A Real Mentor Pt.10

Luisa

One thousand miles from London, asleep in her hotel room on the Amalfi coast, Luisa woke with a start as her phone buzzed on the bedside table. The hotel room was dark and unfamiliar, the sheets too crisp, the pillows too firm. Why, she thought, can no hotel anywhere ever just get it right?

She'd fallen into a fitful sleep after arriving, mentally exhausted from the travel and also, if she was being honest with herself, thinking non-stop, her mind in a whirl, about the messages she'd discovered on Amy's phone from Sarah... the messages that had made it very clear what the two of them had planned that night.

She reached for her phone, squinting at the bright screen. 2am in Italy. That meant it was 1am in London. Amy was still awake, and having seen those texts Luisa knew immediately where she was, what she was doing.

The message itself was innocuous, sweet even. But the timing told a different story.

Luisa set the phone back down without replying, turning onto her side and willing herself back to sleep.

But sleep wouldn't come. Her mind kept conjuring images of Amy with Sarah, doing all the things she suspected, half knew, that they did together. Some fairly outrageous things.

It was within the bounds of what they'd agreed, she reminded herself. An open relationship meant open. But that didn't stop her thinking about it. Not when she was lying there in bed, alone, knowing that Amy was sleeping with another woman, probably at that exact moment. Touching her, tying her up, spanking her, making her call the name of the woman that Luisa loved...

Stop, Luisa told herself. This isn't productive. Imagining them or getting jealous of them won't help.

But at 2am, woken from sleep, no one's brain can avoid thinking like that... she couldn't help how she felt.

Morning came too soon, bringing with it a throbbing headache and a mood that was the exact opposite of the beautiful, clear blue sky outside her window. The photoshoot was scheduled to start at 9am, which meant she'd likely see Alethea soon.

The thought brought a combination of excitement, the usual anticipation, but also a degree of trepidation. This was her life now it seemed... women who belonged partly to her and partly to others, compartmentalised relationships that never quite satisfied the longing for something complete.

As she dressed, Luisa caught her reflection in the mirror. The woman looking back seemed suddenly foreign to her, like she was watching someone play a role she'd outgrown.

"Time to be professional," she told her reflection, then added with bitter irony, "At least that's something I know how to do."

The light was perfect, which made it worse.

Luisa was stood barefoot on sun-baked stone, the breeze catching the thin fabric of the robe that she'd been given to wear... the designer's idea of something someone would want to wear, but that someone certainly wasn't Luisa.

Beyond the terrace the cliffs dropped sharply into the sea, the spring sunshine in the clear blue sky giving everything a sharp edge. It was breath-taking.

But mostly it was hot, and tedious, and Luisa was in a bad mood, counting the minutes until she could get back into the shade.

"Lift your chin a little," said the photographer. "Now, more attitude."

Attitude, she thought, I'll give you attitude, but she held her tongue... her mood wasn't the fault of the photographer. She shifted her weight, arched her brow, a look she'd practiced a thousand times over the years, desire and disinterest wrapped up in a single expression.

"Perfect," the photographer muttered, snapping a few more shots and then pausing. "Ok, let's take five minutes then pick this up again."

Luisa took the opportunity to grab some water and stand in the shade. It was only 10am, it was going to be brutal later in the day.

As she sat off to one side, she sighed deeply. She wasn't just in a bad mood. She was annoyed. With Amy. And then she was annoyed at herself with being annoyed at Amy, because she loved Amy and she didn't want to be annoyed with her, and it wasn't reasonable to be annoyed at her... but the lack of sleep, the heat, everything still meant that Luisa was annoyed regardless.

It wasn't the whole thing about the messages she'd seen yesterday morning, she'd managed to rationalise all of that by the time she went to bed last night. She may not have liked it but it was a consequence of Amy and Luisa being in an open relationship, something she'd willingly agreed to.

She couldn't stop brooding though on the message at 2am from Amy saying that she loved Luisa and she hoped she had a good night's sleep, the one that had woken Luisa up and jolted her awake when she read it, so much that she barely slept the rest of the night.

2am.

That was 1am in London.

And four hours after Luisa had messaged her to say she'd arrived safely. Four hours.

Only one possible explanation, and it wasn't working late.

She knew it wasn't intentional, that Amy didn't know that Luisa had seen Sarah's messages, but there are few things worse than waking your girlfriend up in the middle of the night with a text that confirms what she already knew... particularly when it was after just enough sleep for her to spend the rest of the night awake and catastrophising it.

What if Amy leaves me for Sarah? What if she told Sarah she loves her too? What if I can't give Amy what Sarah can? Those and a thousand other questions had been running through her head since 2am.

So, yes... Luisa was in a bad mood, and the heat wasn't helping. She needed space to think and she couldn't get it, not until the day had done and she could retreat to her room. She just needed to make it to the end of the day, get her head together that evening, and then it would all be fine.

She saw Alethea for the first time at lunchtime, literally bumping into her on the way into the dining area which was mercifully air conditioned.

"Hey," Alethea said when she saw who it was. There was the usual smile, and Luisa smiled back despite her mood, feeling her spirits lift just a bit.

"Hey... are you grabbing some lunch?" asked Luisa.

"Just did." She grimaced. "Apparently they want to do something ridiculous with my hair so I've got to hurry. We'll talk later." As ever, a statement not a question.

"Of course." She watched as Alethea walked off, smiling to herself at how Alethea was taking her time despite one of the assistants desperately trying to hurry her up. That was Alethea through and through.

Sat down with a plate of salad and some water, Luisa got talking to one of the other models, a Spanish woman that she'd not met before, enjoying being able to switch out of English, and she soon felt her mood lift further, breaking out of her funk and switching into professional mode.

She was damned if she was going to let whatever this road bump was with Amy get in the way of what was a great professional opportunity for her, the chance to start doing work more often in Europe. She'd worry about the thing with Amy when she saw her back in London on Sunday.

Late in the afternoon and the final set of outfits, swimwear with some utterly impractical cut-outs and string ties... not her style at all, but as ever she was professional and did what she needed to do.

As she walked off, final shots taken, and grabbed a chilled bottle of water to cool herself down, Alethea was there.

"Those looked good," she said, indicating towards where Luisa had been standing with a nod of her head. "I liked the relaxed pose, with your legs crossed. It nearly made me want to buy it." She said the last part with a grin.

Luisa smiled back. "Someone needs to. Not my style at all."

Alethea grabbed a water for herself and took a drink, watching Luisa while she did. "Dinner later, my treat."

Luisa looked at her, thinking it through. Dinner would be good, time with Alethea would be good, but also she knew where it would lead... always, inevitably, as sure as the sun rising in the morning, they would end up in bed together.

Not that that was a bad thing... it was not a problem with her relationship being open with Amy, and her and Alethea always seemed to end up in bed together every night they worked together, had done for the last five years. It was almost a given.

Her and Alethea never said no to each other.

But then... something nagged at her. She was still annoyed at everything, still needed some headspace that evening to get everything worked out, and maybe, just maybe this one time she needed not to say no, but just to put Alethea off to later in the shoot. Luisa didn't want to do something that night that she'd come to regret later.

But then again, looking closer, there was expectation written all over Alethea's face... it was a look that Luisa had learned over the years. The look they both shared that said, this is what we do, and everything leads to that. The look that said 'Come to bed' hours before either of them said it.

