Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gas, car payments, rent, food, school, and god forbid you wanted to treat yourself to something nice when you found the time. Somehow you managed to keep yourself from going into debt, barely, but the cost to pass your car inspection was the final push from paycheck to paycheck living into destitution. Looking at your banking app was enough to make you sick. Your allotted credit maxed out, checkings pitiful, and savings non-existent.

The only beam of hope was a paycheck that was still processing, but it wouldn’t be enough to cover the rent that was due after the weekend. Would your roommate be as understanding as she was the last time? It was only last month that she had to cover a portion of your rent until you were able to get the rest. It wasn’t fair to her. She was a college student too, but unlike you her parents paid for her classes and sent money whenever she requested it.

You and your roommate got along just fine as you had done in high school. It was a relief when you found out that she also planned to commute to the local community college rather than attend university straight away. That’s how the two of you decided on getting an apartment together. Sure, it wasn’t the college dorm room experience, but the past two years were fun with the bonus of not having to live with your parents.

You didn’t harbor any resentment towards your roommate, but you did envy the familial support that she had. As your final semester reached the halfway point which also signaled the end of your lease, you were already well aware that your roommate would not be renewing her end. Instead, she’d opt to stay with her family for the summer before going to one of the state universities. You’d be going on to a university as well, but one close enough to commute from your apartment…the one you could barely afford with the roommate who would be leaving. Even a one bedroom in your complex wasn’t much cheaper. How would you ever do it alone?

“Olivia?”

You called out into the 2 bedroom unit hoping you could speak with your roommate about the rent. When she didn’t respond it was clear she was already out for the evening.

Sighing, you decided to go into your bedroom to work on your assignments. It would be a distraction from everything at least. Booting up your computer, you signed in to the student portal and looked over the assigned tasks to be turned in before the end of the weekend.

As you plugged away about microeconomics your mind once again wandered to money. This wasn’t a good distraction at all. Per usual, you wound up scrolling through your social media feeds only to see smiling couples and bar hangouts. You thought of your last relationship and how catastrophically that ended. It was partially the reason you barely spoke to your parents anymore. According to them, they supported you, but not your “lifestyle choice” especially if you were going to live under their roof. No matter how many times you tried to explain to them who you were, they wouldn’t hear of it. To them you were hopping on a trend and that “it was one thing if you wanted to do that in private, but there was no need to post about it where the whole family could see.”

That was the exact thing that tore you and Megan apart. She wasn’t willing to be hidden and as much as it hurt, you agreed that it wasn’t fair to her. Even after you moved out into your own place the damage was done and she had moved on by then, becoming part of the sea of happy couples as you mindlessly scrolled.

You went on a few dates here and there, a few late night hook ups too, but maybe it was your focus on school and work that kept you from going beyond shallow encounters. With how stressed you were you wouldn’t mind having one over the weekend. This was the longest dry spell you had since becoming sexually active.

Ignoring your assignments and closing out of your social media profiles, you decided to re-activate the dating apps you allowed to go dormant. Updating your pictures and your bio, you began to swipe through the single girls in your area.

Unicorn hunters, girls looking for friends, and girls who honestly weren’t your type dominated the already small dating pool. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea? You could always go out to one of the bars, but you didn’t have the cash to spare and couldn’t depend on a stranger to fund your night out. Or could you?

You thought back to that one dating profile. The one you made as a joke with friends just to see what was on there. It wasn’t much different from the other apps and sites you were on as far as the user interface went, but this site was for sugar babies to seek out a sugar daddy or mama and vice versa.

For the first time since making the profile, you logged back in. You never put any pictures of yourself or personal information as you never intended on actually using it. That changed as you uploaded the same photos you were using on your other dating apps as well as your small bio.

Setting the filters to adjust to your preferences, you noticed the dating pool wasn’t much better. You were about to give up when something, or rather someone caught your eye. A very attractive woman, almost too attractive for her to be real and not a bot account, but you clicked on her profile anyway.

🔸

Alcina, 44
Local business owner looking for a pretty young thing to spoil. Care for a drink? 🍷

🔶

Her profile was short and sweet though you still weren’t entirely sure if she was real. She had a selection of photos in addition to her profile picture. One thing you noticed was how put together she was. Perfectly curled hair, red lips, and she seemed to have a penchant for vintage fashion. Right down to the photo of her on a yacht with her polka dotted, high waisted bikini, and aviator style sunglasses. The woman could have easily walked out of an old pinup calendar.

Whether she was real or not, you wouldn’t know unless you tried. It took a bit of courage, but you typed a brief message that was straight to the point.

“Hello, I came across your profile and I would love to grab a drink with you.”

Letting out a sharp exhale and squeezing your eyes shut, you hit send before you lost your nerve. It was only after that you noticed the small “active now” flashing beneath her profile picture.

Not thinking much of it, you decided it was best for you to go back to working on your assignments. While you were in the middle of typing out answers, you heard a “bloop” sound and noticed the tab next to your student portal had a (1) next to it.

You clicked back over to see that the woman responded to your message. Your heart rate picked up a bit as you clicked open the message.

“Well hello there, gorgeous. Is there any chance you’d be available for dinner tonight? I’m more into wining and dining than simply wining.”

That was fast, maybe a little too fast. Should you really be meeting a strange woman out for dinner? Then you thought back to the drunken one night stands and realized this was infinitely more safe. She called you gorgeous and it made your heart flutter. Why not take a little risk?

“I would like that very much.”

You hit send and a moment later you saw that she was typing back.

“Perfect. Beneviento’s around eight? I’ll meet you outside.”

You messaged back confirming that the time is okay and you would see her then.

Wow, Beneviento’s? That was one of the nicest and most expensive Italian restaurants around. You had never been, price aside it was impossible to get in without a reservation and reservations were often months out. This woman must have had her connections.

It was 6pm now, but factoring in the drive and not wanting to be late, you started getting ready . Not wanting to be underdressed, you opted for the nicest outfit in your closet. Black skirt, white tank top, long black cardigan, stockings and for shoes you debated over heels or flats, flats wound up winning. More business casual than fancy really.

After freshening up the makeup you wore to your classes and fixing your hair, you opened the door to leave your apartment just as Olivia was apparently returning home.

She looked you up and down, likely surprised to see you so dressed up.

“Wow, you look nice. Going somewhere?”

“As a matter of fact, I have a date.”

You both smiled at the news.

“Alright. It’s nice to see that you’re putting yourself out there again. Should I wait up for you?”

She asked through a wink. You playfully swatted at her.

“It’s not that kind of date. Besides, I have a shift tomorrow morning and a fuck ton of homework to do.”

“Gotcha. Well, have fun. Robbie flaked on me again so I’m just gonna binge watch something.”

Ugh, Robbie. You don’t know what she saw in him, but they had been together since sophomore year of high school and Olivia seemed determined to have one of those highschool sweetheart love stories.

You thanked her and walked out the door not wanting to waste anymore time and accidentally make yourself late.

Your car started with a roar and you rolled your eyes. All of the money for repairs you put into the car and it still sounded like it was going to explode. You turned on the radio to tune out the loud muffler, it’s almost like you didn’t just have the entire damn thing replaced months ago. As commercial after commercial droned on you lamented at the fact that you had no CDs and the car was much too old for Bluetooth connectivity.

It was around 7:45pm when you pulled up to the restaurant. The parking lot was nearly full, but you managed to find a spot. There was a valet service, not that you’d dare to bring your car over. It was enough of an embarrassment compared to the sea of luxury cars surrounding you.

The time slowly crept towards eight and you weren’t sure if you should stay in your car or stand outside the front door until she arrived. You kept glancing between the time on your phone and the front of the restaurant until you saw a woman walking towards the front, only to linger by a bench.

Black curls, long sleeved crimson dress that fell just below her knees, heels that made her staggeringly tall. This had to be her. You watched as she pulled a cigarette from a small metallic case and began to smoke.

After a few puffs, you decided that you should probably get out of your car and greet her.

You approached her just as she was putting out her cigarette in the ashtray next to the bench.

Sheepishly, you addressed her.

“Hi, Alcina?”

She turned towards you and smiled.

“In the flesh. And you must be my date.”

You nod, both laughing. She offered you her arm and you walked into the restaurant together, arms linked.

The close contact had you blushing.

As soon as you got to the host stand, neither of you had to speak as Alcina was greeted immediately.

“Ms. Dimitrescu, right this way.”

Dimitrescu? Like the winery? Her profile did say she was a business owner.

The host seated the two of you down at a small table towards the back of the restaurant. It seemed much more exclusive than the front of house as there were only two other couples on the other side of what looked to be a VIP area.

Before you could speak, a waiter was already introducing himself, asking if he could start the two of you off with drinks.

“A bottle of my red would do wonderfully.”

Her voice was like honey. You could listen to her speak all day. Also, her red? There was no subtlety in her showing off.

“As you wish, Ms. I am going to have to see her ID though.”

He gestured towards you and you fished for your ID in your purse. You had only been of legal drinking age for a few months so this was nothing new. One of the perks of always being a year older than your schoolmates. While they were still risking fake IDs, you had the real deal.

Once the waiter confirmed your age, he assured you both that he would be back with the bottle and salads to start.

Being left alone with your date, you weren’t sure what to say. This section of the restaurant was dimly lit and each table illuminated by candlelight. She was breathtaking, classy, and you were afraid of saying something stupid.

You began looking over the menu. It was small, entrees on one side, the other side being a wine list. Everything was so pricey too! She would be paying, right? Considering the context of the site you met her on, you hoped that she would. You didn’t have the money to go stag even if you had wanted to.

Her hand lightly stroked yours.

“Order whatever you’d like, it’s no trouble.”

Her smile was reassuring and the shrimp scampi sounded delicious.

“As long as it’s okay with you.”

It was a bit hard to make eye contact with her. Her eyes were a lovely blueish gray and from the heat you could feel in your cheeks, you knew your blushing must have been obvious to her.

“Darling, you are aware of the pending arrangement, no? We can discuss things further after we’ve eaten.”

From the sounds of it, this would be more than a one time ordeal. That thought excited you.

The waiter was back before the conversation went any further. Along with the bottle, he held a tray with your salads, a bread basket, and a choice of the house dressing or balsamic.

You ordered the shrimp scampi you had been eyeing and Alcina opted for a linguini with clam sauce.

The waiter left and you started on your salads. As hungry as you were, you tried your best to eat slowly with small, delicate bites to match the elegance of the way your date ate her food.

Alcina finished her salad without reaching for the bread. Neither of you did, but it looked so good and you decided to butter a slice for yourself.

You heard her giggle.

“Enjoy that young metabolism while you have it.”

You swallowed the bite you had taken.

“One slice of bread won’t kill you, you know.”

“No,”

She sipped her wine.

“But at my age food isn’t as forgiving and the pasta is already a treat.”

You shrugged and grabbed for another piece of bread.

“More for me I guess.”

She laughed again.

“Charming.”

As good as the freshly baked bread was, you wanted to save your appetite for the main course and you were already starting to feel kind of full. You took a sip of your wine. It was strong with a pleasant aftertaste. You already knew you wouldn’t be able to handle more than a single glass since you would have to drive home.

“So, tell me about yourself, dear.”

Her voice was a pleasant hum as she watched you through her wine glass.

You weren’t sure if your life would actually be of interest to her, but you told her anyway.

“Um, I’m in my second year of school at the community college, but once I finish I will be transferring to a university to major in psychology. I have an apartment with my friend Olivia that’s near campus and I work part time at a boutique in the mall.”

“Ah, it seems you have a lot on your plate, but I love your ambition.”

Ambition wasn’t what you’d call it. More like not wanting to starve or be homeless.

“How about you, Alcina?”

It felt awkward using her name. You almost felt as though you should be addressing her as ma’am. You were on a date though.

“Well, I’m sure my surname betrayed me already, but I currently own the Dimitrescu Winery and Vineyard. It’s been in my family for generations. Fortunately, I have an excellent staff and mostly see to behind the scenes procedures like production and shipment. Speaking of, how do you like the wine? It’s my signature red.”

From the sounds of it she lived a life of leisure. You could only dream of being so lucky.

“The wine is really good! I’m not much of a wine drinker, but I like how smooth this is.”

She offered to top off your glass, but you decline.

“What do you normally like to drink?”

“I usually only drink at parties so kind of whatever is there? Usually mixed drinks. Vodka, rum, soda, juice, that kind of stuff.”

You were beginning to feel out of your element with her. Age difference aside, you were from two completely different backgrounds.

The waiter returned mid-conversation to deliver your entrees. For the price they charged, they were on the small side. It probably wasn’t such a bad thing that you filled up on bread.

You and Alcina continued to have pleasant small talk between bites of food. At one point you noticed her dipping the tip of her cloth napkin into her goblet of ice water. You wondered what she was doing and then you saw her reach across the table to dab at the corner of your mouth. How mortifying. She must have noticed the way you tensed up at her action.

“Sorry, dear. You had a little something.”

She tapped at the corner of her own mouth.

“It’s the mother in me, I couldn’t resist.”

“You’re a mom?”

“Believe it or not, I am. Three girls. As useless as my ex-husband was, my girls made that sham of a marriage worth it. Thank heavens for divorce.”

She lifted her wine glass up to toast. You weren’t sure if you should toast back, but you did and she drank down the rest of her glass. You hesitantly followed suit. That was a lot of information to take in. A mother and a divorcee on top of everything else. Your age difference was becoming more and more apparent. This was all new to you which left you wondering how long she had been active on that site. As uninteresting and unaccomplished as you felt compared to her, clearly she must not have minded considering.

As your meal came to an end, the waiter asked if either of you were interested in dessert which you both declined.

“Just the check please.”

“Absolutely, Ms. Dimitrescu.”

When the waiter returned he immediately handed the check booklet to Alcina. She pulled out a metallic credit card and shoved it in without even looking at the bill. The waiter nodded and walked off to go run her card.

“Thank you again for dinner, Alcina. Could I at least put in for a tip?”

It was an offer merely out of habit and trying to be polite. The few crumpled dollar bills you had next to your plastic debit card would be an embarrassment to take out.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I asked you to dinner. Besides, gratuity is included with the bill.”

Gratuity included, huh? If only other places followed suit you wouldn’t have to scramble for your tip calculator app.

After her card was returned, Alcina stood to leave and you followed her to the outside of the restaurant.

“May I walk you to your car?”

You accepted her offer and remembered her saying she wanted to talk more. The downside being that she would see the lemon of a car you were forced to drive around.

She offered her arm again and you linked yours through hers as you walked towards the section of the parking lot where your car was parked.

“I did say I wanted to discuss our arrangement further.”

Alcina spoke in a low voice, breaking the silence.

“You did.”

“I had an excellent time with you tonight. It feels nice having a pretty little thing on my arm again. I’d hate for this to be the last time you accompany me.”

She had you blushing once more. However, you did make note of her saying “again” so it was clear she had experience in this field.

“I want to see you again, too.”

Alcina smiled at you as you slowly approached your car. She seemed taken aback by the condition of it, but refrained from saying anything about it.

“Then it’s settled. Normally, I offer a weekly allowance, but I would also like to accommodate you for your time this evening.”

Wow, an expensive dinner and she wanted to give you something more. This was out of a dream. You had a fleeting thought of pinching yourself.

You didn’t know what else to say other than thanking her again for the wonderful evening. You exchanged phone numbers so you wouldn’t have to exclusively chat through the site you met on and Alcina explained that with your number she could also easily transfer funds to your banking app.

Before you parted for the night her hand gently caressed your face as she looked down at you.

“Goodnight, my dear. I’ll be in touch.”

With that, she left you next to your car. You got in and watched her walk away. She fumbled a bit with her purse before pulling out the container with her cigarettes. She lit the end and disappeared out of your sight.

You were about to start your drive home when your phone lit up. It wasn’t a text from her, but an automated text from your banking app that you had received a deposit. That was quick.

When you checked to see the amount, your jaw dropped. This would be enough to cover the portion of the rent you were missing and slowly start climbing out of your credit card debt.

Another text came through, this time from Alcina. No words, just a kissy face emoji that had you smiling your entire drive back home.

Chapter Text

When you arrived home from your date, you saw that the living room was dark. Olivia either turned in early or Robbie reinstated their plans. You didn’t notice if her car was in the parking lot or not and her bedroom door was closed. All of the good spots in front of your building were usually taken, often leaving the two of you several units away from your own building in the vast complex.

You got yourself ready for bed, but not before completing that microeconomics assignment that you left the tab open to. The rest of your assignments could wait. You had a morning shift at 7 for a very inconvenient five and a half hours. They did this so they legally didn’t have to give you a break. At the very least, the boutique was willing to work around your class schedule and with this time of year being a bit slow, it wasn’t hard work, just tedious.

When you got into bed, your mind drifted to thoughts of your date. The delicious food and ambiance. Most of all, the woman who sat across from you. She looked significantly younger at a glance, but with the soft glow of the candlelight and close distance you could see her laugh lines and the way her smile accentuated her crows feet. You were surprised a woman of her social status hadn’t had any work done, not that she needed it. It was refreshing to see someone so glamorous and yet so real. As your eyes grew heavy and your thoughts became more disconnected, you knew sleep was near and you surrendered yourself into a dreamless slumber.

The sound of your phone’s alarm was enough to turn you into a Pavlovian Hulk. With a groan, you dismissed the rude awakening and resisted the urge to rest your eyes. You threw on your customary black slacks and black top as your uniform rules dictated and shuffled off to the bathroom to finish getting ready. You did your usual routine and put on just enough makeup to not look so tired and your hair in a bun to keep it out of your face.

There was still some time before you had to leave for your shift. Walking past Olivia’s closed bedroom door on your way to the kitchen, you could hear her softly snoring. Whether she went out or not last night, you wouldn’t know until later. You made yourself a cup of coffee and a bagel. As you ate your breakfast, you opened your banking app to see that all pending deposits were now available. A wave of relief rushed over you. Between your last paycheck and the money Alcina sent your way, you were able to pay your half of the rent on your tenant portal before it was due! You also moved some money around, paying down some of your credit card debt, but leaving enough money in your checkings for other living expenses.

By the time you finished your small breakfast, it was time to leave for the day. You put on the black flats from last night and headed out the door. The mall didn’t even open to the public until nine, but since you were on for an opening shift, you had to get there early to set up and do inventory. After that, you’d be stuck on returns until your shift was over. At least it was nowhere near the holidays. You shuddered thinking about it.

Just as you suspected, the mall couldn’t have been more dead. You had an hour and a half until your shift ended and only a handful of customers came in. Your clientele was mostly older women, come to think of it, they seemed to be around Alcina’s age. You wondered if maybe she would shop here? Your store carried only designer labels. If she had shopped here it must have been during a time you weren’t at work. There was no way a woman like her could simply blend into the crowd. You would have recognized her easily. Aside from that, the occasional teenager would come in and if you were on the floor you were instructed to “overly customer service” them, aka follow them around the store to make sure they weren’t shoplifting while not actually being able to say anything if they were. The rule didn’t make much sense, but you were told it was a liability thing. Sometimes mothers would wander in with young children holding their food court pretzels and you’d have to gently remind them of the no food or drink policy.

You stared out into the mall, small groups walked by followed by emptiness and then more people. None of them stopped into the boutique. The last actual customer was more than half an hour ago. You wished you were assigned to the floor and not stuck at returns. At least on the floor you could walk around and maybe sneak a peek at your phone.

It was a battle between you and the clock. More customers finally came in, but the entirety of your shift only yielded two returns. You didn’t imagine you’d get anymore now that you were down to the one hour mark. As much as you tried to not stare at the clock, your eyes kept glancing over. Minutes felt like hours, especially with only fifty-seven, now fifty-six left. Your eyes scanned back to the opening of the store that led into the mall, then back around the store, back to the clock, and repeat. Fifty-four.

Mall, store, clock. Still fifty-four. You switched it up. Store, clock, mall, but this time something caught your eye. You saw black curls and your heart dropped. Was it her? Your eyes followed the woman as she walked past the boutique and were disappointed to see that the woman was not Alcina. Surely she had better things to do than come to a dying mall on a Saturday.

Freedom! Your shift finally ended, but not before someone came in with multiple returns and exchanges about a minute before you were supposed to clock out. This put you a bit over your scheduled shift. Not that it mattered now, it was finally over and your only plans were to grab something from the food court and head home to finish up those assignments.

You headed over to the Tex-Mex place and ordered a small combo. The recent financial boost allowed you to do this guilt free and you smirked knowing that there would be more where that came from. You were going to bring your food home, but you were so hungry and everything smelled so good wafting in the air from the fries to the cinnamon rolls. You sat at one of the tables and started on your tortilla chips and salsa before your taco.

After you finished your meal, you sat for a while sipping your drink, half checking your phone, half people watching. As dead as the mall was, Saturdays always seemed to be a big family day. It made sense with the school week being over and there was a kids play area just beyond the food court. It brought back memories from your own childhood, something bittersweet.

“Knock it off, girls!”

You heard laughter and screams and looked up to see a man at his limit. It quickly became apparent he was the father of the two girls wreaking havoc in the play area. A third, slightly older girl stood next to him, arms crossed, with her hoodie up. She looked as though she’d rather be anywhere else.

You made brief eye contact with the man and smiled to which he nodded before going to collect the two hyperactive girls off of the jungle gym. You watched as they cried and the father had to hoist the youngest of the three over his shoulder, kicking and screaming. You felt bad for the guy and thought back to some of the antics you pulled at that age, but were silently thankful that you had no children of your own nor were you sure that you would ever have any.

With no reason to stay at the mall you headed home to work on your assignments. You hoped that maybe Alcina would have texted you, but no such text came. You weren’t sure if it was okay to initiate a conversation. You had never done this sort of thing before and apart from the financial aspects, no social parameters were laid out. You tried not to think about it as you pulled into a parking space at your apartment complex.

You walked in to see Olivia on the couch watching some Netflix original series.

“Hey.”

She sounded off, but you chose to not press the matter, simply greeting her back and telling her that you were going into your room to finish your homework.

Booting up your computer, your mind wandered again to Alcina. Against better judgement, you logged back into the dating site and checked out her profile. The profile was there, but no “active now” instead, a “last active over 12 hours ago” appeared under her profile picture. It offered you a slight comfort and you were able to focus enough to complete your assignments.

Submitting the last of your assignments, you were now free to enjoy the rest of your weekend. You had the rest of tonight and Sunday offered a full day off with no work or classes, a very rare treat. You headed to the living room and saw that Olivia was still on the couch, fully ignoring the tv show that played in the background, furiously texting on her phone.

You sat on the opposite side of the couch and noticed her brow was furrowed.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She let out a heavy sigh.

“There’s not much to say. Robbie’s just pissing me off. He acts like just because we’ve been together so long that he doesn’t have to put any effort into this relationship anymore.”

“I’m sorry, Liv. Is there anything I could do to help?”

“Tell me about that date of yours. Hearing some good news would cheer me up.”

Huh, personally that’s the last thing you’d want to hear if you were having relationship troubles. To each their own.

“We went out to eat at Beneviento’s. It was really nice.”

“Shut up!”

She hit you with one of the throw pillows.

“Beneviento’s!? Okay, I’ve got to hear more about this chick. She must be loaded.”

You tossed the pillow back at her.

“Well, she’s older so she’s just more settled in life.”

You felt no need to inform her that your date was the owner of an elite winery and that you’d met her on a sugar baby dating site. At least not yet.

“Oh? How much older are we talking.”

“Forty-four.”

“Shut up!”

Olivia’s voice was even higher than last time and she threw the pillow at you again.

“Would you stop hitting me with the pill-“

Before you finished, the remaining throw pillow thwaps against your mouth.

“Okay, I’m out of pillows. I’ll stop. Damn, look at you! Coming back out of your shell. Scoring with a cougar.”

She made a claw gesture and growled. You rolled your eyes.

“Alright, now you can shut up. And for the record I didn’t “score” with her. We ate and talked. We didn’t even kiss.”

Olivia lifted an eyebrow at you.

“Did you want to kiss her?”

Thinking about those plump red lips of hers, they were probably so soft. You wouldn’t have minded if she leaned in for a goodnight kiss, but you weren’t going to be the one to initiate.

“I did. Maybe next time if things go well.”

Olivia squealed again. She could be over the top at times, but you’d rather see her happy than moping around.

You heard a text tone and Olivia scoffed.

“Must be Robbie again.”

She checked her phone and put it back down onto the arm of the couch.

“Not my phone.”

You rarely left the sound on your phone so you didn’t think that it would be yours. Then you remembered you turned it on earlier in case you didn’t feel it vibrate.

You looked at your lock screen and saw you had a text from Alcina. Your face lit up and you moved away from Olivia’s prying eyes.

You excitedly opened her message.

“Hello, I hope you’re enjoying your weekend so far. If you are free tomorrow, the weather is supposed to be nice and I was wondering if you would like to go to the park, the one by the lake. No rush, let me know either way.”

It was cute how she wrote her texts out like emails. You were partial to using acronyms whenever possible, but for her you wanted to appear smart and like you were worth her time still.

“Hi! My weekend has been okay so far. I worked today and finished my homework, but I am free all day tomorrow and would love to go to the park with you.”

The grin you had on your face was actually starting to hurt your cheeks as you noticed her typing back promptly.

“Excellent. Let’s meet by the visitor center around eleven. Wear something comfortable. Take care, I will see you tomorrow.”

You sent back a simple “you too” with a heart emoji. Maybe that was overkill? Then you noticed she “love” reacted to your message and that put your mind at ease.

Walking back out to the living room, you could tell Olivia was dying to know what you were texting about.

“She wants to go to the park tomorrow.”

“Oh my god! That’s awesome. We have to celebrate. Hang on.”

Olivia disappeared into the kitchen and you saw her grabbing ice cream and two bowls. She must have bought that recently. If you noticed ice cream sooner you would have already asked if you could have some. Sometimes you split the bill on groceries, other times you kind of fended for yourselves, but regardless each of you had your speciality items and it would only be the polite thing to ask before helping yourself.

She handed you your bowl and it was topped with whipped cream and chocolate syrup. One of the best things about being an adult? No one was around to tell you that you couldn’t have ice cream for dinner.

You and Olivia ate in front of the tv, switching the show no one was paying attention to, to a familiar favorite movie. She filled you in more on the Robbie situation. He had promised her they’d have at least one date night a week after she confronted him about never doing anything. Then the first Friday they were supposed to go out he flaked for his friends, something about plans he had forgotten about, but he was willing to come over after.

“I’m just so bored. He only wants to come over or have me over after he goes out with the guys. I’m fine with staying in, but it’s like all he wants to do is fuck and watch tv. I’m over it.”

“Wait.”

You swallowed the spoonful of ice cream that was in your mouth.

“So you’re telling me he goes out and does stuff with his guy friends and doesn’t even invite you?”

“Right!? Then when I bring it up he says it’s just a guy thing and that it’s too much money to go out again.”

“That’s a yikes from me. I don’t know what to say other than I think you deserve better.”

What you really wanted to say was that she should dump him, but that wouldn’t solve anything and would potentially push her away.

“I know, but we’ve been together for so long and I love him. It’s not all bad. I’ve never felt so comfortable with anyone.”

How would she know? Robbie was the only person she ever dated. She had no frame of reference.

“In the end, it’s up to you. Don’t keep letting him get away with this shit though. Promise?”

You held out your pinkie and she wrapped hers around yours.

“Fine, promise.”

“Alright, Liv. I’m gonna wash this bowl and head to bed. I need to get to sleep now if I’m gonna wake up in time for the park tomorrow.”

Olivia wished you a goodnight and you cleaned up your bowl, showered, and got under the covers. Thankfully, the day tired you out and you were able to fall asleep within minutes.

This time when your alarm went off you didn’t feel so angry. It wasn’t for school or work. It was for something fun and you couldn’t wait to see Alcina again.
She told you to dress comfortably and upon checking the weather forecast it looks like it would be warm enough to go without a jacket. For it barely being spring it was almost unseasonable, but you weren’t complaining.

You went with a gray and black raglan tee and black Capri pants. You put your hair up and opted for no makeup in case you sweat it off anyway.

Olivia wasn’t up yet. Shocker. The girl was like a cat. You grabbed your beat up running shoes as they were your only sneakers and hoped that Alcina didn’t intend on taking you for a jog. You headed out into the fragrant spring air and began your drive over to the park.

Arriving at the parking lot by the visitor center, you saw that apparently everyone else thought it was a great day to go to the park as well. You managed to squeeze your car in between two minivans in a shaded area furthest away from your meeting point.

With only two minutes to spare, you began running towards the visitor center. You didn’t want to be late and make a bad impression. It was only your second time meeting and you were sure she was already waiting.

Your lungs were already begging you to stop and to think you once ran regularly for fun. As you got closer you could see that Alcina was standing by a tree looking at her phone. She was nearly unrecognizable, her height is what made her stand out, she had to be close to six feet without heels. It was a contrast from how dolled up she was just two nights ago. Instead of a dress she wore black workout leggings that accentuated her backside with white patches by her hips and mesh cutouts running down the sides. Her running shoes a pristine white that complimented the rest of her ensemble. She wore a long sleeved white shirt and apparently a sports bra as her breasts were significantly smaller, not that you were looking. Okay, you were totally looking. Her hair was still curled, but she donned a baseball cap and her red lips were nowhere in sight. Instead it looked as though she had on a thin coat of lip gloss. She was shapely and soft, but slightly muscular.

It was exactly eleven when you made it over to the visitor center, completely out of breath and panting. She noticed you and walked over.

“Are you okay?”

The look on her face was of genuine concern.

“Fine-“

You took a couple of deep breaths.

“Parking lot so full. Didn’t want to be late.”

She laughed and rubbed your back and you close your eyes, savoring her touch as your breathing returned to normal.

“You could have sent me a text to let me know you were going to be late. The park always fills up when the weather is like this. You’re cute when you’re trying to impress me though.”

You’d never tire of her compliments and pet names.

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

You hoped there would keep being next times.

“Now, my plan for us today is that we could rent one of the surrey bikes and ride alongside the lake. Are you going to be okay to do that?”

A bike ride sounded fun. Surrey bikes weren’t nearly as strenuous as a regular bike. Padded bench, steering wheel, a canvas on top to block out the sunlight, and more than one person peddling. When you were a kid, sometimes your parents would drop you off here with a few friends and you’d rent the four person bike. Normally, you were left to steer as you all clumsily navigated the paved lakeside trail.

“Ooh, I love those bikes. I’ll be fine, just haven’t ran in awhile.”

“Good, come with me.”

You walked next to Alcina into the visitor center as she arranged for a 2 person bike. The woman behind the counter led you to the back and pointed out a red surrey bike. There was a little basket in the front that was big enough for two small children to sit in and the canopy was red with white stripes.

“Do you mind if I steer? That was always the best part.”

Alcina cocked her head and gestures to the driver side of the bike.

“Be my guest. Let’s hope that your chauffeuring is better than your jogging.”

She teased and you made a face at her before you both climbed onto the padded bench.

You released the break and the two of you pedaled in tandem as you looped from the back of the visitor center onto the lakeside trail. It was much easier to control than it looked and quite relaxing. Taking in your surroundings you saw more people on surrey bikes from couples to families, kids playing frisbee in the grass, young couples holding hands on the adjacent walking trail. Not to mention the lake, it was pristine and glittering in the sun. It was such a beautiful day.

Alcina seemed to be quietly taking in the sights as well. A couple of times while you peddled together, her leg would brush against yours, causing your heart to flutter.

“Are you up to doing the whole trail or would you like to turn around here?”

Alcina gestured to the turnaround next to one of the bathrooms.

“I assumed we were doing the whole trail and back. Unless it’s you that can’t handle it.”

You teased her as payback for earlier and she scowled at you.

“I’ll have you know, I am in the best shape of my life. I’ve been working with a personal trainer since baby number three.”

You started to think that maybe you hit a bit of a sore spot. She began pedaling faster which forced you to as well due to the nature of the bike. Your thighs began to burn from exertion by the time you reached the overpass that signaled the end of the trail. Thankfully the way back had a slight downward slope and it was much easier to keep Alcina’s pace.

By the time you reached the visitor center again, you’re both sweating and breathing hard.

“Quite the workout!”

You said between pants as your heart rate steadily declined.

“Well, it was either this or my vinyasa yoga class and I prefer a workout with a view.”

Her eyes looked you up and down hungrily which made you feel a bit nervous. You were attracted to her but you wouldn’t lie, she was intimidating. You had no experience with large age gaps nor this sort of arrangement. It wasn’t exactly a normal relationship.
She was paying you after all, it was kind of like she was your boss. All you could do was smile in response.

The tension that was building quickly resolved as you parked the bike in the spot where you’d found it and Alcina went to retrieve her ID that was held at the visitor center to guarantee the bike’s return.

You didn’t follow her in. You needed a minute to self-reflect. You were an adult. You were capable of making your own choices. Why was there a pit in your stomach? Why did this feel wrong?

You spotted Alcina as she walked back out and over to the designated smoking area. Really? After a workout?

It only took a moment of you awkwardly standing by yourself to decide to join her. She blew a puff of smoke in the opposite direction when she noticed you approaching.

“I am trying to quit.”

She took another drag and exhaled through her nose.

“You don’t smoke, do you?”

“No, but I’ve vaped before.”

She laughed, shaking her head, and put her cigarette out, tossing it in the receptacle.

“You kids and your e-cigarettes. Whatever you do, don’t make a habit of it. I had a good run, obviously I didn’t smoke during any of my pregnancies, but the stress leading up to the divorce and.”

She trailed off, stopping herself from whatever she was planning to say next.

“Never mind, I shouldn’t be burdening you with this.”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

It couldn’t hurt to offer a listening ear.

“No, what I meant is I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.”

She sighed.

“Sorry, I didn’t intend to be so blunt, but we’ve had such a nice time together and we don’t need to sully it with talks of that buffoon.”

Oddly enough, even the way insults rolled off her tongue was so classy.

“Alright, then how about you tell me about your day yesterday?”

It was a way to change the subject at least and you begin to walk towards a more secluded, grassy area. There were benches and you decided on one beneath a willow tree and you sat down together.

“My day was nice, relaxing. I did have a couple of business related calls, but it was somewhat of a “me” day. My ex has the girls until tonight.”

From the amount of times she brought up her kids you could tell they were really important to her. That was another thing you weren’t used to. You never dated anyone with children before and the thought was daunting.

“How old are your daughters?”

Since her mind seemed to be on them, you might as well ask questions.

“Thirteen, eleven, and six. They’re good girls, but the little one can be a handful, not that it’s anything I haven’t dealt with before.”

She laughed.

“I guess she had quite the tantrum at the mall yesterday. I got an earful about that, but she only acts that way with him.”

Thinking back to yesterday, you remembered the man with the three girls by the food court wondering if they were Alcina’s daughters. You kept this to yourself.

Alcina checked the time on her phone.

“As nice as this has been, I need to be going soon. As I’ve said, my daughters will be back in my care tonight and since we swap weeks, I will not be available until next Sunday evening.”

It was a relief if you were being honest. Two dates in two days. It felt like things were going too quickly and you were beginning to have your doubts. The age difference, the kids, the nature of your meetings. It was piling up and overwhelming you. A week away from her would give you time to think more about what you wanted out of this and how long or if it would continue.

“I understand. Thanks again, I had fun today.”

She nodded.

“Now, before we part I wanted to discuss your allowance.”

Oh, right. She did mention a weekly allowance.

“Do you have a preferred rate?”

Preferred rate? Is that something you could do?

“Um, no? I’ll be honest, I’ve never done this before. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Oh, you sweet thing. I’m happy to be your first.”

You felt her hand stroke yours. As apprehensive as you were, you were receptive to her touch and her innuendo didn’t slip past your radar.

She spoke in a near whisper.

“How does five hundred a week sound?”

Five hundred a week!? You couldn’t pass that up. With that amount and your job, you’d be able to climb out of your debt and afford to keep the apartment after Olivia left.

“I, uh, wow. That’s a lot. Are you sure?”

She had that hungry look in her eyes again as her fingers continued to trace the back of your hand.

“It’s no trouble to me. I’d say you’re more than worth the price”

Her hand moved from yours to the thigh your hand was resting on. Your breath hitched as her hand slid further up and she leaned closer to you. You could feel yourself begin to ache with arousal. Doubts aside, you wouldn’t mind if she kissed you right now. You let your eyes close in preparation.

And just like that her hand left your body and she was standing up from the bench, phone in hand. She had a distressed look on her face.

“Sorry, dear. I won’t be able to walk you back to your car. I have a phone call to make.”

Disappointed, you stood up and could feel the wetness that seeped to your panties. Moment completely spoiled.

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later.”

“Do me a favor and please send me a message to let me know you’ve gotten home safely.”

You nodded and began walking from the bench back to the parking lot. As you got further away, you looked back to Alcina and could see her arm flailing as she held the phone to her ear with her other, pacing back and forth.
That didn’t look too good.

You turned back towards your destination and made it to your car after a few minutes of walking and started your drive home.

As conflicted as you were, you were willing to keep this going for entirely selfish reasons. You really needed the money and the longer you could keep this going, the longer you could continue living independently.

When you got back to your apartment, you sent her a text to let her know that you got home. She didn’t respond right away and you stopped checking after a while to see if she was typing. After some time passed and you were absorbed in a movie, no longer thinking about it, you received a “thumbs up” emoji from her. She definitely texted like a mom.

As the day started to come to an end, you checked your student portal one last time to make sure all of your assignments were submitted. You heard your phone go off again and while a part of you wanted it to be Alcina, it was Olivia letting you know she was staying over at Robbie’s for the night. You hoped he at least had the decency to take her out to make up for Friday.

With nothing left to do and a full day ahead of you tomorrow, you got ready for bed. Unlike the past two nights, you had trouble settling down and spent an ungodly amount of time tossing and turning before finally settling into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Text

No sooner than you closed your eyes, your alarm was going off. It was like you didn’t sleep at all. You laid there unmoving for a few minutes, contemplating skipping classes for the day, but quickly decided against it. Spring break was next week, you could push through until then. You even had work off the following week. It was unpaid time off and you weren’t going anywhere special, you just needed the break.

You reluctantly pulled yourself out of bed to prepare for the day. Mondays were always the hardest. Three classes and today you had a closing shift at work. You opted to wear what you’d normally wear to work since you wouldn’t have much time to change between your last class and your shift. It was plain enough to not look like a work uniform and since it was a bit chilly, you threw a long gray cardigan over your top.

For breakfast, you put a frozen sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich into the microwave. Sometimes you and Olivia would cook breakfast together before classes, but since she was at Robbie’s you’d rather not cook if it was only for you. Cooking meant dishes and that was a hard pass.

You ate while opening and closing through your social media apps on your phone still half asleep. You finished your sandwich and brewed some coffee for your travel mug. As the coffee pot was starting up, you grabbed your bag with your notebooks and writing utensils. Every class today was a lecture style class and you had to be prepared. You put your shoes on, grabbed your mug after pouring in some hazelnut creamer, and headed out for campus.

Your first class, like the remaining two classes you had today were in large theater style rooms. You picked a seat where you’d be able to hear your professor and view the white board if anything was written down. You were a bit early, giving yourself time to settle in as the other students shuffled in slowly.

Paying attention was a greater challenge than usual. Your professor droned on and between your fatigue and your mind being elsewhere, you hoped your notes would suffice. There was going to be a test at the end of the week and surely an assignment over the break.

When you arranged your schedule, you allowed for gaps to be able to work on homework or study between classes. It was nice, but stretched out your school day considerably. There was a study nook in the hallway by your next class and you decided to hang out there until it was time to go in. You didn’t have any work to do yet so you wound up on your phone again.

Olivia texted you. She wanted to know how your park date went and if you were free to catch up tonight. You let her know you wouldn’t be home until late. She sent back a frowny face and the conversation ended with you sending back a crying emoji.

Your remaining classes went by quickly though you found yourself wishing you paid more attention. On your way to work you thought of the assignments you’d have to have completed by Wednesday when you had those classes again. Your full time schedule had you taking five classes total. Three classes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The other two classes were Tuesdays and Thursdays only. It was a lot, but you needed every credit you could get to ensure they would transfer to your four year school. Your work schedule on top of that wasn’t as set in stone. Oftentimes they had you working as much as they possibly could.

Today, you were scheduled to be on the floor, something you much preferred to being stuck at returns or any of the other registers. Weekdays were much slower than weekends and getting paid to stand around and help the occasional customer find something wasn’t bad at all. It was leagues better than your last job working in food service where the workflow was nonstop and you were chronically short staffed.

You navigated traffic and made your way to the mall to start your shift. Nothing of note happened and before you knew it, it was already 10pm and you were preparing to leave for the night. It was always slightly unnerving walking to your car in the poorly lit parking lot. Thankfully there were more closers and you never had to walk out alone.

Walking back into the door of your apartment, Olivia was there to greet you.

“Liv, what are you still doing up? I told you I’d be home late.”

“I know, I just wanted to see you.”

“And?”

You gave her a knowing look.

She scoffed and rolls her eyes.

“Okay, fine! You have to tell me how your second date went and don’t spare the details.”

You transitioned over to the couch to catch up more comfortably.

“It was really fun. She rented a surrey bike for us and we rode the lakeside trail and back.”

Olivia barely waited for you to finish your sentence before bombarding you with more questions.

“Did you do anything else after? Fancy restaurant? Shopping spree? Did you at least kiss this time?”

“No, no, no, and well, almost.”

You smiled nervously and turned away.

“Aw, what happened? Something bad?”

You sucked air in between your teeth before speaking again.

“Nothing bad, at least I don’t think? We were on a bench together and were about to say goodbye anyway. There was a moment where I thought for sure it would happen, but then her phone went off and it killed the mood. I think it was something to do with her kids.”

Olivia’s entire demeanor changed at that moment.

“She has kids?”

If you had caught yourself before letting that slip, you wouldn't have said anything about Alcina having children.

“Yeah, three of them.”

Olivia gritted her teeth.

“Her age is one thing, but do you really wanna play step mommy?”

She had a point, but there was nothing normal about this relationship, if you could even call it that. It was an arrangement and you weren’t ready to give Olivia the full context just yet.

“It’s not like she brought her kids with her. I don’t know. I don’t know if I want kids of my own. Who knows if she’ll even introduce me to them. We’ve only been on two dates and she’s busy through next Sunday.”

“You don’t have to keep seeing her, you know. It sounds like she has a lot of baggage.”

Olivia wasn’t wrong about the baggage, but you kind of did have to keep seeing her and it’s not like you didn’t want to. The incoming payments would be immensely helpful and thinking back to that near kiss and how you felt in the moments leading up to it before she pulled away, you were more than eager to explore the physical side of your arrangement. Something was there and you didn’t want to let it fizzle out. You knew that sugar babies weren’t obligated to have sex, but many did and you weren’t opposed to it. Surely with her age came experience and maybe she could teach you a thing or two.

“I know that. I want to. It’s not like it’s anything serious. She’s not my girlfriend, we’re just having fun.”

You wished Olivia would drop it already.

“I’m only looking out for you. I know how hard things were for you when you and Megan broke up. I think you should play the field.”

You nodded, not really wanting to continue this conversation, but then you stoked the flames to the fire that was steadily building.

“How are things with Robbie?”

You saw the look in her eyes. She knew what you were doing.

“They’re fine. Not much to say and I really should have been in bed by now.”

She couldn’t have dismissed you quicker if she tried.

“Uh huh.”

You felt smug and satisfied, but this was quickly verging on a fight. It would’ve gotten worse if either of you pressed it further, but you walked away and looking at the time, you did need to start getting ready for bed. At least your Tuesday/Thursday classes started later in the morning than the rest of the week. You could use the sleep.

Settling into bed, you didn’t feel restless the way you did the previous night. You were on the verge of sleep within minutes when your phone jarred you awake. You had forgotten to put the damn thing on do not disturb. You wouldn’t consider yourself a light sleeper, but if something woke you up it was that much harder to try and sleep again. You checked to see what person or app had caused your phone to vibrate and you saw that it’s a text from Alcina.

“Sorry to text so late. I was thinking about you and how our time together on Sunday ended so suddenly. I look forward to making that up to you this weekend, so long as you’re available. Sleep well.”

Well, now you weren’t feeling so upset by the disturbance. Her text was sweet and thoughtful. As much as you wanted to respond straight away, you didn’t want to seem desperate. Besides, if you waited to text her until tomorrow, maybe that would open the door to texting more frequently? Maybe you could even start a conversation which was something rather daunting to you.

You stared at her message for a bit longer and thought about what she was doing right now. Was she in bed too or was she still busy with her daughters? Either way it was nice to know she was still thinking of you while she was wrapped up in motherhood and the responsibilities that came with it. You’d like to think that you were her last thought before bed too. With your mind at ease it wasn’t such a challenge to fall back to sleep.

The next day was similar to the day prior, the only difference being a later start. You had your classes, but thankfully no work. You arrived back at your apartment in the mid-afternoon and took advantage of the extra free time to complete your current assignments. While in the middle of one assignment, you thought back to the late night text from Alcina and realized you never responded to her when you woke up as you had intended to.

You wanted to kick yourself. Was it too late? No. It’s better to say something late than not at all. You weren’t going to use a lame excuse about just seeing her text. She’d probably see right through that anyway. It was better to be honest.

“Hey! I hope you’re well. It makes me happy to know you were thinking of me. I’ve been thinking of you too. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I saw your text, but got caught up with school stuff. I actually have my spring break next week so I’m all yours!”

You hit send and realized you could have cut the message down significantly. You didn’t want to seem so needy, but it was hard to dial it back with her. There was no sense in pretending otherwise, you were really into her. Not in a romantic sense. You barely knew her. She was fascinating and beautiful and you wanted to spend time with her. The times that she touched you and how you almost kissed. You were hoping that was partly what she meant by wanting to make it up to you.

You put your phone back down and go back to your work under the assumption she wouldn’t reply any time soon. Barely a minute later and your phone is buzzing again.

“I am well, thank you. You’re all mine, you say? I’ll have to plan for that accordingly.”

Her message was accentuated with a smirking emoji. The woman was a huge flirt and you were all for it. She always left you wanting more. As much as you wanted to keep up the conversation, you decided to leave it there.

You finished your assignments and decided to watch something on the tv in the living room. You hadn’t seen Olivia since the night before when you almost fought. You figured if you strategically placed yourself in a common area of the apartment, you’d have a better chance of running into her to gauge how she was feeling, if she was mad at you, or if she had decided to let it go.

It was well past the time when she would normally come home when she walked through the door.

“Sup?”

You made an effort to sound neutral and it was a relief when she didn't seem to be holding any grudge against you.

“Not much. What are you watching?”

She walked over to the living room and sat next to you on the couch.

“Eh, just some random movie I picked for background noise. The baby was born old and he’s aging backwards. It’s weird.”

“Oh, I think I’ve seen that one before.”

Olivia said while propping her feet up on the coffee table.

“Listen..”

Olivia spoke with a heavy sigh.

“I shouldn’t have been so judgmental towards you about, um, I don’t think you’ve told me her name? Anyway, I shouldn’t have judged you about the woman you’re dating. I know you already have it hard enough.”

She was apologizing. It made you feel guilty since you knew better and were aware that she was coming from a place of concern and then you threw Robbie in her face to hurt her.

“Her name’s Alcina, and it’s okay, Liv. I know you weren’t trying to be rude. We were both on edge last night.”

The tension hanging in the air dissipated.

“So, have you heard from this Alcina?”

Olivia seemed to be genuinely interested in your personal life and you knew it was because her own love life wasn’t so great. You suggested ordering a pizza and when it arrived, you caught her up to date. There wasn’t much since the last time you spoke, but it felt good to chat and not be at odds with one another. She steered clear of the topic of her boyfriend the entire time and you didn’t press for any information. If she finally left the guy, it would be a miracle.

The beginning of your week felt slow, but as always the days came and went in the blink of an eye and you were free from school and work until the following Monday. One thing that helped the week pass by more quickly was the frequency you heard from Alcina. Tame stuff like asking how your day was or wishing you a goodnight. Sometimes you would get flirty, but never anything that crossed the line into overt sexuality.

She was always the one to start the conversations apart from the Friday when you received your first allowance payment. You thanked her profusely to which she still insisted it was no trouble. It might not be much for her, but this was life changing for you. You were able to pay off your credit card in full, the one time you were grateful for having a minuscule credit limit. Your largest task would be your student loans, it was better to stay ahead as best as you could even if they wouldn’t accrue interest until you were done with your schooling.

Since it was now Sunday, you had high hopes that Alcina would ask you to do something once more. When the text came through, you were ecstatic.

“Would you like to see a movie with me tonight?”

That sounded lovely. Just you and her together in the dark. There wouldn’t be much room for talking, but it would be nice to feel close to her.

“That sounds like fun. Did you have something in mind?”

You asked because you weren’t sure what was in theaters at the moment. Going to the movies was a rare treat with how pricey it could be. You didn’t mind waiting for films to be available to stream or if you really couldn’t wait, there was always a way to watch the latest films from the comfort of your bedroom.

“The theater downtown is currently showing an old classic if that’s something you’d be interested in.”

It wasn’t necessarily your style, but judging from how she dressed and carried herself, this seemed right up her alley. It would be nice to get more acquainted with her through her interests and hobbies.

“Sounds good, what time should I be ready?”

You were hoping not too close to the current time. You hadn’t bothered getting dressed today or doing anything productive.

“The movie starts at 10pm. I was thinking I could pick you up around 8.”

Oh. She wanted to pick you up? This would be a first since you drove yourself to the previous two dates. You told her that sounded great and have her the address to your complex as well as the building and apartment number. You felt this was safe enough to do. You’d also let Olivia know where you’d be as you always had done.

You began getting yourself ready, not wanting to over dress or be too casual, you went with jeans and a light sweater. You left your hair down and put on some eye and lip makeup, intentionally picking a flavored lip gloss that you longed for her to kiss off of you.

It steadily got closer to the time Alcina would pick you up and you went out to the living room to find Olivia so you could tell her where you would be for the night. She wasn’t there. You walked over to her bedroom door and knocked.

“Come in.”

Her voice sounded muffled.

You opened the door and saw that she was lying on top of her bed with her face in a pillow.

“Uhh, everything okay, Liv?”

That was a stupid question since she clearly was not okay, but what do you even say during a moment like this?

“No.”

She groaned, not elaborating further.

“Did you want to-“

“No.”

She cut you off before you could ask if she wanted to talk about it. You weren’t sure how to proceed from here, but since you mainly wanted to tell her that you were going out and who you’d be out with, you just went with that.

“That’s fine, I just wanted to let you know that Alcina is going to be picking me up. She’s taking me to that theater downtown, the one that shows the old movies on Sundays. Just wanted you to know on the off chance I get murdered so you’ll know who did it.”

This managed to get a laugh out of Olivia. She rolled onto her back and you could see that her eyes were puffy, she definitely had been crying. You didn’t want to press her, but seeing her like this worried you.

“Seriously, Liv. What’s wrong?”

“I think Robbie and I are over.”

Her voice was low and trembling almost like she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“Oh, Liv.”

You walked over to the bed and pulled her into your arms. She was limp for a moment before reciprocating your hug.

“Do you want me to stay here with you? I can tell Alcina that something came up.”

You were really looking forward to your date, but Olivia was your friend and she was hurting. You couldn’t leave her unless you were one hundred percent sure she would be okay. Olivia pulled away from your hug and smiled at you.

“I’ll be fine. Don’t cancel your date for me. My parents know what’s going on and tomorrow I’m going with them to my uncle’s lake house for spring break.”

You had to actively work to conceal your joy. The apartment to yourself for a week with no school and no work. This was the exact sort of reprieve you needed.

“Alright, if you insist. Just don’t forget that you can call me or text me any time.”

Olivia thanked you and you left her to rest in her room while you waited impatiently for eight o’clock to come. Your worry for Olivia was overcome by thoughts of your upcoming movie date. You wondered if Alcina would call you when she got into the parking lot or if she would want to come up to your apartment. Maybe you should go wait outside? No, then you’d need a jacket. Your phone buzzed and you noticed you had a text.

“I’m here. Should I come up?”

You were glad that she gave you a choice. You quickly told her that you would meet her outside. You grabbed your purse and made sure to add the tube of the lip gloss you used, put your shoes on, and left your apartment.

When you walked outside you scanned the parking lot for her and what a sight she was. While her blue dress was more casual than the crimson one she wore to your first date, it still left you feeling horribly underdressed. It was a swing style dress that accentuated her waist and showed a tasteful amount of cleavage. Her hair still perfectly curled with a decorative flower to match the shade of her dress. Once again, her red lips were back with her smoldering eye makeup and you noticed how the dress accentuated the blue gray hue of her eyes.

“There you are, darling.”

You walked over to her, dwarfed by her height. She was tall enough did she really need to wear heels?

“Should I change?”

You asked nervously.

She tutted at you.

“You look fine, dear. This is simply my aesthetic.”

She stroked your face and you felt goosebumps at her touch. After she pulled her hand away, she invited you into her car which was light years better than yours. It had everything. Heated seats, Bluetooth, touch screen, back up camera. In the rear view mirror you noticed a booster seat strapped in the back. Another reminder of her being a mom.

“Would you like to listen to some music? You can pick whatever station you’d like.”

She backed up out of her parking spot and began driving towards the exit of your apartment complex.

“Um, I don’t know. I was thinking we could talk.”

She glanced over at you for a moment before focusing back on the road.

“That’s fine by me. Are you enjoying your break so far.”

“Well, I am now.”

A bit cheesy of you, but it was the truth.

“You’re certainly one for flattery, aren’t you? Though I suppose I can live with that.”

She looked back at you and winked.

“What about you?”

You asked already knowing that she had a busy week with her children and her business.

“Oh, you know. Nothing out of the ordinary today. My ex came for the girls and as per usual Daniela gave both of us a hard time.”

You were assuming Daniela was her youngest, she never told you any of her daughters names.

“Unfortunately, that’s just what happens on Sundays. Her sisters have no issue with it, but the little one takes longer to get settled and by the time she does, she has to leave again.”

You nodded. Your parents weren’t divorced, though they should have been. However, you grew up around plenty of kids with divorced parents and were aware of various custody agreements.

“There I go again.”

Alcina laughed.

“It’s not my intention to constantly bring them up, but if you ever become a parent you will understand.”

It was like she took your own mother’s words out of her mouth. Granted, the context was much different, but still a turn off.

“It’s okay. What movie are we seeing again?”

That was the smoothest way you could think to change the subject.

“What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? It’s one of my personal favorites and I was thrilled to see it would be playing this week.”

You did recognize the title, but you couldn’t recall the plot.

“I think I’ve heard of that one. I’ve never seen it though.”

You noticed Alcina’s eyes light up.

“You are in for a treat then.”

Just then you pulled up to the parking lot of the theater. It was a charming little place. Ticket booth outside and the marquee displaying the title of the film and the showtimes. It looked to be a relic of the past compared to the imax theater you’d attend for new releases.

The movie wouldn’t start for a while, but it looked like a decent amount of people were into this kind of thing. There was already a line at the ticket booth as you and Alcina walked up together. She purchased two tickets and you walked in to see a concessions stand in the lobby. Alcina must’ve noticed you staring.

“Would you like anything?”

The popcorn smelled delicious and you wouldn’t mind a drink to go with it.

“That popcorn looks really good.”

She nodded.

“There’s something special about movie theater popcorn. I’ll get us some to share. We’ll need drinks too then. Is Coke okay?”

You told her it was and when she was handed the tub and the drinks you offered to carry the two sodas after seeing the size of the popcorn tub. It was huge and you wondered if you’d be able to finish it between the two of you.

The lobby led right into the theater. It was a decent size, but it was dated. The seats weren’t the nice high back reclining ones and the arms didn’t even have cup holders. That was going to make for a slightly awkward time with nowhere to put your drinks.

You followed Alcina’s lead to a couple of seats towards the center. When you sat down you handed her one of the sodas. She thanked you and you watched as she took a delicate sip from the straw, making sure to not smudge her lipstick in the process. Not wanting to be obvious about your staring, you turned away to sip your own drink. As the theater filled up you were grateful to see that most of the patrons sat closer to the back of the theater. As it stood, you and Alcina had the row you were in to yourselves which added a nice layer of intimacy.

The lights in the theater dimmed slightly as previews were shown. Rather than showing trailers for up and coming movies, the theater showed previews for movies from the same year as the featured presentation. It was a thoughtful and interesting touch to the experience. You went to reach for some popcorn which was currently in Alcina’s lap. You didn’t notice that she happened to be reaching for some at the same time and you grabbed her hand.

“Darling, if you wanted to hold my hand, you could have said something.”

She had a wry smile on her face while she spoke.

“I swear, it was an accident!”

“Aw, so you don’t want to hold my hand then?”

She put on an exaggerated pout.

“N-no it’s not that it’s-“

“I’m just teasing, dear.”

She circled your hand with her thumb a couple of times before letting go, allowing you to grab a handful of popcorn. It was the perfect amount of butter and salt with a satisfying crunch. When you finished your handful, you intentionally reached out for Alcina’s hand and intertwined your fingers. She glanced back at you with a smirk.

The movie started and the theater went into complete darkness apart from the lights that lined the floor and the screen itself. You kept holding Alcina’s hand as you watched the ongoing scenes of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford as feuding sisters. You used your free hand to grab for more popcorn, precariously balancing your drink on the armrest of your seat each time you did which caused you to drink the rest down to be done with it. The movie wasn’t even halfway over when you were stuffed with popcorn. Even then the two of you hardly made a dent.

The movie came to an end and the lights gradually came back on as the credits started. People were starting to leave and you both followed suit. There was a garbage can on the way out and you threw your empty drink cup in, Alcina throwing hers away too along with the popcorn tub.

“I feel bad that we wasted so much.”

You said after Alcina tossed the tub in.

“Don’t feel bad. It’s not like either of us would have finished it later. Nobody likes stale popcorn.”

“True.”

You shrugged your shoulders and left it at that.

It was past midnight now and you were feeling pretty tired. You had to fight to keep yourself awake in the passenger seat of the car. Thankfully, Alcina engaged you in conversation which helped a bit.

“So, what did you think of the movie?”

The movie had some dark themes that were unexpected, not that you knew what to expect. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and for an older film you found it held up well.

“I liked it a lot. Like, it was messed up, but those movies that toy with your mind have always interested me.”

She smiled.

“I can think of a few more you might like then. Next time though, I’ll let you pick.”

You weren’t sure if any of your choices would suit her taste, but you wouldn’t know until the time came.

It was close to One A.M. when Alcina pulled back into your apartment complex.

“Let me walk you inside.”

This was unlike the first time you met and she asked to walk you to your car. This time she was offering and you weren’t going to refuse her. You both got out of her car and walked into your building. While it was a big complex, each building only had six units. There were two on each floor and you were happy to be on the ground floor.

You directed Alcina towards the apartment to the right and stood outside the door.

“Tonight was fun.”

You told her as you unlocked your door, not turning the knob to go in yet.

“It was and as you’ve said you’re all mine this week so I have more in store for you.”

“As long as you still want me around.”

You teased and she put a gentle hand to your face.

“But of course.”

She leaned in and your heart began to pound in your chest. You prepared for your lips to meet hers, but instead her lips fell upon your cheek. Not what you were expecting, especially after the last time when you were sure she was going to kiss you, but the feeling of her lips on yours had you tingling.

“Goodnight, darling.”

She murmured into your cheek before pulling away.

“Goodnight.”

You replied while opening the door. She stood there and watched as you went in. When you closed the door you watched her walk away through the peephole, your cheek still burning from her kiss.

Chapter Text

With no school or work you were able to sleep much later than your normal schedule allowed for. You awoke to an empty apartment and a text from Olivia saying she was leaving for her trip and that she would see you again on Sunday. You wished her well and put your phone back onto your nightstand. Your version of sleeping in was still quite early and you allowed yourself the luxury of staying in bed and doing nothing, at least for a moment. The sun filtered in through your blinds and you could hear birds chirping in the distance, signifying that spring was holding its own, pushing out the remnants of winter.

Some time passed, you had your fill of lying there and felt the need to keep some semblance of a routine. When you got out of bed, you grabbed your phone and scrolled to your conversation with Alcina.

“Good morning, pretty lady 😘”

You texted her and felt that familiar rush accompanied by an increased heart rate. It still felt odd texting her first, but she didn’t say not to or that it was something she was uncomfortable with the last time you did. You could see the text was delivered, but not read. There was no point in staring at the screen until she read it, much less responded. You thought it would be a good time for a shower and your growling stomach thought some breakfast was in order, too.

You showered and with no immediate need to get dressed, you slipped on your robe after towel drying your hair. Your phone was on the bathroom sink and when you checked it, you saw you had no new text messages. Once again, you opened the conversation with Alcina to see your text to her remained unread. She was probably busy. She didn’t have her kids this week, but she likely had a lot of work to do with her winery. You had never been there yourself, but the Dimitrescu Winery and Vineyard was well known and popular for locals and tourists alike. It was one of several in the area. Being in a lake heavy region there was plenty of tourism in the warmer months and winery tours were a popular activity. Not to mention private events, especially weddings. However, the one currently owned by Alcina was the oldest in the area and was featured on the travel channel as a must see destination. Being of legal drinking age, you probably would have visited by now if you weren’t the only one of your friend group who could legally go for a tasting.

For breakfast, more of a brunch looking at the time, you made pancakes and thinking about topping them with butter and your favorite maple syrup was enough to offset your intense dislike of the dishwashing that accompanied cooking. Rather than have your phone in your hand as you ate, you kept it away from you trying to break that habit. Knowing you were waiting for a text only added to your anxiety that scrolling through social media would not help.

You checked your phone again, still nothing. There were a few assignments you needed to complete before your break was over. It was better to start them now rather than wait until the last minute. Sure your vacation was barely starting, but you already knew it would go by quickly and you'd rather not spend your last night before returning to school and work frantically trying to write papers. The essay for your English class was a good place to start.

The assignment itself wasn’t too lengthy and you were able to finish it as the day approached the mid-afternoon. This still left you with a couple more papers, but it was one less thing on your to do list. Not wanting to burn yourself out, you took a break to watch something on tv. Your phone’s text alert went off and you eagerly checked to see if Alcina responded. Rather than Alcina, it was Olivia.

“Good news! Robbie and I aren’t breaking up. He surprised me at my uncle’s lake house with flowers!”

Great. More of that guy. Throughout Olivia and Robbie’s relationship they never officially called it quits, but there were plenty of moments where it seemed they were through only for him to pull some elaborate stunt to win her back.

“Happy for ya, Liv.”

Was what you texted back. You weren’t sure what to say, you were already lying.

“Thank you!! I was so shocked when I saw his car pull up. I don’t think I mentioned I was coming here, but he knows my family well enough to know where we tend to spend our vacations.”

That…seemed more concerning than romantic. You had to refrain from pointing out that it was kind of creepy. You didn’t want to stomp on her happiness especially with that recent almost fight where you used Robbie as a “gotcha.”

You simply wished her a good time and left it at that before placing your attention back onto the show you were watching. It wasn’t long before you were tempted to check if Alcina had at least seen your text. You opened the conversation and saw that it was read about an hour ago, leaving you with a sinking feeling.

She made it seem like she wanted to spend the week with you after the date you had last night. Perhaps you were more invested in this than you initially thought or ever intended to be. You took some deep breaths and reminded yourself of the arrangement at hand. You were a paid companion. You sought her out on a site that catered to this exact dynamic. You weren’t even sure if it’s that you wanted something with more depth or merely the fact that she left you wanting. Holding her hand, her touching your face, rubbing your back, and then that kiss on the cheek. You had been out three times, with any other person, sex would have already been on the table. She hadn’t even kissed you yet.

It was frustrating and with no actual commitment at hand it was tempting to turn back to one of the other dating apps to see if you could find a meaningless hook up to break your dry spell. Then your phone started to ring. Alcina. You let it ring a couple of times before answering since she had left you on read.

“Hello?”

You answered the phone, drawing out the O in a sing-song style.

“Hello, darling. Have you been keeping busy today?”

You loved the sound of her voice, the way she spoke was different from everyone else you knew. She didn’t have a foreign accent, instead she sounded as though she were from the old Hollywood movies she seemed to enjoy. An accent that was neither here nor there.

“For the most part. I got one of my assignments done. How about you?”

Before she spoke you already had a feeling she had a busy day.

“Terribly busy.”

She said with a huff.

“I had several phone conferences regarding international exports. I didn’t realize how long they’d kept me until I called you and saw the time.”

This helped you feel better. You knew she was a busy woman, but that reassurance was nice.

“Well, if you’re free now, I’d like to see you.”

You realized after you spoke you didn’t have any plans for a date in mind.

“You’re very sweet.”

Alcina giggled softly.

“I do regret to inform you that I won’t be available today. However, if you’re up to an early start tomorrow, I would like to pick you up and bring you to my winery.”

It was disappointing to know you wouldn’t see her today, but going to her winery sounded like it would be a good time. You could learn more about her family business and since she was driving, maybe you could indulge a bit more on that signature wine of hers.

“I think I can manage getting up early. I do it regularly.”

“Perfect. Be ready for me by nine.”

Nine? Piece of cake, you’d hardly consider that early compared to when you had to wake up for school.

“Sounds good, I’ll see you tomorrow, Alcina.”

“Have a good evening, my dear.”

You heard her make a smooching sound before she ended the call. Such a tease.

After a relaxing, quiet night in, falling asleep was easy. When your alarm went off, your first thought was about what you would wear. From your window, you could see the dark clouds and the dampened black top of the parking lot. This prompted you to check the weather app on your phone and sure enough, it would be raining and chilly throughout the entirety of the day with the chance of a thunderstorm. Yesterday would have been the perfect day to see her winery, now it would be cold, wet, and muddy if you walked in the grass at any point.

You knew that whatever you decided to wear, you’d definitely be wearing boots. You kept it simple, jeans, a long sleeved top, and you searched your closet for your hooded raincoat. It was the first time you had brought it out this year as you still wore your winter jacket when it was cold enough.

Once you got Alcina’s text that she was in the parking lot, you ran out and were happy to see that she pulled her car up to the front of the building. It was raining pretty hard now, the brief time you spent uncovered before hopping into her passenger seat got your coat soaked.

You plopped down into the seat with a huff and she giggled at you.

“I brought you a coffee. That should help warm you up. I wasn’t sure what flavor you preferred, I went with my usual choice of caramel.”

You looked down at the cup holder to see two cups from one of the nicer cafes. You thanked her and grabbed the one closest to you and took a sip.

“Caramel is good, I usually rotate between French vanilla and hazelnut though.”

She nodded at your response and smiled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

The rain started coming down harder as she drove. You could tell she was trying her best to focus on the road so you kept quiet. The radio was on at a low volume and from the touch screen you could see the song that was playing. Moonlight Serenade by Glenn Miller. From what you could hear over the harsh sound of the rain it didn’t seem to have any lyrics, but the melody was pleasant and relaxing.

The winery wasn’t too far from your apartment though still out of your regular scope. You pulled up after about 40 minutes of driving, only knowing you had reached your destination by the large sign next to a winding road.

🔶
Dimitrescu Winery & Vineyard
Est. 1906
🔶
The road led down to a charming brick building, and you could see there were a couple more buildings among the acres of land filled with grapevines, gazebos, and an outdoor wedding venue with coverage for days such as this. Alcina parked in front of the brick building in the spot closest to the entrance.

“Well, here we are. It’s a shame about the weather. Had it been nicer, I would have liked to walk you around the grounds.”

That would have been nice, instead it looked as though you’d be confined to this building.

“Maybe if the rain stops we could still do that?”

You suggested. She tilted her head and hummed. She seemed receptive to the idea, but from the looks of the current weather conditions, it didn’t seem like it would be calming down anytime soon. Alcina exited the car and you followed her to the front doors. She sorted through her keys until she found the one that unlocked them.

“It’ll just be us. During the week we aren’t open until the early evening.”

She winked at you and you felt yourself flush.

When the doors opened you could see the bottles of wine lining the walls, a dining area, and several doors leading to different rooms. One of the walls had what looked to be family portraits and there were plaques with writing on them that you couldn’t make out from where you currently stood.

“Was there something you needed to do here?”

