mean to be.” She clears her throat as she adjusts the glasses.

"You're going to have shed this old skin soon, to be ready for the new skin." I remind her that sooner or later, I'm going to see all the parts of her body.

“Yes.” She giggles a little.

“Take a few minutes break. I’m going to go to the kitchen and grab something to eat.” I walk out of the room before I might tackle her to the floor.

"What the hell is the matter with you," I mutter to myself as I make my way through the room and down the hall.

I’ve never been turned on like this before. No woman could seriously turn me on this much with just her body. I’ve always gone with how they talk, how they react to things that I’ve said.

"Stop this, Melinda." I coach myself going into the kitchen and opening the fridge.

As I continue to talk to myself, I don’t realize that Sonya has come down after me.

“Do you always talk to yourself?” She laughs at me.

"Not always. Sometimes I do." I swallow hard, wondering just how much she's heard.

“It’s all right. I know how you feel.” She sits down at the table.

“What do you mean?” I ask her.

"How lonely life can get. I find that I talk to myself more and more when I'm home, though." She shrugs as if it's the most natural thing in the world.

“You don’t have anyone to talk to?” I ask her.

“Nah, I don’t like too many people.” She grins at me.

“Same. Sometimes I forget that there’s a world outside these house doors. I can’t remember the last time that I went out to have a good time. I don’t know what a good time is anymore.” I roll my eyes, making us a few sandwiches.

Chapter Five

"If you're up for it, we could go out one of these days after work. Make it a girl's day, or whatever." Sonya tells me.

“And your mother?” I ask her.

"I will figure that part out. Neither one of us has anyone to hang out with. I know that it's not professional to want to hang out with your boss." It seems she almost forgot that I'm her boss.

I forgot that she was my model a few times today. I found myself eyeing her like a piece of candy. A piece of candy that I shouldn't want to touch.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” I wave it off.

What else am I supposed to say? I can’t sit here and tell her that it’s unprofessional. If she could see the thoughts going through my head, I doubt that she would even work with me.

We eat in silence. I like that Sonya knows when to talk and when not to. It's not strange like it would be with most people that I've only just met.

I have her grab a bottle of water before we head back to the room. I'm not sure if I want to rush the project. I don't mean to, but everything is running so smoothly.

“Okay, now I need you to face me. Same as before. I need to take those glasses off.” I tell her when I put one piece of canvas aside and pick up another one.

“What are you doing?” She watches me put a blank one up with a worried look.

"I like to do the face and the shoulders first. Always. That way, I can get the top done, the middle, and then the rest." I explain my process.

I don’t want her worrying about anything.

I take the glasses off her face again. I lower both straps down and hear her suck in when I lower the straps to where the front slides down with it.

"I thought that you were doing the facial?" Sonya gasps at me.

"I just wanted to see what I'm working with." I look at her hard nipples, and I know it's not cold in the room.

"Melinda?" I hear her voice is raspy, and she swallows hard.

"Yes," I answer her softly.

"What do you think?" Sonya asks, biting down on her lip again. Nervousness. That's what I'm going to chalk it up to.

“I think that they’re beautiful.” I give my honest opinion and watch as her face grows red.

“Are they the right size?” She asks me.

"I can't tell without touching them." I clear my throat, closing my eyes and waiting for her to change her mind.

“Okay.” She gives me a strong response.

My heart is beating rapidly in my chest as I grip them gently in my hands. I hear Sonya suck in her breath, and she holds it.

“Just breath normal. You’re doing such a good job.” I assure her softly.

She nods her head and whimpers at me as I continue to touch them, squeezing them gently and examining them up close.

I don't know what comes over me, but it's like my mouth has a mind of its own. I draw one of Sonya's nipples into my mouth.

I moan for her as I feel her nipple harden more against my tongue.

"Melinda!" She cries out. I suck just a little longer before she pushes me away from her.

“I’m sorry.” I step back from her and hand her back the glasses.

Before she can set them on her face again, I leave the room and rush to my room before she can leave.

I slam my bedroom door, and I press myself against it. It felt so good! To have her smoothness in my mouth. To touch her nipple.

“What the hell.” I groan at myself.

I hear her feet softly coming down the hallway. Sonya isn't in a hurry to leave, which I don't quite understand. If that were me and someone put the moves on me, I would be running out of the house, never to come back again.

"I hope that I'm talking to the right closed door. I want to talk about this, Melinda." Her voice is pressed against the door.

I don't say anything, though. I don't even know what happened! It was almost as if I had no control over my body.

“Please, talk to me.” Sonya’s voice is so soft. It’s so kind.

“I can’t right now.” My voice is shaking, and I close my eyes tightly.

She can tell that I’m nervous. She can hear it.

"Maybe tomorrow we can talk about it. I'm going to head out. I will see you in the morning, bright and early." Sonya gives up and moves away from the door.

I hear her going down the stairs, and soon the door opens and closes. It doesn't slam.

How can she not be mad at me? I don't know why she didn't tell me that she quit right then and there.

I feel the tears stinging my eyes before I can blink them back and stay in my room for the rest of the day.

I can't even face my house knowing what I've done — knowing that I lost control. I've always told myself it wouldn't happen with any of the models that I hire.

That was crossing the line. It wasn't okay. I didn't want my models to feel pressured. I didn't want my models to feel uncomfortable.

Sonya had trusted me to guide her through this process. I knew that she wasn't used to being exposed, but I just had to take a peek. Now that look has me behind my bedroom door, and her gone.

I don’t even know how I still have a damn model!

Chapter Six

My phone rings. I'm not sure of the number. I pick it up, though, in case it's an urgent phone call.

"Hello?" I ask on the phone.

"It's me. Please don't hang up." I hear Sonya's voice on the other end of the line

"About today, I'm so sorry. So very sorry." I apologize to her. It's more comfortable talking to her on the phone instead of on the other side of a door.

"About that…" Sonya lets her voice trail off.

“I don’t want you to think that you shouldn’t model for me. That won’t happen again. I won’t do that again.” I rush on.

The last thing I need is for someone to leave me instead of me leaving them. God only knows what she would say about my paintings. It could hurt my career.

“I hope it does.” Her voice is so soft, and my eyes grow wide.

“What?” I ask her.

"I don't know how to describe it, Melinda. I don't. I just know that it felt good. I didn't mean to push you away like that. I was shocked. I didn't know what to do." She confesses to me.

Her voice is so mousy and to hear that she liked it. Then why did she leave? I don’t know, but I’m not going to push it.

“I liked it so much that I can’t stop thinking about it.” She whispers.

I hear her sucking in her breath. She's having a hard time telling me and letting me know how her body responded.

“Where are you?” I ask her.

"I'm on my way to get dinner. If you like, I can stop by the house," Sonya suggests to me.

Her voice makes me believe that she wants to do more than just see me.

“Sonya…” My voice trails off.

“You don’t want me coming over?” I can hear the disappointment in her voice.

“I’m not saying that, but what happened, it’s not professional.” I clear my throat.

If I'm going to stick to this, then I have to do my best not to touch her. I don't want pleasure getting in the way of work.

Sonya hangs up on me, and again she has surprised me.

I dial her number, but it's off.

“Great.” I sigh, tossing the phone on the bed.

I go downstairs to grab something to eat. I'll be lucky if Sonya shows up at all. It has been a very confusing first day.

I feel a headache coming on and wonder how long it has indeed been for me since I've had any kind of female touch.

It's been over six months, and it's stressing me out. But I can't take advantage of Sonya. She doesn't know what she wants. I want her to be clear-minded about all of it. Although, I'm the one who created this mess.

Staring off, I hear the doorbell and rush to answer it while my food is beeping in the microwave. As soon as I open the door, I feel Sonya's lips on mine.

They are so soft, and I feel her tongue thrusting into my mouth.

"Sonya." I push her away a little and let her into the house.

She’s making it so damn hard not to want her!
That’s when I notice that her hair is in a tight braid, her eyes are bouncing with happiness. There’s a smile on her face as I shut the door.

“Who’s with your mother?” I ask her.

"My uncle. He's in town for the next month. I'm sure that I can trust him to take care of his sister." Sonya points out to me.

Sonya is talking like nothing has happened between us, and that's not how I want it to be. I want her to think about what happened, not bury it.

"Why did you hang up on me," I ask, raking my fingers through my hair.

“I knew that you weren’t going to listen. You weren’t going to hear what I had to say over the phone.” She follows me into the kitchen.

“Okay, so let’s get this out so that we can work together tomorrow morning.” I grin at her, thinking on the positive side.

"The way you touched me today. I haven't felt a spark like that ever. I don't know. It's almost like a fire ran through me." She tells me.

“Me too. That rush I felt looking at them….” I close my eyes and turn back to my food.

I bow my head, putting my hands on the counter and not taking my food out.

I'm lost in the words that I want to say to her and jump when I feel her hands come to my hips. I feel her breath on the back of my neck, and the little hairs stand up.

“What are you doing?” I gasp when I feel her tongue sliding up and down the back of my neck.

“I can’t explain it to you verbally.” She moans against the back of my neck.

I feel my body shaking and turn around to face her. Her nipples are hard in her dress. I feel myself staring at them.

I’m going to chalk it up to us being lonely and let her kiss my mouth. How soft her lips are, the way she teases me with her tongue.

"I've never wanted someone so much before." Sonya runs a hand up and down my back. She's bringing me in closer. Now, our nipples are lightly brushing against each other.

Sonya's the one who started this. I feel my hand slowly going down to the bottom of her dress — slowly lifting it as she presses me against the counter.

I can feel her hip bones on mine. That's when I realize that I must push her away.

“You’ve never been with a woman.” I moan against her mouth and feel her body stiffen.

Chapter Seven

“Does that matter?” She pouts at me, nibbling on my lip.

I put my hands on her hips and push her away gently.

"Yes." I nod my head, letting her know that I'm serious.

Sonya backs away from me. Instead of leaving, she pouts in the chair and glares at me. I don't know what to say. I almost laugh at her.

“I want you to know that I do desire you. I want you.” I nod my head at her, walking over to her.

"If you did, you wouldn't be pushing me away. I don't know if it's because we just need it…" Sonya's face grows red.

“I will make a deal with you…” I can’t believe that I’m doing this.

She has me so turned on that I can't go another night without someone touching me without a female's touch.

“How long have you been…” She doesn’t even want to say the word.

“Lesbian?” I giggle.

“Yeah.” She gives me a small smile.

“Most of my life. I’m thirty-five.” I don’t know why I tell her my age. I didn’t even ask her what age she was.

“I’m twenty-three.” She clears her throat.

"Still a lot to figure out in life," I whisper to her.

“What do you have in that mind of yours?” Sonya asks.

"I thought that it would be easier to work together if we do over the clothes stuff. That way, when I do have to touch you, it doesn't end up like today." I know it's a lame excuse. I'm only fooling myself, trying to think that's all professional.

“I didn’t bring any clothes.” Sonya isn’t prepared.

That's when I laugh. I can't help it. Sonya breaks out laughing too. I can see that she doesn't have the slightest idea of what she's laughing about.

“I have plenty of clothes here. You go find something and meet me back in my room.” I whisper to her.

I say the right words because she gets up quickly and heads upstairs like she comes to visit me all the time.

This is spiraling out of control on the first day. I'm the one who started it. I guess I have to find a way to lower the fire.

Going upstairs to my room and leaving the door open, I slip out of the day's clothes and slip into my thin panties and bra set.

When she walks in, I love what she’s wearing. It’s a bikini that covers her top and bottom nicely. Neither of us says anything as I stare at her.

“What are your thoughts?” She asks me, a little nervous. She doesn’t have to tell me that she is I can see it in her eyes.

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.” I point out to her.

“You’re not. I’m the one who kissed you when I entered the house. The one who made a move on you.” She reminds me, giggling.

That giggle makes me shiver, and I make my way to the bed.

I haven't had anyone in my bed for a long time. I find it strange that Sonya gets into bed with me.

“Light on or off?” I whisper to her, feeling her mouth getting closer and closer to mine.

"Off." She insists, and I turn the light out.

As I turn back to her, I feel her lips slowly brushing back and forth against mine. I want to kiss her so hard. I want to lose control, but I can't.

"Yes, that feels good," I whisper against her mouth.

I feel her hand coming to my hip and slowly sliding around until her hand lands on one of my ass cheeks.

I think that it's going to be easy just playing and teasing. I find out that it's not so easy when Sonya rubs at my nipples slowly.

I don’t know how she knows how to do all this. I don’t dare to ask as she slowly pushes her tongue into my mouth and licks at mine.

The way she massages it so slowly makes me drool, and I whimper. I can't help it. How can a woman, who's younger than I am and who's never been with a woman before, know how to make me drool for her?

“That’s very good.” I murmur against her mouth when she slides her tongue out of my mouth.

"I don't know. I'm just doing what I think I would like." She confesses to me.

The tone of voice makes me so hot for her. How sexy she sounds in the dark. Even more so than in the daylight.

I bring a hand to her hip. I run my hand up and down Sonya's legs before I bring it to the side of her bosom and rub her. She moves slightly so that I can get the front of her, and I grope her gently. I am almost petting her when I feel her nipple getting harder for me.

I run my finger across it slowly as she breathes heavily against my mouth. I continue until she's whimpering against my mouth.

“You like that.” I tease her.

“Yes.” She moans to me.

