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Aly said, “Don’t touch it directly.” She paused, looking at the ceiling. “With your hands at least.”

“Oh.” Lola’s breath caught as she imagined her tongue on Aly.

Aly laughed, reading her mind. “One thing at a time. I’ll tell you when I want you to go down on me.”

Lola glanced down. Aly’s pubic hair was trimmed into a perfect light brown triangle. Lola reflected on her own situation: a flawless Brazilian wax. She’d never considered how chic having a little bush might be.

Aly pulled Lola in, their mouths colliding. “Okay, that’s enough class for today,” she said. “Now show me what you’ve learned.”

As it turned out, Lola was an excellent student.

She watched Aly’s face as she touched her. Aly’s mouth hung open in unselfconscious ecstasy. She was louder than Lola expected her to be, moaning like they were the last people on earth. With each wildcry, Lola felt more and more turned on. Giving pleasure to a woman was turning out to be as fun as receiving it. She wanted to fuck Aly forever. Her entire body ached with it.

“Go inside me,” Aly begged.

They had not covered this in their lesson, but Lola felt confident she could figure it out. She slipped one finger inside Aly and then, because it felt like Aly wanted her to, another. Aly rocked on her hand, almost whimpering. All this time, Lola had thought she preferred to be submissive, but being in charge of Aly like this was powerful, intoxicating. Unbearably sexy.

“Can you hit my G-spot?” Aly said.

“If you tell me how to find it,” Lola laughed.

“One inch up. Little spongy thing. Feels like corduroy.” It was hard for Aly to talk in full sentences, which told Lola she was doing it right. She found Aly’s G-spot quickly and pressed on it.

When Aly came, she screamed Lola’s name.

It felt like flying.

***

On Thursday, Aly suggested that they go out to dinner. They’d been ordering takeout every day, existing on UberEats leftovers between meals, and Lola was nursing a low-level stomachache she was not ready to discuss.

“Like a date?” Lola grinned.

“Exactly like a date,” Aly confirmed. “We can shower first and everything.”

“I guess I’ll go get ready,” Lola replied. “Will you make a reservation?”

“We don’t need one. Just come back here in an hour.”

“Wonderful,” Lola said, kissing her one last time before returning to Giancarlo’s.

The house was dark and empty. It felt strange to be without Aly after so many days spent attached to each other. It was a little lonely, a little cold. But she knew it was good for them. Nothing killed a new romance like not having space from it.

God forbid we miss each other, she thought, stepping into the shower.

Her skin felt sensitive from Aly’s mouth and hands all over her, and she was gentle as she scrubbed herself, pausing to examine the smattering of hickeys on her stomach. Aly had marked her that afternoon as they’d lain out on large towels in the sun, soaking in the afternoon heat while sprawled in Lola’s backyard. It truly was the perfect summer afternoon—all pink skin and crashing waves and Aly’s mouth again and again.

As Lola stepped out and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel, she wondered what Aly thought of all this, if Aly had a habit of having sex with her subjects or with girls next door or if this was as new for Aly as it was for her.

She remembered what Ryan had once said, about Aly leaving a path of straight girls in her wake. She wondered anxiously if she was about to be one of them or if perhaps there was something special about her that made this different for Aly. She hoped there was. She couldn’t imagine the alternative. Not now, with her skin humming in anticipation of seeing her again.

She dug a little black dress out of her suitcase and assessed herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were pink; her skin was glowing. She could go without makeup. She felt that there was something very French about wearing a sexy dress with a bare face. She scrunched her hair toencourage its natural waves. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so desirable.

***

The hostess at Si Si shrieked as Aly and Lola walked up.

“Aly Ray Carter, you get your ass over here,” she cried, throwing her arms around Aly’s neck. “You haven’t been to see me once this summer.”