You asked Alcina as you walked further into the establishment and she shut the doors behind the two of you.

“No, I only wished to show you around. There’s a bottle of wine or two in it for you as well. Just let me know what you’d like.”

You pursed your lips and hummed.

“I mean, you’re the wine expert here. The last time I bought wine it came in a box.”

She placed a palm to her face and shook her head.

“Oh, I have so much to teach you.”

You shrugged and walked over to the wall with the portraits and the plaques. The first two portraits were in black and white, both of different couples. The third portrait of another couple, this one in color. The final portrait was of Alcina. Her hair was a bit longer here, still perfectly curled. Red lips matching the glass of wine that she held. She wore a cream colored dress and sat cross legged in an antique looking armchair. It was a contrast to the previous portraits which you quickly figured out were of the previous owners of the winery. She stood out in vibrant color, undeniable beauty, and the fact that her portrait was the only one without a partner pictured.

You felt hands on your shoulders as you admired her portrait, still not reading the information on the plaques.

“See something you like?”

Her voice was playful and flirty.

“I’d like to know more about these portraits on the wall.”

You pointed to the ones above hers. Her hands left your shoulders.

“Had you not been so busy staring at mine, the plaques explain everything, but I can give you a more in depth history.”

You craned your head back to look at her.

“I’m up for a history lesson.”

You brought your head forward again, that position was killer on your neck.

“To start from the beginning.”

She pointed to the first portrait on the wall.

“Those are my great grandparents. My paternal great grandparents to be specific. They were the first to settle here from Romania. You see, the Dimitrescu name was once one of nobility, but that was long ago and well before the complete collapse of the aristocracy. The one thing that remained was our winemaking legacy. That goes as far back as the fifteenth century. When my great grandparents had to leave Romania in the hopes for a better life, they were able to build that on wine alone. The winery was eventually passed down to my grandfather, my father, and now me.”

You knew the woman was well off, but you wouldn’t have guessed that she was a noble descendant. From the sounds of it though, they weren’t too important. You certainly never came across the Dimitrescu name in any of your history books.

“So you’re like the first female owner of the winery. That’s pretty cool.”

You don’t know why, but that was the first thing you thought to comment on.

“Precisely. I suppose that’s one benefit to being an only child. If I had a brother, it’s likely the winery would have been passed down to him rather than me. Not that I wouldn’t have put up a fight for it.”

From the sounds of it, the winery seemed really important to her. It made sense, the place was in operation for more than 100 years and was still well regarded after all that time.

“Tell me more about this noble family of yours.”

You joked and she scoffed at you.

“There’s not much to tell other than some silly urban legends.”

Urban legends, huh? That sounded interesting enough to keep pressing her.

“I like urban legends.”

You turned to face her. Her hand was on her hips and it was the first time all day you got to take in her outfit. Aside from the time you went to the park, it was the most casual you had seen her. She wore a white blouse and black slacks and while she still wore heels, they were much lower than the ones she wore previously. She rolled her eyes at you, but indulged you nonetheless.

“Fine, but I doubt there’s any truth to it. There was apparently one woman in my family, she would have been an aunt to me, but we are talking centuries ago. As the legend dictates, during this point in time my family had control of a castle. She was said to have taken girls from the local village in as her staff, but any young women who entered her castle were never seen again. I guess some idiot male from the village was upset over losing the girl he wanted to marry. He was convinced that this ancestor of mine was a vampire so he shows up with this poisoned blade, stabs the woman to death, and sure enough this girl is nowhere to be found within the main castle. It gets even more grim from there. He then ventures into the dungeons underneath the castle and I guess he found a multitude of blood soaked torture devices and wine barrels filled with blood. The rumor was that she was killing these girls because she believed that bathing in and consuming their blood would keep her eternally beautiful.”

That was disturbing and not something you were expecting to hear, but you were still intrigued.

“How did this story even come about?”

“I have absolutely no idea. It’s something that’s been passed down through my family and surely it’s evolved throughout the years. My father told it to me when I was a child around the campfire. Looking back as an adult, even if there were any truth to this, no such castle stands and the woman was no vampire, just completely batshit. Probably all of the inbreeding.”

You chuckled at that.

“Oh, is the fall of my noble heritage funny to you?”

You shot her a confused look.

“Teasing, dear. My family wasn’t exactly next in line to the throne and as I’ve said they fell out of favor well before the forced abdication of the royal family.”

During all that talking you hadn’t noticed that the rain stopped. It still looked pretty gloomy outside, but you could walk the grounds if you wanted.

“It looks like it’s clearing up outside if you wanted to take that walk.”

You suggested.

“Hm, it does, though I’m sure it’s muddy and I’d rather not walk through that.”

It didn’t seem like there was much else to do. Alcina walked through one of the side doors and you followed her. It looked to be a sort of tasting room.

“I did promise you some wine to take home and while I’m sure my wine won’t compare to fresh out of the box, I’m sure I could find something to your liking.”

You squinted your eyes at her and she smirked. She grabbed a bottle of red, the same one that you tried on your first date.

“I know you already like my signature red so that was a given.”

She handed the bottle to you and went back to browsing the shelf before grabbing a different bottle.

“This one is a dry white. Since you enjoyed the red blend, I’m sure you will like this.”

She handed that bottle to you too and now your hands were full. You thanked her for them, but also wished you had somewhere else to put them. You didn’t bring a bag with you. Alcina glanced at her phone for the time.

“We should probably head out. My staff will be coming shortly and I’d rather not have to play twenty questions with them.”

She was right, it would probably be a bit awkward for both parties. You agreed with her and went back out to her car while she locked up. The drive back to your apartment was more relaxing than the drive there since there was no torrential downpour, just gray skies. She hummed along to the radio while she drove. Looking at the touch screen you see another hit from Glenn Miller is playing. Her humming was very pretty, she probably had a nice singing voice.

It wasn’t long before she pulled back into the parking lot of your apartment complex.

“Let me carry those bottles in for you.”

She offered. It’s something you could have easily done by yourself, but you weren’t complaining that she didn’t want to say goodbye just yet.

Alcina carried the bottles and followed you into the building while you unlocked the door.

“Would you like to come in?”

She accepted your invitation and followed you in.

“Nice place you have here. It almost reminds me of the apartment I had when I was your age.”

“I’m sure yours was nicer.”

You retorted.

“Please, I didn’t have a flat screen in my living room.”

“That’s only because they didn’t exist.”

She gasped.

“I’m not ancient, you know. And for the record, they did exist, they just weren’t as common to have.”

“I’m teasing.”

You said it in a way that was clearly mocking her from earlier since she loved teasing you so much.

She glanced back at you for a second and then walked over to your small kitchen to place the wine bottles onto the counter.

“Please tell me you have a corkscrew.”

Nope. You definitely didn’t have one of those around.

“So you’re telling me those don’t just twist open?”

Alcina placed a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes.

“You’re lucky your cuteness outweighs this migraine that you’re giving me.”

Well, at least she still found you cute.

“Speaking of migraines, I am unfortunately dying for a cigarette. I tried to prolong the urge and I’ve cut down significantly, but still haven’t completely snuffed out the habit.”

You didn’t want her smoking in your apartment and you were sure Olivia wouldn’t want that either. Not that she asked, but you wanted to make sure she knew that wasn’t an option.

“I’ll walk outside with you.”

You walked back over to her car while she lit up. You hated to admit it, but she had a way of making smoking look sexy. You were about to ask her a question when your phone went off. It was Olivia. You had a bad feeling and it must have been apparent to Alcina.

“Something wrong, dear?”

You had never had the chance to talk about this with anyone else. The main person you would talk to for support would be Olivia and any conversations regarding her boyfriend would quickly get heated or dismissed entirely.

“It’s my friend, the girl I live with. She has this boyfriend and he’s just awful. I thought they were finally going to break up, but he managed to win her back again.”

Alcina frowned at this and stubbed her cigarette out.

“You should probably open her message then to make sure everything is okay.”

She was right. You opened Olivia’s text and were displeased at the contents.

“Robbie just embarrassed me in front of my entire family. I made a joke about that video game he plays all the time and he went completely off the wall at me and stormed out. I feel so stupid. I don’t know what to do.”

It was even worse than you’d thought.

“You can tell me, darling.”

Alcina spoke softly after seeing your reaction.

“It seems like they’re on the outs again. He just made up with her yesterday and now I guess he just screamed at her in front of her entire family.”

You could see a quiet rage brewing within Alcina. Her fists clenched and she let out a sharp exhale through her nose.

“What a disgusting little creature he is. She needs to get out of there.”

“I know she does, but it’s almost impossible to talk about with her.”

Alcina uncurled her clenched fist and reached out for your cheek, the light stroke of her fingertips sending a tingling throughout your body.

“It’s extremely difficult for someone in that situation to realize how bad it is. Give your friend a call. Be there for her in whatever way you can.”

You nodded.

“I’ll try my best to convince her to stay away. I only hope that she will listen to me this time.”

Alcina’s hand left your cheek.

“I’ll leave you to it then. I should really be going now.”

She turned and opened her car door.

“Wait.”

She turned back towards you.

“Is something else the matter?”

“No..”

You started, you nervously clasped your hands together.

“It’s just that, I don’t know, I thought that maybe by now that, nevermind.”

Alcina cocked her head to the side.

“I can’t do much with that explanation.”

You took a deep breath.

“I really wanted you to ki-“

The soft feel of her lips on yours cut off the rest of your sentence. It wasn’t an ideal first kiss with the ongoing situation with Olivia, but you sighed happily into her mouth and reciprocated her kiss. You found you hardly minded the lingering taste of her cigarette. She pulled away before you had a chance to deepen the kiss, leaving your head spinning.

“Satisfied?”

She said smarmily.

You were still somewhat in shock at how quickly it happened and ended. You could only blink in disbelief.

“Go take care of your friend, darling. I’ll talk to you later.”

You waved goodbye to her and walked back into your apartment. You downed a glass of cold water to regain your composure. You would definitely need it. Pulling your phone back out, you called Olivia and waited for her to answer.

Chapter Text

“Hey..”

Olivia answered your call and from the sound of her voice and the loud sniff, it was apparent she was crying. 

“Liv, you gotta stay away from that guy. Look at how miserable he’s making you.”

You had to assert yourself. You couldn’t tiptoe around the issue anymore. If she wanted to push you away and shut you out, it would hurt, but you couldn’t stand by and let her be treated like trash. 

“I don’t know. It’s just hard and I can’t help but feel that it’s my fault. I started it.”

Olivia cried softly on the other end of the phone.

“I don’t care if you think you started something. What he did was not okay. Please listen to me.”

You didn’t care if you had to beg her outright. You sat there in silence while you heard more sniffs from the other end. You let her cry it out with you, relieved that she didn’t hang up. 

“I think you should come back home. You could use a girls night and I have some wine.” 

“I think I’m gonna stay here for now. Robbie is not allowed back, my uncle had to stop my dad from going after him. It was crazy and I feel so, so stupid.” 

“You’re not stupid, Olivia. And it’s too bad about your dad. Robbie deserves to get his ass kicked.” 

You thought maybe you could get her to laugh. It didn’t work though. She was still sniffling away. 

“I think I’m gonna let you go now. I can hear my mom hovering outside of the door and I’d rather get that done and over with.”

“Alright. Call me or text me whenever. You know I always have my phone with me.”

With that you both said goodbye and Olivia was the first to hang up the phone. Today was a mix of emotions. Your first kiss with Alcina that you practically begged for. You couldn’t take her lingering touches or teasing anymore. It seemed as though she were playing a game with you, like she wanted you to get to the point where you begged her and you walked right into her trap. Then everything with Olivia…there was only so much that you could do to help. When she got back to the apartment on Sunday, you planned to wrap her into the biggest bear hug you could muster. That was still five days away from now. 

There wasn’t anything else on your agenda today and you thought maybe you would work on the remainder of your assignments. Nah. Tomorrow would only be Wednesday and you would rather start on them with a fresh mind. You were pretty hungry now without breakfast and you didn’t get anything to eat when you were out with Alcina. Rummaging through the freezer you decided it was a chicken tenders and fries sort of day. 

You brought your food out to the living room and put on one of your favorite shows, mostly for background noise and comfort while you spent time on your phone. An incoming call interrupted your routine of opening and closing through your frequently used apps. Work. What the hell did they want? They knew you requested this week off. They approved it! You let the phone buzz until it went to voicemail. Let them think you weren’t near your phone, that you were busy. Sure enough after a minute or so the number one popped up in a red bubble next to your phone icon. Whoever was calling from your job left you a voicemail. 

“Hello, this is Leslie. I realize that you requested this week off, but if you are in town and available we are in desperate need of a closer this evening. Give me a call back. Thanks. Bye.” 

Absolutely not. You didn’t give your supervisor an exact reason when you requested this week off other than it being spring break. For all Leslie knew you could be on a cruise. It wasn’t her business and the pay for one closing shift wouldn’t be worth the stress and then you would get called in every day for the rest of your break. 

That thought process was such a contrast from how you would have felt a few weeks ago. You had requested the time off before you met Alcina let alone knew what sort of money you would be coming into. If you never had met her, you likely would have caved and gone into work despite taking the week off for your own mental health. At the start of this month you weren’t sure how you’d make your half of the rent. Now you were getting that amount weekly just for spending time with a beautiful woman. At times it felt too good to be true and you wondered how long it would last. Certainly she must have had a playbook of some sort. From that first date alone you knew she had experience with this. This arrangement wouldn’t go on indefinitely. Regardless, you were going to milk it as long as you could. The prospect of spending the rest of your life drowning in student loan debt vs the potential of being able to have it paid off by the time you finished your education. 

You spent the rest of your evening in the living room until you felt tired enough to go to sleep. The next day you decided to crack down and finish the rest of those assignments. It was the halfway point until the end of the week and getting your school work done now would give you four stress free days until the cycle of school and work would start up again. 

Working diligently, only to take breaks to eat and use the bathroom, you were able to get everything done by the early evening. You were fatigued from staring at a screen all day and thought it would be nice to get some fresh air before it was completely dark outside. The only thing you changed about what you were wearing were your pants from pajama bottoms to sweatpants. Still comfortable, but not so obviously sleep attire. Looking at the temperature, you would need a jacket anyway. 

The plan was to walk around the apartment complex. There were sidewalks and a small green area. Maybe a lap or two around and then you’d go back inside. It was chilly though still refreshing and a nice break from being cooped up. Gradually it got darker as you finished up your walk and made it back inside the building. When you got to the door, you reached in your jacket pocket for your keys. They weren’t in the pocket with your phone. You must have put them in the other pocket. Nope, not there either. What the fuck? You could have sworn that you grabbed your keys before you walked outside. It was too late for the leasing office to be open and that also meant maintenance wouldn’t be there to let you back in either. Surely this would count as an after hours emergency, but that number was held up on your fridge by a magnet rather than in your phone contacts. There was only one way you were getting back inside tonight, you’d have to call your parents and ask them to let you in with the spare key. 

Your relationship with your parents wasn’t the greatest, but it’s not as if you weren’t on speaking terms. You’d still spend holidays with them and would accept invites for dinner or other family affairs. That’s why when you signed the lease to your apartment, you had a spare key made for emergencies such as this. In the beginning you had to set firm boundaries with your mother since she would invite herself over. To anyone else it would seem like a kind gesture when she would bring you food or decorations, but it was purely a control thing. Her comments were often passive aggressive or outright rude. 

“You call this clean?”

She’d say while moving yours and Olivia’s things around the kitchen and living room. She’d make comments about your appearance like not understanding why you didn’t want to look pretty anymore. She’d bring up girls you were no longer friends with to tell you how successful they were in school. Sometimes it would be about how they were moving in with a boyfriend or engaged. This was her way of subtle shaming. She knew you wouldn’t be doing either of those things, not with a man anyway and she hated that. It reached a breaking point with you where you told her she needed to stop dropping by without so much as a text. She took this as you being unappreciative and said that she wouldn’t come over anymore at all. When you tried to tell her that’s not what you meant, she refused to continue the conversation. You didn’t speak to her for weeks after that fight. Things had calmed down since, though there was always that tension and mutual resentment.

Your dad was more tolerable. He was laid back, a jokester, but also a hard worker. He wasn’t nearly as hard on you and much easier to get along with. The only times you’d have issues with him was when you and your mom were at odds. He’d always take her side. Not overtly, just telling the two of you to knock it off and then when you’d try to speak your piece he’d tell you to drop it. That’s why when you dialed your parents home phone, you were hoping it would be your dad on the other line. 

“Hello?”

Your mother answered the phone. At least she didn’t seem to be in a bad mood. 

“Hey, mom. Is dad around?” 

“No, he is working late tonight. Why, what’s going on?” 

Damn it. Now she would have to be the one to come over and unlike your dad, she probably wouldn’t leave after letting you back in. 

“I locked myself out of my apartment. Can you please come over with the spare key?”

You heard your mom groan. 

“What about that roommate of yours?”

“She’s not here, mom. She went away with family for break. Please? I don’t want to be stuck in this hallway all night.” 

The other line was silent for a moment. You wished she’d just answer already. 

“Okay, but it might be awhile. I’m already ready for bed and I’ll have to get dressed again.” 

You could sense how annoyed she was from her tone which you didn’t understand. It’s not like you locked yourself out on purpose. All she had to do was come and unlock a door. You thanked her and ended the phone call. 

She wasn’t clear about how long she would be so you let yourself get comfortable. You sat down on the floor in front of the door to your apartment and started playing a mindless game on your phone. It was close to thirty minutes when you got the text from your mom that she was in the parking lot. You walked out to greet her and saw that she got completely redressed, makeup and all. You rolled your eyes while there was still enough distance between the two of you to where she wouldn’t notice. 

“What are you all dressed up for?”

Your mom mocked as she looked over your sweatpants and jacket ensemble. 

“Very funny, mom.” 

She laughed, always thinking that taking a jab at your appearance was hilarious. It was difficult to not let it get to you, there was always that part of you that craved an approval you knew you’d never get. 

You led her over to your apartment door and she unlocked it for you, standing in the doorway after doing so. Your keys were sitting on the kitchen counter which meant that you did grab them from the key holder, but instead of putting them in one of your pockets you had set them down, likely when you were putting your shoes on and forgot to grab them again. 

“Thanks again, mom.” 

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome.”

She closed the door behind her and walked further into your apartment. It seemed getting rid of her wouldn’t be so easy. 

“So what have you been up to? I know this week is your spring break. Have you been putting in more hours at work?” 

She was inspecting your living room at this point, already going for the throw blankets, refolding them to her liking as if it mattered. They were blankets on a couch, who cares? 

“I actually took this week off of work so I could focus on my assignments and relax.” 

Seeing the look on your mom’s face, the way it went from a neutral expression to frowning disappointment in seconds flat told you that you should have spared the details or given her a simple yes despite that being a lie. 

“That’s not a very smart move. You know, your father and I won’t be able to rescue you if you can’t pay your rent. That’s why we didn’t co-sign your lease because then we would be stuck with it. I still don’t understand why you needed to move out to go to community college. All you’re doing is wasting money.”

Oh, if only your mother knew that you were faring just fine financially. You’d never tell her, that information alone would have her screaming until all of the capillaries in her eyes and face burst. And who the hell was she to tell you that you shouldn’t have moved out? Sure, you were welcome to stay home, but only if you lived the way your parents, mostly your mother, wanted you to under their roof. Staying wasn’t an option when you needed the freedom to be yourself. 

“One week off isn’t going to hurt me. I have money saved up.”

You were trying your best to not let things escalate by being matter of fact as much as you wanted to tell her that she had no idea what she was talking about and to just leave your apartment. She wandered from your living room after resetting your pillows on the couch and joined you in the kitchen. 

“Alright, but you don’t have the best track record with responsibility. You can’t even remember to bring your keys with you when you leave your apartment. What would you have done if I wasn’t home or-“

You started tuning her out, she wasn’t going to stop. Just let her finish her rant and then find a way to get her to leave. 

“And why do you have these?”

You noticed your mom picking up one of the wine bottles that Alcina gave to you. 

“I’m an adult, I can drink now.”

“Don’t get so defensive, I was just asking a question.”

Your mom always found a way to make it seem like you were the one instigating. You had to keep playing it cool.

“Sorry, one of my coworkers gave them to me after going to the winery.”

Hopefully this lie would be satisfactory enough to get her out of your hair. You didn’t like to lie, but if you said you had gone to the winery yourself that would only prompt her to ask more questions about why and who you went with. 

“Oh, they’re from the Dimitrescu winery.”

Your mom noticed the label as she held the bottle of red in her hand and turned it. This seemed to diffuse the fight time bomb that had been ticking. Your mom started talking about the first time she had gone to the winery and how it was so much better then than it is now and how the current owner doesn’t know what she’s doing. Your mom wouldn’t know that she struck a chord with you by saying that. Imagine if she knew you had kissed the woman the day before. You smirked while her back was to you.

She prattled on for a while longer before saying she needed to get back home. She hugged you before she left and told you she loved you and that you should come by the house more often for dinner. You bid her goodbye with a “love you too.” And closed the door behind her after she left. 

Complicated was an understatement for the relationship you had with your mom. You wanted to hate her, but you did mean it when you told her you loved her too. You had your moments where you felt like you had that special mother daughter bond. It wasn’t all bad, but then she would berate you and compare you to your peers. Your straight peers nonetheless. You knew deep down that even if you were straight, prettier, smarter, and so on, everything that she wanted you to be, you’d still never get that approval. It was like nothing was ever good enough for her. Your heart ached when you’d see mothers and daughters spend time together. Usually when you were working a shift at the mall and had to pass by the play area off of the food court. You’d see these moms with their young daughters playing together and it was a mix of nostalgia and longing. You missed those carefree days. 

When you went to bed that night you were a mess. Everything with your mom and you hadn’t heard from Alcina or Olivia since yesterday. Maybe tomorrow you’d go out and buy a corkscrew so you could enjoy one of those bottles of wine. It was a good thing you didn’t have to be up early for anything since you were tossing and turning so much. Eventually you found yourself out of your room and on the couch. It was clear sleep wouldn’t find you anytime soon. Might as well watch some tv. 

You awoke the next morning feeling confused by your surroundings until realizing you must have finally fallen asleep in the middle of your comfort show rewatch. The tv was already off from the power saving mode. The first thing you thought to do was text Olivia to ask how she was doing. You briefly thought of sending Alcina a good morning text, but decided against it. Technically, she never answered your last good morning text to her. She called you hours later that day. You wanted her to initiate a conversation. 

You got yourself ready for the day, your only plans being to go out and pick up a few things, mostly the wine cork. While you were out, Olivia texted you back that everything was okay and she was looking forward to coming home on Sunday. You picked up everything you needed and then some. It was sprinkling out so you headed back home to relax. 

When it got to around 6pm, You decided to make yourself some pasta for dinner with the new sauce that you bought. It was also an excuse to open one of the wine bottles to have with your dinner. The corkscrew wasn’t as complicated as it looked and you poured the red wine into a tall glass. You didn’t have any proper wine glasses, not that it mattered. You ate your dinner and drank your glass of wine. It went down so smooth and you already had a pleasant buzz, much more so than the first time you tried the wine. Wine glasses held much less liquid than the glasses that you had. You hadn’t been drunk in awhile and what was the harm in it? You were on vacation. 

You poured yourself another tall glass and drank it as you watched tv. You were stumbling to the kitchen when you went to pour a third glass which emptied the bottle. It felt good to let loose and not be so wrapped up in your head. The confidence got to you and without thinking it through, you were pressing the call button next to Alcina’s name in your conversation window.

“Hello, dear. I’m happy you called. I meant to reach out sooner, but I’ve been terribly busy once again.”

Her voice was comforting to you. You were worried for a moment that maybe she didn’t want to see you anymore. 

“You’re always so busy. Don’t you miss me?”

Your words slurred and you giggled.

“Have you been drinking?” 

“No.”

You hiccoughed.

“Yes.”

You admitted. 

You heard her tsk on the other line. 

“And how much have we had to drink tonight, pet?”

Pet? She’d never called you that before. It was unexpected, but you found yourself enjoying the nickname.

“The bottle of the red wine. Really good.”

“I know that it’s good, I make sure of that. The whole bottle though? You’re going to have a hell of a hangover.” 

Before you started drinking you weren’t even thinking about hangovers. She was right though. You hadn’t been drunk like this in months. 

“Oops. Well, I’m glad I’m talking to you. You didn’t answer my question. I miss you. D-you miss me?” 

“As I’ve said, darling, I’ve been terribly busy. I do miss you. Don’t feel like you need to get yourself three sheets to the wind to talk to me. In fact, maybe if you hadn’t been drinking I would invite you over. We haven’t had an opportunity to spend much time together in private.” 

You cursed yourself at the missed opportunity. Or maybe this was more of her teasing. 

“What would you want to do at your house?”

You already knew what she was insinuating, you just wanted to hear her say it. 

“Hmm.”

She purred.

“I guess you’ll have to come over sometime and find out.”

Damn it. 

“You tease too much.”

You whined. 

“Oh, I know. I’m terrible aren’t I?”

You could easily envision the over exaggerated pout as she spoke in that teasing baby voice. All you could do was grunt in response. 

“Do me a favor and drink some water. You’re going to need it. I’ll check in on you tomorrow morning. Sweet dreams.”

You heard her smooch before she ended the call. You got yourself up off of the couch, almost falling in the process. It was only once you started drinking your first glass of water that you realized how dry your mouth was with thirst. You drank water until you could hear it sloshing in your belly. When you got yourself to bed you made sure to sleep on your side. You were out shortly after your head touched the pillow. 

The sun rising roused you from your sleep, but the splitting headache, nausea, and bursting bladder would’ve gotten you up soon enough. Your head felt as though it were being bashed with a baseball bat as you shuffled to the bathroom. You did your business and grabbed some generic pain reliever from the medicine cabinet to take with water, lots of water. Your stomach threatened to expel the medicine and water, but you fought to keep it down. Rather than go back to your room, you laid down on the couch in a position that eased your headache and your nausea and tried to go back to sleep.

When you woke back up a few hours later, you felt significantly better. The nausea was gone, but you felt tired and your head still hurt a bit. It was a shame you felt so awful from your own doing, it looked beautiful out today and it would have been nice to go for a walk or at least sit out and get some fresh air. While you were making some toast you realized your phone was still somewhere in your bedroom. It wouldn’t matter much normally, but you did remember your call with Alcina. Oh god. From the bits you could remember you made a fool of yourself, but she did say she wanted to check on you in the morning. That was a good enough sign that you didn’t push her away with your stupidity. 

Sure enough when you picked your phone up off of the floor next to your bed you had a text from her.

“Good morning, my little lush. How’s the hangover treating you?” 

The time stamp showed the text was sent 2 hours ago while you were napping. 

“It was rough earlier today, but I took something for my headache and went back to sleep. Sorry if I made an idiot of myself last night.”

She must have had her phone in her hand because you could see that she read your message and was already typing back. 

“You were as endearing as ever. I’m glad to hear that you aren’t feeling too badly. I was actually going to ask you to do something today, but I feel tomorrow would be better if you are interested.”

Honestly as bad as you were feeling, you probably would have tried to suck it up to see her today. Tomorrow definitely sounded much better though.

“That sounds great.”

You responded. 

“Perfect. I’ll call you tomorrow with more details. Rest up.”

You weren’t sure what else to say and the conversation seemed over. You simply clicked her response and reacted to it with a heart. 

It was a shame your break was going by so quickly and today was completely shot. At the very least, knowing you’d see Alcina tomorrow gave you something to look forward to. 

Chapter Text

Waking up Saturday morning you felt infinitely better from the day before. No remnants of the hangover whatsoever which was great since Alcina would be calling you about the plans she had in mind today. You don’t know why she couldn’t have told you yesterday. It would help if you knew so you could figure out what to wear. It was cloudy out and according to your weather app it would be warm enough to go without a jacket, but there was a high chance of rain later in the day which would make you need one anyway. Hopefully she didn’t have an outside activity planned for the two of you. If you could have it your way, you’d like to go to dinner again. If Alcina had the connections to get into a place like Beneviento’s, she likely had access to all sorts of hot spots that you wouldn’t be able to get into otherwise. 

You showered, taking your time enjoying the warm water and when you got out and dried off, you put on a T-shirt and shorts to wear around the apartment until you knew what you would be doing today. As your stomach started growling you realized that going out to breakfast likely wasn’t what she had in mind. One of the frozen breakfast sandwiches you always kept well stocked would do the trick. Your phone buzzed on the counter and you quickly grabbed it. It was a text from Olivia. 

“One more day! I should be back tomorrow around one.”

Almost a week without Olivia showed you how much you missed having her around. It was going to be so weird without her when she does move out of the apartment for good. The university she would be transferring to was a three hour drive away so you had to start getting used to the idea of not seeing her as much. 

“Can’t wait. Girls night tomorrow for sure 💕”

She sent back an enthusiastic “yes!” to your reply. After everything Olivia had been going through, you were determined to be there for her. This meant that today was the absolute last day of your break that you could see Alcina. If only she would call already. If she wound up flaking on you then that was it. Your whole spring break and you had only seen her twice so far. It was disappointing because she made it seem like she wanted to spend the week with you. Were you doing something wrong or was this simply her modus operandi when it came to relationships of this nature? Speaking of this “relationship” you checked your banking app and like clockwork, your weekly allowance was deposited to you yesterday and was now available. Alright, so she was still into you enough to keep sending the money. You would think with the amount she sent each week she would be more interested in the companionship. 

You busied yourself around the apartment to ease your anxiety and make sure the place was straightened up before Olivia came back home tomorrow. Your phone began buzzing where you left it. At first you dismissed it as another text, but it kept buzzing and you moved quicker to answer the call before it went to voicemail. It was Alcina and it was about time. 

“I was starting to think you weren’t going to call me.” 

You tried your best to disguise your annoyance with her and it must have worked since she went back to her usual flirting. 

“Now, why would I ever do such a thing?” 

She asked teasingly.

“You’re a tough woman to read, Alcina.” 

She really was. The intensity of her flirting combined with the lack of physical touch let alone meeting up.

“Alright, I can be clear with you. I don’t have anything planned for us.”

She paused and your heart felt like it was submerged in a bucket of ice. 

“But, I meant it when I said I wanted you to come over.”

You felt an immediate sense of relief though you still had some lingering anxiety about going over to her place. 

“I would love to see your house.”

What else were you supposed to say?

“Oh, is that all? I was going to suggest you pack a bag and stay the night if you’d like.”

At least she wasn’t being so subtle with her intentions now. It was about time. 

“I do like the sound of that. What time would you like me to come over?” 

“I could come pick you up actually. It’s no trouble.” 

As nice as that would be, you wanted to make sure you were home to greet Olivia which would mean having to leave Alcina’s early in the morning. 

“I think it would be better if I drove over, I need to be home kind of early tomorrow and I’d hate for you to have to drive me back and forth.”

She let out a small chuckle at your explanation.

“It wouldn’t bother me at all, but if you insist, I won’t stop you.” 

Maybe you should just accept her offer? No, it would be better to have your own ride. You had never been to her house before and had no idea where she lived or how far the place was. When she gave you her address before ending the call  and you plugged it into your maps app, you saw that her house was out towards where the winery was. It made sense considering that was her place of business, but the drive would be a challenge for your car. When you looked over the route instructions, a picture of the house popped up in street view mode and your jaw dropped at how immaculate the property looked. You knew she was rich, but that house dwarfed the home you grew up in. Thankfully she didn’t say anything about her neighborhood needing a gate code which was a relief. Your heap of junk for a car pulling up would be an immediate red flag. 

Now that you knew you wouldn’t be going anywhere special, you put on something casual and comfortable. Something that would be easy to take off. A smile crept up your face at that thought. You made sure to wear a matching bra and panties, too. Alcina exuded vintage glamor and you had no doubt that would extend to what she wore underneath those carefully planned outfits. Getting dressed and then moving onto nightwear, you didn’t have anything that was really sexy by any means. Lingerie wasn’t something you experimented with in your last relationship as you were mostly sneaking around trying not to get caught by parents about the true nature of your sleepovers. Any flings you had weren’t exactly planned and had you putting on whatever you had worn the night before to do the “walk of shame” back to your place. Surely a tank top and shorts pajama set would be good enough if you even got around to wearing it. With clothes out of the way, you packed everything else you would need, phone charger, toothbrush, and so on and you were set to head out to Alcina’s house. 

You left the apartment building and started up your car and the car let out its customary roar that always put you on edge about whether or not your car would make it from point A to point B. With no auxiliary cord, you had your maps app on speaker dictating the route to your destination. It was no easy feat over all of the noise, but you had done it before and would be able to do it again, at least until you were able to afford a better car. 

The whole drive there you felt the butterflies threatening to erupt from your stomach and out of your throat. This is the moment you had been waiting for from the time you had met her. You struggled to keep your focus on the road as you thought about all of the possibilities such as arriving there and having her push you up against the wall within seconds of opening the door to you. The thought of her lips on yours and her hands wandering your body, hastily pulling clothes off of you and not being able to resist any longer, having her way with you on the nearest piece of furniture. You squeezed your thighs together and gritted your teeth. Now was not the time to get carried away with fantasies. 

The maps app on your phone said you had arrived at your destination just as you were pulling up to a long driveway. As you drove down it and got closer to the house, it seemed even bigger in person which you didn’t think possible. There was an attached garage, but you parked your car where the driveway circled around a small garden. You left your car making sure to grab the bag that you had packed from your passenger seat.  Before you had a chance to ring the bell, Alcina was already opening the door to greet you. Her sense of style once again putting yours to shame. She wore a flowing short sleeved floral sundress and a floppy sun hat that matched the tan of the dress. As always she looked absolutely stunning and had a way of making you feel underdressed even for a casual hangout at her home. 

“Glad to see you’ve made it in one piece. I could hear your car coming from a mile away.”

You knew your car was loud, but jeez. 

You grinned in embarrassment and she pulled you closer to her, placing a kiss to your cheek, slightly catching the corner of your mouth. You turned so your lips could fully meet and you felt her giggle into the kiss before pulling away. 

“Well, hello to you too.”

She smiled down at you, leaning in to steal another quick peck before leading you into the front door of the house. 

The foyer led to a spacious and open floor plan, the stairs to the second floor of the house had a balcony overlooking the ground floor and from what you could see, there was a door that must’ve led to the bedrooms, but that was closed off. Everything was top of the line from the living room furniture that included a full entertainment center that held a flat screen tv, much larger than the one you shared with Olivia. The shelves held rows of Blu-ray Discs alongside the player itself. There was a meticulous dining area and the kitchen had an island with barstools and counterspace that your mother would be envious of. Towards the back of the house you could see through the sliding glass doors. There was a dock that led right into the lake, a gazebo, another building that looked to be a shed, the skeleton of a trampoline, and more play equipment that was obscured from your vision. This place was like a mini resort to you, but to her that was just her standard of living. 

“You have a beautiful home.”

You realized that was the first time you spoke since arriving.

“Aw, thank you, darling. You came at the perfect time, the housekeepers just left for the day.” 

That you didn’t doubt. There was no way a single person would be able to maintain a house such as this by themselves and with the money that she had, she didn’t have to. It’s no wonder $500 a week was nothing to her and everything to you. 

You watched as Alcina walked into the kitchen and grabbed a pitcher from the fridge and you set your overnight bag down next to the couch. 

“Iced tea? It’s raspberry.” 

“I would love some, thank you.” 

She poured a glass for you and one for herself. Your eyes scanned the room again and you noticed there were pictures on top of the mantle of the fireplace, but you couldn’t get a good look at them and Alcina was already making her way over with the drinks. 

“There you are.”

She said with a smile, handing you your glass. You took a small sip and it was perfectly sweet and fresh. There must have been real raspberries used to make this. 

“I was thinking we might sit outside? At least while the weather holds.” 

You agreed and walked out of the sliding glass doors into the backyard. Right then, something caught your eye. 

“You have a hot tub!? Why didn’t you tell me? I would’ve brought a bathing suit.” 

Alcina looked you up and down with a devilish smile. 

“Hmm, I suppose if we get in at some point you’ll just have to go without.” 

Your eyes widened at her response and you quickly forced yourself into composure and wished she’d stop drawing this out. 

She walked you down to the edge of the dock and sat, patting the ground next to her, inviting you to join. When you sat, she took off the slip on shoes she was wearing and dipped her feet into the water, sucking in air through her teeth. 

“The water is much colder than I thought it would be.” 

She withdrew her feet from the water and slid further up so her legs could dangle over the edge of the dock without submerging her feet in the water. Just then, you got an idea.

“What are you doing?” 

She asked, as you took your shoes off and dunked your feet in with a yelp before taking them out yourself. 

“Eh, fair is fair. You’re right, the water is freezing.” 

You both laughed at your bold action. 

“You’re quite the silly little thing.”

You weren’t sure if that was meant as a compliment, but you were taking it as one. 

You and Alcina sat on the dock drinking your iced teas and she filled you in on the days that you didn’t see her. She always seemed to have some meeting or paperwork that needed to be done for the winery. If not that, she was with her personal trainer. It made you wonder when exactly she had time for her kids during the weeks she had custody. She had housekeepers so it probably wasn’t a stretch for her to have a nanny, but she didn’t bring anything up about having one so far. 

As you watched a couple of sailboats go by, you felt a raindrop hit you and then another. Alcina must have felt them too.

“Let’s get back inside before this gets any worse.”

You followed her lead, putting your shoes back on walking briskly from the yard and back into the house. It started raining harder as you walked through the doors, narrowly avoiding getting soaked. After getting your shoes off, you went back over to the entertainment center to browse the collection of movies. There was a little bit of everything, ranging from the black and white movies Alcina liked to watch, horror, comedies, and all the way to the latest children’s films. One of the older films in particular stuck out to you. You hadn’t seen it, but the title was suggestive and you recognized the actress on the front of the cover. You pulled it from the shelf to look closer. Alcina was in the kitchen putting the iced tea glasses in the dishwasher so she hadn’t noticed what you were doing. 

“Some Like It Hot?”

You didn’t intend for it to be a question as you were just reading the film title, but you were curious. 

“Ah, yes that’s a good one.”

Alcina spoke as she walked back over to you. 

“I noticed Marilyn Monroe on the cover. What’s it about?”

“I wouldn’t want to spoil it for you. Would you like to watch it?” 

It couldn’t hurt to say yes. After all, the last time you watched one of Alcina’s favorite movies you really enjoyed it and didn’t mind expanding your film knowledge to older movies. You gave her the okay and she set the movie up to play while you settled on the couch. She sat next to you after hitting play and you struggled to focus on the screen. 

The movie started, but you couldn’t recall what was happening because you could only focus on her. Alcina shifted next to you in a way that was much more intimate than the time you had gone to the movie theater. There were no armrests between you this time. No awkward balancing of drinks and popcorn. Just you and Alcina leaning into you, sending a burning desire throughout your body. 

As you sat next to her on the couch, the closeness, the tension that had been steadily building over the course of the last couple weeks had finally reached its peak. You couldn’t take it anymore, you needed more than what she had given you so far. You turned to look at her, no longer pretending to focus on the film playing, lust visible in your eyes, enough for her to pick up on. She pulled you against her, kissing you deeply and you happily reciprocated. Her kisses were rough and needy as you wrapped your arms around her neck, biting and sucking her bottom lip as she moaned into your mouth. 

Before you even knew what you were doing, you climbed into her lap and she let you, pressing her back further into the couch. She gasped, holding you tighter, hands sliding down your back to grab your ass, tongues intertwining as your kisses deepened and you began grinding your hips into hers. Her lips left yours and trailed from your jawline until she reached your ear.

“Shall we continue this in the bedroom?”

Her voice, a pleasant purr against you before gently sucking on your neck as she awaited your response. 

Oh god, it was finally happening. Thinking back to the night you met Alcina, before you turned to that site you did consider the possibility of a one night stand to break your dry spell. That was weeks ago now and the dynamic between the two of you had potential for so much more than meaningless sex. Until now, the physical aspect of your relationship hadn’t gone past lingering touches and chaste kisses. You wanted this though. You wanted her. 

“Yes.”

You managed to choke out as her lips against your neck nearly left you unable to speak. Her mouth met yours again. 

“How long’s it been, dear?”

She murmured into your lips and her hands continued to grip your ass, encouraging your grinding into her. 

“Too long.”

She hummed into you at your response, still kissing you, her tongue moving against yours. 

She broke the kiss and you felt her shift to stand up and you tightened your grip around her neck. She continued to support your backside as you wrapped your legs around her. She began to carry you out of the living room in pursuit of her bedroom when the doorbell rang. 

She groaned in annoyance and helped you back onto your feet which was not easy by any means. 

“Who the hell could that possibly be? I’m not expecting anyone and I guess a no soliciting sign doesn’t mean much for someone who clearly can’t read. One moment, dear, and I’ll make this interruption up to you.” 

She grabbed her phone and you realized she likely had some sort of security camera at her front door that she could view through an app. 

“Fuck!“

You had never heard her swear like that or sound so angry. She scrambled to smooth her dress back into place and put the sun hat back on that had fallen off. She also turned the tv off. You felt rather uneasy and weren’t sure if you should be doing something to help. 

“It’s my ex husband and the girls. I have no idea why they would be here, they aren’t supposed to be dropped off to me until tomorrow evening. Go to the bathroom and fix yourself up and when you come out, just follow my lead.”

Moments ago your heart was pounding in anticipation for her bedroom and now it was beating against your chest in fear. You looked around, not knowing where to go and Alcina pointed you in the direction of the bathroom door. You hurried inside and got a look at yourself in the mirror. You were flushed and sweaty, your hair was an absolute mess and the lower half of your face was stained with Alcina’s lipstick. You washed your face quickly and when you turned the water off you could hear voices and you stood there listening until you felt it was the right opportunity to leave the bathroom. 

“Mommy!” 

The first voice was of a young girl. You didn’t know any of her daughters’ names apart from the youngest, Daniela. That was probably her. 

You heard Alcina’s laugh as she greeted her daughter with a “hello, sweetheart.”  

“What on earth are you doing here, Kurt?”

You heard Alcina speak again, this time through gritted teeth and her voice a saccharin sweet as artificial as the chemical itself. 

“We were just in the neighborhood and we noticed the car you had in your driveway. Wanted to make sure everything was okay, Alci.”

Her ex husband, Kurt, spoke and surely his intentions weren’t as pure as making sure his ex wife was okay. 

“Kurt, I’ve asked you a million times not to call me that. Everything is fine, you could have just called or sent a text-“

You couldn’t keep standing in the bathroom listening to this. You opened the door and walked back out to see all eyes were on you. 

“There she is!”

Alcina exclaimed. She said to follow her lead so you joined everyone in the foyer. 

“She’s from my yoga class. She was inquiring about working for the winery during her summer break so I invited her back to discuss a few things, but she was just leaving.” 

It felt like a slap in the face how quickly and smoothly she lied and now she was putting you out? You weren’t sure what to say or if you were supposed to say anything. In this case it was better to stay silent, smiling and nodding along at Alcina’s lies. 

You looked over at Kurt, he looked familiar and then you remembered the man at the mall with the three girls. What a small world that you would be dating his ex wife and now here he was casting his doubt at you through his expression alone. 

“Huh, little cozy for a job interview, don’t you think? What’s your name, kid?”

You told him your name and following with Alcina’s falsified story you talked about school, how you were looking for a different part time job, and how the winery would look nice on a future resume. A nice touch you might add. 

He nodded, seemingly accepting all of it. Meanwhile the girls had already made themselves at home. The two older girls were sitting on the couch browsing their phones and the youngest of the three was playing with a toy she had brought with her on the floor next to the couch. You told Kurt that it was nice meeting him and thanked Alcina for the “job opportunity”, all while fighting the urge to cry at her dismissal. Just as you were about to leave, the door burst open and another man walked through.

“No, no, no. What is he doing here?”

Alcina seemed more upset about seeing this guy than her ex husband. The man who you didn’t know the name of yet bore a striking resemblance to Alcina’s ex husband, but instead of being the clean shaven suit wearing type, he had scraggly hair that almost reached the top of his collarbone and a beard. He wore distressed jeans and not the fashionable type, they looked as though he actually used them for maintenance work of some kind. He also had on thick work boots, a black undershirt, and a denim jacket. 

“Is that any way to treat your brother-in-law?”

The man teased Alcina to which she rolled her eyes and reminded him that she no longer had any family ties to him. 

“Oh, I should have mentioned that Karl came with me and the girls to get ice cream.” 

Alcina glared daggers at the two men who you learned were brothers. 

“Is that your car out there, kid?”

You nodded at Karl since “kid” had to be referring to you. 

“Did you know that your muffler is hanging on by a thread? Your car must sound like a spaceship.”

“Are you serious? I just had that fixed and it’s out again?”

Karl waved his hands at you, stopping you from saying anything further and he pulled a small business card out of his jacket pocket, handing it to you. 

“Bring your car by my place when you can. The sooner the better and I’ll have it fixed up for you.” 

You glanced at the card that read “Heisenberg’s Auto Care” in bold font and took note of the phone number at the bottom of the card. Maybe his place would be better than the one you normally thought your car seeing as your muffler was falling out again. 

“Thanks, I’ll give you a call, but I should be going now.”

Alcina called your name, halting your exit. 

“You almost forgot your gym bag.”

Gym bag? Oh, right your overnight bag. You went to retrieve the bag, but she told you to wait and grabbed the bag herself. You had left it next to the couch which her two older daughters were currently lounging on and the youngest was playing by. The two brothers helped themselves to the refrigerator which gave you and Alcina a moment to be out of ear shot while she handed you your bag. 

“I’m so sorry. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can.”

She whispered. 

You didn’t have anything to say to her, but you weren’t going to let her have the last word. 

“Whatever you say, Alcina.”

You whispered back not wanting to attract the attention of the kids or the two men. 

She sighed, opening the door for you to leave and closing it behind you. As you were leaving the front steps you could still hear talking inside.

“Isn’t that one a little young for you, Alci?”

You weren’t sure whether that was Kurt or Karl. They sounded so much alike. 

“I have no idea what you’re insinuating, but I have already asked that you not call me that.” 

You heard Alcina bark out and then some more indistinguishable bickering before you got into your car and were no longer able to hear them at all. It had been such a nice day with such a horrible ending and now you weren’t sure what to think. You didn’t like how easily she crafted a lie and pushed you out. Money or not you weren’t going to let her treat you like that. You needed to talk and establish clear boundaries for this relationship or arrangement or whatever the hell this even was. 

It was about ten minutes until you were due to be home according to the maps app when your phone started ringing. It was Alcina, but she could wait after the stunt that she pulled. You needed to focus on the road. She called two more times before you pulled into the parking lot of your complex and you let both calls go to voicemail as you had the first one. It was only once you had gotten back inside that you noticed she left a message after one of the calls. 

“Please call me back. I had no idea that my ex would do such a thing and I panicked. Everyone’s gone now. We need to talk about this.”

That was one thing she was right about. You definitely needed to talk. You called her back and she answered after the first ring. 

“I’m really sorry about today. I was looking forward to the evening we were supposed to spend together. Believe me, I didn’t want to have to ask you to leave, but then the girls were there and please don’t take this the wrong way, but I would not have had my girls meet someone I was seeing in such a way or at all. This was all my fault. My home is too familiar for the arrangement that we have and I accept full responsibility for what happened today. I knew I should have rented us a hotel room.” 

You let her say her piece and wow you didn’t think it could get any worse, but it did. You could understand that being a mother would always come first and that the relationship you had with her wasn’t traditional, but it was the way she went about it. 

“Stop, Alcina. Just stop. I’ve heard everything I’ve needed to hear. I don’t like how you treated me today and I'm starting to think maybe this isn’t going to work out for me.”

Alcina was silent for a moment. You could hear her let out a long exhale followed by a small cough. She was definitely smoking. 

“If you no longer wish to continue seeing each other, I won’t press you further. I’ve enjoyed our time together and I’d still like to continue this, even after today’s disaster. I just ask that we meet up at least once more. We can talk things out in person and decide from there.” 

That seemed reasonable and after all of the money she spent on you, it was the least you could do as upset as you were. 

“Alright. Next Sunday, two o’clock at the park.” 

If she wanted this meetup, she was going to do it on your terms. 

“I’ll see you then.” 

You ended the call without saying goodbye and flopped face down onto the living room couch. 

Chapter Text

It wasn’t your intention, but you had fallen asleep on the couch, and for a few hours at least judging by how dark it now was outside. Accidental nap aside, the overall frustration of the evening you had in mind gone terribly wrong had you worked up and exhausted enough to go back to sleep through the night once you left the couch in pursuit of your bed. 

The next day began with a feeling of impending doom. Your spring break was coming to an end and tomorrow would be a return to both school, work, and overall monotony. When you began seeing Alcina it added a spark to your life that you had desperately been missing. Now…everything was uncertain. You were angry with her. She lied, she put you out and was generally distant unless you were spending time together in person. Yes, you understood that she had other responsibilities, her children being a major contributing factor, but there was another pressing matter; her ex husband. Sure, she seemed to hold him in contempt, yet there was something about the way he still inserted himself into her personal life despite them being divorced for, come to think of it, she never told you how long they had been separated. Another bullet point on the long list of things you didn’t know about her. You wouldn’t see her until next Sunday and that day would determine if it would be your last time seeing each other or not. It hurt to think about. You were starting to like her much more than you initially thought you would, which was a problem. 

The night you had gone back onto that website you were simply looking for fun and extra cash. You didn’t want to become attached to anyone and now here you were pining over this woman who clearly had her own motives for being there rather than a traditional dating site. What exactly was she getting out of this anyway? A couple of dates and nothing sexual? Unless her paying you was some sort of kink. You didn’t understand. If things ended next week you’d probably delete your profile off of that site rather than try again. 

Today would be a better day. Olivia would be back from her trip in the early afternoon and having her around again would ease your anxiety. The apartment was already cleaned for her arrival and for yourself you decided to stay in pajamas. The girl’s night you envisioned having with Olivia involved sitting in the living room wearing pj’s, eating junk food, drinking that other bottle of wine, and shooting the shit about the week you’ve both had. 

A little after one in the afternoon you heard the lock click and the door open. Olivia walked in wearing sweatpants and a hoodie which wasn’t typical of her, but it seemed like she was on the same wavelength of having a lazy Sunday before school started back up. She let her bag drop to the floor and started to kick her shoes off as you approached her wordlessly and pulled her into a hug. 

“It’s good to have you back.”

You said as you released her from your embrace. Olivia smiled briefly before settling back into a neutral expression, but her eyes still looked so tired and sad. She bent over to pick up her bag and started carrying it over to her bedroom.

 “I have a bottle of wine for us later. Maybe we could DoorDash something and watch a movie?” 

“Thanks, but I can’t. I never got any of my homework done so I’m kind of screwed if I don’t start on that now.”

You were going to try to convince her to take a break with you at some point. You wanted to catch up and comfort her knowing that she’d been through a lot with that jerk off boyfriend of hers, but before you had the chance she was shutting the bedroom door behind her. Yesterday morning when she texted you it seemed like she was eager to see you and catch up, but now she wanted to be alone. Something more must have happened. What an awful week. Your best friend who was normally cheerful and goofy was reduced to a shell of her former self and by this time next week you’d more than likely be single yourself if you could even consider it that? The rest of the day passed slowly. Olivia never came out of her bedroom. You knocked once in the early evening to see if she wanted some of the pizza rolls you baked, but she said she wasn’t hungry. You spent the rest of the day mindlessly looking at stuff and playing games on your phone until it got late enough to sleep. You were anxious still and took an over the counter sleep aid since you knew you wouldn’t be able to sleep without it. Thankfully it worked rather quickly and you slept until your alarm went off for school. 

Monday was the hardest. School and a closing shift at work, but you made it through the week in the blink of an eye as you always did and tomorrow you would be meeting Alcina at the park. Throughout the week she sent you a few texts. Nothing beyond a “good morning” or “how are you?” but it was more effort than she had put in previously. You still chose to keep your responses short and didn’t initiate any further conversation. Even with the arrangement up in the air, your weekly allowance from her was deposited to your bank account on Friday without missing a beat. Your Sunday meeting would determine if it would be the last. As the days progressed through the week, Olivia started doing a little better. She was out of her bedroom more and you did have that girl’s night with the bottle of white wine you had left on Wednesday. It was good to hear her laugh again as you watched one of her favorite shows together. Most importantly, there was no mention of Robbie. If she wanted to talk about the break up you would be more than happy to provide a listening ear, but for right now it was enough to know she wasn’t seeing him or contacting him in any way. 

Sunday morning came and it was going to be warm and sunny all day. A good thing too since you hadn’t taken weather into account when you asked Alcina to meet with you at the park. It was so warm in fact that you would comfortably be able to wear shorts and a T-shirt. No need to dress to impress. It wouldn’t be a long meeting. When you started up your car, it sounded even louder than normal. You couldn’t put off bringing it in to be fixed much longer. After this meeting you thought it would be wise to give that Karl Heisenberg a call to see if he could get your car in on such short notice. 

When you arrived in the parking lot by the visitor center you sent Alcina a text to let her know that you were there. 

“I’m sitting on the bench beneath the willow tree.” 

She sent back almost instantly. You left your car and began walking towards the grassy area with the benches. As you got closer to the willow tree, you could see Alcina sitting there looking remarkably casual. Was she…wearing jeans? She was in fact wearing light denim jeans with a gray tunic top and sneakers. Her hair was in a half up style and her makeup much more conservative than her usual look. Alcina must have heard you approaching. She looked up from her phone and patted the bench next to her. 

“Come sit, we have a lot to talk about.” 

You nodded, agreeing with her and moved to sit down. 

“Where should we start?”

You asked, not making eye contact with her. 

“I’d like to apologize again for last Saturday. That was completely unfair to you, but you have to understand-“

“Are you still involved with your husband, Alcina?”

You interrupted her with the question that had been burning at the front of your mind. Her face twisted into disgust. 

“God no. I detest having to interact with that man when necessary.”

That was slightly reassuring to hear.

“Alright, I believe you. I just found it weird the way he stopped by and then you kicked me out.” 

She let out a heavy sigh and you looked over at her and noticed the small, clear patch sticking out from underneath her sleeve.  A nicotine patch perhaps? 

“Again, I am so sorry for that. Kurt being the weasel that he is, must have gotten wind that I was seeing someone and took it upon himself to meddle in my affairs. Bringing the girls with him was a new low. Especially taking our custody agreement into account. He and the girls left not much longer after you did and they weren’t dropped back off to me until the next evening.” 

Her hand brushed against yours and at first you stiffened at her touch, but when she lingered, you held her hand in yours. You were still upset with her and there was still much more you needed to know, but her touch felt comforting to you. 

“I still think about those moments before he interrupted us.”

Looking at her you could see her face was slightly flushed and you felt yourself redden as well thinking back to those passionate kisses and the way she picked you up into her arms.

“I’ve thought about it too. It’s just the way you brushed me off and lied about me being there because I  wanted to work for you at the winery. It made me feel disposable.”

“Darling…”

She squeezed your hand tighter. 

“I can assure you that you’re not disposable. I panicked because my daughters were there. I’m not ready to let them see me with anyone in that way. As for Kurt and that brother of his, they didn’t buy it for a second. I embarrassed myself and I hurt you and I long to make that up to you.” 

You could sort of see where she was coming from. Thinking back to the friends you had as a kid who had divorced parents. There would always be drama when their parents started seeing other people. She was trying to protect them and it’s not like you had been seeing each other for that long. 

“It’s okay, Alcina. It’s just. Never mind.” 

You stopped yourself from finishing that thought and she smiled at you. 

“I really like you too, dear. More than I had anticipated.”

Somehow she managed to take the words right out of your mouth. 

“That’s why I feel it would be a shame for us to end things so soon. If you don’t mind, I’d like to tell you more about myself.”

You didn’t mind at all, in fact all you ever wanted was to know more about her. 

“I would love that.”

She closed her eyes for a second to gain her composure then she began sharing more of herself with you. 

“I was about thirteen when I realized that I had feelings for other girls and only girls. I was terrified. It was the nineties and I didn’t know anyone like myself. Being raised in a religious family, I was explicitly taught that it was wrong and my way of coping with that was to hide myself. I tried so hard to be the good girl that my parents wanted and in turn I began to lose who I was.”

You felt her tremble slightly against you and you continued to hold her hand as she spoke. 

“I had boyfriends that my parents set me up with. Sons of family friends. I was praised because my parents never worried about me having sex or getting pregnant since the relationships were so short lived, usually only long enough for an awkward school dance photo. Little did they know, I was no virgin and I had several sexual encounters with girls at sleepovers who were curious.” 

She smirked at that and you thought back to your own not so innocent sleepovers.

 “Kurt was one of those boys I dated briefly in high school, but then I went off to college where I felt like I could be myself for a while. I even had a steady girlfriend at one point, but that didn’t last and college came and went.”

It was shocking just how much she had been through and you could tell she wasn’t quite finished yet. 

“I had more secret relationships with women after college, then as I got closer to my thirties the pressure from my parents to get married and give them grandchildren was unbearable. Eventually I found my way back to Kurt and I thought I could grow to love him. Fix myself even if you will. We got married and I was pregnant with my first shortly after. It was easy to throw myself into motherhood and ignore how unhappy I was with the marriage and with Kurt. I had always wanted children and I love my girls more than anything in the world. I just wish things could have happened differently. With Kurt I was always wishing that I did love him. I wanted to to want to be intimate with him, but I never actually did. I was simply fulfilling my wifely duties for him until I couldn’t take it anymore. I feel like the catalyst that set me off was my father dying shortly after Daniela was born. Emotions were high and I confessed to Kurt that I was only attracted to women and that the relationship could not continue. Even then his proposal was that we open the marriage and stay together for the kids. That lasted about a year until I knew I couldn’t be happy that way. I needed to not be tied to him anymore and that’s when I served him divorce papers.”

“Wow. That is-“

“A lot, I know. That’s precisely why I sought out women on the website that we met on. It was a way of getting myself back out there without having to worry about anything serious and to be completely honest, the dating pool for women my age doesn’t have much to offer. Why not help out a pretty young thing when I have the cash to spare? If anything, I would have loved to have a woman like myself take me under her wing when I was a young adult. It would have spared me a lot of grief.” 

“How many girls were there like me?”

“Oh, there were a few girls before you. The arrangements didn’t last long. Usually a date or two, then we’d sleep together, but I wasn’t interested enough to want to keep financing them. With you, it’s different. I feel drawn to you in a way I never felt with those other girls. It’s refreshing to say the least.” 

It was nice to hear her say that, especially since you hadn’t taken things further physically and she still wanted to keep seeing you though you kind of feared her casting you aside if you did sleep together. Then all of the other stuff she was telling you. One on hand you were happy that she was opening up to you, but you were also sad for her and what she had gone through. Your parents weren’t exactly supportive regarding your sexual orientation, you didn’t need them though. You had support elsewhere and didn’t feel like you had to pretend to be something you were not, let alone marry a man and have kids with him. 

“I appreciate you sharing all of that with me, Alcina. I can’t imagine how you must feel. My parents aren’t too fond of me liking girls, but I was far from being the only queer kid at school so I never felt like I had to pretend to be straight.”

Alcina let out a small laugh at that. 

“It’s amazing how much has changed. When Kurt and I got married, same sex marriage wasn’t legal here or in most states. Now, there’s a boy in my youngest’s class who has two mothers and I just think it’s wonderful. I keep an open dialogue with my children about sexual orientation and gender. They can tell me anything and be who they want to be and they know I will support them unconditionally.” 

“Do they know about you?”

Alcina shook her head. 

“I haven’t been candid about it with them. I still have years of guilt and shame to work through. I think my oldest might know. There was a brief time after Kurt and I officially separated where I was seeing a woman around my age. I met her on a forum for women who came out later in life. The relationship didn’t work out, but her daughter Eva is around Cassandra’s age and they still play together sometimes.”

“Is Cassandra your oldest?” 

Alcina pulled out her phone and unlocked it. 

“Right, I don’t think I’ve ever properly told you their names.”

She opened up the photo album on her phone and clicked on a picture of herself with the three girls. It looked like they were at an apple orchard in the fall. First she pointed to the tallest and oldest girl, the middle, and then the youngest who you already knew the name of from one of her slip ups. 

“This is my oldest daughter Bela, Cassandra is my middle child, and the little one is Daniela.” 

“Bay-luh?”

That was a unique name. You had met a few Bellas in your life, but never a Bela. 

“Yes, I’ve frequently had to correct teachers on the pronunciation throughout the years. She’s named after Bela Lugosi, the actor most well known for portraying Dracula. One of my favorite films of all time, I was obsessed as a teenager and I always said I’d name my first child Bela regardless of their gender.” 

“I’ve never seen that one.”

Alcina laughed again. 

“I’m not surprised. It’s a much older film and you haven’t seen a lot of my favorites.” 

“Well, we could always change that.”

Alcina’s eyes lit up. 

“Does that mean you are willing to give me another chance?”

You rubbed her hand, the one that you had been holding this entire time. 

“It does. It feels nice getting to know you more and I’d like to keep it that way.” 

Alcina looked at you through hooded eyes and began leaning in. You met her halfway as your lips touched for a long and tender kiss. When the kiss broke you both sighed happily. 

“I need to get back home soon. I have some work I need to finish before class tomorrow.”

Alcina nodded. 

“That’s fine. Don’t fall behind on your school work on my behalf. I’m glad we got to talk this out. Perhaps next weekend I could take you out somewhere fun to make up for last week?”

You liked the sound of that, but still wanted to hold your cards close to your chest. 

“Once I get my work schedule, I’ll let you know if I’m free.”

“Understood. Drive safely, my dear. I wouldn’t hate a text letting me know you’ve gotten home alright.” She teased. 

“Will do.”

You smiled at each other and shared another kiss before you went your separate ways. 

Chapter Text

“Heisenberg’s Auto Care, Karl speaking, how can I help you?”

Karl’s gruff voice greeted you over the phone. It was a relief to find that his place was open on Sundays. It would be even better if he could somehow fit your car in for this afternoon.

“Um, yes hi. I don’t know if you remember me, but you gave me your card and said you could help with my muffler?”

“Oh, spaceship kid! Of course I remember you. You know, with the way your car sounded when you left you really should have gotten ahold of me sooner.”

He was right of course and with the extra money you had no excuse to not bring your car in sooner other than poor time management.

“I know. It’s just school and work take up a lot of my time and then it was already the end of another week.”

Karl let out a sound between a cough and a laugh.

“You won’t have a car to get you to those places for much longer. Look, I’m open for a few more hours. If you get your car here, I’ll have it fixed before I close up shop.”

“Thank you so much! I’ll be right there.”

After the call ended you plugged the address of his repair shop into your maps app and made the drive over. You arrived at a humble looking garage, smaller than the place you normally took your car at your dad’s recommendation. You saw Karl was outside having a cigar when you pulled into a parking space. Should he be smoking while working with cars? He looked even more disheveled than you remembered him, stained shirt, ripped jeans, but this time his hair was tied back in a bun rather than loose around his collarbones. He noticed you as you stepped out of your car.

“Oh good you made it in one piece. Right this way.”

Karl motioned for you to follow him inside. You took notice of the small waiting area, it had a stack of magazines that didn’t look interesting or recent and there was a small tv showing a basketball game with captions but no sound. You weren’t sure how long it would take to replace your muffler so it looked like either the silent tv or your phone would be your entertainment for the foreseeable future.
It didn’t look like any other staff was around. Did he really run this entire shop by himself?

Karl got to work shortly after you confirmed the make and model of your car. You passed the time on your phone and occasionally glanced up at the tv. The buzz of your phone distracted you. It was a text from Alcina.

“Is everything alright?”

Shit, you told her that you would text her when you got home and it’s been hours.

“Yes! Everything is fine. I had to bring my car in and I completely forgot to text you.”

She started typing back right away.

“Glad to hear you’re in one piece. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you right after our reconciliation. I have so much planned for you 😘”

If what she had planned for you was anything like what you were imagining…

“What’s got you smiling at your phone like that?”

Karl’s voice startled you to the point of nearly dropping your phone.

“Oh, uh, nothing. My friend sent me something funny.”

Karl raised an eyebrow at you.

“If you say so. I thought it might have something to do with my brother’s ex-wife.”

You felt yourself flush. How mortifying and he was laughing?

“Whoa. Whoa. I’m only teasing, kid. I just find it funny that my brother isn’t the one seeing a girl over twenty years younger than him. Way to reinvent the wheel.”

What do you even say in response to something like that? You were almost sure that’s not what that expression even meant. He was stepping way out of line. Maybe it would be better to ignore him completely and get out of there as soon as you could.

“Is my car almost ready?”

There was a huff of annoyance in your voice. It’s no wonder Alcina seemed so angry when he walked into her home. The man left a lot to be desired.

“Better than ready. I replaced that old muffler of yours and I noticed your brake pads were on their way out so I replaced those too.”

“I had no idea about my brake pads. Thank you for that. How much do I owe you?”

“Just a sec.”

Karl walked behind the counter and started typing something onto his computer.

“Alright, between the muffler and brake pads it would normally come out to a lot more, but I’m gonna cut you a discount for busting your balls and also for being a first time customer.”

Two sheets of paper popped out of the printer. Karl grabbed them and put them on the counter in front of you. From what you could see he was giving you a really big discount. The last time you only had your muffler fixed had you maxing out your credit card and nearly unable to pay rent.

Karl pointed at the bottom of one of the sheets of paper. “Just gonna need you to sign and initial here.”

You did and gave him your card to run. You realized you hadn’t said much and attempted to make some small talk.

“So, is it just you who works here?”

Karl shook his head.

“Nah, I have a few guys who work under me and someone to answer the phones. On Sundays it’s just me so normally I limit myself to a couple cars by appointment only.

Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy, just lacking a filter.

“I really appreciate you taking my car in then.”

“It’s a good thing too, if you waited any longer to call me that muffler would have completely fallen off and that’s no joke.”

“How long have you been fixing cars for?”

Karl looked curiously at you like he was surprised someone was taking an interest in his life and profession.

“Most of my life. I did an automotive program in high school and that helped pave the way for me to open my own place, but what a fight that was.”

“How come?”

He rolled his eyes, but not in your direction.

“Well, my pops assumed my brother and I would both work in his law firm and eventually take it over. Couldn’t be me. I didn’t want to be a suit like either of them. I need to work with my hands. There was some family drama shit for awhile, but it’s all good now with Kurt running the show.”

That gave you some insight into why he and his brother seemed so vastly different in how they presented themselves. At least you got your car fixed out of it. You were about to thank Karl again before heading out when he stopped you.

“Hey, I wanna apologize for my behavior. I overstepped with the teasing. You seem like a good kid, good head on your shoulders. Not sure what you see in the ‘ol sister-in-law, but hey, it’s your life.”

Did he really need to keep taking jabs about Alcina? It was definitely time you left.

“Um, thanks? I'm gonna head out now.”

“If you have any car troubles you know who to call.”

With that you walked out of his shop and got into your car. The difference in sound when starting it up was immediately noticeable. From deafening to a low rumble. The drive back to your apartment was smooth and only now was it apparent that your brake pads needed replacing. Your stops were much quicker and you didn’t have to press your foot into the floorboard to get the car to stop.

When you walked into your apartment building and were about to turn your key you could hear a conversation going on. You could hear Olivia and then that other voice was familiar, you couldn’t quite put a finger on it until you turned the handle and saw him.

“Sup?”

Fucking Robbie. There he was, in the flesh. You had thought Olivia finally came to her senses after the last instance, but here he was, sitting on the couch with an arm around your best friend.

“Not much.”

You answered him despite not wanting to acknowledge him at all. You walked towards your room and were about to shut yourself in for the night, but you got an idea.

“Hey, Olivia. Can you come to my room for a sec?”

Olivia kissed Robbie and walked into your room with you. You closed the door.

“What’s going on?”

She asked, seeming genuinely confused. How could she not know what you wanted to talk to her about?

“I could ask you the same thing. What is Robbie doing here? I thought you were done with him.”

She immediately soured on you.

“He’s here because he’s my boyfriend and I love him?”

Now she was playing dumb on top of it.