“Good.” I run my hand down the small space between us and feel her spread her legs just a little.

Her mound is so nice to touch through the panties. I can tell that she shaves nicely. Almost every day, if I have to guess.

I run my finger between her slit and tease her clit. I run my finger in a circular motion as she gets louder and louder for me.

Her hot breath is entering my mouth. Her lips are shaking as she kisses me.

That’s when I realize that no matter how long it’s been, I haven’t lost my touch when it comes to pleasing a woman.

Chapter Eight

Sonya gasps and moans for me as she presses against me, spreading her lips as she pushes against my finger.

"I want you to touch me." Sonya whines at me.

I refuse to do anything other than over the clothes, and I find her petting me between my legs. Her touch is so magical that I'm not sure how I can control myself. Sonya has my leg shaking the slower she moves her hand up and down.

“I feel you.” She murmurs.

Of course, she does. I'm getting wetter, and the heat is going to get more intense between us if one of us doesn't stop.

I think that it's time to stop, but my brain isn't working, and my fingers slide down her panties. I can feel her wet heat through the thin material.

"Melinda!" She cries out this time with pleasure as I slip a finger inside of her slowly. I slide it in and out as slowly as I can.

"Oh my God!" Sonya hollers at me, grinding against my fingers. I feel her hips rotating as she begins to slide my fingers further inside of her.

"Sonya," I whisper her name. That's when she cums, right there.

Her juice is spreading across the crotch of the panties. I slowly move my finger back and forth inside of her to make her juice soak it.

"I want it!" She throws herself back against the pillows. Her legs are opened for me. I can't see anything, but I sure can feel everything.

When Sonya finishes, she's shaking. I slip my finger and her panties out of her.

“You got your way.” I tease her.

“It was over the clothes. You didn’t say that we couldn’t do that.” She moans for me breathing heavily.

“Good, now that’s out of the way. Maybe we can continue working together.” I lick my lips.

“I haven’t pleased you yet.” I can hear the guilt in her voice.

“You don’t have to. I like to be the one that pleases.” I laugh at her.

But she’s not going to take no for an answer as she kisses down my ribcage.

"You don't have to do this." I shake my head, my eyes opening wide.

"I know," Sonya whispers to me, licking slowly down my toned stomach and teasing my belly button. Sonya dips the tip of her tongue in and out of it slowly before circling it. Then, her tongue hits the waistband of my panties.

I want to push Sonya away. I want her to know that she doesn't have to do this. I want to tell Sonya that we shouldn't go this far.

I find myself putting a hand on her head. Instead of having her come up to kiss me, I gently push her head down closer to the flower that's blooming between my lips—encouraging her.

"Mm, that's right," I tell her softly as I feel her tongue licking my clit through the panties. It has bloomed between my lips and likes to tease any female who stays long enough to feel it.

She presses her tongue against it and licks very slowly, sending my body into sexual convulsions. I still can’t believe that she’s never done this before.

“You’ve been lying to me. You know a lot.” I joke with her, catching my breath when she begins to nibble on my clit through the panties.

I haven't been nibbled like this in a long time. It's then that I cum for Sonya. Sonya is slowly rubbing my hole and feels me.

"God, I didn't think that I'd have it in me." Sonya's voice is confident, and I love that it is. I can't imagine her not being confident.

It's a significant accomplishment for someone's first time, whether it is with a man or a woman.

When I think that Sonya is done, I feel her tongue teasing my hole through my soaking wet panties. I feel her mouth covering my mouth through them. She's sucking at my panties, licking and teasing me with her hot breath.

The bed is wet, and I know that I'm cumming again. I can't help it. I don't apologize, though. Sonya moans with surprise as she feels it herself.

“My first time pleasing a woman, even if it is over the clothes. I guess I’ve done a pretty good job.” She tells me, bringing her mouth away from my panties.

I can't answer her. I'm trying to control my panting for her. I'm trying to figure out how the hell she knows how to do half the things that she's done tonight.

"Where have you been all my life?" I joke with her. She brings herself up beside me and laughs.

I haven’t had midnight laughter in a long time. I haven’t had someone to share the darkness with.

It feels good. I can’t deny that.

"I've watched a lot of movies on women being with each other. I just remembered all the things that I saw. Some of it had to be put off to the side because without removing our clothes, there's not much I can do," Sonya tells me.

I feel her lying down beside me.

She's so close to me. I can hear her heavy breathing. Only this time, it's not of sexual desire. It's of sleep.

I want to wrap an arm around her, but I don't. She's not going to be here tomorrow night, and to hold her, that would only make me want her more.

We have a job to do.

That's why Sonya is at my house. Not the reason why she's in my bed. That was our choice together. I hope that it doesn't cloud our vision when it comes to work.

I've never had a model in my bed — not one of my models.

It doesn't feel weird, but I'm waiting for the weirdness to come tomorrow morning when I'm painting the image of her.

Chapter Nine

I don't wake up so early, and the alarm goes off anyway. I groan and hear Sonya get out of bed the second it goes off.

“Come back to bed.” I groan at her, still sleepy.

“We have to get up and get to work.” She tells me, shutting the alarm off and reminding me that she’s my model.

I open my eyes wide and get dressed. There's no time for showering. I don't feel strange around Sonya yet.

I make my way out of the room and to the art studio. She follows behind me. There are no strange vibes between us. I don't know why it doesn't feel odd like I thought it would.

Without me telling Sonya, she gets back into the dress that she was wearing yesterday. She poses the same way as she had before I ruined everything and ran out of the room.

Sonya even has the top of her dress lowered so that I can paint her bosom.

I can't believe how turned on she is first thing in the morning. She keeps her eyes on mine, and I have a good feeling about this.

The painting comes out better from the front than the side.

“Confidence.” I smile as I begin to sketch out the lining.

I like that I take my time on her cleavage. Her hands-on the straps as she genuinely looks as if she's lowering for the crowd to see.

To show everyone a secret that they didn’t know about until her.

"Great!" I shout out, almost making her jump.

“Can I see?” Sonya asks me.

“Yeah.” I nod my head, very happy with the front of it.

She sees it even though it's just a sketch. I can see that she's amazed by it.

“It looks so real.” She gasps, covering her mouth.

"That's because it is. Just wait until it's painted. It'll stand out even more." I assure her.

I haven't been this excited over a painting in years. I don't know if it's because I have this closeness with Sonya now. Or, if it's the glow that's radiating off her.

Just then, her phone rings. I watch her frown at it when she picks it up.

“Hello?” She asks into the phone.

“I’m at work right now.” She whispers into the phone and turning her back just a little.

I can’t hear the other person, but when she looks back at me, I can see that she’s an apologetic look on her face.

“We’re almost done here. If you want to pick it up tomorrow or if you want to come by tonight. That’s okay too.” I nod my head, giving her a small smirk.

“I think that we did awesome today. Thank you, Melinda.” She smiles softly at me as she lifts the front of the dress.

"I don't know what made you look so sexy today, but it's going to be a great piece," I assure her.

“It’s you. You’re the one who makes me feel sexy.” She calls out as she pushes the door open and disappears out of the room.

I laugh and shake my head, but deep down, it warms my heart that she's said something like that. I thought that she would make it weird where she's younger than I am, but if anyone were to see us, they wouldn't think that anything sexual went on between us last night.

I can’t get the touch of her hand out of my head, the way she moaned for me the way she made me feel in general.

"Yes, life is good," I whisper to myself, looking at the sketch one more time before putting it up for the day.

That's when I realize that I didn't even ask her who was on the phone. If she wanted to tell me she would've. I wish that I had asked her.

I didn’t want Sonya to think that I didn’t care what happened outside of work. I thought with our bond growing that she would want to come out and tell me.

“Stop, slow down.” I shake my head, closing my eyes tightly.

I can't rush this. There's no point in rushing something if it's going to be ruined because of it. I want to know what Sonya is doing. It's fine to a point. However, it's not okay to think about the future with a woman after the first night of touching.

We hadn’t even truly slept together.

Who does over the clothes stuff? I laugh at the thought and find myself needing to get out of the house.

It's the first time in such a long time that I thought about going out. I'm going to do it. I don't mind doing things alone. I do it almost every day.

It's only noontime, and I find that I'm hungry as I leave the house. I go through a small drive-thru and park in the parking lot.

Eating my hot food, I look out over the parking lot and see the birds flocking around. The sun is peeking out from behind the gray clouds.

It's then that my phone rings. I'm not sure how to handle the next conversation.

“Hello?” I give a friendly voice when I know that it’s Sonya.

"I have to see you." I can hear that she's upset. She's in tears. I wish that she would tell me what's going on.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I get the words out of my mouth as fast as I can.

"I need to see you. Where are you?" Sonya asks me.

I give her the address, and she's surprised that I'm out today.

“I will be there soon.” She tells me.

Without another word, she hangs up the phone. I feel my heart beating against my chest so hard that I wonder if this is what it feels like to be having a heart attack.

Chapter Ten

I see her car just a few minutes after we get off the phone, and she pulls in beside me. I don't want to rush to her. I want to fight the urge. I get out of the car. Without knowing what's going on, I wrap her in a hug.

“What is going on?” I ask, whispering in her ear.

"My mother…" Her voice is strained. Sonya doesn't get the rest of the words out.

“What about your mother? You can tell me; you know that you can.” I rub her back up and down and hold her tighter.

It feels like she's going to collapse in my arms, and it scares me. For only knowing her for two days, we've come a long way already.

“She’s dead.” That’s when she really lets loose.

Sonya cries so hard that I’m not sure if I can continue holding her.

“Damn.” I bite down on my lip and close my eyes.

"We were going to the hospital with her because she was complaining about chest pains. She was always complaining about them, and we always took her. There was nothing the matter with her. This time I knew it was just different." She tells me through her sobs.

“Is that who was on the phone with you?” I ask her.

"It was my uncle on the phone letting me know that I had to come home. She died on the way to the hospital." I hear the words, and I can feel the numbness that she's feeling.

I want to tell her that it's going to be okay, but I know that now is not the time. I want to take all her pain away.

“You know how it feels. Does it always feel this way?” She asks me.

"I don't know. Many people are different. I still miss my mother." I don't go on to tell her that I didn't see my mother die the way hers did.

“What was the matter? How did she die?” I ask.

They took her in the front way of the hospital and put oxygen on her like she was still here with us. It was the only way we could get her through the doors and into a waiting room.

"We found out quickly that she had a heart attack. I had always thought that her heart was in good condition. I guess before she started getting memory loss that she didn't tell anyone about her bad heart. If she had, then I would've been able to help her." I hear the anger in Sonya's voice.

“You can’t be mad at her. You know she didn’t tell you because she didn’t want you to worry about her.” I don’t know how long we stand there with my arms around her.

Sonya nods her head. When she pulls away from me, her eyes are red.

"I didn't want to be alone when my mother died. I want you to come back to the house with me. You don't have to stay if you don't want to. Just let me drive you to the house. When you want to leave, you tell me." I point out to her.

Sonya wipes her face. I hear her sucking in her breath as she shakes, getting into the car. I don't want her to be alone.

Being alone after a loved one dies brings more stress and weird thoughts. Thoughts that I don't want to go through again when my mother died.

"I don't have anywhere to go." She blurts out, and another set of tears is coming to her eyes. It's going to be a long night.

“What do you mean that you have nowhere to go?” I ask, pulling into my driveway and shutting the car off.

“Exactly what I said. I don’t have any place to go.” Her eyes are wild, and she expects me to understand.

I'm not mad at her. How can I be? I acted the same way whenever anyone wanted me to explain something. I just automatically assumed that they should know.

“She was in a retirement home. She refused to go unless I was sharing a room with her. I was allowed to stay there, and the nurses were so nice. I can’t go back there now. I was only allowed to stay because my mother was alive.” The worry in her eyes almost brings me to tears.

“Let’s not worry about that right now. We will figure something out. You’re not going to be on the streets. You’re not going to be alone.” I assure her taking her hand in mine.

She gives me a hint of a smile, but it’s so shaky that I’m not sure if it’s a frown, or if she’s trying to keep the tears from flowing.

“The best thing to do is to let it out. Don’t try to hold it in.” I advise her.

She nods her head. She’s drained and tired. I didn’t know the relationship that she had with her mother, but it seems like they were close like me and mine.

"We can put the project off if you want to," I tell her, wanting her to know that we don't have to jump right back into it.

"I need something to do. I don't want to put this on the back burner. My mother wouldn't like to see me crying and walking around lost." She tries to be positive. I envy her for being so brave.

When I lost my mother, I shut everyone out. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I hardly wanted to work. I had to so that I could survive.

"We will do it however you want to," I tell Sonya.

We get out of the car. I help her out when I see that she's not even out of her seatbelt yet.

She's going to need a lot of compassion.

That's one thing that I'm good at.

Chapter Eleven

I help her out of the car and into the house. I help her to the couch. She looks so weak and fragile. She's pale.

I go into the kitchen and make tea. It's always helped me. I hope that it helps Sonya to calm down a little.

"I'm so cold," she whimpers.

"You can use that blanket that's on the back of the couch," I call out to her, setting the tea kettle on the burner and turning on the stove.

Sonya doesn't say anything in response. I stay in the kitchen. It hits too close to home for me. I want to cry with her.

The situation isn't about me, though. It's about Sonya, and I have to be here for her. No one else is going to be.

I know that sounds mean, but I don’t think that her phone has gone off since she got into my car. You would think that her uncle would call her.