Although maybe, thought Luisa, I'm massively overthinking this. I do need to eat after all and there is no catering tonight. She was torn.

"Well...?" asked Alethea, eyebrow raised in amusement, and Luisa realised that she'd been thinking for so long it had got rude.

"Sorry..." replied Luisa with a laugh. "Long day. I'll pass on dinner, maybe later in the shoot?" Buy time to think about it properly was what she really meant.

Alethea looked disappointed, as if she'd assumed it would be a yes, but hid it well. "Ok, a drink then."

"Well... I could really do with getting some rest, and..."

"One drink. You can't say no to that, surely?" She grinned. "Sleep when you're dead."

Luisa couldn't help smiling, defeated. One drink would be nice after all, would help her get her perspective. "You've got me. One drink, meet in the hotel lobby at 7?"

"7 is perfect."

"But one drink. I mean it," she called after Alethea as she started to walk off.

Alethea just turned around and flashed her a grin.

Amy

London was grey that Thursday morning. Nothing unusual there, thought Amy, except that she couldn't shake the feeling that it was somehow her fault. That the clouds hung lower, the air felt colder, the drizzle was somehow wetter, because of her night with Sarah the night before.

She felt bad. Amy had known when she agreed to meet Sarah that going back to Sarah's place was on the cards, the raunchy messages Sarah had been sending making her attentions clear. To be fair though, the same was true of Amy... some of her replies to Sarah had left very, very little to the imagination.

She'd slept with her last night. She'd dominated Sarah, made her submit, made her orgasm again and again, calling Amy's name. She'd given Sarah exactly what she wanted and what she needed. She'd been good to her.

So why, the next morning, did she feel so bad?

What she'd done was completely fine with her open relationship with Luisa, she'd even told Luisa about her thing with Sarah and Luisa had been fine about it. It was Luisa who had suggested an open relationship in the first place, and keeping it going with Sarah was important to make sure she could keep travelling to LA. Amy knew it was a stretch to describe sleeping with Sarah as an altruistic act, but there was certainly an element of that.

So why exactly did she feel so bad?

She'd decided to work from home that day, not wanting to have to sit in a meeting face to face with Sarah and a number of other colleagues. Amy just didn't feel quite in the right place emotionally for that.

Of course, that presented its own challenges when you were in a house share rather than your own flat... she couldn't just sit on her bed to work, but she couldn't sit at the dining table downstairs without everyone else in the house able to listen in to her confidential calls. She sighed in frustration, not for the first time looking forward to having a place of her own again.

Luckily, that day only Naomi was working from home too, so Amy could just about get by sharing a dining table with her... they'd both swapped gossip about respective workplaces anyway over the years so often that it almost felt like they worked together.

Around 10am Amy let out a deep sigh of frustration, still feeling terrible and unable to think about her work. Naomi's head snapped up, and she said, "Right, that's enough of you moping around like a love sick puppy. You've been doing that all morning."

Amy was startled at the response. "Really?!"

"Yes really. Get your coat, I'm going to buy you a coffee and you're going to tell me about it."

Amy smiled weakly. "Ok..." But she wasn't sure how Naomi could really help.

Thirty minutes later, coffees in hand and walking round the Common, Amy had unburdened herself on Naomi, telling her what had happened the night before, her worries, the lot.

Naomi stopped in her tracks, and Amy came to a halt too. "I'm going to tell you something that you might not want to hear, ok?" Amy nodded. "But hear me out."

"Ok... you've got me worried now."

Naomi smiled, then said, "Everything you've just told me... for one of the cleverest people I know, you're remarkably stupid sometimes."

Amy smiled too. That wasn't the first time Naomi had told her that, and usually what followed was direct, cut through the crap, and went a long way towards fixing the problem.

"You know why you feel so bad right now?" Amy shook her head. "Because Luisa isn't James."

"But I know that."

"I know you do. But think about it. Your thing with Sarah when you were with James, they both filled a different need, they were separate. James was your steady, sensible boyfriend at home, the person you lived with. Sarah was the woman that we've all known you've needed for many a year." Naomi grinned as she said that. "But you and her, your interactions, the dynamics, they were all completely different. You could, and did, accommodate the two, and I reckon you could have done that indefinitely."

"Ok. So...?" Amy wasn't really catching her drift.

Naomi sighed and tried a slightly different route. "James is a man. Sarah is a woman. What is Luisa?"

"A woman."

"Exactly. And you told me you'd started to have some romantic feelings for Sarah too, right?"

"Yes..."

"So they're overlapping. What you did last night was fine in your head when you did that while you were with James, it was distinct. But now you're with Luisa, in love with Luisa, what you did last night encroached on the part of you that you've devoted to Luisa. And that, my clever yet occasionally stupid friend, is why you feel so bad."

Amy stood there, realisation dawning.

"But... we're in an open relationship."

"So what? You're an adult, you can go and spend all your money on pink unicorn china dolls or clown shoes or any one of a million ways to waste it. But it doesn't mean that you have to. Same with an open relationship, just because someone else wants to sleep with you doesn't mean you have to."

"But I do have to, Sarah is the one that controls me travelling to see Luisa."

Naomi shook her head. "Bullshit. If Sarah would really do that just because you wouldn't keep seeing her then why the hell would you want to keep doing that? She wouldn't deserve you, she'd be a monster. And if she wouldn't do that then you've got nothing to worry about."

"But... I need to be able to see Luisa."

"You love her? I mean really love her?" Amy nodded. "Then you'll make it work. Your current employer isn't the be all and end all. There are many other ways. Including, if it really comes to it, both of you ditching everything and going to live on a desert island somewhere." Naomi paused and smiled. "But only if I get to come see you on holiday..."

Amy stood thinking for a minute while Naomi watched her, then she stepped forward and gave Naomi a tight hug.

"What's that for?" asked Naomi, laughing.

"For being a brilliant friend... thank you so much." Amy paused, then said as she let go, "What should I do?"

"You can work from home tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Then you can work from Italy. The person you love is less than two hours flight away, probably feeling roughly as desperate to see you as you are her. So go. You can get a flight this afternoon, be there tonight, and there's a hotel room waiting for you. Everything else, Sarah included, is secondary."

"You're sure."

"Absolutely. Get booking."

Late that afternoon, as her plane climbed through the cloud and broke into the sunshine above, Amy's bank balance was considerably lighter but her spirits soared. It had been a mad few hours throwing her clothes and work items into a carry on case, getting the flight booked, just remembering her passport, but she was sure she was doing the right thing.

She'd done something last night that she didn't exactly regret, but didn't quite sit right either. She was going to make it right. Going to make this all right.

She was going to see the woman that she loved.

Luisa

At 6.30, half an hour before she was due to meet Alethea, there was a knock on her door.

Luisa knew who it was before she even stood up, knew exactly what was going on.

She hesitated for a second, glancing at herself in the mirror. Her hair was still damp from the shower, her skin warm from the lingering heat of the day. She was wearing a pair of loose grey-blue shorts and a matching tank top and not a lot else, in all honesty what she normally wore to sleep in when on her own... she hadn't exactly been expecting company.

With a resigned sigh she opened the door.