“What about him screaming at you in front of your family? What about how upset you were before vacation and then the entire week after?”

“Couples fight.” She shrugged. “Everything is fine now. We’re back together. You wouldn’t get it. You haven’t been in a relationship for as long as I have.”

That right there pushed you over the edge. Insinuating that because you hadn’t had a relationship last as long as hers and Robbie’s that you somehow didn’t know what you were talking about.

“Seriously, Olivia? That’s how you’re going to be? I’m just looking out for you. You deserve better than him.”

She was already reaching for your doorknob to exit your room.

“What are you, my mother? Who I choose to see is none of your business. A true friend would be happy for me.”

You halted her exit.

“Happy about what? You going back to a guy who treats you like trash? After what he did to you over spring break on top of all the other shit I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you having him in our apartment.”

“And who the fuck are you to decide who I am allowed to have over? You could have that Alicia or whatever her name is woman over here anytime you want and I wouldn’t jump all over you about it. We both pay rent for this apartment and until this lease is up, I can have anyone over that I want to have over.”

Before you could say anything else she was already slamming your bedroom door behind her. You could scream with how frustrated you were. Instead, you felt it was best to reach out to someone.

“Hey, thanks for letting me call you.”

“Of course, darling. What’s on your mind?”

You had texted Alcina and asked if you could call her to vent and she said she was happy to oblige.

“It’s my friend Olivia. Remember that awful boyfriend I was telling you about? Well, they’re back together and she has him over at the apartment right now. I tried to talk to her about it and it turned into a fight and she’s mad at me? It doesn’t make any sense.”

You heard Alcina let out a deep sigh.

“And what exactly did you say to her?”

“All I did was mention how I thought she was done with him and she got super defensive. Then when I brought up what made them break up in the first place, she doubled down even more. She stormed out of my room all pissed off after I said I wasn’t comfortable having him in our apartment.”

“My dear.” Alcina started. “I know you mean well, I really do, but you were in the wrong here.”

“How am I wrong about this!?”

“Please let me finish. You have a good heart looking out for your friend, but the way you went about it was wrong. I told you before that being in a relationship like that, your friend likely doesn’t realize how bad it is. It’s common for many in similar situations. By confronting her the way you did, all you’re doing is driving her further into his arms.”

Tears pricked at your eyes out of frustration.

“Then what am I supposed to do, Alcina? How can I help her?”

“I’m not sure there’s much you can do other than be there for her when she wants you to be. The best you can do, if things escalate, you could call the police. Other than that, if you keep going about it the way you did tonight, you risk her shutting you out completely.”

As much as you wanted to disregard her advice and do more, you knew she was right. The way Olivia reacted to you, you knew there was a chance she would shutdown and never tell you anything again.

“It’s just so hard.” You sobbed quietly holding the phone to your ear.

“I know, dear. We can only hope that she will leave him before things get worse. You can’t always save the day.”

Alcina stayed on the phone comforting you until she felt it was okay to let you go for the evening. You stayed in your room until you felt tired and needed to get ready for bed. When you left your room, everything was dark and it was evident neither Olivia nor Robbie were in the living room or any other shared living space. You did all that you needed to do and prepared yourself for another week of work and school.

The start of the week was slow and painful. You didn’t see Olivia at all. She didn’t send you any texts as she normally would. You went to classes and worked when you were scheduled. She never seemed to be in the apartment when you were and if she was, she was in her bedroom with the door closed. It made living there feel very uncomfortable. The only reprieve you got during the week was a text from Alcina one afternoon.

“Any chance you’re free for me to pick you up and take you shopping?”

You jumped at the chance to get out of the apartment and break the mundane cycle of school and work. You eagerly awaited her arrival outside. The weather was getting consistently warmer and the fresh air felt nice. Alcina pulled up to you looking glamorous with her vintage jeweled sunglasses. You hopped into her passenger seat and she greeted you with a kiss. It felt so good to be close to her after the awful week you were having.

“Where are we going?”

“We are going to one of my favorite boutiques. It’s a little out of the way, but I buy nearly all of my clothing there.”

She must have noticed the contemplative look on your face.

“Don’t fret, you already know you’re getting spoiled.” She said with a wink.

The thought was exciting. You could use some new clothes. It had been a long time since you got something nice for yourself. The vintage look wasn’t really your aesthetic, but it would be nice to have something to wear to keep up with Alcina if she took you to one of the fancy places she frequented.

The drive was long and you were nearly dozing off to the sound of soft jazz music playing when Alcina came to a stop.

“Here we are.”

You both got out of the car and started walking into the boutique. It looked bigger inside. There were rows and rows of clothing, shoes, and accessories. There were also a few mannequins sporting some vintage spring looks.

“Miss Dimitrescu! So good to see you.”

A cheerful young brunette came to greet Alcina at the front of the store. She looked to be a few years older than you and was dressed head to toe in 50’s fashion. Alcina herself was dressed similarly with her white blouse and a floral skirt that accentuated her waist and fell above her knees. As always her curls were perfect, her lips red, and her heels making her tower over you even more.

“Is there anything in particular I can help you with?”

The brunette asked Alcina, not acknowledging you in the least bit.

“I'm actually not here for myself, Jeanette.”

Alcina glanced over at you and the girl you now knew was named Jeanette finally looked over in your direction and smiled. Alcina leaned in and whispered something in Jeanette’s ear and the girl’s eyes lit up.

“Oh! She’s going to love that. Right this way, you two.”

Love what? Jeanette walked you both to a section of the store with lovely cocktail dresses.

“I think you’ll find everything you need over here. Let me know if you ladies need help with anything else.”

With that, Jeanette left and went back to tend the front of the store. You started sorting through some of the dresses, feeling the material, and looking at the different styles and colors.

“Anything catching your eye?”

Alcina asked as you continued to sort through the hanging dresses.

“They’re all so beautiful. I just don’t know when I’d have a chance to wear something like this.”

Alcina rested a hand around your waist, sending goosebumps all over your body.

“I’ve got that covered, darling. Are you available Saturday evening?”

“I do have work in the morning, but I’m free after two and I have Sunday off like I usually do.”

Alcina smiled and held you tighter.

“That’ll work beautifully.”

“May I ask what you have planned?”

“Oh, but I’d hate to ruin the surprise. Here, try this one on.”

Alcina expertly avoided your prodding and handed you a black cocktail dress that looked like it went off the shoulders and had some cinching around the waist. You weren’t sure if it would fit, the sizing was kind of weird. Maybe it was European? You also noticed on the tag it had the estimated year the dress was made.

Alcina called Jeanette over to open a dressing room for you. When you got in you took off the clothes you were wearing and slipped the dress on over your head. You kept your eyes closed, you were worried it would look awful on you. When you got the dress on it felt like a good fit. You opened your eyes and looked at yourself in the mirror and were shocked at how much you loved the way the dress looked on you. You didn’t have many occasions worth dressing up for, even then you never owned a dress such as this. It hugged your body in all the right places and you couldn’t wait to show Alcina.

“Are you okay in there?”

Alcina asked. Without answering, you opened the door to the dressing room to show her how you looked in the dress she picked out for you.

Her eyes raked lustfully up and down your frame.

“My, aren’t you absolutely delicious in that.”

Her compliment had you flustered and slightly aroused if you were being honest.

“You really think so?”

You gave her a twirl in the dress and she laughed.

“Yes, you look absolutely stunning. Now, let’s find you some shoes to go with that.”

It wound up being more than just shoes you found to go with the dress. A pair of heels to match, some earrings, a necklace, and a barrette. Once you were finished you and Alcina went up to check out. Your heart jumped at the total while Alcina pulled one of her cards out unphased.

The dress was handed to you in a garment bag and everything else was put into a large shopping bag that had the name of the boutique printed onto it. Alcina helped you carefully put the dress and everything else into the back of her car.

As she drove you back home you engaged in some small talk and got onto the subject of your car.

“I actually brought my car to Karl’s shop since he gave me that card a couple weeks back.”

Alcina scoffed.

“Ugh, I can’t believe you actually went there. Had you asked for my help I could have recommended ten different places before Heisenberg’s.”

You laughed at her disdain.

“I’m sorry! It was kind of a short notice thing. He got my car in that same day and gave me a discount.”

Alcina huffed again.

“Probably discount service too.”

“I don’t know, everything seems to be running okay.”

“I’ll take your word for it. For now. That man and his brother are such sleuths. I still can’t believe that stunt they pulled.”

You weren’t too happy about that either. With any luck maybe this surprise Alcina had planned for you would help you pick back up where you left off that afternoon.

Alcina pulled up in front of your building and she helped you bring everything into your place. You shared some long, passionate kisses before you said goodbye for the night. If you knew what Olivia was up to, you might have tried to ask Alcina to stay a bit longer, but you didn’t know and having her walk in on you and Alcina was the last thing you needed to happen after your fight about Robbie.

Some time passed and you heard the door click and open as you were cleaning up from the meal you made yourself. Olivia walked in by herself and you wanted to take the opportunity to apologize.

“Hey, Liv.”

She didn’t answer you. She continued taking off her shoes and started walking towards her bedroom. You had to act quickly.

“Olivia, about the other day I just wanted to-“

“Save it.”

She said angrily.

“You know Robbie could hear everything you were saying right? These walls are thin. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me? I can’t wait until this lease is up.”

“Olivia, I-“

“No, I’m talking.”

She interrupted you again.

“I’ll be cordial with you because we still have another month of this, but you need to stay out of my business. Until this is over, you are my roommate. You are not my friend. My friend would never talk to me the way you did.”

Ouch. That one hurt. It hurt a lot. Olivia was your best friend. You always had such a good time together. That was a huge factor in deciding to live together to begin with. To think she was throwing this away over an argument about a guy who was doing nothing but causing misery for her. It’s like she didn’t remember you were there before Robbie was ever a thing and you were always there after their fights and break ups. You watched their relationship progress from nothing out of the ordinary to the toxicity that it was today yet she couldn’t see it. You wanted to say something, anything that would knock some sense into her, but she had already locked herself in her bedroom. If this is how she wanted it to be until the lease was up then you couldn’t wait for it to end either. Then you’d have the entire apartment to yourself and with Alcina’s allowance you’d be more than comfortable. The Saturday evening Alcina had planned for you couldn’t come fast enough. You desperately needed to get away from it all.

Chapter Text

What a relief it was that the rest of the week went by smoothly. You hadn’t seen Olivia since your last altercation and with how she lashed out at you even after you tried apologizing, you were completely fine with that. Now all that was left for you to do was to finish this shift at work and then you’d be spending time with Alcina. You still had no idea what she had planned. All you knew was that you’d get to wear that gorgeous vintage dress, shoes, and accessories that she bought for you. If only things weren’t so slow at work these last couple of hours wouldn’t be so torturous. 

It was a wonder how the mall kept its doors open with such little business. Your store especially. A small boutique selling only designer labels didn’t yield many paying customers. Much to your dismay, you were stuck at the register and were lucky to have maybe one customer per hour. You spent most of your time in a staring contest with the clock and when it was finally time for your shift to end you all but cheered out loud. 

Just as you were about to clock out, you were approached by your supervisor, Leslie. 

“Hey, we got a couple of call ins today and I don’t have a closer so I’m going to need you to stay.” 

No way in hell were you staying there. Not when you were finally going to get to spend an entire evening with Alcina. 

“I can’t stay tonight, Leslie. I have plans.”

If looks could kill, you’d be dead on the floor.

“I’ve already tried calling everyone who is a trained closer and no one is answering. I’ll even give you Saturday and Sunday off next week if you do this.”

You could see how desperate she was, but the only thing that got you through the terrible week you had was knowing you’d find reprieve with Alcina. It also seemed incredibly unfair to force you to stay with such little notice. In fact it didn’t seem legal. 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t reschedule. I have to leave.”

Your supervisor’s face contorted in anger. 

“Fine, but I’m going to have to see you in my office before you go.” 

What? Were you really going to be reprimanded for this? 

You followed Leslie into the back room as she gathered some paperwork out of a folder. She pointed at a line on the bottom of the paper. 

“Read through this and sign this bottom part acknowledging that this is your final warning and that your next write up will result in termination.”

Termination!? You had never been written up before so this being a final warning made absolutely no sense. You weren’t going to let this happen without trying to fight it. 

“I’m sorry, how is this my final warning? I’ve never been written up before. I’m always here when I’m scheduled to work. This is completely unfair.” 

“Well, let’s see here.” Leslie rifled through some more paperwork. “You had a no call no show on this week.” She said pointing out the exact week you had taken off for spring break. Yes, she did try to call you in for a shift and you didn’t call back, but it was approved time off. 

“I had a scheduled vacation for that week. I also never signed any other paperwork about being written up. I-“ you were trying your best to remain calm, but your voice raised slightly and Leslie waved you off. 

“I don’t want to hear any excuses or any more of your sass back. Either sign this and leave or you don’t have a job here anymore.” 

This was such bullshit. You hadn’t so much as gotten caught using your phone at work before this. You reluctantly signed the document and left for the day. Some angry tears spilled from your eyes as you drove back home. Now was not the time to let your face get all puffy. Alcina told you to let her know when you got home from work and you wanted to do your makeup nicely. The last thing you needed was to cry it all off. 

You arrived home to an empty apartment. Thank god. You texted Alcina to let her know that you had gotten home from work and instead of texting back she called you and you answered immediately. 

“Hello, my dear. How long do you think you’ll need to get ready?”

Thinking about the dress and how you wanted to do your makeup it would take you longer than usual.

“Hmm, about an hour?” You answered. 

“That should work perfectly. You wouldn’t object to packing an overnight bag would you? I promise this time there will be no interruptions, but only if you want to stay with me.” 

Of course you wanted to stay with her. It’s all you’ve been wanting. 

“I’ll pack a bag then! I can’t wait to see you.”

Alcina reiterated that she’d be there in about an hour, giving a couple smooches over the phone before hanging up. 

You cleaned yourself up a bit, packed your overnight bag, and then eagerly grabbed the garment bag that held the dress as well as the bag of shoes and accessories. First, you slipped into the dress which you still marveled at how good you looked and felt in it. Then came the accessories. You styled your hair and clipped the barrette into it. Lastly came the necklace and earrings that pulled everything together. For your makeup, you did something similar to Alcina’s usual look including some striking red lipstick. You took one last look in the mirror before heading to put your shoes on. Soon after, Alcina was calling to let you know she was in the parking lot. You grabbed everything you needed and headed out to meet her. 

You looked for her car, but didn’t see it. That’s when you noticed Alcina standing outside of a black sedan. The dress she wore was nearly identical to yours, but a bright red instead of a black. Red was absolutely her color. It suited her so well. She was breathtaking as always. 

“Did you get a new car?” You asked as you approached her. 

“No.” She gave you a quick peck. “I actually hired a driver so I could focus on you and not the road. It’s not too much is it?”

You shook your head laughing. “No, it’s just like you.” 

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” She asked with a mock hurt in her voice before laughing it off with you. 

You climbed into the back of the car with her after putting your bag in the trunk and took notice of the man at the front. He simply nodded once you were both settled in and began driving to the destination that only Alcina knew of. 

You snuggled into her, enjoying the smell of her perfume. 

“How was your day at work?” 

“I’ll be honest, not good at all. I got written up.” 

She tutted. “Getting into trouble now are we, darling?” 

You groaned and then explained the situation with your boss wanting you to stay late and then the false no call no show and how you were somehow on a final warning despite never receiving a first strike. Alcina squinted in anger. 

“Now that is a wrongful termination case waiting to happen. Those department store hags have a little authority and go on a complete power trip with it.” 

Alcina’s manner of insulting people had a way of making you laugh every single time. She could see the work talk was getting you upset and dropped the subject. The rest of the ride was spent with you trying to make guesses about where it was she was taking you until the driver turned down a road that led to the nearest resort and casino. Your eyes lit up. 

“No way!”

Alcina nodded at you. 

“Oh, yes.”

“I’ve been wanting to go here since I turned eighteen, but I never had anyone else to go with.”

“I picked the right trip for us then.” 

You kissed her happily, thanking her again. 

“I didn’t take you for being a gambler.” You teased.

“I’m not actually. There’s plenty more to do there. If you want to play at the machines or the tables I’ll happily go with you, but I have something else planned for us entirely.” 

As much as you tried to coax it out of her she stood firm in keeping it a surprise. The driver had dropped you off at the front doors of the resort and helped take the bags out of the trunk of the car before heading off. By this time it was early evening and the sun was starting to set. 

Walking into the building was overwhelming with all that was going on. There were so many people, you could hear the faint sounds of machines beeping in the distance, there were restaurants and shops within your view, and even a decorative waterfall. At least Alcina seemed to know her way around. You followed her to the section that housed the hotel portion. The concierge staff recognized Alcina immediately and were practically falling over themselves to help her, including having someone take the bags up to the hotel room so you could carry on enjoying yourselves. 

“Can you please tell me what we’re doing now.” You begged, getting desperate to know as you walked with her blindly to a section that had different bars and nightclubs. 

“Patience. All shall be revealed soon.” 

Eventually you found yourself at a plain looking door with a number pad on the outside. Alcina checked something on her phone and then entered in a code. The light on the number pad went from red to green and Alcina opened the door, leading you into a charming little bar that you would have had no idea was there. It was like going back in time the way everything was decorated. The bartenders were dressed in suits and hats. The style of the patrons differed greatly though. Some girls wore flapper costumes that were clearly from a Halloween party store, others dressed similarly to how you and Alcina were dressed, while some were wearing the latest fashions. There didn’t seem to be a strict dress code because the men there also ranged from suits to jeans and shirts. 

“This is so cool!” You had to speak up loudly to be heard over the music. 

“I’m glad you like it, dear. As you can see, it’s a speakeasy of sorts. I had to pay a small fee to get the entry code. While they aren’t entirely accurate in their presentation, it’s an incohesive mess of many decades if I’m being honest, I enjoy it here more than I would at a typical bar.”

You knew she was much more knowledgeable on this stuff than you were. This place was definitely her. The thought of Alcina at a college bar that played current top 40 hits was hysterical to you. She’d be so out of place. 

“Let’s get some drinks!” She grabbed your hand and led you to the bar. 

“What can I get for you ladies tonight?” 

You looked up at Alcina unsure of what to ask for. “Surprise me.” You told her. 

“Two Old Fashioneds please.” 

The bartender nodded and got to work on the drinks. For once you were not asked for ID when the bartender placed the drinks down in front of you. Alcina gave him her card and opened a tab. 

You took your first sip and the bite of the whiskey was immediately noticeable, but the added sugar made for a much more pleasant drink. You noticed Alcina giggling and shaking her head. 

“What?”

“Oh, nothing. I mentioned earlier that they weren’t true to the decade here. Speakeasies were around during prohibition and here they are playing a song that came out in 1959.” 

“So it’s more about the vibes than accuracy?”

Alcina pursed her lips. “I suppose so. It’s still a good time here and as someone who appreciates old Hollywood aesthetics, I am happy to be familiar with the choice in music.” 

“I think it’s really cool how you know so much about this stuff. I’m always learning something new from you.” 

Alcina’s gripped your waist and let go. 

“You flatterer.” 

The drink went down smoothly as you chatted with Alcina and listened to the music playing. She knew every song, artist, and year of release. It was impressive to say the least. The drink though, it was strong, you were already feeling quite the buzz and Alcina went and ordered another round of the same. The second drink went down even smoother and you were a bit more than tipsy when Alcina suddenly perked up. 

“I adore this song, you have to dance with me!”

Before you could object she was already dragging you out onto the small dance floor where there were some other couples. 

When marimba rhythms start to play

Dance with me

Make me sway

Like the lazy ocean hugs the shore

Hold me close

Sway me more

You had no idea what you were doing and it was much easier to let her lead. You could tell she was tipsy herself, though maybe not as much as you. Even then she moved with ease and grace and you were able to move with her as the song continued. 

“Now, this song.” She started. “This came out in 1960, Rosemary Clooney.”

It was adorable seeing how she lit up when she was passionate about something. 

“I’ll keep a mental note along with all of the other songs you’ve introduced me to tonight.” 

You both giggled. Then in a daring move she twirled you and you thankfully did not end up on your ass in front of a bunch of strangers. 

I can hear the sound of violins

Long before

It begins

Make me thrill as only you know how

Sway me smooth

Sway me now

Sway me smooth, sway me now!

The song ended with you pressed closely to her. 

“How about we get out of here and go somewhere more private, hmm?” She husked in a low, sultry voice. 

“Mmmhmm.” You agreed. 

Alcina closed out her tab at the bar and you both exited swiftly. The excitement of what was to come started overtaking the buzz that you were feeling. Once you got to the elevator that would lead to the hotel room, Alcina swiped the hotel key allowing you access inside. She pressed the button to the top floor and the elevator rose without stopping until you reached your destination. 

After you both walked down the hall and into the room Alcina closed the door behind you and within seconds she had you pushed against the wall, her lips crashing into yours. Your heart raced as your tongues intertwined and you steadied yourself by wrapping your arms around her waist. Her hands moved from your neck to cup your face, breaking the kiss, her forehead resting against yours, both taking the opportunity to catch your breath. 

Alcina grinned widely and captured your lips again, you smiled into her kiss and clumsily toyed with the buttons on the back of her dress. Your hands were shaking as you struggled trying to get even one button undone while Alcina’s hands began exploring your body, expertly unfastening every barrier she encountered on your dress. Once the last button was undone she pulled back from the kiss and watched as she slid the garment off of your body, leaving you in your bra and panties. By this point you had already given up on getting her dress off. 

“Well, that’s not very fair.” You said, tugging at the dress you were unable to pull off of her. Alcina giggled, undoing the buttons you couldn’t and joined you in being scantily clad. 

“There, now we’re even.” 

Your breath hitched as you took her in. Large breasts perfectly supported by the lacy red bra she wore that matched the shade of her dress that was now lying on the floor. Her stomach was soft with the slightest muscle definition, her waist small in comparison to her wide hips and thick thighs, and matching red panties that were begging to be taken off. 

You yelped in surprise when Alcina scooped you into her arms and carried you over to the plush king sized mattress and gently placed you down against the pillows. She crawled on top of you like a wild cat claiming its prey and began kissing you deeply once again. You moaned into her mouth when you felt her reaching around you to unclasp and discard your bra with the rest of the clothing pile that was pooled on the floor. 

Her mouth left yours and began trailing over to your ear.

“I can’t wait to taste you.”

Her hot breath against you and the thought of her mouth on you only increased the aching between your thighs. 

A strangled moan left your mouth when you felt her kiss down your neck and to your breasts, taking a nipple into her mouth and sucking gently. Her hand massaged the other as she continued to suck, letting her teeth graze gently against your hardened nipple. 

Eventually her mouth left you and she gave your other breast the same treatment before kissing a trail down to your stomach. Your hips began arching up involuntarily the further she kissed down your body, desperate to feel her tongue against you. 

Alcina grabbed your panties with both hands and pulled them down your legs. You brought your legs up to assist her in taking them off of you and kept them spread wide for her. 

When she dipped her head in between your thighs and her tongue licked up your center you couldn’t help but let her name fall from your lips. Your moans only grew louder as she continued flicking her tongue against your clit. She wasn’t predictable in her pattern. She went from short and fast licks to sucking to thrusting her tongue inside of you. Once she stopped her teasing and solely focused on a steady pace of sucking and licking your sensitive bud, you were moaning, panting, and swearing loudly without a care in the world for who could possibly hear you. 

You looked down and caught Alcina’s gaze and this seemed to spur her on, increasing the pace and intensity she had initially set. Your head fell back against the pillows once again completely drunk on the pleasure she was providing you when you felt one of her hands on your thigh, parting you further for her and then her other hand sliding under her mouth slipping, one, and then two fingers inside of you. Her fingers curled into you and intensified the already nearly unbearable pleasure you were feeling. 

Her stamina was incredible with the way she kept fucking you. You were so desperate for your release, but truthfully, you were never able to climax with a partner. When you were on your own it was a complete non issue whether it was with your fingers or with toys, but for some reason it was as though you had some sort of mental block that prevented you from fully being able to finish with someone else taking the wheel. 

You pushed at Alcina to stop and she sat up to look at you, her chin completely coated in your wetness. 

“It’s okay if we stop here.” You told her. She cocked an eyebrow at you. 

“Why’s that? I know you haven’t come yet.”

“No.” You admitted, feeling slightly embarrassed. No one likes to hear that. “I just feel bad with how long I’m taking and it’s not fair to you. I’m not sure I can. I’ve never…” you trailed off. 

“Have you never had an orgasm?” Her eyes grew wide in shock as though she couldn’t possibly fathom that idea. 

“No, no, it’s not that. Just not during sex, but it’s okay. You shouldn’t have to waste all this time on me.” 

Alcina leaned down to kiss you softly, you could taste your arousal on her lips and it only made you want to taste her. 

 “I wouldn’t consider it to be time wasted. If you’re worried about taking too long, I can assure you that is no problem at all. I’m happy to pleasure you for as long as you need.” 

That was sweet of her to say, but you felt bad for how long she had already spent on you and you’d rather focus on her now. It wasn’t that big of a deal. You didn’t need to have an orgasm for a sexual experience to be considered a good one. 

“Really, Alcina. I’m okay.” 

You watched as she began to settle in between your thighs again, gazing up at you.

“Could we give it one more go? If you wish for me to stop again, I will.” 

You had never had a partner who was so persistent about getting you off. It seemed worth a shot. 

You nodded and she swiftly picked up where she left off. You were still sensitive from before and that familiar warmth in your belly started building up as she sucked and licked at your clit, her two fingers finding her way back inside of you again. This time she brought her other hand up and lightly pushed down on your lower abdomen which brought on a new wave of pleasure and a harsh moan from your throat.

“Like that?” She asked, mouth still against you. You nodded furiously and she went back to work. You relaxed into her ministrations, focusing on the pleasure without letting your mind wander and slowly for the first time with someone else, getting to that sweet point of no return. It felt like you would be pushed over the edge in moments. Her mouth left you briefly, but she kept driving her fingers into that deep and sensitive spot within you. 

“That’s it, darling. Relax. Let it happen.” She coached you on before bringing her mouth back onto you  and suddenly all that pleasure that had been building unraveled while you moaned louder than you had all night and your hips continued to arch into her until you finally fell limp against the bed, panting hard. 

Alcina climbed up next to you and placed a kiss to your neck. 

“That was amazing. I. Wow.” You could barely speak in a coherent sentence after such an orgasm.

“I’m happy I was able to get you there.” She smiled at you and you pulled her into a kiss. You exchanged soft kisses and when you realized she was still in her underwear while you were completely bare, you unclasped her bra and pushed her onto her back to appreciate her fully. Faint stretch marks lined her breasts around her dark areolas and pebbled nipples. 

“You’re so beautiful, Alcina.” You said while gently tracing a breast with your finger. 

“As are you, my sweet girl.” She whispered.

Much like Alcina did to you earlier, you found yourself kissing down her neck and to her breasts, delighting in the little moans and sounds she made as you took your time worshipping her curves. 

Soon enough you reached her lower abdomen and pulled her panties off with ease, happy to have her bare beneath you and smirking slightly when you noticed how wet she and the undergarments were just from pleasuring you. 

You sighed happily as you fell between her thighs and tasted the tanginess of her arousal. Before you could get much further, she was grabbing the back of your head and guiding you exactly where she wanted you, pressing you into her to hold you there. You’d happily let yourself be smothered between her thighs. She urged you on, telling you exactly how she wanted to be fucked, to keep sucking and to not be shy in adding a third finger. Her dominance was rekindling your own arousal while simultaneously awakening something else within you. 

She moaned and cursed softly beneath you as you worked your tongue and fingers into the exact rhythm that she desired. 

“Oh, yes…such a good girl, darling. Don’t stop.” 

Her praise spurred you on into quickening your pace and she came, bucking her hips into your face and crying out. Once she stilled, you removed your fingers from her and gave one last kiss to her pubic mound before laying back against the pillows. She placed a kiss to your temple and beckoned for you to be closer. You rested your head against her chest as she stroked your hair. Your heart felt so full listening to her deep breaths and her heartbeat. Everything felt like it was falling into place with her. So…complete. It was like coming home.

Chapter Text

“Normally I’d love a smoke right now.” You felt the vibration of her voice from where you were laying your head on her chest in the afterglow of your first time together. You looked up to acknowledge her and she smiled at you. “But I’ve been good. I haven’t had a cigarette since that day you were at my house.”

That was a couple of weeks ago now. 

“I’m glad to hear that, Alcina. I’m sure it’s not easy.” 

You pushed yourself up to press your lips to hers. You kissed her softly and she held you tighter. You could easily stay like this forever, your naked bodies pressed together as your kisses deepened. All that time spent where you felt like you could never get close enough to her had paid off greatly. In the beginning, you had your doubts. The arrangement being a huge factor, but also her distance and baggage. That talk in the park where she let you in, let you know her, it was like a switch flipped. When you found yourself settling on top of her and making your way down between her spread legs for another taste, you internally shuddered at the thought that you nearly decided to call it quits. 

Before you got the chance, Alcina’s stomach let out a loud growl, halting your egress, and you realized you were pretty hungry yourself. 

“Maybe we should get dressed and grab something to eat at one of those restaurants?” You asked as you sat up on the bed. Alcina shook her head.

“You wore me out too much to even think of leaving this hotel room. Besides, the room service here isn’t half bad.”

Alcina left the bed and retrieved a silky slip nightgown that she pulled over her head. You thought maybe you should dress too and put on the matching tank top and shorts pajama set that you had packed. While you dressed Alcina looked for the room service menu that wound up being on the desk. 

“There you go.” She said as she handed off the menu to you. “Order anything you’d like.” There were so many different options you didn’t know whether you wanted something from the 24 hour breakfast menu or something more suitable for dinner. It all sounded so good. You settled on a combination platter that had a selection of appetizers. Alcina ordered a salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side. It nearly made you rethink your choice. The most you had seen her indulge was your first date where she didn’t so much as touch the bread basket. 

It would still be a while before the food was delivered. In the meantime, Alcina had gone into the bathroom to remove her makeup and jewelry. You used that time to mess around on your phone, checking social media apps. 

“Come join me, dear.” Alcina interrupted your mindless scrolling and you joined her in the bathroom. She placed a kiss on your cheek. “You should get that makeup off before you fall asleep wearing it. Here. Let me.” 

Alcina had a slew of different skin products on the bathroom counter. All top of the line stuff. You did bring some makeup remover wipes and acne wash, but her skincare routine seemed much better and you were excited for her to try it out on you. 

First, she gently dabbed away all of your eye makeup with a little cotton pad covered in a makeup removing solution. Then she had you wash with one product and moisturize with another that had your face feeling baby smooth. 

“I also have this overnight face mask, but we can wait until after we’ve eaten.” 

There’s a knock at the door.

“Speaking of which.” 

Alcina pulled a robe over her nightgown to greet room service and grab the food. There was a table and chairs in the room, but instead you chose to eat in bed. While you enjoyed your fried appetizers and sauces, Alcina was picking out croutons and rationing her salad dressing. It was making you feel bad and not just guilt about what you were eating, but concern for her.

“Are you okay, Alcina?” 

She swallowed the bite of food she had in her mouth. 

“Perfectly fine. Why do you ask?” 

“It’s just the way you’re eating your salad. I mean look at me, I’m having mozzarella sticks and stuff and you won’t even eat a crouton.” 

She bit her lip and looked at her food and then back up at you. 

“Well, we had drinks tonight already. I’m simply being careful. I’ve worked hard and I still work hard to achieve a certain standard and I don’t want to slip up.” 

“Alcina…”

She scoffed and grabbed for one of the fries you hadn’t started on yet. 

“Hey!”

She dipped it into your ranch and ate it in one bite.

“Happy? I don’t deprive myself so you needn’t worry. You have to remember, darling, I have over twenty years on you and I’ve given birth to three children. It wasn’t exactly easy for me to get to where I am now. If it’s alright with you, I’d like to drop this.” 

You nodded and tried not to let it get to you. This was a sensitive subject. You ate in silence and Alcina even put the croutons back and the rest of her dressing into the salad. The combination plate you ordered was meant to be shared and with Alcina only stealing a single fry there was a lot you wouldn’t be able to finish on your own without feeling sick. You quietly packed it back into the container it was delivered in and set it into the mini fridge. 

It was pretty late at this point so you and Alcina found yourselves back in the bathroom again, brushing your teeth, and she had you apply that overnight mask she mentioned before. 

When you had gotten back into bed, you laid on your side with Alcina behind you. You could have fallen asleep within minutes feeling safe in her arms, but then her lips were on your neck and her hand was making its way from your stomach down into your pajama shorts. She giggled in your ear as you moaned when her fingers easily found your clit. She resumed her kissing and sucking at your neck while she continued to rub small circles and build your arousal. You came quickly with heavy breaths and trembling hips. 

“Look how easily I can unravel you now.” Alcina growled into your ear. Her hand left your pajama bottoms and you could hear her sucking her fingers behind you before grasping your head to face her for one last kiss. You fell asleep with the taste of yourself on your lips and the feeling of her warm breath on your neck. 

The next morning you awoke to unwelcome sun rays beaming through the portions of the windows that the curtains didn’t block out. Alcina was still sound asleep. You thought for sure she would be the one awake before you, but you were happy getting to see her like this. She looked so peaceful and unguarded. The sun was getting on your nerves though. You noticed there was a blackout curtain that could be pulled down in addition to the blinds for more coverage. You got out of bed and adjusted them until it was as dark as night in the room once again and crawled back next to Alcina. 

You heard her beginning to stir next to you. Your movements must have woken her up. 

“Mmm. Good morning.” Alcina’s voice was hoarse with sleep. She pulled you close to her again. “It is morning, right?” 

“It is.” You nodded. 

“You didn’t happen to see the time, did you?”

“No.”

Alcina rolled away momentarily to glance at the digital clock that was in the room. 

“Oh good, it’s still early. I’ve asked Kurt to keep the girls until early evening since he still owes me. That should give us some extra time to spend together.” 

Oh, that’s right. It’s her Sunday which means she’ll have custody of her daughters until the following week. You’d be busy with school anyway, but it was nice when she didn’t have the kids. She always checked in on you more, but maybe now things would be different? 

“I could use more nights like last night and more mornings like this.” You whispered snuggling closer to her. 

“Then we shall have many more.” 

“That would be nice. I just wonder how exactly we could do that. I’m in school and I have a roommate until next month and you have your daughters. Also your house isn’t exactly close.” 

“I see you’ve put some thought into this.” She laughed. “Well, we always have every other weekend so long as you’re not busy. Soon enough school will be out for you and we can spend more time then.”

“That’s true and once my lease is up, I’m renewing it alone. Olivia’s transferring to a university a couple hours away and she’ll live in the dorms. Not that we’ve been talking anyway.” 

Alcina hummed sympathetically. 

“I’m sorry to hear things still aren’t going well with your friend. I take it she’s still with that boy?”

“Ugh, yes. I even tried to apologize to her, but she’s still angry with me. I guess now we are just going to be “cordial” until the lease is up. I still can’t believe she’s throwing our friendship away for some loser.”

You felt Alcina’s lips on your cheek. 

“Friendships come and go for a variety of reasons. I know it hurts, my dear. Perhaps someday you’ll be close again, but for now you need to focus on yourself and your schoolwork. There’s also that job of yours.”

You groan at the thought of that bottomless pit of despair. 

“That gives me an idea.” 

“What’s that?”

“That weekend when Kurt showed up unexpectedly and I came up with that awful lie. What if it didn’t have to be a lie?” 

You squinched your brows trying to recall. “You mean work for you at the winery?”

“Precisely. You could be a hostess or work catering at special events. I’d pay you much better than that store, you’d still get your allowance, and it would look good on your resume to have worked for me.” 

This was all very sudden. Having the allowance from Alcina kept you from drowning and allowed you to save and pay things off, but you still needed a job which is why you hadn’t quit the boutique. It might not be so bad to try something new, but wouldn’t it be a bit awkward? 

“I don’t know, Alcina. I mean maybe? Wouldn’t there be an issue with you being my boss?”

“Please. I own the winery. Are you going to report me to human resources?” She teased.

“Of course I wouldn’t-whoa!”

Alcina rolled onto her back and pulled you on top of her, laughing. 

“You could start by telling them how good I fuck you. Now, take those off.” She was commanding and it was incredibly sexy. 

The way this woman had you questioning your life moments ago to aching with arousal was a talent. You sat up and removed your top, baring your breasts to her and next came the shorts. You pulled those off while she lifted and discarded her nightgown in one swift motion. 

Once you were stripped of your clothing, Alcina pulled you on top of her again, your breasts pressed to hers as she held you tight, kissing you feverishly. Your legs were spread over her hips and you noticed you could feel your sex rubbing up against her pubic mound. You rutted your hips into her and moaned softly into her mouth. 

Alcina quickly realized what you were up to and spread her legs beneath you, which allowed her to rub her clit against yours. You could feel how wet she was against you and you began arching your hips faster as she met your thrusts. The sensation wasn’t nearly as intense as it would be with fingers or tongues, but it still felt purposeful. From how Alcina was shaking beneath you, you could tell how much this was affecting her as well. You broke away from kissing her and brought your mouth down to one of her nipples. She moaned your name as you sucked and continued rutting into her. 

Alcina brought her hands from your back to grip your ass and began pushing you harder into her and moments later she was coming gently against you, bringing on your own orgasm that left you panting and shaking. You weren’t sure you’d be able to come like that, but being with Alcina was unlike being with any other woman. 

“My god.” She was still panting heavily. “I’d love to go for another round, but we should probably wash up and get ready for checkout.”

You’d do anything to stay in bed with her for the rest of the day. She was right though. It would be a long ride back and you needed time to make sure you were ready for classes tomorrow much like she likely needed to prepare to have her daughters for the week. 

The clothes you packed for the day were much less extravagant than what you had worn the night before. Even Alcina was toned down in casual wear. While vintage glamor suited her well, you loved the moments you saw her like this. It made her more human and less like a caricature of old Hollywood. 

Alcina had already arranged for the same driver to pick you up at the front doors. You never did get to play any of the games on the casino floor, but your brief time at that speakeasy and then in bed with Alcina was much more important to you than hoping to win a few bucks at the penny slots. 

You and Alcina sat in the back of the black car together after putting your bags in the trunk. You leaned into her and she wrapped an arm around you. 

“I wish I could go back to your place and not have to deal with my apartment situation.” 

“I know, darling. I wish you could come back with me, but I’ll have the girls. You could stay with me next Sunday perhaps? Then the week after you could stay Friday through Sunday if you wanted to.” 

It certainly was challenging with her having kids. You technically kind of met them though? It had you wondering if she ever thought you’d be worth formally introducing the girls to. That would mean something more serious and you had a pit in your stomach. You were catching feelings for her. So much for some fun and extra cash without the expectations of a typical relationship. Now all you could think about was if she were feeling the same way. 

“Darling?”

“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking. Yes, I would love to stay over when you’re able to have me.” 

She held you tighter. “I look forward to having you to myself more often then.” 

“Actually there was something else on my mind.”

“Hm?”

“That time when Kurt showed up with the girls and I saw them briefly. I know you didn’t want me to meet them then, but would you ever consider it?”

She stiffened beside you. You probably shouldn’t have asked that. 

“Not quite yet. It’s nothing personal as I’ve told you before. I simply want to be careful when it comes to who I’m seeing and whether or not they meet my daughters. Just like I’d prefer if Kurt weren’t bringing other women around the girls unless it was serious. The girls I met on that site before you, it was never even a thought to let them meet my daughters. Before that, Miranda and I dated so briefly that the girls only know her as Eva’s mother. When it comes to children of divorce you need to be delicate. I still haven’t come out to them.” 

She did say not yet so at least she was considering it and it wasn’t an outright no? You were letting your feelings cloud your judgment and you weren’t being fair to Alcina by putting her on the spot like that, testing to see how she viewed your relationship by using her daughters as a bargaining chip. Now you didn’t know what to say at all. 

“Think of it this way. Were you planning on introducing me to your parents?” 

Your eyes went as wide as dinner plates when she asked that. Touché. 

“I thought as much.” She smirked 

“If you’re worried about where we stand since we’ve gotten physical.” She winked at you. “I can assure you I am not going anywhere. If it will help you feel better, I deactivated my profile on that site a while back. I have no intentions on seeing anyone else and would I be right to assume it’s the same for you?”

You hadn’t deactivated your profile, but you hadn’t been on or really thought about it since meeting Alcina. You should probably get on that. 

You nodded. “I don’t want to see anyone other than you.”

Alcina smiled at you. “See? Nothing to worry about.” She kissed your cheek and it eased the anxiety you were having. There was no need to rush things. It would all fall into place. 

When the driver pulled up to your apartment complex you dreaded having to go back home. Alcina gave you a long kiss goodbye after you grabbed your bag from the trunk. 

“How about this time you text me to let me know you’ve gotten home safely?”

“Of course, darling.”

You stole another kiss before walking inside. You were hoping to be alone, but as soon as you got inside you saw Olivia was in the kitchen. She looked a bit disheveled which was a red flag. She was normally so well put together. It was tempting to simply ask if she was okay. She did say she was willing to be cordial, but once she noticed you she stormed off to her bedroom. 

Bitch you thought momentarily before correcting yourself. No, you can’t think like that. She’s going through a hard time. Regardless, not your circus, not your monkeys. You were going to follow Alcina’s advice and give Olivia her space and if she came to you, fine. If she didn’t, oh well. Then again, if she kept being fickle, coming to you when things were going badly only to cast you aside when things were seemingly okay, was that really the kind of friend you wanted? It was a headache and a half and it was better to distract yourself. There was probably some assignment you didn’t finish. 

Sure enough, there was something you had to submit online before midnight. Thankfully you caught it in time and it was something easy you’d have done within the hour. As you were finishing up, your phone buzzed. Probably Alcina finally getting home. 

You opened her message and you felt your cheeks go hot. 

“Remember when you had this?”

It was a picture of her from the neck down in black lingerie in front of what looked to be her bedroom mirror. 

“How could I ever forget?” You replied. 

You decided to send her back something as well. You stripped down to your underwear and set a timer on your phone’s camera for a selfie. You also chose to crop your face out for safety reasons. 

“Stunning. I’d love to have my face between those thighs again.” 

 God. If only you had a chance to relive that night again. 

You spent some more time sending risqué texts back and forth before calling it a night. Once you were sure you had everything ready for the school and work week cycle to begin, you got into bed and thought of Alcina’s arms around you as you fell asleep. 

Chapter Text

You were brimming with anxiety as you walked into the boutique that had been your job since the summer before you started college. You didn’t have a shift today, just a piece of paper with your carefully written resignation. You've made it this far, you're not backing down now. You’ve got this. Your inner monologue reassured you as you walked up to one of your coworkers. 

“Is Leslie in today?” You asked the blonde, Stephanie,  behind the counter.

“Yeah, she’s in the back, I’ll go grab her for you.”

You’ve got this, you’ve got this, you’ve got this. 

Stephanie and Leslie emerged from the back office and you in your falsified confidence approached her with your resignation letter. She took the letter from you with a displeased look on her face. She didn’t have to read through it to know what it was. 

“Are you sure about this?”

You nodded, not feeling the need to speak to her after the way she treated you during your last shift with that bullshit write up. 

“Look, if it’s about our previous meeting, I can strike that no call no show from your record since your vacation was approved. I misplaced the paperwork. My bad.” She shrugged. 

Really? Now she conveniently “finds” your paperwork as if she didn’t have it all along. All because she couldn’t abuse her power as your supervisor, forcing you to stay late when you already had plans with Alcina. 

“Let’s move past it, okay? You’re a reliable worker and I was thinking we could possibly discuss an earlier raise.” You could see she seemed a bit desperate to keep you or any staff around really. Oh well. Not your problem. 

Raises occurred every six months or so and coincided with a performance review. The increased pay was always pitiful. In the two years you had worked there, your raises cumulatively could hardly buy you a gumball from one of the candy machines that sat in the main area of the mall outside of a vacant and gated off anchor store, not that you’d want to buy anything that came out of those machines. Who knows how long that stuff was sitting in there for. 

“Thanks, but I’ve already got something lined up. I appreciate the opportunity you’ve given me to work here, but it’s time I’ve moved on.” You were blunt, but professional. 

“Then forget about the remainder of your shifts.” A vein was bulging from her forehead as she turned red with anger. “I expect your name tag to be returned as soon as possible, otherwise I won’t be able to authorize your final paycheck.” 

You had a feeling that turning in your resignation wouldn't go over too well, so you came prepared. You reached for the name tag you had stored in the front  pocket of your jeans and handed it to a buffudled Leslie, turning around and leaving the store before giving her the chance to speak again. Fuck that place. Once you were out of everyone’s line of sight you childishly flipped off the boutique and headed for the exit of the mall. Good riddance. Who the hell even goes to malls anymore? 

“I did it!” You exclaimed to Alcina over the phone as you turned the keys to your ignition and prepared to drive away from the mall for good. 

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear it. Does this mean you’ll be taking me up on my offer?”

It did indeed. Alcina was totally right. Working for the winery would look so much better on your resume. It would be an opportunity to spend more time together, more pay(on top of your allowance from her,) and less work days. 

“Just let me know when you would like me to start. It feels so good knowing I won’t have to work a returns shift again. I’m free!” You shouted while hitting the gas and heading away from the mall. 

“You silly thing. Now remember, just because you’re screwing your boss doesn’t mean you’re going to get special treatment. Okay…perhaps a little special treatment, but nothing overt to where the rest of the staff might get suspicious of us. Tell me again, darling, when do you graduate?” 

“A little under a month. Then the graduation ceremony is the Saturday following finals week, but I’m not sure I’m going to go to that.” 

It was only a two year degree after all. General courses and prerequisites for the actual degree you’d be pursuing at the four year college you’d be starting next semester. 

“I won’t hear of that.” Alcina protested. “You worked hard and you should be recognized for that.” 

You scoffed, “You sound like my mom.” 

“I can’t help it, doll, I am a mother myself after all and I know if it were one of my girls graduating, I’d want her to walk the stage. Revisiting our earlier conversation though about you beginning work at the winery. I’ll have you start the weekend following your graduation. There’s weddings nearly every weekend during the summer season. This way you’ll have some free time to study for your finals and I would love to have a few nights of you all to myself of course.” Her tone went from a nagging mother to that of a vixen. It was amazing how she could do that. 

“You just say the word and I am all yours.”

“Such an obedient little thing you are. I have to let you go now though, my dear. My other line is ringing and it’s business related. Text me and let me know you’ve gotten home safe. Ciao!” You heard her smooch and you did the same and ended the call. You were almost back to your apartment anyway. 

Pulling back into the parking lot in front of your building made you feel so tense now ever since you’d been on the outs with Olivia. Your home should be your sanctuary, but instead it was hostile and you never knew what you’d be walking into. It was uncomfortable enough when Olivia was there. If she was in the kitchen or living room she’d either make a display out of storming back to her room or she’d ignore you while you went to yours instead. It was even worse when Robbie was there too. They’d either be grossly affectionate to the point you’d have to drown them out with your earbuds since the walls were so thin or you’d have to drown out their fighting. 

Walking back into your front door, sure enough Olivia and Robbie were both there. It must have been one of their good days since they were cuddling on the couch watching some stupid movie. You rolled your eyes and headed back to your room to work on your assignments. Then you remembered to text Alcina that you had gotten home safely. 

“Glad to hear it, but how about something a bit more enticing?”

You felt yourself flush at the suggestion. You angled your phone to keep your face out of the frame, pulled your top down, and cupped your breast for the picture. 

“How’s that for enticing?” You sent along with the photo. 

You nearly dropped your phone at her response. 

“I think you can do a bit better than that.” She texted along with a photo of her dress pulled up and her hand down her sheer panties. So sheer you could more or less see everything. This set your arousal into overdrive as your mind flashed back to your time in the hotel room. Your face between her legs, her fingers inside of you, coming at the same time as you rutted your hips into hers. You took your jeans and panties off and spread your legs. You were trying to find a good place to position your phone as well as get a picture of you pleasuring yourself when Alcina started a video call. 

You grabbed the phone from where you had it on your bed and answered, making sure your lower half wasn’t visible. Alcina seemed to be in one of her bathrooms, probably the main bath that you never had a chance to see from the time you were at her house. She was standing in front of a rather immaculate looking shower in only her bra and the sheer panties from her earlier picture. 

“Wow.” Is all you could manage. She was so incredibly sexy and you still had a hard time believing that you actually managed to bed this woman. 

“Mm like what you see? I have a few minutes to sneak away. Let’s make the most of it. Show me how much you want me.” She began trailing her hand down into her panties once again, rubbing herself, her eyes fluttering, and lips parted in bliss. 

You had never done anything like this before, pictures were one thing, but this was almost on par with sex. You positioned your phone and laid back onto your mattress and began pleasuring yourself along with her. You were already so wet from watching her rub herself, you easily slid two fingers inside of yourself and crooked them up to hit your g-spot. 

“Good girl.” She said between pants, rubbing herself a bit faster. “Is that how you want me to fuck you?”

You moaned out an “uh huh” while nodding, continuing to to thrust your fingers inside of yourself with one hand while rubbing your clit with the other. Alcina had pulled her panties down and kicked them off giving you a full view of her while she rubbed and ground herself into her hand. You felt yourself getting close and picked up your pace. Alcina must have been close as well as she did the same. Your orgasm snuck up on you quickly and you bit your lip in an effort to quiet yourself to keep anyone from hearing you. Alcina came not long after with a quiet groan. She must have also had people around as she was way more vocal in the hotel room. As much as you loved to hear her enjoying herself, you were glad she wasn’t too loud this time so your roommate and her boyfriend wouldn’t think you were watching porn without headphones. 

“Alcina, that was-“

“Gotta go!” She winked and ended the call.

That woman never failed to keep a certain air of mystery. 

At this point you were spent from coming so hard you wanted a nap, but you had to push through and finish your schoolwork on top of studying. There was so much cramming that needed to be done in your final weeks of school. 

The approach of finals week and graduation was coming lightning fast. The weeks ending just as quickly as they began. You were so thankful for Alcina. The progressing relationship of course. Not that you brought it up, but you were starting to think of her less as your sugar mommy and as more of a girlfriend. This made you blush and wonder if she was starting to feel the same or if you were mentally overstepping boundaries. Nonetheless, her allowances came through weekly and you were getting by just fine financially and having these last few weeks to just focus on school and your own life without having to work was just what you needed. 

Olivia still was not on speaking terms with you and Robbie seemed to be over more than ever. You could not wait for her to be off the lease so you never had to see that scumbag boyfriend of hers loitering around your apartment again. It wasn’t the fact that he made himself too comfortable there, walking around in dirty shoes, smoking weed in your living room, and eating your food. It was the frequent fighting with Olivia. It didn’t matter if it was in her room or out in the open. You could hear every single detail of their fights. Olivia crying over him never taking her out, forgetting her birthday, secretly texting other girls, it went on and on, but her arguments seemed reasonable. He was mistreating her, putting hardly any effort into their relationship, and possibly cheating. Definitely cheating you thought. Robbie however would blow up over the most ridiculous things and it was scary the way he’d yell at her for not answering him quickly enough or when she’d decline plans because of a family thing, which he was no longer welcome to after his stunt over spring break. 

Tonight, the fighting was so bad, you couldn’t take it. You had to get out of there. You wouldn’t get sleep otherwise, but mostly you felt unsafe. You thought about calling your parents and asking if you could stay the night there, but you didn’t want to deal with your mom. She was always on your ass about you moving out in the first place and this would only add more fuel to her argument about you not being able to handle living on your own with roommates. Even if you thoroughly explained the circumstances, she’d find a way to put the blame on you and you did not have the mental capacity to deal with this and her on top of it. 

“What’s the matter, darling? You seemed rather upset in your text message to me.” Alcina’s voice was filled with concern and you were thankful that she was available to talk.

“Alcina, I can’t take it here anymore. Their fighting is so bad. I don’t feel safe. I need to get out of here.” You were talking at a million miles a minute, voice shaking.

“It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Breathe.” She knew just how to calm you down. You took a couple deep breaths while she reassured you. 

“The girls are with their father so you are more than welcome to come stay the night with me to get away.”

Relief flooded your body. “Oh, thank you so much, Alcina. You’re a lifesaver. Let me pack a bag and I’ll drive over.” 

“Sure thing, but do promise me you’ll be calm behind the wheel of that car. I don’t want anything happening to you.” 

“I promise. Thank you.” You were already starting to gather everything you’d need for the night into a bag as well as everything you’d need to leave straight for class from her place in the morning. You were going to have to get up really early since Alcina’s place was in the opposite direction of your college, but you’d take that over staying in this apartment a second longer than you had to. 

You took a deep breath and left your room, something you were hardly able to do when Robbie and Olivia were around which was fucking always now. 

Just get your shoes on, grab your car keys and get out. 

“I already told you, Robbie, Brandon is part of my group project for-“

“You still shouldn’t be texting him! There’s no reason for him to have your number. You can work on your shit together in class!”

“Robbie, you make no sense. We can’t work on our project during a lecture. Kate and Molly are in that group chat too. I swear it’s for school.”

“Shut the fuck up! I know they’re covering for your ass!” 

“Covering for me? Molly saw you kissing that skank at that frat party a couple months ago when I was home sick!” 

You were completely caught in the crossfire of this argument. They were too busy blowing up at each other to notice you frantically trying to get your shoes and keys so you could bolt out of there. This was getting ugly very quickly and part of you thought that maybe you should say something or get some help, but Olivia made it very clear she didn’t want you to intervene so you left as they continued screaming at each other in the living room. 

They were so loud you could still hear them as you walked down the hall to the front door of the building. As you were opening the door to leave, someone from the leasing office was heading in. It was no doubt in your mind that a noise complaint had been called in. At that point you could only selfishly think that Olivia was ruining your chances of being able to stay on the lease after she left for good. 

Whatever, fuck her. Fuck Robbie. You got behind the wheel of your car and took some long, deep breaths to ground yourself. You needed to make it to Alcina’s in one piece. You needed her. You still had to set the gps on your phone to her address since you had only driven there the one time and it was getting dark out. The street lights were far and few between the closer you got to her place, but you managed to make it into her driveway without issue. 

You hopped out of the car with your bag and approached the front door and rang the bell. Alcina answered, wearing a silk robe, its length fell around her knees and you could see something lacy peeking out from the v-shape at her chest. 

She pulled you in for a long, tender kiss and you felt all your earlier worries melt away. 

When you broke the kiss, she stroked your face and you smiled up at her adoringly. 

“I didn’t hear your car coming this time.”

“Yeah, my muffler is actually holding up pretty well from when Karl fixed it.” 

“Ugh, him. ” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’s fine for now, but when it inevitably ends up worse than before you brought it in, I’ll point you in the right direction.” 

You just laughed as she led you upstairs. You didn’t get a chance to see this part of the house the last time you were here. The balcony overlooking the main part of the house was pretty cool. Then Alcina opened the door that led to the hallway with the bedrooms. There were 6 more doors down the hallway. Three of them were closed, you assumed they must have been the girls’ bedrooms. One open door led into a full bathroom, the next looked to be a guest room, and the door at the very end of the hall led into Alcina’s room. 

Alcina’s room was spacious and well decorated. King sized bed, walk in closet, one door leading to a balcony(whoever designed this house seemed to love their balconies), and another door leading into the bathroom you recognized from the time you watched each other over that video call. You blushed thinking about it. It was already pretty late by the time you had gotten to Alcina’s and as much as you would have liked to have sex again, you really just wanted a peaceful night of sleep. 

Alcina had everything set up for you to take a shower and get ready for bed. A good thing too since her shower had so many different knobs. Whatever happened to one for hot and one for cold? You enjoyed the feeling of the water pressure and the heat as you let the droplets hit your face. The shower head was large enough to where the water completely enveloped you, leaving no parts of your body out in the cold. You should have been washing your hair and body, but this was so nice and you stood there for much longer than you normally would enjoying the endless hot water. The shower at your apartment would have been cold by now. You started washing and rinsing your hair along with the rest of your body. You heard a knock at the bathroom door.

“Everything alright?”

Oh, you had been in there for quite a while now hadn’t you?

“Yes, everything is fine!”

She didn’t answer you, instead she opened the door and walked over to the outside of the shower. You could really only see her shadow from the tempered glass and all the steam. Then you heard the shower door slide open. 

“You’re not gonna go Norman Bates on me, are you?” You teased.

Alcina chuckled. “Ah, I see someone’s been studying their old Hollywood.” 

“I have.” You nodded, laughing and she slid the door closed after stepping in behind you.

“Alcina?” 

“Shh, let me take care of you, help you destress.” 

She wrapped her arms around you and you felt her bare breasts pressing into your back. She felt sort of cold, but you had been underneath the warmth of the shower head for…you had no idea actually. Alcina began kissing your neck and fondling your breasts as she pressed into you. She kissed her way up to your jaw and you turned your neck so you could meet her lips and let your tongues intertwine. She continued groping your breast with her left hand while her right reached out for the detachable shower head that was on the wall. She had already gone back to nuzzling and kissing your neck as you looked on to see what she was up to. She took the shower head off of the hook which  immediately triggered it to start spraying a steady stream. You could see that there were a few different settings, but by the looks of this jetstream, you had a feeling Alcina always kept it set to this for a reason. She brought the shower head down and angled it towards your pussy and you immediately let out a throaty moan as the pressure of the stream made contact with your clit. You weren’t going to last long at all at this rate. 

“Fuck, it’s so good.” You managed to choke out between moans. Alcina groped your breast harder in response and then she bit down on your neck. Not hard enough to where it hurt or drew blood or anything, but not exactly gentle. The sensation of the sting of her teeth combined with the steady pressure of the stream pushed you over the edge and you came, moaning loudly, legs shaking and hardly able to hold yourself up. 

Alcina turned everything off in the shower and made sure you weren’t going to fall over before making her way back to the bedroom. You put on the pajamas you packed and joined her in bed. For as tired as you were when you first arrived, you caught a second wind after your little playtime in the shower. You were on top of her now in a pretty intense makeout session and you desperately wanted to taste her again. You began making your way down her body, lifting her nightgown up.

“Oh, darling. You don’t have to. I wanted tonight to be about you.”

“I want to. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since the last time.”

“Well, who am I to deprive you then?” Her voice was low and sultry and you couldn’t wait to hear her moans when you made her come. 

You eagerly dove in between her legs knowing exactly how she liked to be fucked. Her taste was as sweet as ever on your tongue as you happily lapped away at her clit, enjoying her musky scent as her trimmed pubic hair tickled your nose. You could eat her out for hours if she let you. You began sucking at her clit with loud smacks of your lips all while applying pressure with your tongue. She moaned your name and muttered soft praises becoming unintelligible when you easily thrust three fingers into her just as she liked. Her hips lifting off of the bed to meet the thrusts of your hand while you sucked and licked and fucked her, steadily increasing your pace until you felt her velvety walls contracting hard, squeezing your fingers as she came with the most pornographic vocalizations. Her hips stilled, legs still shaking a bit as you sat up.

“Come to me, love.” You obliged, settling into her arms as she kissed her own slick off of your lips. 

Love . You enjoyed the way that sounded coming from her. Then you felt the slightest pit in your stomach before drifting off to sleep. Obviously she didn’t mean that she loved you. It was simply a term of endearment. A pet name. That was absolutely fine, but then you started to think you might be feeling a lot more strongly for her than you ever anticipated. Regardless, you slept pretty hard that night and actually felt refreshed despite having to wake up so early. You kissed Alcina goodbye and thanked her for letting you stay the night. 

“It was my pleasure. Don’t hesitate to call me again should things get out of hand at your apartment. Come to think of it, why don’t you stay over again tonight?” 

An offer you couldn’t refuse, that’s for sure.

“I would love to, I just have to stop by my place to grab some more stuff after my classes finish up.”

“Sure thing, dear. In fact, why don’t you pack enough to stay through until Sunday morning?”

“Really!?”

“Really, I think I sleep better with you next to me.”  She was smiling down at you. She looked so beautiful even with her bed head and lack of makeup. You wouldn’t object to waking up like this for the next few days

You could easily do that for the rest of your life. You quickly brushed that thought away, it kind of scared you. You never thought like that before about anyone. 

You shared another kiss, and another, and another. It was so hard to leave when her lips were so soft and inviting, but you pulled yourself together and managed to head to your car and drive to class. 

Your classes seemed extra slow today. All you could think about was Alcina and the night you had together as well as fantasies about what the following nights had in store. You made it though. You survived the day and drove back to your apartment as fast as the speed limit allowed you to, maybe slightly over. When you got back to the apartment it was empty which was such a treat. No having to sneak around in your own goddamn home and soon enough it would be like this all the time. 

You were gathering your stuff and realized you needed something much bigger to bring everything you needed from several changes of clothing to the rest of your school supplies so you opened your closet and grabbed your suitcase. You chuckled to yourself. It almost looked like you were trying to move into Alcina’s place which you wouldn’t object to for that shower head alone. You gathered the last of the items you needed and zipped everything up. That’s when you heard the apartment door open along with the angry bickering of Olivia and Robbie. 

God fucking damn it. 

Okay, maybe you could just wait it out and they’d go watch a movie on the couch or go into Olivia’s room. You really didn’t want to see them even if they didn’t acknowledge you. It was still awkward and you’d rather not. The bickering continued, getting a bit louder. It apparently wasn’t going to stop and at this point you just had to suck it up and leave. You wanted to be at Alcina’s and away from this. 

A loud slap echoed through the apartment along with a thud and Olivia sobbed loudly. 

“Hey what the fuck is going on!?” You didn’t hesitate in opening the door and disregarding the weeks of the cold shoulder treatment from Olivia. You had to intervene. This had gone way too far. 

“Nothing that concerns you, dyke.” 

Oh that’s it.

“Get. The. Fuck . Out of our apartment!” 

Robbie puffed out his chest and approached you. “Yeah? And how exactly are you going to make me do that?” You weren’t gonna lie, you were scared. If he was willing to put hands on his girlfriend he probably had no qualms about doing the same if not worse to the girl he had just called a lesbophobic slur. 

You immediately started hitting the side button on your phone repeatedly which initiated a loud alarm and an auto call to emergency services. This was enough to scare Robbie off. You explained to the operator what had happened and to send the police just as Alcina told you to do if things escalated. You looked over to Olivia crying on the floor. She croaked out your name, her throat was raw from all the crying and arguing that she had been subjected to constantly. 

“I’m so sorry.” She cried out to you over and over. “I should have listened to you. I’m so stupid. You were only trying to help me and I pushed you away. God. I just need to die.” She sobbed harder. 

“Liv, don’t say that.” You went over to her and scooped her into a hug. “You’re not stupid. He was abusing you.”

Olivia shook her head, tears running down her face(one cheek still holding a bright red handprint that would certainly bruise), snot dripping from her nose. 

“No, I am stupid. I’m stupid and I can’t fix this. I can never fix it.”

“Livvy, stop. I’m here for you, I’ve always been here for you. I was just giving you your space since you didn’t want me to be involved. I’m not going anywhere.”

Olivia just sobbed harder. You couldn’t be mad at her anymore seeing how far this had gone and how broken she was. You could kill that bastard for doing this to her.

The police showed up and you helped Olivia fill out a report. She was able to give his license plate number since he fled the scene. He was definitely going to be getting an assault charge and Olivia was going to get an order of protection from him. The cops recommended that you and Olivia find somewhere else to stay for the night while Robbie was still out there. It was common with these sorts of cases for an abuser to come back and retaliate. Olivia didn’t want to tell her parents yet, but you knew what to do. 

You called Alcina as you already had several missed text messages from her wondering what was taking you so long and asking if you were okay. You explained everything that had happened and she immediately offered up her home to Olivia as well. 

You and Olivia drove over to Alcina’s in silence. Olivia had calmed down a lot, but tears still pricked at her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. When you pulled into Alcina’s driveway she was already waiting out front for the both of you. 

“You must be Olivia. Come in and make yourself at home.”

“Thank you.” Olivia whispered through tears and headed inside. 

You grabbed both yours and Olivia’s bags to bring inside and Alcina grabbed your bag from you to help ease your burden. 

“Alcina, thank you for doing this for Olivia on such short notice.”

“It’s no problem at all, my dear. I’m just happy to see the both of you safe. You did the right thing.” She leaned down and softly pecked your lips before helping you carry everything inside.

Chapter Text

Olivia was sitting on the couch by the time you and Alcina had gotten both of the bags inside, leaving them in the foyer for now. 

“Go sit with your friend, darling. I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.” She whispered, urging you over to Olivia. It still felt a bit uncomfortable, thinking back to how she was treating you when she was with that douchebag, but you’d have to force yourself to get over it. She was being abused and abuse had a way of changing people into an unrecognizable shell of their former selves. For once you were glad to be there during one of their fights as it probably would have gotten so much worse, and that’s saying a lot. You didn’t see him slap her, but the sound of his hand making contact with her face was so loud, you kept hearing it replay in your head. It was quite disturbing. 

Alcina sauntered off to the kitchen and you sat on the opposite end of the couch Olivia was settled on. She was currently taking in the sights of the rather impressive home, mouth slightly agape and to your pleasant surprise, tears were no longer running down her face. She turned towards you and mouthed “holy shit, she’s loaded.” All you could do was shrug in response. 

“Girls.” Alcina interrupted your brief interaction. “I must admit, I’m not much of a cook with a fully stocked fridge and pantry at my disposal, but I’m currently in between shopping trips at the moment. I’m sure considering all of the…” she trailed off, lowering her voice. “Excitement today, going out for dinner is probably the last thing either of you would like to do. I was thinking we could order in? Anything you’d like. My treat as the hostess of course.” 

You looked over at Olivia. She should get to pick the type of food after all the hell she had been through. 

She was timid, but she spoke up. “Could we maybe get some Chinese food please?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Alcina said warmly. “I know the perfect place.” Alcina grabbed her phone and with a few swipes she pulled up the online delivery menu of the restaurant in question and handed her phone over to you and Olivia. “Nothing is off limits.” 

You and Olivia grinned at each other then proceeded to pick out entrees, appetizers, and drinks before handing Alcina her phone back. You were excited to feel a sense of normalcy with Olivia again. It made you think of all the times you’d scrape together cash during late nights of studying and you’d be lucky if you could spring for a single entree to share from a place like this or maybe a small pizza. Getting the chance to order a feast of all your favorite things was something you weren’t going to pass up. Alcina smiled and shook her head when she saw all the items selected before picking her own and completing the order. 

“Alright then. The food should be here within the hour. In the meantime.” She grabbed a bottle of an interesting looking apple rosé from the bar on the opposite end of the living room and placed it on the coffee table. Then she circled back to the bar for some glasses and a corkscrew. “Why don’t we wind down a bit?” 

“Don’t you mean wine down?” Alcina and Olivia just stared at you for a moment. Well, you thought it was funny. 

“Comedic entertainment aside.” Alcina drawled on while getting the bottle open. “This rosé is leftover from our fall exclusive line that we started last year.” She began filling each glass. “We collaborated with a local apple orchard to make this. They gave us some of their apples and in return we gave them grapes so they could make jam to sell in their little country store.” Alcina finished topping off the last of the wine glasses. You reached for your glass, as did Olivia, and you all lifted them for a toast. 

“Wait.” Alcina interrupted before anyone had a sip. “How old are you again, Olivia?” 

“Twenty…” She said quietly.

“Close enough. You are an adult and you can drink legally in just about any other country. Besides, it’s not as if you’re going to go driving off anywhere. I’ve got my eye on you girls.” You and Olivia both breathed a sigh of relief as you all took a sip of the apple rosé, it was crisp and reminded you of apple cider with more of a bite. The taste had you yearning for the crunch of fall leaves and tacky Halloween decorations hung up in windows despite it not even being summer quite yet. 

You all sat and enjoyed the wine, mostly in silence. Alcina at some point turned on some music to liven things up a bit. Just some smooth jazz instrumentals. Olivia was still in her own head and it made you sad thinking of how your friend used to be before things got bad with lord of the fuckboys. She had a contagious laugh and you had inside jokes for days, enough to where you could communicate in single word references that no one else would understand, but you’d both be laughing when thinking back to the context of how they started. It would probably take a lot of work, but you hoped that that cheerful girl would someday make her return. 