I don't mind. I want to spend this time with her. I want her to know that she has someone when she feels like she has no one.

I'm not sure if I'm doing this for her or me. Maybe it's healing for both of us. At least, that's how I'm going to look at it.

The kettle begins to whistle on the stove. I see the steam coming out of it. Hurrying to it with a potholder, I take it off the hot burner, setting it down on a cool one so that I can shut the stove off.

I get two cups out of the cupboard. Not that Sonya would want anything to eat, but I put bread and crackers on a tray with her tea.

She doesn’t have to eat, but it’s there.

When I walk into the living room, I see that her eyes are closed. She has the blanket wrapped around her so tightly, and her heavy breathing tells me that she's sleeping. Resting is best.

I set the tray down and nibble on a couple of crackers. I take the tea that I made for myself and sip at it.

Sitting in the chair next to the couch, I watch her sleep.

Her hair looks as if she had a wild day. Her face looks so innocent and sweet, as if nothing can touch her.

Right now, she’s at peace. That’s the best part of sleeping. You don’t remember the pain you don’t feel it.

I feel a sea of sadness wash over the living room. I go upstairs long enough to get a blanket of my own.

I don’t know how long she’s going to sleep, and I might as well get some rest too. Not knowing how much she’s going to need me.

Everyone needs a shoulder to cry on. I have no problem being the one for Sonya.

I cover myself in the chair and close my eyes. I don’t even realize that I fall asleep until the sound of vomiting wakes me.

My eyes widen. Sonya isn't on the couch anymore. I throw the blanket off me and head for the kitchen.

“Sonya, are you okay in there?” I ask, calling through the door.

That was a dumb question.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” She calls to me, letting me know that she’s as good as can be.

"Is there anything that I can get you?" I feel helpless on the other side of the door. I don't want to stand around.

"No, there's nothing you can do. Not unless you can bring my mother back," Sonya states, and I don't hear her throwing up anymore.

I try the doorknob and realize that it's not locked. Opening it, I see Sonya sitting down by the toilet, her head resting on the closed lid.

"Come on. We should get you back to the couch." I offer her a hand up.

"I don't need help. I can do it myself," Sonya tells me.

The way she speaks to me is kind but rough. It's letting me know that she doesn't need anyone doting on her.

"I'm sorry." I step out of the way so that she can get up, and she makes her way herself.

“It’s all right. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to be crowded.” She gives me a sad look.

"I get it. If you need anything, though, I'm here for you." I don't know how I'm going to get through her head.

I want it drilled in her head so that she knows she can always count on me.

“We are two strangers with a lot in common.” She laughs, putting her head back against the couch.

"Sometimes, two strangers coming together can be the best for both." I point out to her.

“Yeah, your friendship couldn’t have come at a better time.” She sighs.

I can see that she's thinking. I'm not sure if she's thinking about her mother or other issues. I can't read her facial expression.

I sit down beside her on the couch when she begins to talk.

"Can you come to my mother's funeral with me?" Sonya asks, leaning her head against my shoulder.

I wrap an arm around her and let her lean on me.

"If that's what you want, that's what I'll do," I whisper to her.

I’m not too keen on going to funerals. I don’t even like going to immediate families, but I can’t say that I’m going to be here for her and not follow through.

Right now, Sonya needs someone that she can rely on.

“My uncle isn’t going to the funeral.” She lets a sigh escape her mouth.

“What?” I ask her, not sure that I’m hearing her right.

“Do you want to know why he came down to see her?” She almost laughs about it. I know that it’s sarcasm.

I’m not sure if I’m ready to hear what’s about to come out of her mouth.

"Sure," I tell her, running my hand up and down her arm as she cuddles closer to me.

Chapter Twelve

I brace myself knowing that it's not going to be good. I want to hear her laughter. I want her giggling the way she was this morning before her world got turned upside down. For now, that girl is gone, and Sonya looks much older than her age.

"Uncle Sam only showed up because he thought that he was going to get something from my mother. That's the only reason. He looked over her will that the nursing home had. He's her brother, and the nursing home thought he was the one to take care of things. So, he was allowed to see it." Sonya shakes her head.

I don’t know what to say to this. I guess there’s one in every family to do something so horrible to think that they would get something out of a family member after they are gone.

“So, you have no one to make the arrangements?” I ask her.

"He's going to make the arrangements and do what it says in the will. However, he has told me that he's not going to the funeral. Can you believe that? Her own brother." Her voice is getting loud, but she's not yelling.

"I'm so sorry that this has happened to your family. I bet she was a great woman." I tell her not knowing how to make her feel better.

"She was. Even though she didn't remember me half the time, she was still my mother. She was still the woman who gave birth to me," Sonya whimpers.

We don't talk for several minutes. I know that Sonya is wiping the tears away. I don't have to look at her to realize that's what she's doing.

“A hot shower will make you feel a little better. It won’t take the pain away, but it will make you relax.” I suggest.

“Yes.” She moves off the couch and heads up the stairs.

I hear the shower turn on before I go upstairs and find her something to wear out of my dresser. Settling on a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt that could eat her alive, I want her to feel comfortable—not trapped.

Knocking on the bathroom door, I walk in and see that she's already in the shower. Sonya is making herself at home, and I smile.

I'm glad that she doesn't ask me what she can use and what she can't. It makes me feel like I'm welcoming her into my home.

Sonya doesn't have to tell me that she's grateful; I can see it in her actions.

I put the clothing on the counter beside the sink and leave her to be by herself. I go back downstairs and turn on the television.

It’s not a few minutes later that I hear the doorbell ringing.

"Who could it be this time of night?" I look at the clock and realize that it's only eight. Still, I don't know enough people that would come to my house this late at night. Not without calling.

“Who is it?” I ask through the door.

"Sam. Sonya's uncle." The male voice comes from the other side of the door.

I glare at the closed door, take a deep breath, and remind myself that this isn't about me. I put on the best friendly smile that I can and open the door.

“Come in.” I smile at him and close the door.

"Where's Sonya?" Sam asks, looking around.

He’s giving me an accusing look.

Sam is tall and has black hair. He's wearing jeans and a pair of old boots with a ratty white shirt.

"She's in the shower," I tell him.

“What is she doing there?” He continues to question me.

"I'm her boss. She called me earlier. She was such a mess I wanted to show her that there are still nice people out here." I sit down in the chair and offer him a seat on the couch.

"No thank you. I'm not going to be here long," Same tells me.

I try to hide a smile. Sam doesn't know how long he's going to be standing there. I am sure if Sonya knew he was down here waiting for her, she would take longer.

Fifteen minutes pass. Sam is tapping the toe of his boot. His eyes are on the television screen. I think it's because he doesn't want to look at me.

I bite back all the words that I want to say to him. I can't say anything about what's going on. It's not my business. I don't want to overstep with Sonya, not knowing how much she can handle.

Sonya isn't going to be able to handle fighting. That's for sure.

I hear the bathroom door open upstairs, and so does Sam. He looks up the staircase. When she sees him, she stops on the last two stairs.

"What do you want?" Sonya asks him.

“I wanted to tell you that all the arrangements are made.” He clears his throat, putting his hands behind his back.

"Now what? Now you're going to go home?" Sonya asks. I see that the accusing glare runs in the family.

She has the same one he does, but I don’t point it out to either of them.

Now is not the time.

“I have a lot that I need to do back home. I am sure that you have support here.” He nods his head at me.

“She still wants her family.” I point out to him, feeling my face grow red.

"I would like for you to be there. You know that Mother would want you there," Sonya speaks up for her mother and what she deserves.

"I'm running on a tight schedule. You don't know what my sister would've liked." He gives Sonya a disappointed look.

Chapter Thirteen

I don't know what that is supposed to mean. So, I keep quiet. The only way that I can is by biting down on my lip.

“You know that your mother would never approve of this.” He looks at me and then at Sonya, just to look at me again.

“What are you insinuating?” I dare ask, getting up out of my chair.

"You know what I'm talking about. Sonya's mother didn't believe that it was okay to be with another woman. I don't know how many times your mother came down on me, how many times she made me feel dirty because of who I am." He doesn't look at me but at Sonya.

"Mother used to talk about you in such a kind way. Maybe not to your face, to me, she did. You not showing up is a slap in the face. To her, to her memory and to me." Sonya refuses to raise her voice at him.

Sam looks at me and then looks at Sonya again before he turns to leave.

He has nothing left to say to either of us as he shuts the door tightly behind him.

"Good riddance," I mutter, knowing that he can't hear me.

Sonya doesn't say anything as she makes her way back to the couch. I don't care how long it takes for her to get on her feet. I want her to feel like she is at home.

“What was he talking about?” I ask her softly.

"Sam's gay. He's married to another man, and my mother never liked it. She told me that two men shouldn't be together like that. Mother didn't even like two females together. I did what I could to make her happy. I guess now I'm just living my own life. I have been since she forgot who I was." She nods her head.

I'm shocked at the words that come out of her mouth. Not that she was putting dirt on her mother's memory, but for the bravery, she has to keep going after what she wants.

“So, this experiencing that we’ve been doing, it’s all new to you because you were worried about what your mother would think of you.” I guess.

“Yes.” She nods her head.

"I don't know your mother at all. I didn't know her when she was here. If she's anything like my mother used to be. Deep down, she's happy for you. She's proud of you even though she may not have said it a lot of the time," I explain to her.

“I think that it’s okay for a woman and woman to be together. I have no issues with Sam being with another man.” She shakes her head.

“Good, at least you accept him for one thing. The person that he is.” I point out the positive in the situation.

She gives me a small smile; that's something. I'm willing to take anything that I can get from her.

“How long was he here for?” She asks me when I make my way over to the couch.

“He was here for a good fifteen minutes the whole time he was uncomfortable.” I laugh when I hear her giggle.

I know that she’s going to be all right. It’s going to take time, but she’s going to be okay.

“Do you want to work tomorrow?” I ask her.

“Yes, I have to.” She nods her head firmly.

It's then that I feel her hug me. I give her a warm hug and rub my hands up and down her back. This is a different hug, though.

I thought Sonya wanted comfort. Maybe she had, but now her mouth is licking at my neck. I try to be strong.

"This isn't going to make you feel better," I whisper against her ear.

She only whimpers at me and continues, only this time with her lips. Kissing down the side of my neck, I feel my body relaxing.

“Sonya?” I ask her.

"I want you, Melinda. I need to feel the emotion," she whispers to me, nibbling on my throat as I lift my head so that she can.

I close my eyes as I feel her lips coming up to my chin and bring my face down to meet hers. I feel her mouth on mine.

“Do you want the light out?” I ask her.

“No.” Her words are so sexy against my mouth.

I feel her tongue slipping into it slowly, and my tongue welcomes hers. I feel the wet tears that are streaming down her face.

I hold her tightly to me. I swear to God that I can feel her pain. I feel her emotions deep within as she takes my hand and brings it between her legs.

I let her rub and grind against it slowly before I start to pet her through the thin pants. She's running her hands under my shirt. Sonya cups my breasts as she squeezes them gently. I let a moan escape my throat.

"Sonya, God," I whisper against her mouth.

"Mm." She giggles, and I'm finding that she's taking her pants off.

"I don't want you to regret anything," I warn her, shaking my head.

"I'm not going to. You told me that you'd be here for me. Be here for more." She presses her mouth harder against mine. I find myself kissing her back just as strong.

Running my hands through her hair and tugging on it as she slowly takes my shirt off, letting her mouth move away from mine.

I look down between her legs. Sonya is so beautiful. My first time seeing it, and I'm not sure that I can control myself.

"Touch me, please." Sonya leans back so that her legs are at my hips. Her head is down on the arm of the couch.

Sonya is looking at me.

I'm in my bra as she giggles at me.

That's all it takes — that one giggle.

Chapter Fourteen

She has her legs opened as I continue to look at her beautiful jewel between her legs. I lick my lips as she whimpers for me.

Slowly I bring my hands up her legs, running them down between her thighs. I touch her lips with my thumbs on either side.

"Yes," Sonya moans when she watches me spread her lips slowly so that I can look at what is hiding between them.

I can almost taste her. The smell of her is so pleasant that it makes me dizzy. I look up into her eyes, and she nods her head.

"Don't make me beg. I need you more than ever right now," Sonya whines at me.

I slowly lick up Sonya's smooth legs with my tongue. I lick her so slowly that her legs are shaking. I'm not even close to her wetness yet though I can feel the heat between her legs.

"Keep going." Sonya gasps at me.

I nod my head, keeping my eyes on hers as I touch her hole very gently with the tip of my tongue.

I watch her eyes mist over with love or lust. I’m not sure which one. Right now, I think it’s just to take the pain away that she’s feeling.

I dip my tongue slowly into her hole and tease the inside of her. Licking a little faster, the more she pleads for me.

I don't know who's taking advantage of who at the moment. Although, I think Sonya is the one taking advantage of me, which I don't mind.

I tease her, licking the inside of her and taking my tongue out to lick between her folds. Teasing her clit that pulses against my tongue the second I touch it.

"This is how it feels! God, it feels so good!" Sonya hollers at me and brings her hands through my hair. She tugs and pulls the faster I lick at her clit.

I try to keep my eyes on hers, but it doesn't work. The more Sonya tugs at my hair, the harder I squeeze my eyes shut.