Alethea stood there, one hip leaning on the frame, an ice bucket in one hand with a bottle of rose wine in it, opened but cork slid back into the neck partway, two large glasses in the other. The sun had started to dip towards the horizon out to sea, flooding the room with golden light, and there was something about her Greek genes that made Alethea look almost supernatural, something about the way in which the gold mixed with her olive skin. Unlike Luisa she had dressed for a drink already, wearing a fashionable summer dress with a green and white pattern, and flip-flops.

"I thought we were meeting downstairs," said Luisa, not moving to let her in. She felt some of her bad mood from earlier starting to creep up on her again, not feeling like she had the time or inclination for Alethea's games, not this like she normally would.

Alethea tilted her head, a faint, knowing smile on her lips. "We were. But then I thought..." She gestured with her head towards the setting sun. "What a shame to waste a sunset like this." She lifted the ice bucket. "I figured we could start here."

Luisa could have said no. Probably should. But, taking a moment to think about it, not having to get dressed up or go out did have its appeal.

"One drink," she said sternly as she stepped back and Alethea walked past her, grinning, into the room.

The balcony was still warm underfoot from the day's heat. The view was, Luisa had to admit, stunning, the golden sun set reflected off the endless expanse of sea.

Alethea set the ice bucket down on the small table on the balcony, kicked off her flip-flops and sat down, tucking one bare leg under her. She took out the bottle and twisted the cork free.

"Rose ok?" she asked as she poured.

Luisa took the glass and couldn't help but laugh, Alethea having somehow chosen two glasses large enough to take half the bottle each. "I guess I did say one drink."

Alethea smiled. "To old habits," she said as she clinked their glasses together and settled back in her chair.

Luisa took a slow sip, letting the wine settle on her tongue. It was a nice wine, she had to admit, and knowing Alethea not cheap. She took another sip and then they sat there quietly, their chairs at an angle to each other, taking in the view and unwinding from their days.

It was a while until they spoke, and Luisa appreciated Alethea for that. It was the nice thing about their friendship or whatever it was... there were no ulterior motives, none of the fake emotive nonsense that came when you dated someone and they felt like they had to get angry about something on your behalf, even though you knew that deep down they didn't really care.

Luisa could tell that Alethea knew she'd been having a bad day, but Alethea also knew, she always knew, not to ask about it. She wasn't there to be an agony aunt, and nor was Luisa there to be that for Alethea either. In many ways it was what they gave each other, another person who they could switch off from the real world with and pretend for a few hours it didn't exist. The day they started to move beyond that was the day that whatever they had would be finished.

As the sky got dark and the wine slipped down, the first stars winking into view, they started talking. About the shoot, about mutual friends, about Alethea's next booking the following week back in Greece where she could visit her family, about whether Luisa should try her hair a little shorter.

They didn't talk about Amy, not once. And Alethea didn't talk about her girlfriend either. Luisa knew that she was called Erin and had been Alethea's personal trainer, but that was all... she didn't want to know either.

For the first time that day Luisa felt herself really relax and let go, helped no doubt by the wine, but also helped by having Alethea there with her. It was so easy. Alethea didn't ask questions that complicated things, or questions that needed long answers or explanations, and nor did Luisa. They kept it simple.

The glasses emptied too fast, and then Alethea was rummaging around in the minibar and made them something not particularly pleasant involving whisky, rum and an Italian mixer. Not good but it helped to take the edge off the day even more.

When they'd finished those, Alethea set her glass down then stood, stretching as she leaned on the balcony rail.

She looked down at Luisa for a moment that stretched into more, then held out a hand.

"Come to bed," she said simply.

Luisa's hand tightened around her glass. She should say no. She knew that. But Alethea was still stood there, hand out, waiting expectantly, and Luisa couldn't find the words, couldn't quite get the word no to come out. She'd never said it before and didn't say it then.

Instead she reached out and Alethea pulled her up gently, stepping closer, their faces just inches apart, her breath warm again Luisa's cheek.

When she leaned in Luisa knew she should have pulled away, give herself the evening to think, but she didn't. She didn't stop her when their lips met, a slow, deliberate, gentle kiss. And she didn't stop when Alethea's hand ran through her hair, holding her close.

And then something inside Luisa snapped. All her worries, her concerns, her frustrations, they hit breaking point and she committed, hungrily searching out Alethea's lips, desperately sliding her hands over Alethea's body, pulling and squeezing and stroking, while Alethea did the same to her.

As always, Alethea was Luisa's kryptonite.

Amy

The taxi from Naples wound its way along the coast road, in and out, again and again, close enough to the edge on more than one occasion that Amy worried they were going to plunge in to the dark sea far below. Not for the first time in her life she thanked her lucky stars that she didn't get travel sick, but she still had to tell herself repeatedly that the driver must have driven this road a hundred times before at night so surely she was going to be safe?

She had the window down, the warm night air blowing through her hair, the smell of the sea carried on the wind. She had a little knot of excitement in her stomach, thrilled at what was probably the craziest thing she'd ever done, looking forward to the look on Luisa's face when she arrived. This was an adventure, and coming from the drizzly streets of London that morning it felt like she'd arrived on a different planet.

It was her first time in this part of Italy, and from what she could see as they sped along it was even more beautiful that she'd imagined, glimpses of old houses and stunning views in the moonlight before the taxi left them behind.

Amy sat forward as the hotel came into view, a sprawling set of old buildings perched on the clifftop, lights everywhere. It looked expensive and classy.

As she got out of the taxi, paid the driver and headed towards reception she felt her stomach flutter, whether in nerves or excitement she didn't know.

She wanted to surprise Luisa if she could, make this as romantic as possible. She still didn't know whether she'd tell her about Sarah and last night, but even if she didn't this was still about making amends, about Amy committing to Luisa. That was the purpose really, to show her love.

At reception, she asked for Luisa's room and got a polite but firm response. "Yes, she is staying here but hotel policy means we cannot tell you her room number," said in that wonderful Italian accent where the very worst message can still sound completely and utterly charming.

Amy hesitated, thinking on her feet. She could tell the truth, that she was Luisa's girlfriend here to surprise her, but her gut feel was that in a conservative country like Italy that might actually be counterproductive, particularly the whole lesbian angle. And then, she had an idea.

Leaning in close, she said, "It's a bit awkward. This bag..." She gestured at her hand luggage. "... it belongs to her. She's one of the models here for the photoshoot." The man nodded his understanding. "I have to get this to her and she's..." Amy pretended to hesitate. "Highly strung, if you know what I mean? I could get her down here but I really don't want to get screamed and shouted at. Not in front of everyone else. Not while she's doing her beauty routine." The look she gave him mixed anxiety and hope, a look that she hoped would melt his heart.

He thought for a minute and nodded. "The models are the worst..." he confided in her as he slipped her a key card. "Room 512. I didn't tell you." He winked and she smiled, thanking him profusely but quietly.

Ok, here we go, she thought as she rode the lift up to the 5th floor. She checked herself in the mirror, her hair looked kind of windswept so she quickly tied it up in a ponytail, her make-up was ok, she looked kind of tired but that was ok. And her cheeks were flushed, which she knew she couldn't blame entirely on the heat.

The door opened and she stepped out into a silent hallway, the thick carpet muffling her steps as she walked. Her heart pounded harder with each step, a good kind of nervous, the kind before you give someone a happy surprise. In her head she could picture Luisa's eyes lighting up and her smile, just like when they'd seen each other at the cocktail bar in Clapham what seemed like longer than five days before. The reaction that makes you want to hold that person and never let them go.