Alcina kept a bit of distance from you. You weren’t sure if it was because she was uncomfortable showing you affection with Olivia present or maybe she was giving you space in case you did. If the latter were the case she had sort of the right idea, you did worry about cozying up to your kind of girlfriend, who was also your sugar mommy (god that still felt a bit weird just thinking it in your own head,) while your friend just had the most horrific break up. 

The doorbell rang after what felt like forever and Alcina answered, grabbing the food and bringing it all over to the coffee table. The restaurant kindly included disposable plates, napkins, and forks. You and Olivia fixed yourself hefty plates of orange chicken, beef and broccoli, pork fried rice, egg rolls, crab rangoons, and your canned sodas on the side. Alcina did say that nothing was off limits, at least for you two, for herself it seemed just about everything was. She had gotten herself steamed vegetables and chicken. You could tell from that time you were in the hotel together that she had some food and body image issues so you didn’t press her. If only she could see herself through your eyes to know how beautiful she was and that it wouldn’t matter to you if she weren’t so strict with her diet and exercise. You took notice of her staring longingly at the food you and Olivia were eating. She relented after a time and cheekily stole a crab rangoon from your plate instead of just grabbing one from the container, but it was cute when she messed with you. 

“This is all so good. Thank you, um, miss…es?” Olivia wasn’t sure how to address her.

Alcina giggled “You may call me Alcina. There’s no need for such formalities. It is just “Ms.” though, thank the lord. Ms. Dimitrescu and staying that way.” Alcina tipped her wine glass back, finishing it off finally as she had been pacing herself. 

Olivia’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, Dimitrescu like the winery? So like, you own it? I thought maybe when you were talking about the wine you just worked for them. I had no idea you were a Dimitrescu.” 

“Did your friend here not tell you anything about me?” Alcina glanced at you for a moment and you thought she looked a bit hurt before turning her gaze back to Olivia. 

Olivia bowed her head in shame. “I’ve been so caught up in my own stuff that even if she did tell me, I don’t remember.” 

“Liv, it’s no big deal. I’m not sure If it ever came up.” That was the truth, the only things you could recall telling Olivia about Alcina was her first name, that she was twenty-three years your senior, and that she had kids. Olivia was so wrapped up with Robbie and then the weeks of not talking. She still didn’t know the true nature of your relationship with Alcina or that you guys had finally hooked up. Normally, Olivia would be all over hearing about your hookups. She had only ever been with the one boy so she was curious about what it was like to have casual sex. The lesbian aspect of it piqued her curiosity as well since she was as straight as they came and she wanted to know how everything worked. A bit invasive and borderline ignorant if it were anyone else, but you told each other everything and didn’t bother sparing details, at least until recently, 

Alcina grabbed the bottle of rosé and filled everyone’s glasses again which emptied the bottle. “That should do it for tonight. You girls have class in the morning, correct? No reason to get anything more than a little buzz.” 

“Okay, mom.” You joked. 

Alcina shot you a disapproving look and walked away with the empty bottle to dispose of it. You had offhandedly mentioned before that she sounded like your mom and she would of course talk about being a mother, but this must have crossed a line. Whoops. You felt yourself flush with embarrassment along with the flush of the alcohol. You chugged your second glass hoping it would make you feel a bit more tipsy and then maybe you wouldn’t feel so bad about your faux pas. 

Everyone had finished eating though there were still plenty of leftovers. The disposable plates and cutlery made for an easy clean up and then everything else was easily packed away into the refrigerator. 

“I have an idea.” Alcina spoke up after closing the fridge. “It’s pretty warm out there still, not that it matters. Maybe we could all go for a soak in the hot tub?”

Damn it, again you didn’t think to bring a bathing suit, let alone thought to tell Olivia to. It was the last thing on your mind and you had completely forgotten she had a hot tub if you were being honest. 

“We don’t have bathing suits.” You said. 

“No problem at all. I have so many and size shouldn’t be an issue. Then again, maybe you’ll need to tie the tops a bit tighter than I would have to for myself. ” she let out a nervous laugh. 

She wasn’t wrong there. The woman was quite gifted and you knew firsthand that they were all natural. 

“Follow me upstairs, I’ll get you both situated.” 

Alcina brought you upstairs and into the guest room and told you to wait there for a moment before coming back with a couple different bathing suits and then going back to her bedroom to change. She had given you both high waisted bikinis. One was pink with strawberries and the other was a blue gingham print. You let Olivia have the strawberries, she could use something a bit more cheery and it looked really nice on her. You put on your own suit and Alcina was definitely right about needing to tie the top really tight, even then it was still a bit too big, but good enough to just sit in a hot tub. 

“What’s with these?” Olivia asked, referencing the style of the bikinis. 

“It’s just her thing. She’s super into vintage glamour, Hollywood type stuff. I think it’s pretty cool. I’ve been learning a lot from her.” 

“Hmm, goes to show how much I don’t know about what’s going on in your life anymore.” Olivia had that thousand yard stare again. 

“Livvy, don’t be so hard on yourself. We’ll catch back up. Everything is going to be okay.” 

Tears started rolling down her cheeks and you didn’t hesitate to wrap your arms around her while she stood there like a statue. 

“I don’t know if it ever will be.” 

The way she was talking was scaring you. If she kept thinking like that she might go to some drastic measures and you know you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if she did.

“I hope the suits are to your liking.” Alcina spoke softly outside of the door. 

“Yes, they’re great, thank you.”

“I’m glad to hear it. I'm ready whenever you are.” 

You took your arms off of Olivia and you opened the door to leave the room. Alcina was standing in the hallway and she looked like a pinup model with her red and black polka dotted bikini. You couldn’t help staring at her ass as you followed her downstairs and then out to the backyard hot tub.

The hot water with all the different jets felt great. It was super relaxing after the stress of the past couple days and it was mellowing Olivia out a bit too. In fact, she was getting along great with Alcina and it warmed your heart to see. 

“Yeah so then he completely freaks out at me all over a group text for a school project because a boy from my class was in it. He just wouldn’t let it go because he was convinced I was cheating even though my other friend saw him kissing another girl at a party. He says it wasn’t him of course.” Olivia filled Alcina in on the details of what led up to the slapping incident. 

She scoffed. “How typical and predictable. He was the one who cheated, but he was projecting that onto you since he refused to take accountability for his actions. I’ve seen it happen so many times with friends of my own over the years. I’m glad you got out when you did. You’re so young. You have so many good years ahead of you.” 

You could see how Alcina’s soothing voice was comforting to Olivia as they talked amongst themselves. You didn’t have much to add in which almost had you rethinking the degree you’d go onto pursue. Alcina was an effortless therapist yet you were the one who had the goal of eventually getting a PhD in psychology. The topic at hand thankfully switched to more pleasant conversation. It was probably thanks to the bottle of rosé which now had enough time to work its way through everyone’s systems and with the heat from the hot tub everyone was feeling the effects. You and Olivia laughed as Alcina recounted a tale from her own college days. 

“The idiot really streaked across campus just so he could see Lillian and I kiss. Men, I tell you.” Alcina shook her head. 

“So did you do it?” You asked her.

“Absolutely not! Well, at least not in front of him.” She winked. “He got nabbed by campus security before we had the chance to tell him his escapade was in vain.” 

“Can’t say I blame you for tricking him. Men can still be pretty gross with the way they’ll sexualize bi girls and lesbians.” You mentioned this since you had come across it yourself plenty of times, especially at college parties if a boy tried to flirt and you were honest and said you liked girls. 

“Their immaturity is almost always guaranteed in regards to women being with other women. Anyway, it’s probably best we shut things down for the night out here. It’s getting pretty late.” 

You and Olivia agreed with Alcina after looking around and seeing how dark it had gotten outside. You all left the hot tub feeling much better than before you had gone in, maybe a bit chilly from stepping out into the night air, but it was refreshing for those few moments before you made your way back into the house. 

“There’s towels in the linen closet of the upstairs hallway bathroom if you’d like a shower, Olivia.” 

“That sounds great. Thanks, Alcina!” Olivia grabbed her overnight bag and made her way upstairs while you stayed back with Alcina. 

“I could really use a shower myself right now. I can’t let this chlorine stay on my skin, it’s so drying.” Alcina made a face as she rubbed the skin of her arm. “You could join me if you like.”

Your mind immediately went back to your shower the night before where she pleasured you until you could hardly stand. “Um, should we with Olivia here and all right down the hallway?” You gulped.

“Ah, ah, ah.” She tsked. “You insatiable thing. It’ll just be strictly business this time around.”

Probably for the best, though you would be thinking about it the entire time. You showered with Alcina and it didn’t go further than a couple of kisses. It was nice having someone to wash your back and you helped to shampoo and condition her hair. She used salon quality products. No wonder her hair was so soft and lustrous.

After your shower, you still weren’t tired enough to go to sleep and neither was Olivia. Alcina offered up her living room tv with about every streaming service known to man along with her vast collection of physical media. Olivia picked out a movie and just as you were about to get settled on the couch Alcina called your name.

“Would you mind helping me with something?” She called from the top of the stairs.

“Sure, I’ll be right up.” You ran up the stairs and Alcina brought you back to the closed off hallway with the bedrooms.

“I don’t actually need your help with anything, I just wanted to speak with you privately.” She said in a hushed tone despite being out of earshot. 

“Oh, what’s going on?” you matched the volume level at which she was speaking. 

“Nothing at all, dear. I’m thinking of turning in for the night, I’m rather exhausted, but you should stay downstairs with your friend. She’s been through a lot and it’s probably best to not leave her alone.”

She made a good point and you had already been concerned for Olivia. 

“Don’t think I’m kicking you out of my bedroom though, the door will be unlocked should you choose to join me after Olivia falls asleep.” 

Before you had the chance to respond, her lips were on yours for a tender goodnight kiss.   

“Goodnight, darling.” She said softly before you parted ways. 

You walked back downstairs and joined Olivia on the couch. The movie had already started, but it was something you had seen before. Olivia wasn’t paying attention anyway, she was on her phone, staring frustrated at her screen as she swiped and tapped with her thumbs. 

“Liv, what are you doing?” You were cautious in asking her, her mood had been all over the place this evening. 

She sighed heavily and dropped her phone into her lap. “I was deactivating all of my social media. It’s just too much right now to try and go through deleting every picture of Robbie and I together.”

“You shouldn’t feel like you have to hide yourself on account of one person though.”

“Isn’t that exactly what I should be doing right now? I’m still waiting for a call to see if he’s been brought down to the police station. Who knows what he’s doing out there. Oh god, what if he’s posting things about me and now I can’t see them?” Olivia looked terrified and you weren’t sure how to comfort her. 

“I could always check for you, I think all of his stuff is public or I could use an alt account if he blocked me. I won’t tell you anything unless it’s something you need to know.”

Olivia seemed grateful for your suggestion. “Get screenshots too if he does start talking a bunch of shit about me. That will help me build my case.” Her eyes widened again. “My nudes. Fuck, I’ve sent him so many nudes. What if he posts those somewhere!?”

That would be an absolutely terrible thing, but she could definitely get him on a revenge porn charge, you reassured her. “Also as long as you didn’t show your face, no one can prove it’s you.” 

Olivia looked down, avoiding answering you. 

“Liv, you didn’t!” You weren’t shaming her, but you knew how risky it was to show your face, no matter how secure the relationship. 

“We’d been together for so long, I just never saw something like this coming and I didn’t think it was a big deal. He was supposed to be my forever.” Her voice started shaking as the tears fell again. 

You still weren’t sure how to make this better so you were going to give it your best shot. “I know it hurts to lose a relationship, especially one you’ve been in since high school, but he was never a good guy, Liv. You just couldn’t see it. He did everything he could to undermine your confidence, isolate you from your friends, and make you feel like he was the only person who cared about you so you would stay. Be glad he wasn’t your forever because you’re going to find someone great, someone who actually deserves you.” 

Olivia wiped her tears away, still sniffling a bit. “Thank you for that. You know, come to think of it, he was keeping me from everyone and it took me until now to see it that way. He’d get mad if I wanted to hang out with friends without him, even though he could go off with the guys without me all the fucking time. Then he’d just shit talk everyone until it made me not want to hang out with them. No matter what I did, after a while I couldn’t get his approval and that’s when he started accusing me of stuff I wasn’t even doing.” 

You hated to ask, but you were curious. “Did he say anything about me?” 

Olivia pursed her lips and looked away for a second. 

“It’s okay, you can just say it. I can handle it.” 

“Okay, but don’t be mad.” 

“I won’t be.” if it did upset you, you’d try your best not to show it. 

“Robbie kept saying that you were jealous of our relationship because you wanted to “lez out” with me. His words, not mine. I kept telling him that wasn’t true. He was a real dick about it.”

You laughed out loud. “Homophobic fucking asshat. Yup, just because I’m a lesbian that means I want every girl, especially my best friend since high school.” You rolled your eyes and you and Olivia both shared a hearty laugh. 

“Maybe we should be a little quieter so we don’t wake up Alcina.” 

“You really think your girlfriend can hear you from her room? This house is huge! I could probably scream right now and she’d have no idea.” 

“Liv, no.” 

“I’m only joking.” She stuck her tongue out at you. “Anyway, I’m starved. Let’s get our leftovers!” 

You were getting kind of hungry again. You raced each other to the kitchen to see who could grab the food out of the fridge first and then you struggled a bit trying to figure out the controls on Alcina’s microwave. Why must rich people always have such weird appliances? First off, it wasn’t a typical microwave you’d find on a counter or maybe above a stove if someone had a fancier kitchen. No, this thing was a drawer in her kitchen island that you had a hell of a time locating. Then with all the dials and settings, you nearly said fuck it and ate your leftovers cold, but you figured it out and brought your plates back over to the couch where the movie continued on unwatched. 

“So..” Olivia began between bites of food. “What’s it like dating someone so much older?”

“Um, I mean it’s not much different than dating someone our age.” 

Olivia shot you a look. “Come on, dating in our age group we’re lucky if we have McDonald’s money. This chick took you to Beneviento’s on your first date.” 

“Okay, okay. It definitely has its perks. She’s so classy and put together. She buys me things, takes me to nice places, and tmi…maybe? She is spectacular in bed.” 

Olivia playfully swatted you. “Look at you go, girl. Maybe that’s what I need. I need to find myself a sugar daddy.” 

You felt everything go numb for a moment. She was starting to figure it out, wasn’t she? 

You tried your best to play it off. “I mean, if that’s something you want to do, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I don’t think you should rush into any kind of dating though, you know? Just focus on yourself and reconnect with your friends and family.”

“That’s right, my family. Shit, how am I going to tell them what happened? They are totally going to freak out. My dad already almost killed Robbie at the lake house that one time.”

“He should have.” 

Olivia quietly shouted your name in pretend shock and threw a piece of chicken at you that hit your face and then rolled onto the couch. 

“Dude, what the hell!?That’s so gonna stain.” 

“Sorry! You were supposed to catch it in your mouth, dumbass. For the record, I agree with you, but obvi I don’t want my dad to go to jail.” 

“Apology accepted, but we gotta try to get this out while it’s still fresh.” 

You started rummaging through the cabinets under the sink hoping for a cleaning product meant for upholstery. It was nice to see Liv joking and playing again, but not at the expense of your girlfriend(ish?)’s likely pricey living room set. You knew she had housekeepers, surely there was a designated cabinet for cleaning supplies unless they brought their own. Also, the woman had kids, surely messes were made after hours. 

“Aha!” You emerged from the third cabinet on the left of the sink with a spray bottle designated for fabric and you and Olivia were able to clean up the sauce from the orange chicken missile so carelessly launched at your face. Everything was good as new and none would be the wiser. Since you were both already cleaning, you tossed what was left of your plates and then decided to tune in for the remainder of the movie. It felt so nice to have your friend back. You wound up starting another movie together when the first ended since you were having such a good time, but you both fell asleep on the couch before it finished so you never had the chance to join Alcina and Olivia also didn’t get to try out the comfy looking bed in the guest room. 

The next morning you woke up to Olivia’s alarm on her phone. A good thing, you had forgotten to set yours. You both had to scramble to get ready though since Olivia always slept later than you and you now had the added mileage being at Alcina’s house versus your apartment. 

“Liv, do you want me to come with you today when you talk to your parents?” 

“No, I think I should just go myself and then I’m probably going to stay over there. I’m sure shit is going to hit the fan as soon as they see my face.” Olivia pointed out the faint, yet noticeable bruising around her right cheek and eye. “And this is after concealer.”

“I guess you could kind of part your hair in front of your face so people in your classes don’t notice?” You suggested. 

“I still haven’t decided if I’m going to skip and go straight to my parents or not. I’m worried about running into Robbie.”

Oh shit. You hadn’t thought of that. It was a fairly decent sized campus, but it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary to have a run in with him. You hoped he’d at least have the sense to not cause more trouble. And if Olivia didn’t go to any of her classes, you hoped he’d leave you alone if he happened to see you. He was probably capable of much worse.

“Whatever you decide to do, you know I’ve got your back, but just let me know because if you’re gonna skip, I’ll have to drive you to your car.”

“Shit, that’s right. You drove us here. We’re going to be so late.” 

It didn’t really matter, you both were good students, being late or a full absence wouldn’t hurt either of you, and finals would be starting the following week. Since you were going to be late anyway, you darted upstairs to give Alcina a kiss goodbye and then left with Olivia. She decided she was going to skip school today so you drove her to her car and you were both thankful to see that Robbie hadn’t come back and slashed her tires or anything. 

“Let me know how everything goes with your parents. I’ll text you back when I have time between classes.” 

“Will do.” Olivia assured you, gave you a hug, and got into her own car. 

By the time you got up to campus you were already significantly late for your first class of the day. You hadn’t had any absences and with it being so close to finals it didn’t matter, so you decided to skip it completely. You headed to the dining hall to grab a bite as you hadn’t had anything. This way you could work on some stuff for the remaining classes and get rid of the gnawing in your stomach. 

While you were on your way to your next class, that you would be on time for, you felt your phone buzz. A text from Olivia. 

“They got him! He’s being charged with assault and he’s gonna have a mugshot and everything LMAO.”

You couldn’t help the shit eating grin that crept across your face. 

“That’s so awesome! I’m so happy for you. Did you talk to your parents yet?”

You could see that Olivia was typing. 

“Yeah…my mom just started crying and hugging me for the longest time. My dad is at work so I’ll let you know how that goes later.”

You were glad to see that her mom was so understanding, but your heart hurt a bit knowing you’d never have that sort of familial support should you have found yourself in a similar situation. Your own mother would probably put the blame entirely on you. This wasn’t the time to think about that though. You were in a pretty healthy relationship(ish)? since you and Alcina had that long talk and cleared the air. This was about Olivia and you only wished her happiness from this point forward. 

Classes ended for the day and you gave Alcina a call to catch her up on everything. 

“I’m glad to hear that your friend is safe and that little pest of an ex-boyfriend shouldn’t be bothering her anymore.”

“Me too. No more having to deal with them fighting in the apartment. Olivia is actually staying with her parents tonight too since she went over to tell them everything that happened. I guess that means I have the apartment to myself.” It dawned on you that you had only been staying with Alcina because of the Robbie situation. Did she still want you over there through Sunday? You didn’t want to be presumptuous. 

“Aw, is that so? I was still counting on you staying with me tonight, if you want to of course.” 

Oh good. 

“Yes, definitely. I still have my bag in my car so I’ll drive right over. 

You stayed with Alcina that night and the following two nights. It was wonderful. She brought you out to dinner, showed you some more of her favorite movies, you had long talks where you both got to know more about each other, and the sex! Oh, the sex was incredible. It somehow got better every time. That woman knew exactly how to get you off as quickly or as slowly as she liked. You mostly went about things naturally, but you did have a couple more rounds with that shower head. She let you use it on her once and you loved seeing her lose herself in the pleasure.

Sunday morning came and you were kissing lazily in her bed after going at it a few rounds. You settled onto her chest after and she pressed you close to her. 

“I wish I didn’t have to leave.” You said softly against her. 

“I know, my dear. I’m beginning to wish I could keep you around all the time.” 

You wanted to ask if this meant that maybe there was something more to this. As much as you needed it, you were beginning to feel guilty about getting so much money from her every week and soon you’d be working for her at the winery. You’d be more than willing to transition this into a traditional relationship, but no, you didn’t want to spoil the moment. It was best to not say anything at all. She had already assured you that you were seeing each other exclusively and that was good enough, so long as it meant more mornings like this. 

You got ready and packed up your stuff to head back to the apartment. You had a busy week ahead with finals and then the graduation ceremony on Saturday. You were going to attend it after all. Between Alcina and your parents convincing you to, you didn’t feel you had a choice anymore. When you got back to the apartment Olivia was playing music and singing while she was starting to pack up some of her stuff. She would be moving out after graduation to stay with her parents for the summer. Not even a week ago you couldn’t wait for her to leave, but with your newly reconciled friendship and Robbie out of the picture, you were going to miss having her around every day. It really was nice seeing her start to act like her old self again. 

It was probably the most stressful week of your college career thus far, but you did it. You survived finals week and today you would be walking the stage for your graduation ceremony. Your parents picked you up since they planned to take you out for a celebratory meal afterward. Your dad drove and your mom was in the passenger seat, obviously leaving you in the back. It had you feeling like a little kid again. It was a rare occasion where your mom wasn’t being critical. Both of your parents had mentioned how proud they were of you and it was a pleasant drive over to the auditorium on campus. 

When you arrived it seemed that a lot of people had your original idea in mind to not attend. There were still plenty of students, but not as many as there should have been for a graduating class of your size. It made for a quick ceremony though which meant you’d get to leave and go to the real celebration sooner. You walked the stage and it seemed a bit silly since you wouldn’t be getting your actual diploma until weeks later, but the acknowledgement was nice. A throwback to your high school graduation. When you were walking back, something caught your eye. Black curls, red lips, vintage dress. She didn’t…

You returned to your parents and sure enough, it was Alcina and she got up from her seat and started making her way over to where you were with your family. Your parents looked a bit confused. They had an idea of who she was, at least you knew your mom did from that rant she went on about her from that time she found the wine bottles in your apartment. They were definitely wondering why she was there, let alone approaching you guys. You were wondering the same thing. You hadn’t told your parents about her, nor were you planning to. 

“Alcina, what are you doing here?”

“I wanted to congratulate my newest employee on her graduation day. We are a family business after all.” She got behind you and placed her hands on your shoulders. You could feel the heat rising in your face. What did she think she was doing!? 

“New employee?” Your mom questioned. “Did you quit your job at the mall?” 

“Um, yeah. I am going to be starting at the winery next weekend. It’s better pay and it will look good on future resumes.” 

Alcina’s right hand left your shoulder as she extended it for your parents to shake. “Alcina Dimitrescu, pleased to make your acquaintance. You have a lovely daughter, might I add. Good head on her shoulders.” She brought her hand back to your shoulder and kept them there while she and your parents chatted. They seemed to be getting along after the initial shock, but as far as they knew she was nothing more than your employer and a rather friendly woman. You nervously laughed your way through the conversation and chimed in only when necessary. Then your parents asked her if she wanted to join you all out for dinner! 

“Thank you, but I’ll have to pass. I was merely stopping by to give my congratulations. My daughters are at their friend Eva’s and it’s about time I pick them up.”

You said your goodbyes and she gave you another firm squeeze on the shoulder before heading her own way. Your dad commented on how she seemed like a nice woman and should be an easy going boss compared to what you had dealt with at previous jobs. Oh, if only he knew. 

You pulled your phone out once you were in the backseat of the car and your dad started the drive over to the restaurant you’d be having dinner at. 

“Why would you do that to me, Alcina?” You texted her. 

She texted back almost immediately. “Sorry if that was a bit too far. I wanted to be there for you on your big day. You looked so adorable all flustered in your regalia. I’ll make it up to you.”

At the very least it wasn’t disastrous and your parents didn’t suspect anything out of the ordinary. It was thoughtful of her, you supposed. No wonder she kept pressing for you to actually go. Even Olivia didn’t go, saying she’d walk the stage at her next school for her four year degree. 

“It’s okay, but you owe me big time!” you texted back. 

“Believe me, I have so much planned for you, my sweet.” 

You tried your best to conceal your blushing cheeks from the rearview mirror as your dad pulled into the parking lot of one of your favorite restaurants. 

Chapter Text

You grabbed a booth with your parents at the restaurant for your graduation dinner. They sat across from you as you sat opposite them by yourself. A waitress came by with menus, telling you to take all the time you needed, but also asking if she could start you off with anything to drink. 

“Could I have a glass of the merlot please?” You asked after seeing they had this specific red on their menu. Hanging around with Alcina had you developing more of a taste for wine than you'd had previously. It was some international brand name, it probably wouldn’t be as good as something locally sourced, namely Alcina’s, but you were craving those dark, chocolatey, cherry notes. 

“Sure thing, honey, I just need to see your ID real quick.” You handed the waitress your ID and everything checked out fine as it always had since you reached legal drinking age, but you supposed you’d keep getting carded until you were significantly older. 

“You’re drinking?” Your mom pulled a judgmental face. Here we go. 

“Leave her alone, it’s her graduation day.” At least your dad came to your defense this time. He himself ordered a whiskey soda. 

Your parents talked amongst themselves while you waited for your waitress to return. Or maybe they were talking to you. You weren’t too sure, your mind was replaying those days you had spent with Alcina. You couldn’t help the smile that crept across your face. 

“What’s got you smiling over there? Is it a boy!?” Your mom knew very well that you were not at all interested in boys. Yet she persisted, hoping for you to magically shift into heterosexuality and admit this had all been a phase. 

“Mom, stop.” 

“I’m just teasing!” She wasn’t. 

The waitress, your savior in that moment, had returned asking if you were all ready to order. You had been ready since your arrival. You had been getting the same meal for years at this place. You told yourself you’d one day expand your palette as far as what the rest of the menu had to offer, but why fix what’s not broken? Besides, Cajun chicken pasta was delicious and it came with a starter salad as well as a side of garlic bread. 

The waitress left for the kitchen with your orders and you were once again at the mercy of conversation with your parents. 

“So, what’s going on with that apartment of yours?” Your dad asked.

“Not much, Olivia is moving out her stuff this weekend and I’m signing onto the lease again for another year.” You mumbled through your words. Three…two…one . 

“How are you going to afford a two bedroom on your own? Wasn’t Olivia paying majority of the rent?” Lift off. 

“No, mom. We had everything split down the middle, including the wifi.” You said everything in one breath, barely masking your annoyance. You had already explained this to her. “I’ve been careful with my money and my new job is already giving me a starting pay much higher than the mall.” 

Your mom sucked her lips in disapproval. “Alright, if you say so. I still think you should move back home with your dad and I. It’s about the same distance to your new school as your apartment is and we won’t charge you rent.” Sure, they may not charge rent, but it would cost you your sanity to have to see your mom every single day rather than in small, controlled doses. 

“I’ll be okay, mom. I like living on my own.” You had to be firm and assert yourself or she’d run with what you said. 

“How is Liv? She wasn’t at graduation today.” Your dad steered the conversation away from the apartment and finances. So far he scored two points in your favor. Go dad. Your dad was much more tolerable than your mom, but he’d often still side with her. This was his way of remaining neutral and defusing the possibility of a fight. 

“Nah, Liv decided not to go. She wants to be packed up by Monday and it’s not like we got our actual diplomas today anyway. She’s good though. We’re going to try and spend as much time together as we can before next semester since she’s going to be too far away to come back unless it’s for, like, break or something.” The good thing about your reconciliation Olivia was that you’d have your friend back for the summer, even if you didn’t live together anymore. 

Your food had arrived after your dad nodded his approval. At least this would be a cease fire between yourself and your mom as you’d be too busy eating for conversation. You enjoyed your spicy, creamy pasta dish along with the salad, bread, and wine. Everything came at once rather than getting your salad before your meal, but you didn’t mind. You were pretty hungry.

“I don’t understand how you can eat all of that garbage.” Here we go again. Your mom chided you for your food choices, something she often did all while picking at her dry salad. It reminded you a bit of how Alcina ate, but Alcina never judged you for your food choices let alone your body. “I’m just looking out for you, you know. It’s not healthy.” 

You either could respond and start a fight in the middle of the restaurant on what should be a special day for you, or you could suck up your pride and not say anything. You opted for the latter, asking for a box for the remainder of your food to take home. There was more than half of your entree left, but you no longer had an appetite anymore. 

You were relieved when your parents dropped you back off at your apartment, meaning you wouldn’t have to deal with your mom until the next family gathering in the mid summer. It was easy enough to make excuses to not go visit whether it be work or other plans. You stored your leftovers in the fridge that you’d either forget about until they were no good anymore or you’d eat them within a couple of hours. There was no in between. In the meantime, no work until next weekend and no more studying or homework. Sweet relaxation. 

Olivia was still out with her family, but you expected she would be back sometime within the next few hours. Tonight was the second to last night you’d be sharing an apartment together. Two whole years gone by in the blink of an eye. As nice as it would be to have your own place where you could repurpose what would now be a spare bedroom into whatever you’d like, you were going to miss having someone to hang out with regularly. Maybe you’d get a cat? No, then you’d have to pay a pet deposit and pet rent. Plus, you were sure upon signing another lease your rent would increase as it had the last time you and Olivia signed on for another year. Hamster? Nah. It definitely wasn’t ideal to have the responsibility of an animal as a full-time college student who lived alone and also would be working part-time. You’d just have to find other ways to keep busy and quell the loneliness. Then you thought back to the perks of having a spare bedroom. You could always turn it into a study which would give you more space in your bedroom not having to have the desk set up in there. 

Now settled into the living room among taped up boxes of Olivia’s stuff, you decided to catch up on some show recommendations that you had been putting off for a while due to your busy schedule. Your phone started vibrating after you had gotten invested in a few episodes of a comedy. “Alcina?” 

You answered her call. “Hey, babe!” Your voice pitched up due to nerves. That felt SO awkward coming out of your mouth, you hadn’t used any pet names with her yet and you were not sure what possessed you to try now. She was always calling you darling and dear among other things though. 

“Why, hello there, my sweet girl.” That was another one. 

“What are you up to?” You were surprised to see she had called. It was her week with her daughters and you knew from her earlier stunt she had to go pick them back up from their friend’s house. 

Alcina sighed. “Oh, not much, Bela and I got into a bit of a kerfuffle and I’ve sent her to her room for the remainder of the evening. I’m still struggling to accept that I have a teenager now. She’s not letting me forget that either.” Alcina laughed. “Tell me, darling. How were you with your mother when you were Bela’s age?” 

Well, for starters when you were thirteen that was the turning point in your relationship with your mom from mostly okay to the hostile nature you still have to this day. Your mom always said you could tell her anything and so you told her that you “might” like girls, thinking she would love and accept you for who you are. It instead resulted in a screaming match and days where she refused to talk to you. From that point forward your mom’s more scrutinizing nature took the driver’s seat in how she treated you. Every. Little. Thing. Was met with criticism. 

“Meh, you know. We had our fights about stuff and we never were as close. May I ask why you and Bela are fighting?” You didn’t feel like getting into the full picture with Alcina at the moment. You already had a stressful day with your mom and you found it best not to dredge up those memories in full. If it ever came up again, you’d of course have no issue telling her. She told you about herself and how she couldn’t even think to tell her own parents that she wasn’t straight. 

“I surely hope that Bela and I won’t have such a strained relationship when she’s your age.” Alcina sounded a bit defeated. 

“I doubt it, you seem like a great mom.” You had never seen Mom Alcina in action, but from how she talked about her girls and said she kept an open dialogue with them about things you could never talk about with your own mother, she was more than cut out for the job. 

“Ha, tell that to Bela for me, would you? Apparently I am the worst mother ever, all because I am too uncomfortable to allow her to go on an extended trip with some little friend of hers from school. It would be different if I knew their family, but I don’t and you can never be too careful these days. Not to mention the way it cuts into mine and her father’s custody agreement. What a headache that is. Plus we already have our own summer holiday planned out. Am I perhaps being too harsh?” 

Of course they went on a summer “holiday.” You were more surprised she didn’t say they “summered in Prague” or some shit. You adored the woman, but sometimes you had to roll your eyes when her upper middle classness started showing. It made you wonder why she’d choose to associate herself with a little peasant girl such as yourself, but you could let her mannerisms slide. She was never judgmental towards you for your difference in background and was very caring and understanding. So what if she was a little snobbish and went on “holiday” rather than a vacation like everyone else. 

“I’m on your side with this one.”

“You don’t have to humor me, dear.”

“I’m serious! Maybe as a teenager I would have sided with Bela, but I’m sure you heard about that girl on the news recently who went missing after she went out of state with her friend’s family.”  

“That’s precisely why my answer is no and will not be changing. You see, Kurt doesn’t seem to think it’s a big deal, but fathers tend to not catastrophize the way mothers do. As long as I say no though, she’s not going. We both have to agree before any of the girls go on a trip such as this, especially if it cuts into one of our weeks. She’ll have to forgive me eventually though, right?” Alcina’s voice broke a bit as she asked that. 

“It hasn’t been that long since I was her age-”

“Sometimes I forget just how young you are. I’m a real cradle robber aren’t I?” Alcina joked on the other end of the phone call.

You laughed. “Hey! I pursued you, remember? If anything, I tamed a cougar.” 

“Hmm, have you tamed me though, pet? The next time I have you all to myself, I’d like to see you try just that.” The way her tone so easily shifted from normal conversation into that sultry, lustful one you enjoyed so much had your skin erupting in goosebumps. It was almost as if you could feel her lips to your ear as she said that. 

“Anyway.” You cleared your throat. “Like I said, it wasn’t that long ago since I was thirteen and she’ll definitely get over it. I’m sure that summer holiday you have planned is better than whatever her friend’s family is doing.” 

“They actually might have me beat. Our place in The Hamptons is nice, but it’s not a trip to several amusement parks, which is where that other family plans on going. They have passes to the major parks in Florida and they’re going to all of them.” 

Damn. A summer vacation to you, if you were lucky, would be if the family reunion was held at your aunt and uncle’s a few hours away where you stayed for a few days, sharing a room with your cousins. The Hamptons? Several amusement parks? That would have never been a dilemma for you. 

“I don’t know, Alcina. I’m sure it won’t be that big of a deal after today.” You weren’t sure what to say at this point. You were just glad to be talking with her. Normally you were not a fan of talking on the phone when texting was easier and more convenient. You enjoyed hearing her voice and feeling almost as if you were spending quality time in person. 

“I hope you’re right. It’s not as if she hasn’t already been to these parks when we’ve gone as a family.”

Of course they had . Olivia walked into the door just then. 

“Hey, Alcina, it's been nice talking, but Olivia just got back in and it’s our last weekend in the apartment together.”

“Say no more, darling. You two girls have fun. I’ll be spending the rest of my evening with Cassandra and Daniela. I’ll have to enjoy as much of them as I can before they also turn into teenagers on me.” 

You and Alcina said your goodbyes and you turned your attention to Olivia who was already waiting with a mischievous smile on her face.

“Talking to your girlfriend?” She asked in that mocking, sing-song tone.

You couldn’t help the redness in your cheeks nor the smile plastered on your face. “Haha yeah. A little drama is happening with her oldest daughter, but nothing serious, like, at all. I am talking the most first world of first world problems.” 

Olivia shook her head. “I see she has you performing your step mother duties then.” 

“Nah, Liv it’s not like that. I still haven’t met her kids yet which I’m honestly fine with. We’re exclusive, but still casual. It’s nice.” It was nice. You wouldn’t mind meeting her daughters and you’d already mentally entertained the idea of transitioning to a more traditional relationship, but what you had was great. You had a beautiful woman paying you more than enough money to stay afloat in exchange for your company and in turn it granted you luxury dining, gifts, and mind blowing sex. What’s not to love? 

“That’s good! I like her. I so appreciate her for letting me stay over that night. She was fun to talk to, too. I can see why you’re so into her. Consider her best friend approved.” 

“Aw, thank you, Liv. Oh, Alcina wanted to assure you again that it was no trouble at all.” Alcina and Olivia had gotten along so easily that night that Alcina mentioned she wouldn’t mind having a girl’s night with the both of you again under better circumstances. 

“Speaking of your girlfriend. You’ll never guess where my parents are celebrating my graduation next Saturday!”

Olivia was wrong there, just by the context of her sentence you knew she was going to say it would be at the winery. 

“A bit too easy there, Liv, considering Alcina’s line of work. You’re really going to have it there?” 

“It’s not like a big party or anything. Only immediate family for a lunch thing and wine tasting. Oh, and my mom said you could come too of course. I told her everything you did for me that night and she wants to thank you in person.” 

How awkward was this about to be? Olivia having a graduation luncheon with family on your first day of work at your lover and financer’s winery. 

“About that-”

“Oh, come on don’t tell me you already have plans!” Olivia whined. “Can’t you cancel them for me?”

“If you’d let me finish.”

Olivia shut her mouth and puffed her cheeks up with air.

“Anyway, weirdo. I won’t be able to go and that’s only because I’m already going to be there as a server.” 

Olivia’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Dude, shut up! You are NOT working for your girlfriend. Oh my god!” Olivia would probably spontaneously combust if she knew Alcina had already been paying you well before she hired you for her winery. 

“Liv, please. It’s not that big of a deal. I need the money and it’s not like anyone knows I’m seeing my boss. Right, Olivia?” Olivia did tend to have a big mouth at times, not in a malicious sense, more of an airhead, letting it slip out without thinking kind of way. 

“Who would I tell?” She shrugged. “But, now that I know I guess your secret is safe with me.” 

“Thank you. It’s not just the work situation. You know how my mom is and I’d prefer that it not get back to either of my parents.” You looked down at your feet.

“Right. Your mom’s still not coming around about that, huh?” 

“I don’t think she will.” 

Olivia hugged you and then changed the subject. 

“So what were you watching before I came in?” Olivia pointed to the paused image on the tv screen. 

“Oh my god dude, it’s hilarious. It’s about these people who run this bar in Philadelphia. I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time. You have to watch it with me.” 

You and Olivia spent the next few hours binging your way through the series until you were too tired to stay up anymore. The next day she was mostly busy with packing up the rest of her room, but you made sure to spend time together that evening. You watched more of the same show from the previous night. This time celebrating with a large pizza, wings, breadsticks, and soda. You enjoyed as much of the food as you wanted to without your mom’s judgmental prodding. 

Monday came and Olivia’s parents helped her move out all of her stuff. You helped too, carrying what you were able to on your own and then with the four of you, you made quick work of Olivia’s bed frame and mattress into her dad’s truck bed. It was a good thing that the living room furniture had all been from your parents’ old set because that would have been a lot more time consuming. You and Olivia hugged goodbye. 

“I’ll see you on Saturday.” She said as the hug ended. She left with her parents and when you returned to the apartment it felt so empty.

The rest of the week was pretty boring. Your lease wasn’t technically up for another week so you wouldn’t have to talk to the leasing office until then about signing on. Olivia had already paid her final month of rent so she was all set. You spent some time moving your desk and computer into what had been Olivia’s room. It still felt empty though only having the desk, computer, and chair. You’d have to get more things to fill it. The room even echoed a bit from how empty it was. Creepy. You thought to maybe get one of those walking pads you had seen advertised along with some other basic exercise equipment so you could have one of those offices/home gyms. Plus Alcina was always talking about having you join her for one of her vinyasa yoga classes or a session with her personal trainer. It couldn’t hurt to try and up your endurance in preparation. 

The days felt much slower creeping up to Saturday. With no work, school, and Alcina being busy with her daughters, you were left to your own devices. You caught up on much needed sleep, finished the entirety of that show you had started, and looked up some basic yoga positions to try out in your new office/gym. You’d definitely need to get a mat. Yoga and carpet were not mixing well for you. 

Saturday finally came and you were getting ready for your first ever shift at Alcina’s winery. The uniform you were expected to wear was not unlike what you wore for your job at the mall. Black pants, black non-slip work shoes, black shirt, and hair tied back. You wore minimal makeup because you knew you were going to sweat most of it off in the heat, but you still wanted to look cute for Alcina.

You had arrived a couple hours before Olivia’s graduation luncheon was to take place. It was going to be a rather short event and then in the early evening there was going to be both a wedding and subsequent reception. You walked into the main building and saw other people dressed similarly and around the same age range as yourself, the logical conclusion being that they must be your new coworkers. Alcina popped up from the back wearing a lovely black cocktail dress with a floral pattern. The look of course completed with her perfect curls, high heels, and smoldering makeup. 

“Ah, there’s our newest employee! Why don’t you introduce yourself to everyone.” It felt very silly how Alcina was acting almost as though she didn’t know you well or at all for that matter. 

You told everyone your name and they all introduced themselves to you as well. 

“Alright, kids. That’s enough pleasantries for now. I’m sure you’ll all treat our newest crew member marvelously. And Dustin-” Alcina glanced at the lanky boy next to you with the spiked brown hair. “No funny business with the coffee station this time please. There is a lot of work to be done today. We have a luncheon and tasting and as soon as that ends we have to be set up for the Anderson wedding. Let’s all get to work!” Alcina clapped her hands and then went back to instruct the kitchen staff. 

The boy next to you who you now knew as Dustin still had a smirk on his face. 

“So what’s with the coffee station?” You asked him. 

“It’s a harmless prank. You tell the new employee that you want them to empty the hot water well on the coffee station.”

“How is that a prank?” 

Dustin shook his head and laughed. “It can’t ever be emptied, it’s hooked right into the hot water line, but it’s fun to see how many pitchers someone fills and dumps before they realize.” 

That was actually kind of hilarious. “How many times have you managed to trick people into that?” You asked. 

Dustin looked up in thought. “At least a few, but Ms. Dimitrescu can be kind of a hard ass about that stuff.”

You were a bit surprised to hear that, then again how she treated you versus how she would treat an employee was likely vastly different. “Really? Is she an okay boss to work for?” 

“She’s actually pretty chill as long as you get the job done. Speaking of which, we probably should start getting stuff ready instead of standing here. Did she tell you who was going to be training you?” 

“Um, no?” 

“Then, I guess that will be me. We can do the table settings together and I’ll show you how we fold the cloth napkins.” 

You followed Dustin outside and to where the luncheon would take place. It was easy enough work so far. Getting the table cloths on along with the placemats, silverware, water goblets, and of course the wine glasses. You were struggling a bit with the cloth napkins though. It was such an intricate fold and no matter how many times Dustin showed you, you couldn’t quite get it right. 

“Let me help you with that, dear.” Alcina’s voice startled you from behind. You turned to face her. 

“No, no. Go back to what you’re doing.” 

You turned back towards the table where you had the cloth napkin flattened back out after failing your last attempt. You felt Alcina press against you and wrap her arms around your body in a way that allowed her to reach the napkin. She was definitely trying to get a rise out of you and push the limits of appropriate interactions between the two of you in the workplace. 

“You want to fold it up like this, then flip it over, and then prop it up.” Alcina effortlessly folded and propped the napkin. “Now, you try.” Alcina remained pressed against you as you tried to fold the napkin the way she instructed you to. 

“You’ve almost got it.” She pressed a bit harder into you as she instructed you again on the last fold. “See? Try it like that.”

You tried again and you managed to get the napkin to look just as good as the rest of them that had been set up. Dustin looked on a bit confused at the sight from the next table over as he finished up those place settings. 

“I got it!” You exclaimed. “Thank you Al-Ms. Dimitrescu.” Phew at least you caught yourself there. It also didn’t seem as though Dustin heard that. 

“Very good. I’ll be on my way then to see how the kitchen staff is doing with the menu for today. You can take over the training from here, right Dustin?”

“Uhh, sure.” Dustin said, drawing out the last syllable. 

Alcina smiled and turned her way back towards the building, swaying her hips with every step. 

“That was weird.” Dustin said. 

Oh no. That wasn’t too obvious, was it? Damn it, Alcina. 

“What was?” You asked, playing dumb. 

“No, it’s just Ms. Dimitrescu hardly ever comes out to train the new hires like that. She kind of floats around to see what everyone is doing and that it’s to her liking. Are you a family friend or something?” 

Okay, good. At least he wasn’t suspicious of what was actually going on between you two. But what now? Do you lie and say you are or act just as surprised as he is?

“No, I’m not. I guess my napkin folding sucked so much she had to take a hands on approach with me.” You opted not to lie and it worked out just fine. 

“Yeah, your folding skills definitely need some work, but you’ll get plenty of practice when we have to break down and set up for that wedding later today.”

You followed Dustin as you grabbed all of the wines for the tasting that would happen with the luncheon in preparation for the guests to arrive, which would be soon. Sure enough, Olivia was walking in with her parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She started waving crazily and smiling once she saw you. You waved back. This was going to be fun. Not. 

You and Dustin had gotten everyone seated. Dustin and yourself were working as the main servers, taking everyone’s orders from the limited menu and then serving them food and wine while the other staff worked on plating up the food and working the hot and cold beverage stations. Olivia pulled you close to her at one point to whisper in your ear. 

“Dude, this sucks. I don’t know why my parents wanted to have this here. I don’t even get to have any of the wine!” She huffed. “Can you sneak me some? Please? Please? Please?” 

“Liv, I can’t.” You mouthed back. Olivia gave an exaggerated pout, but dropped it. Olivia wouldn’t be twenty-one until the beginning of next year and you couldn’t risk Alcina’s business serving alcohol to someone underage, even if it was your best friend. 

Olivia’s luncheon ended and she hugged you in a sneak attack that made you squeal as you fought to escape her. Olivia’s dad then joked about how it was nice of you to take them up on their invitation, and of course laughed at his own joke. Everyone left and Alcina was back outside, clapping her hands to get the staff’s attention. 

“Chop, chop, people. Anderson wedding. Let’s get this show on the road!” 

“Yes, Ms. Dimitrescu.” Everyone said in unison and you yourself mumbled the last bit, not realizing this was a trained response. 

It was a lot more work setting up for a wedding party than it was for a luncheon and tasting, but you all managed to get the work done before the guests showed up. Dustin was right though. You got plenty of practice folding those napkins. You were a pro by the time you set your last place setting. 

The bride and groom were married as the sun was setting under an intricately decorated arch as the two families looked on, teary eyed. You were loathe to admit you felt a bit emotional yourself as you looked on at their vows and their first kiss as husband and wife. Weddings weren’t something you really thought of for yourself. You weren’t one of those girls who had a dream wedding in mind. You assumed you would get married because it had been instilled in you that of course you would find a husband and have kids. That’s what people did. It’s what you were “supposed” to do. When your sexual orientation first came into question that’s when you began having your doubts. Then when you knew for sure, you stopped picturing the day you might say “I do.” Same sex marriage had been legal by the time you were sure of yourself, but who would come to your wedding? Your family didn’t approve and what was the point of celebrating something you couldn’t exactly be open about? All your friends knew, but you couldn’t tell your extended family or be open on social media where they might see it. Seeing this couple in front of you had you in your feelings. Maybe you did still want to get married someday.

The reception started right after and it was a constant hustle. While it was a lot of work, you enjoyed it so much more than standing behind a register of a store in a dead mall hardly anyone ever came into. It made the time go by fast. The wedding reception didn’t go too late which was nice. You were tired and hungry. 

“Alright, everyone. Family meal. You’ve all earned it.” 

There was plenty leftover from the wedding reception. So much gourmet food and desserts. Dustin said that family meal happened after every shift and the nights after wedding receptions were the best since the menu included much more for special occasions than it would on a typical day. You happily filled your plate with red skin garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed green beans, and parmesan encrusted salmon. It was all so good and completely free of charge. To think that fast food places would sooner let their employees starve than let them have a free meal out of the food that would be tossed at the end of the day. Meanwhile, you were currently eating a plate upwards of fifty dollars per person. Not that whoever was stuck paying for the wedding reception hadn’t already paid their dues. 

Alcina called your name from the door of her office in the back. “I’d like to see you for a moment.” You received stares from your coworkers as you left your seat and plate to head into Alcina’s office. She ushered you in and closed and locked the door behind you. She leaned down and kissed you for just a moment. 

“You did excellent work today, darling. Might I suggest an after dinner mint though?” Alcina turned around to her desk and grabbed the white, round mint from her crystal candy dish, handing it to you. You popped it into your mouth. A bit mortifying to say the least. “You had enough garlic on that plate to ward off vampires for the remainder of your life.” She laughed and you joined in. Okay, garlic breath was better than outright halitosis. 

“Is this all you wanted to see me for?” You questioned. “Because I should really be getting back out there to help everyone clean up.” 

Alcina tutted. “Not so fast.” She pressed you up against the door. “We still need to properly celebrate your graduation together.” 

“Oh yeah?” You flirted back as she gazed down at you with lust in her eyes. 

“Mmm, but not here though. I should be sending you on your way before everyone thinks the new girl is in trouble. Kurt is coming to pick up the girls for his week tomorrow evening. I want you to come stay with me.” 

“I won’t object to that.” 

Alcina smiled, then leaned down to kiss you again, a bit deeper this time since the mint you had masked most of the garlic on your breath. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow after six then?”

“Absolutely.” You said without hesitation. 

“Alright, dear. You best get back out there and help your coworkers then.” 

You wiped your mouth to make sure none of her lipstick remained and Alcina opened the door of her office, gesturing for you to step out as she stayed behind. Most of the mess on the table seemed to be cleaned up apart from the table cloths and napkins that needed to be thrown into the washer. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Dustin asked, seemingly concerned. 

“I’m fine. She just wanted to go over my schedule and she brought up the napkin folding again.” You don’t know why you brought up the stupid napkins. 

“Really? I thought you had gotten it down pretty good by the time we finished setting up for that wedding. Either way, I'm glad to hear you’re not, like, fired. You’re pretty cool to work with.” 

“Thanks, Dustin. You’re cool, too.” You hoped to god he wasn’t flirting. You left that night making a killing in tips alone, even after tip pool. You were looking forward to that first direct deposit hitting your bank account along with the allowance you were already getting weekly. This financial stability felt amazing. 

You were practically foaming at the mouth as the hours ticked away slowly as ever on Sunday in anticipation for your night with Alcina. After the last time you stayed over there, you couldn’t wait to spend the night again. You paced around your apartment, rearranged furniture, did random workouts on YouTube in front of your tv, but minutes were hours and hours were days. You already had your bag packed and ready to go since the night before. You finally bought yourself a silky nightgown with a lacy trim specifically to wear for Alcina and you were already wearing a lace bra and panty set under your current outfit. You wanted to be ready for her as soon as you walked in the door. 

The time came and Alcina finally sent over the “all clear” text. She had originally said you could come over anytime after six, but you wanted to be one hundred percent sure that everyone was gone before you drove over so you asked that she text you. You were nearly skipping out of your apartment with your stuff after texting back that you would be on your way and you made the drive over without issue. 

Alcina greeted you at the door, immediately pulling you inside. You dropped your overnight bag in the foyer as she was already capturing your lips. You could tell just how much she wanted you by how frantic her kisses were. They were needy and hungry and you wanted her just as bad. Your tongues intertwined as the smacks of your lips echoed throughout the entrance of the house. Alcina picked you up, supporting your backside as you wrapped your arms and legs around her. You marveled at how strong she was to be able to carry you up the stairs in pursuit of her bedroom as you kissed and nibbled at her neck. 

She dropped you onto the bed and began undressing you as you also pulled at her clothing until you were both naked. You didn’t think Alcina had taken the time to admire the new lingerie set you wore for her, but at this point you didn’t care. You just wanted to be fucked. She hovered over you, kissing you a couple more times before standing, leaving you naked on top of the bed, missing her warmth. 

“I bought something special for us.” Alcina said as she unlocked the drawer of her nightstand. You had never seen one with a keyhole like that. The opened drawer revealed a plethora of toys. 

“I saw you staring and I know what you’re thinking, but you can’t be too careful with kids running around. It’s bad enough they go through my makeup when I tell them to leave it alone. I don’t need them finding any of this. Ah, there we are.” Alcina then pulled out a black bag and reached for its contents. You almost couldn’t contain your gasp. 

“Is that what I think it is?” You asked. Sure enough, it was exactly what you thought it was. A dildo and harness. You had never tried something like this before, but you had always wanted to. 

Alcina gazed over at you. “‘Now, the question is, do I want you on your back?” She said as she adjusted the harness onto her body, attaching the dildo into its placeholder. “Or on your hands and knees?” 

As much as you wanted this, you were a bit intimidated. “I’ve never done this before.” You admitted to her. 

She tilted her head and smiled down at you. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to be gentle with you.”

She crawled on top of you and started kissing you again. The way you were positioned you could feel the firm silicone of the toy pressing into your inner thigh. It was quite large, larger than anything you had tried on your own. You knew tensing up would make it more difficult to be penetrated when the time came so you tried not to think of it as you melted into Alcina’s kisses that had become much softer than when you initially came over. She kissed her way down to your jawline, then your neck as a moan escaped you, and finally your breasts. She took her time with each one, carefully sucking a nipple into her mouth and swirling her tongue around, then doing the same to the other. Your hands were wrapped around her neck while hers caressed up and down your body. 

She sat up and began tracing her right hand down your stomach and then between your thighs. You felt her fingers circle your clit before pressing at your entrance. You were completely soaked for her. She pushed two fingers into you with ease, utilizing that come hither motion against your g-spot that felt so good. She kept at it as you moaned and gasped. She then added a third finger, stretching you a bit further. It was a bit of an adjustment, but the feeling was pleasant and without pain. She kept fingering you, also settling her thumb onto your clit which intensified your pleasure. If she didn’t stop, you were going to come before she got the toy inside of you. 

You were on the verge of an orgasm when she pulled out her soaked fingers from inside of you. You pushed your hips up in a futile attempt to get her fingers back in. She only chuckled softly at your desperation. She then rubbed her wet fingers onto the toy, but that didn’t look to be enough lubricant. Alcina leaned down to peck your lips again then went back into her drawer for a bottle of lube. She poured a generous amount into her hand and coated the toy until it was slick and shiny. She crawled back on top of you and positioned herself so the toy was between your legs, you could feel the head of it poking at you, but not quite penetrating you. 

She began kissing you softly again, reaching her hand down to the toy, wiggling it up and down your slit to tease you before getting it into the right position and removing her hand. 

“Ready?” She murmured against your lips. 

You whispered an enthusiastic “Yes” and she slowly pushed into you, filling you completely. You cried out at the sensation. You had never felt so full before, it was wonderful. She gave you a minute to adjust, whispering soft words of praise against your neck. You let her know you were okay and she began to move, slowly rocking her hips into yours as the toy glided with ease inside of you. You wrapped your legs around her, urging her in deeper. She kept her slow, steady pace, pushing in and out. 

“Do I feel good inside of you, darling?”

All you could do was nod as you lost yourself in the pleasure. 

Alcina held her hands on either side of your head, gazing into your eyes as she slowly fucked you. God, she was beautiful. Her lips were on yours again and you rocked your hips into hers, urging her to pick up her pace and she listened, beginning to push in and out of you faster and harder. The pleasure was getting to be too much, you were moaning and softly swearing beneath her as she praised and encouraged you to come. 

Your orgasm hit you like a train. You cried out Alcina’s name and she kept her pace as your hips bucked into hers. She didn’t stop until you were limp against the mattress. You both laid there like that for a while, the toy still inside of you as she stroked your sweat covered hair away from your face, occasionally claiming your lips. 

She pulled out of you and only then did you realize you were a smidge sore from how hard she was fucking you towards the end, but it was so worth it. Alcina had gotten up to clean and store the toy. Then when she came back to bed she crawled over you, positioning herself with both knees on either side of your face. You knew from your prior experiences she couldn’t get enough of your tongue work and you loved her taste. You grabbed her hips and brought her down to your face. She was already worked up from fucking you, her wetness coating your chin as you alternated between thrusting your tongue inside of her and licking and sucking at your clit. You weren’t rushing to get her off as you thoroughly enjoyed going down on her, but she came quickly with a groan and some jerky thrusts of her hips before rolling off of you.

You were both spent for now. It was early though, much too early to sleep. You settled into her arms, her nuzzled into your neck behind you. These moments with Alcina were some of the best experiences you’ve ever had. You loved the feel of her skin against yours. You loved her skilled fingers. You loved the way she held you after. Beyond the bedroom you loved her laugh, her passion for her interests, how easy she was to talk to, and the way that silence with her was never awkward. As the both of you continued to lay there in silence, attempting to regain some energy for the rest of the evening, you realized that you were falling for her, hard, and you didn’t mind at all. 

Chapter Text

“Tell me about your first time.” Alcina whispered against your ear. You attempted to turn your head so you could face her, but were unable to do so comfortably with the spooning position you were still in. 

“Why would you want to know that?” Her timing did strike you as a bit odd. Not that you minded sharing with her of course. 

“Well…” She began tracing her fingers from your breast, down to your stomach, and back up to your breast again. “I’m dying to know how you’re so good with that tongue of yours.” She playfully nipped your earlobe which drew a giggle from you and then she placed a gentle kiss to the back of your neck.

“Hmm, I think it’s more about experience than my first time, but my first time was really good actually. My other friends who had already lost their virginity said how awkward it was or that it hurt, but they were with boys and I know that’s very different.” 

“Ah, that sounds familiar.” Alcina interrupted. “My own friend group from high school had similar stories.”

It comforted you to know just how much you two had in common in spite of the age gap and class discrepancy. 

“Anyway, I was fifteen and there was this girl I was seeing, Kelly. We didn’t go to the same school, I met her through a friend of a friend. I wouldn’t say it was long distance, but it might as well have been since we mostly talked through text and facetime. It happened the first time she slept over.”

“Oh? Naughty girl.” Alcina teased in that sing-song voice. You playfully elbowed her.

“Did you want me to finish the story or not?”

Alcina exhaled sharply through her nose. “Of course, darling. I’m all ears. I’ll stop teasing.”

“We actually did everything that first night. My parents had gone to bed and we were up in my room. I was so nervous before we kissed, but I don’t know, after we got that over with, everything just felt right. Then before I knew it we were doing a lot more than kissing.” It had been a long time since you talked to anyone about your first girlfriend. It felt nice, but it was still a sore spot. “How about you?”

Alcina hummed in thought before speaking. “I was a year older than you were and she wasn’t my girlfriend, although I would have liked her to be. It also seems we have sleepovers in common, much like many other sapphic women.” She laughed. It was so true. Sleepovers were the way to do it. It was a bit easier to go undetected compared to your straight counterparts who had to plan for parents to be out of the house or go park somewhere. “I wasn’t out to anyone as I had mentioned to you before with the nineties being much more hostile towards the gay community. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised when this friend confessed to me that she thought she might like girls and when I asked her if she had anyone particular in mind, she went silent and then I knew she was referring to me.” You could practically hear the smile in Alcina’s voice. 

“Then what happened?” You asked.

“I probably should have led with this, but my friend Shannon’s parents were quite strict. When I had gone over there for the evening and it got to be around, say,  Nine o’clock, her mother told us we needed to shut the lights off and go to bed. Then the most peculiar thing, her parents were so worried that she would sneak out that they had this alarm system on Shannon’s bedroom door so neither of us could leave the room once it was set for the night.” 

You turned to face Alcina after hearing that. “That’s insane! What if you had to go to the bathroom?” 

“My thoughts exactly! We just had to hope that neither of us did. Getting back to the good stuff though, I then asked her outright if she liked me and she said yes. Then I kissed her and neither of us kept our hands to ourselves for the remainder of the evening. Funny how her parents were so caught up in the idea that we might have snuck out to meet boys, that they never entertained that I would be the one deflowering their daughter in the room next to them.” Alcina smirked. She seemed satisfied with herself. 

Parents could for sure be oblivious to that, especially the homophobic ones who would never think it would be their child. Now that you were facing Alcina you could burrow your face into her chest. She was so soft and you loved listening to the sound of her heartbeat. You heard it quicken a bit when you did so before slowing back to its calmer resting rate. 

“You mentioned that Shannon wasn’t your girlfriend. What ended up happening after that night? If you don’t mind me asking of course.”

Alcina sighed and pulled you closer. “Of course I don’t mind, pet. You can ask me anything. Besides, it was such a long time ago. She and I had a few more nights like that, but then she wound up getting a boyfriend. I cried for probably a week straight.” Alcina giggled at herself and shook her head. “Thinking back, it feels a bit hypocritical because I also had boyfriends during high school, they were never serious of course nor would I let them do anything more than kiss me. Shannon and I remained friends for a while longer, but ultimately there was a certain awkwardness that caused us to grow apart. We’re friends on social media now years later, not that I’m ever online much, and I see she has a husband so I’m not sure if she’s bisexual or if she was merely experimenting with me, it’s not like I’d ask. Now that would be an awkward private message to receive.” Alcina chuckled. 

“Surely things went better for you and Kelly though, right?” You momentarily stiffened in Alcina’s arms. Oh, she couldn’t have been more wrong. 

“No they didn’t. Things ended very badly.” You admitted. Alcina cooed and kissed the top of your head. You laid there in silence, enjoying the closeness of your body against hers. Then you found yourself wanting to open up for the first time since everything had happened. 

“All of my friends knew Kelly and I were together and they were great about it, but I told you before how my parents aren’t supportive of my sexual orientation. Mostly it’s my mom that’s the issue and then my dad doesn’t exactly side with her, but he doesn’t speak up for me either.” Your voice got a bit shaky as you continued. “My mom went through my phone and found out everything. It was probably the worst fight we’ve ever had to this day. I was basically grounded for the rest of my sophomore year of high school. No phone, no computer except for schoolwork, and no way to talk to Kelly. I was also forbidden from seeing her. My friends would let me text her through their phones at school, but we weren’t able to make it work. When my parents stopped being as strict once summer vacation hit, I tried to reconnect with her which only led to more fighting about our relationship and everything that had happened so we just never talked again.”

“I’m so sorry, dear. I empathize with you. Not that my own parents ever found me out, but I’m sure their reactions would have been the same. It’s truly awful how bigotry can tear apart something beautiful and force us to live in ways we’d never choose to live.” 

She was one hundred percent right and you knew she had her own trauma from feeling pressured to marry a man. You felt very fortunate that you never had to go through something like that. You never even had a boyfriend. The pressure was there, but you grew up in a much different time than Alcina did. Your parents sucked big time about it, but you had people to talk to and you had other friends who were lgbt+ so you never experienced that isolation that she did. However, there was something that cut you very deep. 

“It actually gets worse.” You said timidly. 

“Does it, now? If this is something you’d rather not speak about, please don’t feel you’re obligated to share with me.” 

“No, I think it would be good to talk to someone about it.” You hadn’t spoken to anyone about this particular matter at all. “When college started and I got my own place with Olivia, I thought maybe I could try reaching out to Kelly again. I figured we’re both adults and we could see each other freely. It’s not like I was necessarily trying to have a relationship again, I had actually just gotten out of one at the time, but I was open to the idea. She was kind of my first love.” You paused as you felt that sense of dread creep up. That same feeling that washed over you back when it happened. “I went to find her on social media and all of the posts I saw were from other people saying how they missed her. I knew she had some issues with depression, but she was getting help, at least she was when I knew her. Sure enough after searching her full name on google, I found her obituary and I guess she had killed herself a couple months before my attempt to reach out.” Your voice broke with your last few words, but you were holding out. You didn’t want to cry. 

“Oh, sweetheart…” Alcina had her arms wrapped around you and she began to rock you. You couldn’t stop the tears this time. It was like a floodgate opening. All that pent up emotion released at once.  She hushed you and told you it was okay to let it all out.

You took awhile before you could form a coherent sentence again. By that time you had thoroughly soaked Alcina’s bare chest with tears and mucus. How embarrassing...and gross.  “I couldn’t talk to anyone about it. I felt like I didn’t have a right to be as upset as I was since we hadn’t talked in years. For a few days I kept taking over the counter sleep aid so I could sleep it off as much as possible whenever I wasn’t in class. Then there’s that part of me that wonders if maybe she’d still be here if I reached out sooner and had been an extra support in her life.” 

“No, no, no, darling, you can’t go thinking like that. Suicide is a terrible thing and unfortunately all the support in the world can’t change someone’s mind once they reach that point of no return. Not to downplay what you might have done to help, but you mentioned she had previously existing mental health issues. I hate to say it, but she likely would have done this regardless. You can’t blame yourself.” Alcina was gentle, but firm and feeling the vibration of her voice as she spoke was soothing to you. The tears stopped coming and you felt the weight you had been secretly carrying around lift off of your shoulders. You sat up and wiped at your eyes. Alcina got up too and grabbed some tissues to clean the both of you up. 

“I know what we need tonight. You stay right there.” Alcina threw one of her robes on and left you in the bedroom by yourself. She was gone for quite awhile and you got up and began looking around the room, noticing things that you hadn’t taken the time to look at too closely the other times you had been up here. 

There was a tall dresser with some framed photographs. The first picture you noticed showed a smiling Alcina holding a ginger haired baby while sitting on a couch with two little brunette girls next to her. This must have been taken shortly after Daniela was born. The next picture looked more recent. Alcina with all three girls and you could see the oldest, Bela, was blonde here. “Lucky.” You thought to yourself. Your mom never would have let you dye your hair at that age. There were more photos of the girls and a very sweet collage frame with Alcina’s maternity photos for each of her pregnancies and the girl’s newborn pictures in heart shaped frames engraved with their names and their dates of birth. At the bottom of the frame there was a quote in cursive “I knew I loved you before I met you.” It pulled at your heartstrings. 

You noticed a framed photograph that was knocked over among the many picture frames surrounding it. It almost seemed as though it were on purpose because everything else was organized so neatly. It was even collecting dust. You lifted it up carefully to take a closer look. There was a group of high school aged students on risers in an auditorium. A banner in the background read “All County Jazz Festival 1995” then your eyes immediately went to the girl under the spotlight holding a microphone. Long black curly hair, strikingly beautiful face. You knew immediately this had to have been  Alcina as a teenager. You were aware she was fond of jazz music, but you had no idea she sang or that she was in jazz ensemble. Your high school had that too and the all county jazz festival was still a thing. It was a pretty big deal to those who were in jazz chorus. From the looks of it, Alcina had gotten a solo so she must have been really good. Looking closer though, beyond how confident she looked as she sang, you noticed how thin she was. Too thin. Collarbones jutting out in a way that looked almost painful, toothpick arms, the spotlight highlighting the bones of her sternum. You got a pit in your stomach looking at her. You put the picture back where you found it and laid back down in her bed. 

The way she looked then compared to how she did now was jarring. Obviously a forty-four year old woman was going to look different from a seventeen year old girl, but that wasn’t natural teenage thinness. She looked ill and you hoped she was able to get the help she looked like she needed. She must have considering how she birthed three children and her body looked much healthier now. She was soft and curvy while also muscular from all the work she put in at her gym. She was perfect the way she was yet she insisted on being so strict with her routines and how she’d only strategically treat herself. She may be in a much better place from where she once was, but her relationship with her body and with food was still strained from what you could see every time you ate together and the way she’d self-deprecate if she had something a bit more indulgent than she normally would. 

The door creaked open and Alcina walked in holding a decent sized bowl of ice cream with two spoons stuck into it. 

“I thought after our heart to heart tonight that we could both use a treat.” Alcina handed you the bowl and took her robe off, placing it back on the hook with the rest of them. Then she opened one of her drawers, evidently her pajama drawer since she pulled out a nightgown. You figured you should put something on too, but then you remembered your overnight bag was still downstairs. 

“Um.” You interrupted and Alcina looked back over to you. 

“Yes?”

“I left my bag downstairs with all my stuff in it, could I borrow one of your robes so I could go get it? I’d feel weird running around your house naked. Or I guess I could put my clothes back on.” You looked over to the pile of mixed clothing on the floor. 

Alcina let out a hearty laugh at that. “No need for that, I’ll run and grab it for you.” She turned to leave the room. “And please be sure to save me some ice cream.” She yelled from down the hallway. You were glad that she was going to be sharing it with you, although you could very easily eat all of it yourself. You tried a spoonful. Strawberry with little chocolate hearts. It was delicious. 