"I didn't know that it could be this good. I didn't know that anyone could make me feel this way," Sonya gasps and moans.

Sonya leans her head back. Her eyes are tightly closed when I peek out of one of my eyes.

I like that she can feel good, showing her that she can still have a good time. Even if it's merely to cover the pain for a little while.

I don't have to ask her to cum. My tongue goes back down to her hole. The second I dart it inside of her, she cums for me.

I drink down the juice slowly, showing her that I'm not in a hurry. I want to make her feel good. It's about her tonight. She needs to see how much I'm beginning to care for her. Willing to do anything her little heart desires.

She grabs the arm of the couch as she slides her body up and down. I am pushing my tongue in and out of her under her own control.

I run a hand along her stomach and let her know that I'm not just here for sexual needs. I'm going to be here through everything.

The smile on her face makes me want to smile with her. It makes my heart do flips in my chest. I wanted to tell her.

It's when I bring my mouth up from between her legs. She can't stop smiling at me. I know that I've done an excellent job.

I get up and go back to the chair.

“What, you don’t want me to please you?” She pouts at me.

“I think the best thing that you need is rest. I want to be here for you. I want you to know that no matter what happens when you turn around, I’m going to be here. Right now, I’m doing this for you. Don’t think that I don’t want to be pleased. I do. I just want what’s best for you right now.” I assure her.

She nods her head and doesn't bother getting dressed. Instead, she drapes the blanket over her that she used earlier.

When I know she's asleep, I lock the front door and shut the light off in the living room keeping the television on for sound and a little light.

I think about Sonya sleeping downstairs and know that if I had her in my bed, she wasn’t going to get the rest that she needed.

I fall asleep for a short time, not an REM sleep in case she needs me for something. I toss and turn throughout the night and think about all that lies ahead of us.

I do see a future with her. I can feel it. She’s come into my life for a reason remembering the meek woman at the door just a few days ago now feels like months ago.

There’s a smile forming on my face when I hear her come up the stairs. She opens the door all the way and goes to the windows.

"Come on. We don't have any time to waste," Sonya tells me, letting the sunshine in. I have to block my eyes.

“What time is it?” I groan.

"It's eight in the morning. You know that we have to get to work." Sonya's voice is chipper, she's happy.

I know what she's doing, but I don't call her out on it.

She's doing the same thing that I did when my mother passed — pretending that everything is going to be okay. She’s pushing her feelings down.

I can’t tell her how to mourn. I can’t show her how to. She needs to do that part on her own.

“You’re positive that you want to do this today?” I ask her, not opening my eyes.

“Don’t. I told you I want to work. I’m ready.” She throws her arms up as I open my eyes and see that she’s in the dress that we’re using in the painting.

“All right. Give me a minute.” I laugh at her.

Sonya walks out and closes the door behind her so that I can have some privacy.

Chapter Fifteen

I throw on a pair of shorts and a tank top. I don’t have to care about how I look when I’m working from home.

I don't see Sonya anywhere when I make my way down the hall. Going to the art studio, I see that she's ready for me.

She's still admiring the paintings on the wall. I shake my head at her.

“They’ve been there since the day you arrived. They will always be there.” I laugh at her, closing the door behind me.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t take the beauty away from them.” She points out to me.

She knows how to make a woman feel special when it comes to something she truly cares about. My artwork makes me want to sing half the time. Now she’s making me want to sing the rest of the time.

"You really should put some of these in the gallery even if they are showpieces. You don't always have to put them up for sale." She remarks.

“I might take your suggestion after we get this painting done.” I bring her back to the task at hand.

“You will get more admirers. The ones who really want to buy it can’t touch it. You know what I mean?” She laughs at me.

“Yes, I have seen paintings like that myself. A true artist always yearns for the one piece they can’t have. It drives us crazy sometimes.” I giggle, going behind my workstation.

Everything is in order. I'm just waiting for Sonya.

The way she moves around the room, not realizing that I’m watching her. She’s so relaxed that you wouldn’t think anything bad has happened in her life.

“Ready?” I ask when we make eye contact.

Sonya nods her head and comes closer to where I am. She's standing in the place that I had her position before.

"Now, we're going to lower the dress down to the hips," I instruct her as if we've been doing this for years.

With no hesitation, she lowers the dress. She goes nice and slow as if she's trying to be seductive. I don't tell her, but she's caught my eye this morning as she continues to lower it.

"There!" I call out to her, and she grins at me.

“You know that you want to see more.” She flirts with me.

I laugh at her and shake my head. She has no idea how much I want to see as I pick up the sketching pencil again. I start on how she lowers the dress. I make sure that everything is perfect in my mind.

Then the door opens, and Sonya cries out in surprise. She lifts the dress all the way up, but it’s too late, he’s already seen her.

"This is disgusting!" Sam shouts, pointing a finger at her.

“This is art!” I cry out, coming out from behind the easel.

"Your mother would be very disappointed in you. I knew that something was going on between the two of you. Now I've caught you!" he shouts, raising his voice at me.

“This is my home. You don’t get to act like you’re the one in charge here. You have no right coming into my home without announcing yourself. Who let you in?” I ask him, feeling the fury growing stronger.

"It was unlocked," Sam tells me, at least his voice is lowered.

The accusing looks that he gives us; however, only becomes stronger.

"You don't get to tell me how to live my life. You can't just barge in here. Melinda is my boss that we're talking about. Right now, I'm working," Sonya hisses at him.

“Right, is that what you’re calling it?” He gives her a nasty look as she lifts the dress even higher, not that she has to because there’s nothing showing.

"Get out of my house," I tell him, walking closer to him.

"Your mother thought that I'd disgraced the family. Yet, she couldn't look in her own back yard." He doesn't look at me. He's not even talking to me.

"That's enough out of your mouth," I warn him.

“I supported you going through this marriage of yours. I even stuck up for you when mother cut you down. I told her that it was your life to live and not hers. You let me live mine.” Sonya’s voice is soft.

I look at her as if she has two heads.

I don’t understand how she can be so calm with him. Maybe she’s used to it, but I am not, and I want him to leave.

“I thought you were going home?” She asks him, not moving an inch.

“I was going to. I guess it’s a good thing that I didn’t leave. I wanted to make sure that you were going to be okay.” He looks at me and then back at her.

"You have nothing to worry about. She's fine with me," I tell Sam.

“I see that.” He rolls his eyes at me.

I want to hit him; I want to lash out at him. Sam can't treat anyone like this. It doesn't matter if Sonya is his family; he just can't.

“Go, I don’t need your help. Tell Greg I say hi and make sure that you tell him what you walked in on.” Sonya smiles at him.

Sam’s face turns red, but he has nothing to say as he walks out of the art studio.

I follow him down the hall and down the stairs, making sure that he leaves the house.

"The next time you come back, I'm going to call the police." I hiss at him and slam the door behind him.

I lock the door so that he can't get back in. I go to the back door and make sure that it is also closed and locked.

Never in my life has anyone done this to me. I've never had someone so brave to come into my house and disrespect it or anyone in it.

Chapter Sixteen

Going back upstairs, I see that she's dressed again. There's a look of shame on her face, and I don't want her to feel bad.

"This is art, you know that. What we do in our private life has nothing to do with him," I tell her, closing the door.

"I know, I truly wish that he didn't come barging in here. This place isn't my home," Sonya tells me, shaking her head.

I want her so bad right now. I have a surge of emotion running through me. I want to help ease all her pain.

"Well, we can be done for the day if you want to," I tell her.

“How far have you come along.” She nods her head at the canvases that I have turned so that she can’t see them.

I take her hand and lead her to my workstation.

Her eyes glow when she sees the one where her back is to me. The straps of the dress are off the shoulders. There's a look in her eye.

“Mysterious.” She sums it up with one word.

“Yes.” I feel the smile growing across my face.

"You're going to paint it? I think it looks nice just the way it is. If I'm in awe of this piece, then I know that plenty of others will be," Sonya tells me.

"I don't know. Something is missing," I tell Sonya.

“Maybe, but the eyes, they look so piercing. Maybe what it’s missing is a darker shade. I would have fun with it if I were you.” She suggests.

Sonya doesn’t know it, but she has given me an idea.

All of my artwork is nothing but paintings. The more I look at it, the more I like the rawness of it without the color.

"These pieces side by side, what do they represent?" Sonya asks, comparing the canvases of her with her back facing me, slowly making her move around to the front and slowly starting to undress.

"The woman is hidden. She hides her body from the world. Though her eyes state that she's mysterious deep down, she's not so confident about showing off her body. Not until someone comes along that makes her feel alive. Someone she wants to show her body to. It's one single person that she has her eyes set on," I tell her in a whispered voice.

“Melinda, are you thinking of me as the person that’s slowly exposing herself for the world to see?” She asks me.

“Yes.” I clear my throat, feeling my face growing red.

She brings a hand to the side of my face, and I look up at her. Her lips brush against mine so gently that I'm not sure if she has kissed me.

I know that she has.

“I don’t know if we should be doing this right now.” I gasp.

“You know, sooner or later you’re going to have to give me a chance to please you.” She giggles, pulling away from me.

I smile at her and shake my head.

"I like the concept of the artwork, though. There's always a story behind each piece." Sonya goes back to complimenting my talent.

"I'm hoping by the end of the month, it will be ready for the gallery," I state.

"You're going to sell it?" Sonya bites down on her lip.

"I'd like to. That's what I do for a living. It's how I feed myself, clothe myself. I need a place to live, you know." I smirk at her.

"Yeah." She smiles at me, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

“I’m going to go take a nap. If you need anything, I will be downstairs.” Sonya turns away from me and heads out the door.

I have an idea.

She doesn’t want me to sell it at the gallery. There’s no way that she’s going to get what she wants, but as the light comes on in my head, I know that there’s a way that we can both get what we want.

I work through most of the day. I don't even realize what time it is until I hear the door open — hoping that it's not more bad news.

"It's almost nine at night." Sonya looks at me tiredly.

“Sorry, I’m almost done.” I blush a little.

“Done with what?” She’s curious now.

“None of your business. I will be down in a minute.” My heart almost stops. I don’t want her seeing the creation that I’m coming up with.

There’s a time and place for everything and now is not the time.

“All right.” She grins at me.

She knows that I'm hiding something because of the tone of my voice — the look in my eyes. I roll my eyes at her, and she laughs.

It's so carefree, and it makes me want to wrap her up in a hug.

She leaves the room before I can make my way to her. I have to be strong for her, not for me. I want her to realize what it would mean if I did let her please me.

There would be no turning back. I can't have that. Not with Sonya just losing her mother, and not knowing what she truly wants. She's young, who knows if she's going to change her mind?

I try to push the thoughts away as I finish up my idea and call it a night.

I go to my room. Sonya is sitting on the bed watching television.

“An hour later.” She laughs at me.

“Sorry.” I grin at her and take my clothes out of the dresser before leaving the room.

“I can leave so you can get changed if you want.” She tells me.

“No, it’s okay.” I shake my head.

Maybe saying no wasn't something I should have said. I enjoy Sonya's company. She makes me laugh, and she takes a lot of the stress of loneliness away.

Chapter Seventeen

I throw on a tank top and a pair of biking shorts. Going back to my room, I see that the small light is on where she's sitting.

"You can get comfortable if you want to," I tell her.

"I don't want to take up all your space. You're nice enough to let me stay here. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have anywhere to go." She points out to me.

"Trust me. I don't mind sharing." I laugh at her, pulling the blankets back and slipping into bed. I see that she's watching an old black and white movie that she found on the DVD rack.

She slips under the sheet and blanket beside me. We are almost touching, but I don’t want to rub against her even on accident.

I don’t know if I’m punishing her or myself at this point. I’m a gluten for punishment, I guess. It’s when the movies over that I look over at her to see what she’s doing.

Her head is against the pillow, her eyes are closed, and her mouth is open just slightly. I can hear her soft breathing of sleep.

Biting down on my lip, I can't help myself as I pull the blankets up, pretending that I'm covering my shoulders.

I look under the blanket. With the help of the light, I can see how round Sonya's bosom is, how her chest rises and falls before I look down at her flat stomach.

My eyes stare a little too long between her legs that are slightly spread. Though I can't see her mound, I like the shorts that she's wearing, how they hug her.

I tear my eyes away from her body and roll over so that my back is facing her. I can't stand the light, but with Sonya beside me, I fall asleep quickly.

I notice that we both have slept in when I open my eyes and look at the clock. It's almost noon, and the only thing that has woken me is the knocking downstairs.

I don’t know how it hasn’t woken Sonya up, but I get out of bed and hurry down the stairs to see who it is.

Throwing the door open, I see that it's raining out. I'm cold as I wrap my arms around me. I glare at the person standing on the other side.

“Don’t you think that you’ve caused enough damage?” I ask him.

“I want to see Sonya.” He looks me up and down with disgust in his eyes.

"She's sleeping," I hiss.

"It's about what her mother left her." He doesn't let his eyes stray from mine again. I open the door wider to let him in.

“Stay here.” I point at the living room floor.

He nods his head. I rush up the stairs to wake up Sonya.

She would be so mad at me if I didn’t.

"Hey, you need to get up," I whisper to her.

She moans and tries to push me away from her.

"Come on, Sam's downstairs. It has something to do with your mother," I tell her, pressing my lips against her ear.

I hear a whimper come out of her mouth and I pull away, biting down on my lip I hurry out of the room and back downstairs.