She stopped at the door. Room 512. The key card felt smooth in her palm, but she also knew she was sweating, the nerves again. She hesitated, lifted her hand to knock, then hesitated again.

Was she supposed to knock? She wasn't sure. They were an item, in love. You didn't knock on your lover's door, did you? It felt wrong, it felt like a step back for her.

Amy took a deep breath. She was overthinking this, doing exactly what she told Luisa not to do.

She could let herself in, of course she could. Luisa wouldn't mind. She tapped the card against the reader and it clicked softly, the light going green. She pressed down on the handle and the door opened without a sound, expensive, solid, like everything in the hotel.

And Amy stepped inside.

Luisa

The sheets lay half on the floor, and what was still on the bed was twisted in a damp knot under Luisa's back, the cotton soaked through with sweat. Her sweat, Alethea's sweat, who knew by then?

The room smelled of sea, sweat and wine, in that order, but the gentle night time breeze blowing in from the Mediterranean kept the air circulating, cooled them down. Moonlight came through the open door to the balcony, aided by a lamp in the corner, but otherwise the room was in darkness.

She couldn't remember how long they'd been in bed. Certainly long enough that they'd opened the half sized bottle of prosecco in the minibar, their empty glasses discarded on the bedside table.

Certainly long enough that her body ached in that unique way it did after a night with Alethea, the usual uncomplicated to and fro, the taking turns for one to give in to the other, almost feeling like she'd been in a wrestling match.

And certainly long enough that any residual reluctance she'd felt, any guilt from not quite managing to say no, had evaporated into the night air.

Alethea's head was between her thighs again, Luisa's turn to acquiesce, and Luisa was focused on the moment, eyes closed and everything else forgotten as her attention narrowed down to Alethea doing things to her that felt so, so good.

Alethea's tongue was gentle but relentless, working with a delicate precision that made Luisa's back arch, her toes curl. Her hands, warm and firm, held Luisa's hips, pressing them down whenever she tried to buck them, holding her precisely where Alethea wanted her.

One of Luisa's hands held on to the bedframe while the other tangled in Alethea's hair, almost trying to ground herself and stop herself floating away. Inside, Luisa could feel herself winding tighter and tighter, a spring coiling up almost impossibly tight, getting so very, very close with each drag or flick of Alethea's tongue.

The sounds... well those were sexy as hell. The quiet, wet sound of Alethea's tongue, her breath through her nose, Luisa's breath coming irregularly in little gasps and moans, the occasional sound of Luisa's heal against Alethea's back when a little spasm shook through her.

Alethea's hand slid from her hips, her fingers sliding easily into Luisa, curling them as her tongue continued its work, making Luisa's hips jerk.

The spring uncoiled suddenly, Luisa's head tipped back on the pillow, her hips lifting so high that even Alethea couldn't keep them down, her body shuddering, waves of pleasure rolling through her again and again, thighs clamped around Alethea's head, a wordless cry coming from her mouth.

After the first wave she rode it out, hips chasing the continued pressure from Alethea's tongue, her hand gripping Alethea's hair pulling her in tighter, trying to get every last ounce of pleasure from her.

It was only after the last wave broke, while Alethea was still working with her tongue but gently now, soothing, bringing Luisa back down to earth as softly as she could, that Luisa opened her eyes.

She jumped, a reflex that Alethea confused with another wave of her orgasm, her grip tightening on Luisa's hips, her tongue speeding up again, but Luisa reached down to push her head away.

"Amy..." was all she could say. "I..."

But she trailed off. Because what could she say at that moment to the woman she loved?

Amy

"Amy... I..." A surprised tone from Luisa, apologetic but also accusatory, almost saying what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to be here?

Amy stood there. Still. Absolutely still. Frozen, like if she didn't move then none of this was really happening. Like if she moved, it might become real.

But it was, it really was.

The air smelled of sex. There was no other word for it. Sea, sweat, wine, they all combined to add to Amy's sensory overload.

She saw the wine glasses on the side, the clothes discarded on the floor, most of the sheets with them. Luisa's legs still trembling as she closed them, trying to gather herself, trying to cover herself up although, in a weird moment of clarity, Amy wondered why exactly. There was nothing Amy hadn't seen before.

But it was too late... Amy had seen everything. The sight of Luisa cumming hard at the hands of another woman, another model from the look of it, would be seared into Amy's mind forever.

The other woman's head lifting, slowly and pleased with herself, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand like it was nothing. Luisa's hands gripping on the mattress as if it could anchor her. The look on Luisa's face... shock, guilt, shame. The look on the other woman's face, stunningly beautiful, curiosity, a hint of mild amusement.

All of that would be etched into her memory for eternity.

Amy could feel her pulse racing, her palms cold, her fight or flight instinct not sure which way to go.

But she also felt something else as she got over the initial shock... jealousy, relief, and curiosity.

Jealousy, well, that was obvious really.

Relief, because she now knew that she hadn't been the only one taking advantage of the open part of their relationship, and she instinctively knew in that moment that her and Luisa could have an open and honest conversation about it after seeing this, already seeing that there was opportunity here for them to come out of it stronger.

Curiosity, because she'd wondered often what Luisa would look like with another woman and it turned out the answer was very, very incredibly hot. Not how she'd wanted to find that out, Luisa writhing in pleasure as she gave herself to someone else so completely, not remotely, and not the dominant emotion, but it was there lurking in the background.

Amy took a breath. Slow, she told herself, trying to calm the adrenaline. She didn't feel anger, why would she... this was what an open relationship was. But as her mind calmed she took herself to her work persona, the one saved for boardrooms, the one that said I'm in control. Because she knew that what was said in that moment could have huge repercussions, a massive risk of misunderstanding.

"I'll be in town for a few days." Said calmly, and clearly. Not coldly, but not with much warmth either. Amy didn't know the dynamic between Luisa and this model, and didn't want to be presumptuous about how she compared.

Luisa's eyes widened. "Amy... I didn't... it's not..." She was scrambling off the bed, trying to come over to Amy but torn between that and pulling some clothes on first.

Amy stopped her. "Don't. I understand." She paused. "When you want to talk, call me."

She turned and opened the door, handle of her small case in her hand. Turning back to look at Luisa, she said, "Take as long as you need," then she let the door close behind her as she walked off fast down the corridor.

As she walked she heard Luisa's voice call, "Amy, wait..." through the door, but she didn't stop and when she got to the lifts one came quickly.

The doors slid shut and she was alone for a few moments. Her reflection stared back at her in the lift's mirror, serious, tired, pale. She looked like she'd just had a shock, and she had.

The anger came then, just briefly, a moment of rage that Luisa had gone to bed with another woman little more than 24 hours after they'd parted, but she pushed it down, knew it was hypocrisy.

"You did the same with Sarah," she whispered to her reflection, and she realised, properly realised for the first time, the implications of their open relationship, what it meant.

It meant not being able to surprise Luisa with a romantic gesture, in case Luisa was with someone else. It meant evenings alone, 5,000 miles apart, wondering if she was missing Amy as much as Amy was missing her, or if she was happy with someone else for the night. It meant a part of each of them saved for others, not for each other.