She was back with your bag in a flash and you got up to put on the nightgown you bought specifically to wear for Alcina. It was pretty similar to the one she had on. While you were getting dressed, Alcina got in bed and turned on the tv that was mounted to her wall across from the bed. This was the first time you saw her turn it on as she never had the other nights you slept over. Normally, the bedroom was reserved for sex and sleep. If you watched tv, it was the one downstairs. 

“Well, don’t you look adorable.” Alcina complimented you. “Come over here.” She patted the spot in bed next to her and you hopped right in, cuddling up to her. She passed you the bowl of ice cream and hit play on the remote. “Dracula” popped up in quotes on the screen as the opening credit sequence began with Tchaikovsky’s  “Swan Lake” playing in the background. 

“Dracula, huh?” You questioned. 

“I know it isn’t exactly a cozy movie, but it’s one of my favorites and a comfort to me. I also know you haven’t seen it.”

“Is this the version with the actor you named Bela after?”

“The very same! I’m happy you remembered.” 

How could you forget? You hung on her every word. “Of course I remember. Speaking of, how is everything with Bela now? I know you guys had that fight last week.” 

“Oh, that. You’ll be happy to know you were right, darling. It all blew over in a couple of days. I told her that maybe next year after I’ve gotten to know her friend’s family more, she could take their summer trip with them then.”

You just smiled and grabbed another spoonful of ice cream. Alcina had a couple spoonfuls herself and like clockwork made a comment about how she’d have to put in some extra work at the gym tomorrow. You weren’t sure what to say, your mind flashed back to that picture you saw of her when you were snooping around the bedroom. It just made you feel sad. 

“This ice cream is really good though.” You thought maybe you should focus on the food and not try to reassure her about her body nor tell her she was beautiful, you weren’t sure it would help knowing it was coming from such a dark place. 

“It is. It’s actually Bela’s favorite, but I’m sure she won’t mind us having some.” Alcina stared down at the bowl for a moment. “I miss them all terribly when they’re with their father.”

You snuggled closer to her in response and placed a tender kiss to her cheek. From that point forward you were mostly silent as you were captivated by Bela Lugosi’s performance as Dracula. Alcina would occasionally chime in with some facts about the film’s production, differences between the novel, and facts about Lugosi’s life. You loved the way her eyes lit up when she was talking about the things she was really into. It was rare to meet older adults with such passion. 

The film finished and you were both getting tired. You prepared yourselves for bed and it was always more fun doing so at Alcina’s house because you got to use all her expensive skincare products you could never afford. Or maybe you could now with her allowance on top of the money you’d be making at the winery. Nah, the money you were getting really needed to be used wisely. Rent for one which you’d now be responsible for in full. Shit. You had to meet with the leasing office tomorrow to discuss the terms of signing up for another twelve months. Maybe if you mentioned how much you liked her skincare routine she would take the hint and buy you some of those products. You smiled impishly to yourself. Perks of being a sugar baby. 

When you and Alcina had gotten into bed together the intention was to go straight to sleep, but the few goodnight kisses eventually led to her face between your thighs as she took care of you until you were too sensitive to continue. She laid back on the bed after and you rested your head on her chest. 

“I love how close we’ve gotten.” The words fell out of your mouth carelessly as exhaustion left you without a filter. 

“Me too, dear.” 

The next morning when you woke up you had to get dressed and head back to your apartment complex. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come to the gym with me before you go back?” Alcina was already in her workout clothes as you were struggling to throw on the shorts and top you packed for yourself. 

“Definitely another time, Alcina. I want to get this lease agreement stuff over with.” Today was the last day you could meet with the building manager and you had to be sure everything was in order or you’d have to go back to your parents within the month and that thought alone made you shudder. 

“You are coming back here tonight though, aren’t you?” 

Oh wow. You knew she wouldn’t have the girls again until the weekend, but you were still surprised she wanted you to keep staying over. She was starting to feel more and more like a serious girlfriend. Your heart felt so full and after your realization last night, you wanted to be with her as much as possible. Perhaps she was starting to feel the same way? No, that’s crazy. She said before she wasn’t looking for anything serious, but the way you two had grown so close…

“I’m down to come back. I’ll just grab some more stuff when I’m done with the leasing office. You do have me on for a shift tomorrow so I’ll need my work clothes.” Alcina had you working Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, and all day Saturday. It didn’t seem like a lot when compared to how many hours you worked at your last job for way less money, but with the base pay, the tips, and her allowance it was more than enough to get by. 

“Pack for the rest of the week?” Her tone indicated a question, but it was more of a command. Your heart was fluttering. She really wanted you to spend an entire week with her? This would be the longest stretch of time you’d spend together since meeting. This could make or break everything, but you were optimistic. 

You kissed Alcina goodbye and began the drive back to your apartment. 

When you got to your apartment complex you had to rush inside to your place to make sure you had everything in order. You knew they’d be asking for paystubs or bank statements to prove you could meet their financial requirements to live there. You opted for bank statement since you hadn’t yet gotten your first paycheck deposited from the winery and with your last job, the only reason you were able to qualify for the apartment when you initially signed on was due to Olivia’s parents co-signing on her behalf and sending her the money for rent. She was fortunate to have the parents that she did. That aside, your bank statements would show that you were consistently getting $500 a week which helped you to meet the requirement of making a certain amount over base rent along with the paychecks from your last job. 

You stepped into the leasing office and were greeted by Maryanne, the same woman who had been running the office since your initial move in. 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want to downsize to one of our one bedrooms with your roommate gone?” She asked.

“No, I’d rather keep everything as is. Having the extra space is nice and I’d prefer to not have to deal with moving unless I absolutely had to.” 

“Right, right. Anyway, I see here from your bank statements that you still meet the minimum requirements, even with the rent increase. Hmm. What is it that you do again? Are you still in college or have you found full-time employment?” 

You could tell Maryanne seemed confused looking at the amount of money on the papers in front of her. It probably seemed like a lot for a twenty-one year old student, and it was, but really by the time all of your bills were paid, all of your necessities taken care of, payments towards your student loans, and what you’d put into your emergency savings, there wasn’t much left over. Without your arrangement with Alcina, you’d be drowning. 

“I’m still in school, I’m going to be starting on my bachelor’s in the fall semester, but I am working though.” You laughed nervously. 

Maryanne raised an eyebrow at you. “I can see that from the deposits going into your account. You’re working over at the winery, aren’t you?”

How did she know that? “Um, yeah, I am. I started there recently.” 

She gave you another look like what you were saying wasn’t making sense to her. 

“Huh, it’s just that I see deposits from Dimitrescu going back for a few months now.”

I’m such a dumb ass. You thought to yourself when you realized. The bank statements had her last name from the app she used to send the money to your account. That’s how she knew. Quick think of something. 

“Oh, that! Haha yeah. So I did just start at the winery, but I’ve kind of been like an assistant to her since March. After I left my job at the mall I thought it would only make sense to keep working for her. I’m at the winery a few days a week and then I help her out with whatever she needs in my spare time.” 

Your lie worked because Maryanne didn’t press any further. 

“Alright then, you are all set for another twelve months. You already know the drill. Rent is due on the first either through the tenant portal or a check in the drop box no later than 5pm.” 

“Thanks, Maryanne!” You waved goodbye and went back to your apartment to grab things for the week for Alcina’s. It’s funny, you finally had the place all to yourself, the drama with Robbie was over, and yet here you were spending more time away from the apartment than ever. You threw your work clothes in your bag and some more changes of clothes, including some workout clothes that were hopefully nice enough to wear to the gym Alcina attended. She’d be thrilled to find out you were finally going to take her up on her offer to be her workout buddy. 

You were about halfway to Alcina’s when your phone started buzzing. Normally, you’d ignore calls while you were driving, but you could see it was Olivia. It was weird that she was calling rather than texting. It must have been important. You carefully hit accept and put the phone on speaker. 

“Hey, Liv, what’s going on?”

“Not much…” She sounded pretty down. 

“Did something happen?” 

“No, nothing happened. I just need someone to talk to who isn’t my mom. I feel like you’d get me.” 

“Yeah, dude, of course.” 

She huffed on the other side of the phone. “It’s just everything that happened with Robbie. I’m glad he hasn’t bothered me since, but I’m still so fucking sad and I feel stupid.”

“Why do you feel stupid, Liv?”

“Because I miss him!” She wailed and began sniffling pretty hard. “You know, after all the shit he put me through. The cheating, the fighting, and then hitting me, I should be glad he’s gone, and I am, but it wasn’t all bad. He was my date to every school dance. We could talk for hours. He always made me laugh. It’s not fair! I don’t understand why he treated me the way he did. I don’t understand why I still feel the way that I do when he’s probably already moved on.”

“Liv, it’s okay. Really, your feelings are normal. He was your first and only relationship, and like you said, it wasn’t all bad, but that’s common for abusers. You’re not stupid, you’re healing and this is just part of the process. You’re going to get through this. I’m glad that you called me, talking about this is good. It’s not healthy to keep it all bottled up inside.” You felt like you were going more Psychology 101 on her rather than giving a best friend’s pep talk, but it was the best you could do and you meant it. 

Olivia sniffled again. “Thanks. I miss you too, you know. It’s so weird not living together. What’s it like having a place to yourself? I feel like I’m in high school again being back with my parents and they’ve also been on my ass more than usual since Robbie. Then when school starts again, I’m going to have a dorm with a roommate! Ugh! I won’t even have my own bedroom.” 

“To be honest, Liv. I’ve mostly been over at Alcina’s place. I’m actually headed back there right now.” 

“Of course you are. You So love her.”

You got goosebumps at that. “God, Liv, stop. We aren’t at that point and I’m not sure we will be. Like I’ve said, we’re exclusive, but it’s still kind of casual.” 

“Sure.” Olivia said, really dragging the word out. “That’s why you’re over there constantly, but I guess I would be too. Her place is cool as fuck.” 

“It is! Listen, Liv, I just pulled into her driveway so I’m gonna have to go. You gonna be alright?” 

“I’ll be fine. I’m glad you picked up. Anyway, I super miss you and we need to get together soon. Maybe we could do something this weekend if you don’t have plans with your lover that is.”

“She’ll have her kids this weekend so we should be free to do whatever. Just keep me posted and you know you can always text or call. Love ya, Liv.” 

“Haha, love you too.”  

Alcina greeted you at the door and you caught her up on everything that happened with the leasing office. She was happy that it had all gone smoothly and that you had a guaranteed home for the next year. 

“I got you a little something while I was out today.”

You loved how she spoiled you.

“Aw, you didn’t have to do that.” 

“Oh, hush you. You should know what I’m all about by now. Let me go grab it for you.” 

When she returned, it was more than a little something. It was a huge basket filled with luxury skincare products. It must have cost a fortune. 

“I know you’re rather fond of what I like to use, so I got you everything and included a few more things that would bode well with your skin type and also prevent any breakouts. There’s also some bath bombs in there. Do you have a tub in your apartment? If not, you could always use the one in the guest bath and it’s big enough for two.” She winked. 

You did have a shower tub, but you’d rather have the bath with Alcina. 

“This is so sweet of you, Alcina. Thank you so much.” 

You put the basket down and wrapped your arms around her. You stayed like that for awhile. She must have gotten a new perfume too, it smelled so good. You were sure if you said you liked it, she’d probably go buying you a bottle which was nice, but you appreciated the companionship so much more than the money as much as you needed it. 

“Guess what?” You mumbled into her chest. 

“What, darling?”

“I packed workout clothes this time so if you’re going to the gym tomorrow-”

“Marvelous! I’m sure you’ll love my yoga class. It’s beginner friendly, but still quite the workout.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” 

Alcina pulled away from the hug and smiled down at you. She was still so much taller than you even without the heels she normally wore. 

“In the meantime, it’s beautiful outside. Would you care for a walk?” 

You nodded and Alcina held your hand as you walked out the door together and then around the neighborhood of large houses and spacious lawns. It was going to be an amazing week.

Chapter Text

The environment of Alcina’s gym was overstimulating to say the least. Fluorescent lights, murals with quotes, lemon scented cleaner mixed with sweat, all of the different machinery, and to call it a gym was an understatement. Health club was a much more suitable title. This was no ten dollar a month Planet Fitness with mostly cardio machines and minimal weights, no, this place put them to shame with all their different amenities. The front of the gym could easily fit the entirety of a typical Planet Fitness which is where the treadmills and other machines were housed. After Alcina checked in and signed you in as her guest, you were able to see just how vast the rest of the building was as you walked down the hallway to the left. The one on the right led to the gym’s daycare facility. 

First, you passed the men’s and women’s locker rooms. 

“They each have their own sauna, you know.” Alcina informed you.

Then you entered into the women’s facilities following Alcina’s lead. 

“There’s nothing I love more than getting a good steam in after a workout.” Alcina said as she put your bags with your belongings into one of the lockers and stuck her own combination lock through the door. 

The women’s locker room was pristinely clean with white tiles and pale pink walls. There were bathroom stalls and across from those was a good sized area of sinks with outlets and a mirror so gym goers could style their hair after working out and perhaps a shower since there was also a row of shower stalls, each with a pink and white curtain that matched the locker room’s motif. You didn’t bring anything to shower with there. When you had asked Alcina if you should, she seemed skeeved out by the idea. You thought back to earlier in the day and how she pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose. 

“Hmm, I really wouldn’t if I were you. I’m sure the housekeeping staff is up to par, but with or without shower shoes, you don’t know what’s growing in there.  I hardly see the point unless there were no other options. Besides…” She drawled on, rubbing the small of your back. “We can have a much nicer shower all to ourselves back at my place before you have to go to work.” She gave you a wink. 

“You make a good point.” You said, leaning in closer to her. 

You and Alcina were already dressed and ready to workout when you arrived so you were only in the locker room long enough to store your personal belongings(your bags, your phones, Alcina’s car keys etc.) 

It was an even longer jaunt once leaving the locker room to get to the yoga studio. On the way you passed an indoor track, the pool, a spin class, an aerobics studio, a heavy weight and boxing area, and then finally you arrived at the space where the yoga class would be held. 

It was a welcoming space with dim lighting, an oil diffuser puffing away a soothing sandalwood, and a young woman at the front in brightly colored, form fitting clothing greeting everyone with a bow, her hands folded in a prayer position, and a “namaste” in a soft voice. There were a few other women already settled onto their yoga mats. Alcina brought an extra for you since you hadn’t gotten around to buying one yet. She picked a spot towards the center of the room and you laid your mat next to hers in preparation for the class. More people filtered in, primarily women, but a couple men joined in, staying towards the back. From the chatter around you, many seemed to be stay at home mothers. It made sense, how many other working people had the freedom in their schedules to attend a Tuesday morning yoga class? Certainly a non-issue for upper middle class women who had husbands with six figure careers and nannies doing the heavy lifting as far as child rearing went. 

A woman around Alcina’s age with light brown hair settled next to her. They seemed to know each other. 

“Well if it isn’t Alcina Dimitrescu! It’s been ages. How are you?” The woman asked. 

“You don’t say? I was beginning to think you had quit the gym.” Alcina retorted in exaggerated shock. 

“Me?!” The woman held her hand to her chest. “ Never. Lipo can’t get you a body like this.” 

They both laughed over this. You remained silent and fought to not roll your eyes. Rich people humor.

The woman whose name you still did not know continued. “I’ve been getting in my workouts at home the past few weeks. Preston had his knee surgery and you know how helpless men can be for even the simplest of ailments.” She scoffed. “Then again, I suppose that’s no longer an issue with Kurt out of the picture.” She looked over at you, taking note of your proximity to Alcina. “And who might you be?”

Alcina spoke up before you so much as parted your lips, telling the woman your name. “She watches the girls for me from time to time and I was a little late coming back home one evening. I thought a free yoga class and some mani-pedi’s would make up for my tardiness.” She threw an arm around you and rubbed your shoulder. You feigned a happy smile then her hand was off of you almost as quickly as she had touched you. 

More lies , but you understood why neither of you could be forthcoming about the true nature of your relationship. Still though, you wished things could be less complicated. So many factors were working against you. The age gap, the arrangement, children of divorce, homophobic parents, and homophobia in general. Sure, you had gone out together and done things most couples would do, but there was always a certain distance you kept in public, never being particularly affectionate out in the open unless obscured by darkness or other obstacles. Truth is, being two women you were more likely to be seen as close friends regardless of how you conducted yourselves in the public eye. Neither of you could risk it though, at least not until Alcina came out to her daughters and you stopped fearing your parents. Then again, your feelings towards Alcina and this relationship were likely very different from how she felt. You hoped you were wrong and that you weren’t setting yourself up for the worst heartbreak of your life. 

“ Oh .” The woman said, she seemed disinterested as soon as she realized you were essentially the help. She went back to chatting with Alcina and you did some warm up stretches while seated on your mat. 

“It looks like class is about to begin. We’ll have to get the kids together for a playdate sometime soon, Sherry.” 

Sherry, that’s her name. Bitch.

The instructor began playing some soothing music and everyone stood up and faced her, including yourself. She led you all through a basic warm up and then proceeded to get into the actual yoga routine. Alcina was right, it was beginner friendly and you were familiar with some of the poses from doing your own research, but it was actually getting you out of breath! You probably would have dropped to the floor had she taken you through one more sun salutation, but the class ended with a cooldown and then a few minutes of “savasana” aka “corpse pose” or in simpler terms, lying on your back. Regardless of what it was called, it felt great to lie there and let all of your muscles relax and your mind be clear of all worries as sweat beaded down your body in various places.

Alcina tapped you with her foot. “Come on, don’t fall asleep on me now.” 

You opened your eyes and saw that Alcina was ready to go and the rest of the class was also packing up to leave. You got up and you knew from how your muscles were feeling now that you would be sore as hell come tomorrow. 

As promised, you and Alcina made your way into the locker room’s sauna. She advised against grabbing your phone from the locker due to the steam and temperature, but she said the yoga mats could withstand it. 

“Shouldn’t we, like, get naked?” You asked. 

Alcina giggled. “No need for that. I don’t even take my shoes off. I just find that the sauna helps to ease sore muscles and exercise aside, my back frequently aches.”

“Why is that?”

Alcina looked down at her breasts and then back over to you. 

At least she had a sense of humor about it. It was too bad that they caused her pain because you certainly weren’t complaining about them. 

The temperature difference from the locker room to the sauna smacked you in the face. It was so hot in there. You had to start mouth breathing because exhaling through your nose made it feel like your top lip was on fire. 

Alcina raised her arms and stretched out with a pleased look on her face. It didn’t seem to be bothering her at all. She then poured a little of her water bottle onto the rocks in the middle of it all which caused steam to billow out, briefly engulfing everything. It took you a second to adjust, but it didn’t seem so bad in there now that the air was less dry. You sat yourself on one of the benches and Alcina laid down next to you with her head by your legs and her feet up on the wall, closing her eyes, and taking a few deep breaths. You didn’t mind the silence, you never did with her. 

You were about to stroke her hair when someone else walked into the sauna and you quickly put your hand back onto your lap. 

“We just keep running into each other!” Sherry came in, talking a million miles a minute. You could sense the annoyance as Alcina opened her eyes and brought her feet back down so she could sit up. You were annoyed too. 

Sherry sat on the bench across from the both of you and went on and on and on about nothing while Alcina mostly nodded and occasionally had some remark for her. It was clear that this woman was more interested in hearing herself talk than she was interested in having a reciprocal conversation. 

“Hold that thought, Sherry. I’ve only just realized how late it’s getting and we really should be on with our day before this one has to be at work.” Finally, the woman was going to stop blabbering. 

Sherry looked at you and gave you a pitiful smile almost as if you were a charity case simply because you had to work. Christ. Alcina also had to work, kind of, but her white collar work of owning a prominent winery was viewed differently in her circles as opposed to the type of jobs that you held. 

When you got to Alcina’s car she immediately let out a heavy sigh. “I thought that woman would never stop talking. I am so sorry about that, love.” 

“It’s okay, I could tell you were annoyed. Isn’t she your friend though?”

Alcina exhaled through her nose audibly. “God no! Sherry is nothing more than a gossipmonger who, when not getting into everyone else’s business, is busy having her husband finance getting her ass fat sucked out and then subsequently injected into her lips. I’ll put up with her if the kids want to play together or there’s some sort of event with mutual friends and acquaintances, but that’s all I can take of her.” 

You let out a barking laugh. “Oh my god, I was gonna say. Her lips looked like hotdogs.”

Alcina playfully swatted you, also laughing. “You’re so bad, but that’s a perfectly valid assessment. Adults can do whatever they like with their bodies. Who am I to judge? Personally though, I could never. Aging gracefully looks so much better than pumping your face full of garbage.”

You fully agreed and Alcina was aging beautifully. She did have the obvious advantage of already being an exceptionally attractive woman, but it’s not as if the clock stopped for her. She had smile lines and crow's feet, but age suited her. She was almost like the renowned wines she specialized in. 

“You’re beautiful the way you are.” You meant it and that extended beyond her face. You thought again about the insecurities she had about her body and that picture you had found. That memory kept flashing into your mind and you were dying to ask her, but then she’d know you were snooping around her room. Then again, they were pictures out in the open on her dresser, you just happened to pick up one that was tipped over. 

Alcina looked away, turning red. “Well, you’re one to talk now. Aren’t you, gorgeous?” 

You felt the heat rising in your chest. She frequently complimented you and yet it still made you giddy every time. 

Alcina turned her attention back towards you. “Also, I’m sorry about having to lie about us again-”

“It’s fine, Alcina. I know. I understand.” As long as you got to be together you were going to enjoy the time that you had, secret or not. 

Alcina looked relieved. “Come here.” 

You leaned over the center console as best as you could to cuddle up to her from the passenger seat of the car. 

“Now, I know getting our nails done wasn’t part of the original plan for today, but since I mentioned it, is that something you’d like to do?” 

“Maybe if I didn’t have to work today. Besides, my boss can be kind of a dick about nail polish and acrylics.” You smirked. It was her own rule that employees couldn’t have painted or fake nails when working with the food. 

Alcina’s mouth was agape. “Can she now? Perhaps I’ll have a word with her and she can make an exception?” Alcina said, playing along. 

“Nah, that’s okay. It probably would look sus if I was already getting special treatment on my second ever shift.”

Alcina furrowed her brow. “Sus? As in suspicious?” She laughed. “Are you really saving that much time by omitting two syllables? Kids, I swear.” She shook her head. 

“Sorry, I’ll be sure to speak The Queen’s English from now on in your presence, M’Lady.” You mimed tipping a hat. It was more along the lines of neckbeard discord mod rather than Alcina’s articulate nature. 

She laughed again and you kissed. Instead of going anywhere, you opted to go back to Alcina’s place until you’d have to work your shift at the winery. 

When you walked back into Alcina’s home, you excused yourself to the nearest bathroom. You didn’t realize just how badly you had to go until you were in there. You did what you needed to do and cleaned yourself up.

“Fuck.” you whispered as you were greeted with the sight of bright red blood on the toilet paper. This wasn’t supposed to happen! When you were getting cramps you just assumed it was because you had to go, but no, your period was here when it wasn’t due for another six days. Until this point, your period had never interfered with any of the times you had stayed with Alcina. It was always perfectly on schedule and you were lucky that it seemed to match up with the weeks that she had her kids. Not this time though! Worst of all, you were unprepared. You let out a loud groan that you were sure would attract Alcina’s attention. 

“Are you okay?” There she was, right on cue. 

“No…” You didn’t know why, but you felt a bit embarrassed. You’d have to say something though in the hopes she had pads or tampons around, if not, you were sure she would go and get you some. Did women her age still get periods?  “I got my period.” You admitted reluctantly. 

“Oh dear. I have an arsenal of over the counter pain relievers for you to choose from if you’d like. Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, but don’t mix those last two together. You can however have Tylenol with either the Advil or Aleve. I find that they give each other a boost.”

“Thank you, but it’s not about the cramps. It came early so I don’t have anything. Do you have something I could use? I mean, do you, nevermind.”

“If you’re insinuating that you believe I am postmenopausal, I am a bit offended.” She laughed. “I assure you I am not. However, I had a hormonal IUD placed after I had Daniela because my own periods had become unbearable. I actually hardly have had any bleeding at all for a few years now.”

“Really? I would have never guessed that you had one.”

“I’m surprised you’ve never felt the strings with how…thorough you are.”

“So I take it you don’t have anything for me to use then?” 

“I didn’t say that. You stay right there.”

As if you were going to leave this bathroom while you were bleeding unprotected.

Alcina was back fairly quickly. She knocked on the door and you gave her the go ahead. She only opened it enough to stick her hand through and you could see she was holding a pad and a tampon. You had been intimate dozens of times now, but it was nice that she still wanted to respect your privacy while you were in this compromising position. 

You reached out to grab them both. “Thank you, you’re a lifesaver.” 

“It’s no problem. Luckily for you, my little girls aren’t so little anymore. This is from Bela’s stash, though I’m sure my Cassandra should be starting any day now. Us Dimitrescu women tend to mature on the younger side.” 

After getting yourself situated, you left the bathroom and Alcina made protein smoothie bowls for you both to have.She also showed you where the painkillers were so you could pick your poison and stay ahead of the cramps. The smoothie bowls were a delicious mix of berries and chocolate that you could hardly tell came from a protein powder as it didn’t have that chalky taste topped with more fresh fruit and a sprinkling of granola. Then you showered, separately to your dismay and not as originally planned, but you didn’t feel comfortable sharing a shower while you were actively bleeding. 

There was still plenty of time before your shift at work. Had it been nicer out you and Alcina were going to sit out by the dock and dip your feet in the water, but the clouds were rolling in and there was a 70% chance of rain. Instead, you cozied up on the couch. This time you picked the entertainment. Since you had enjoyed it so much, you wanted to introduce Alcina to your most recent binge watch. 

“This show is about four people who run a bar in Philadelphia and they’re all terrible people, but it’s hilarious!” You explained to Alcina. “You don’t really have to watch every episode in chronological order to know what’s going on and it really doesn’t get good until the second season.”

Alcina raised her brows. “I’ll take your word for it.” 

You picked an episode from season 2 and gave her a quick rundown of the characters. The episode was just as funny as you had remembered it being the first time. Alcina didn’t seem as amused, but if she had anything negative to say, she was keeping it to herself. The episode ended as chaotically as it had begun and you turned to Alcina. 

“So, what’d you think?”

Her eyes widened. 

“You hated it, didn’t you?”

“No, hate is a strong word. It was-” She paused. “Unique and not something that really aligns with my preferences. Besides, did those twins really think that welfare scheme was going to go in their favor?” 

She definitely hated it and was trying to be nice. “That’s the thing, they always come up with these awful plans and they ruin everyone’s lives around them. You should see what they do to this priest.”

“You’ve intrigued me, put that one on then.”

“Well, it takes place over a few episodes and seasons, but I’ll play the first one he’s in.” 

Over the next couple hours you and Alcina watched your show and she kinda seemed to be getting into it by the last episode you had time for. You had to get ready for work now though. 

“So what do you think now that you’ve seen a few more episodes?” You asked Alcina as you got off the couch in pursuit of getting your work clothing on and fixing yourself up. 

“Do you want my honest opinion?”

You nodded.

“It’s really not my cup of tea, but I loved seeing you laugh and enjoy yourself.” 

“Aw man. I feel bad now. You’re always showing me these great classic movies and I don’t think there’s a single show or movie I like that would suit you.”

“Don’t be so down on yourself. I’m sure there’s something we have in common. We have all week to figure it out.”

You smiled at each other. 

“Now, off to work with you. I would just drive you myself since we are going to the same place, but I suppose that would look “sus” as you so eloquently put it.” 

You burst out laughing. “Whatever, I will see you at work, boss lady.”

Alcina placed both of her hands on the sides of your face and leaned in for a kiss.

"I’ll see you soon.” 

The environment at work today seemed much more relaxed. There were no special events, it was a rare occurrence for a weeknight, even then it wouldn’t be for something as large as a wedding since those were exclusively held on Saturdays. Today would be a typical dinner service with the tasting room open of course and there would normally be tours of the grounds, but this weather would not permit it.  

Walking in, you saw some familiar faces from your first shift and were relieved when you saw that Dustin was one of them. 

“Dustin!” You said excitedly while waving. 

He shouted your name too with a matched level of excitement. 

“Alright, so what am I doing tonight? Am I still following you or am I on my own?” 

“You’re still going to be training with me for the rest of your shifts this week, then I’m throwing you to the wolves.” 

“How sweet of you. Alright, what’s first?”

“Follow me and I’ll show you.”

You followed Dustin and not unlike your first shift, you were placing table settings and filling goblets of water. This time you definitely had mastered the napkin folding. Then Dustin explained how you’d be helping him take orders and serve in addition to having to grab wines from the tasting room for anyone of age who wanted samples with their meal. 

“I know it sounds easy, but there’s so many different wines and then you have to ask the servers in the tasting room for the bottles. There’s people who come in just for tastings and they take precedence over the diners who want free samples since they pay for it so you have to wait for the servers to finish their explanations before they’ll get you the shit that you need. It can really hold you up, but at least during weeknights there’s a limited menu and the kitchen is only open for a few hours. We’re only here as late as we are for clean up.”

“Makes sense.”

Alcina walked in the door then and the other staff seemed surprised as she surveyed the building, taking extra time to gaze over at you and Dustin, and then heading back into her office. 

You saw the face Dustin was making so you had to ask. “What’s up?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, it’s just weird that she’s here during a weeknight when nothing is booked. Ms. Dimitrescu is usually only here on Saturdays and even then she’s not a very involved boss.”

He had a point there, Alcina did not go into work yesterday despite the winery being open. She mostly managed the behind the scenes stuff with various phone and video conferences that could be done at home. Other than that she said she had shift supervisors for the days she wasn’t there who could handle everything. You had yet to meet any of these people since Alcina had been there for both of your shifts so far. 

“Why do you think she’s here?” It wouldn’t hurt to ask to see where his thoughts went. You however knew exactly why she was here. 

Dustin shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like we have a new hire, you’re the last new hire and she already met you on Saturday.”

Right, Saturday. We only just met on Saturday. I totally haven’t had my face between this woman’s thighs before. 

“Anyway, the last time she hung around like this was when she was looking for reasons to fire someone.” Dustin’s eyes widened. “Shit, she was looking over our way when she came in. I hope she’s not thinking of firing me. I need this job. We better stop talking unless it has to do with work.”

Oh no . Poor Dustin thinking he was going to be fired all because your sugar mommy wanted to keep an eye on you while you worked in her establishment. You couldn’t reassure him 100% without outing yourself so instead you said you doubted it since he was such a good trainer.

He calmed down as the night went on. It surprised you just how busy this place got for not even being a traditional full-service restaurant Had there been just a few more tables you probably would have cracked under the pressure of the fast paced environment. You took a moment to yourself in the walk-in cooler to both physically and mentally, well, cool down. All the while Alcina was in and out of her office, mostly in, but she would walk around observing and correcting. She’d linger around where you were working from a distance and you’d try to not fumble over your words while taking orders. You could feel her eyes on you and it made the hairs on the back of your neck raise up. You were going to get her back for this. Someday anyway.  

You could have jumped for joy when the last patrons left. It was time for family meal and this time the food wasn’t nearly as extravagant as it had been on Saturday, but this was a weekday evening vs a wedding. The food was still good though! You grabbed some chicken with roasted potatoes and honey glazed carrots. Delicious. Alcina popped in and grabbed some arugula salad that had veggies with shaved parmesan, and she dressed it with balsamic before taking it back to her office. You gathered that she probably didn’t feel comfortable eating around her staff. 

When you got back to Alcina’s for the night you brought up how her presence made Dustin nervous.

“He has nothing to worry about. He goofs around a lot, but he’s one of my best workers. I also think he has a little crush on you.” Alcina lowered her voice. 

Ugh. You sure hoped not. He would be a cool friend to have, but if he tried to ask you out or something it would make work so awkward. 

Alcina could see your visible distaste at the idea of him liking you. “I wouldn’t worry, darling. He’s a nice boy. Even if he does, I doubt he will ever act on it. He’s worked for me since last summer and I’ve heard through the grapevine how he’s on the oblivious side when it comes to girls.” 

“I hope you’re right.” 

“Don’t you know? I’m always right.” She smiled impishly. “Come now, let’s get you to bed.” 

The rest of the week couldn’t have gone better, aside from your period interrupting your sex life of course, other than that things were great with Alcina and with work. You managed to introduce Alcina to a series that you liked and she wound up loving it too. Granted, it was very dated and you only got into it because it was something your mom had watched, but it was the perfect dramedy about housewives living on a rather eventful street. As for your more intimate moments, Alcina was well taken care of. She insisted that she wouldn’t want you to feel obligated since she couldn’t reciprocate, but you let her know exactly how much you wanted to please her. You demonstrated this to her repeatedly, savoring every explicit noise you could draw from her. 

Work was good too. Thursday was quieter than Tuesday had been and that gave you more of an opportunity to get to know Dustin. He was the same age as you, but a semester behind you in college since he didn’t start right out of high school. He lived only a couple neighborhoods over from your parents’ house. Had it not been for the way the school districts were divided in your area, you totally would have gone to high school together! As it turns out, he was attending the state university that Olivia would be attending in the fall semester. He worked for the winery during times school was out for breaks.

“Yeah so if you ever need to go on a leave for school, Ms. Dimitrescu is really flexible with that stuff.”

“Good to know. I won’t need a leave though.” You then explained how you’d be attending the local university which conveniently had one of the best psychology programs and you’d be saving on tuition by having your own apartment since staying in dorms more than doubled tuition. 

Then you got onto talking about your interests and the more you got to know him, the more you came to realize he would be perfect for Olivia. The timing couldn’t have been worse. She had just gotten out of an abusive relationship and the last thing she needed was to go on the rebound. Granted, Dustin was the least threatening guy for her to do that with, but it would be a shame to waste a potentially excellent boyfriend candidate on rebounding. You’d just have to find a way to get them to meet when the time was right and Olivia was further removed from all that had happened with Robbie. 

Friday, the day Alcina would normally pay you your allowance, you noticed that the only deposit you had gotten was your first official check from the winery. It was a decent chunk of change, but you were still counting on your other payment. You had accompanied her for six days straight at this point.

“Hey, Alcina?”

“Yes, dear?”

“I almost hate to bring this up, but I noticed that I haven’t gotten my allowance from you.”

“And?” She asked while sitting on the sofa in her robe and nightgown, drinking a cup of black coffee. You could see she had already been awake for a while by the time you had woken up and padded down the stairs. 

“Are you going to send it or did I do something wrong?”

She chuckled darkly. “Hmm, if you want it so badly.” She uncrossed her legs and pulled her robe and nightgown up. “You’ll just have to work for it.” 

You more than happily obliged, getting on your knees  and putting your tongue and fingers to work as she threw her head back in ecstasy and curled a hand into your hair. 

Moments later you heard the telltale chime letting you know the payment was sent. 

“Did I just prostitute myself?” You laughed. 

“No, darling. I paid for your companionship and how you chose to spend that time with me was up to you and you just so happen to have an insatiable lust for me.” She winked. 

She wasn’t wrong, but the same could be said about her for you. She was the one begging for your services.  

Once Saturday came you began packing your stuff up to head back to your apartment. You thought it best to leave tonight so you could spend some time with Olivia. You were going to have her stay the night at your place. It would be like old times, except she didn’t have a room there anymore, instead you were going to go with even more of a throwback and sleep in the living room with blankets and pillows like you used to in high school. After your mom found out about your first girlfriend, you were no longer allowed to have your friends sleep in your room if they stayed over. You were lucky your mom let them stay over at all because she didn’t for the longest time, let alone let you spend the night anywhere else. Little did she know you did fool around with a couple different female friends after all that, but never Olivia. Olivia was almost like a sister to you and the girl was as straight as an arrow. 

Before you left Alcina said she wanted to speak with you. 

“As you know, the girls will be getting dropped off to me tomorrow.”

“I know, so you won’t be available to talk for most of the week. I’ll just see you at work and we’ll pick up where we left off next Sunday.”

“Look at you, miss presumptuous. You act as though you know my every move.”

“Don’t I?”

Alcina tilted her head. “You may think you’ve got me all figured out, but I am not the type of woman who can be boiled down to simple pattern recognition.”  She looked away and then back at you while you waited for her to continue. 

“As I was saying, the girls will be here tomorrow and after Kurt leaves, I’d like you to come back and meet them. Have dinner with us. Stay and chat a bit, but only if you want to and also under the condition that to them we are just friends.” 

Oh. This was the biggest step you’ve taken in your relationship. When you brought it up in the past, Alcina didn’t seem too fond of the idea. You weren’t sure you’d ever meet them, but now you actually would and not just in passing or having to be rushed out of the house due to Kurt’s fuckery, but actually meet them. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I think it would be good for you to meet and it might be the push I need to finally come out to them.”

You wrapped your arms around Alcina and she reciprocated your hug. 

When you got back to your apartment Olivia was already waiting in the parking lot in her car. You ran to hug each other and then went up to your apartment. You hadn’t bought any food for the week since you had been at Alcina’s, but with it being a sleepover it was the perfect excuse to order in. You got your food and watched movies while catching up on the past couple of weeks. 

“I have a therapy appointment on Monday. I just thought I’d let you know since that’s kind of your territory.” 

Oh thank god. You were so glad to hear it. That girl definitely needed a professional to talk to with all she had been through. 

“Aw, I’m proud of you for taking that step, Liv! How’d you find them?” 

“Through my doctor. I went in because of how depressed I’ve been since everything and she gave me the referral and a prescription for some antidepressants. I can’t tell if they’re doing anything yet other than making me feel sleepy so I just take them at night.”

Psychiatry wasn’t what you were going for, but you had some basic knowledge. “That’s normal, it takes a while for them to build up in your system. Some people get a placebo effect and immediately feel better when taking them, but it’s not actually from the pills. Just goes to show how powerful the mind can be.” 

“You’re a nerd.” 

You shrugged. “A nerd who bought all the food for tonight.” 

You were so happy to hear about Olivia’s progress. She would be seeing a trauma informed therapist who would be able to help her work through the abuse she experienced and hopefully her prescription antidepressants would be a good fit for her and she’d continue on the road to happiness. You stayed up pretty late and fell asleep on the floor which was not nearly as forgiving on your body as it had been in your teens. You wouldn’t mind another yoga class with Alcina to loosen up your stiff joints and then soothe your aching muscles in the sauna afterward. 

Olivia left soon after waking up. After the Robbie incident, her family made Sundays a designated family day so she had to get ready to go over to her grandparents. You wished your family was close like that, but other than the summer reunion and holidays, you didn’t see them much since starting college.

Since you’d be spending this week back at your apartment, you went out for some groceries and did some cleaning. It helped to pass the time until you got the text from Alcina saying to come over. As much as you wanted to meet the girls, you were so nervous. What if they didn’t like you? Surely that could negatively impact the future of your relationship with Alcina. The future…she wanted you to meet her kids this must mean that there’s more to this. 

When you arrived at the house you stalled in your car for a minute. You felt your heart racing. You swear you were more nervous now than you were the night you first met Alcina over at Beneviento’s. You finally worked up the courage and rang the doorbell. 

Alcina answered and in a very European manner, kissed both of your cheeks. This was likely a common way for her to greet people and also an excuse to be affectionate without being obvious. You stepped into the foyer with her. 

“Girls, come meet mommy’s friend.” Alcina’s voice echoed and you heard footsteps approaching. The two older girls were slower than the youngest who made a rapid pitter patter as she darted over to where you and Alcina were and then immediately hugged her mother’s legs, hiding behind her while still scoping you out. Bela and Cassandra approached with weak smiles saying hi in unison. 

Alcina introduced you by name and then formally introduced you to each of the girls. 

“From oldest to youngest, this is my newly blonde Bela.”

Bela waved and twirled her blonde locks in between her fingers. The coloring was so smooth and even. It had to have been professionally done. 

“My middle daughter, Cassandra, has yet to ask me to dye her hair from her natural brown. She is however begging me for other things I don’t feel she’s quite old enough for.”

“It’s just a cartilage piercing, mom!” Cassandra whined.

Alcina glared at her, mouthing the words “I said no.” 

“And finally, my little Daniela. Before you get out your mental Punnett square, we were just as surprised as everyone else, but Kurt and I both have redheads in our families.”

Daniela was adorable and the red hair really made her stand out. It was too bad she seemed so shy. She stayed behind Alcina, curiously peeking out at you, but moving back if she noticed you staring at her. 

“Can I have my phone back now?” Bela asked in an annoyed tone. 

“Mine too.” Cassandra chimed in. 

“Girls.” Alcina said sternly. “The phones stay on the chargers until after dinner.”

“Ugh!” Cassandra and Bela groaned. 

"You won’t get the phones back at all for the night unless the both of you have an attitude adjustment. Now, go wash up for dinner.” 

Cassandra and Bela left the foyer dragging their feet like zombies. 

Daniela tugged at her mother’s dress and Alcina looked down at her. “What is it, sweetheart?” 

Daniela tugged her dress again and Alcina got the memo and leaned down to let Daniela whisper in her ear. Alcina immediately burst into a giggle. 

You cocked your head at her. 

“Daniela says you’re pretty like a princess and  she wants to know if you’re here to play with her.” 

“Aw, thank you, Daniela. I think you’re the princess though. You have hair like Ariel.” 

“I love Ariel!” Daniela finally spoke up for the first time. She was so cute!

You wouldn’t consider yourself a huge fan of kids, but you were good with them and when you were around extended family you usually kept the younger cousins entertained. 

“Mommy, can I show her my room?”

You looked at Alcina and Alcina nodded at you. 

“Of course, Daniela, but remember we will be having dinner soon so you won’t get to play for very long. When mommy says it’s time to eat, it’s time to eat. Okay?” 

“Okay, mommy.” 

Daniela reached out for your hand and you grabbed her tiny hand in yours and let her lead you upstairs. When you had gotten up there, Daniela let go of your hand and excitedly bolted for the door that led to the bedrooms doing that exaggerated pant kids tend to do when they run. 

Daniela’s room was the first door on the left and when she opened it, you were amazed. It was the epitome of a princess bedroom complete with canopy bed. It was spacious and filled with toys including a rather large doll house. 

Daniela had just started telling you all the names of her baby dolls when Alcina came up to let you know dinner was ready. Instead of listening to her mother and coming right down she asked for more time to play. 

“Mommy, five more minutes please.” She whined, almost ear piercing. 

“Daniela.” Alcina said in a low tone. “You already know the rules and mommy would really appreciate it if you behaved yourself in front of our new guest.” 

Daniela still made no move to stop playing.

“One…two….two and a half.” Alcina started. Daniela continued to defy her mother, so unlike the polite little girl she was when you met her downstairs. 

“Two and three quarters. You know what comes next Daniela. If I get to three, you will be losing privileges.” 

“Don’t say three!” Daniela wailed, dropping her doll. 

“That’s better, but next time please put your toys down nicely. Okay?” 

Daniela crossed her arms in front of her with a sourpuss on her face and stomped out of the room. 

“Inside steps, Daniela.” Alcina scolded.

“ Hmph!” Daniela grunted and began to walk more quietly.

Alcina looked over at you. “Sorry about that.”

“No need to apologize. I’m sure I wasn’t too different when I was her age.” 

“Perhaps, but Daniela has been going through an extra bratty phase as of late. It seems to be at its worst when I get her back from her father’s. He doesn’t keep a routine there, the girls get to do whatever they want with no structure so when I get them, I always have to be the bad guy. Then by the time things are back to normal, they go back and Kurt undoes all of my progress.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I mean, at least Daniela is super cute.”

Alcina laughed. “That she is. Come on, let’s go eat.” 

Chapter Text

You followed Alcina downstairs and over to the dining room table. You had yet to try her cooking. During all of your time spent together, it was either take out, restaurant foods, or pre-packaged things. She did make you that nice smoothie bowl, but that was just blending fruits and protein powder. She said she wasn’t much of a cook, but whatever she made smelled pretty good! The girls were already sitting at the table. Bela and Cassandra were whispering next to each other while Daniela still had that pout on her face from not getting her way. Alcina would likely sit at the head of the table, that left you the other end of the table or the spot next to Daniela. The end of the table was probably your best bet. There weren’t any place settings out anyway. 

“You can go sit down if you’d like.” Alcina said to you in a softened tone. 

Although she offered, it did seem a bit rude to leave her by herself getting all the plates, silverware, and food. It also allowed you more time before having to choose your seat. 

“Would you mind if I helped you instead?”

Alcina’s eyes widened in surprise and a smile crept across her face. “Not at all, follow me.” 

It seemed she might have been testing you and on the off chance that she was, you passed. You followed her into the kitchen and could see she made a simple green salad that had a bottle of dressing to go with it. It looked like the same balsamic they used at the winery. The main course was a steak and pepper stir fry with some rice. 

“I’ll admit, I cheated a bit with this.” Alcina said, while handing you some plates out of the cupboard. 

“For the stir fry?” 

It didn’t seem like something that would require cheating, it was meat and vegetables. 

“I like to order those meal kits that are advertised just about everywhere. Makes for easier and more nutritious meals during my weeks with the girls. Why bother with a full grocery haul when it’s mainly only me here?” She laughed awkwardly.

Yeah, because you live off of salad and protein drinks. You thought to yourself. You didn’t say anything in response to that. Instead, you asked more about what you’d need to bring out to the table.

“Is there anything else you’d like me to take out with the plates?” 

“Yes, there’s the napkins and silverware.” She pointed to both that were set to go on the kitchen island. “Then if you wouldn’t mind coming back and grabbing the pitcher and the cups and…” She held her head in her hands for a moment and took a deep breath in. “Sorry, I’m a little flustered, I should have had the table set earlier.”

You weren’t sure why she was getting so worked up. It was just a dinner. Then again this was the first time you were properly meeting her daughters and even if they didn’t know the extent of your relationship yet, you could tell she only wanted things to go well and with Daniela already having a bit of a tantrum and the older two whining about their phones, the night didn’t seem to be going the way she envisioned it. 

“Alcina.” You whispered. “It’s okay. I’ll help you with whatever you need me to.” 

Alcina dropped her hands back to her sides and her face didn’t look nearly as stressed. Thinking about it deeper with your limited psychological expertise, it likely had more to do with her control issues around food and, well, just about everything that led to her feeling like she needed to have control over food than it had to do with the dinner itself. 

“You’re a peach.” She gave you a quick pat on your shoulder.

“Are you saying I’m fruity?” you joked. 

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Go.” She huffed and waved you in the direction of the dining room table.

Tough crowd. At least you could make yourself laugh. 

Everyone had their plates of food within minutes and Alcina had calmed down considerably. You wound up picking the spot at the other end of the table across from where Alcina sat at the head. You had an empty seat on your right with Daniela to the right of that chair. On your left was Bela, then Cassandra and of course Alcina. It felt a bit awkward, you would have preferred to sit next to Alcina, but you supposed it made more sense for the girls to sit close to their mother. They weren’t paying you any mind anyway apart from Daniela. She had already gotten over her mini tantrum. She was smiling at you and swinging her feet as you sat down. Once everyone was ready to eat, they dug right in. You were relieved they weren’t the type of family to say grace, not that you thought they would be. Alcina mentioned having a religious upbringing, another factor in her coming out later in life, so it was no wonder that religion was something she chose not to pass down to her children. You took a bite of your food, making sure to get a little of everything. It was good, could have used more seasoning, but from the way Alcina talked about her cooking skills, you were just glad it was edible. 

“Do you go to school?” Daniela was the first to break the silence with a question directed towards you. 

“I do, but right now I’m on my summer break since I’m in college.” 

Daniela’s eyes went wide with surprise and she nearly dropped her forkful of food. 

“Really?! I still have to go to school tomorrow. That’s not fair.” She whined. 

You suppressed the urge to laugh. Poor kid. Then again, what was she in? Kindergarten? First grade? If only your curriculum consisted of learning to spell basic words and coloring pictures rather than research papers. 

“Well, we start school a little bit earlier in college so when you’re still on your summer break in August, I’ll already be back in school again.”

Daniela formed an “O” with her mouth and nodded before focusing her attention back on her plate. 

“Speaking of school.” Alcina cut into the conversation. “Did you girls do your homework while you were at your father’s like I asked you to?” 

“I didn’t have homework!” Daniela chimed in happily. 

“What would your homework even be, Dani? Just wait till you get to middle school.” Cassandra remarked. 

Alcina simply squinted her eyes at Cassandra, causing her to straighten up her act. 

“Yes, mom, I did my homework.” She mumbled, looking down. 

“Bela?” Alcina asked. 

Bela looked away from her mother without saying anything. 

“ Bela? ” Alcina questioned again in a much more firm tone. 

“Most of it. I have one thing I can do in study hall tomorrow before that class.” Bela sounded really annoyed as she spoke and you could tell it was getting on Alcina’s nerves. 

“Oh no, I don’t think so. You’re not going to slack off simply because it’s getting towards the end of the year. You’ll finish your homework after dinner. No ifs, ands, or buts.” 

Alcina meant business. 

“You know, I might be able to help you depending on the subject.” You offered. “I did some peer tutoring when I needed community service hours for my participation in government class.” 

Bela shot you a dirty look. “No thanks.” 

Ouch. If you and Alcina ever made things official and told the girls about the true nature of your relationship, Bela was going to be a hard one to win over. Thank god for Daniela, she was the only one out of the three daughters who showed interest in you.

Alcina angrily tapped her nails on the dining table. “Bela, that wasn’t very nice. She was only offering to help you.” 

“Fine, I’m sorry. I just like to do my work alone.” She didn’t sound sorry at all, but you accepted her apology. 

You all continued eating, mostly in awkward silence apart from some small talk, mostly among Alcina and her daughters, occasionally a question would be directed towards you and almost exclusively from Daniela. Cassandra seemed to warm up a bit more, but Bela was definitely living up to the moody teenager Alcina made her out to be. You couldn’t fault her for that, you weren’t much different yourself at that age. 

Things continued on smoothly until you were all nearly finished eating. 

“Anything exciting happen while you were with your father this week?” 

“Dad’s seeing someone.” Bela answered smugly, without looking in her mother’s direction. 

Alcina nearly choked on her food before composing herself. “Is he now? Are you sure about this?”

The other two girls quietly sipped their drinks to avoid saying anything. 

“He had her over on Friday night and then they went out together. She introduced herself, but I don’t remember her name.” 

You could see that Alcina was gritting her teeth trying to keep it together. 

“Interesting. I’ll have to have a talk with him about that. Who came over to watch you all while he was out then?” 

“No one, Dad says I’m old enough to watch Cass and Dani for a couple of hours.” 

Alcina was fuming. “I disagree.” She said matter of factly. 

“Mom, I’m thirteen. I’m not a baby.” Bela argued. 

“That’s enough, Bela, we shall discuss this later. We have a guest.” 

Alcina successfully nipped the argument in the bud and the rest of the meal was completed in silence. 

“Can we have our phones back now?” Bela and Cassandra asked as you were helping Alcina clear the table. 

“Bela, you know better. I’ve already asked you to finish your homework. You can have it back then, but only if you finish before your bedtime.”

Bela just sighed and walked off, presumably to her room.

“As for you, Cassandra, how about you and Daniela go play together downstairs? There’s all those games you begged me to buy for you and I’m sure those will be much more fun than whatever it is you do on your phone.” 

Cassandra shrugged in agreement and she and Daniela went down into the basement that you didn’t know existed until now. You stayed and helped Alcina clear the plates to put into the dishwasher. The tension was palpable. 

“Is there anything more I could do to help?” You offered.

“Not really, we’re about finished loading up the dishes and anything else that got missed, the housekeepers can take care of tomorrow.” 

Right . You had seen them come and go a couple of times during the week you stayed with Alcina. Must be nice, but you couldn’t blame her. She had the funds and a house that big would be a lot for one person to take care of. Judging by the way the girls didn’t so much as offer to help, they probably would have the place destroyed during their weeks with their mother. 

“I just can’t believe him.” Alcina muttered while scraping a dish. 

“Kurt?” You whispered. 

“Precisely.” She whispered back. “He knows, we have an agreement that neither of us can bring a significant other around the girls unless both parties are aware of it. Things could get messy and it’s not healthy to bring other people into the girls' lives all willy-nilly. It’s hard enough for children of divorce.” She huffed while loading the last of the plates into the dishwasher. 

That seemed a bit hypocritical. Was she not doing the same thing right now? 

“Alcina-”

“Yes, I know. It’s different with us though. The girls don’t know of our arrangement, let alone my sexual orientation. They aren’t suspecting anything more of us and that’s how it’s going to stay.” 

You felt your heart drop at that. Why would she have you meet them at all then? You thought this was going to be a step towards a more traditional relationship. You were ready. You had been ready and you thought maybe she was getting to that point too. 

“No, no, darling. I don’t mean indefinitely. Just until I am ready to sit the girls down for the “Mommy likes girls” talk and then once they get to know you more, I’m sure they will understand.” She offered a calming hand to your shoulder. It was all she could do since there was a high risk of one of the girls bursting in and seeing the two of you. 

Despite the brief moment of hurt, she was still worth it. You both had your obstacles as to why you couldn’t be public. She had her daughters, an ex-husband, and was well known in the community. You had an unsupportive family, They probably wouldn’t disown you. Your parents already knew you were a lesbian, it had just turned into a don’t ask, don’t tell sort of situation. It was more about how your extended family would react. Judging by what you had heard them say during various family gatherings, it likely wouldn’t go over too well. Regardless of their feelings towards gay people though, there would probably be a far from welcoming response since the woman you were dating was old enough to be your mother and now also your boss. That was the perfect storm to cause quite the scandal. 

You decided to change the subject. “I didn’t know you had a basement.”

Alcina smiled, likely relieved that you were okay with things being the way that they were for now. “Indeed. There was never a reason for us to venture down there together. It’s essentially another play area for the girls. There’s a TV with a game console that I’d prefer to not be upstairs and a few other activities. I can show you, if you’d like.”

“I’m down for that.”

When you walked down the stairs you quickly realized that Alcina had downplayed the basement playroom. It was huge and finished of course. To you, a finished basement was the height of luxury. There was the aforementioned TV with gaming console along with some plush furniture. You could see there was another bathroom around the corner. There were also shelves with board games and finally what looked to be a pool table, but Alcina informed you that it could also serve as an air hockey table as well as table tennis. Those girls had no idea how lucky they were to be able to grow up with this kind of stuff. 

Daniela and Cassandra were playing the latest dance game on the tv. 

“Come play with us!” Daniela shouted.

“Oh, can three people play?” 

“Four people can, here I can grab you a controller.” Cassandra butted in. She seemed a lot more cheery without Bela there to influence her. 

Cassandra handed you the controller. 

“Wait, you said four people can play.” You looked over at Alcina.

Alcina waved her hands like a construction worker motioning for you to stop. 

Daniela giggled. “Mommy doesn’t play.”

“She’s right. I will gladly watch you three though.” 

“You’re no fun.” You teased her. 

Alcina smirked. “If you say so.” 

She was fun, just when it came to things of a more adult nature. 

You spent some time making an ass of yourself dancing along to a tv screen, but it was genuinely fun and Alcina looked like she was getting a kick out of watching you get along with her daughters. Well, two out of three of them anyway. Bela was still in her room either working on her homework still or not wanting to be bothered. 

Alcina called your name after you finished another dance level. 

“Would you mind coming upstairs with me for a moment?” 

“Not at all.” 

“No, don’t go!” Daniela wrapped her arms around you. “We’re still playing, mommy.”

“You can play with her again another time. She’s mommy’s friend, Daniela.” Alcina spoke to her in a soothing voice. 

Daniela let go of you and you were able to follow Alcina upstairs. Still no sign of Bela.

“Overall, what did you think of tonight?” Alcina asked you. 

“I think things went pretty well. I mean, there was that moment at dinner, but Daniela and Cassandra have been good company.” 

“That they are. Bela hasn’t been much of a people person as of late. I attribute that to this newly found teenage attitude of hers, but I’m sure she will warm up to you.” 

“I hope so.”

“That said, it is getting a bit late and the girls are still in school for a few more weeks so I need to be sure they’re getting to bed at a proper time. I’m sure Kurt has gone and ruined their sleep schedules since he lets them run wild during his custody weeks.”

“I understand.” 

Alcina took a quick look around and gave you a brief peck on the lips. So brief that it was practically over before it began, but still enough to give you butterflies. 

“We’ll continue this next Sunday, my dear.” 

All you could do was smile and nod. 

“Girls! Come and say goodbye.” 

You heard Daniela and Cassandra’s footsteps pounding up the basement steps, but no sign of Bela leaving her room. 

“Bela!” Alcina said in a more commanding tone. It worked though because you heard the door opening and her footsteps slowly reaching the top of the steps only to stand there. 

“Downstairs please.”

Bela grunted and made her way down to where everyone was standing. 

“I finished my homework. Can I have my phone back now please?”  She whined. 

Alcina sighed. “You and that phone. Yes, you may in just a minute, but only until it’s time for bed which is coming up shortly.”

You said bye to the girls and Alcina. Cassandra and Daniela looked sad to see you go. Bela, however, had this look on her face like she knew something was up. You wouldn’t doubt if she did know something more was going on. You knew kids weren’t stupid and to put it into perspective, Bela was only eight years younger than you. You probably would have known something was up at her age too. As you drove back to your apartment, you thought more in depth about it. Bela bringing up that her father was seeing someone in the way that she did, absolutely trying to get a rise out of her mother. She was certainly perceptive. Either that, or you were overthinking the situation. 

The upcoming week was going to be pretty boring. You were going to have a few shifts at the winery, this time you’d be on your own though since your training  period with Dustin would be over. You felt you could handle it now though, at least for an average weekday night. There was going to be another wedding there on Saturday that you would be working since it would be an all hands on deck sort of situation. On the days you weren’t working, you were planning on spending more time on your apartment. You had hardly been there and you still wanted to pick up a few things to make it more “you” since you were no longer sharing your space with Olivia. Speaking of her, she was also busy this week. You had been keeping in contact through text and she appeared to be doing well since starting therapy and meds. You were glad she was slowly finding happiness again without Robbie, but you hated that so much of your time living together was ruined by her being with him. Bastard. You didn’t want to think of him anymore. Instead, your thoughts turned to Alcina. You found yourself thinking of her almost constantly. You always felt that pull to want to be with her, something you never felt in your prior relationships. You’d be seeing her at work of course, but you wouldn’t have any alone time together until Sunday. Sunday couldn’t come soon enough.

Your first shift at the winery for the week was uneventful. You worked as a hostess again and it was a pretty quiet night. Dustin was working over in the tasting room so you couldn’t even goof off with him. Oddly enough, Alcina didn’t show up either. You thought she would, but Dustin did say how it was weird for her to show up when there wasn’t an event or a new hire. Come to think of it, this was actually normal rather than out of place. Although you would miss her subtle teasing, trying to get you flustered as you took orders. There was a shift supervisor there instead, it wasn’t someone you hadn’t met before, just another worker who had been there longer. They were pretty chill and the night went by smoothly. Family meal was good as always and then you got to go home. 

On the way back you thought, why not call Alcina? You put the phone on speaker and hit the call button in your text conversation window. You were relieved when she picked up. 

“Hello, my dear. Something the matter?”

“No, not at all. Just wanted to talk while I drove home. It was weird not having you at work today.”

“Aw, did someone miss me? Well, I’ve missed you too, but as you know, it’s my week with the girls and I generally don’t have a need to be there unless something bigger is going on. I was only there for your training shifts to make sure you were faring well.”

“Makes sense. So you’ll be there on Saturday then?”

“I will. We’ve got that Campbell wedding and a new girl will be starting too.” 

A new girl, that should be interesting.

“Listen, as much as I’d love to continue this conversation, I’ve got to get the girls wrangled up for bedtime. Drive safely, and I will talk to you later.”

“I will. Bye, Alcina.”

“Talk to you later, darling.” 

You felt so empty when the call ended, but later that night as you were getting into bed, Alcina sent you some scandalous lingerie pictures that got you aching with desire. You reciprocated and that went back and forth until you were both satisfied. You couldn’t wait to have the real thing though. Soon enough. 

It was Saturday and now you’d be seeing Alcina again. You got ready for work and headed off for what would be a very busy day. Catering to weddings always was. 

As soon as you got in you could see there was a nervous looking girl dressed in all black like the rest of you. New meat. 

Alcina was dressed to impress as per usual. A white dress that perfectly hugged her curves, showing tasteful cleavage, falling above her knees, paired with a wide brimmed black hat and heels.

“Everyone, this is Erica, she will be starting with us today so I hope you will all treat her well and show her the ropes.”

Everyone greeted Erica and Alcina directed her towards you and Dustin.

You introduced yourself to her and so did Dustin.

“So, I guess I’m training with you guys. What should I do first?”

You spoke up before Dustin could. “You see that coffee station over there? The hot water needs to be emptied.”

“Oh, okay.” Erica said, seeming confused but willing to follow direction. 

Dustin looked at you and mouthed “dude, no.” You shushed him and had him follow you to a vantage point where you could watch.

It didn’t take long for Dustin to get on board and you both laughed at Erica’s confusion as she filled up pitcher after pitcher of hot water, never catching onto the fact that the hot water could never be emptied unless the waterline went out. You had to cover your mouth to keep yourself from laughing too loud. Erica was filling up yet another pitcher when Alcina walked out of the office and you knew you were done for. She went right over to Erica and you could see that they were whispering. Erica immediately ratted the both of you out, pointing over in your direction. 

“Oh shit.” You whispered as you saw Alcina turn to you with fire in her eyes. 

“You two, in my office, now.” 

The fun was definitely over. 

Alcina barely waited for the door to close behind you before she let you both have it. 

“What the hell were you two thinking!? You know how busy wedding season is. There’s no time for your little pranks on the new hires. It wasn’t funny the first time, Dustin, and it’s not funny now.”  She then turned to you. “And you. I expected so much better from you and for you to go along with Dustin’s prank instead of committing to your work? I’m very disappointed in you.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Dimitrescu.” Dustin said.

“Sorry isn’t going to cut it this time, Dustin. Give me one reason why I shouldn’t write you up right now.” 

“Because it was my idea.” You interrupted. 

Alcina turned her attention back to you. 

“Is this true? You’re not just covering for Dustin? He’s been known to pull this prank before.”

“It really was me. After I learned what that prank was, I thought it would be funny to do to the new girl. Dustin tried to stop me, but I was the one who convinced him to follow my lead.”

Alcina’s furrowed brows dropped.

“Either way, I’m not happy. Dustin, you’re free to go back to work. No write up this time, but next time I won’t so much as hesitate.” 

“Yes, Ma’am.” He said before leaving her office leaving you alone with Alcina. 

“You.” She shouted in a way that startled you. “Are in so much trouble.”

You gulped. “Are you going to write me up?”

She laughed. “No, nothing like that. You’ll get your punishment tomorrow. Be at my house at 6:30 pm sharp. Now, get back to work.”  

Oh? So you weren’t actually getting punished at all. Sweet. This only had you looking forward to your time together on Sunday even more. 

The preparation for the wedding was chaotic. You apologized to Erica, but she didn’t seem too keen on accepting your apology and continued to be awkward and quiet throughout the rest of the shift. Hopefully, she would get over it if she was going to be working with you from now on. It was just a stupid prank. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. All of them were. It was such a fantastic venue for the ceremony itself and the reception. It got you fantasizing again about your own wedding day. If you’d get to have one that is.

You were beat by the time you were driving home. You had to blast music on your phone to keep you awake since your radio wasn’t working and your car was too old for both bluetooth connectivity and an auxiliary cord. You texted Alcina to let her know you had gotten home safe, not that she asked, It had just gotten to be a habit and then you were out as soon as you hit the pillow. 

Sunday evening came and you were all packed and ready for Alcina’s. She didn't say anything about staying the week again, but you still packed as if you were. You timed your drive so you’d be there at exactly 6:30 or a little earlier. You knew tardiness wouldn’t be an option for your “punishment” as she was calling it. You pulled into her driveway and walked up to the front door where she greeted you. 

“Upstairs.” 

She barked out her order in a way that had you frantically taking your shoes off and heading to her room as quickly as possible. No sooner than you got in there she was already behind you.

“Undress.” 

She was both frightening and incredibly sexy with the way she was ordering you around. You did as she said, taking off everything until you were completely naked in front of her. 

Her eyes went dark with lust as she hummed her approval. She began running her hands over your body causing you to get goosebumps as her fingers traced along your breasts and abdomen. You weren’t seeing how this was part of your punishment. 

You felt the sharp sting of her hand against your ass as she swatted you. It was more startling than it was painful and it made you gasp. 

“That’s for your little stunt yesterday.”

“I-I.”

She swatted you again before you could finish your sentence.

“Ah-ah-ah.” She waved her finger at you. “That’s not a proper apology. Use your big girl words.”

“I’m sorry, Alcina.”

She spanked you again. It was starting to hurt a lot more now with each smack, but you were simultaneously turned on by it. You hadn’t tried anything like this before, but you weren't opposed to it. 

“That’s Mistress to you.”

What? That was new, but it was honestly really hot. 

“I’m sorry, Mistress.”

You felt the sting of her hand again.

“I’m sorry, Mistress, what?” She grabbed your ass and dug her nails in, waiting for your response

“I’m sorry, Mistress, I won’t pull pranks at work ever again.” You hoped that would suffice because you weren’t sure you could handle more spanking. She was stronger than she looked.

She loosened her grip and gently caressed the same asscheek she had slapped to a bright red only moments ago. 

“That’s better.” She let her hand wander back to your front and slip in between your legs. “Oh, what’s this?” She pulled her fingers out to where you could see them glistening in the light. “Already so wet for me. You liked that, didn’t you?”

“Yes, Mistress.” You answered without hesitation. 

She pushed you onto the bed and positioned her head in between your thighs and began lavishing attention on your sensitive bud. She worked her tongue and fingers in a perfect rhythm as she did every time. You were moaning in pleasure and so very close to coming when she stopped completely, sitting on the bed next to you, leaving you flushed, panting, and desperate for her to finish what she had started. 

“Why’d you stop?” 

She chuckled darkly. “You didn’t think I was going to let you get away with it that easily, did you?”

She began undressing until she was as bare as you were and then she opened her locked drawer, reaching for the harness and dildo she had used on you a few weeks prior, but instead of putting them on herself, she tossed them at you. 

Oh. This was going to be interesting. You struggled with the harness and dildo while Alcina got on her hands and knees on the mattress. Once you finally got it right, you got behind her in preparation to try and fuck her the way she wanted you to. Seeing her positioned like that could have been enough to make you come with how worked up you were already. You lined the dildo up with her entrance and clumsily thrust yourself inside of her. She moaned as you hilted the toy cock inside of her. At least you seemed to be doing something right. You pulled out slightly and thrust in again, earning another moan of pleasure. You experimented with how you were moving your hips, but you couldn’t seem to get the motion down. When she fucked you, she made it seem so easy. You were starting to get out of breath, it was a real workout. It was evident all her time at the gym paid off for her when you were on the receiving end. 

Alcina motioned for you to stop. You felt like you failed her as you pulled out and she stood up. 

“Here, darling. Lie back on the bed.”

You did as she told you and she positioned herself over you. 

“You did as well as you could. It's not the easiest thing to get right your first time. I’ll just have to teach you. In the meantime-” She sank down onto the toy with ease and let out a satisfied sigh. “I can handle it from here.” 

She began to ride you and it was an incredible sight to behold. She sighed and moaned as her breasts bounced each time she lifted herself up and then slid down over the toy again. She’d alternate between that and grinding herself into your hips. At first, you thought this would mostly be for her, but you could feel the back end of the toy pressing into your clit every time her hips met yours and you began to arch your hips to meet hers rather than letting her use you to fuck herself. You then brought a hand between you to rub at her clit providing some extra stimulation. She responded by leaning in, practically laying on top of you and at the perfect angle to get one of her nipples into your mouth. You sucked at her nipple and rubbed at her clit while continuing to thrust your hips upwards, only to realize you were steadily building yourself up to our own orgasm as much as you were hers. You also noticed you had begun to do most of the work, finally getting the motion right with your hips. 

With a few harsher thrusts, she reached her climax, letting her head fall back in ecstasy, moaning your name and grinding harder against you as she rode her waves of pleasure. The feeling of the pressure against your own clit was enough to bring you to a more subdued orgasm as well. She rolled off of you, laying next to you on the bed. 