“She’ll be down in a minute.” I sit down in the chair.

"Do you really have to be here?" Sam asks me.

“It’s my house.” I raise my eyebrows at him as I look at the long envelope that he has in his hand.

“Do you know what it is?” I ask him, nodding.

"No. As you can see, the seal hasn't been broken. The lawyer asked me if I could bring it to her." He flips it over.

At least he’s honest about not going through people’s things.

“A lawyer?” We hear her then from the top of the stairs.

She comes down and looks at the envelope that he has for her.

“Thank you.” She takes it from him and goes to sit on the couch.

"Your welcome," Sam sighs. He still stands there.

It's not up to me to tell him to leave. It's her family. I can't very well order him out of the house. Though, I think it's rude to stand there and wonder what's in the envelope since it's not even addressed to him.

Sonya reads the papers. There's something that looks like a check in her hand. The room is silent until she looks up at him.

"Did you know that mother had an account?" Sonya asks Sam.

"Yes, I had a feeling that's what it was about." Sam nods his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sonya glares at him.

"She told me not to. She said that you would find out when you needed to, does it have the house in it too?" Sam asks.

“Yes. There’s a house just on the edge of town. It’s in mother’s name.” She keeps her eyes on his while mine bounce back and forth between them.

“It’s yours. It’s all furnished. It has utilities paid enough to get you through for a year. I made sure that it was kept up.” Sam gives her a small smile.

“Why would she give me a house? Her money?” Sonya asks him.

"She loved you. She got the house from our parents. I didn't want it. I had the first option. I told her that she could have it because I was moving in a different direction — the money she saved up on her own. The lawyer called me. I told him that I would drop it off on my way out of town," Sam explains to her.

Chapter Eighteen

They talk for a few more minutes while I sit there and let the worries run through my mind. It’s not long before Sam says goodbye and he’s gone.

“What’s going on with you?” Sonya asks me.

“Nothing.” I shake my head.

“I can see that something is the matter. It’s like you’re about to burst into tears.” She whispers to me.

"I don't know. I mean, I guess you have somewhere to go now, right? The money. I mean, it doesn't seem like you need a job anymore." I tell her, I don't mean to be upset. It's the emotions that I didn't want to come to the surface.

“So, you think that I’m just going to leave.” She guesses.

I nod my head, feeling the anger well up inside of me.

“How could you think such a thing? Do you think that I’m here because we work together? Because I feel obligated to be here? Before my mother passed, did you think that I was playing around?” She glares at me.

I don’t know what to say to her.

Sonya gets up from the couch, and I'm afraid that she's going to leave. I want to stop her, but I would've looked like a fool if I had.

She wasn't going for the door, she races upstairs, stomping her feet. I lean my head back against the chair, closing my eyes.

I don't know why I thought that she was going to up and leave. I should've talked to her first instead of just assuming.

It’s when I realize that she’s not going to come back down that I head for the art studio. If we aren’t talking, then the least I can do is continue the work that I need to finish.

I work through most of the day until I realize that I'm starving. Closing up the art studio, I go down to get a late lunch.

My bedroom door is closed. I know that Sonya is in there. I want to go into my room to see what she's doing.

I don't, though.

If I wanted her out of my room, I would've said so. I want to check on her. To make sure that she's all right.

***

It's later in the evening when I'm downstairs. Sonya still hasn't come out of the room. I'm worried about her as I pull the couch out into a bed and set up the blankets that I need since it's still raining, and it feels damp in the house.

Turning on the television, I'm almost asleep when I hear her coming down the stairs. She doesn't say anything as she walks into the room and sits down on the couch.

The small space that I have left since I almost take up the entire space.

"I would never leave you stranded. You haven't left me stranded. I have money. That doesn't mean anything. It doesn't bring my mother back. The house doesn't. I've been thinking about it all day," she whispers to me.

"I'm sorry for overreacting," I whisper to her.

"I guess I can see your point too. I would be scared, but that would mean that you would have to have feelings for me, which it's clear that you don't." Sonya pulls out that card.

I bite down on my lip to keep myself from rushing.

"I do have feelings for you. That's what you're not getting. If you allow me, those feelings are going to grow deeper. Then, what happens if you just up and leave? Are you sure that you could handle something like this?" I ask her.

"I knew I had feelings for you when you lowered my dress in the art studio for the first time. I simply didn't know how to handle it. That was before my mother passed. What would make you think that it could be switched off just like that?" She asks me, snapping her fingers.

I don’t know, that’s why I don’t answer her.

"You're afraid that you're going to fall in love with me. I'm not conceited, but that's what it sounds like." She points out facts that I don't deny.

The silence between us is crazy.

“You don’t know how to take risks. That’s your problem.” She points out to me.

“I’m too old to take risks. Maybe back in the day, but not now. I like something solid.” I reply.

I feel her watching me. I try to keep my eyes on the television, but her stare is so long that I can’t help but look at her.

“You’re going to say that we aren’t solid? You’re doing your best to help me through my loss. I’ve shown you more of me than I have to any other female. I would say that’s solid.” She nods her head firmly.

I smile at her, and before I know it, we're laughing with each other. It feels good to break the tension as I slide over just a little to give her more space on the couch.

"I think that we're going to be okay. I have so many plans," Sonya tells me.

"Yeah?" I ask her hearing the happiness in her voice.

"The house is set off the road, closer to the woods. There's more privacy out here. I've timed the drive. It's only an hour from the gallery. If everything works, we could disappear from the world around us," she states.

I like that she includes me in all of this. I look around the living room. I would never sell my home.

“We could take it all in stride. There’s a lot of space out there.” She continues.

“It sounds great.” I smile at her.

“I don’t know why she would leave all of it to me.” She shakes her head.

“What do you mean all of it?” I ask her.

“The money, she’s left me over twenty-grand. How could she live so poorly even before she went into the nursing home?” She asks me.

"Money didn't mean anything to her. She must've taken a long time saving all that up just for you. It means that she worried about you before her time was up. Your mother didn't want you just left out in the cold. She didn't want you stressing out about money issues," I tell her.

I see a soft smile come to her face — a calm one.

"She didn't have to do that," Sonya whispers to me.

"I know. That's what mothers do, Sonya. They put aside the things that they want or need for us. I still remember when I was cleaning out my mother's house, there was a hole in the wall that she never patched up. It was a hole that I had made by slamming the door so hard every time I went into my room when I was little that the doorknob went right through it. I stuck my hand inside of it, and there was a small envelope of money for me. A letter. The memory of the hole and how it had been created. It wasn't a lot of money, but enough to get me by. She was proud of me. She kept all of my drawings and just knew that one day I would become what I had set out to be," I explain to her.

"You must miss her so much," Sonya murmurs.

"I do. The pain never goes away. But we learn to live with it day in and day out. I keep reminding myself that one day I will see her again. Until then, I have to live my life. It's been good to me that I do know. There are going to be struggles and ups and downs. Everything is going to be okay in the end. When it's our time, I believe we reunite with everyone that we are missing. All of our ancestors are going to be holding their arms out to wrap us tightly in a hug, and the pain just vanishes." I stare up at the ceiling as I explain my theory.

“That’s so beautiful. I like that thought. It makes it a little easier to deal with the pain.” She tells me after a few minutes.

I see her wiping the tears.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," I whisper to her, putting my hand on hers.

"I know that you didn't. It was just so beautiful." She nods her head at me and wipes the rest of them away.

The way she’s looking at me, the shine of her eyes. I can’t believe how beautiful she looks right now.

It’s then that she moves closer to me. I don’t know if she’s adjusting herself to get comfortable or not.

That’s when I feel her lips on mine. God, I can’t believe how soft her lips are. She thinks that I’m so strong that I’m going to be able to control myself when she does these random things.

I do find myself kissing her back. Feeling her mouth on mine was enough to drive me over the edge. Her tongue slides into my mouth and very softly entangles with mine.

I hear soft whimpering, and I find that it's coming from me and not her.

"Let me please you," Sonya whispers so softly as she licks at my tongue so slowly that I want to take her.

“Sonya.” I gasp as I feel her hand already resting on my mound.

I got so lost in the moment that I didn’t realize where her hand was going. I didn’t feel her hand slide down me.

"Melinda. It's okay," Sonya whines.

I moan softly for her and want to give into her. I want to, just right now is not the time. So, I gently push her away.

I can see the hurt in her eyes.

"Then, when?" Sonya asks me.

I don't have the answer to Sonya's question. I feel my heart racing in my chest. Then I touch between my legs and feel the wetness.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head.

"This morning, when you woke me up, I thought that I was dreaming. The way your mouth was pressed against my ear, the way your hot breath teased me awake," she explains to me softly.

"I want you. I do," I tell her.

That’s the only thing that I am sure of.

“Then let me.” She teases me, giving me that sexy smirk of hers.

“Can we just hold each other tonight?” I ask her, raising my eyebrows.

“Yes, anything is better than nothing.” She agrees with me.

The hurt is gone from her eyes as she gets to her feet.

“Where are you going?” I ask her.

"I thought that you wanted to go upstairs." She turns back to me. I see the redness in her cheeks and the confusion in her eyes.

I pull the blanket back on the couch, and she comes back to me.

"I want to feel the tightness, the closeness. I don't feel that in the bed. It's too big," I explain to her.

Sonya nods her head at me, thoroughly understanding. I watch as she brings her arm around me.

It feels good to have Sonya beside me and know she wants me. I don't want to rush her into anything. I don't know even if I want to rush myself into it, but being around her makes me happy. Since she stepped foot into the interview, I knew that something was happening to me. I wasn't sure what it was. Now I see that it's the happiness that I felt just meeting her.

I don't hear any noises coming from her. She's fallen asleep as she hugs me tightly. I run a hand through her hair, petting her hair, and looking at the angelic smile she has on her face. The one that she has that she doesn't even know about. The one that only shows while she's sleeping.

Chapter Nineteen

I don't know what time I fell asleep, but the television is still on, and I'm not really awake, in and out.

Whimpering has woken me up. I feel her hold me tighter than she had been last night. The more I wake up, the more I feel wetness.

Sonya is grinding against my leg. I can feel how hot she is. The way her lips spread. I can feel her clit rubbing and her breathing becoming heavier.

"All I want to do is please you. Let me please you," Sonya gasps, and I open one of my eyes.

Her eyes are closed. I don’t know if she’s awake or asleep, but it’s turning me on the more she presses against me.

I feel myself coming alive, the sweat collecting on my forehead as I allow her to continue. Her leg is over mine. She's sliding up and down it, making sure that her leg is tucked tightly around mine as if she's afraid that I'm going to wake up.

That's when I feel complete wetness. Sonya has pleased herself. I fight the urge to cry out for her.

When Sonya is done, she settles back to holding me, just not so tightly. Her leg relaxes against mine, and her eyes remain closed.

I don’t know if I should wake her up and let her know what has happened. I don’t want to embarrass her.

I move my leg slightly and pretend to roll over. A smile on my face, that was so hot even though it only lasted a few seconds. I don't know how long Sonya had been doing it.

All I know is that I'm awake now. There's no way that I'm going to be able to go back to sleep. I slowly get out of bed, making sure that I don't wake her up.

I go upstairs and take a cold shower. We have to work hard today. I want to make sure that if any changes are needing to be made, they will be so that it's ready for the end of the month.

Letting the water run over me until I feel in control of myself, I get out of the shower and put on a pair of pink leggings with a matching sports bra that goes with it. The only thing that shows is my belly button and a little skin.

I put my hair up in a ponytail and make my way out of the bathroom. Going to the art studio, I'm surprised to see that she's standing there.

“I know how hard you’ve been working lately, and I want to make sure that I’m ready. Today I would like to work all day with you.” She tells me that she’s ready.

The only thing that I can think of is how good it felt to have her beside me — the reason why I had to get out of bed to begin with.

"That's great. I think the same. We should have it all done today." I tell her, walking over to the canvases.

Sonya hasn't seen the ones that are covered up with a sheet. If she has, she hasn't said anything, maybe understanding my privacy.

"This time, I'm going to have you bring the dress down just below your mound." I clear my throat.

She giggles at me, seeing how hard it is for me to say it.

"What?" I challenge her, feeling my face grow red. At the same time, there's a smile on my face.

“Nothing, I think that your vocab is something to be desired.” She rolls her eyes, but she lowers the dress.

I watch her slowly take off her dress. I know that she's silently enticing me, but I can't give in. I just can't. The lower it goes, the wider my eyes get. I clear my throat when she stops just for a second.

I look into Sonya's eyes and see the playfulness there. She is loving teasing me. Sonya knows I want to see it. She can see it in my eyes. I can't deny that she's right.

Then she uncovers her mound. I bite down on my lip as I begin to draw her. I continue to zero in between her legs and the way it's shaped. I see how smooth she is.

"This is going to be a masterpiece," I whisper.

She doesn't say anything as she continues to hold herself still. The gleam in her eyes is much different than the first day we started this.

The ones who are fans will see that. That it has nothing to do with Sonya's naked body, but how she evolves into someone with strength, with the bravery of showing who she is. What she is.

A woman of confidence.

I hurry along with my sketching. The more I draw, the more I like.

"Now, you can drop it all the way while I do this last piece!" I clap my hands after hours of working on the final touches.

"It doesn't feel that long, are you sure that you're done with it?" Sonya asks me.