She wasn't sure that that was something she wanted. With a start, she realised that maybe it was something that Luisa needed though... could it work for them if she did?

As she walked through the lobby, bag still in hand, the same receptionist looked at her with a question on his face. She stopped and went over.

"Turns out she already had what I'd brought," said Amy with a grimace.

He shook his head. "Models are the worst. Do you need anything?"

"Another hotel." Amy smiled. "My budget doesn't stretch to here, but somewhere nice still."

"I know the perfect place. Let me make a call for you."

A few minutes later, armed with a reservation at a small hotel in the centre of town, Amy walked out into the warm evening and set off down the road.

She knew where she wanted this to go, what her and Luisa needed to do. But did Luisa? And would Luisa come to her quickly or stay with the other woman? That would speak volumes.

The ball was in her court now.

Luisa

The door had clicked shut with a thud, sounding heavy, final. "Amy, wait..." she called out, but it was too late.

Luisa leapt off the bed, throwing on some underwear, a pair of shorts and a hoody, Amy's hoody in fact, one she'd borrowed on Wednesday morning for the flight over. It smelt of her, that thought hit Luisa as she pulled it on and she felt her stomach lurch.

She turned to Alethea, thought about saying something but the words didn't come, then she opened the door and looked out. The corridor was empty. Amy was gone.

Luisa went back into the room, letting the door shut behind her again. She stood there for what could have been 10 seconds or 10 minutes, she didn't have a clue, leaning back on the door, her eyes closed, trying to work out what to do. All she knew, really knew, was that this couldn't be good.

She opened her eyes to see that Alethea was still on the bed, kneeling, not a stitch of clothing on her, watching Luisa. Her expression was impossible to read, it was calm, even detached.

But her eyes... there was something in them. Was it pity? Maybe regret? Luisa doubted it, probably disappointment that they'd been interrupted. Please, she thought, don't ask me to come back to bed because that I will not do.

Luisa felt anger welling up, genuine anger, she knew it was at herself but she needed an outlet.

"What the fuck was that?" Luisa snapped, her voice raised. Then almost to herself a torrent of cursing in Spanish.

Alethea didn't rise to the bait. "What was what?" she replied innocently.

"You showing up here. Pushing yourself on me. Making me... do all of that." She paused. "Fuck."

It wasn't fair on Alethea, she knew that. Alethea didn't know about Amy, they never knew if either was with someone in the real world when they were together, and even if she did Alethea would have done nothing different. Nor would Luisa if the situation was reversed. This was just what they did.

"I didn't..." replied Alethea but Luisa cut her off.

"You did." She reached up a hand to her face and caught the scent of Amy on the sleeve of the hoody. Felt her cheeks burning red. "You turned up, you brought the wine, you knew exactly what you were doing."

"I showed up, I brought the wine. You opened the door. You let me in. You took my hand, not the other way around. And you seemed a willing participant when we moved in here. Don't rewrite it Luisa."

"But..." Luisa had calmed down, she was almost pleading. "You could tell my head wasn't in the right place."

"And I helped put it in the right place. That's what we do for each other, you know that by now. You could have said no."

Luisa paused and looked at her forlornly. "You know I can't. Neither of us can."

They looked at each other for a long moment, then Alethea said. "She's your girlfriend? She's called Amy?"

Luisa nodded. "Yes, why?"

Alethea sighed and shook her head. "You and I don't do this, but for the first and only time I'm going to give you some relationship advice. Don't waste time standing here talking to me. Find her. Now. And talk to her." She paused. "You and me... we'll be fine, we always are. Find her."

Luisa nodded and reached for her phone, surprised to see her hand shaking from the adrenaline. She tried calling Amy immediately but it went straight to voice mail. "Fuck..."

She tried again and a third time, no luck. Panic rose in her chest. What if Amy had decided she didn't want to speak to her at all? She loved her so, so much, she couldn't stand to lose her.

"I've got to go and find her," she said to Alethea as she slipped some trainers on. "Please don't be here when I get back. We'll speak tomorrow." She paused. "I'm sorry I shouted at you."

Alethea smiled slightly. "It's ok, I understand. Now go!"

Luisa headed out into the warm night armed only with her mobile phone and a vague notion that Amy would be somewhere in town.

Luisa's breath came fast, loud in her ears as she hurried into town, half running, half walking. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, the look of shock on Amy's face, the way that Amy had coldly told her to take as long as she needed... she never wanted to experience that side of Amy ever again.

She needed to see her, to talk to her, to make her understand and make sure that they were ok.

As she hit the centre of town she tried her phone again, straight to voicemail. Breathlessly she left a message, imploring Amy to just call her back and tell her where she was, and then after she hung up she tried her three more times.

After that she started to walk aimlessly, looking into every restaurant, bar and cafe, trying to see Amy in any of them, but she didn't see her at all. It was like Amy had vanished.

As the minutes passed Luisa felt her desperation and helplessness rise... where could Amy be?

Amy

Amy took a sip of her red wine, feeling it calm her emotions. Not that there wasn't a lot still racing through her head, but the immediate reactions, the shock, the jealousy, the occasional flashes of anger, they'd subsided for now.

The hotel that she'd gone to had been nice, quite old fashioned, a small room but with a big bed, characterful, clean, stylish. In any other circumstances it would have been a pleasure, but not so much that night.

Now, an hour on from when she'd left Luisa's room in such a rush, she was sat, her phone switched off, almost not daring to turn it on again.

Initially she'd turned it off because she didn't trust herself not to say something she'd regret, something she couldn't take back. But now that she was calm she was terrified of turning it back on not because she didn't want to speak to Luisa, but from the fear that Luisa hadn't wanted to speak to her.

What if there had been no missed calls? No desperate answer phone messages? No exclamations of her undying love for Amy?

What if she'd just shrugged and gone back to bed with that other woman? The thought that she might next see Luisa tomorrow, after her night with the other woman, filled Amy with terror, and she was too scared to find out which was true.

The bar she was in was off a side street, relatively small, and Amy had sat herself at a table outside, just her in the semi-dark and her glass of wine. She watched, watched people at other tables, watched families out taking the evening air, watched the life of the town go on around her. But at that moment she felt alone.

Then... she saw her. Luisa, walking fast round the corner, phone to her ear and then putting it down and saying something that made her glad she couldn't lip read in Spanish.

Amy's heart leapt at the sight of her, the joy that she'd come to find Amy rather than stay with the other woman eclipsing everything else at that moment, and then Luisa saw her too...

The look, that initial look that Luisa gave her when their eyes met, was one of fear. She looked scared, lost. She looked like she needed a hug.

Amy stood and smiled, not a broad smile, not a happy smile, but a conciliatory smile, one that said no matter what just happened, what I just saw, I want to be with you right now. A smile that invited her to come over.

Luisa smiled back, a similar sort of smile, and walked over slowly until she was stood in front of Amy next to her table.

They looked at each other for a few moments, then Amy said, "My hoodie looks good on you..." Luisa broke into a grin and started to cry at the same time, Amy too, and then Luisa stepped closer and hugged her, held her tight, both saying to each other, "I'm sorry," and, "I love you," quietly again and again while their tears fell quietly.

What the other patrons made of this Amy didn't know, and in all honesty she didn't care either. Luisa had come to her, and in that moment that was all that mattered.