“I told you, you’d get it right.” She spoke smoothly, fully satisfied from her orgasm. 

“Does this mean I’m forgiven?” You asked her. 

“It does, but seriously no more pranks at work. Wedding season is enough to make me take up smoking again and I’ve been doing so well.”

She really had, it had to be at least a couple of months now. 

“Now, take that contraption off. I’m not done with you just yet.”

You happily obliged, setting everything aside to be cleaned later. Alcina wrapped her arms around you, holding you close to her. 

“I wasn’t too rough with you, was I?” She asked while caressing your sore backside. 

“No, well, I mean I can still feel it stinging, but I actually really liked it. Something new.” 

Alcina brought her lips to yours for a slow, sensual kiss. 

“Hmm, I guess it wasn’t much of a punishment then, but I enjoyed that look on your face as I spanked you. You took it like a champ. Such a good girl you are.” She purred. 

God she was already making you aroused again. 

“You also weren’t supposed to come yet, I wanted to keep edging you, it was such fun for me seeing you so desperate.” 

“I’m just as surprised as you are. I didn’t think I could come from something like that.”

“I guess I’m just that good.” She winked. 

“Well, the night is young. I’m still willing to let you do whatever you want to me.” You said suggestively. 

Alcina giggled as she pinned you down to the mattress. 

“Mmm, I love how eager you are.” She said between placing kisses all over your neck and chest. “I can’t wait to see just how desperate I can make you.” 

She held to her word. She knew how to bring you right to the precipice and then she’d back off. It went on for what felt like hours to the point of it being torturous. Then once you reached the point where you truly felt you couldn’t take it anymore, she gave you everything you needed to make you come and it had to be the most intense orgasm of your life. You were completely out of breath and exhausted once she was done with you. When you went to the bathroom to clean up, you noticed just how red you were from her spanking earlier. It was definitely going to bruise, but you didn’t mind at all. Another mark to show that you were hers even if no one else could see it. You fell asleep that night with a smile on your face, settled comfortably in her arms. 

Chapter Text

It was still dark out when you opened your eyes. From what you could see outside of Alcina’s bedroom window, the sky was pitch black and loaded with stars. Sure enough, it was only 2:30 AM. Alcina was still turned on the side she had been spooning you in, breathing deeply. She looked angelic with her curls framing her face and her mouth slightly agape. You curled back into her, attempting to use her steady breathing as a metronome to lull you back to sleep. After closing your eyes and focusing on her breath, you waited for sleep to find you, but it never did. There was too much on your mind. Alcina never let you know how her talk with the girls went or what happened with Kurt. Did she talk to them at all? If so, it had to have gone smoothly, she was still inviting you over and depositing your allowance every Friday which was immensely helpful with both the rent increase and the burden of a 2 bedroom apartment now completely on your shoulders. 

A few more minutes passed and you couldn’t take it anymore. You wiggled back into Alcina in a way that wouldn’t seem purposeful, but would likely be enough to wake her up. She wasn’t that heavy of a sleeper. Sure enough, it did the trick and she started stirring behind you. You turned to face her as she was opening her eyes. 

“Mmm, good morning, my sweet.” She croaked, her voice dry from sleeping with her mouth open. “What time is it?” 

“It’s a few minutes to three. I woke up around 2:30 and I can’t seem to fall back to sleep.”

Alcina pulled you closer to her. 

“I know that one.” She said, stroking your face. “I can always tell when something is on your mind. You get a little vein that pops out right-” She touched the space between your brows. “Here.” She giggled. 

It had been a few months since you had gotten together and it was touching that she was so in tune with your body language. You were aware of her quirks too. Her subtle nostril flares when something pissed her off, the way her eyes would light up when she talked about the things she loved whether it be her daughters or her favorite films, the way her whole demeanor would soften when you walked into the winery for a shift. She was perceptive and you were much more expressive than she was, she probably had an entire dossier on you by now. 

“There is something on your mind, isn’t there?” She repeated. “Tell me?” It wasn’t a question, but her voice pitched up as if it were one. 

“Well.” You took a deep breath to compose yourself. “I was just thinking about last week and how everything went with the girls, did you have the chance to talk with them or with your ex about us?”

Alcina averted your gaze for a moment before responding. “I’ll be honest. I have not, at least not to the girls. I did, however, confront Kurt about the information Bela so kindly revealed during dinner. He claimed to not know what I was talking about and kept asking if there was something I’d like to tell him, which I suppose was warranted, but he was the one who came over unannounced that first time I had you over.” 

You couldn’t be upset with her. You had your parents and extended family that you couldn’t tell, probably ever, but in the grand scheme of things, they didn’t matter. It was your life to live, you were independent, well, mostly independent(thanks, Alcina), and your family had no say in who you chose to be with. Your best friend knew and when the time was right, you’d be able to be public. If the time ever would be right… Alcina had a lot more on her plate with her children and an ex-husband who seemed bitter about her not only leaving, but the circumstances that caused her to file for divorce. It seemed he was holding that first day you were at the house against her, but she was right! He had no business being there and he wouldn’t have known anything since Alcina was very guarded about her private life with you until that point. You reflected on how much your relationship had progressed since then, from surface level dates to late night conversations in bed about your deepest secrets. Sure, the relationship hadn’t been defined beyond the arrangement you had, but it had become so much more than sugaring. 

“Ugh, has Kurt always been such an ass?” you groaned.

It got another laugh out of Alcina. 

“Actually, no. I mentioned to you before how we dated briefly in high school. Our families had been involved for years. Always the Dimitrescus, the Heisenbergs, the Moreau family, and the Benevientos running in the same circles.”

Made sense, those families practically built the town, each having a successful and wealthy lineage. You didn’t question her further, continuing to let her talk. 

“Kurt was the shy twin while his brother Karl was and still is the abrasive one. Kurt was always doing sweet things for me and he never pressured me into doing anything I didn’t want to do since he knew, or rather thought, that I was a virgin all throughout high school. I still broke up with him, for obvious reasons, but he constantly tried to win me back during the summer before I went off to college. I never understood why he wanted me so badly when other girls were falling all over him.”

You understood why. Alcina was a total knockout. 

“He would have been perfect if I had any attraction to men, but I don’t. Sexuality can be fluid for some, but consider me a solid.” 

Same for you and you were glad that you never felt pressured enough to ever be with men. Not that the pressure wasn’t there, but you and Alcina had grown up in very different times. It was much easier for you to be true to yourself. 

“I know you said that you only wound up marrying Kurt because your parents kept pushing you to get married and stuff. How did you wind up back together after so many years? If it’s not too much of me to ask, of course.”

“It’s not too much at all, my dear. It feels good to be able to talk so openly with you. I haven’t had this in such a long time. Those other girls before you, we never got to talking like this. I never would have thought to do half of the things we do together with any of them. I never opened my home to them, talked about my daughters beyond saying that I had children, nor did I ever discuss my past. What we have-” Alcina paused, stopping herself from elaborating further. 

Damn it . 

“Anyway, I was 29, Kurt and I ran into one another and we were both single. At that point, I was numb. I went along with whatever he wanted to do in an attempt to appease my parents and lie to myself that being with a man was something I could do. He proposed within months, we married the next year, and the year after that I had my Bela. I loved her and being a mother so much that it got easier for a while to continue the lies, but as I mentioned before I was in quite the state after having Daniela. She was a rough pregnancy and I knew she’d be my last. Then my father went and died on me, the more tolerable one of my parents, but still on the stern side. Everything had to change. I was struggling with postpartum depression, something I didn’t have with either of my girls before Daniela. If I didn’t get out, things were going to end very badly. I couldn’t do that to my babies.”

You immediately picked up on the implication while Alcina blinked solemnly. You held her tighter for a moment. She brought her lips to yours for a tender kiss. 

“I never told anyone that before.” She confessed. 

“Looks like we’re even then. The last time we had one of these pillow talks, I was crying and snotting all over you over something I had never told anyone about.”  

You both laughed at this, the building tension instantly dissipated. 

“So, like, what’s Kurt’s deal then? Is he homophobic? Why does he care so much about you moving on?”

Alcina shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t necessarily classify him as a homophobe. Ignorant perhaps? When I came out to him, I confessed that I had only been with women sexually before we became a couple. That seemed to really interest him.”

“Men.” You scoffed. 

“Exactly. As you know, we briefly tried the open marriage thing for the sake of the kids before officially separating and he was eager for me to bring women into the bedroom as well as hear about any extramarital affairs I had. That aside, his issue has to do with our age gap. He chided me that first night that you were too young for me and again when I spoke with him last. No one blinks twice at men who do the same thing if not worse. You’re a fully legal adult who is of drinking age, that’s non-negotiable for me, I’d never date lower than that, so I don’t see the issue. Even if it’s about bringing you around the girls, we’ve been seeing each other for months now. If Kurt can bring some random woman home and leave the girls by themselves while they go out, I should be able to bring my g-” Alcina’s eyes widened and she cleared her throat. “Sorry, I was trying to say that I should be allowed to introduce you to the girls since I have been seeing you for an extended period of time.”

You felt your heart drop. Was she about to call you her girlfriend! ? Neither of you acknowledged it. 

“Regardless of his opinion, he didn’t say anything about not wanting you around the girls, not that he has the right to say such a thing, and I am willing to let him have his little trollop so long as proper babysitting arrangements are made if they must go out during his custody weeks. Bela isn’t the most responsible, try as I might.” 

“I could see Cass and Dani being a handful for her, they’re so high energy. I’m just glad they seemed to like me though. Bela looked like she wanted me gone.”

Should you have said that?

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about her. She’ll come around. I think once the school year ends, she won’t have such an attitude. Daniela keeps asking when you’re going to come over and play again.” The corners of Alcina’s mouth perked up slightly. 

“Aw, that’s so sweet. I’d love to, if it’s okay with her mom of course.” You teased. 

“Absolutely. The girls have a three day weekend next weekend. If you’d like, you’re welcome to stay through next Sunday evening when they’re dropped off to me again. We’re going to stay up late, have a little fire, maybe make some s’mores. Their little friend Eva might come by too with her mother Miranda.” 

“Wait, wasn’t Miranda one of the women you dated after you left Kurt?”

“Jealous now, are we?”

“No, just spouting out facts I remembered.” 

You weren’t jealous, you had no reason to be.

“How about you, my dear? Are you friends with any of your exes?”

“No. I’ve only had two actual girlfriends. Kelly who…” you trailed off and Alcina grimaced, likely remembering what you had told her prior. “Then there was Megan, but we also ended kinda badly since I wasn’t fully out and she didn’t want to feel like I was hiding her. That was always a fight between us.”

You were glad that you and Alcina were on the same page of not having to be social media official like your ex insisted on. None of that stuff mattered to you anyway. All you wanted was to be her girlfriend without having to be completely secretive about it. 

“Anyway, we didn’t keep in touch and I deleted her off all my social media a while back now. I’m not sure I could be friends with an ex, it would all depend. It’s not awkward between you and Miranda at all?” 

Alcina pondered for a moment. “No, we dated so briefly, I hardly count it. We figured out very quickly we were better suited as friends. For the record, we didn’t even sleep together. It’s also nice that Eva is close in age with the girls. She’s ten so she’s more of a playmate to Cassandra, though Daniela always wants to play with “ the big girls.'' Bela is good with her too which I’m glad to see since Eva has had a rough go of it with everything, but in spite of it all, she’s a sweet girl and I am glad that a failed attempt at a relationship between her mother and I has resulted in us becoming close family friends.”

Alcina sighed happily and closed her eyes, she was starting to look like she could doze off again. You, on the other hand, had been reenergized by all the talking. 

“You mean like with her parents divorcing?”

“Mmm, not quite.” Alcina mumbled sleepily. “Miranda and Eva’s father were never married and he’s only financially involved as far as I know.” She was starting to slur her words together. “My apologies, dear. I don’t mean to fall asleep on you, but I can hardly keep my eyes open.”

You looked at the clock and it was now close to four. 

“I’ll let you get your beauty sleep, Alcina. Not that you need it.” You almost called her babe again, but the pet names didn’t come to you naturally the same way she effortlessly did with you.

“Hmm.” She hummed with a slight smile. Then she was out. 

You wanted to go to sleep again and you thought you’d be able to after clearing the air, but something was still nagging at the back of your mind. 

Your week with Alcina went by smoothly as it always did. It was a really nice routine you had going. A week to yourself in your own apartment, and a week staying at Alcina’s place. While it was nice to have your own place to retreat to, your weeks with Alcina were something you looked forward to most. You got along so well, she spoiled the absolute shit out of you with gifts, dinners, drinks, and incredible sex. Her bed was also so much more comfortable than yours. You already knew if you mentioned it a few more times, she’d probably buy you a new mattress, but what you wanted most was to stay in her nice king sized bed with her every night. 

Regarding the winery, you worked your usual Tuesday and Thursday shift. Dustin was there as was Erica who was sent off to train with someone else. Fine by you, you weren’t a fan of having to babysit the new hire. Dustin seemed a lot more serious after that incident with the coffee station prank, but you were able to tear through the walls he put up and you were back to goofing around in no time, just not enough to get in trouble. 

Your phone started buzzing during your Thursday shift and while you knew you shouldn’t have been checking your phone at work, it was quiet enough for you to sneak off and see who was trying to text you. You could hardly contain your excitement once you saw who it was. 

“Hey!!! I’m back in town for a few days. Me, you, and Liv should go out Friday night! It’s been WAY too long. You bitches need to fill me in on everything.”

It was your friend Sam! Like Olivia, you had known Sam since high school too and while he wasn't your best friend, you were all pretty close. Plus, Sam was also gay so you had that in common. Unlike you and Olivia who opted to do your first two years of school at the local community college, Sam immediately went away for college up in the mountains. He had an apartment with roommates and he really only came around during shorter holiday breaks. He was living his best life out there since he loved hiking, fishing, and anything outdoorsy which is why he chose to continue living up there even when school wasn’t in session. You’d have to go up and visit him there sometime. You couldn’t justify spending the money on gas before, but now you could spare the money so long as your car could make it up there. You just hoped that if he wanted to hike, he would pick one of the easier trails, you weren’t an aspiring 46er like he was. 

You eagerly answered him back. 

“Hell yeah! I’ll let Liv know ASAP. I’m sure she’s dying to go out. I think she still has her fake too.”

“Awesome! I tried to text her myself, but her number was out of service? I also couldn’t find any of her profiles online.” 

That’s right. Olivia had to get her number changed for safety reasons after Robbie and she still wasn’t back on social media. You didn’t want to go into detail with Sam. She could tell him herself if she felt up to it. 

“Oh yeah, she got a new number recently and she’s taking a social media break, but I’ll let her know to text you so you can add her new one.”

“Cool, thanks!”

You went to text again, but you saw the shift supervisor lurking around. Alcina didn’t come in again today. She was doing virtual meetings from home with distributors about a new blend you had yet to try. She was in meetings often and at weird times depending on time zones, but never too frequently. She still had plenty of leisure time to do as she pleased which worked in your favor during your weeks together. 

When you went back to work, naturally you crossed paths with Dustin. 

“Psst.” you tried to get his attention. 

“This better not be another prank idea. I can’t lose this job.”

Of course he’d jump to that. 

“No, I know better now. Trust me, Ms. Dimitrescu had my ass after you left the office.”

The manner in which how exactly she had your ass, he didn’t need to know. You were fine with letting him think you got yelled at or written up. 

“I wanted to ask you if you were free on Friday night? One of my friends is back in town and we’re gonna make it a group thing, probably go to one of the clubs. You’re welcome to join us.”

Dustin’s face lit up. “I’m down. Are you sure your friends wouldn’t mind?”

“Nah, they won’t mind at all. You and my friend Liv are practically the same person, you’ll get along great and Sam can chill with just about anybody.” 

He nodded. “Yeah, just let me know the details. We can probably all split the cost of a ride there and back so none of us have to DD.” 

“I like your thinking. We can all meet at my apartment, just gimme your number and I’ll get us all in a group chat.” 

Dustin looked around to make sure the shift supervisor wasn’t nearby and you both took your phones out to exchange contact information. 

When your shift ended, you skipped out on family meal because Alcina was going to take you out somewhere. She booked a table at some hot spot sushi place that was nearly impossible to get into, but she could get a table just about anywhere in town at any time she wanted.  

Once you got back to her place, you showered together and then got dressed for your date. Alcina bought you an entirely new outfit for the occasion. A form fitting red dress with heels and accessories to match. She wore something similar with a more vintage twist. You did your makeup with the new products she bought you, top of the line palette, mascara, eyeliner, everything you could ever want and things you never thought of before when you were buying your stuff from the drug store. You didn’t realize how good and necessary things like primer were back when you were fumbling with the cheapest of cheap. You liked her for so much more than her money and what she could provide you, but man did you love being spoiled. 

Alcina had a driver bring you to the restaurant and when you walked in, you were promptly escorted to a roped off and secluded area. The service was immediate and excellent. Alcina had ordered you a love boat to share and copious amounts of sake. Your eyes practically bulged out of your head when your entree was brought to you, it was on an actual little wooden boat and loaded with all sorts of sashimi, sushi rolls, different kinds of fish roe, and more. You couldn’t fathom what the cost was. 

You both laughed as you drank and fed each other random pieces off of the love boat. That sake you had been drinking was potent. You were really starting to feel it. You were warm all over . You couldn’t wait until she took you back home. When you left the restaurant, you were both hanging onto each other as you walked to the car. If you had to describe it, you were a level between tipsy and actually drunk. It was nice and you were glad Alcina hired a driver to take you out so you could both enjoy yourselves. 

After walking in the door, you immediately were all over each other and she carried you up the stairs as she often did. You thought you were maybe in for another rough night, but she was so slow and gentle with you. This is what you’d imagine it would be like to make love to somebody and you cringed at that term normally, but it felt right this time. 

Friday came and you explained your plans to Alcina. 

“I take it that means you’re not coming back here tonight?”

Shit. She was right. You’d all be meeting at your apartment and splitting the cost of a ride share to and from the club. Everyone was probably gonna have to stay the night at your place unless everyone found their own individual rides back. 

“I guess not, but I’ll come back first thing on Saturday after everyone leaves.” 

“That sounds like a plan, dearest. You should be going off and having fun with your friends at your age. I remember my twenty-first year very fondly. Just as long as you find your way back to me when you’re able.” She winked and you blushed at her charm. 

“Don’t drink too much though, I’m going to need you on Saturday. You know the drill, another wedding. The Falcone family this time and everything needs to be absolutely perfect for them.”

“If not, they’ll have you whacked, right?” You joked. That family was also well known and not for anything good. 

Alcina gasped and you knew you shouldn’t have said that. 

“My word, playing right into insensitive stereotypes. You might not be wrong in this case though so please, don’t get too carried away.” 

You breathed a sigh of relief. She was a little too good with her acting sometimes. She should have pursued a career in the entertainment industry. 

After kissing Alcina goodbye, you made the drive back to your apartment. As much as you wanted to hang out with your friends and you knew you shouldn’t become one of those girls who only wanted to spend time with their significant other, you really wanted to be with Alcina right now. 

You got back to your apartment and picked out what you’d be wearing for the night. The place you had settled on in the group chat was a bar rather than a club, but there was a dance floor and a nice outdoor area. The weather had been warming up as spring was starting to give way to summer. You could definitely get away with casual wear and doing your hair and makeup with the new products Alcina had bought you. It’s not like you were looking to flirt with anyone, you had your own lady and you just wanted to have fun with friends. 

People started arriving at your place shortly after you had finished getting ready. The first was Sam who came barreling in with a bottle of cinnamon flavored whiskey. 

“Sam!” You ran to hug him, careful to not send the bottle crashing into the floor. 

“You have to tell me everything, it’s been way too long. Spill that tea, bitch.” 

You filled Sam in as much as you could about your life since you had last seen each other, avoiding everything that happened with Olivia and Robbie and also not mentioning anything about Alcina other than the fact you were working for her winery. It’s not that you didn’t trust Sam, but Dustin would be there soon and Olivia was the only person who knew and not even to the full extent. You probably wouldn’t ever tell anyone about the sugar baby thing. Olivia also knew to keep quiet about your relationship with Alcina. 

“Damn, that winery must pay you really well to be able to live here alone. I have three roommates. I’d kill to have my own place.” 

“Three roommates now? Don’t you live in a two bedroom?” 

“Tell me about it. It was originally just me, Austin, and Michaela. Austin and Michaela are together so they share a room and I have the other one, but it was getting harder and harder to pay rent so their friend Greg has been staying with us and chipping in. I still have my own room thankfully because Greg just crashes in the living room on the futon. It’s cramped and Greg’s shit is just kind of everywhere. I’d still take the apartment over the dorms though since I’d have to move back home between semesters.”

You felt him there. That’s why you moved out as soon as you were able, you would not be able to deal with living with your parents again now that you tasted freedom. 

Dustin showed up then and Olivia right after. Dustin looked pretty casual as did Sam. Olivia dressed up, heels and all, she did not understand the assignment, but she looked super cute so you were fine being the frump in comparison tonight. She deserved to have a good time and have guys buy her drinks and flirt with her or whatever the hets like to do when they’re out. 

Olivia and Sam hugged while Dustin stood there a bit awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. 

“Guys, this is Dustin by the way from our group chat in case that wasn’t obvious. He and I work together at the winery.” 

“Oh my god!” Olivia shrieked. She never had much of an inside voice. “That’s why you look so familiar. You were there when my family had the graduation luncheon for me.” 

“Yup.” Dustin laughed. “That was me.”

“Are we pregaming or what?” Sam interrupted while opening the bottle of whiskey. 

“Hang on, let me get some cups or something. We are not all drinking straight from the bottle.” 

You opened the cupboards and grabbed some mismatched shot glasses you had gotten for your twenty-first birthday. 

Sam poured everyone a shot and you all tapped your glasses and took them in unison. You immediately felt the burn of the whiskey, but that sweet cinnamon flavor was dangerous. You could easily drink a full glass of the stuff. It was so good! 

You all took a couple more shots and chatted casually about whatever random subjects popped into your heads and you had a nice buzz going by the time the ride share arrived to take you guys out. 

When the ride share dropped you off at the bar, you could see the place was already crowded and there was a bouncer outside to check ID’s. You didn’t have anything to worry about and neither did Dustin since you were both actually twenty-one. Sam and Olivia had fakes since they wouldn’t be legal until after the new year. Worst case scenario they’d get called out and you’d all have to leave? At least that’s what you thought? You weren’t well versed in laws other than generally trying not to break them. 

Luckily, the fakes seemed convincing enough and you were all let into the bar. To celebrate, you bought your group a round of whatever drink they wanted. You wanted to stick with the same kind of alcohol so you got a whiskey and coke, Olivia moved into risky territory by ordering some berry margarita loaded with tequila, Sam played it a little safer with a rum and coke, and Dustin got a vodka tonic. 

“You and my grandpa have the same taste.” Olivia said teasingly to Dustin after he ordered his drink. 

He shrugged. “Can’t go wrong with the classics.” 

He almost sounded like he had been spending too much time with Alcina. That’s something she would say. You wished she was there with you. 

You sipped your drink and they had to have given you a double because it was real strong. 

“Guys, the outdoor bar is open, we should go outside.” 

Sam pointed towards the doors at the back. 

He was right. A little early in the season for it to be open, but it was warm enough to hang out outside. 

Everyone nodded in agreement and headed out there. It was spacious and the music from the DJ inside played on the speakers outside with the bonus of it not being so super loud that you could hardly hear each other talk. 

Your first round of drinks was done and you promptly ordered everyone another round. 

“Are you sure you don’t want us to throw some cash?” Dustin asked. 

“It’s cool, but after this round, you guys are on your own.” You tried your best to laugh off the awkwardness. 

You easily could have bought everyone drinks all night, but you could tell by the look on everyone’s faces that they were suspicious about all this money you seemed to have.The awkwardness was soon forgotten as you all drank, chatted, and danced to the music. 

You felt your phone buzz and you were excited to see it was a text from Alcina.

“You are behaving yourself, right, my little pet?”

You looked around to make sure your friends weren’t looking at your screen and you texted Alcina back. 

“And what if I’m not?” You smiled maliciously and hit send. Alcina was already typing back.

“Then I might just have to bend you over my knee and teach you a lesson.” 

“What if I am being good and I want it anyway?” 

The coast was still clear as you sent your texts back and forth. Olivia and Dustin had gotten to talking and Sam ran into someone he knew so you snuck off to sit on one of the benches a little further out. 

“That can be arranged.”

“God, I want you so bad right now.”

The alcohol flowing through your system was making you feel very aroused as it tended to do. Alcina texted back again. 

“Tell me exactly how badly, and please, don’t spare the details.”

You happily texted her exactly what you wanted to do to her. 

“The next time we’re together, I am going to make you come so hard, you’ll be seeing stars….I wanna make you squirt.” 

You immediately locked your phone, unable to look at the text you just sent. It was risky. You buried your head in your hands and squealed. It wasn’t something that had happened before nor was it a desire you expressed to her until now due to past shaming about being into that. Alcina could be open minded though? She was an older woman with a lot more experience than you. Your phone buzzed and you opened her text. 

“Squart????”

How the?? You didn’t notice the typo, your text did in fact say squart, and autocorrect did you real dirty by not fixing it. Squart isn’t even a word! 

You typed back as quickly as you could. 

“You know what I meant! Or at least I hope you know and it’s not too much?” You hit send. 

“I understood your meaning, I’m only teasing. It’s not something that has happened to me personally, but you’re welcome to try.”

Oh hell yeah, she’s into it. 

She sent another text before you could type your next response.

“I love how much you love making me come and you’re so good at it.” 

“Girl, who are you trying to make squart?? The fuck is a squart?” You didn’t notice that Sam had snuck up behind you and he was laughing. 

“God damn it, Sam! Where the hell did you come from?” 

“I was talking with a couple people I hadn’t seen since high school, but I wanted to see what you were doing all by yourself. So tell me, who were you talking to about squarting.” He was still laughing about it.

“It was a typo, get over it already. You shouldn’t have been reading my texts anyway.” You got a bit snippy with him and he seemed taken aback.

“Sorry. It’s just, if you’re seeing someone, I don’t know why you felt you couldn’t tell me that. I caught you up on all the dick I’ve gotten.” 

“It’s…kind of a long story. I didn’t mean to snap at you. Things are kind of complicated. She’s an older divorcee.” 

“Oooh, look at you go!” 

“She?” You heard Dustin ask. He and Olivia had walked back over apparently. Great. 

“Yeah, she. Is that a problem?” 

Dustin’s eyes went wide and he waved his hands out. “No, no not at all! My sister is bi or pan or whatever. I’m an ally.” 

Well, that was a relief. 

“I’m an ally too. Ally!” Olivia raised her hand. 

“Liv was always our token straight of the group, but it looks like we’re even now with you here, Dustin.” Sam filled him in. 

“So tell me more about this woman you’re seeing.” Sam pried and you were about to give him a simplified version when Olivia interrupted, slurring her words.

“She can’t tell you because she’s seeing her boss.” 

Well, you had a good run with Liv keeping her mouth shut, but now it was all over.

“Liv! Shhh!” You shushed her so loudly that you accidentally got spit on her face, but it wasn’t enough. Sam and Dustin heard that loud and clear. You wouldn’t have cared so much if Sam knew, but with Dustin being your coworker, this was really bad. 

Dustin’s jaw dropped. “You’re dating Ms. Dimitrescu!?” 

“Damn, get it girl!” Sam cheered you on. 

Your heart was racing and you began to feel like you could puke your whiskey all over the ground. 

“Guys, stop. Please. No one is supposed to know. You have to swear to me that you won’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t say anything. I’m just impressed. She’s rich as fuck.” Sam was now looking at you with concern. 

“I had no idea Ms. Dimitrescu was into chicks.” Dustin shrugged. 

Olivia just kept repeating that she was sorry until you told her to stop. You knew It was the alcohol that made her slip up because she wouldn’t have betrayed your trust otherwise, but you didn’t want to hear from her right now. 

It killed the whole vibe of the night. You kept ordering more drinks in an attempt to numb the anxiety as your friends stood by awkwardly. You blacked out at some point because the next thing you knew, you had your head in a toilet, your toilet. You had no idea how you had gotten home or who was rubbing your back as you threw up. Then you were in your bed on your side with a bucket next to you on the ground. You were a bit more lucid now as your head was pounding and your throat was burning. You could hear some hushed conversation outside of your bedroom. 

“Dustin, you have to promise me that you won’t let this get around the winery.”

“I won’t, I swear. I respect you, Ms. Dimitrescu.”

“There’s a raise in it for you too so long as you swear to me this doesn’t get out. It’s not only my personal life that I’m protecting.” 

When the hell did Alcina get into your apartment? 

You grabbed your phone that had been placed on the nightstand next to your bed. It was close to dying, but there was enough battery power to look through your recent texts and calls. You opened your chat with Alcina. 

“Alcina I fucked up. Please don’t hate me.” 

“What’s going on? Have you had too much too drink? Please, let me know what’s wrong so I can help you.” 

“Dustin found out about us. I am so, so sorry.” 

“Call me.” 

That was the end of the conversation, but you had no recollection of being on the phone. You could still hear talking outside of the bedroom. 

“I’m going to stay here and take care of her. I can pay for you all to have rides back home.”

“But our cars?” 

“Have someone drive you to get them in the morning.”

That was the last thing you heard before you were out again. 

When you woke up apart from how awful your hangover felt it didn’t compare to the mental anguish once the night came rushing back to you. What should have been a fun night with your friends turned into a complete disaster. Everything you remembered was coming back to you. The texts with Alcina, Olivia ratting you out by mistake, Alcina talking with Dustin outside of your bedroom door. Wait, was she still there? You gasped when you saw the time, you were late for work. 

You rushed to the bathroom to start getting ready when Alcina stopped you. She was sitting on your couch with her phone and a cup of coffee she brewed for herself. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Alcina, what are you still doing here? The Falcone wedding. I’m late. Why aren’t you there?”

“It’s all taken care of.” She said matter of factly. 

“Are you sure? I am so, so sorry.”

She held her hand up. 

“I trust my shift supervisors to handle it, we’ve been short staffed before. They all believe I have a family emergency and that I will be in later for the reception. You’re out with food poisoning if anyone asks at your next shift.”

“Wait, so you’re not mad at me?”

“No, darling. I’m not. Of course I’m not a fan of my staff knowing about my personal life and I also want to protect you from scrutiny, but if anyone had to find out, at least it was Dustin.” 

You sighed in relief. “So I drank myself into a blackout for nothing?” 

“Correct. Please try to not make that a habit. With you being a psychology major you should know better than to drink your emotions.” 

Oof, called out. 

You gritted your teeth. “I’m never drinking again.” 

Alcina giggled. “That’s the hangover talking. Come here.” 

You settled next to Alcina on the couch. Her warmth and soft skin was immediately soothing to you. 

“I’m going to take care of you today so you’re in tip-top shape for tomorrow.” 

“You still want me over tomorrow?”

“Of course. I want you to be there when I talk to my daughters.” 

Your heart was racing again, but this time in anticipation rather than fear. 

“You’re going to tell them!?”

Alcina laughed, holding you tighter. “I am. It’s about time they knew, I’m sure more people are going to figure it out and I need the most important people in my life to know before they do.” 

You went to go kiss her, but she pulled away. 

“Not to be rude, but you should probably freshen up first.” 

A little embarrassing even though she was right. You recalled puking your guts out, but had no memory of brushing your teeth and if the clothes from last night and smeared makeup were any indication, you definitely didn’t take the time to properly get yourself ready for bed. 

You got up to shower and brush your teeth and when you got out, Alcina had a light breakfast of oatmeal and fruit waiting for you and some over the counter painkillers for your hangover. Everything was going to be okay. She stayed until the early evening when she had to make an appearance for the reception. You had left your phone on the charger until that point without checking it. 

You had texts individually from everyone you had gone out with and a notification from the group chat. More apologies from Olivia, Dustin swearing he’d keep your secret, and Sam insisting that you all try to hang out again at least once more time before he went back to his place. You didn’t feel like talking to any of them. 

The group chat notification? Sam had changed the name of the group to “Squart.” Motherfucker. 

You stayed at your apartment that night even though Alcina said you were welcome to come back if you felt well enough. You decided it would be best to go over after Kurt had dropped the girls off just in case it would be awkward. Alcina assured you that everything would be fine, but you felt more comfortable waiting until after he was gone. 

The drive to Alcina’s was a little tense and your car had been acting up again. You weren’t sure if you should tell Alcina and get a better reference to get it fixed or if you should just go back to Karl’s shop since he cut you that discount. You had the money, you’d just rather spend the extra cash on things you wanted to and not your crappy car. In fact, you could probably start saving for a new one. 

Alcina had told you to let yourself into the backyard since she and the girls would be setting up for the bonfire. Daniela saw you and immediately called your name and ran to you to give you a hug. Cassandra also said hi. Bela looked in your direction, gave a weak hello, and then turned her attention back to her phone where she was scrolling through videos. 

Miranda and Eva hadn’t gotten there yet. Alcina had planned it that way so she could talk to the girls. 

“Girls.” Alcina called their attention and gestured for them to sit in the chairs by the fire pit . They did as they were told and you hung around near Alcina not really sure where to go until she beckoned you closer to her. 

“There’s something that I’d like to talk with you all about. I’ve always been honest with you and this is something you should know.” 

“What, you’re gay?” Bela cut in nonchalantly. 

Alcina’s mouth went agape momentarily as she blinked rapidly. “I um-” 

This was the first time you had seen her at a loss for words. 

“It’s fine if you’re gay, mom, we don’t care.” 

Damn, Bela could be ruthless when she wanted to be. 

Everyone went silent. Cassandra was biting her lip. 

“Is gay like how Brandon has two mommies?” Daniela questioned innocently. 

Alcina laughed, the tension easing a bit. “Yes, like how Brandon has two mommies although mommy prefers to call herself a lesbian.” 

Daniela nodded in acceptance. 

“A boy in her class.” Alcina mouthed to you. 

“So that’s settled then. Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be.” 

“We love you, mom.” Cassandra added to show her support. 

“Wait.” Bela interrupted the rather sweet moment. “Are you two, like, doing it? Ew.”  Her face twisted in disgust. 

“Enough, Bela!” Alcina scolded. 

Cassandra was laughing, clearly aware of what “it” was implying. 

“Mommy, what’s “doing it” mean?” Daniela asked. 

“Nothing, sweetheart. Your sister Bela was just being silly. Right, Bela?” 

Bela rolled her eyes. “Sure, mom. I’m going to my room.” Bela got up and stormed back into the house. Alcina didn’t try to stop her. 

Well, you were officially even further away from gaining Bela’s approval now, but at least the other girls seemed to be okay with you and their mom. 

“I’ll talk with Bela privately in a little while. In the meantime, let’s enjoy the fire.” Alcina tried to reassure you. You weren’t sure if it mattered much because ultimately if you didn’t have one of her children’s approval, then the relationship wouldn’t work. 

You gathered around the fire with Alcina and two out of the three girls awaiting Miranda and Eva’s arrival. 

Chapter Text

The fire flickered in front of you as the sun began to set. Alcina had a little station set up on a nearby table for the s’mores complete with different sized marshmallows, dark and milk chocolates, graham crackers, and of course, the sticks for roasting the marshmallows. Daniela and Cassandra said they wanted to wait for Eva before they got started while Alcina insisted she wasn’t big on s’mores anyway. Another convenient excuse to not indulge.

You zoned out from the conversation around you and  thought again about that picture she had tucked away, how frail she looked. You’d have to talk to her about it sometime to both sate your curiosity and of course make sure she was okay. Just because she looked healthy didn’t mean that she was. Your major takeaway about eating disorders you had learned from your abnormal psychology class was that most sufferers were of a normal body weight, the statistics regarding relapse, and diagnostic crossover between restrictive eating and binge eating disorders. You didn’t know much about her habits other than her obvious calorie restriction, something that is unfortunately not only accepted, but encouraged. You hoped she didn’t secretly binge and purge, that would be very easy to hide with deadly consequences regardless of weight. Then there was her compulsive gym routine. Now was not the time though. Daniela had been talking to you, but you had been so lost in your own thoughts about this that you didn't hear what she said.

“I’m sorry, Dani, what were you saying?

She let out a little huff reminiscent of her mother when she was frustrated and repeated her earlier statement. 

“I said that when it gets really warm we can swim in the lake, but mommy says it’s still too cold.”

“Oh yeah, that water is way too cold now. It probably won't be warm enough to swim in that lake for another month.”

You remembered how ice cold that water was from that time you had dipped your feet in while sitting on the dock with Alcina. 

“A month!? That’s forever.” Daniela whined. 

“It’ll go by before you know it. That’s about the time you’ll be out of school then it will be the perfect swimming temperature right on time for your summer break from school.” 

Did you know that for certain? No, but you were about to have a very distraught six year old on your hands and it seemed to calm her down. Alcina looked on happily as you socialized with her youngest.

“I can swim all by myself without floaties!” Daniela said proudly. 

“Wow, that’s really good!” 

You weren’t just saying that to humor her either. You couldn’t swim until you were a few years older than Daniela, but you also didn’t have much of a reason to learn without a pool in your backyard let alone a lake like Alcina and the girls did.

“I’m only allowed to swim if there’s grown ups though. You’re a grown up, right? We can go swimming together!”

“Yes, Dani, I am a grown up. It’s up to your mom and I’m sure she’d still want to watch us to make sure we’re safe.” 

Taking a kid out in the lake by yourself was not something you wanted to do. If you made the right gestures, Alcina would be sure to pick up on it and say no. 

Alcina giggled at your conversation from where she was standing in the distance setting up the bug zapper and some citronella candles. Figures, it was the perfect weather to be out late, but the mosquitos were now starting to come out instead of remaining in hell where they belonged. You already had to slap a couple away from you. You could kick yourself for not bringing bug spray. 

Cassandra wasn’t talking much, she was alternating between taking care of some virtual pet on her phone and throwing blades of grass into the fire pit. You decided to rope her into the conversation. 

“How about you, Cass? Do you like to swim?” Pitiful attempt, but relevant to the earlier discussion.

Cassandra shrugged. “I guess so. I kind of wish we had a pool instead, the lake can be gross sometimes. I’d rather go in the hot tub or jump on the trampoline. Right, mom?” Cassandra glared over in her mother’s direction. 

“I know, Cassandra. I’ve been meaning to have that set up.”

“Can’t you just call Uncle Karl?” Cassandra asked. 

“Yeah, call Uncle Karl!” Daniela parroted. 

Alcina sighed. “As I’ve already said, I’ll get around to it.”

Daniela beckoned you closer, putting her lips close to your ear and a hand over her mouth to prevent anyone from seeing. “Mommy doesn’t like Uncle Karl because he’s daddy’s brother.” She whispered, but not very well, everyone could hear her anyway.

“Daniela, it’s not nice to share secrets when other people are around.” Alcina reprimanded her and Daniela slinked back with a pout. 

Cassandra smiled and mouthed to you. “It’s true though.” She laughed quietly and you tried your best to remain neutral. It was a bit comical how badly Alcina had it out for that guy. In your brief experience with him, he toed the line of what could be considered socially acceptable, but you had nothing against him.

“Cassandra.” Alcina called out on the sterner side. It was enough to make Cassandra stop in her tracks. “I also believe you have had enough phone time for the evening. Miranda and Eva will be here shortly and soon enough you’ll be so busy making s’mores and talking with everyone that you won’t care about your phone anyway. No need to risk it getting sticky with marshmallows and melted chocolate.” 

Cassandra was much less reluctant than Bela regarding giving up her phone, only saying she needed to put her virtual pet to sleep first before handing the phone over. Bela influenced her behavior a lot from what you had witnessed prior and when she wasn't around, Cassandra was more of her own person. Not that you didn’t want to get to know Bela, but while she was acting the way that she was, you hated to admit to yourself that you preferred when she wasn’t there. You hardly liked  teenagers when you were one, they could be so cruel. It wasn’t entirely her fault, her hormones were raging and despite growing up well off, she still grew up in a broken home. Your only hope was that Alcina was right and she would come around when the stress from school was gone. Just a few more weeks. 

You heard car doors slam in close vicinity and the soft chattering of a mother and child. Miranda and Eva must have pulled up. It was nerve wracking. You knew the relationship between Miranda and Alcina hadn’t been serious, but how could you compare to a woman who was more settled in life. You gulped as you heard them entering the backyard. 

“Eva!” Daniela yelled out and ran to the small brunette girl, immediately wrapping her into a hug. Daniela was certainly a hugger. It was hard to believe Eva was ten with how tiny she was, only a little taller than Daniela. If you hadn’t already known her age you would have guessed her to be closer to eight than ten.

“Hey, Eva.” Cassandra greeted her, also pulling her into a hug. 

You glanced over at Miranda. Her beauty was intimidating. Long blonde hair, sharp features, incredible figure, though you didn’t let your eyes linger for too long. This woman was gorgeous and she was Alcina’s ex? If it hadn’t worked out between them, what did Alcina see in you? 

Alcina called your name and rounded up all of the girls who had run off to start playing a game of tag. She introduced you by name rather than a title. You wanted the clarity of the latter to clear up the recent confusion. You’d just have to wait, you supposed. 

It was now Miranda and Eva’s turn to be formally introduced. “This is Eva.” Alcina said, pointing to the young girl. Eva smiled timidly and waved. 

“And this is-”

“I’m Miranda, it’s nice to meet you.” Miranda cut Alcina off and stuck her hand out to shake yours. You accepted. Her hand was velvety soft and her nails perfectly manicured, painted in a glossy teal. Your hand tingled a bit after she let go. You hoped to God you weren’t blushing. 

“Where’s Bela?” Miranda asked, looking around for Alcina’s oldest daughter.

“Oh, you know teenagers.” Alcina answered with a sigh.

“Not quite yet.” Miranda laughed at Alcina’s obvious frustration. 

“Be glad you have a few years left and just the one. I have two more coming my way.”   

Both older women laughed as you stood there awkwardly. You weren’t sure where you belonged, over with the kids, or with the adults. Perhaps somewhere in between. You were an adult legally, but compared to Alcina and Miranda you felt more like you were Adult Lite™️  A child with a drinking permit. 

“I am going to have a little talk with Bela now though. You don’t mind, do you?” 

You weren’t sure if Alcina was asking you, Miranda, or the both of you. You both told her it was fine in unison and Alcina took her leave.

The girls had gone back to playing which left you and Miranda near the fire. It was starting to die down so you added some more wood to keep it going. You also smacked away a few more mosquitos. The candles and the zapper didn’t seem to be doing the trick at all and it was only getting darker out which would bring more of the little bastards. 

 “I’ve brought some bug spray with me if you’d like to use it. I already sprayed myself and Eva down, you can never be too careful.” 

You took up Miranda’s kind offer. “Thank you, they were starting to eat me alive out here.” You happily took the spray from her and sprayed all of your exposed skin. You had used this exact brand before many times, the mosquitos would back off in seconds. 

After handing back the spray, Miranda struck up a conversation between the two of you. 

“It’s nice to have a face to a name. Alcina has told me so much about you.”

Had she really? You often wondered if you stopped existing in Alcina’s world when you weren’t present because everything had been kept secret for so long. Then when you had run into people she was never truthful about what you were to each other. Alcina told you almost nothing about Miranda so you couldn’t say the same.

“Good things I hope?”

Miranda nodded. “Very. I hear that you’re majoring in psychology. What’s your end goal?”

“Well, someday I’d like to open my own practice. I think I’d like to work with kids or teenagers. Maybe all ages, but youth mental health is something that’s important to me.” You didn’t go into why, that would have been too much information to unload on a stranger. 

“That’s quite admirable of you. I myself work with children. I’ve always had a passion for them even before having my Eva.”

“Oh, what do you do?”

“I’m a pediatrician. I started in a different family practice, but like yourself my goal was to have a practice of my own and I’ve been doing that for a few years now.”

You nodded “That’s pretty cool.” 

“I’m sure Alcina has told you about our history then? I hope that doesn’t bother you considering that you’re seeing each other now. I can assure you Alcina and I are no more than very good friends, mostly because our girls get along so well.”  

She wasted no time, huh? At least she didn’t seem malicious or harbor any resentment towards you. 

“Yeah, she told me and it’s fine. We all have a past.”

“We might have more of a past than you do.”

You stiffened up unsure of what to say and Miranda took notice.

“Oh no, I didn't mean between Alcina and I. I was making a joke, albeit in poor taste, about our age difference. You’re so young.”

The age thing again. It was something you were going to have to get used to although it left you feeling more insecure. When were you going to feel like a real adult? When would people start treating you like one? You moved on from Miranda’s quip about your age and got the conversation back on track.

“It’s fine. So, Alcina told you that we’ve been seeing each other?”

Miranda smiled and nodded. “I’ve known since that first night you two had gone out. Truthfully, I’ve been neglecting my own love life in favor of my career and my daughter as of late. I’ll get back out there eventually. Alcina would often fill me in and let me live vicariously through her. She’s much more daring than I am. You’re the first one that’s made a real impression on her. I can see why.” 

Miranda looked you up and down and you felt the heat rise in your cheeks. 

Alcina and Bela returned so there wasn’t time for you to think more into what had just happened. 

“Look who has decided to join us again.” Alcina spoke cheerfully with her hands on Bela’s shoulders. Bela remained stoic. 

“It’s nice to see you, Bela.” Miranda greeted her. 

“It’s good to see you too.” Bela responded, more cheerful than you expected. Her moody facade melting away. 

“That’s my girl.” Alcina gave a light squeeze to Bela’s shoulders and then let her go. 

You all gathered back around the fire and started the s’mores. You put your first marshmallow on a stick and you were about to hold it over the fire when you got an idea. 

“Here, Daniela. You can have this one.” You handed her the stick. 

“Thank you! Wanna watch me roast it? I can do it the best.” 

The girl sure was confident in her abilities. “I’d love to.” 

You held off on getting your own marshmallow to watch her and it was a good thing too. 

“Whoa, not directly into the fire, Daniela.” You lightly grasped her tiny hands that held the stick and pulled the flaming marshmallow out of the fire. It was now black and bubbling. It would still be good for a s’more, on the crispy side, but still edible.  

“Oh no it’s ruined!” Daniela started crying which made everyone around the both of you go quiet in anticipation for a full tantrum. You had to do something quickly. 

“It’s okay! Here.” You carefully grabbed the stick from her hand and took the burnt marshmallow off, squishing it in between the graham crackers and chocolate you had set up for when you got to roast your own marshmallow. 

“I’ll take this one. I don’t mind them being a little burnt.”

Daniela’s crocodile tears stopped as she watched you place a fresh marshmallow onto the stick. The conversation and activity around you resumed as you held the marshmallow over the flame. 

“See? The trick is to not stick it all the way into the fire. You wanna do it like this.” 

You demonstrated to Daniela how to get a nice, golden brown marshmallow and when it was done, you set up her s’more so she wouldn’t burn herself. She thanked you with a mouth full of food and a face smeared with chocolate. Crisis averted. 

Alcina and Miranda had been observing and you could have sworn you heard Alcina say “she’s so good with her.” 

With Daniela now possessing the proper marshmallow roasting technique, you were free to sit back down next to Alcina and focus on your own. You ate the burnt one first which wasn’t great, as expected. Your second one was much better. You debated on a third before deciding against it, choosing to socialize more with the group before making another.

The young girls mostly talked amongst themselves. School, videos that they had seen, people in their classes. Nothing of real interest to you. Every now and then Daniela would interrupt your chat with Alcina and Miranda to tell you to watch her. 

“Yes, Dani, that marshmallow is perfect! Good job!” 

The kid wanted attention and you weren’t going to deprive her of that. Bela, Cassandra, and Eva barely paid you any mind. They were too busy giggling about inside jokes and similar interests. They also didn’t need your marshmallow expertise. 

“Daniela, I don’t want you to get a belly ache. I think that’s enough s’mores for now.” Alcina spoke gently. 

“But, mommy-”

“I’m not saying you can’t have anymore, maybe just wait a little while and then see how you feel, hmm?”

“But, I like roasting the marshmallows.” 

“I know, my ladybug. How about you make a s’more for mommy then?” 

Oh, Alcina was actually going to have one? You had to pinch yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming. It was so rare to see her treat herself to anything other than drinks now and then. You could count on one hand the amount of times she indulged since you had been seeing each other. 

Daniela lit up and rushed to make the perfect s’more for her mother. Alcina thanked Daniela and took a bite before setting it aside. Well, at least she tried it. 

Everyone sat by the fire well after they had their fill of marshmallows. Bela wasn’t half as moody as you’d normally seen her act which was nice. You didn’t want to push your luck and didn’t attempt to cut into anything the younger girls were talking about amongst themselves. On the contrary, Daniela had no issue interrupting the adults to the point where Alcina had to correct her, reminding her of the polite way to get someone’s attention. 

It made you feel kind of strange to watch the way Alcina parented her girls. She walked the perfect line between authoritarian and permissive parenting. She was never too strict nor too lenient. She also handled Daniela’s overindulgence beautifully without shaming her and encouraging her to wait and honor her fullness. Too many mothers push their own disordered eating onto their children thus continuing the cycle. At the very least, Alcina was mindful not to do that despite her own hang ups with food and body image. You found yourself feeling weird because this woman was your lover and here you were, wishing you could have had a mother like her. Your own mother wouldn’t hesitate to shame your food choices, your body, your very existence…

As it got later and the girls got tired, they went into the house to get ready for bed. You didn’t bother packing a bag to stay. You never stayed over during the weeks the girls were there and you had only properly met them twice. You had other responsibilities you normally tended to during the weeks Alcina had the girls anyway. Miranda wasn’t staying either. After Eva had gotten settled in, they said their goodbyes and then Miranda made her way over to where you and Alcina stood, standing closer to you than she did her. 

“It was very nice meeting you. We should all get together again sometime.” 

“I’d like that.” 

You weren’t lying either. Miranda was good company, you could see why Alcina chose to remain friends with her. 

Miranda smiled in your direction before heading out the door. 

Alcina let out a heavy sigh and you knew what was coming next. 

“I’ll walk you out to your car, my dear.” 

You had already been prepared to leave. 

“Girls! Be sure to brush your teeth. You don’t want all that sugar sitting on your teeth all night.” 

“We will.” The girls called back. 

Alcina turned her attention back towards you and walked you out to your car. 

She stared into your eyes for a moment before cupping your face with both hands and leaning down for a kiss. 

“I’ve been dying to do that all night. You looked so stunning in the light of the fire and the way you helped my Daniela was so adorable.”

“It was no problem at all.” 

Alcina kissed you again. 

“I hope you don’t feel like I’m putting you out. Believe me, I’d love for you to stay, but I feel it’s too soon to have you stay the night while the girls are here. Bela’s already caught onto the fact that we are doing “it” and we don’t need to add fuel to that fire.” She giggled. 

“I completely understand, Alcina. I’m just glad that everything went well with your talk and that the girls are so understanding. See? You had nothing to worry about. You’ve done a great job with them. I’m happy I got to be here for you too.”

Alcina grabbed your waist and pulled you closer to her. 

“Speaking of. There’s something I’d like to talk to you about now.” 

You felt your heart rate begin to pick up. 

“When I first met you, my only intention was for the arrangement at hand until it ran its course. Believe me when I say it has, but not in the way I expected it to. The feelings I have for you go beyond what I had initially set out to do. I’ve invited you into my home, I’ve had you meet my girls, we’ve told each other things that no one else knows. I never would have thought that I’d feel this sort of connection with anyone when I had actively been avoiding it for so long.” 

You were trembling now. “What is it you’re saying, Alcina?” 

Alcina brought one of the hands she had at your waist up to stroke your hair. “I’m saying that I want to make this official. We’ve been dancing around it for weeks now and it’s foolish to deny that we’ve long crossed that boundary into an actual relationship. So, what do you say?” 

Fucking finally. You had basically felt like she was your girlfriend from the time you started sleeping together. It felt so good to be able to call it like it was. 

“If you're asking me to be your girlfriend, my answer is yes.” 

You smiled at each other and shared a few long kisses. It felt amazing knowing where you stood now and that you were hers and she was yours. Alcina broke the last kiss before it intensified.  

“There will still be some discretion involved, of course. With you working for me now, it does complicate things, but your position at the winery was never meant to be permanent. In fact, once you start your next semester, I want your focus to entirely be on your schooling.”

“I’m fine with being discreet.” You probably would never be able to let it get back to your parents anyway and if they did find out, they’d probably never talk to you again. You had to prepare yourself for that. “But, how am I going to afford my apartment and everything if I stop working for you in August? I doubt I’ll have enough money saved up especially if we’re dropping the whole sugar mommy thing.” You mumbled the last part. Despite the arrangement, neither of you ever said the terminology aloud. 

“Don’t be silly, my love. If anything, now that we are a proper couple, I’m going to take care of you even more. You’ll never want for anything.” 

You pulled Alcina down to your level for some more kisses. She let out a surprised squeak when you did so, but eagerly reciprocated. Her hands began roaming your body and you surrendered to her touch. You parted your legs for her when you felt her right hand creeping up your thigh. The view was obscured by the car, it wasn’t likely anyone would see you. Then she pulled herself away entirely before she reached the bottom of your shorts. 

“We’ll have to stop here before we engage in what most would consider inappropriate for one’s driveway.”

You didn’t want to stop, but she was right. 

“I need to check in on the girls anyway. I’m really grateful for how everything went tonight.”

“Me too.” 

You shared one last kiss goodnight with a promise to text Alcina that you had gotten home safely. 

Your heart felt so full on your drive home. If anyone could see you, you probably looked insane with how much you were smiling while sitting alone. It was beginning to hurt your cheeks, but you didn’t care! Alcina was your girlfriend! You were a couple now. You never would have thought that trying to break your dry spell on a random Friday night would have led to this. Alcina Dimitrescu. Your girlfriend. She was your girlfriend. That thought kept playing over and over as you drove and ignored the loud rattling of your car, after you got back to your apartment and got ready for bed, as you texted Alcina goodnight, and it persisted until you fell asleep. 

As the week progressed, you still kept thinking about your girlfriend. Girlfriend . It felt so good. The only thing that snapped you out of it was being at work. You didn’t exactly receive a warm welcome back. The preparation for the Falcone wedding apparently had been a disaster with both you and Alcina out and had only been redeemed when Alcina showed up before the reception to get things in order. 

“Everyone knows “food poisoning” is just code for hangover.” The shift supervisor, Amanda, had sneered. 

She wasn’t talking to you, but she had meant for you to hear it. 

Alcina hadn’t come in since it was a weekday. It was for the best, you likely wouldn’t have been able to contain yourself. This put you at the mercy of Amanda, her strictest shift supervisor and you were on her shit list for not being there on Saturday. Not that her opinion mattered. Alcina wasn’t going to fire you. Amanda could say whatever awful things she wanted, you were staying put for the next two months. 

Dustin was there too. This was the first time you had seen him since the bar fiasco. It was super awkward. The chain of events from him finding out you were dating your shared boss to getting drunk and throwing up in front of everyone. You decided to rip the bandaid off and say hello. 

“Hey, Dustin.” 

“Hey, how are you feeling?” 

Oh good, he wasn’t giving you the cold shoulder. He was the only person who was kind of your friend in the winery, everyone else seemed to hate your guts now. 

“A lot better, thanks. I literally never want to taste cinnamon again.” 

You had other drinks throughout the night, but that cinnamon whiskey while initially delicious was all you could taste on the way back up. 

“If you’re feeling better, you should probably text Liv back.”

Right. You hadn’t responded to Olivia after what happened. You knew it wasn’t entirely her fault and it’s not as though she told your secret with malicious intent, it was a genuine slip up, something she was known for and the alcohol in the mix exacerbated her ditzy nature. Still, it caused a lot of strife for you that night and you wanted to give her a taste of her own medicine by icing her out for a little longer. Dustin brought you back to reality. It wasn’t right for you to ignore her and anything that Liv did during her last few weeks with Robbie shouldn’t be held against her. Then you had another thought. 

“You’re still talking to Liv?” 

Dustin turned a bit red. “Yeah, she’s pretty cool. We got along really well at the bar, even after we had to drag you into the back seat of Ms. Dimitrescu’s car. We bonded over your puke on us.” 

You placed your palm over your face. “Jesus Christ. I didn’t know she was the one who actually drove us back to my place. Also, sorry that I puked on you. I didn’t think I got sick until after I was home.” 

Dustin laughed. “Yeah, it was pretty bad over by that picnic bench. It’s a good thing she came to get us because I’m pretty sure any rideshare would have seen how drunk you were and declined the ride.”

“They can do that?? Isn’t the whole point of those apps for people to not have to have a designated driver?? Drunk people are like 90% of their clientele, probably, I don’t know, I just pulled that statistic out of my ass, but come on.” 

“They can deny you if they think you’re so drunk you’re gonna puke in their car, which you almost did, but we should probably stop talking about this here. Just text Liv back, she’s really upset that you haven’t answered her.” 

“Okay, I will as soon as we’re out of here for the night.” 

When it was time for family meal, it also didn’t feel too welcoming. Your coworkers were just going to have to get over it! It was one shift. You wouldn’t treat any of them that way if they were out. You wound up grabbing something from the table you could take on the go. You’d eat when you were back at your apartment. You grabbed your stuff to head out when Amanda said she needed to speak with you. 

She pulled you aside and began to scold you. 

“It was bad enough you weren’t here on Saturday, but I saw you slacking off talking to Dustin. There’s always work to be done here, if there's time to lean, there’s time to clean. You need to improve your work ethic if you want to keep your job here and believe me, I will be having a chat with Ms. Dimitrescu about your behavior.”

She didn’t scare you. There was nothing she could actually do. You had a job there until you didn’t want one anymore. 

“Okay, you do that.” 

The look on Amanda’s face at your response was priceless as you turned and left. 

As you were driving home, you heard your phone vibrating in the cup holder and saw that “Babe❤️” was calling. She had been Alcina in your phone for so long, but after your talk on Sunday, you felt it was time to switch it up. 

“Hellooo.” You sang as you answered. 

“A little birdie told me that you had an attitude problem at work today.”

“Damn, Amanda called you already? That girl would not get off my ass today. She was really pissed about me not being there on Saturday.” 

Alcina snorted. “Yes, she was quite livid, going on about how you are an affront to the Dimitrescu name and how I should fire you. A real kiss ass that one. I told her that the proper punishment would be doled out.”

“Is it the kind of punishment we both like?” 

“It very well could be, but from now on you have to promise me you’ll be a good girl at work. It won’t reflect well on me if you continue to misbehave without facing any consequences. I’m not known for my leniency and the others would absolutely suspect something more was going on. You can be as bad as you’d like when we’re in private, however.”  You could hear the smirk in her voice. 

“I can’t decide whether I like being your good girl or your bad girl more.” 

“I suppose it all depends on whether you want me to praise you or punish you.” 

Both. Both is good.  

“Is that your car making all that noise?” Alcina broke the immersion of the prior, more spicy conversation. 

“You can hear that over the phone?”

“I can. Perhaps I may suggest a real mechanic to you now?”

“Sure, but I think I’m still going to bring this car to Karl’s place to save some money so I can get a new car.” 

“Darling, I’ll foot the bill to have your car seen by someone more professional.”

“I think my car can hold out a bit longer. I’ll let you know.”

You kind of wanted to see Karl again. While Alcina loathed her ex brother-in-law, the girls seemed to love their uncle Karl and he had been pretty nice to you albeit rough around the edges. 

“Don’t wait too much longer, I’m here to help you anytime you need it, my love.” 

You felt your skin erupt into goosebumps again. This amazing woman was officially your girlfriend and you still were over the moon about it. You had always enjoyed her use of pet names with you, but now they had you melting into a puddle. 

The grin stayed on your face well after the conversation ended and after you had gotten back into your apartment. Now, all that was left to do was set things right with Olivia. 

“Hey, sorry for the late response. I just needed some space after what happened. Mostly I’m embarrassed about my behavior. I don’t like that I can’t remember most of the night.” You hit send and Olivia started typing back as soon as she read the message. 

“It’s okay, bestie 💕 ”

All was well and remained well for the next few weeks leading up to Alcina’s kids being out of school for summer break. You maintained your schedule of working three days a week at the winery. The rest of your coworkers had long gotten over your absence from the Falcone wedding, everyone apart from Amanda. The days where she was on as a shift supervisor, she went out of her way to police everything that you were doing. It was grueling the way she’d single you out. You wished Alcina would get rid of her, but since Amanda wasn’t doing anything other than her job, you didn’t want to bother Alcina with petty work problems. She wasn’t too thrilled about the last time so you continued to be on your best behavior. Saturdays were your favorite day to work because Alcina was there, dressed beautifully as always. You’d shoot each other knowing glances across the crowded venue and when the wedding ceremonies took place, your vague fantasies of one day having a wedding, turned into fantasizing about marrying Alcina. Would it ever happen? Only time could tell. The relationship wasn’t at a point where that would be a discussion, but a girl could dream. 

As for your personal life, despite your new relationship status, Alcina’s allowance to you came through weekly and she continued to spoil you rotten with gifts, expensive nights out, and most importantly, her affection. The gifts and cash were nice, but those moments where you were naked and tangled in sheets with your head on her chest were better than anything money could buy. You also kept up your system of spending every other week staying at Alcina’s place. The only difference being that she would invite you over one day of the week while she had the girls so you could all spend time together. The rest of “your” week was used to catch up with your friends and maintain your apartment.  

You and Alcina never got too affectionate in front of the girls despite the cat being out of the bag. No kid wants to see that and you knew you’d be met with a chorus of “ews.” Either way, they did acknowledge you as a couple and were fine with it. Surprisingly, even Bela. You had a talk with her pretty early on that cleared the air between the two of you. 

It happened the first time Alcina had invited you over after the bonfire, another dinner at the house. While Alcina was in the kitchen preparing the final touches of the meal, you took the opportunity to call Bela over and speak with her one on one. 

“There’s no hard feelings between us, right?” You let out a nervous laugh after. You weren’t sure how else to broach the subject. 

Bela rolled her eyes. “No, why would you think that?”

Why wouldn’t you think that? 

“Both times I’ve met you, you weren’t exactly thrilled to see me.”

“It’s not you, it’s her.”  Bela darted her eyes over to where her mother was in the kitchen, speaking softly enough for her to not hear. “I’m tired of her treating me like a baby, acting like I don’t know things. It was so obvious you two were together the first time she had you over and I don’t like being lied to.” 

“Bela, I don’t think she meant to lie to you. She just wasn’t ready because, well, you know. Then you called her out on it before she could tell you guys the way she wanted to.” 

Bela exhaled sharply from her nose. “It was funny though.” 

You didn’t want to further encourage that behavior. It was pretty damn funny though. 

“Mom is like the gayest woman ever. I don’t know why she’d think I wouldn’t have picked up on that by now. She left my dad when I was eight. She thinks I haven’t noticed things over the years. I’m not stupid.” 

This piqued your curiosity. 

“What kinds of things?” 

“Her going out with “friends” and never bringing guys home. I have friends with single moms and their moms would get boyfriends while mine never did. When I’d ask, she’d say that she was fine being single and that not all women need husbands or boyfriends to be happy. She’d always add in that some women would be happier with wives or girlfriends. Then the way she’s always talking to us about crushes and saying it’s okay to like whoever we want whether they’re a boy, a girl, or neither. It didn’t take me long to figure it out. I mean, look at her.” Bela gestured in Alcina’s direction again. The woman did have quite the flamboyant nature. “I don’t know why she’d hide it from us or think that we’d care.”

This was going beyond your comfort zone. 

“I-I really don’t know Bela. I guess that’s something you could talk with her about? Other than that, truce?” 

Bela shrugged and held out her hand. “Truce.”

You shook on it and from that point forward, she was much nicer towards you. 

Sometimes, Miranda and Eva would come over too. Eva was very quiet, but sweet and Miranda was easy to talk to. You swore you’d occasionally catch her staring at you and you didn’t know what to make of it. Sometimes you’d catch yourself staring ant her and would have to avert your eyes. It didn’t mean anything, she was just really pretty and attractive older women got you flustered. You only had eyes for Alcina. You didn’t bring it up to her for fear of causing an unnecessary rift between her and her friend. After all, it’s not as if Miranda ever made a move on you. Maybe you had been imagining it? 

It was the first official week of summer when you finally decided to bring your car in. You opted for Karl’s shop again since you had his number saved. It was a spur of the moment decision and with it being Alcina’s week with the girls, you didn’t want to bother her. 

Karl answered the phone after you dialed the number to his shop. 

“Yeah, I can squeeze your car in right now, come on by.” His gruff yet friendly voice was reassuring to you. 

“I’ll be there soon.” 

You hopped back in your car and rolled your eyes at the sound it made after starting the engine. You were getting really tired of sinking your money into this thing. It was so dated and this was the last repair you were willing to get done on it before looking into getting something more recent. Probably a lease or a used car. Alcina was a generous benefactor, but you still had to be practical with your finances between the apartment, student loans, and all of your other expenses. 

As you made the drive to Karl’s shop, you noticed the car behind you. They had been behind you practically since you had left your apartment complex. Were they following you? No, it had to be a coincidence. You kept driving and the car behind you turned down a different street. Weird, but at least it was another case of you overthinking.

You pulled your car into the parking lot of Karl’s shop. It was only a couple hours until close so no one else was there and he was nice enough to once again squeeze your car in. 

“Hey, kid!” Karl happily greeted you from behind the desk before hopping over. 

“Hi, Karl. I’m not sure what exactly is wrong with my car this time. My muffler doesn’t look like it’s out of place, but it’s super loud again.”

Karl waved you off. “That’s what I’m here for. You sit tight and I’ll figure out what’s going on with it. How are things with the dragon lady?” 

“Huh?” 

“My former sister-in-law there. Alcina. Still seeing her?” 

You didn’t feel like you had to hide it from Karl, he had already figured it out a while back and now with you and Alcina being a proper couple, he likely knew from his brother. You felt giddy getting to talk about her and felt your cheeks glowing. 

“Things are great actually I-”

The jingle of door chimes resounded the room as the door slammed open against the other side of the wall. 

“You need to stay the hell away from my family!” 

Your heart was racing, it took you a second to compute what was even happening. The suit, the striking similarity to Karl, only a clean shaven version. Alcina’s ex-husband Kurt was now screaming in your face and you were so shocked you could hardly respond. 

“D-Did you follow me here? What is wrong with you!? I don’t even know you and you have no right to butt into my personal life.” 

Kurt began striding towards you, backing you into a wall as he pointed his finger and yelled. “When it involves my children, I absolutely do. You’re in way over your head and I suggest you-”

“Kurt, what the fuck is this all about? You can’t come into my shop and harass my customers.”

Karl surprised you when he jumped to your defense. You were beginning to think this had been a set up until he had stood up for you.  

“Your “customer” here is barely legal and fucking my wife under the same roof as my kids-”

You attempted to defend yourself, but Karl was already on it.

“Brother, you need to get the fuck out. Right. Now.” Karl growled his words and Kurt backed off. 

As Kurt was making his exit, he turned to you one last time. “Mark my words. Stay away or I’ll find a way to make you.” 

“Fuck off, Kurt!” Karl yelled out again. 

You were still shaking well after he had left, trying your best to hold back tears. You didn’t want to cry in front of Karl. 

“Can you please figure out what’s wrong with my car so I can leave?” 

Karl nodded. “Sure thing and again, I had no idea my brother was going to do that. There are a lot of things we don’t see eye to eye on and this is one of them.”

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now.” Your voice was cracking as you spoke. 

“Understood.” Karl then went back to where your car was leaving you in the waiting area. You didn’t know what to do. Should you contact Alcina? This felt like something you should talk to her about. The work drama and Miranda weren’t worth bringing up. Her ex-husband following you and harassing you seemed like a pertinent issue that needed her immediate attention. You scanned the area for a restroom and there was a unisex one down the hall from the front desk. If you were going to make this phone call, you were going to do it privately. 

“Come on, pick up.” You paced nervously as the phone kept ringing. 

“Hello, my sweet.” Her smooth voice calmed you a bit. 

“Oh, thank god you picked up.” 