“We’ve been in here for almost three hours. See how time flies when you’re here having a lot of fun?” I point out to her.

Sonya nods her head at me, dropping the dress. Sonya is amazed when she looks up at the clock and sees that it's almost two in the afternoon.

“Told you.” I giggle at her.

It's not long before I'm busy with the sketch again. I lick my lips, running my tongue back and forth as I capture between Sonya's legs again.

I’m almost breathing heavily as I draw the rumpled dress on the floor.

Stepping back from the sketches side by side that we've done today, I am happy with what I see. I think Sonya is right. There's no need for color.

“This is going to be my first creation that is going to be no color.” I finally have made up my mind.

"Yeah?" Sonya asks me, jumping up and down. My eyes are focused on her chest. The way they bob slightly.

“Yes. I was thinking about what you said yesterday. I want to try something different. You don’t know if the results are going to be the same or not unless you try.” I shrug my shoulders.

Stepping out from behind my station, I see that she's not focused on what I'm saying anymore. She looks down. I don't know what she's looking at until I follow her glance.

Slowly my eyes go down between my legs. There's a wet patch. It shows up clearly with no mistake that I'm turned on because of the color of my leggings.

"I can see that you're torturing yourself," she whispers to me.

Chapter Twenty

I don't say anything to her. I think about turning away. Sonya comes over to me, completely naked. She doesn't put the dress back on.

"How long are you going to keep doing this to yourself? Everyone needs human touch," Sonya tells me and brings her hand between my legs.

I whimper for her, closing my eyes and putting my hands on her shoulders.

“Look at this.” She murmurs, bringing her other hand up to my breasts and running her fingers across the hard nubs that are showing off against the tight sports bra.

"Sonya," I whisper her name.

"Let me please you." She tells me so softly that it sends a shiver throughout my whole body.

"Not here," I tell her.

I push away from her and head out of the art studio. I go to my room and close the door. I pace the floor for a few minutes. I want to get myself under control. I need to.

I go to the dresser and throw on a pair of jogging shorts. Maybe running will help me. Perhaps that's what I need to do.

I don't even think to put on another bra. I wouldn't have time, even if I wanted to. I watch as the door opens and it's Sonya.

“You can’t run away from this forever. You just can’t.” She sees that I’m dressed, and I am ready to head out the door.

Sonya kisses my neck softly.

"Sonya." I close my eyes tightly, trying to stay firm about my decision.

My body is reacting to her touch. The way she cups my breast, not from the sides, from the bottom, and she gently runs her fingers against my bra.

I gasp when I find her mouth sliding down my neck. Her tongue slips out and licks at my cleavage.

“You can’t keep pushing me away.” She moans at me.

I step away from her and turn my back. I close my eyes, taking a deep breath, and letting it out slowly.

I haven’t been this close to a woman in a long time.

Sonya is right, though. I know that she is.

Slowly I get on the bed and roll over onto my back. I see Sonya standing there completely naked. She comes to bed.

"Are you going to push me away this time?" Sonya asks me.

"I don't know, I can't predict the future," I whisper to her, feeling a small smile come to my face.

Sonya gets on the bed beside me. She holds me just like she had done earlier this morning while she was sleeping.

I think to make sure that I don’t get away.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if I touched you here.” She runs her hand slowly down my stomach. I watch her hand continue to move down to my mound.

Sonya slowly brings her hand up and down it, rubbing it as I feel the wetness. I know that she does too.

“So easy. That feels so good.” She murmurs to me.

I nod my head quickly, not wanting to cry out for her. Not wanting to show her just how much I enjoy her touch.

I can hear my brain telling me to run away. Don't let this happen, but my body is telling me to stay and see how far it goes.

"You know, I didn't know a woman's touch until you. I didn't know how good it could feel. Now it feels like I'm the one who is teaching you," Sonya tells me softly, bringing her mouth to mine.

“I know how to please a woman.” My voice is shaking.

"Yes, that you do know. I'm a witness to that." She nods her head before slowly licking my lips with the tip of her tongue.

Sonya has me so concentrated on what she's doing to my lips that I don't realize that she has slipped her hand inside my shorts until I feel her rubbing against my vaginal lips and teasing my clit.

"Sonya," I whine, putting my hand on top of hers.

“Yes, feel it. You like it. I know that you do.” She whispers against my ear.

I find myself grinding against her fingers. I close my eyes and arch my back as she kisses my breasts through the bra that I’m wearing.

"I want you," she purrs against my ear. I spread my legs for her.

She takes my shorts down with her free hand. Her mouth is on mine, pressing against it. Licking my tongue as I open my mouth for her.

"God," I whine against her mouth.

"Not that good." She giggles at me. I sit up just enough to take my bra off.

"This is the woman that I've wanted to see." She nods her head.

Chapter Twenty-One

“I can’t continue to believe that there’s nothing here. There is something between us.” I moan against her mouth.

I grab Sonya's shoulders and bring her closer to me. Her breasts are on mine. Our hard nubs are pressing against each other.

Sonya is grinding hers against mine. It feels so good to know that she hasn't given up on me.

I don't think that she would've given up on me even if I had denied her once again. She's a strong woman. She keeps coming back for more.

Now she should have what she wants. I should have what I want.

Her.

I open my legs nice and wide for her, letting her know that I'm ready.

"I haven't mastered this at all, so don't say anything," she warns me.

“Anything you to do me right now is going to make me cum for you.” I give her a shaky smile as she gets on top of me.

Slowly she straddles me. I can feel her hole sliding over mine as she thrusts her hips slowly. I want her to go fast. I hold back the urge to take her and show her how I like it.

Our lips spread and we are connected, I arch my back and feel her arms come around me. She pulls me up into a sitting position.

I wrap my arms around her and feel her sliding harder against me, grinding on me. I can’t deny how good it feels!

“That’s it, that’s the spot.” I tremble as she continues to please me.

Our breasts slightly bounce and touch as if they’re celebrating being together. A joyous dance that no one else would understand.

“Like this.” She moans and gasps as she continues thrusting and bumping against me.

"Yes, please," I beg her, biting down on her shoulder and opening my legs so that she can really please me.

Sonya has more confidence than any woman I know. She has a big heart, and I know that I can trust her.

I feel it as she holds me in her arms. She doesn't want to let me go. I don't want her to stop what she's doing to my body.

“I never thought that I would have this. That I would know how it feels!” She cries out to me.

She's just as wet as I am. I love the heat being created, and I want more. I crave more as she bites down on her lip.

Her eyes are closed and tilted upwards as she continues to grind me. The way her body moves, I bite into her shoulder a little harder, and she cries out.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to her quickly.

“God, that feels so good!” She hollers at me.

I feel her cumming as she slides her vagina up and down mine faster and faster. It's then that I cum with her, and we're clinging to each other, afraid that we're going to fall off the face of the earth if we don't have each other.

The emotional thought of being with her through whatever life throws at us makes me cum more for her.

Sonya stops thrusting and grinding against me. We're breathing heavily and holding onto each other.

Our bodies are wet from sweat. I kiss Sonya softly on the shoulder, where I had bitten her. When she pulls away from me, there's a smile that shows she had a lot of fun.

“That was so good. I shouldn’t have held you off for so long.” I tell her as she gets off me and sits on the edge of the bed.

“I know why you did. I can’t blame you.” She shakes her head.

Fear is a big thing. One that keeps us from doing what we want. Sometimes keeping us from being what we want. The fear is no longer there. I held out until I couldn't any longer.

"That was amazing. Was it good for you?" Sonya asks me, looking at me for reassurance.

"Yes, for your first time, it was amazing." I smile at her, feeling my face growing hot.

"Now, there's nothing to fear. You don't have to worry about a sucky lover." Sonya laughs at me.

"I never thought that you were a sucky lover. I never worried about that. What I truly worried about was my feelings getting more profound, and then something happened. You came to me for a job. I needed a model. I had taken advantage of you from the start. In the art studio, " I tell her.

Sonya laughs at me. She points her finger and smiles at me.

“What?” I’m not exactly sure what’s so funny about the situation.

"You make it sound like I didn't want it. I didn't know how to feel about it. I never told you no," Sonya says and shakes her head at me.

“I know that.” I roll my eyes at her.

“Are we done with the art studio?” She asks me.

"You are, there are things that I need to do. I have a few last-minute touchups, and it should be ready to go." I nod my head.

Glad that she brought it back to the painting.

“I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want those sketches. You’ve made everything come alive just the way you imagined it. I had a lot of fun with it. It’s a shame that you’re putting it up for sale.” Sonya tells me.

"I told you, I do this for a living. I fall in love with a lot of my paintings. I'm sad to see them go, but it's the way of life. Besides, it all depends on what the customer is looking for. That may not sell right off. It may take months, years."

I never get hopeful about how much money I can make in a short period of time.

Being an artist is a hard job. I learned that years ago.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I watch as Sonya goes through my dresser and pulls out a nightgown. She heads for the door.

“I’m going to take a shower. Maybe we can order out tonight?” She asks me.

“I think that would be good.” I agree with her.

Make it simple tonight. Not that every night isn't simple. I don't think about dinner. Most of the time, I'm thinking about painting and what can really wow the crowd.

She leaves the bedroom door open as she heads down the hall. I hear the bathroom door open and shut.

Getting off the bed, I get dressed and head for the art studio. I sketch out the final details on the canvases.

I don't realize that I'm fatigued and ready to eat until Sonya comes in through the door.

"Dinner's been here for the past ten minutes. I have coffee brewing downstairs." She reminds me of what happened earlier. The smile on my face is undeniable.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I laugh at her.

“Starve.” She rolls her eyes and leaves the room but not without looking at what I’m doing first. Not coming close but trying to see.

I give her a warning look. She laughs at me, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

I will show her the day that I bring the creation into the art gallery when we get back. That’s my plan at least. I hope that I can hold out until then.

I want to tell her I do want to show her I want to wait until we get back and see the light in her eyes after she thinks that she's never going to see it again.

Shutting the light off and leaving the room, I can smell the Chinese food before I see it. It makes my mouth water.

“How did you know that this is my favorite meal?” I ask her.

“I didn’t. I picked what I like this is my favorite.” She smiles at me.

She has two bowls out and hands me a fork.

"Thank you for being so patient with me," I whisper, leaning in to kiss her, and she's waiting for it. She happily lets me kiss her.

"It wasn't easy, that's for sure," Sonya tells me.

"I know," I grunt as I fill my bowl and head into the living room.

She gets what she wants and comes to sit beside me on the couch. My bowl is on the coffee table as I eat, trying not to make a mess.

I feel her eyes on me.

“What?” I ask her.

“Nothing. I just like looking at you. It feels like everything is just falling into place.” She shrugs her shoulders and begins eating dinner.

She's right

. It does feel like everything is falling into place the way it should be. I imagined my life without her if she hadn't stepped foot into my house.

I still see it as empty, not much laughter. It is working all the time even through dinner and not having a reminder that it's dinner time or time for bed.

She's right. I probably would starve before I came out of that room.

"Are you excited about the gallery?" she asks me.

"I am. I'm going to see if there is a space for it. I don't want to wait until the end of the month to show it off. I want it in first thing tomorrow morning. First, I have to make sure that there's plenty of room. I don't want any other artist crowding my creation." I look her up and down and see the blush on her face.

"Well, you only deserve the best. I don't have to make a speech at the gallery. It's self-explanatory. I mean, anyone can see it without coming out and seeing. Plus, the title will explain it all." I tell her.

“Do you know what you’re going to be working on for the next one?” She wants to change the subject but still wants to talk about art.

"Not yet, I'm open to suggestions, though." I grin at her and finish eating my food.

She’s nibbling at hers.

"It's not the end of the world. I don't get this sad when I put my paintings in the gallery. I take photos of them and save them for my portfolio in case I have to work for someone instead of myself." I shrug my shoulders at her.

Walking into the kitchen, I rinse my dish and put it in the sink. I hear the television changing stations and smile.

She can never figure out what she wants to watch, and that's okay. I find it amusing when I walk in. Sonya is glaring at the television.

“Are you mad at me or at the television?” I ask her seriously.

"Neither. I'm just disappointed," Sonya states honestly, looking over at me.

"I need to make money. You know that," I tell Sonya.

"I have enough to get us by," she reminds me.

"I don't want your money. Don't take that the wrong way. I don't want it. I don't need it. I like what I do, and I like that I can sell my imagination, my sexy creations." I eye her, looking up and down her body.

That brings a smile to her face—one that reaches her eyes. I hope to see the same smile, if not a better one, when she sees her surprise.

"Come down to the gallery with me in the morning. We can check out the new pieces. See if some of my old artwork is still there." I want her to come with me to share the joy of looking at other pieces.

“That would be good. You mean to tell me that you’re going to go out.” She pretends to be shocked.

Chapter Twenty-Three

We go to bed early so that I can go to the gallery. I don’t want to waste all day there. I walk into the gallery with Sonya beside me.

"Melinda, I was wondering when we were going to see you again!" The gallery owner looks at me and comes rushing toward me.

The potential buyers admiring the work on the walls and at the sculptures are looking at us.

I can even feel cameras flashing. I don’t care if they take my picture. It’s not a big deal to me as I hug Ms. Harrison.

She's an older lady with white hair and thin glasses that her blue eyes peek out of. She wears a one-piece suit to look elegant. She has on a diamond necklace and matching bracelet. I love how it shines on her.