When finally they parted Amy suggested they have a drink, and Luisa happily agreed. Glasses of wine in front of them, the background buzz of conversations all around, they looked at each other across the table. They were sat close, it was intimate, but Amy knew they had a difficult conversation to have.

As, it seemed, did Luisa, who said, "I think we need to be honest with each other. If we really do love each other we owe it to ourselves."

Amy nodded. "Yeah, we do. Where do we start?"

Luisa took a deep breath. "She's called Alethea." Amy felt her stomach tighten at knowing the other woman's name but only nodded. She took Luisa's hand across the table, wanting to reassure her that the truth was good. "It wasn't our first time, we go back years." Amy's grip tightened involuntarily, and Luisa must have felt it, adding quickly, "But not in any sort of relationship. Just... casually. On photoshoots."

Luisa stopped talking and was looking at Amy while Amy processed that new information.

Amy nodded her understanding, and said, "Thank you, I... appreciate your honesty." She paused. "My turn I guess. I slept with Sarah last night. I feel bad, but I did."

She paused to let Luisa get over the initial shock, braced herself for a reaction, but Luisa simply shrugged and said, "I know."

Amy sat back in surprise. "You know? How?" She was genuinely surprised, not sure how Luisa could know, but also faintly alarmed that she could think that she'd conceal something from Luisa. It didn't feel right.

Luisa looked sheepish. "Her message to you on Wednesday morning. The phone was on the bed when you went in the shower and the message popped up, I look instinctively and it was there. Not much doubt."

"You read my messages?" asked Amy cautiously, but with a word of warning creeping into her voice. That was a line they shouldn't cross.

"No." Luisa sighed. "I was tempted, but I knew it was a bad idea. I only saw that message because your phone was lying there. It... concerned me."

Amy took a sip of her drink. "I understand."

"And then, when I got your message at 2am this morning. Hours after I'd sent you one and hours after you would have got home normally, I knew. I'd hoped I'd misunderstood, but that proved that I hadn't. It... affected me. I was, I suppose, upset."

"I'm sorry... I really am," replied Amy. "That was... not how to find out."

"But it's ok, I suppose. I shouldn't have been upset. We're in an open relationship. I just hadn't realised what it would feel like, being far away and knowing that you and her were... doing things together. I was jealous."

Amy and Luisa looked at each other for a long moment, hand still in hand but it felt like there was tension there, understandably.

Finally, Amy said, "Is that why you were with, what's her name, Alethea tonight?" Luisa laughed, and Amy was confused yet pleased to see that, needed to see that. "What's so funny?"

"No, not directly... that was such a man's question, that's what was so funny. No I wasn't with Alethea just because of you. Not directly anyway. She wasn't my revenge. Alethea is just someone that, well, it's complicated. All your thing with Sarah did was give me permission, I guess, made me understand our dynamic better that we do things like that."

Amy looked at her and said quietly, "I think we need to change that dynamic. It doesn't feel quite right now like it did at first."

Luisa gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. So do I, absolutely." She paused. "Being in love with you changes it, doesn't it?"

With a shy grin, Amy said, "You still love me?"

"More than ever!"

Amy smiled. "I love you too, more than ever." She paused. "We'll work this out."

"We will," replied Luisa quietly. "We really will."

They sat silently for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company while they sipped their wine.

Finally, Luisa said, "I'm starving. I haven't eaten, shall we see if they do any food?"

It turned out they did, and as they waited for it to come they started to talk, really talk, more than they ever had before.

"I think we need to get it all out in the open," said Luisa, and Amy wholeheartedly agreed.

"How far back do we go?"

"Not all our lives, that would be crazy. But how about we talk about Sarah and about Alethea, make sure we've both got no secrets there. And then... why don't we draw a line there? That seems sensible, from when we said we love each other."

"That sounds fair. So who goes first?"

They looked at each other, smiling, not both deferring to the other, and then Amy said, "Tell me about Alethea."

Luisa nodded. "Ok... you're the only person I've ever told about her properly. I first met her when I was starting out, 18 years old on my first big shoot..."

And Luisa told Amy everything, visibly relaxing as she did, like a weight off her shoulders that she'd not even known she was carrying.

She talked about how Alethea had taken her under her wing, how she'd been the one constant in her whole career and the one person that didn't want or demand anything from her, how she was a consummate professional and the one fellow model that Luisa respected above everyone else.

And then she talked about the attraction they had, how they always ended up in bed together, how it happened regardless of if either of them had a boyfriend or girlfriend, how neither of them could ever say no, she told it all. Amy sat and listened, hand in hand, and asked the occasional question but not many.

Finally, Luisa talked about the compartments in her life, the fact that she hadn't been in a proper relationship for eight years and was terrified she'd screw this up, the very occasional times still that for her career she might end up needing to blur professional and personal boundaries with someone, she covered everything.

As Luisa talked Amy realised that she was understanding her better and better, and liked her more and more. There was a raw honesty to her that she respected.

When Luisa had finished, finally, she said, "And that is Alethea and, well, everything else." She paused. "I'm sorry you met her like that, that doesn't feel right. My life is complicated."

Amy smiled reassuringly. "That's ok. I've got a question for you... do you want that to continue? What you and Alethea have sounds unique, and I understand the professional challenge you might have from time to time... and it isn't a loaded question, we can make room in you and I for all of that, so long as we're open and honest about it with each other."

Luisa sat looking at Amy for an age, a serious look on her face. Finally, hesitantly, she said quietly, "She was the first person who made me feel like I belonged in the industry, and there's always been this... understanding. We connect physically when we're in the same place but it's never bled into the rest of our lives. I mean she lives ten minutes away from me in LA and we never socialise, never see each other. It's just two professionals with a shared past and a very specific kind of chemistry."

"That's sounds like a yes with Alethea..." teased Amy. It sounds pretty hot was the part she didn't say, thinking of the parallels to her and Sarah.

"I think I might, it's maybe a yes, and the other professional things we can talk about if it ever comes up but first... tell me about Sarah. I think talking about what's ok and not needs to be two way."

Nodding, Amy said, "That's fair. So, where to begin with Sarah..."

Luisa

Their food arrived just as Amy got started, and Luisa listened intently while Amy explained how she'd met Sarah at work, how Sarah had seduced her and then made her a deal swapping Amy's body for helping Amy in her career. Including the project in LA.

As their food was cleared away and Amy talked more and more, Luisa found her jaw dropping open more than once at some of the things that had happened... the way in which Sarah had become more and more dominant, Amy more and more submissive, then their switch to Sarah's submission and the catalyst for Amy's split with James when he'd caught the two of them in bed together.

Luisa had been unaware of all of this... she'd had a vague idea that Amy and Sarah had been into some kinky activities judging by Amy's knowledge of bondage gear in the sex shop in LA, but the scale and intensity blew Luisa's mind.

As Amy finished, she flashed a teasing grin. "So you're telling me that, really, you're Sarah's dominatrix, and you see her sometimes to do dominatrix stuff with her? And she's your boss at work?" Luisa shook her head. "That's pretty incredible."

"Do you think I'm weird now?" asked Amy nervously.

"No," laughed Luisa. "I think you've got some skills you need to use on me!"

"Really?" replied Amy, and Luisa could see that her cheeks were flushed.

"Really... one night very soon, I want the full experience." Luisa winked, really very keen on the idea. "And I mean the full experience... So, I'm going to ask you the same question you asked me. Do you want that to continue? Because I reckon we can make room for that too, if we're open and honest with each other."