“Darling, what’s the matter? You sound positively shaken up.” 

“Well, for starters, I went to go bring my car into Karl’s shop  and yeah I know, I probably shouldn’t have, but I didn’t want to bother you and your ex-husband followed me in and started screaming at me to stop seeing you.” 

Alcina gasped. “I cannot believe he would do such a thing. He has absolutely no right. Kurt and I have already had a discussion about this. I’m aware he isn’t fond of our age difference, but it’s not a crime, and I’ve made it clear that you’re part of my life now and it’s something he’s going to have to get over.”

The tears you were holding back started to fall and you sniffled. “He said that I better stay away or he’d find a way to make me. I don’t want to stop seeing you, Alcina.” 

“Shhh, it’s okay. Kurt is all bark and no bite. Nothing bad is going to happen. You said you were at Karl’s shop? How much longer until your car is ready?” 

“I’m not sure. Karl still had to find out what was wrong with it.” 

“Hmm. If you’d like, I have a little time for myself since I’ve just dropped Bela off at karate and both Cassandra and Daniela are on play dates. I could come get you, we can talk, and then so long as you don’t have to be anywhere for the rest of the evening, I can take you to go get your car in the morning. How does that sound?” 

You sniffled again. “That sounds really good right now…I need you.” 

“You have me. I’ll be there soon.” 

You said your goodbyes and left the bathroom. Karl was waiting for you in the lobby. 

“So it looks like this time it’s your catalytic converter. Should only take me a couple hours and you’ll be good to go.” 

“Actually, I have someone coming to pick me up. Can I come get my car tomorrow?” 

“Not a problem. It’ll be here.” 

You were glad that you had some sort of understanding with Karl. 

Alcina pulled up and you left the building to get into her car. She pressed a soft kiss to your lips once you were out of Karl’s sight. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really, you pretty much got the gist of it. Your ex isn’t happy that we are seeing each other and kept emphasizing our age difference and that he doesn’t want me near his kids.” 

Alcina rolled her eyes. “I’m not understanding why this is an issue with him or what he thinks is going to happen. I’ll make sure he never bothers you again.” 

“I hope so.” 

Alcina looked at you with concern and then went back to focusing on the road. She glanced down briefly at the touch screen and switched the radio on. 

“Music always helps get my mind off things.”

Rather than the jazz music Alcina normally played, this happy go lucky, bordering on cheesy melody started playing. You couldn’t help but laugh. 

“What is this?” 

“This song was my father’s favorite. It’s not my usual taste, but it’s always helped me think of better times when I’ve been down. Maybe it could cheer you up?” 

You shrugged, staring out the window listening to the lyrics and when it got to the chorus, Alcina sang along. Her silky smooth voice able to reach the lower register of the song with ease gave you chills.

“Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree.It's been three long years, do you still want me? If I don't see a ribbon round the ole oak tree, I'll stay on the bus, forget about us, put the blame on me, if I don't see a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree.” 

Your eyes widened and you turned to Alcina. “Wow, you have a beautiful voice.” 

“Thank you, my dear.”

“No, really. I mean, you could sing professionally.” 

Alcina actually shied away from your praise. “In another life.” She stayed silent for a moment before continuing. “I once had the dream of pursuing music. I had always had a sort of knack for it. I sang in the children’s choir from a young age , I played the piano, as I got older I was in my school’s jazz ensemble where we traveled the state, and advanced chorus my senior year of high school. I did some musical theater too, but acting, while fun, was never my forte and I preferred to focus on my singing the most.” 

“What made you change your mind?”

Alcina sighed. “There were some…complications that held me back and even when they resolved I was heavily discouraged to solely pursue music. “Someone has to take over the winery” my father would always say and he was right, it was the more practical choice in the end.” 

Now was your chance to ask the question that had been plaguing you. 

“Did the complications have anything to do with that picture of you from the All County Jazz Festival in 1995?” 

Alcina tensed up. “You saw that? Snooping through my things, were you?” 

“Not exactly.” Your voice pitched up. “I was looking at the pictures on your tall dresser and noticed that one was tipped over so I picked it up thinking it fell and, uh, yeah.” 

“Hm. Don’t worry, I’m not upset with you. I keep that picture because getting that solo meant a lot to me and it’s the only memorabilia I have. I keep it out of sight so my daughters don’t see it and think that that’s a realistic body type to attain.” She glanced over at you for a moment at a stoplight. “I was not well, my dear. During that time I felt like I needed control. I was struggling with numerous things. My sexuality for one and the expectations put on me by my mother. I couldn’t stop myself from liking girls, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t make my mother happy. I could, however , control how much I ate and how much weight I lost. Unfortunately, I had gotten a little too good at it yet simultaneously felt it was never enough. I went away and got help about a month or so after that photo was taken. In the end, it was worth it, even at the cost of treatment holding me back from rebelling and pursuing my silly little dreams. It all worked out in the end.” She smiled in your direction. 

“I can relate with the mom stuff, trust me. I’m glad to hear you got help, but I still worry about how strict you are with food. You don’t-” You mimicked putting your finger down your throat. “or anything, do you?”

“Heavens no! I promise you, I’m fine. I simply prefer to eat healthier and only treat myself on occasion because I gain weight very easily now. You just wait until you hit your forties.” She laughed and then sighed. “It’ll be here before you know it.” 

“Alright, as long as you’re okay, I’m okay.” 

“That’s the spirit.” Alcina took her hand off the wheel and patted your knee a couple of times. 

When Alcina dropped you back off at your apartment, you felt a million times better compared to how you did at Karl’s shop. It would all blow over and everything would be okay. Everything would fall into place. You felt your phone vibrate. It was a text from Sam. You didn’t get the chance to hang out a second time the last time he was up, maybe he was coming back home to visit for a bit and you’d get the opportunity to go out again without puking everywhere. 

“You might want to see this.” 

That’s all his text said along with a link. Seemed kind of fishy so you called him. 

“Sam, is the link you just sent me legit? I don’t want to click it and end up getting my phone hacked or some shit.”

“It’s real and you should see it. I could stay on the phone with you if you want. I was browsing our town’s page and that thread came up in the popular posts section.” 

You felt queasy now. It had to be bad. Sam would have told you if it was good news. You opened the link and it was somehow worse than you thought. 

It appeared to be a section dedicated to local gossip and the headline caused an icy chill throughout your body. 

“New blind item! A local winery owner with an affinity for vintage fashion, also enjoys the company of very young women. Sources say they’ve been seen at hard to get in hot spots with girls more than half their age and never the same girl twice until recently. They say to support local business, but should we in this case?” 

You knew it had to be about Alcina, but maybe it wasn’t somehow?? This was insane! Her winery wasn’t the only one in the area. There were quite a few. Hers just happened to be the most popular due to the longevity and it being featured on the travel channel some years back. 

Then you read the first comment. 

“This has to be about that Dimitrescu woman. She’s always in those ridiculous getups thinking she’s some sort of 1950’s sex symbol. Nice tits though.”

Your head was spinning, you couldn’t focus to read the rest. Before you could stop yourself, you were yelling at Sam. 

“Did you do this! Who did you tell??! That or it was Dustin and Liv! How could you guys? I trusted you.” You were having a full blown panic attack to the point of hyperventilating. You were getting that tunnel vision like you were about to pass out. The only thing you could do was lie down on the cold kitchen tile to ground yourself. 

“Hey! Don’t take it out on me, you know I wouldn’t betray you. I didn’t want to leave you in the dark since I happened to see it and you’re being talked about there too. I can’t report the comments for sharing personal information since I’m not you. You can make an account and report them and they might do something. I’ve already reported the thread. Don’t know if it’ll do much though.” 

“There’s stuff about me? I only read one of the comments. I can’t do this right now.” 

Why? Why was everything falling apart all at once? 

Chapter Text

Anonymous: Yeah, it does sound like the owner of the Dimitrescu winery, but who cares? Not exactly juicy and where is your proof, OP?

Anonymous: Agreed. Mods should lock this thread until OP or someone else has solid proof. I agree with the anon above me though. Even if it’s true that she’s into younger women so long as they’re legal who gives a fuck?

Anonymous: Shit thread, OP. 

Anonymous: Not the OP, but I think it is a big deal. If it’s true, she’s abusing her power as a local celebrity over these younger women since I highly doubt she’s not using them for sex after. 

Anonymous: ^ Fuck outta here with that shit. Local celebrity? Be so fucking for real for me. 

Anonymous: Well, she kinda is, everyone was able to figure out who OP was talking about right away. We need some proof though, OP otherwise I say lock this thread since it’s just baseless accusations atp. 

Anonymous: So uh I agree and am p sure this is about the woman who owns the Dimitrescu winery. I can’t give too many details, but I used to be a server at one of the restaurants she likes to bring her flings to. She makes all of the waitstaff sign NDA’s. It seems so extra because really, who gives a shit about some winery owner and who she dates? Like I said, I don’t work there anymore, but I’m not sure if I am still bound or can get into any trouble. All I can say is, I went to high school with the girl she’s currently seeing…

Your vision blurred and your hands shook as you continued to scroll down the thread. Your name was never mentioned, but the commenter went on to describe what you looked like and not in a flattering light either. 

“Hello! Hello! Dude, are you still there?” Sam shouted over your phone’s speaker. 

Your ears were ringing as your heart continued to pound. 

“I have to go.” You ended the call abruptly and mustered up the courage to finish reading the rather long comment. 

Anonymous: I’m not sure what she sees in that girl, she is and always has been so homely. It makes sense for her to be a vagitarian, but Alcina Dimitrescu? Total waste for her to be a dyke. I guess that’s why we all had to sign those agreements. She doesn’t want people to know. Oh well, sucks to suck. Shouldn’t go out in public with your hookups then. 

Anonymous: She’s probably throwing her cash around for an easy lay. Top kek. From the sounds of it, that girl is busted and desperate. She’s lucky that anyone would want to sleep with her so she’s taking what she can get. Why a wealthy woman would waste her time with some rando, I have no idea, but women make no sense to me. So the big revelation here is that Alcina Dimitrescu is a dyke? Because really that’s the only interesting piece of info out of this. Who cares if she wants to date some fugly lesbitch a couple decades younger than herself? The old bat is going through a midlife crisis because she’s used up and no men would want her anymore anyway. 

Anonymous: Yikes are all the slurs and insults really necessary? Is any of this thread necessary? It seems like you just want to not only tear down a local female business owner, but expose her sexual orientation that she clearly isn’t public about yet. 

Finally, at least someone with some common sense.

Anonymous: Shutup, newfag. We don’t do any of your safe space woke shit here. 

Well, that didn’t last long. The rest of the comments devolved into fighting amongst one another rather than sticking to the topic at hand.There were more slurs thrown in of course and people threatening a boycott. Doubtful that any of them could afford to do business there let alone buy any of her wines that were sold in stores. You weren’t sure how to feel. Partially relieved in the sense that no actual personal info like your name was out there, but still awful that you and your girlfriend were being talked about in such a manner. It was a necessary evil that Sam had sent you the thread because it would almost be worse to be unaware of this in case it were to turn into something more, but it had already been such a bad day and this was the cherry on top of a shit sundae. What if people who knew you saw the thread? Sam already did. Your parents weren’t tech savvy enough to navigate a site like this, but your coworkers? That bitchy shift supervisor who hated your guts, the one you wished you could ask Alcina to fire? Your cousins? God damn it. 

It wasn’t just you either. Alcina’s name was attached to it and now anyone who were to see this thread would know about the personal life she kept so guarded. It made you want to scream, but you held off since the noise violation Olivia and Robbie earned months prior was still held against you as a tenant and you couldn’t afford another one. Poor Alcina, you hardly cared about yourself in the matter at this point. Your sexual orientation wasn’t exactly a secret, though you had your reasons for not being super open about it. Who gives a fuck about what some lowlifes in a shitty forum think? This was going to be a lot worse for her than it would be for you. Your town wasn’t in a progressive area. Perhaps among the younger generation, but the older folks held more conservative views and her winery was most popular with older, well off people who held those views. You’d have to contact her about this to see what could be done. It wasn’t going to be pretty, you had already bothered her earlier today during her custody week because of your car. You couldn’t not tell her though. 

Just as you were about to look for a way to report the thread, a little lock symbol showed up next to it along with another comment. 

Admin: Locking this thread due to a lack of evidence and infighting. 

Was it finally over? It looked to be, but the thread being locked didn’t delete it, it only prevented more people from commenting. All the comments tearing Alcina apart and the ones insulting you were still there for everyone to see. You had the advantage that only one person in the thread knew who you were, but didn’t mention your name. Who could have it been? You would have recalled if you saw any familiar faces wait on you while you were out with Alcina. The places she took you were upscale and kind of out of the way so you never recognized anyone. The only precautions you and Alcina took were keeping a certain distance in case someone from her circle was there, but it never happened. Even then, she always had arrangements for the two of you to sit in a private area of all the restaurants you dined at. Also, what was this about NDA’s? Alcina never mentioned any of that to you, she certainly never made you sign one personally. It seemed odd. You could understand her wanting her privacy, but that commenter mentioned flings as in plural. You knew you there were other girls before you that she had met off that site. Did they have to sign anything? Was there something more to it? Something felt off. 

Pulling yourself off of the kitchen floor, still shaking, you texted Alcina.

“I have some really bad news that I don’t think I should say over text. Are you free for a phone call?” 

Your phone began vibrating with a call from Alcina moments after you saw she read your text. 

“I am so sorry for bothering you again, but today has been an actual nightmare.”

“You aren’t bothering me at all.” Alcina reassured you. “I am concerned for you. I actually finished giving Kurt a piece of my mind after what he did to you today.”

“Oh?”

“You didn’t think I’d let him get away with it, did you? He won’t be bothering you again. If he has a problem, he knows now that he needs to take it up with me since that is who is actually upset with.”

It was a bit of a relief, but it didn’t erase what happened earlier. That man followed you from your apartment complex all the way to Karl’s shop. He knew where you lived and waited until you were in a vulnerable position to confront you. He probably hoped that his brother would side with him. At least Karl actually seemed to be a decent guy whether Alcina liked him or not. 

“So tell me, dear, what’s going on now? Does it have to do with your car? I’ve got the girls back home now, but if you need me, I can wrangle them up and come get you.” 

“That’s sweet of you, Alcina, but no it isn’t that at all and I’m fine with waiting to get my car until tomorrow. I found something online talking about you…about us. It’s some kind of gossip forum? It’s mostly about-”

Alcina sighed heavily. “Send me the link, please.” 

You complied, putting her on speaker and sharing the post in your text conversation. You didn’t want to say anything until she had the opportunity to read through it herself. You held your breath as you listened to her nails tap her phone’s screen, waiting for her to say anything. 

“It wants me to download an app?” 

“Just ignore that and click continue in browser.” 

A couple more minutes passed before Alcina spoke again.

“Well, my dear, it appears I’m fucked.” She laughed nervously. 

“What do we do now?” 

“I see that the post is locked from further commentary, but I fear the damage is done unless the post is taken down. Even then, there’s no way of knowing how many people have seen it. If you found it, the possibilities are endless. Anyone from my friends to those who clearly want to tear me down. I’m going to see what I can do to get this wiped clean before more people have an opportunity to see it. It looks like the post has only been up for a few hours so it might not be too late.” 

“Alcina?”

“Yes?”

“Is the whole NDA thing true? What’s that about?” 

Alcina went silent on the other line for a moment before answering you. 

“That’s something we can discuss later, in person. Right now, I have to see what strings I can pull to put this ugliness behind us.” 

She ended the call leaving you with a pit in your stomach. 

There were some more texts from Sam from when you were on the phone with Alcina wanting to know if you were okay and then the final one. 

“I’m coming over.” 

“No, please, not tonight.” You hit send, but then heard a knock at your door. 

“Too late.” Sam texted back. 

You opened the door and saw Sam standing there with a bag full of god knows what. 

“How did you get here so quickly? Isn’t your apartment like 2 hours away?” 

“I’ve been staying at my mom’s now and then. It’s just so cramped in that apartment and you know how Michaela and Austin are, they always have people over. Greg’s still crashing with us too. Ironically, I’m getting more privacy at my mom’s since she works a lot.” 

“Never thought I’d see the day you’d willingly want to stay back home.” 

Sam shrugged. “Mom’s chilled out a lot more since I’ve moved out. Not enough for me to want to move back home between semesters though. That would mean having to give up my lease on the apartment and live in the dorms since it’s too far to commute. Then I’d be stuck with a roommate in my actual room. At least I still get my own space this way.” 

“True. I’d take multiple roommates before I’d ever be willing to move back with the ‘rents.” 

You stared at the bag Sam had once again. Was he planning on staying over? You wouldn’t mind if he did. As much as you liked having your own space, it got lonely at times. You much preferred the weeks you’d stay with Alcina vs being alone in the apartment. 

“Soo…whatcha got in the bag there, Sammy boy? Please say booze and hopefully not that cinnamon whiskey. I could go for some wine or oooh! That dragonberry rum from that one time.”

As good as it was, you were going to be off cinnamon for a long time after the bar incident. 

“Nah, I’m fresh out, but I think this will be a better distraction from everything.” 

Sam pulled out a vintage gaming console. 

“Where did you get that? My dad used to play the same one when I was little, but it got sold in a garage sale years ago.” 

“I bought it at some retro game store a while back. It’s kind of a thing up at my school. Lots of students are into retro gaming. Besides, it’s nice not having to have the newest gen console or a gaming pc. Just pop in a cartridge and play without having to wait for updates or worry your internet is gonna crap out.”

You nodded in agreement. It would be fun to get back into gaming. It was something you were actively discouraged from growing up, but after you moved out and before you started seeing Alcina, you never had the time or cash to spare. Then these past few months you had been so wrapped up in her that a lot of other things on your to do list fell to the wayside. 

“Alright, if you can get it set up, feel free.” 

Sam got to work carefully moving your tv in order to hook up the console. You checked up on the thread again, it was still there and still locked. Just knowing it was still out there was making your anxiety spike again. Then you got another idea. 

“Wyd????” You texted Olivia. 

She took a few minutes to respond. 

“Nm you?”

“Sam came over and surprised me. We’re gonna play some retro games. Wanna come?” 

“Hell yeah! I’ll be over asap.” 

Her enthusiasm put a smile on your face. It was best to surround yourself with friends so you didn’t have to be alone with your thoughts. Why stop here though? 

“You busy, Dustin?” 

“At work rn, but I’m free after.” 

“Wanna come over to my place and hang out? Sam’s here and Liv is coming too. I promise I won’t be a drunk asshole this time. We’re just gonna play games and hang out.” 

“I’m in. Need me to bring anything?”

“No, but I won’t stop you if you decide to 😝”

“👍🏻”

You closed your eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay. You just needed to believe that it would be. 

“Okay, I’ve got everything set up!” Sam called out. “Which game do you wanna play first?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I invited Dustin and Liv over too. How about you play something and I watch until they get here?” 

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like I’m hogging it.”

“It’s fine! I actually don’t mind just watching. It’s like having my own personal let’s player.” 

Sam laughed. “Should I narrate as I go?”

“Please don’t.” 

Sam picked a game that looked familiar to you. You couldn’t quite recall it, but as soon as the title screen started, you were hit with a wave of nostalgia. The music, the logo, the sound of a horse galloping across a field. You used to watch your dad play this same game when you were very young. You couldn’t recall anything about it, but it reminded you of the good times before life got complicated. You had always spent more time with your dad since you shared his interests rather than being the typical girly girl your mom had wanted. Then one day, your dad stopped gaming and the console was never seen again. Your mom had always said that video games were childish whenever your dad played. Then if you did, it was that they were unladylike. You missed playing when the console got sold, but you knew better than to ask for anything gaming related ever again. 

You got yourself comfortable on the couch and watched as Sam started his quest to save a princess as well as the land surrounding the kingdom. He was at the first dungeon when Olivia showed up. 

She immediately pulled you into a hug when you answered the door. 

“It’s so good to see you! It’s been way too long.”

Olivia pulled you closer and whispered in your ear.  

“Again, I’m super sorry about what happened when we all went out. I learned that I shouldn’t have been drinking with my meds so I got sloppy way too quickly.” 

“Shit, I didn’t even think of that. It’s fine, Liv. If anyone was actually sloppy, it was me. Let’s just forget about it and play some games.” 

“Fine by me! Hey, Sam!” 

Sam greeted Olivia then quickly turned his attention back to the boss fight he was in the middle of. 

“Got anything to eat? I am starving.” Olivia groaned. 

“Lemme check.” 

Opening your fridge yielded some depressing results. Nothing that could be a proper meal or snack, mostly grab and go type things. The freezer wasn’t much better, freezer burnt vegetables and some tv dinners. 

“Looks like we’re ordering out if we want to eat.” 

“Can’t go wrong with pizza or maybe tacos?” Sam chimed in. 

“Delivery tacos don’t sound so great unless I ask Dustin to grab food on his way here.”

“Dustin’s coming over?” Olivia was turning red. 

“I invited him, but he won’t be here for a little while since he’s at work. Is that okay?” 

“It’s fine.” She was blushing hard. “But let’s just order pizza now so we don’t have to wait for him to get out of work and get the food. I could eat someone’s face, I'm so hungry right now.” 

“Damn, Liv, okay.” 

Everyone decided on a pizza that would suit everyone’s tastes along with some sides and a 2 liter of soda for good measure. 

As you all waited for the pizza and for Dustin, you and Olivia opted to continue watching Sam play through the single player game he was playing. Might as well wait for everyone before getting into any party games. Every now and then you nervously checked your phone only to be disappointed when you saw the inflammatory thread was still up. Sam caught you staring at your phone when he happened to look your way. His eyes said it all. You locked your screen and put your phone down. It wasn’t worth getting worked up or talking about. Alcina was going to get it taken care of. 

Another knock at the door. 

“That must be the pizza!” You hurried to answer it because you were getting pretty hungry yourself. 

“Nope, just Dustin.” 

“Gee, thanks.” 

“Hey, Dustin.” Olivia said in a tone lower than her normal voice. Was she flirting?

Dustin shied away, also turning red, but returning her greeting. 

Oh, get a room already, you two. You refrained from rolling your eyes, but again you thought it wouldn’t be a bad thing if they hooked up. Liv could use some fun. 

The final knock at your door was the pizza and sides.

After a bit of a feeding frenzy, you were all ready to play some games. 

“I am kicking you out of my apartment if you steal one more star from me, Sam.” 

“Fine, I’ll just take Liv’s.” 

“Come on! I just bought that one and I’m in last place.” 

“Get good, scrub.” 

As fun as the game was, it brought out the worst in everyone. It was such a good distraction though. You hadn’t checked your phone since well before you started. It wasn’t until the final few turns when your phone vibrated with a text from Alcina. 

“It’s all taken care of.” 

Wait, was it actually gone? 

“Hey, it’s your turn.” Dustin said, momentarily distracting you from the drama you had been sucked back into. 

“Okay, just gimme a sec.” 

You clicked on the link you had saved. 

404 error

Page not found :( 

For the first time in hours, you finally felt like you could breathe properly again. 

While you didn’t win the first round, or any of the games you played, it was still a great time. After the last round, instead of starting a new game, you opted to put on a movie instead. None of you made it through the end before falling asleep. It wasn’t planned, but it made up for the night everyone was supposed to stay over and impromptu sleepovers were the best. 

The sun was just starting to rise when you woke up on the couch. You were at one end of the sectional while Sam was curled up in the other corner. Dustin and Olivia weren’t in the living room. Did they leave? 

You left Sam sleeping on the couch and crept to your room, slowly opening the door. 

Empty. What a relief that they hadn’t hooked up in your bed. They must have left. You couldn’t blame them for not wanting to sleep on the floor. You didn’t have a proper guest room and you and Sam had taken up the couch.  

You were about to crawl into your bed when you remembered something. Didn’t you see Olivia and Dustin’s keys and shoes still by the door? As quickly and quietly as you could, you went back into the living room and sure enough, there were both sets of keys and shoes by the little entrance way. 

They didn’t. Seriously?

You hadn’t thought to check Olivia’s old room that was now your office/gym. That room hadn’t gotten much use at all since school ended. You could do most things on the internet through the convenience of your phone and your home gym only consisted of the yoga mat Alcina had bought for you and some small free weights that you didn’t use nearly as much as you should. Your mind briefly flashed back to the hate thread from the night before. All those insulting things about your appearance. You should be working out way more and laying off the pizza. You shut your eyes tightly for a moment. No, you weren’t going to think like that or about the thread anymore. It was done. 

Gently, you turned the knob to Olivia’s old room and were met with something you’d have preferred not to have seen. 

“Seriously!? On top of my yoga mat!?” It came out in a whisper though still louder than you intended. 

There they both were, naked as the day they were born only covered by one of the throw blankets from your living room draped over their bodies. Thankfully they were covered enough to not have to see anything you wouldn’t see at a beach or at the pool. You had seen Olivia naked plenty of times and vice versa. Neither of you had any qualms about it and you were glad she never was uncomfortable changing around you just because you liked girls. Dustin though, you’d never be able to look him in the eye again if you saw anything more than his bare chest. 

You closed the door and went back to your room as they began to stir. Then you heard some frantic footsteps. Some going towards your front door and more going towards the door to your room. The front door opened and shut as Olivia opened the door to your room.

“Can I come in?” She asked sheepishly. 

“You already are.” 

Olivia was a tomato with how red she was as she sat on your bed. 

“So, you wanna tell me about your night? Looks like you guys had a lot of fun after I fell asleep.” 

“It was…different.” 

“Good or bad?” 

“Amazing!” Olivia’s eyes lit up. “I didn’t know it could be that good. That’s the first time I’ve been with anyone besides my ex.” 

She wasn’t referring to him by name anymore. That must be some sort of progress. 

“I’m glad to hear that, but did it have to be on top of my new yoga mat though?” 

“Sorry about that. I can get you a new one.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine, it can be disinfected.” 

You both sat in silence for a minute. 

“Are you gonna fill me in on the details or no?” 

Olivia lit back up again. 

“Okay, so you and Sam had fallen asleep. Dustin and I were dozing off too, but we haven’t had much of an opportunity to really talk. I know that you know we kept texting each other after the bar, but we hadn’t met up since. I was actually going to ask him if he wanted to hang out sometime, but then you invited us over last night. We didn’t want to wake you guys up so we went into my old room to talk. Love what you’ve done with it by the way! I wish I had a separate room for my computer, but it’ll be even worse when I go to my new school since I’ll have to share a dorm and-”

“Livvy, you’re getting off topic.” 

“Sorry, it’s so easy to get sidetracked, my mind is buzzing. Anyway, we were talking and one thing led to another and yeah. I never thought I’d do it with a guy I wasn’t in love with, but everything was great and I’m glad that none of us drank last night. I felt like I was in control and he was so sweet. He kept asking if I was okay and said we could stop at any time, which just made me want it even more.” 

You were starting to get too vivid of a picture in your mind so you had to cut her off.

“I’m happy for you, Liv. Not to pry too much, but you guys were careful, right?” 

“Yes, girl. Trust me, I don’t need any accidents, especially not before school starts in a couple months.” 

“Ugh, don’t word it like that, it feels like summer just started. I hate thinking that it’s only a couple of months away already.” 

“I know, right?” 

“Anyway, you’re so lucky that you and Alcina don’t have to worry about that kind of stuff, but I guess you got stuck with kids anyway.” She laughed. 

“Please. I don’t feel baby trapped in any way. I hardly see the girls, but they’re sweet and even Bela, her oldest, is warming up to me.” 

“The thirteen year old? Yeah, I don’t think that’s something I’d want to deal with until I have my own kids. Props to you for being step mommy of the year though.” 

You rolled your eyes. “Shut up.” 

Olivia just giggled in response.

You were still tired from how early it was and Olivia was exhausted from how late she stayed up so you both went back to sleep in your bed. Sam woke you up at one point to say goodbye and asked if it was okay if he left his game console there. You happily agreed. Now you’d get a chance for some single player action. 

Not long after, your phone startled you awake once again. 

“I can take you to go pick up your car, but I’m on a tight schedule. Will you be ready in about 15 minutes?” 

You groaned, but told her it would be fine in your text back. 

It was going to be hot out today, so you threw on some shorts and a T-shirt. Still feeling self conscious from the things that were said about you, but it was too hot to let it get to you. 

“Going somewhere?” Olivia’s voice croaked, still groggy from falling back to sleep. 

“I’m not sure if you noticed, probably not since I rarely get to park up front, but my car is in the shop. I had to leave it there last night so Alcina is going to take me to pick it up, but I need to be ready and out front in a few minutes.” 

“Gotcha. Want me to leave?” 

“No, you don’t have to leave right now. Go back to sleep if you want, but if you do leave before I get back, just make sure to lock the door from the inside since you don’t have keys anymore.” 

“Thanks, boo.” 

Olivia turned over to go back to sleep and by the time you got out to the front of your building, Alcina was already parked and waiting. She looked perfect as ever, signature curls and red lips. This time she wore oversized black sunglasses with rhinestones decorating the outside of the lenses or were they actual diamonds? She wore a floral sundress that was bright and cheery to match the sunny weather. So unlike the gloomy demeanor that radiated off of her today. 

You opened the door to the passenger seat and climbed in. Nothing was playing on the radio which was so out of place for Alcina. 

“Thanks for coming to get me.” You said tentatively. 

“It’s no problem, dear.” 

Her tone was off. You wanted to lean over and kiss her, but she was already backing out of the parking space and you didn’t want to distract her. She remained silent and you were too nervous to break that silence. 

Was she mad at you? Was she going to end things? What if she decided this whole thing was a mistake? You couldn’t bear it. You had been together for months now and an official couple for the past few weeks. It would destroy you to lose her now. You hadn’t felt this way about anyone before…

“There’s some pressing matters we need to address.”

Oh no.

“Alcina, if you’re going to dump me, please just rip the bandaid off now.” Your voice was shaking a tiny bit as you forced yourself to hold it together.

Alcina pulled the car over. 

“Break up with you!? Heavens no! Come here.” 

Alcina pulled you close to her, grabbing your chin so you could make eye contact. 

“You’re the best thing that’s happened to me in such a long time. I’m not giving up on you. I’m not giving up on us.” 

You didn’t hesitate to kiss her and she reciprocated. 

She took a deep breath after the kiss was broken and spoke again. 

“The pressing matters have to do with my ex husband and with that god awful website from yesterday.” 

“Do you think Kurt is the one who posted that?” 

Alcina pursed her lips. “I have no idea. I’ve asked him to speak with me in person regarding our relationship and as much as I want to protect you from him, I’m going to need you to be there. I promise nothing like yesterday will happen again. I also plan to bring up that website. I’m sure you’ve noticed the original post is gone, but I’ve taken screenshots for my own records.”

You tensed up momentarily. Did you really have to speak with Kurt? You never wanted to see him again after what happened, but maybe one last conversation would get him to butt out of your relationship permanently. 

“When do you need me there?”

“Sunday, about an hour before our usual time. Kurt will be picking up the girls for his custody week so he’ll be at my house anyway. Ideally, it will be a short conversation. I’ll set boundaries. From now on if he has any issues, he is to take them up with me and leave you out of it, but he also needs to accept that you are a part of my life now and that means you’re going to be a part of the girls’ lives as well. He’s just going to have to deal with it the same way I am now that he is seeing someone too.” 

“Where are the girls, by the way?” 

“They’re back home. I figured this would be a short enough trip that Bela could watch her younger sisters without much issue. I believe I was babying her too much before. There’s no reason for them to need a sitter for an hour or two tops and Bela has said that she wants to so it’s not as if I’m forcing her to babysit all day while I go gallivanting around town. It’s hard for me to accept that she’s growing up. They all are.” Alcina pouted. 

She started the car up again and got back on the main road. You still had more questions for her. 

“Do you think I should quit the winery? Also, how did you get that post taken down?” 

“I have my ways.” Alcina smirked. “And no, I think the best course of action would be for you to continue working for me. On the off chance anyone from the winery did see the post, it would look all the more suspicious if you suddenly stopped working for me. Which also has me thinking, Dustin is the only one from my employ who knows about us, but I highly doubt he would say such things. Especially not after his recent bonus and pay increase.” 

Your mind flashed back to that night in the apartment and the conversation you overheard. 

“Oh the hush money?” You joked. 

“I wouldn’t call it that. I doubt that boy would have said anything to begin with, but the extra security doesn’t hurt.” 

“I think he’s too wrapped up in my friend Liv anyway.” 

“Really now? How is she doing? I swear, almost every time I see that girl she’s shaken up from something. That awful boyfriend of hers and then that night I had to rescue you from that bar.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. Liv is doing great though. She and Dustin have really hit it off, maybe a little too well. They were both at my apartment last night along with my friend Sam. I didn’t want to be alone after everything that happened and I knew you weren’t available.” You took a deep breath. “ANYway, after Sam and I fell asleep I guess they had a lot more fun. Any chance you could buy me a new yoga mat?” 

Alcina let out a barking laugh that she stifled with her hand. “Stop! It’s going to be quite difficult to face him after hearing this information. Dustin the little Casanova. Who would have thought?” 

“At least you didn’t see him with your best friend on top of him, naked only covered by a blanket.”

More laughter erupted from Alcina. “Please, my old heart can only take so much. You’re going to make me crash this car. That or Dustin is going to lose his job since you’ve made me picture it so vividly.” 

“Okay, I’ll stop. Anything to keep Dustin around. He’s the only one at the winery who likes me.” 

“I like you.” Alcina said in that seductive tone of hers. 

“I guess that’s all that matters then. It’s mostly Amanda who I have a problem with, she’s had it out for me since I was out sick.” 

“Hmm, that one holds grudges, she does. I’ve actually been thinking of getting rid of her, but I’d need to train another shift supervisor with the same level of availability she has.” 

Hopefully soon. You thought. 

Alcina pulled into the parking lot of Karl’s shop. 

“You’re okay with me just dropping you off, right? I’d prefer to not have to see Karl if I don’t have to. It’s bad enough I’m forced to interact with his brother as much as I am.”

“It’s no problem, Alcina. I’ll see you Sunday then?” 

“Saturday as well. Don’t forget you have a shift. I’ll be there. Yet another wedding. You know the drill by now.” 

You gave her a quick kiss and opened the door to leave. 

“Before you go, I just wanted to say that you look stunning. You always do. Don’t let anyone make you think otherwise.” 

She must have seen the awful things that were said about you when she was reading through that thread. It was nice that she wanted to reassure you, but it still hurt to read those things about yourself. Some pretty awful things were said about her as well. 

“Thanks, Alcina. You already know that I think you’re beautiful, but I don’t think anyone has to tell you that.”

She smiled. “Well, it’s always nice to hear, especially from someone who means so much to me. I know I may seem confident at all times, but you know what they say “fake it till you make it” and all that. Go on now, get your car before Karl sees me and I’m forced to be cordial.” 

“Sure thing, see you later.”

Alcina blew a kiss and drove off. 

You walked into the shop and saw a woman working the desk. You told her your name and the make and model of your car. 

“Alright, your car is all set and it looks like the balance has been paid off so if you’ll just sign this sheet for me, someone will pull your car around front.”

Odd. You definitely didn’t pay yesterday, unless Alcina called in a favor over the phone. Whatever, you weren’t going to argue over free. 

When you walked out front, your car was pulled up to the curb by Karl himself. Oh boy. 

Karl hopped out of the car and walked around to give you your keys. 

“How you holding up, kid?” His voice was gruff and he reeked of cigars and motor oil. 

“Okay, a lot better than yesterday.” 

“Listen, I just wanted to apologize again for that. My brother must have thought that I was gonna back him up, probably why he chose to confront you at my shop specifically, but I don’t agree with his bullshit at all.”

“I don’t know what you want me to say. I mean, you guys seemed pretty friendly with each other that time you crashed mine and Alcina’s date at the house.” 

“I didn’t agree with that either. Kurt and I are not the same. We’re not actually close. I only put up with him so I can see my nieces because your lady isn’t gonna let ‘ol Uncle Karl drop by when they’re on her watch.” 

You knew deep down that Karl didn’t seem like a bad guy. He might have looked the part in comparison to his clean shaven, suit wearing twin, but Kurt was the real asshole. 

Karl continued on. “So, uh, to make it up to you, I cleared the balance on your car, did a couple extra repairs, and detailed the inside. It’s as good as new. At least in looks anyway. You’ll need a new car by the end of summer. That or another major repair and as a professional in this field, as much as I’d love the extra cash from anyone else, it’s in your best interest to get a new car. Then maybe you won’t have to see me as often.” He let out a sound between a laugh and cough. 

“That’s…that’s really nice of you Karl and I want to thank you for sticking up for me the way you did. The girls are lucky to have an uncle like you.” 

“Aw shucks. Maybe put in a good word with the dragon lady and I’ll be able to see them again. I doubt Kurt wants anything to do with me now.” 

“I’ll see what I can do.” 

Karl smiled and handed you your keys. “Stay safe, kiddo.” 

You waved goodbye and drove back to your apartment. Olivia was gone by the time you got home, but she made your bed and cleaned up the living room and kitchen. The only thing out of place was a note next to a wrapper on the counter. 

“I told you we were safe. Don’t worry, I took the evidence out to the dumpster so it wouldn’t be in the bathroom trash. Love you xoxo”

That’s when you looked closer and noticed it was a condom wrapper.

“Ah, gross, Liv!” 

You texted a picture showing your look of disapproval.

She only responded in emojis. 

Saturday came and as nervous as you were for your shift at the winery, nothing seemed out of sorts. It was a busy day to the point you hardly had any time to think. None of your coworkers gave you any funny looks, not even Amanda. She wasn’t shift supervisor today since Alcina was actually there, just another worker bee like the rest of you since weddings required so much extra effort compared to the weekday grind. Amanda wasn’t exactly thrilled to see you, she never was, but no snide remarks or funny looks. Whatever Alcina did to get that post nuked seems to have worked. Nothing else popped up and from the looks of it, it didn’t have that far of a reach otherwise the gossip would be unstoppable. 

Sunday came after a rough night consisting of tossing and turning and hardly any sleep. You didn’t want to see Kurt after what happened earlier in the week. If all went well though, you’d never have to see him again. The entire day up until you left for Alcina’s felt like a waste. You couldn’t focus enough to do anything productive. You couldn’t eat. You couldn’t play a game to distract yourself. You felt paralyzed, just staring at the clock until it was go time. 

After what felt like an eternity, it was finally an acceptable time to head over to Alcina’s. It felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest as you drove. There were several instances where you felt like you wanted to pull over, but you forced yourself to stay on track. The sooner you got there, the sooner you could get this out of the way. Then Kurt would take the girls for the week and you could have your week with Alcina. At least you hoped you would. That had been the routine and you had your bag packed in the back. 

His car was already in the driveway as you pulled in. You wanted to hurl. After taking a few deep breaths, you mustered the courage to walk up to the front door. Alcina was there to greet you, keeping a bit of distance which you were fine with. After Kurt left, you’d be able to make up for it. 

There was no sign of Kurt yet and Alcina pulled you to the side. 

“I promise this won’t be long. I’ve told the girls to play in the basement until I say it’s time to come up. I just need to set Kurt straight and have him promise to leave you alone.” She whispered.

“Okay.” You whispered back. 

Alcina led you over to the kitchen island where Kurt was seated. You took a seat as far away from him as you possibly could while Alcina remained standing. 

“I believe some apologies are in order.” Alcina said sternly. 

Kurt looked over in your direction for the first time since you walked in. Such a contrast from how warm Karl was to you, Kurt was cold and calculating. Everything about him made you uneasy. 

“Look, I’m sorry for going about things the way I did. I should have never confronted you like that. You’re just a kid, you don’t know any better. My real issue is with her.” He gestured to Alcina. “She’s old enough to know better, to know the kind of example she’s setting for our daughters.”

“And what kind of example is that, Kurt?” Alcina interrupted. “A healthy relationship? God forbid.” 

Kurt snorted. “Is that what you’re calling this? Please, Alci. You couldn’t find someone your own age?” 

“For the love of Christ, Kurt. You’re acting as though I’m dating a high schooler. She has a college degree, she lives independently, that’s about as adult as you can get. Perhaps you weren’t mature at her age, but this resentment you have towards me is something you’re going to have to get over.” 

“Why should I? What happened to “till death do us part?” I remember taking vows, Alci, don’t you?” 

Alcina looked to be brimming with rage, fighting to keep her calm demeanor. 

“Kurt, you already know exactly why our marriage failed. It’s not anyone’s fault.”

“Oh, so it’s not your fault for suddenly switching up on me? We were married for nearly a decade. We had three beautiful girls. Then you suddenly hit me with you being a lesbian? So what, you’re bisexual. Plenty of women are. I was willing to let you explore that-”

“Enough, Kurt. There was nothing to “explore.” I had been with women long before we were married. Me caving into societal expectations and the ones set for me by my parents doesn’t change that. I am exclusively attracted to women. Always have been and I am living my truth.” 

Kurt slammed his fists on the table. “At the expense of our family though? Making the girls live in two separate homes, two Christmases, no actual stability? Fine, live your “truth” if that’s what you’re calling it. You’re selfish, always have been. I don’t know why I didn’t catch onto it sooner.” Kurt turned his attention back to you. “You better pay close attention to this here, kid. She is nothing but a user. Once she gets what she wants from you, she’ll toss you aside like she’s done with everyone else. If you don’t wanna listen to me, fine, you’ll learn, but I meant what I said. I don’t want the two of you flaunting this “relationship” in front of my kids.” 

You didn’t know what to say. Not that it mattered because neither of them were letting you get a word in edgewise. 

“Enough with the air quotes. It is an actual relationship. She’s my girlfriend. She is part of my life. The girls are my life. They’re going to see each other. You can’t expect me to keep this part of me a secret from them. Am I not supposed to be happy until they’re all eighteen and away at college? Speaking of-”

Alcina placed her phone in front of Kurt, the screen displaying a screenshot of the since deleted thread. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you? The same day you harass my girlfriend, telling her you’ll find a way to make her stay away, and suddenly this pops up on some gossip forum. Seems a little coincidental, don’t you think?” 

Kurt examined the phone, squinting at it confused. 

“What the hell is this?” 

“You tell me, Kurt.” Alcina crossed her arms awaiting his response. 

“Really, Alci-”

“And would you please stop calling me Alci?”

“Really, Al-see-nuh” he sounded out slowly, mocking her. “I have no idea what this is. Definitely not my work. You know how busy my schedule is, you think I’d take the time out of my day to do this?” 

“You seem to have the time to stalk and harass people.” 

“Not even close, but please continue to over exaggerate. That’s a specialty of yours. Exaggerate an entire marriage to get what you want and then throw it all away so you can sleep with young girls who don’t know any better.”

“Can you please stop talking about me like I’m not sitting right here.” You had had enough at this point. Alcina said this would be quick, but it kept dragging on and you were tired of watching them bicker with no input. “I’m not a child. I don’t need you to speak for me. You don’t know what I want or what’s best for me and you can’t control who I date even if it is your ex wife.” 

Kurt put his hands up. “Whatever you say, little girl.” 

Alcina was fuming. “If anyone is over exaggerating here, it’s you, trying to make my relationship seem as though there’s some nefarious intent.”

“Okay, fine, I give up! Have your way, Alcina. Move her into the house, marry her, and when she gets too old for you or you suddenly decide you don’t like women anymore, throw her to the curb for your next conquest! Maybe you can start dating one of the girls’ friends when they get a little older since you like them so young? As a matter of fact, are our girls even safe with you?” 

Alcina’s hand made contact with Kurt’s face so quickly that if you had blinked, you would have missed it. Your jaw dropped at the sound of the impact. She hit him hard, but he deserved it after saying something so disgusting. 

“You sick fuck! How DARE you insinuate something so vile. Get out of my house.” 

You picked your jaw up off the floor. In an attempt to look neutral. This fight crossed so many lines. Kurt was obviously in the wrong, but if he wanted to, he could get Alcina on assault charges the same way Olivia did with Robbie. This was not going to end well. 

Kurt held his hand to his reddened cheek. “If you insist.”

He stood up and walked towards the basement door. 

“Girls, it’s time to go.” 

Footsteps came bounding up the stairs. You weren’t even sure if you should still be there, but you stayed put. 

The girls said hello to you and goodbye to their mother while Kurt had already walked to the front door. Daniela tried to talk to you about something, but Kurt interrupted. 

“Come on, ladybug. Daddy has work to do.” 

Daniela obeyed and joined her dad and sisters by the door. 

“Daddy, why’s your face all red?” 

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie-”

The rest was out of earshot after they left and shut the door behind them. 

“Alcina?” 

You noticed she was still standing in the same spot, staring off into space and unmoving until you calling her name broke her trance. 

“I don’t even know how to begin processing what just happened.”

“Kurt’s fucking disgusting for what he said to you.” 

“Just thinking of that makes my stomach churn. I shouldn’t have lost control though. Now he has the upper hand. I am so unbelievably fucked.” 

For Alcina to say fuck in a non sexual context as much as she had been lately, you knew it was serious business. She normally wasn’t one for such vulgarity as she called it. 

“I’m sure it’ll be okay, Alcina.”

“I highly doubt that. You know Kurt’s a lawyer right? A real shark too. He makes Saul Goodman look like a saint.” 

“Who?” 

“Never mind.”

“Do you want me to go home? I can leave if you need some space.” 

Alcina wrapped you in her arms, taking you by surprise. 

“Oh, would you cut that out, already? I’m not going to break up with you and I certainly don’t want to give up our alone time together. What’s done is done. Now it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing what his next move will be. In the meantime, let me take you upstairs.” 

Well, you weren’t going to argue with that. 

You got into bed with her and before it went any further, you spoke up. 

“Would you mind very much if we just cuddled tonight? I need you to hold me.” 

“Of course, love.” 

Alcina held you close with your ear pressed to her chest. Her heart rate still felt elevated and then you swore you felt a tear drop onto your scalp. 

Chapter Text

“Are you…crying?” There was no way that wasn’t a tear. Alcina had been vulnerable around you, but you had never seen her cry. When you looked up, as it turned out, you still hadn’t. Her eyes were a bit red and puffy, but her face showed no emotion.

“Alcina?” You questioned her again which snapped her out of whatever trance she had been in.

“I’m alright.” She let out a deep sigh. “This is all just so very frustrating. My personal life being exposed by Lord knows who and Kurt’s persistence that I am undeserving of happiness should it not be with him.” She took another deep breath, slowly exhaling in the same way you’d seen her do with her yoga practice. 

You held your breath, unsure of what to say in the moment, hoping she would speak again since you couldn’t find the words. 

“I’m not sure what happens now. I have no idea what retaliation I will experience from Kurt let alone when. Then that blasted internet. There’s a reason I’m hardly active on social media and no, it’s not because of my age.”

A joke from Alcina Dimitrescu at a time like this? You couldn’t help the giggle that escaped you. 

“You set yourself up for that one. I wasn’t gonna say anything.”

“But you would have had it not been for today’s events. Don’t think I don’t know you by now.”

At this point, the only person who could possibly know you more would be Olivia, but Alcina had her beat after that heart to heart you had. Never did you think you’d see the day that you’d confide in someone something you hadn’t already run by Olivia first. 

You shrugged in acceptance and let Alcina continue. 

“I don’t have a need for any of it. I have a social media manager for the winery and as for my own personal profiles? I don’t feel the need. In fact, I’ve hardly spent any time on the internet since we’ve met.”

Although it made you smile, you couldn’t say the same.

“Well, I’m not the type to put stuff about myself out there. The things that are worth sharing, I can’t exactly be open about.” You trailed off. The look in Alcina’s eyes showed that she had picked up what you put down. “Won’t lie, I am kinda addicted to doomscrolling though.”

“Doom scrolling?” She questioned, slowly drawing both words out. Alcina shook her head.” You know what? I don’t want to know.” 

You shared a much needed laugh over it before retreating back into silence. Despite everything, it felt nice to be cuddled up to her. The only sounds being her breathing and the other ambient noises around the bedroom. The sun began to set casting shadows around the room as you both stayed put. Crickets outside the window now adding to the ticking clock and the air conditioning being pushed through the vents. 

“Remember how I said there would still need to be some discretion between us?” Alcina broke the silence, startling you from the edge of sleep. You returned her gaze.

“I do.” You bit your lip. “I haven’t told anyone else about us. If it weren’t for Liv getting drunk and being a blabbermouth, she would have been the only person to know.”

Alcina shook her head. “I’m not worried about that.” 

You raised your brows at her. At least she trusted you.

“Would you mind very much if we chose to spend our time together in private? At least for a little while until this all blows over with Kurt. I know we’re usually out and about when we’re not in this bed, but I believe it would be in our best interest to not risk being seen together outside of work.”

That sounded reasonable. As much as you’d miss the bragging rights for dining at the finest restaurants, it wasn’t about that anymore. It never really was about what she could provide financially, even when you weren’t sure you could make rent.

“I don’t mind at all. I’m happy as long as we get to be together.” 

“That’s my girl.” Alcina squeezed you tighter for the moment.

“There is just one more condition though that I bring up with the deepest regrets.”

You took a second to mentally prepare yourself. “And what’s that?”

Alcina paused for a moment. “I believe it’s also best for you to not see the girls for a while. I am so sorry. I know in a way it’s like letting Kurt win, but I promise you, this is not permanent.”

Dang. Just as you were starting to get kind of close with them. It was only once maximum every other week, but they had become part of your routine. You had Alcina’s custody schedule memorized better than your personal life. One week on where you’d sometimes go over for dinner or meet out, the rest of the time spent on whatever you needed to attend to whether that be work, friends, or maintaining your apartment. Then Alcina’s off week where you stayed at her place and she spoiled you rotten. 

  “I understand.” What else could you say?

“Daniela is going to be so disappointed, she’s grown really fond of you.”

“Same here. I’ll miss Cass and Bela too, of course.” 

Alcina giggled.

“What?”

“I believe Bela will miss you as well.”

“I can see that.” You laughed. “She’s stopped being actively hostile towards me so that must mean something. Cass, I was never really worried about.” 

Alcina hummed. “She can be quite the people pleaser. Cassandra has picked up on the fact that you bring me happiness so she was never going to be a problem. If Kurt wants to play dirty though then he is going to get exactly what he gives. I will very kindly let him know that I don’t want his girlfriend around our daughters either. Two can play at that game.” A devilish smile crept up Alcina’s face. 

“Serves him right.” 

“You know…” Alcina stopped herself before finishing that thought. “I probably shouldn’t say it.”

“You can’t leave me hanging like that!” You whined. “Now you have to tell me.”

“It’s only fair, I suppose.”

Eagerly, you awaited her answer. 

“Before all of this nonsense, I was actually going to ask you to accompany the girls and I to our summer home in The Hamptons, but perhaps some other time.”

You almost would have preferred not knowing, but you were too nosy for that. That would have been your first vacation away together as an actual couple, not just sex at a casino hotel. Although, you couldn’t have asked for a better first time with someone. Usually the first time sleeping with a new partner involves a bunch of awkward fumbling around and in your case, you never got off either. Alcina managed to switch that up for you. She had set a precedent for how sex should be which made you fear the possibility of having to have sex with someone else for the first time. You tried your best not to think about that stuff. 

“Damn. Fuck Kurt and fuck internet trolls.”

Alcina couldn’t stifle the laughter that erupted from her.

“So, when are you and the girls leaving? Need someone to house sit?” 

“Hmm, the house will be taken care of by my housekeepers, no need to give yourself extra work while I’m away, you should be enjoying yourself.”

“Speaking of that. We have our summer family reunion coming up so I am going to need a Saturday off from the winery.”

Her brow furrowed. “A Saturday off during wedding season when you’ve already missed one due to your hangover.” 

Your mom wouldn’t be happy and you’d also be disappointed not getting to see your extended family since they didn’t come to visit often. 

“Sure, why not.”

Sweet relief. 

“It’s the least I can do since I can no longer have you join us on our trip. If anyone asks, I can say that it was pre-approved time off from before you were hired.”

“How were you going to explain us both being off during the same week if I did go to The Hamptons with you?”

She pursed her lips. “I hadn’t gotten that far, but I always think of something. It’s my business and not anyone else’s place to ask. Moving on from that, let me know which Saturday it is you need off and I will make it happen.”

You told Alcina the date of the reunion and she shook her head. 

“Wouldn’t you know? That’s the same Saturday that the girls and I are heading out.”

Well, if you had to work, you had to work. Worst case scenario, most of your relatives would be gone by the time you got home as well as all of the good food, but there would still be some people hanging around, at least the ones who were staying at your parents’ place. 

“So…do you need me to work it or?”

“You can have it off. I can push back our departure by a couple of hours, it’s not a far trip. I’ll make an appearance and then I will let Amanda handle it from there.”

You scoffed. “I can’t stand her.”

“Aww, is she still being tough on you?” 

“She hates me.”

“If it helps you feel any better, no one likes her. As I’ve said, once I am able to train a new shift supervisor, I will be letting her go.”

You couldn’t wait for that day, but if you were only going to be working for the winery until school started up, you might not see it happen. Still though, you’d get satisfaction out of Alcina telling you she fired her ass. 

You caught a glimpse of Alcina’s phone screen after she had unlocked it to put in a reminder for herself to take you off of that Saturday on the schedule. Her phone had opened up on her messenger and an odd name stood out to you. 

“Who’s Draga Mea?” 

She smirked. “That would be you, my darling. Romanian if you hadn’t guessed. I find it suits you nicely.” 

It made you feel like giggling and kicking your feet, at least internally. 

“Do you have me listed as anything special in your contacts?” 

Reluctantly, you showed her your phone. 

“Babe? With a little heart next to it? You are too adorable.” 

Her lips met yours for a quick peck for the first time in hours. 

“Do you have a special ringtone for me as well?” Alcina asked. 

Huh? 

“Ringtone? People my age don’t really do that. I can hardly remember the last time I had my phone off silent.” In fact, you were almost positive it had to do with expecting a call from Alcina the last time you had your ringer on for fear of missing it. “Whatever the default ringtone is, I guess.” 

Alcina pouted. “I have one for you. The girls as well. It’s an easy way of knowing if it’s someone I want to talk to, otherwise they can be sent to my voicemail.” 

Playfully, you rolled your eyes. “Let me hear it then.”

It was the chorus to that cheesy song about the oak tree that she played for you. Why she’d choose that one, you didn’t know, but knowing that having a special ringtone separated you from those who would be sent to voicemail made you feel good. 

You felt better as the night went on though there were still some questions left unanswered, ones she said she would discuss with you in person. That whole NDA thing mentioned on that internet thread. Today had been hard enough. You decided to leave it. Maybe some things were better left unsaid. 

The summer family reunion was something that had been happening your whole life. The holidays usually weren't enough to get everyone together all at once since there were in-laws to be celebrated with and immediate family traditions. This was the one opportunity for everyone to get together and luckily your parents were hosting this year meaning you didn’t have to take extra time off to travel or miss it entirely. 

It was one of the hottest days of the summer so far which would be perfect for alternating swimming and lawn games, but still not so hot that it would be unpleasant to hang out outdoors. After getting ready, you headed out of your apartment to drive to your parents’ house. Olivia would be showing up at some point, she was basically family after all. You hadn’t seen much of each other since the time everyone slept over. It hit you that you were becoming one of those people who was annoyingly so into their relationship that they put their friends on the backburner. With Alcina being gone for the upcoming week, you could redeem yourself. Maybe you were making a bigger deal out of it than it was? Sam and Olivia had lives of their own too. Dustin as well since he was kind of part of the crew now. What was going on with him and Olivia? Wasn’t exactly a work friendly conversation. Olivia would bring it up more likely than not. Hopefully things were going well with whatever it was that they were otherwise work might get awkward.

Pulling into your family’s driveway, you could see that one of your aunts was already there. You took a deep breath to gather yourself before exiting your car and walking inside. 

“Hello, my beautiful niece, how are you?” Your aunt excitedly greeted you with a hug. You awkwardly accepted her compliment and gave her a generic “Good, and you?” 

It was still early so it was just yourself, your aunt, and your parents since you said you’d help set things up. Your parents had you floating around from working in the kitchen to setting up seating outside, even cleaning the toilet. Your last task was to take the cover off of and check the temperature of the pool. It was a fairly recent addition. Something you would have killed for growing up then your parents went out and got one after you moved out. It wasn’t extravagant, just a round above ground pool hardly 4 feet deep, but enough for people to jump in and cool themselves off.

“Need help with that?” Your dad asked as he saw you struggling to get the pool cover off as it flopped around every which way you didn’t want it to go. 

“Please.”

Your dad grabbed onto it and was able to effortlessly get it off of the pool and packed away until everyone was done swimming. You kind of helped? You were there at least.

“The trick is, you have to be smarter than the pool cover.” 

You made a face at your dad that he mimicked back to you before walking away. The thermometer was hardly necessary to measure the pool temperature, it was like bathwater to the touch. Perfect in your opinion. 

More people began to arrive. Aunts, uncles, cousins. Lots of hugs and pleasantries as they arrived with their own dishes to pass and lawn games. While you were in the kitchen with your mom helping her bring out the salads from the fridge, your aunt from earlier popped back in.

“Honey, you look so pretty today. Not that you don’t always look pretty. Tell me you’ve finally found a boyfriend at school or maybe that new job you have? Your mom tells me you’re going to school to be a psychiatrist and that you’re working part time at the winery.”

Ugh, here we go.

“Actually, not psychiatry, psychology, I wanna be a therapist. Psychiatrists handle meds which I’m not all that interested in.”

“Psychiatrists make more money though.” Your mom butted in. 

“Psychiatrists also have to go to med school, mom, do you have med school money lying around?”

“Don’t get smart with me. Today is supposed to be about having fun with family, if you’re going to have an attitude, you can go.”

“Sorry mom, I was joking.” You didn’t want to apologize, you wanted to diffuse the bomb. She always had a way of making it look like you were picking a fight so she could play the victim. All you were doing was correcting misinformation. In your mom’s eyes, being a therapist wasn’t good enough so she’d tell people you were going into psychiatry to make you sound more successful when truthfully, she had no respect for that field at all and would frequently trash talk your decisions. Ironic considering she could greatly benefit from therapy though would you really want her to weaponize therapy language against you?

“Right.” Your mom turned her attention back to her task at hand.

“You didn’t answer my other question. About the boyfriend? I find it so hard to believe you haven’t brought a single boy home to meet our family.” 

She was just gonna keep harping on it, wasn’t she?

“Actually, I’m just trying to focus on school and work right now. I’ll find someone when the time is right.”

You had found someone, but it wasn’t anyone your family would ever approve of. 

“Ah, good girl. I know you’ll find someone great, you keep focusing on your studies.”

You gave a quick smile, relieved that the conversation was over. 

Out of your peripheral vision, you could see your aunt mouthing something to your mom, but you weren’t adept at reading lips. 

“Oh no.” Your mom spoke aloud. “She’s over that.” 

You didn’t have to know exactly what your aunt had asked to know that your mom responding the way she did was intentional. Certain family members knew surface level information about what had happened in high school, but your mom was there to reassure them that your sexual orientation was just a phase. To this day, she still believed that shaming you as she had just done would somehow make you see the “error of your ways.” All it did was make you feel like shit. 

It was such a relief when Olivia pulled up. Things were crowded now with the majority of your family all around. There weren’t many places to slink off and be alone. You could hardly check your phone in peace, but it didn’t matter, not a single text from Alcina since her departure. 

“Save me, Liv.” You mouthed as Olivia walked up to you. 

Olivia glanced around at all of the people and then back at you. 

“Ooh, yeah, I can tell this isn't really your scene.” 

“I’d suggest we go up to my old room to hang out just to get a break from everyone, but my mom would accuse me of being rude. That and I’m pretty sure my cousins have their luggage up there.” 

“Your old room is being used as a guest room?” 

“Tell me about it! I still have stuff in there that I didn’t take when we first moved into the apartment. At least there’s nothing…well…you know. I made sure to bring that stuff with me.” 

Olivia laughed. “Same though.”

You were about to suggest you and Olivia go out into the garage since it was quieter without being out of bounds with the reunion since the drink coolers were in there when your mom whisked Olivia away, singing her praises to anyone who would listen. Letting everyone know Olivia was going away to a university during the next fall semester and how she was like a second daughter to your mother because you two had been friends for so long. If only your mom was that excited about anything you ever did. 

One of your cousins you didn’t expect to come surprised you. She was one you got along well with since you were the same age. You hadn’t seen her much since high school graduation because she went to an out of state university and rarely came home anymore. She had a whole life out where she was, but every time you reconnected, it was like she had never left. 

“Come on, before anyone sees us.” You ushered your cousin and Olivia into the garage. 

It was nice, quiet, and cool. Everyone else was busy in the backyard either swimming or hanging around the pool. Now you’d all have an opportunity to hang out.

“Anyone want anything to drink? I’m gonna grab myself a soda.” Reaching into the cooler, you grabbed the first one you could find. Generic diet coke, good enough. 

“Sure, I’ll take one of those.” Your cousin responded. 

“Me too.” Olivia already had her hand out. 

Your cousin pulled a flask out from her bag. 

“You guys want any of this? It’s vanilla vodka.”

“Normally, I’d be all about that, but I’m not staying the night here.” Really you just weren’t feeling hard liquor at all since the last time you had gotten sick. 

“Liv?” Your cousin tipped the flask towards her.

“No, I’m good.”

“Damn, when did you guys get so lame? Remember the time we stole that bottle of anisette from your parents’ liquor cabinet and played manhunt around the neighborhood?” 

“I remember you falling in bushes and puking on yourself.” You laughed, but so did your cousin. 

“Man, that shit was nasty. I don’t know why anyone would want black licorice flavored alcohol or black licorice flavored anything. Did your parents ever find out?”

You thought for a minute. “I don’t think so? In fact, I think that bottle is still in the back of the liquor cabinet full of water.” 

Your cousin snorted. “I believe it. One time I got away with filling a bottle of sparkling wine with ginger ale. My parents just thought it was weak because it was a cheap bottle.”

“Damn, they actually drank it?” You high fived your cousin as did Olivia. 

The party went on around the three of you as you all hid out in the garage. Your earlier conversation then devolved into swapping more stories of rebellion from your collective teenage years, the current state of things, and then finally, your love lives. 

“Yeah, so ever since I’ve been going to school out of state, it’s like a whole new world.” Your cousin said between sips of her spiked soda. “I never even dated in high school, but ever since I’ve been away, it’s been so much easier to meet people.”

You nodded. “Not exactly the same for me since I’m still local, but I feel like just being away from your parents gives you that freedom.”

“So, are you two seeing anyone?” 

Oh, the dreaded question. You’d try to keep your best poker face. 

“I just got out of a long term relationship not too long ago.” Olivia spoke softly. Good that she was speaking first, it would give you time to think of your own response. 

“Oh, were you still with that Robbie guy?”

Olivia winced at hearing his name. “We were on and off until a couple months back, but now I’ve decided I am going to play the field.”

“What about you and Dustin?”

“Who is Dustin?”

“He’s one of my friends from work. He and Olivia got along really well last time we all hung out.”

Olivia blushed and your cousin raised her brows.

“Okay, well, there is no me and Dustin, first off.” 

“Why? Did he do something?”

“No, it’s not that, I just don’t want a relationship anytime soon. I think I’m liking the whole casual hook up thing.”

“Damn, look at you!” Your cousin gave Olivia a thumbs up. 

“Like, I would totally hook up with Dustin again, maybe have a little friends with benefits action, but there will be new guys at my new school and I’d like a fresh start, ya know? I spent almost all of high school and my first two years of college with somebody. I wanna do things differently this time.”

You couldn’t have felt more proud of Olivia than you did at that moment.

“What about you? You still haven’t said anything.”

Damn it. Now you had to share. 

“I’m seeing someone older, she’s divorced, but no one in the family knows so please don’t say anything.”

“Aw, you know you can trust me, cuz. Sucks that most of our older relatives are so old fashioned, but I’m glad we get each other.”

True that. If there was anything you and your cousin could see eye to eye on it was your tendency to rebel against expectations and your mutual attraction for women. 

You heard people outside the garage saying your names and asking where you had gone off to. 

“Well, I guess we should go mingle before they figure out we’ve been hiding from everyone.” 

It was getting late and you wanted to head back to your apartment, maybe you’d get to chat with Alcina a bit before bed, you still hadn’t heard from her and you wanted to know if she and the girls made it to their destination safely. Of course leaving was never that easy at one of your family gatherings with you constantly being pulled every which way to catch up with those you hadn’t seen since the last big event.

Finally, you were able to break free. Olivia had long gone home and your cousin had also been grabbed up  by mutual relatives.

“Alright, I’m heading out. Bye, guys!” You waved as everyone else bid you goodbye.

“Bi guys like other guys!”

You rolled your eyes. “Good one, dad. Just as funny as the last one hundred times.”

And yet you were the one who always let yourself fall into that trap.

No texts or calls from Alcina when you had gotten back to your apartment. Now you were starting to feel like something was up. 

“Just letting you know I’m thinking of you and I hope your trip went well.”

She left you on read which made you anxiously wait by your phone until you got a response. 

“Yes, all is well. We are settled in and about to go to bed. This week will be busy so forgive me if we aren’t able to chat often. Take care, my dear.”

It was a relief to have her respond, but you knew the week ahead would be long.

Your winery shifts were average, Amanda was a bitch, you hung out with Dustin, Olivia, and Sam when you could, conversations with Alcina were miniscule, and there were no more signs of that previous drama popping up again. Everything was normal until you received a call from Miranda of all people.

“Hey, Miranda, I was surprised to see you calling me. What’s going on?”

Miranda wasted no time and got straight to the point. “I am happy that you answered. I have a bit of a dilemma. I have somewhere I need to be and no one to look after Eva. Normally, I’d drop her off with Alcina and the girls, but I am aware they are away until after the weekend. Is there any chance you could come by my house and stay with her? It should only be a couple of hours maximum.”

Babysitting wasn’t your top choice for how you’d spend your time outside of work, but Eva was a sweet kid and it would be a breeze of a babysitting job.

You let Miranda know you were free and set your maps app to her address.

Miranda’s home was smaller than Alcina’s, but still sizable and expensive looking. It looked a lot more sterile as well, but you supposed that’s what you’d expect a doctor’s home to look like. 

“Thank you, you are a lifesaver.” 

“It’s no problem, Miranda.”

Miranda turned to leave, but stopped before making a full exit. “Say,” she turned towards you, giving you her full attention. “When Alcina and the girl get back, we should all go out and do something. It’s been a while.”

It had, but unfortunately you wouldn’t be able to see the girls until things were settled with Kurt. You didn’t want to get into it with Miranda right now.

“That sounds nice, thank you. I’m sure we will all figure out a day that works best.”

Miranda gave you a quick smile, patting your shoulder, her gaze and touch lingering a bit before turning and leaving. Strange. 

Eva was a very easy child to look after. Quiet, more into books than people, and not the least bit fussy if you asked her to do something. It would still be a little while longer before Miranda’s return so you suggested that you and Eva play one of her board games. Eva agreed, first going off to wash her hands as you had seen her do every time she was starting a new hands on task. You figured you should do the same. The result of having a pediatrician for a mother you supposed, some sort of instilled germaphobia. 

Miranda thanked you profusely upon her return. 

“It was no trouble at all.”

Miranda smiled at you. “If that’s the case, I may just have to call you over more often when Alcina isn’t available.” 

Did she mean for herself or for Eva? 

You awkwardly laughed and said your goodbyes. 

Alcina would finally be back today meaning she would be dropping the girls straight off at Kurt’s since they were already packed up. You hadn’t had this much distance and lack of communication for a long time. 

“Do you want me to head over after you get home from dropping the girls off?”

No response. So you waited. You waited. And you waited. 

“Alcina?”

Still nothing. 

Finally, a text. 

“Tonight isn’t a good night. Can I meet you at your apartment tomorrow?”

You were scratching your head in confusion. This wasn’t part of the routine. One week on your own and then a week at her place. It had been that way since you had started staying over.

“I won’t lie, Alcina, you are making me nervous. Is something wrong?”

“Yes, but it’s something I’d rather discuss in person. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with us. I will explain more tomorrow.”

That was one thing off your shoulders, but now you had to deal with the unknown as to why Alcina had been so upset and distant. 