"Hello, yes. I have finished another piece and was hoping that there might be space on your walls," I tell Sonya.

“There’s always space on my walls for your creations. How big are we talking?” She looks around the room.

"I'd like to put the pieces sideways." I look around the room and see the perfect space closer to the cashier stands, and knowing that people will be buying art, they will see it.

"Right there," I point out to her.

"Yes, are you sure you need that big of a space?" she asks me.

"This time, it's not a painting. You will see what I mean when I bring it in. There are three pieces to it. That would be the perfect space," I tell her with confidence.

"Great. I'll mark you down for it. When do you want to bring it in?" She goes behind the desk. We follow her, standing on the other side like regular customers.

"Tomorrow, if that's not too soon." I bite down on my lip.

“That would be great. I will be here. The people that handle the artwork will be here. It’s perfect.” She claps her hands together.

"How much would that be today?" I ask, reaching into my purse and grabbing my checkbook.

"Three hundred for the entire time that it's here. I mean, I don't foresee it staying here forever, but for you and all the business that you bring in, it's the least I can do," Ms. Harrison states.

"Great, thank you so much." I scribble out the amount, put my signature, and hand the check over to her.

"Tomorrow morning, what time?" she asks.

"Ten, if that's doable for you." I nod my head.

"I can always make time for you." She winks at me, and that's it.

It’s a done deal.

We leave the gallery, walking back to the car. I notice that Sonya is quiet. I take glances at her as we make it to the car.

I can't wait to show her. I can't stand the sad look on her face.

“I have something for you. Just for you when we get to the house.” I tell her, starting the car.

“What is it?” She winks at me.

"Not that." I laugh at her. I see the sparkle shining in her eyes.

I can't wait to show her. I want her happy. I want her to know that I did think about what she said.

Sonya's out of the car before I even shut it off when we pull into the driveway. I laugh at her again and finally shut the vehicle off as she puts her hands on her hips.

I unlock the door, and she's waiting for me to show her what I have for her.

"Come on. We have to get the pieces down here." I tell her.

The smile on her face slides off slowly. She doesn’t know what I have for her and I can hardly contain my excitement as we made our way up the stairs and to the art studio.

“What piece do you want help to bring down first?” She asks, looking at the pieces that she wants.

“First of all, I want you to take the sheets off the canvases leaning against the wall over there.” I point to them.

She does what I tell her, thinking that it’s a piece that she’s going to bring downstairs.

I watch her closely as she takes each sheet off and then looks at the pieces at my station that I got done working on last night.

"I don't understand what's going on." She looks at me.

"Those in front of you are yours. I didn't realize how much you loved them until you expressed how you felt about selling them. I took the time because of the glow in your eyes. The way you admire my work. It's different than the other people. I never get tired of that shine on your face when you look at the pieces on the wall. I knew this one was pretty special to you." I tell her.

“Is this the replica?” She asks me, looking at the pieces in front of her.

"No, the replicas are the ones that we're going to be taking down. I figured after tomorrow morning when we're done with the gallery. We could go out to the house that your mother gave to you." I tell her.

“I would love to. I haven’t seen it. I don’t know what the inside looks like.” Sonya tells me.

"I figured you didn't. I would like to see what kind of house we're going to be moving into together." I smirk at her.

"You mean it?" Her eyes grow wider. She hugs me tightly to her when I nod my head.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking. I'm not going to sell my home. That way, God forbid anything happens, I can at least have a place to call my own. Sometimes I can work there. Other times I will work here." I point out to her.

Chapter Twenty-Four

I love feeling her arms around me, the way she holds me so tight. I want to feel like this forever. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her softly on the neck. It’s not sexual, just happiness, and she understands that.

"I didn't know that you were even thinking about coming to the house. I want to be sure it's what you really want," she tells me, pulling away from me.

I've been thinking about it since she brought it up. The pros, the cons, and everything in between. I need to get out of here for a while. If that means secluding myself from the city, that's what I'll do. I want to get a feel for the place. I already have a feeling that it's going to work out just fine because Sonya and I will be together.

"Yes, I have thought it through. I will never make any decision without thinking it through first. If that were the case, I would've agreed with you the second you brought it up." I point out to her.

She nods her head at me. She wants to dance around the room. I can see it in her eyes. The happiness is so apparent that I want her to be happy like this forever.

"My mother would've liked you. I don't care what Sam said. She would have liked you," Sonya confirms for me.

I want to believe that it’s true.

It's then when she lets go of me that I can feel the emptiness. She's the one who makes me come alive. Even if she's just a few inches from me without her right here, I feel the sadness of something missing.

I take her hand before she moves too far away from me and bring her back to me. I wrap my arms around her just as tightly as she had done me.

“What is that for?” Sonya asks me.

"Nothing, just because I can. Just because I want to." I giggle a little at my quick moves.

"That's better than any reason," she answers.

"All right, we have a lot to do tomorrow. I want to make sure that we get back here no later than five tomorrow night." I let her go and head toward the door.

"Thank you very much. You don't know how much it means to me." She states, looking at the sketches one more time before she walks toward me.

“You don’t have to thank me. I wanted to do it.” I assure her and hold her hand as we walk toward the bedroom.

It's only seven at night, the earliest that I've been to bed in a long time. The sun is just starting to go down. No matter how hard I try, I can't get to sleep.

"Do you think that we should go to bed this early? I feel like a little kid." Sonya pipes up.

"Yes, if we oversleep, then that's it. I can't keep Ms. Harrison waiting. She does so much for me. Now shh," I tell her and feel a smile forming on my lips.

She giggles. I can feel her relaxing on the bed. It's soon dark, and I still can't sleep. I hear her sleeping just fine.

I don't know if it's the changes, the excitement of everything going on at once. Either way, I'm tired, and I can't close my eyes.

Maybe I'm just a little worried that the gallery won't like my new piece. It's new. It's nothing like my paintings. I wonder if they are going to see that I'm good at switching up the routine. I try not to worry about it, but it's driving me crazy.

I do manage to get some sleep, not much though. The alarm goes off a few hours after I fall to sleep.

"You shouldn't have been up all night tossing and turning," Sonya tells me.

"I'm sorry if I kept you up. I didn't mean." I bite down on my lip.

"It's okay. You didn't keep me up, but I did feel you moving around. Everything is going to work out just like you want it to. I have a good feeling about today. You should too. Now get in the shower and put something nice on, something presentable." Sonya tells me, patting me on the ass through the blanket.

“You should pick out something for me to wear while I’m in the shower.” I groan.

“I can do that, are you sure that you want to leave it up to me though?” She giggles and I feel my face growing wide.

“Yes. I trust that you’re going to pick out something decent. Something that says that I’m a professional.” I finally get up from the bed and make my way down the hall.

Adjusting the water, I get inside the shower and let the warm water run over my body. The first thing in the morning is always cold, but it also helps me wake up.

I find myself humming.

Sonya's positivity is making me feel good about myself. I hope that I catch that from her. Happiness shines. When she wants to help, you can see it on her face that she expects you to take her advice or she's not going to offer the same help twice.

I am laughing as I close my eyes and see the expression on her face, her hands on her hips. I jump when I hear the bathroom door open.

“I have something for you. I will put it on the counter.” Sonya calls out to me.

“Sounds good, I will be out in a little bit.” I run the shampoo through my hair and close my eyes tightly.

“Coffee will be ready when you come downstairs. Just the way you like it.” She raises her voice as she leaves the bathroom door open.

It's not long before I get out and wrap myself in a towel. I see the outfit that Sonya has chosen, and I can't say that I would've picked something better.

Chapter Twenty-Five

There's a white tank top that I slip on and then the red button-up suit jacket, one of my favorites with the matching skirt which isn't too low and it's not old lady style. It fits me nicely, and I wouldn't have gone with the tank top, but it looks stylish, nonetheless.

I can smell the coffee brewing as soon as I hit the stairs. It’s nice and strong. Things are going to work out just fine.

Entering the kitchen, I see she's already sipping her coffee. Mine is right there on the table across from her.

"Three sugars. Black," she tells me, letting me know that she hasn’t forgotten since the first time I told her.

"Good job. Now we are going to ace this, right?" I ask her.

"Yes, we are. The canvases are down on the couch. I will help you get them into the car. The sun is shining, so we don't have to worry about them getting wet from here to the car." She looks out the back door.

The sun's rays are barely hitting the deck yet, but I can tell that it's going to be a great day—one of the best.

I am getting more and more anxious as the time ticks by on the wall. I don't think that time has ever moved so slow in my life. Even when I was a kid, I don't think that it would move as slowly as a snail.

When it's finally time to go, Sonya helps me just like she said she would. We move the canvases to the backseat of the car. Incredibly, all three pieces slip inside with ease. Most of the time, I have to shove it into the car and hope for the best.

"Now, to get to the gallery." Sonya is much happier knowing that she has the original piece of artwork.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a replica. There’s only two made of the creation that I’ve come up with. No one else in the world has it.

We listen to music on the way there. We arrive ten minutes early as we have the helpers hold the door open for us.

Ms. Harrison looks as if she’s been pacing back and forth. There’s an uneasiness on her face until she sees us come into the gallery.

“I thought for some reason you weren’t going to show up.” She can’t help but give me a nervous smile.

“You know me. I’m a woman of my word.” I wink at her and bring the third piece in.

“Are you sure you want to put it right here?” She frowns at me.

"Yes, I don't want to steal the show. This is something different, something I've never done before. I want to make sure that customers see it, the artistic people in the world. I want it to be lowkey, and this spot is lowkey. It's not hidden. Yet, it's not shoved in anyone's face," I explain to her.

“Spoken like a true artist.” Ms. Harrison hangs on every word that comes out of my mouth. I can see that she’s a big fan.

"All right. I want to make sure the paintings are side by side. It's a stage by stage piece. You will get it when you see it for yourself." I tell her.

Slowly we take the sheets off the canvases making sure that no dust from the car would get on them and mess everything up.

The helpers start hanging the pieces on the wall. I have them adjust a side here and then another side there before I'm happy with it.

"The Exposed." Ms. Harrison reads the nameplate hanging under the art.

“Yes. Do you see what I’m seeing?” I ask her.

She doesn't say anything to me. She continues to look at the pieces hanging on her wall.

"In your own words, what would you think of this?" I ask.

"I would say that it's a shy woman; the confidence is iffy in her eyes. You can see that she's not used to this much attention. She wants to prove herself to everyone, and I think that it's a big thing for everyone to realize that they need the confidence," Ms. Harrison tells me.

I know that she’s not telling me what I want to hear. She’s been an art woman. She was an art teacher for quite some time before she opened the gallery.

"That's exactly what I'm going for," I tell her, proud of the piece that's on the wall.

I feel Sonya nudging me, and I look over my shoulder.

There’s a small group forming for the pieces that we’ve hung. I knew that there’d be a few people that would want to see it. I didn’t think that it would draw a crowd the first few minutes of it being hung.

"It's going to take a little bit for me to get over the sketches. Though it pops, it says new. I think that everyone else is going to like it just as much as I do right now.

We hear agreed whispering behind us, and my heart is full of love. Joy. I’m happy that there are so many people.

“Didn’t I tell you that everything was going to be okay?” Sonya asks me, happy for me.

She's shocked at the crowd herself, and I forget that she isn't one of the regular ones that come in to see the artwork.

"I'll call you later about the reviews. We can go from there on how much you think it's worth," Ms. Harrison tells me.

"How about you set the price this time," I suggest.

Chapter Twenty-Six

I have surprised Ms. Harrison with the words that come out of my mouth. She doesn't know what to say.

“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” She asks me.

"Yes, you've seen the prices that I've posted on the other pieces, and they sold. I trust your judgment." I am fully aware that she can make it a low amount or a large amount.

"You might not want to leave it up to me. I would set it high just so that no one would buy it. I'm already growing attached to it." She grins.

"Whatever you think is fair and of course you get some of the profit for allowing me to hang it here. There are many things that I want to do out of routine, and that's one of them. I will give you a percentage of the selling. You know how to sell art, or else you wouldn't have a business." I hug her to me and feel her arms coming around me.

“Thank you so much for all the art that you do bring in.” She whispers in my ear before letting me go.

I don’t know what she means by that. I don’t want to ask her because I see a sad look wash over her face.

I nod my head and take Sonya's hand, leading her out the door. Sometimes potential buyers don't like it when the owner of the piece is right there watching. I don't blame them; it would make me feel uncomfortable and turn me off from the piece altogether.

“I know that it’s going to go for a good price. Did you see the crowd?” Sonya asks me the second we get into the car.

“I saw. It’s not out of the ordinary for me, but I get what you mean.” I laugh at her, starting the car and pulling away from the curb.

“Melinda, I don’t think you realize that you matter around here. Your name is all through this city. You’re a mystery in yourself.” Sonya isn’t laughing.

“What do you mean I’m a mystery in myself?” I ask her, almost choking on the laughter that comes out of my mouth.

"You don't ever come out. You always shut yourself away when you're working on a creation. I've heard of you. I've seen your work before coming in to see you. Remember me saying that?" She asks.

“Yes, I remember.” I nod my head.

"I thought you were a mystery. I know that if I think that way, the others do too. Not that it's a bad thing. Most artists want to be complimented. They want to boast about what they have and rightly so if they're good at what they do," Sonya explains to me.

She punches in the address of the house her mother left her. Setting the GPS on the dashboard, she's waiting for me to say something, anything.