Amy looked awkward. "I think so... yes, if it could. Not how it has been, and not how it was heading recently, but definitely in some capacity." She paused and looked earnestly at Luisa. "But if not then I'll walk away in a heartbeat for you. Please know that."

Luisa smiled, relieved and curious about where this was all going. "I think exactly the same with Alethea."

They sat, contentedly. For both of them they'd visibly relaxed to unburden themselves of their respective other women. Luisa at least felt liberated.

She looked at her watch... nearly midnight.

"Would it be ok if we worked that out tomorrow night? I've got an early start and I have to remember I'm here to work."

"Oh, of course. I think we've covered enough ground for tonight," replied Amy. She smiled. "Awkward question, where will you sleep?"

"That's easy," replied Luisa, smiling back. "Can I come to your room? If you'll take me that is. It wouldn't feel right in mine... not until it's been serviced at least."

Amy smiled back. "Right answer... let's settle up and go."

They chatted easily as they walked hand in hand for the five minute walk back to Amy's hotel.

When they got there they ignored the quizzical look from the night receptionist, acting like they had every right to be going back to Amy's room, which Luisa reflected they really did after all.

Luisa had nothing with her so stripped naked for bed and Amy joined her, but for once that night they didn't make love. It didn't feel necessary after that long heart to heart, although while Luisa wasn't sure she even could after her earlier exploits with Alethea she'd have tried if Amy wanted to.

They went to sleep lying side-by-side, kissing and cuddling, whispering to each other how much they loved each other, and it felt genuine.

Luisa, right at that moment, felt more in love with Amy than ever before.

Amy

The sun was already hot when Amy turned up at Luisa's hotel mid-morning the next day. Luisa had gone ahead much earlier, first to rise for a change and by some distance, and Amy was starting to appreciate that Luisa when she was working was serious about it, professional, a contrast to her normal relaxed persona but one that Amy found both interesting and reassuring.

Amy had done some work from her hotel room that morning and had checked out of her hotel, a message from Luisa assuring her that the room had been serviced and she was welcome to turn up whenever she wanted.

It felt weird for Amy walking back into that reception, doubly weird when the same receptionist greeted her and with a knowing nod and smile handed her the room key again. "I hope you got it right this time," he said with a smile, and Amy held up her hand, fingers crossed as she headed to the lifts.

This time there were no dramas, no random women in Luisa's bed, nothing untoward at all. It all felt very normal, and as Amy went into the room she reflected that if this was indicative of a model's accommodation on a shoot then she'd show up randomly a lot more often... a large room, classical styling but with a modern twist, a sitting area, a large, wooden framed bed with an ornate headboard that was far taller than it needed to be, and the balcony outside, a large balcony with an epic view. Very nice indeed.

Amy sat down on the bed briefly, her hand absentmindedly running over the smooth sheets of the made bed, and the image flashed through her head, the one from the night before, Luisa in the throes of pleasure, Alethea between her legs, the smell, the light, everything, but then she smiled and forced it from her mind... time to make some new memories, she thought to herself, not dwell on the past.

A little later she went downstairs to explore, trying to track down where Luisa was, and finally found her mid-shoot on a terrace surrounded by marble Romanesque statues and wearing a black bikini with a gold chain around her midriff that seemed both impractical, but also like precisely what Amy would like her to wear when they got back to Luisa's room later. That's fashion in a nutshell, she thought with a smile.

After a couple of minutes Luisa glanced over and noticed her, flashing a little smile that Amy responded to with a wave before she had to get into her next pose.

Amy watched, silently, unobtrusively, off to one side, fascinated to see Luisa at work. It was a whole different side to her, serious, professional, in her element... the way she interacted with the photographer and others on the shoot, the way they took her views into account, it was clear that in this world she had gravitas and people listened.

Finally, after maybe twenty minutes, they took a break and she came over grinning, giving Amy a big hug.

"Welcome to my world," Luisa said, turning and gesturing. "You've put your bag in the room?"

"Yes, all good thanks." Amy looked around. "Am I ok to watch? I don't want to put you off, and I don't want to get in the way."

"Of course, I want you to." She paused and lowered her voice. "I have to do some scenes with Alethea later, both of us posing together. In case you want to... I guess, if you want to miss that bit?"

"Do you want me to?"

"No, not at all. But I wanted you to feel like you have the option."

Amy smiled. "Thank you, I appreciate that, but I'd like to watch as much as I can. I need to do some work too, but I'd really like to see more of you in this world, it's fascinating."

Luisa beamed in delight. "Look, I need to get back to it but let me introduce you to one of the assistants. They'll take care of you when I'm busy." She led Amy over and made some introductions, leaving her in the assistant's safe hands.

It was late afternoon when Luisa and Alethea were due to pose together, and while Amy waited to one side as Luisa got her latest outfit on and had her makeup touched up, she felt her tension rising. Not for any particular reason, she realised, but simply because she hadn't seen Alethea all day, she'd been doing scenes elsewhere, and Amy had missed lunch to catch up on her work, and, well... it was only natural to feel a bit tense after what she'd walked in on the night before, even if it had all been rationalised.

She saw Luisa come back, looking stunning as ever, another bikini with a patterned shirt on top, open at the waist. And then she saw Alethea emerge, walking from another direction, exchanging a brief smile with Luisa before talking to one of the stylists.

Amy watched her, getting her first real look at Alethea, and at the very least couldn't fault Luisa for taste... Alethea was stunning, absolutely stunning. She had an angular, olive-toned face with high cheekbones and a well-defined jawline, full lips, almond shaped eyes which were a dark brown, prominent eyebrows that framed her gaze and gave her an intensity that was hard to describe but was just... there.

Her hair, so dark as to almost be black, was long and straight, falling below her shoulders, and her body... Amy had seen it the night before, all of it, but she hadn't really been focusing on Alethea in the room back then. In the bikini that she was wearing for the shoot Amy could see that she was slim and athletic, with a core that spoke to a lot of work. She was fairly tall, an inch or two taller than Amy or Luisa, long limbed, but then she also had an amazing chest... Amy felt bad to think it, but her eye kept on getting drawn to it.

It was ridiculous, Amy thought as she watched both Alethea and Luisa as they got ready. She could feel it, could tell, that she had a silly crush already on Alethea, just from seeing her there... she knew that a psychologist would have a field day breaking down her head at that exact moment, developing a crush on the insanely hot model who you'd walked in sleeping with your girlfriend, but she didn't care. She could understand, certainly, why Luisa talked about her how she did. And she hadn't even talked to Alethea. Yet.

She watched as Luisa walked over to Alethea and talked to her, easy, confident, talking like the old acquaintances that they were. There was some gesturing, Alethea said something and Luisa laughed, and Amy really started to appreciate their dynamic properly... it really was something that the two of them did and didn't take any further. There was nothing, nothing whatsoever, to suggest that anything had happened between them last night, or that Amy had walked in on them, or that Luisa had spent the rest of the night in a deep conversation with Amy. Nothing. They were two models who worked together, that was it.

At that moment Amy felt relief, a huge sense of relief. It was proof, she realised, that Luisa hadn't been putting any spin on her whatever-it-was with Alethea when they'd talked the night before. Not that she didn't trust Luisa, but it was always human nature to put a more positive take on something that you wanted or something that might portray you in a bad light.