The apartment was clean, you made sure of it. Alcina’s mood radiated off of her as you ushered her over to your sectional couch. 

You waited for her to speak. 

“Kurt wants to revisit our custody agreement. He wants sole custody.”

Oh .

Chapter Text

Your initial reaction was, of course, shock, but that rapidly boiled over into anger.

“How could he try to take the girls from you?” You yelled, slamming your hands onto your lap. “I mean, why?”

“I believe you know exactly why.” Alcina sighed heavily, keeping her composure. “It won’t happen though. There’s no way he’d ever win, he was lucky that I agreed to 50/50 custody, otherwise, he’d be relegated to every other weekend.” 

“So are you like gonna fight him in court?”

 “Well, there’s no official hearing just yet.” Alcina paused as you hung on her every word. “Kurt has given me the ultimatum that I either stop seeing you, which in that case he will leave our custody agreement as is, or he will take me to court.”

“Alcina,” You swallowed audibly, your throat tight and dry. “They’re your kids, I would understand if-”

“No.” 

“No?’

Now you were confused. You knew from the beginning, before there was ever a relationship, that her kids would always come first. It was hard to believe she wasn’t going to take the easier path, as much as it hurt you to think about the relationship coming to an end so abruptly. The bond you had built over the past few months was intense. Something you had never felt before. Your two prior relationships were at a time of emotional immaturity. This was real and you’d be damned if you were gonna let it go without a fight and It didn’t seem as though Alcina would be giving up that easily either. 

“Kurt would be doing this regardless of who I was with. I doubt your age matters all that much to him even though he makes it seem that way. It’s merely a way to shame me and make it seem as though I’m doing something inappropriate around the girls. Not to mention that vile insinuation.”

You shuddered thinking about it.

“What about the woman that he’s seeing? Why is he still so hung up on you when he has a girlfriend?”

Alcina huffed. “He was never seeing anyone.”

“But, I thought Bela had said he was?”

“That’s what he wanted her to think. Another one of his dirty lawyer tricks. She was a colleague he brought around to make it look like he was seeing someone, knowing Bela would say something to me and that I would have a conversation about him bringing a partner around the girls without consulting me first.” Alcina shook her head. “It was all a farce to get me to admit that we were seeing each other. Bastard had it planned since that day he saw your car in my driveway.”

What. A. Snake. 

“If it’s not an empty threat, then I will have to take my chances in court. As dirty as he can be, I don’t think he stands a chance at taking them from me and I am not going to let this man dictate the course of my life until the girls are all over eighteen.”

“Are you sure, Alcina?” You turned away from her to collect your thoughts. “I would understand if we had to take a break while you focus on your family.”

You felt her hand grab your chin, jerking your head back towards her so you could make eye contact. 

“Don’t you get it?” Her face inched closer towards yours as she spoke. “He’s not taking my girls away and he most certainly will not be taking you from me either. I’m not letting you go anywhere.” 

Her lips met yours in a frenzy. It had been a while since you were last intimate and your desperate actions reflected that as clothes piled up on the floor and the sounds of your mutual pleasure reached their peak. 

“Perks of not having a roommate.” You said while panting for air, Alcina still on top of you covered in a sheen of sweat. “I never would have imagined hooking up in my living room.” 

Her lips begged to be kissed again. You obliged, sharing a few soft kisses before sitting up and collecting the strewn about clothing. 

“You know my bedroom is right there.” You said, pointing to the small hallway off of the living room.

“I am aware, my sweet, but we were both in desperate need of catching up.” She winked effortlessly in a way you could never do without looking like a total goofball.  

She was in her bra and panties still as you pulled up your shorts. You secretly hoped she would lounge around like that for a bit longer, but all good things must come to an end. She began to gather her clothes, redressing herself next to you.

“Speaking of catching up, you never told me anything about your trip.”

Alcina hummed in disappointment. “There’s not much to say. I was too stressed to enjoy it with the dread of facing Kurt again. Turns out I was absolutely justified in feeling that way.” She looked to the ground for a moment. “I thought the trip away with the girls would clear my head. Instead, it did the opposite.” 

You leaned up against her and she wrapped an arm around you. 

“Why don’t you tell me about your week instead?  How was that family reunion I let you have a Saturday off for?”

You shrugged. “It was alright. It was nice getting to see my extended family. My mom was…my mom. Nothing new there.”

Alcina nodded. “I know that feeling quite well.”

“Sorry if this is rude, but is it easier for you now without your parents being here? Not saying I like want my mom and dad to die or anything, but it’s hard knowing they’ll never accept me.”

Alcina sucked air in through her teeth. “It was still difficult when my father passed. We got along well for the most part. He wasn’t as hard on me as my mother was, but there was always a certain distance. That distance was just further with my mother. Sometimes, I like to think that maybe my father would have accepted me had I ever told him, but I know that’s nothing more than wishful thinking with how conservative both he and my mother were.”

“Tell me about it.” You laughed. “It’s sort of the same with mine, but I wouldn’t say they’re super conservative or religious. In their own words, they have “traditional values” and they think being gay is a choice or a phase.”

Alcina held you a bit tighter. “What matters most is we know that it’s not and we are both living authentically.”

Yeah, in the dark where no one can see it.

“What about with your mom? You never mentioned when she died.”

“That’s because my mother is alive.”

You shot her a confused look. “Oh. Sorry, I just assumed.”

“In the state she’s in, she may as well be.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Not particularly, but to sate your curiosity, she has an aggressive form of dementia and is in memory care. I still make appearances there with the girls on occasion and more often than not, she has no idea who we are. It’s an upsetting affair for both parties so I limit my time spent there. The staff are well trained and it’s one of the top senior facilities. I know she’s in good hands.”

“...I’m...sorry?”

Alcina shook her head. “Don’t be. When her mind went and she could no longer handle her own finances, I could have easily spared no expense, brought a rotating twenty-four hour nursing staff into her home so she wouldn’t have to leave it. She is exactly where she is supposed to be.” Her tone was cold and emotionless. 

That told you everything you needed to know about Alcina’s mother. You knew not to mention it again. 

You decided to change the subject. “Did Miranda tell you I babysat Eva for her the other day?”

Alcina blinked. “As a matter of fact, she did not. I’m surprised she thought to ask you, you’ve only met a few times.” 

“It surprised me too, but it wasn’t bad at all. Eva is so well behaved. I’ve never seen a kid so diligent about handwashing.”

Alcina pulled a face for a fraction of a second, some emotion you couldn’t register, but she was speaking again before you had a chance to decipher it. 

“Miranda also mentioned us all meeting out sometime with the girls. I didn’t want to get into details with her.”

“I appreciate that.” Alcina cut you off. “I think for the time being, it’s best to not mention anything. I am hoping it’s all bark and no bite. We don’t need the rumor mill swirling up again.”

You winced thinking about that awful site, thankful that the thread about you and Alcina had been taken down, but occasionally you would remember a nasty comment or wonder if anyone else you knew had seen it before it was gone. 

“Speaking of Miranda, I’ve been picking up some weird vibes from her.” There was a nervous quality to your voice, but it was something you couldn't keep to yourself any longer. 

Alcina raised a brow. “How so?”

You grit your teeth. “Well, it’s just the way she looks at me and she was kind of touchy, I don’t know. Maybe I’m overthinking it. Sorry, I don’t want to ruin your friendship or have the girls lose out on Eva as a playmate.”

“Miranda the flirt.” Alcina giggled. 

So she wasn’t upset then? One less thing to worry about. 

“I could talk to her for you if she is making you uncomfortable, but I can assure you that she’s harmless.”

Was she though?

“No, that’s okay, Alcina.”

Alcina smiled impishly. “I can’t say I blame her for looking.” Alcina reached out, pulling the strap to your tank top down. “As long as she knows who you belong to.” She leaned in and began kissing your neck, resulting in a low moan you couldn’t stifle. 

It wasn’t long before clothes once again started coming off as your hands wandered and kisses intensified.

“Let’s take it to your bedroom this time, hmm?” She whispered softly against your ear. “My back can only take so much of this couch.” 

You agreed without hesitation and made a night of it. For the first time in your relationship, she stayed the night with you in your bed, not just in the apartment because you had gotten stupid drunk and needed someone to take care of you. It wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable as her bed and without much space to sprawl out, but it was nice being in such close proximity after the emotional and physical distance.

When you woke up, your bed was empty with no sign of Alcina in the apartment. The first thing you did was check your phone to see a text from her. 

“Sorry I had to slip out on you as if we had a one night stand. I have some business to attend to with the winery. From what I’ve been told, a lot of things got missed in my absence so now I will be picking up the pieces. That and I have some phone calls to make, I didn’t want to wake you. You were sleeping so peacefully. How, I’m unsure. Let me know if you’d like me to upgrade your bed and mattress. I’d be more than willing, especially if we choose to spend more nights like this at your place. Talk to you later, darling.”

Your cheeks flushed and you couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto your face. How could you not fall hard for this woman? Was it too soon to be having these feelings? With each passing day, the more you tried to fight off so much as thinking of the forbidden “L” word. What would you know about it anyway?

The next shift you had at the winery was pretty busy for the middle of the week. So busy in fact that Alcina was there, but she spent the majority of her time in her office, only popping out now and then to make sure things were in order. This meant that Amanda was mostly in charge. You could feel her penetrating glare on the back of your neck.

“Make sure you’re only pouring an ounce for tastings!” Amanda’s shrill voice nearly caused you to drop the bottle. 

“Sorry, I don’t exactly have a measuring cup. I just pour to this part of the glass that I was taught to for tastings and all of our wine glasses are the same size.” You held your finger to the exact spot on the glass that absolutely was around an ounce. You had been working at the winery for almost 2 months now and Amanda was the only person who picked apart every single action. It didn’t matter if she told you to do something one way or if you were doing something the way you had been taught since day one. If she was in one of her moods, she would tell you to do the exact opposite and then switch back up the next day. 

“Well, that’s wrong and you need to pour a little less.”

All you could do was shrug and say you were sorry.

The woman in front of you who asked for the sample spoke up. “If it would be less trouble, I’d be willing to buy a glass so it wouldn’t matter if you filled it up a bit more.”

“That’s really kind of you, miss, but don’t feel like you have to.”

The brunette woman smiled. “My husband could use one too.”

After topping off the glass, you reached over to fill his wine glass up to the standard for a full serving of wine.”

The man nodded. “Thank you.”

You glanced around quickly to see where Amanda was before speaking to make sure she was out of earshot. “No, thank you . You guys didn’t have to buy full glasses to get my supervisor off my back, she’s just like that.”

They both laughed. “Really, it’s no trouble at all. Trust us when we say the wine is much needed. This is our first outing as a family and we’re just happy that she’s behaving so well.”

That was the first time you took notice of the baby carrier on the inside of the booth next to the woman. Inside, a baby slept peacefully. Her hair was blonde like her father’s. 

“Aw, she’s so cute. Congratulations.”

The couple thanked you and you let them know to flag you down if they needed anything else. You caught Amanda giving you another dirty look as you left the table to tend to other patrons. Later on when the couple was leaving, they called you over to thank you for your excellent customer service and directly handed you a rather generous tip. You thanked them profusely before they left. After making sure no one was looking, you slipped the money into the pocket of your work pants and headed to Alcina’s office. 

“Come in.” Alcina said to you through the door after you had knocked. 

You slipped inside and locked the door behind you so no one else could burst in. 

“Something the matter, dear?” Alcina looked up at you from the papers she was tending to in front of her computer. 

“No, but that couple out there with the baby gave me this.” You pulled out the crisp bills from your pocket and presented them to Alcina.

Alcina took the money from you and counted the amount. “Is this your way of trying to get out of the tip pool?”

“I mean, it was worth a shot? No one saw me, I could have just pocketed it and said nothing.”

Alcina tilted her head. “Oh, you bad, bad girl. To even consider such a thing.” She tsked as she rose from her desk and towered over you. 

“So is that a no?”

She bit her lip. “Unfortunately. The walls have eyes and ears and I’ve already had Amanda back here complaining about your heavy pour.”

“I was just pouring out the amount I was shown for tastings.”

“I believe you, dear. I told her for the rest of the night that if she has any issues with you, to talk to me first. She is watching you very intently and I’ve already been giving you enough special treatment. Discretion, darling, remember? It’s risky enough still having you work with me, but another month and you’ll be back at school and it will be one less issue.”

You nodded solemnly.

“It’s not as if you won’t see that amount of money again and then some. I could very easily sweeten the deal for you for your upcoming allowance. Also, have you given any thought to that new bed? You can’t possibly be comfortable on that full size.”

“I’m still thinking about it. I should get back out there though.”

“That you should.”

She gave you a risky peck on the lips before you left her office. A trick you had learned was to wear red lipstick in the same shade as hers and to never let it get to the point of smearing if you did kiss on the clock.

Things had calmed down when  you left the office as it was getting towards the end of the night when the kitchen would be closing and the tastings and tours of the grounds would be wrapping up as well. Amanda rolled her eyes when she saw you walk out, but didn’t say anything. 

Normally, you’d be heading to Alcina’s house after your shift on her week without the girls, but this wasn’t an ordinary week and she hadn’t said anything about you coming over. You thought about how you needed to spend more time with your friends and how Alcina had reminded you that your summer vacation would already be ending within the next month. Summer was going by way too quickly for your liking. With summer ending, that meant both starting a new school and having Olivia, Dustin, and Sam leave for their campuses. It was going to be lonely, but you’d have Alcina. In the meantime, you needed to make the most of it with your friends.

Go figure, you were batting zero in the group chat for getting anyone to hang out. Both Olivia and Dustin were busy. That made you wonder for a second if they were busy busy. You supposed Olivia would fill you in later had that been the case. Sam finally responded to the chat and said he could come over. 

He showed up with some beers and snacks. 

“Have you been playing any games since I left my console with you?”

You looked over at it collecting dust on your tv stand.

“It’s not that I haven’t wanted to, but things have been busy and kind of crazy.”

“I have a game we can play with the beers. If you’re up for drinking again?”

It had been long enough and it wasn’t hard liquor. Why not?

Sam explained the rules of the game. It involved turning a racing game into a drinking game. The object was to have your beer finished before you crossed the finish line, the catch being that you had to have your car at a complete stop while drinking and you couldn't start drinking until after the race began. 

It took a while to develop your strategy, but you found the best way to win was to chug most of your beer after the countdown, but before you started driving. Then when you were just seconds away from finishing the last lap, you'd come to a complete stop and finish the rest of it. You were able to win a couple races that way, but by the end, you were mostly falling off cliffs and having to wait for the little creature on a cloud to pull you back onto the track. By the fourth race, you knew you needed to stop while you were ahead and so you wouldn’t spend another night praying to the porcelain gods 

“You’re staying over obviously?” you slurred. 

“Obviously.” Sam giggled. 

Sam switched the console off and put on a movie for background noise. 

“Sucks that Liv and Dustin couldn’t make it.”

“Oh, I think they’re having a great time without us.”

“Did they?” Sam gestured, putting his index finger between his circled fingers on his other hand.

“Ew, Sam, but yeah they did and they did it here on my fucking yoga mat.” 

Sam erupted with laughter. “The fucking yoga mat.”

You threw a pillow at him. “Shut up.”

It was a much needed, carefree night with no talks of any prior drama. When you woke up the next day, you only had a slight headache that could easily be taken care of with some over the counter pain meds and hydration. Sam had already left at some point and sent a text saying you should hang out again soon. What was with everyone leaving you when you were sleeping? There was also a text from Olivia.

“Sorry I couldn’t make it last night, but we should all hang out again soon!”

“How was your 🍆 appointment?”

“You bitch.” she responded almost instantly. the quickly sent a follow up text.

“It was good thx bb 😝”

“I knew it!”

“Hey, when it’s good, it’s good so I might as well.”

“I like hoe Olivia she’s fun.”

“You think I’m a hoe 🥺”

“No! I’m just kidding! Get that D!!”

“I’m just kidding too bitch. Love ya ttyl!!” 

You were so thankful to have the group of friends that you had. You didn’t know what you’d do without them. They especially came in hand with you not seeing Alcina as much as you were used to during her weeks without the girls. When your allowance payment came through, there was an added amount that was double the tip you had lost out on to the tip pool. Between that, your paycheck, and the tips from tip pool, you’d have more than enough to upgrade to a new car before the fall semester started up. No more mid 2000’s shitbox. 

It was officially Alcina’s custody week now which meant losing out on even more time with her. Still, it didn’t stop you from texting to wish her well and see how everything was going.

“It’s going as well as it can, my dear. I had a talk with Kurt, I told him that I would not let him control my life. I thought I’d be calling his bluff, but he was serious. We will have a court hearing in the upcoming weeks to re-evaluate our custody agreement. I’m not too worried, more frustrated at the inconvenience this will cause all of us.”

“I’m sorry, is there anything I can do to help?”

“I’ve got it covered, darling. You just keep showing up at the winery when you’re scheduled and I promise we can spend more time together the next week the girls are with their father.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

“😘”

You sent the same emoji back and went about your day. 

The weeks passed by quickly, the back to school countdown was on. It felt like summer had just started yesterday, but within the next two weeks, it would all be over. It had been an okay summer. A dramatic start, but then it mostly chilled out. What really sucked was how you were robbed of romantic outings with Alcina. Not that you minded spending most of your time together in bed, but it was always so much fun when she was taking you out places. You missed the girls too. Miranda called you a few more times to babysit. During one of those visits, you let it slip that the reason you hadn’t all gone out yet was due to Kurt not wanting you around the girls. 

“Why not all come here?” Miranda suggested. 

“I brought that up to Alcina before. She’s worried that Daniela wouldn’t be able to keep a secret.”

“Ah. Understandable. Little ones can be so unpredictable. Perhaps if she were a bit older.” 

When Miranda left, it was always a bit of a challenge for you to find things for you and Eva to do together. It felt weird sitting around while she did her own thing. Board games were something you could always agree on, after thorough hand washing of course. 

“So.” You attempted to make small talk with Eva. “Are you excited for school to start up in the next few weeks? I’m going back to college soon and I know you kids start school shortly after.”

Eva shrugged. “I guess. Doesn’t make much of a difference for me.”

This confused you. “Why’s that?”

“I do online school.”

Odd, but there was a certain point where if you had that option in high school, you would have taken it. 10 years old though? 

“Oh, do you like it?” 

“It’s okay. I miss my old school sometimes.”

“Why did you stop going?”

If her mother was purposely keeping her sheltered without a good reason, that was unfair. 

Eva furrowed her brows. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it. “Mom says it’s better for me. Too many germs there.”

You laughed. “With the way you’re always washing your hands, you have nothing to worry about.”

Eva didn’t find you funny. “I’m gonna go read my book.” She set her game pieces down for you to pick up and didn’t want to be bothered the rest of the time you were over there. She was a nice kid, but she could be so strange. She and her mother both. 

It was one of the last weddings of the summer season and one of the last you’d see at the Dimitrescu winery as you’d be leaving to focus on school. With Alcina’s allowance and willingness to spoil you, for the first time in your college career you’d be able to focus solely on school without having a job. You were in good spirits when you walked in to begin your shift, but something tense was in the air. Staff members were whispering and Alcina was nowhere to be found, something unheard of when a wedding would be taking place. 

“Psst, Dustin.” You tried to catch his attention in a way that wouldn’t also catch Amanda’s.

“What?” He mouthed to you from across one of the tables he was setting up.

“Why is everyone acting weird? Where is Ms. Dimitrescu?” At work, you didn’t dare to use her first name, even around Dustin who knew you were in a relationship with her. 

Dustin shrugged. “I have no idea. All I heard is that she couldn’t make it in today so we’re stuck with Amanda. She didn’t tell you anything?” 

He looked just as confused as you felt.

You shook your head. “No. Last I heard from her she said she would see me tomorrow.”

Loud clapping filled the air. “No talking, you two!” 

Fucking Amanda . At this point you had given up hope that Alcina was going to hire someone in her place. 

Neither of you said anything to her in response and kept to your assigned tasks. 

“You.” She growled in your direction. I’m assigning you to a different area so you two can no longer goof off.”

“We weren’t goofing off, we were talking about something work related.”

“And what exactly was that?”

“We were just wondering why Ms. Dimitrescu wasn’t in. She’s always here when there’s a wedding.”

“That would be none of your concern. She’s your boss, not your friend.”

Oh, if you only knew the half of it, Amanda.

“All I know is something came up. Get back to work. If I catch you talking to Dustin one more time, you’re getting written up.”

“Okay.” You agreed to shut her up and then called her every name in the book under your breath after she walked away.

It wasn’t the same working a Saturday wedding without Alcina, you hoped that she was alright. You didn’t dare check your phone with how intently Amanda had been watching you. Luckily, with how busy everything was, it went by quickly and you were back on the road to your apartment. There weren’t any texts from Alcina. Part of you wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she was just busy with the girls, but it never was that simple with her and especially not with everything that had been going on. 

“Alcina, I hate to bring it up again, but we’ve talked about how it makes me feel when you don’t respond to my texts. I’m worried about you. Even if you just react to this, I will feel so much better. I know you’re busy. Are we still on for tomorrow. Your place or mine?”

She hadn’t read any of your texts. You flopped down in defeat onto your new bed. Alcina upgraded you to a queen size since a king would have been a bit ridiculous for the size of your bedroom. You wound up moving your old bed into what was once Olivia’s bedroom. Now you had an office/gym/guest room. It came in handy for the nights your friends stayed over so there were more options apart from crashing on the couch, floor, or in your bed with you. 

You tried to get your mind off Alcina not reading your texts by switching between apps until you eventually fell asleep watching some video. It was only then that you received a string of texts, but you were so tired you didn’t hear or feel your phone vibrate.

Chapter Text

“I’m sorry I didn’t respond sooner and I would prefer to come over to your apartment tomorrow. There’s a reason why I wasn’t at the winery yesterday, but I think I’ve resolved the issue. We can talk more in person tomorrow.” 

“As it turns out, the problem was not resolved. In fact, it is so much worse. I have no idea what to do, but I need to see you before this spirals further out of my control.” 

“I swear I can explain everything.” 

“🆘”

Those were the texts you woke up to from Alcina. You couldn’t recall it, but you knew you had a nightmare from the way your heart was racing and how you had woken up gasping for air in a cold sweat. Whatever it was, Alcina appeared to be having a worse time. 

You let out a loud sigh and shook your head. There was always something happening now. Your life had been so boring this time last year. For every ounce of good she brought into your life, there were five other things going awry. Was this the price everyone had to pay after finding a partner they were really happy with or were you just that unlucky? 

Maybe you had misinterpreted the text. You had still been rubbing the sleep out of your eyes the first time you read them over, a film of mucus still slightly obscuring your vision that you had to keep rubbing at until it dissipated. 

Nope, didn’t read them incorrectly at all. That was an unironic use of the SOS emoji your middle aged girlfriend had sent you. This was better suited for a phone call than a text back. 

She sent you directly to voicemail. 

“Alcina?? You can’t send me all that stuff last night and then not answer my call.” 

When you hit send, you realized your text could be interpreted as harsh or demanding. Actually, no, you were frustrated and had every right to be. Kind of hard to be there for someone when they’re not telling you what is going on. 

“I can’t talk on the phone right now, I still have the girls, but Kurt is picking them up early, I will be there as soon as I am able to.”

“Can you at least tell me what is happening and if you’re alright?”

This was making you feel anxious to the point of knots in your stomach. You just wanted whatever it was to be over and for everything to be alright. At least if you knew what was going on, maybe you wouldn't have to worry so much, but not knowing was making it worse.

“I am as fine as I can be. I’d still prefer to talk about this in person.”

“Fine.”

You texted back, but regretted being so short and sent another.

“I will see you when you get here.”

She didn’t respond after that. To keep your mind off of things, you did everything you needed to do in order to get ready for the day as well as making sure the apartment was tidy. It wasn’t hard to do. So long as you didn’t let dishes pileup and you cleaned as you went, you could get away with doing things like vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, and cleaning the bathroom once a week. Living alone without a roommate or pets kept things around your apartment low maintenance. It was even lower maintenance back when you’d spend a full week at Alcina’s when she didn’t have the girls. 

Ever since that blowout with Kurt, you spent a lot less time over at Alcina’s place and with her in general. You missed those full weeks of waking up next to her in her super comfy bed. You missed having her take you out to places that didn’t have prices next to anything on the menu and watching her nonchalantly slip her metallic card into the checkbook without so much as glancing at the total. You even missed those times she’d take you to her gym, but you had to stay discreet and those places came with a huge risk of her running into people she knew. The gym especially with that nosy Sherry. It was different before when she’d take you out, no one assumed you were a couple, but with that drama thread and Kurt’s meddling, it could no longer be risked. The biggest risk at the moment was working for her, but no one gave any inclination that they were aware of that thread’s short existence before it was nuked and you’d be finishing out your last week at the winery before fall semester in the upcoming week. 

With classes starting up again, Sam, Olivia, and Dustin had already left for their schools. Olivia had wanted to get settled in early so she could meet her new roommate and go to a few events to get a feel for the campus and meet new people. It sounded like fun and you wondered if you were missing out by choosing to commute to a closer school just as you had done for your first two years at the community college, but the thought of sacrificing your privacy to share a room with someone on top of how much more it would cost to live on campus? No thanks. It would be lonely having Olivia several hours away, just the transition of living with her to her moving back in with her parents for the summer was a bit rough and that was with her only being a few minutes away. 

Dustin was gone too. Your most recent shift at the winery was his last before being put on leave. Your remaining shifts were going to be rough without him. He was the only real friend you made there. The others were okay, apart from Amanda who loathed the sight of you, but Dustin was someone you could actually talk to and he was one of the few people you could trust with your personal life. Granted, you didn’t exactly want him to find out the way he did or maybe ever, but you were thankful for his friendship. He had already been attending the school that Olivia was transferring to so you could count on him to be one of the people who would show her the ropes and keep her company for the times you couldn’t. 

You laughed to yourself thinking about the other things he already had shown her. Hopefully they would sort out what was going on between them. Friends with benefits usually end one of two ways, with a relationship, or the friendship ending entirely. Olivia was clear in her boundaries that she was not ready to enter into another committed relationship and wouldn’t be for a while after Robbie. Dustin was a genuinely nice guy and respected that from what Olivia had told you, but when you were all together you noticed the way he looked at her, he wanted more and was simply taking what she offered so she would spend time with him. Maybe they’d be the exception and go for a secret third thing where they’d both meet someone new which would preserve the overall friend group. 

Glancing over at your tv stand, you thought of Sam and how he’d come to take his game console away to bring back to his apartment. He would also be hours away in the opposite direction of Dustin and Olivia, but it was about time he got back to his off campus apartment. He wound up staying almost the whole summer with his mom which was nice since you got to see him more. Even better for him was in his absence, Austin and Michaela were able to get Greg out of the apartment so he’d no longer be taking up the living room with all of his stuff. He’d be pretty busy now with school and work. Since he split rent three ways and his apartment complex had a discount for off campus students, he was able to get by just working at the campus bookstore when school was in session. That and his mom, just like Olivia’s parents, was the type to help out financially if need be. Your parents would never, which was why you struggled so much before Alcina came into your life. 

Thinking of Alcina now, it had been a few hours and she still hadn’t texted you about when she was coming over to explain what was going on. Now that you were done tidying up, you decided to watch something to keep yourself from checking your phone. She’d text when she was ready. In the middle of an episode you were watching, your phone went off. 

It’s about time. It wasn’t Alcina though, it was Sam.

“Hey…weird question, but are you a sugar baby?”

You felt your heart skip a beat. What could have possibly made him ask that question? Unless he was suddenly feeling suspicious about the age gap along with Alcina’s wealth and came to that conclusion naturally, something had to have happened. 

“It’s complicated. Why do you ask?”

That was the truth. Were you still a sugar baby? That’s how the relationship had started. Yes, she still paid you, but there’s plenty of couples where one person is the breadwinner. Now that you were officially together, she was just making sure you were taken care of since you were still in school. Who knows, maybe one day you’d live together and it wouldn’t be weird for her to take care of you financially the way she has been. It frustrated you to no end that her ex as well as other societal factors were hindering the progression of your relationship which made it harder to envision a future like that. 

“I’m asking because there’s a new thread about your girlfriend. It’s not like the one before, it’s just about her and it doesn’t make her sound too good.”

What could these internet trolls possibly have to say about her now? Regardless of what it was, you would hear Alcina out about it and decide for yourself. You cared about her too much to let something as trivial as some stupid local gossip page get in the way of that.

“Sam, why do you even go on that site? Send me the link ig.”

Sam sent the link along with another text. 

“It’s not just a site for gossip, there’s a bunch of other stuff on there too. I’m subscribed to our town’s page so I see things as they pop up on my home feed and a name like Alcina Dimitrescu is hard not to notice. 

Well, he wasn’t wrong about that. You clicked the link and felt your soul leaving your body as you read the title to the thread.

“I was a sugar baby for Alcina Dimitrescu, Owner of the Dimitrescu Winery & Vineyard”

You placed a hand to your chest to calm your racing heart. It was never a secret that Alcina had done this with other girls before you, but there was a reason you didn’t exactly run around and tell everyone that you were a sugar baby. There was enough stigma around that sort of thing as is, but Alcina being a private woman and your town not being the most progressive place…this was not good. You continued to scroll and read through the post as your hands shook.

I know what you’re thinking, that I’m a liar, but I have a folder of screenshots as proof that I will attach to this post. I was never going to say anything about this, in fact, I was hoping I could move on and heal, but ever since I saw that blind item about none other than the Alcina Dimitrescu, I had to speak up and share my story. 

I was struggling with money like most young adults in our current era so I did something I never thought I’d do. At the suggestion of a friend, I signed up for a profile on a sugar dating website. I know you’re probably also thinking that I brought everything that happened after this onto myself and that I have no reason to be upset, but please hear out everything I have to say before you roll your eyes and stop reading. 

Oh, how you’d love to roll your eyes and dismiss everything this girl was saying, but you had to know what she was putting out there about your girlfriend that the title hadn’t already said. 

I never thought I’d meet anyone there, I had my preferences set for all genders and ages 18-99 just to see what was out there. I assumed it would be full of creeps or fakes and that I’d have to take on another part time job in addition to the one I already had on top of being a full time college student. That’s when I saw her and stopped dead in my tracks. 

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who she was or that she was a big deal in this town being someone who was barely 18 at the time and knowing nothing about the local wine scene. All I knew was that she was beautiful, I was curious about women, and that I really needed the money. She set up a date shortly after I messaged her.

That seemed a little too far-fetched to you. You didn’t know who Alcina was by her name or her face, but as soon as you learned her last name was Dimitrescu, you knew she was connected to the winery. Everyone who lived in this town knew the Dimitrescu winery. Also, barely 18? You couldn’t have possibly read that correctly. 

I didn’t know what to expect as I had never done this sort of thing before. She was nice when we met up. I saw her whisper with some staff before we were brought back to a private area of the restaurant she invited me to. I let her take the lead as I was very nervous. Before she so much as asked me about myself, I was asked to sign a non disclosure agreement. Again, I was nervous and too in need of money to see the red flags right in front of me to just say “no thank you” and walk out of that restaurant. 

To be honest, at the time I wasn’t exactly sure what an NDA would mean. I suppose I’m breaking that now, she can sue me for all I care. The rest of the night was nice although she mostly talked about herself and her successful winery, even ordering a bottle of her own wine to show off. This is the part where I mention she secretly gave me some while I was not of legal drinking age. That also wouldn’t be the last time she served me underage.

This confused you. You hadn’t heard anything of Alcina using NDAs until that first thread and she still hadn’t explained it to you. Why didn’t she ever make you sign one? You were glad she didn’t, but what was it about you that came off as more trustworthy? The other thing, Alcina had always stressed the importance of only dating women who were 21 and over.  It seemed odd that she would date someone that young and then serve them alcohol? Sure, she had let Olivia drink over at her house that one time, but Olivia was months away from being 21 and she had just gotten slapped in the face by her abusive ex. The wine was a necessity that evening.

You have to understand, I went from being broke to getting an extra $300 a week. I didn’t have to worry about going hungry or failing my classes by being too tired from working to show up or do my assignments. It was nice, but she was still very intimidating. She was 41, I was still a teenager, I had no idea what I was doing, and I feel like she got off on my naivete. 

So this had been a few years ago. You kept yourself from feeling smug at the fact you got paid more because you were mainly focused on Alcina’s hypocrisy regarding dating teenagers at her age.

The relationship turned sexual very fast. I was scared, but I felt obligated since she was paying me so much. It wasn’t prostitution in the legal sense, but it sure felt like it at times. I will say that any sexual activities that occurred between us were consensual, but I was also scared of losing her favor if I said no. It wasn’t long after we got physical that I became completely addicted to her attention. I thrived on it as someone who was new to sex. I didn’t realize how attached a person could become once a relationship became sexual. She however never let me get too close to her and there were times where I thought she was going to ghost me, but then she would always come back and spoil me with affection and expensive gifts. 

I tried desperately to get to know her, but never learned anything other than surface level facts. I remember she had said she was experienced in this field so out of curiosity, I had asked her how many of these arrangements she had in the past, she said 

“It doesn’t matter, you’re not like those other girls. It’s different with you.” 

Just like she had once said to you…you were different from the other girls. You swallowed the bile creeping up your throat. Maybe this girl wasn’t as full of shit as you originally thought her to be when you clicked the link. Was this something she said to all of the girls she did this with to butter them up? 

Alcina texted you as you were still reading the post. You swiped away her text, too fixated on the words in front of you to exit your browser.

This made me feel like she cared about me despite her not actually answering the question as she had a tendency to do. She made me feel special and wanted over the time the arrangement continued. I was starting to think we had a chance at becoming something. That’s when I was completely blindsided by her cutting me off and saying she had no intentions of continuing the arrangement or otherwise going so far as to block my number and all other methods of communication. I never received any closure. 

She left me heartbroken and it wasn’t long until the money ran out and I was right back at square one. It took a lot of therapy and support from friends over the past three years before I started to feel somewhat okay again. I am still unable to be in a normal relationship because I fear being disposed of like trash, just as Alcina Dimitrescu had done to me. 

Call me bitter, call this petty revenge, but it’s not just about what she did to me. It’s about Alcina Dimitrescu and her cycle of predatory behaviors towards younger women. If this could help prevent her from doing the same thing to some other young girl who is desperate for money, then I don’t really care what gets said about me. Last I checked, she no longer has an active profile on the site we met on or any of the similar ones that I checked just to be sure, but we know according to that blind item that she is still at large, she just got smarter with how she captures her prey. 

For my proof, attached are screenshots of her profile from when it was still up and text messages with photos she sent of herself to prove it was her number since I censored her actual number out. 

You felt yourself short circuiting. Your brain was actually fried. Had everything been built on a bunch of lies? Over the past few months, you felt you had truly gotten to know her, but it was clear she kept secrets and told white lies. She always made you feel special and wanted too, but this appeared to be her playbook. How long until she tossed you aside? 

Swallowing hard, you opened the link.

Instantly, you recognized that it was a profile that belonged to Alcina. The pictures had been different from the ones you had seen. Made sense, it was an older profile, you could tell since the screenshot had her age set as 41. The next few photos were of texts between them, most messages were blocked out. Her number was blocked out just as the girl had said, but the area code was visible.

That didn’t necessarily prove it was Alcina’s number, until you saw the racy photos Alcina had sent this girl. The ones with her face weren’t anything that would be too inappropriate for social media. In fact, the bikini she was wearing in one was the same from one of the pictures you recalled seeing ok her profile back when you first started talking. The ones without her face, you were ready to write off as being some random woman’s lingerie photos, but you would recognize that mirror anywhere. That photo was taken in the bathroom off of Alcina’s bedroom. There was no doubt in your mind that it was her. What. The. Fuck. 

Alcina texted again, but you didn’t bother to open it. You were still processing everything you had just read and you hadn’t even gotten to the comment section yet.

Admin: OP has verified the authenticity of this thread through mod mail.

Anonymous: Sorry, but you’re not a victim. You brought this on yourself. Thanks for the pics though! I needed some new fap material.  

Anonymous: Hoes mad. 

Anonymous: I’m sorry you went through this OP, it sounds like she’s a groomer and a pdf file. I wish you all the best and I hope she gets what she deserves.

Anonymous: ^ You can say the word pedophile here, wokie. You’re also beyond wrong. Adults can’t groom other adults. OP is just mad they didn’t get what they wanted. Is Alcina Dimitrescu a creepy old dyke? Yeah, but that’s not what pedophilia is. I don’t care too much about what these sexual deviants do in their personal lives, but this is exactly why the alphabet people don’t deserve the right to parade this shit around in public. 

Anonymous: Anybody in this thread smoke weed? 

(user has been put out to pasture)

So far the post only had a handful of upvotes and the few comments that had been left were negative apart from one. Nothing had been said about you, selfish as that thought was, but Alcina would have a lot of explaining to do after what you had read. This girl easily could have been you a few years ago. 

You decided to text Sam back, still not opening Alcina’s texts. 

“Welp I read it.”

“You okay?”

“Yeah I’m fine. I just don’t know how to feel rn.”

“Is she doing the same thing to you?”

“Long story short, yes, I did meet her on a sugar baby website, but she never made me sign anything and after a couple months she asked me to be her gf so I’m not really a sugar baby anymore.”

“I will support you no matter what. I just want to make sure you don’t get dragged into this and get hurt.”

Just as you were about to send a thank you to Sam, there was a knock on your apartment door. You opened it after checking the peephole. 

Expressionless, you stood in front of Alcina as she stood in front of your doorway. 

“You read it, didn’t you?”

She was dressed comfortably as if she had just come from the gym. No glitz and glam to the point she would be unrecognizable if you didn’t know her so well. Did you know her though?

You motioned for her to sit on the couch, Alcina taking one part of the sectional while you sat a few cushions away. You didn’t hug or kiss upon her arrival as you normally would have. You didn’t initiate and neither did she. She needed to explain herself so you could better process everything and then the focus would be on cleaning this mess up just as she had done the last time. 

“I need you to know, first of all, that she is lying about almost everything.” Alcina spoke in a hushed tone as you kept your phone in hand to reference the thread. 

“So was she not actually 18?”

Alcina sighed. “Unfortunately, she was.”

That was…not the answer you were expecting, 

“But you’ve always said how you’d never be with anyone under 21?” You tossed your phone onto the cushion next to you. “I’m lost here. What about these NDAs? How come you never made me sign one?”

“It’s different with you, darling.”

You rolled your eyes. “Is that your go to line, Alcina? When you first said that to me, I felt so special and apparently so did that girl, that 18 year old girl that you ghosted.”

Alcina clenched her jaw. “It is different with you and in a good way.” She held her fingers to her temples the same way you’d seen your mom doing when one of her migraines was coming on. “This is where context matters and why omission is a form of lying.”

“Then tell me.” Your hands were out in front of you begging for answers. 

“Delaney lied to me about her age, for one. I was under the impression that she was 22. That’s what was on her profile and that first night we met out, she claimed to have forgotten her ID. So yes, I did let her have a sip of my wine. The one other time I “served her underage” was in a hotel room. I brought a bottle of wine from home to set the mood.” Alcina looked away for a moment. “I’m sure you didn’t want to hear that, but I had no reason not to believe her when she told me her age.”

“I’m not going to pretend you didn’t have a past before me, it’s not like we haven’t talked about our sex lives before. I just wanted to know you and for you to be honest with me. I’m really confused right now.” 

“I am being honest with you, dear.” Alcina reached out to you. For a moment you thought about shrugging her hand off of your arm, but you didn’t. “I never brought up the specifics about Delaney or those other girls I met through that website before you because it didn’t feel necessary. I didn’t think my past would come back to haunt me in the way that it has.”

“So how did you find out she was lying?” 

“Contrary to the monster she has written me to be, the arrangement we had didn’t last long at all. For a more specific timeline, she pursued me, I invited her to dinner, she was very clear what she wanted from the arrangement which led me to believe she had prior experience, I compensated her each time we were together since that was her preferred method as opposed to the weekly allowance she said I gave her, and as soon as she came clean about her age I dropped her. It was maybe a month in total.”

That seemed plausible, but also very convenient. 

“Can you explain the NDA thing already?”

“Right.” Alcina took her hand off of your arm and placed both of them back into her lap. “As you already know, I wasn’t publicly out about my sexual orientation. The NDAs were never strictly about not speaking about anything I did or said to these girls, it was strictly to keep my personal life personal until I was ready to be out. That was the same reason the staff at Beneviento’s were under NDA as well. I grew up with the owners’ daughter and her family had no objection in letting me do that to protect myself.” Alcina took a moment before speaking again. “I came out to the girls on my own terms, that’s all that matters to me. I have a thick skin, I don’t care that people know now, but these lies are so damaging.” 

You weren’t sure what to say and Alcina must have sensed this. 

“I never had you sign one because I knew when I saw you that I wouldn’t have to worry about you. When I said you weren’t like those other girls, I meant it. They were seasoned pros and only cared about my money. It was never like that with you. I could tell you were genuinely interested in me and before you, that was something that scared me and exactly why I kept going after those shallow arrangements.”

You tilted your head in confusion. “I did need the money though, Alcina. That’s exactly why I was on that site, I was drowning before I met you. Of course I couldn’t help feeling something more, I mean, look at you. Now though, I don’t know…I don’t want this to end, but I feel like something fishy is happening.”

The whole situation was odd. You weren’t sure whether to believe your girlfriend of the past few months, the woman you felt so strongly for or Delaney, the girl who had poured her soul out onto that post. Was she telling the truth and was Alcina conveniently filling in the gaps to make herself sound better or was Alcina telling the truth and Delaney, if that even was her real name, was the one who was lying?

“I can assure you I am telling the truth. Delaney is absolutely doing this to seek revenge. There was no need to include those private photos of me other than to try and embarrass me. And to make it sound as though I preyed on her “innocence” and lack of sexual experience? If anything, she was aggressively sexual towards me. I didn’t mind at first, you know I have my appetites.” 

She gave you a seductive glance, but dropped it when you didn’t play into it. Now was not the time. 

She continued, clearing her throat after realizing she couldn’t use her sex appeal as a bandaid.

“As soon as I found out her actual age, I was immediately disgusted with her, but mostly with myself. I thank whatever higher power is out there that she was a legal adult, but I still was very unhappy to learn that I had been fooling around with a teenager.”

Alcina took a deep breath and exhaled. “Yes, I did block her from contacting me and that was only because she wouldn’t stop. Even then, she kept at it for a while. When I told her she was different, I meant that something was wrong with her since she continued to harass me. That’s why context matters. That brings us up to last night. She thankfully hadn’t contacted me for years, but then last night I got a text from her from a new number. Once again, I told her to leave me alone and I thought that would be the end of it, but then my social media manager for the winery sent me that post after stumbling upon it. I knew immediately that Delaney had been behind that. My guess is she must have seen that original post, the one I had taken down, and it reignited her delusions that I’d ever entertain another chance with her after what she did.” 

You shook your head and all you could do was laugh. Everything so easily explained away as if she had practiced her responses. 

“What exactly is funny about this?”

“Nothing.” You responded. “I think I just need some time to clear my head and you should probably work whatever magic you used that got that first post taken down. Hopefully it’ll die out like last time. I’m gonna go lie down.” You began walking towards your bedroom. “Please lock my door on your way out and I guess I will see you at the winery for my next shift.”

Alcina got off the couch to pursue you. “Four girls.”

“Huh?” 

“There were four girls before you. I never answered your question before, I am now. Two before Delaney, then I took a three year hiatus from those types of arrangements because the one with Delaney had been so disastrous, one date with one other girl a couple months before you, and then you. It’s only been you since.” 

At this point you had turned away from your bedroom and back towards the living room. “I appreciate your honesty, Alcina, but I still would like some space tonight. I hope everything gets sorted out.”

“You are different from those other girls. You’re the only one who I’ve allowed to get this close to me.” Alcina stepped closer to you though still keeping her distance. “I would have never asked you to be in a relationship with me if I hadn’t fallen in love with you.”

Time stopped at that moment. The world darkened and spun around you, your ears were ringing, and everything was echoing. Did she actually say what you thought she said? She was in love with you? Oh god, she was in love with you. Was she? You had already been burying your feelings, not letting yourself think the word for fear of her reaction, but you thought eventually you’d work up the courage to admit it to yourself and then tell her, perhaps over a nice dinner or a walk on the beach at sunset. Instead, you were both standing at an awkward distance in your living room after a heated discussion about her past, one that likely wouldn’t have come up had it not been forced out of her. Rather than coming to terms with your feelings in your own time, you were forced to confront them right now. 

“Alcina…”

Alcina’s expression softened at hearing you say her name. 

“I’ve been in love with you for longer than I was ready to admit. I just. Wow. This was not like I imagined it.”

Alcina closed the distance between you, placing a soft kiss to your lips that was over almost as quickly as it began.

“It never is.” She whispered, caressing your face. “I’ll give you your space now and I will see you at your next shift if you still want to finish out your last week.” 

She left you alone in your apartment to wonder if she was genuine in her words or if she was as manipulative as Delaney had made her out to be. 

Chapter Text

After Alcina left your apartment, all you could do was refresh the thread to see if more people had commented. 

Anonymous: Don’t listen to the haters, OP, they’re just a bunch of loser incels. What happened to you was wrong and you deserve justice. It doesn’t matter that you were legally an adult, plenty of 18 year olds are still in high school. Alcina Dimitrescu is a middle aged creep who preyed on your lack of life experience. If she was willing to be sexual with an 18 year old, she would go younger and there is a chance that she has. 

Anonymous: Agree completely with the above poster. There’s got to be something we can do. People should not be supporting this woman. If OP can’t seek legal justice, we should spread the word where more people will see it so they stop buying her wines and going to her winery, 

Anonymous: Personally idgaf about what happened to OP but it would be funny to see that bitch go down. What will little miss generational wealth do without her only source of income? She might have to work an actual job rather than having a title that makes everyone else work for her.

Your emotions were all twisted up in your stomach. This thread, not knowing whether Alcina was being entirely truthful or if there was some merit to what Delaney was saying. No, there was no way! This could have been resolved privately like adults, Delaney was out for revenge…or was she just seeking justice the only way she knew how as an absolute last attempt?  This concept wasn’t exactly new. You weren’t a stranger to hearing about cancelled youtubers who had abused their power over fans for sexual favors, people spoke out on sites similar to this one because it was the only way to get closure and validation. Then of course there were the A-List celebrities with their own similar scandals so why not a local celebrity? The timing couldn’t have been worse though.

It was as though your relationship had some sort of curse on it. Alcina officially asked you to be her girlfriend and her ex husband tailed you in his car and harassed you. From there, the original drama thread, then Kurt wanting to take custody of the girls, and now an even more detailed drama thread. The only life jacket being that Alcina had confessed her love to you.It was still a shock that that had actually happened. You both said it, you were in love with each other...so why did you feel even more doomed than before?

Clutching a pillow to your face, you screamed until no more air could be pushed from your lungs and you began seeing sparks flying around in your field of vision from the lack of oxygen. Then you took a deep breath and screamed again until your throat was raw. It was the only thing that was helping. Your hands trembled as you lowered the pillow from your face and then threw it up against the wall. The emotions were still too much, you held your hands to your face and clawed into your cheeks, dragging them down slowly. It stung, your eyes watered, but the rush you felt helped to calm the storm raging inside of you. Moving your hands up, you repeated the same motion. Again. Again. Again. Again. Again. Your cheeks felt raw by the time you were done and there was blood caked under your nails. That’s when you came to your senses. You had to work this week! That and school would be starting. 

You had to assess the damage and see if there was anything you could do to make it not stand out as much. It took a moment before you were able to look at yourself in the bathroom mirror. At first, you were horrified, dried blood had crusted and browned along both cheeks making your self inflicted wounds look a lot worse than they were. You sucked air through your teeth at the feeling of the wet washcloth on your tender skin, but after that first swipe, you had become used to the pain. After discarding the stained washcloth, your face didn’t look nearly as bad once it had been cleaned off, it looked more like acne scars or some type of rash. Luckily, you had a first aid kit in the apartment. It was one of those things both your and Olivia’s parents said was a must when you first moved into the apartment. Rarely was it ever used and judging from the fact it was still in the medicine cabinet, Olivia didn’t think to bring it with her when she moved out.

You yelped out in pain again as the disinfectant stung worse than your nails and the washcloth combined, but you sucked it up and properly tended to your wounds. Apart from the redness, it probably wouldn’t be too bad by the next time you worked. Next you scrubbed your nails and then decided to throw a load of whites in your building’s washer since you wanted to make sure the blood was removed before it set too much. After throwing your stuff in, you set a timer on your phone for the wash’s duration. Generally, the shared washer was never an issue so long as you didn’t let your stuff sit unattended for too long. Since it was in the basement of your building, you decided to go back to your apartment while you waited.

Maybe there would be more comments under the thread? You hadn’t checked since before your episode. Maybe Alcina managed to get it taken down? As you were about to open the link again, Olivia was video calling you and your finger hit accept. 

Fuck.

“Hey, bitch!! What the fuck is up??” Olivia was shouting and covered in neon paint. You could hear music playing from another room as people talked, laughed, and yelled. She didn’t look or sound sober. 

You tried your best to conceal your face by holding your chin in your hand gripping both your cheeks. Hopefully she would be too intoxicated to notice. 

“Hey, Liv.” It was so hard to try and keep your cool and not let onto anything that was happening. “Why are you covered in paint?”

“Probably because I just got back from a paint party, duh.” She teased you, still not noticing. “You so have to come up and visit me. I didn’t think I’d like having to share a room, but everyone is pretty chill! I’m in a double so it’s just me and Tay Tay.”

“Tay Tay?”

“Yeah! My roommate Taylor. You’d love her, she’s so fun. We’re in a pod so there’s a couple more doubles and a triple, I’m still learning the other girls’ names though.”

Well, at least Olivia seemed to be thriving at her new school so far. Classes hadn’t even begun and she was already going to parties and hanging out with her new bestie “Tay Tay.” You were rolling your eyes on the inside, but then you thought maybe you wouldn’t be so bitter about this had you not experienced this awfully confusing day. Taylor was probably a nice girl like Olivia said and Olivia deserved happiness and to have friends. 

“That’s awesome, Liv! I’m glad to hear that you’re having a good time, but listen I was kind of in the middle of something-”

“Oh em gee, what happened to your face!!??”

Shit, she noticed. 

You cursed under your breath. “Today was a really bad day, I don’t wanna bring you down with me.”

Olivia’s eyes had lost that drunken sparkle as she zeroed in on your face, taking in the damage you had done to yourself.

“How did that happen? Did you…do that to yourself? "Are you okay? Why?”

It took a lot for you not to break. You didn’t want to cry over a video chat or at all. You hated crying, it made you feel weak and stupid. That and you didn’t want to ruin Olivia’s night. You were going to tell her about everything that was going on, just not tonight. That seemed to be the running theme of today, feeling forced into saying things you weren’t 100% ready to say. 

“To make a long story short, there’s some drama going on with Alcina. Can anyone hear me?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, Everyone is in the common area and they know I was calling a friend from back home.”

After collecting your thoughts, you caught Olivia up on everything from your encounter with Kurt to Alcina telling you she loved you and why you did what you did to your face.

Olivia sat there dumbfounded as she stared into the camera.

“Well…” Your voice cracked as you spoke. “Are you going to say anything?”

“You were a sugar baby? Why didn’t you ever tell me? In fact, why didn’t you tell me about all that internet drama when Sam knew all about it? Did I do something to make you feel like you can’t tell me things?” 

“No, Liv, it’s not that at all. I never planned on the sugar baby thing getting found out by anyone. That’s why I just let you think Alcina was someone I was casually dating. Then when she did ask me to be her girlfriend, the sugar baby thing didn’t matter anymore. You have to understand, I was really struggling to make our portion of the rent back when I had that mall job.”

“I’m not judging you.” Olivia interrupted. “I should have figured something like that was happening when you started dating a 40 something year old woman who had a giant house and was always spoiling you. At least you finally said you love each other! I knew you were in love with her! But damn. There’s so much I didn’t know like how your girlfriend might lose custody of her kids and that drama site, why do people even care??” 

At least she was understanding. 

“I mean, yeah, it is nice to have that out there, but Liv, the internet thing was something I thought had blown over when the first post was taken down. I wish I knew why people were like this. I didn’t want to dwell on it and you know, you’ve been busy with Dustin and other things. I was glad to see you happy after so long. I didn’t want to bring you down with my own shit. I also doubt the court will do anything that drastic, all they’re doing is reevaluating custody sometime soon.”

“Aw, I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep things from me to keep me from getting upset. That actually hurts more. You were there for me even when I was a complete asshole to you. Let me be there for you this time.”

You couldn’t help the tear that trickled down your cheek, but you managed to stop after just the one. “Okay, I will keep you posted on everything, but same goes for you!”

Olivia giggled. “Of course! And if you ever feel like hurting yourself again, you better text me or something before you do. How dare you hurt my best friend.” She teased.

You shook your head. “That was just an impulse thing, I don’t know. I promise though.” 

The door to Olivia’s room opened and a girl you didn’t know started talking. 

“Liv, are you coming out to get any of these jell-o shots before they’re gone or nah?”

Olivia turned around to respond to her. “Be back in a minute!”

“You go have fun, Liv. I’m just gonna watch tv and try to get my mind off all this.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. We can talk another time. Before you go though, have you heard from Dustin at all since you guys moved up to campus?”

Olivia scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. “A couple of times. We’ll probably hang out soon, but he already has his own friends up here and I’m getting to know the girls.”

“Come on, Liv!” 

You heard another voice shout from outside of Olivia’s dorm room.

“Sorry, I gotta go.”

“It's fine, I promise I’ll be okay. Go have fun. Love you lots.”

“Love you too!”

The video call ended and you were free to go back to what you were doing before, checking the thread for more posts. Sure, you told Olivia that you were going to get your mind off of the drama, but it was eating away at you to not know what was happening. 

Anonymous: I’ve linked this thread to her winery’s review page to get the word out there! I hope you get the closure you need, OP and that Alcina Dimitrescu faces consequences for her actions. 

Anonymous: So I checked out the popular sugar dating websites and she doesn’t currently have a profile, but I was able to find the last profile she had through an archive site. I’ll link the screenshots. 

Of course you clicked on the link. It was exactly what her profile looked like the first time you had sent her a message, all pictures included. How were they even able to get this stuff? You thought you were safe since profiles were supposed to only be visible to those who had signed up for the site. That was the only reason you felt comfortable enough making one. 

Anonymous: More Bikini fap material. Her body isn’t too bad for being as old as she is, but I just know those things are full of silicone. 

You felt offended on Alcina’s behalf. Not only was it disgusting and misogynistic, you could personally attest to that being false. These absolute losers probably had no idea what it even felt like to know the touch of a woman. 

More vile comments poured in. You left the site to check the reviews for Alcina’s winery. She had 4.5 stars with very few reviews being negative. All recent reviews had been 5 star experiences until a review posted on this day came with a 1 star.

Soycreeper: Would never support this business. Owner likes touching little girls. 

Attached was a link to the drama thread. You reported the review for being against the site’s guidelines and only got a generic message that your report was being reviewed. Then you did the same with the drama thread to see if you could be any help at getting that taken down. If what Alcina was saying was 100% truthful and that Delaney was lying about everything, it was libel. Not to mention the actual revenge porn. Alcina was probably already working on getting things shut down. You didn’t want to bother her and despite everything, you still felt you needed some space, at least until your next shift. 

You didn’t sleep much in the two days leading up to your 3rd to last shift. The thread was still up though less comments were appearing since there was no new information. You wondered why Alcina hadn’t been able to get something so damning taken down mostly because you hadn’t spoken since she left your apartment. Yes, you loved her and she apparently loved you too, but you still needed some space to sort out your feelings and she was respecting that. You decided it was best to finish out your last week at the winery as if nothing had happened. As far as you knew, no one outside of your circle and Kurt knew about your relationship with Alcina. There was no harm in getting the extra cash from the tip pool while you still could.

The review for Alcina’s winery that you had reported was removed, but more suspicious looking one star ratings began popping up. Nothing of substance, generic comments about the wine or service being bad from strange usernames rather than first and last names. Reporting those didn’t do anything as they didn’t falsely accuse Alcina of any unlawful behavior and there was no way to prove they didn’t have a bad experience there. By this point, the only thing that had changed from the gossip thread were the spicier pictures of Alcina being removed. Other than that, Delaney’s statement still stood with mixed commentary of supporters and trolls. It wasn’t fair that she got to hide behind a shield of anonymity while the woman you loved was lambasted.

Out of the blue, your mother called you. Odd, since you didn’t talk often and hadn’t seen either of your parents since the summer family reunion. Since you wouldn’t have work for a few more hours, you picked up in case it was something important. 

“How’s it going, mom?” 

“I’m alright here.”

Silence. 

“So…any particular reason you called me? Is something going on?”

“What, I can’t call and have a conversation with my daughter?”

Here we go. 

“I didn’t say that, mom. You know I’m more of a texter than a caller.”

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. You talked on the phone more than ever since you had met Alcina, but she was in that age group of people who preferred calls to texts. 

“Anyway, what’s going on with that woman you work for?”

You felt a chill spread throughout your body.

What do you mean?” You laughed nervously and cleared your throat. 

“Yeah, one of my friends called me and apparently that Dimitrescu woman pays money to sleep with young girls.”

“No, mom.” You sighed. “That’s just some nasty internet rumor.”

"Either way, I know I had a reason to not like that woman.”

“What are you talking about?” You cut your mom off. “When you met her at my graduation you were super nice to her and you and dad even invited her to have dinner with us.”

“Why was she at your graduation anyway? The way she was behind you, touching your shoulders. That’s inappropriate behavior from someone who is supposed to be your boss.”

She did a lot more than touch my shoulders when we celebrated my graduation. 

You smirked to yourself since your mom couldn’t see you over the phone. Thankfully she was not into video calls. “I don’t know, mom. She was just being friendly and she is very involved with her employees to make the place feel more family oriented.”

Your mom scoffed. “Whatever you say, hon. I just know that winery is nothing like it was when her parents were still in charge, They were the ones with actual family values.”

“Okay, I gotta start getting ready for work so we can talk about this another time.”

There was still plenty of time before you’d have to go in, you just needed this uncomfortable phone call to be over with.

“Well, I think you should steer clear of that woman. Don’t let her tempt you into that lifestyle.”

“Okay, mom, love you, bye.”

Angrily tapping the hang up button, you ended the call. This was exactly why you didn't talk to your mother on a regular basis. You’d probably get an earful from her about ending the call so abruptly the next time you spoke, but luckily unless something came up, you likely wouldn’t see your parents until Thanksgiving. 

Red lipstick, black shirt, black pants, black shoes, and some foundation to cover the faint marks on your cheeks. That was everything you needed to be ready for your shift at the winery. The lipstick wasn’t required, but it became a habit to wear it whether Alcina was there or not so that way when she was there, it wouldn’t be noticeable if you happened to kiss. Way easier than spending the time trying to rub it off which would leave the skin around your lips stained. 

Alcina’s car was in the parking lot. Not usual for a weekday, but she had been coming into work more often, mostly using that time to make calls in her office. You parked a distance away, always had since you started to make sure there was never anything suspicious and that you looked like any other employee. This shift was gonna blow without Dustin. Even when you couldn’t talk due to Amanda’s strictness and the hatred for you she didn’t try to hide, just having him there was reassuring in a way. Alcina too, of course, but at the winery she was your boss…unless you happened to share a secret kiss in her office. That was different though, you could at least interact with Dustin as a friend out in the open. If people suspected more, you didn’t care because that would be nowhere near as scandalous as the other staff suspecting you and Alcina had something going on. 

Amanda was the first person you saw when you walked in. She was whispering with one of the other girls. Fine by you, she was too busy being a hypocrite to notice you had walked in. Why was she there? Usually Alcina tried not to have Amanda work the same shifts as you if she was there, but the past few times she still used Amanda as a shift supervisor since she was mostly in her office and not acting as a supervisor herself. Sure enough, Alcina’s office door was closed and locked again today. You’d be waiting tables again today which was fine. You liked it more than being in the tasting room or giving tours of the vineyard. You definitely liked it more than weddings since those were extremely busy. The only benefit being the food at the end of the night was slightly better than what you’d get at the end of the night on a weekday, though it was all amazing quality regardless of the day. 

It was getting towards the end of your shift and business had slowed down as it normally would this time of night. Actually, a bit slower, but Alcina said it was common this time of year for that to happen. Then once the leaves changed and fell, the grounds would be closed until spring with the dining area only being open on weekends or some special events. The off season was when the business relied on its wine sales though Alcina always reiterated that finances were never an issue. She could go an entire winter without selling a bottle and everything would be fine. The wine always sold though. Locally, nationally, and internationally. 

The last customer from your section had left so you got to wiping down tables before Amanda could nag you. She was still carrying on with one of the other girls you didn’t know too well. Quite loudly too for someone who would have a conniption if you so much as blinked at Dustin and it happened to look like Morse Code. Amanda was loud enough that you managed to hear what she was talking about. It was a good thing that there weren’t any customers left because what Amada was saying had you full of rage. 

“I just can’t believe it. I’ve worked here for years and I never would have thought that Ms. Dimitrescu was like that. I don’t care that she’s gay, but to sleep with high school students as an adult woman? That’s wrong on so many levels. To think, I started here as a hostess when I was a senior.”

Amanda kept talking, not noticing you stepping closer. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t have done anything with her if she approached me like that, but some other vulnerable girls did. I don’t think I can keep working for her if this is true and apparently, she still has sugar babies. That is SO crazy.”

Amanda and what’s her face, you didn’t care to look at her name tag, were giggling when you approached them and spoke up.

“That’s really gross and disrespectful of you guys to spread rumors about Ms. Dimitrescu while she’s literally here.”

Amanda glared at you. “I wasn’t talking to you and it’s rude to eavesdrop.”

You stood your ground. “So you can spread lies and laugh with um-” You looked at the other girl’s name tag. Alexa! how could you forget a name like that?. “Alexa! Yet you freak out at me for every little thing I do here to try and get me fired?”

Amanda moved closer, trying to intimidate you while Alexa stood back. “How would you know they’re lies? Why do you care? Are you gonna run to her office again and tattle on me for being too harsh with you like you always do? God, it’s almost like you’re one of the ones she’s screwing.”

You remained silent and kept your best poker face, but it wasn’t enough. 

“Oh my fucking god, it all makes sense now. You are, aren’t you?”

“No..” You shook your head. “Just because-”

Amanda held her hand out in front of your face. “It all makes sense now because you should have been fired the month that you got here and yet you always kept your job despite your shitty performance. Your callouts? Getting a Saturday off during wedding season? Ms. Dimitrescu would have never let someone like you stay here otherwise. I’ve seen her fire someone for spilling a glass of wine. Must be nice to get that special treatment. Are you gonna go home and spread your legs for her tonight?”

“That is quite enough, Amanda.”

Alcina’s voice cut through the room that fell into a dead silence other than what Alcina had to say.

“I will not have my name besmirched in my own establishment. Turn in your name tag and apron, grab your things, and go home.”

Amanda looked around in disbelief. “You can’t be serious right now! Whatever, I was gonna quit anyway, but I guess you can fire me so I’ll get unemployment.”

Amanda slammed her nametag and apron down on the hostess stand and stormed towards the exit. She turned back once more, pointing at you before leaving.

“Thanks for confirming that you are fucking her though.” 

The doors slammed and no one moved. 

Alcina’s eyes were dark with anger. “Well, this place isn’t going to clean itself up. I doubt anyone else is coming in for the remainder of the evening.”  She clapped her hands, the sound was sharp as it echoed through the dining area. “Move!” 

Everyone scattered to do their normal closing jobs while Alcina left through the back of the building. 

Things were tense, but closing went much quicker than it normally would have. No one really wanted to stick around for family meal so people just packed what they wanted and threw away the rest. You didn’t take anything, the last thing you cared about was food, you were sick to your stomach. Whether your other coworkers believed it or not, it was now in their heads that you were fucking their boss. There was no way you could finish out your last couple shifts, tonight was your last night. As you grabbed your stuff to leave, you left your name tag next to where Amanda had left hers. She was finally gone, but now it didn’t matter because you were too. 

Alcina had never come back in so you never got a chance to speak with her privately before leaving. It had been days now and you were at the point where you weren’t sure if your mutual confession of love were words of parting or if you were somehow making this still work. You’d just have to call her tonight. 

There was a plume of smoke near your car. It didn’t seem to be coming out of your car, that was unmistakably cigarette smoke. Why would someone be smoking near your car? It was dark out and now you felt unsafe. At least until your heard your name spoken in a familiar voice.

“Alcina?”

Alcina was standing by your car, cigarette in hand nearly smoked down to the filter. 

“You started smoking again?” You didn’t mean to sound as though you were scolding her, but she had kicked the habit before you spent that first night together and you had been proud of her for quitting. 

Alcina took one final drag before stomping it out with her heel. She coughed out the final puff of smoke and answered your question. “Snagged one off of one of the bus boys. I don’t intend on going out and buying a carton, I just needed something to calm my nerves.”

“We need to talk.”

Alcina nodded in understanding. “Absolutely. I would have talked to you sooner, but I know you wanted your space.”

You shrugged. “Yeah, I have been stressed too, how come you couldn’t get the thread taken down this time? What they’re saying about you is vicious.”

Alcina laughed. “You don’t have to tell me that, I am well aware. According to that lowlife of an admin, because there was “proof” this time, they are allowing Delaney’s statement about me to stay up. All I could do was get my sensitive photos removed though I am sure everyone has had more than enough time to save them to their devices which is just spectacular.”

Your body shook with anxiety. “So what can you do to stop this?”

Alcina turned and coughed. “My apologies, my throat is no longer accustomed to that burning sensation.” She took another deep breath. “All I can do is take legal action. I have a case against Delaney and maybe I will find a way to get that forum shut down, but I can’t change what’s already been said.”

Alcina held her arms out to you. “Come here, darling.” 

For a moment, you hesitated, but then you gave in because you missed the feeling of her arms around you. She held you tight to her chest and you savored how soft she felt against you, not caring at all about the smell of cigarette smoke that mixed in with that designer perfume she loved because it was still her. 

“None of this matters. Everything will be taken care of. Internet gossip can’t tear down the Dimitrescu legacy that has stood here since 1906. I no longer care who knows where my proclivities lie, this isn’t the 90’s anymore and whenever you feel ready, I say, to hell with discretion.”

“But, my parents and what about what’s going on with Kurt and your custody agreement?”

“Kurt will never take the girls from me, he’s only going to make a fool of himself. As for your parents, it’s not as if you’re obligated to bring me around for dinner or to holiday gatherings. I will go at whatever pace makes you feel safe even if that means not ever being direct with them about our relationship.”

Alcina tilted you up to look into your eyes. “I love you, that’s what matters most to me and I know that I’d be a fool to let you go.”

Everything felt like it was going to be okay for the first time in a long time. “I love you too, Alcina.”

She was right, that’s all that truly mattered and everything else would resolve with enough time passing. You brought your hands to Alcina’s face and pulled her down for a long, passionate kiss. It didn’t matter if any of her lipstick smeared onto your face because no one was there to see it. 

You were both panting heavily after breaking the kiss. Enough time had passed to where it had gotten much darker outside.

“Come back to my place so we can finish what we started.” Alcina said in a low, playful tone.

It had been so long since you had spent the night at her place, of course you were going to say yes.

“Alright, I’ll follow behind you.”

“Nonsense! Come with me, my dear, and I will drive you back to your car in the morning.”

Now was as good a time as ever to tell her the news.

“Oh, I quit tonight just as a heads up.”

Alcina giggled. “I figured as much. Can’t say I blame you for not wanting to finish out your week, but it will be kind of tough missing both a shift supervisor and my favorite server. I will make do though. I always manage."

You shared one more kiss before Alcina escorted you from your car to hers. The parking lot was empty apart from the two of you, the air was crisp, the stars were bright, and you were about to have a passionate night with a woman you were deeply in love with. If only you had been more aware of your surroundings, you would have noticed the hand and phone peeking out from behind one of the dumpsters.