"I don't think that I'm mysterious at all. I think that I'm just me. I don't want the attention that others crave. I know I'm a good artist. I know my talent. I don't have to boast about it. The proof of my talent is right there in the gallery. There's no reason to explain it." I assure her.

I’m glad that she thinks that I should put myself out there more. I don’t think that I can change that much.

I’m not good with others. I don’t really like a lot of people. The crowd that was gathering was making me have anxiety. One of the reasons I was ready to get out of there when we did.

I can’t wait to see what price Ms. Harrison is going with. I’m sure that I will know by tomorrow morning.

"Do you think that she's going to put it at a low price?" Sonya asks me.

“I don’t know. I don’t think she would, considering she’s going to get money for it too.” I point out to her.

Sonya doesn't know Ms. Harrison all that well. She doesn't know the ups and downs when it comes to the art gallery.

"I think that if someone would want to buy it, they would just get it." She shrugs her shoulders, and I almost laugh at her.

“You can’t do that. There are a lot of pieces of art that are quite expensive, and some people don’t have that kind of money.” I tell her.

“That’s so true.” She bites down on her lip.

I don't want her feeling like she's dumb. She's not. I want to educate her on something that she doesn't know.

“It’s all right, stick with me and you will know everything about the art world in no time.” I grin at her.

I didn't realize that the house was all the way out in the woods. I remember her saying that it was secluded, and there were woods. I didn't think that it would be woods on both sides.

"Almost there, it's a hidden drive," Sonya tells me.

I slow down and look at the map. I'm glad Sonya said something or else I would go right by it and have to turn around.

The driveway is a dirt road that could be mowed. It’s so old that weeds and grass are covering the dirt path a little, but I can still see where I’m going.

“I guess it’s rundown a little.” Sonya is a little disappointed.

"Those are the best kinds of houses," I state, not wanting her to be disappointed in anything. I want her to like the house.

The house is dark inside. Even though it’s nice out here and the sun is high in the sky now. The porch is a ranch style and a little weathered, but I see possibilities with it.

"You think that Uncle Sam came by here and made sure things were good?" Sonya asks, putting her hand on the door handle of the car.

“If that’s what he said, I’m sure of it. Sam sounds like a mean man, but the honesty that he has is something to be proud of.” I always find a silver lining even when I don’t like someone.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

I get out of the car with her, and we step onto the porch. It may be weathered, but it's stable and sturdy. I watch as Sonya jumps on the porch. It doesn't feel like it's going to break under her weight.

She reaches into the mailbox that’s right there by the front door and fishes out a key. She smiles as she holds it in her hand.

“The key to all the treasures.” She giggles and slips the key into the lock, turning it until we hear the click of it being unlocked.

“Are you ready for this?” I ask her.

Neither of us knows what’s inside of the house. I’m sure there are pictures of her mother when she was younger, the memories hanging on the wall.

"I am as long as you're here with me." Sonya takes my hand and turns the knob so that we can go in.

The sun shining through the windows is just enough light to show off the kitchen. There's a table that's against the window. It has thick dust on the surface of it. Even the chairs have dust.

"It's going to need a good cleaning." I shrug my shoulders. It's to be expected.

I turn to see what Sonya thinks and that she's right behind me, but she's not. I see her standing in the doorway of the living room that meets the kitchen.

All the flooring is hardwood, which is good in the summer, not so good in the winter. I am sure that it takes a lot to heat this place.

“What are you looking at?” I ask her, seeing that she’s not going into the room.

She still doesn’t say anything even when I go to stand beside her.

I see the tears on her face. Though, she doesn't look as if she's in any pain.

"My mother must've had her collectibles sent here. I remember these hanging on the wall at home," she tells me, wiping the tears.

“Who do you think did it?” I ask her.

"I don't know," she whispers.

“Probably Sam.” I don’t want her getting upset about it.

"I like the fact that she had them brought here no matter which way they got here — the chairs. I remember them when I was little. The coffee table, I bet she doesn't think I would remember." She smiles as the tears continue to roll down her face. She's not even trying to wipe them away now.

It's not that she's sad. She remembers all the things from when she was little. I like that she can share them with me, telling me where they came from.

"I bet there are still slices of me cutting it with a sharp knife. That coffee table, I tried to sharpen a knife by cutting it, thinking it would make the blade sharp. I remember when my mother caught me doing it. She spanked me and sent me to my room. I heard her yelling about it for almost a week straight." She finally steps into the room.

I take out my cell and turn on the flashlight so that we can see. Sonya takes the phone from me and brings it closer and closer to the edges of the table.

"Right there, you see them?" Sonya asks me.

I have to squint my eyes, but there are faded markings from years gone by. I nod my head at her.

I’m glad to see that there is a fireplace on the other side of the room. It will cut down on the cost of heating the place with oil.

"Do you think that you would like it here?" Sonya asks me.

“I like it so far. How about we go look at the backyard.” I tell her.

We walk out of the living room and go down another hallway, which leads us to a door. Not a see-through one.

She opens it. It leads to nothing but brush the second she does. So much for seeing the backyard.

“I guess we would have to do a lot of work around here.” She laughs and shakes her head.

"Maybe Sam kept up on the house on the inside, not so much on the out." I knew that it would take some work.

This is nothing.

“We can hire someone to take care of it. Someone who knows how to do landscaping. I can see patches of a garden. Flowers. Bushes that have roses on them.” Sonya makes her vision so detailed that I can see it when I concentrate.

“I think that I’m going to like it here. Do you want to go upstairs and see how it is?” I ask her.

She nods her head, closing the door and locking it again.

We head up the stairs slowly. Each step is solid, and I'm impressed with it myself. I don't know how long this place has been standing.

We walk down a hallway. There are closed doors all along the hall that she opens. It's apparent that each room is empty. In the last room, she pushes the door all the way open.

There are boxes lined up wall to wall. I'm not sure what's in them. I watch as she goes into the room and starts opening one box.

“My old toys! I thought all this time she just threw them away or sent them to donations.” She laughs at me.

I watch her taking out a dog that has a string attached to it. I remember those from when I was a kid. The dog walks behind you as long as you pull the string.

I grin at her and shake my head.

"I'll go through this when we are settled in. I don't know why my mother thought she had to have so many." Sonya shakes her head.

"It's better to have many rooms than not enough," I point out to her.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

We stay a little longer than what I intend, but I want to make sure that everything is okay and in working order for when we do move in.

"So, what do you seriously think of it?" she asks me.

"I think that we can make it work. I think that I can see myself building a home here. A life that's nice and quiet—a happy one. Maybe that's why your mother had this house to begin with. Whatever was going on in her life, she just wanted peace, everyone is entitled to that. I think she wanted a place to escape." I can understand that feeling. There are many times that I want to escape my own mind. Yet, I find myself right back inside myself.

“I didn’t realize how late it was getting.” She tells me, looking at the clock.

"I don't mind. I like the house. It's big, and it's going to take a lot to clean the place up. Maybe not money-wise, but I'm sure that we can find someone that will clean it." I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't want anyone cleaning it but us. I don't want to take the chance someone coming in and taking anything out of the boxes." I hear the fear in her voice.

"I didn't think of that," I tell her, feeling horrible now.

"Don't worry about that. I prefer that no one comes into the house. I mean, we can do the landscaping and maybe even have someone fix the roof. I don't know how that looks, but if it looks like the inside of the house, we won't need to have one." I can tell that she's been thinking a lot since we left the house.

I know that Sonya has a good heart, it shows when she would rather do all the work herself. It’s not for her. In the long run it is, but it’s for her mother. It’s for the woman that was able to do more for her even though she was gone.

We make it back to the house. I get out of the car first. Unlocking the door and turning the living room light on.

Sonya comes into the house. It's then that my phone rings as soon as I shut the door.

"I swear, every time I get home," I grumble, but looking at the number, I see it's the gallery. My eyes are wide.

Sonya follows me into the kitchen.

"Hello?" I ask.

“It’s Ms. Harrison.” She tells me in a sweet voice as if I didn’t know.

“How are you this evening?” I ask her, keeping my voice calm.

“I am doing good. I thought that you would like an update on the piece today.” I know she’s having a hard time keeping it in.

“I am. I’m always happy to hear updates.” I smile.

"It sold," she tells me quickly.

"What do you mean it sold? We usually don't sell at least for a week. I mean, not that I mind. That's good. It means that they like the sketching a lot." I look at Sonya, and she gives me a "told you so" look.

I bite back the laughter that wants to escape my mouth.

"Are you ready for the price?" she asks me.

“I think so.” I giggle.

"I didn't want to go too low, but I didn't want to sky-rocket the piece either. Afraid that people would shake their heads. You know how the art world is." She doesn't want to explain it to me, and I don't need to have an explanation.

“How much did it go for Ms. Harrison?” I ask her.

“One-hundred and fifty thousand.” She cries out with excitement.

"Are you sure that's what you sold it for?" I have to hold onto the table. Sonya is no longer smiling. She's no longer boasting about how right she was.

"Yes, I know, I was shocked too. I wasn't the one who set the price. The buyer told me that it was as high as they were willing to go. It was sold an hour after you left, but I figured that you were on a mission this morning, so I didn't want to bother you until tonight," she explains to me.

"Thank you," I tell her, feeling my legs shaking.

Hearing the price almost makes me want to throw up. Not that I didn’t think that my art could be that good, but that was a dream price for my first piece of artwork.

"No, thank you. You're willing to give me a percentage. You're the reason that I'm able to keep the art gallery open, Melinda," she tells me.

That's when I remember what she had said when she hugged me. I didn't think that the gallery was in danger of shutting down.

"Since your last piece, no one has bought anything. Artwork comes and goes. You know that. Sometimes it's up. Sometimes it's down. It seems to be down every time that you're working on a new piece. Almost as if the buyers know that you're going to come out with something new and exciting." She whispers as if maybe if she says it too loud that she might curse herself.

“Did they pay for it today?” I ask her.

“They did. The check will take a week to clear, but I know that it’s not going to bounce.” She assures me.

"Well, thank you again. I can't believe all the good news that I'm getting today," I tell her.

I stare at Sonya, who looks like she's going to have a heart attack if I don't get off the phone and tell her what's going on.

We talk for a few more minutes. Then, I finally hang up with her, wiping the sweat off my face.

"Well?" Sonya asks me.

“Well, what?” I give her a smug look.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Don't tease me. I've been waiting so patiently. What did she say?" Sonya looks as if she's going to tackle me and hold me down until I tell her.

"It sold soon after we left today. For one hundred and fifty thousand dollars!" I scream out, my words echoing off the kitchen walls.

"You're kidding me?" she gasps.

"I don't joke about my talent, and I would never joke about money. That means we're rich!" I holler out and hug her to me.

We jump up and down together, and we laugh. I can't believe how good my life is going to be.

"Does that mean that you're going to take a break at least for a week?" Sonya asks me when we're done jumping in the middle of the kitchen.

"I think maybe I will take a longer break than that. Maybe a month tops, we have to think about the house. If we're going to clean it out, it's not going to clean itself, right?" I ask her.

“I didn’t think that you wanted to do it that soon.” The look of surprise on Sonya’s face is epic. I like being able to surprise her.

"Everything will stay here. That way, we don't have to worry about the cost. We also don't have to keep moving things in and out. I want to go shopping for the house, brand-new beds. Everything." I tell her.

“I told you that today was going to be a good day. I told you that everything was going to work out.” She laughs, pointing at me.

"Yes, for the first time in my life, I'm glad to say that someone told me so." I grin at her.

Sitting down, I feel sad, though. The smile is only a faint one now.

"What's the matter? You have a lot of money. We're moving into a house. We're building a life together." She points out to me.

"My mother isn't here to celebrate with me. She would've been so happy, so proud. She was the one who told me to never give up," I tell her, chewing on my fingernails.

"I don't know the feeling, but I'm sure I'm going to. Like I wanted her to be with me when I looked at the house today. I wanted to see her with a smile on her face." She nods her head, pulling out a chair to sit beside me.

“At least she didn’t leave me completely alone. She must’ve known that I was going to have someone to share this magic moment with.” I reach out and grab her hand.

She holds my hand tightly and smiles at me.

“We’re going to go through everything together. The joy, the pain, when we have issues, we will address them together. It’s us against the world. But I would like to fight the world after our vacation and not an hour earlier.” Sonya tells me.

I laugh and nod my head in agreement.

I can see the future in her eyes. It's the way she talks. She wants to be with me for years to come. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I’ve always wanted to find someone that would share the same joys, the same sorrows. Someone who actually knew where I was coming from.

I’ve found her.

Sonya doesn’t realize how much she’s changed my life by just walking in. I don’t think she will ever know because I don’t want to bring up the dark times of being by myself. Or to make her feel sad about my life before she ever met me.

“You’re going places with this. I can’t wait to see how life turns out.” She tells me.

"We're going places. Not me. We are in this together. I wouldn't have it any other way." I hold her hand tightly as if she's going to take her hand away.

"Yes, we are going into this together. Here's to our new life, our new future, and all the blessings that are going to come our way." She cheers, bringing our hands up into the air and slowly bringing it back down to the table.

"All the blessings that are coming our way are times that we've been waiting for. This is going to be an amazing ride. I'm ready for it." I wink at her.

"I'm ready for it too. I've been ready," Sonya tells me in a soft voice. The kind of voice that tells me she wants me.