Luisa said something and looked over at Amy, and Alethea turned and looked too, their eyes making contact. They held eye contact for a second or two, but then Alethea surprised Amy... she smiled. Not a broad smile, it was a slight smile but it reached her eyes, and the expression it conveyed could best be described as conciliatory. Not hostile, like she was a competitor for Luisa, not smug, like she'd claimed Amy's girlfriend from her, nothing like that. It was much better than that. Amy smiled back, trying to convey the same emotions but well aware that unlike Alethea she didn't smile for a living.

Then Alethea looked away and the photos started, and Amy watched enthralled. They'd clearly worked together enough times to have a sixth sense for what each of them was doing and how the other could complement them, and they worked well as a team. Amy had to admit she felt more than a little jealous on occasion, when there was a hand here or a leg there that seemed to cross the boundary a little, but she understood that these were all professionals doing what they needed to do.

The shoot went on for a while, but Amy didn't care. She could have watched two professionals like Luisa and Alethea performing like that all day long.

When they finished, Luisa came back over and greeted Amy again with a long hug. "Did you enjoy it?"

"I did... I surprised myself considering who you were posing with but I really did."

Luisa smiled happily. "I'm really glad. I'm going to go and get changed, how about we meet back in the room in a while and then we can go for dinner. I've got a recommendation for a really romantic place."

"That sounds perfect." Amy paused, looked around conspiratorially, then lowered her voice. "Do you think you could... borrow, I guess... the black bikini with the gold chain you had on this morning?"

Luisa looked at her grinning, her eyes narrowed. "Why...?" she whispered.

Amy blushed. "You know why... don't make me spell it out."

"Ok," replied Luisa, laughing as she walked away, her voice back to normal volume. "I'll see what I can do."

Amy watched her go, shamelessly enjoying the sight of Luisa in a small bikini from behind as she headed to get changed.

A few minutes later, Amy was heading back to the room, mind wandering, when she rounded a corner to see Alethea stood near the entrance to the hotel, drinking from a cold bottle of water. She was changed already, wearing a dress, but still looking impossibly beautiful... there was no mistaking her profession.

On instinct, and partly because it was the only way in too, Amy headed towards her, stopping in front of her, close enough to be heard but careful to not be so close as to seem confrontational or aggressive.

Alethea looked at her, a neutral expression that gave nothing away, nothing at all.

"It's ok," Amy said simply.

Alethea arched a brow, silent but sceptical. A conciliatory smile exchanged at a distance was one thing, talking to each other clearly something else altogether.

"What happened. You and Luisa. It was within the boundaries we set." She paused. "It shocked me, I didn't expect it, but maybe I should have. Either way, it wasn't your fault."

Alethea looked at her as she took a sip of water. "You might want to tell Luisa that."

"Me and her are figuring it all out, that's all. She knows."

Alethea studied Amy for a long moment, then inclined her head, a gesture that was respectful. "We're not rivals, you and I," Alethea said eventually.

"Thank you, I appreciate that." A thought leapt into Amy's head and she acted on instinct before she could think about it any further. "Would you like a drink?" she asked in a friendly tone.

She wasn't sure that anything could pierce that cool exterior that Alethea portrayed, but it seemed that Amy had managed to surprise her. She raised her eyebrows and said, "A drink?"

"Yeah... what harm can it do?" replied Amy with a shrug.

Alethea thought about it. "Ok," she said, finally. "But not talking about Luisa. We don't talk relationships."

Luisa

The restaurant was tucked into a terrace above the town, lanterns strung from beams overhead throwing soft pools of light over the white tablecloths. The sea was stretched out dark far below, moonlight reflecting from it, the stars out in the heavens up above. Scented flowers, Luisa didn't know what other than that they were tropical, seemed to be everywhere that was a table or a chair. And candles, plenty of candles on their table.

Romantic didn't do it justice. It was an incredible recommendation.

And sat across the table, smiling, relaxed, the soft light reflecting off her bare shoulders and relaxed face was Amy, looking absolutely stunning. Luisa was so excited and so happy to be sat there at that moment.

"I completely forgot to say," said Luisa not long after they'd ordered, "thank you for flying over." She paused and blushed, a blush that Amy shared. "I know it wasn't quite what you were hoping for when you arrived at the hotel, but... it's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me."

"It's nothing..." replied Amy, though Luisa could tell that she was delighted. "I just... I wanted to see you, and Naomi pointed out to me that I was an idiot not coming here, and well it all seemed so obvious the way she put it."

Luisa reached across and squeezed Amy's hand. "Thank you. I love you."

"I love you too."

Luisa wasn't quite sure how they'd managed to get, in less than twenty four hours, from Amy walking in on her and Alethea to her and Amy sat, relaxed, peaceful, having this romantic meal. It seemed crazy. But maybe it just reflected the fact that they had genuinely strong feelings for each other, and that they both knew that they wanted to build stronger after what had happened rather than let it all fall apart.

They kept their order simple, fresh pasta, grilled fish, steamed vegetables, nothing crazy, and they ate in companiable silence on the whole, both content with just being in the other's company.

Eventually, inevitably, one of them brought up the unspoken subject, the elephant in the room as Amy had taught her to say not long after they'd first met. Amy set down her fork, studied Luisa for a long moment, then said, "We need to figure out what this is." Her tone was thoughtful, like there was a problem to solve together, not an issue to confront on their own.

Luisa nodded. "I know. I love you, above everything else, I love you."

"And I love you too... that matters more than anything." Amy took a sip of her wine and continued, "But I think we both want more than this. We pretty much said so to each other last night. Alethea, Sarah, there's complexity for both of us and we want that, I think?"

Exhaling slowly, Luisa replied, "I think we do." She glanced down, not trusting herself to make eye contact while she thought, focusing instead on her fingers tracing the condensation on her wine glass. "I want... I don't want to say this wrong, so please don't take this the wrong way... I want to experience things. Other people. Before we..." Luisa stopped, uncertain of herself, worried she'd said too much.

"Settle down?" Amy finished the sentence for her.

Luisa smiled faintly. "Yeah."

Amy nodded, a nod and an expression that said that she'd known it already. "I feel the same," she said quietly. "I want you more than anything, but I want to experience what liking women can be, what it can mean... I've been straight all my life." She paused when she saw Luisa grin. "Oh, I forgot you spent an afternoon drinking with my best friends. Ok, I've been straightish all my life. Does that word work?" Luisa nodded. "Good. So straightish and I feel like there is so much that I missed out on by doing that, now that I can be out in the open."

"Me too," replied Luisa. "It's like I've just realised something properly that I wished I'd realised ten years ago. I want to make the most of it."

Amy's hand reached across the table, palm open, and Luisa put her hand in it without hesitation, it just felt natural by now. "But we can't do it like we did it this week. What I did with Sarah, what you did with Alethea, it will end us. I can't... I like Alethea, but if I didn't know every time you're away on a shoot whether you might be with her it would kill me inside, bit by bit, until there was nothing left. And I don't want that to happen."

Nodding her agreement, Luisa said, "I agree. And the same with you and Sarah. If we're apart, which we will be sometimes, a long way apart, I can't be there not knowing if you're with her or not. An open relationship was necessary at first when you were still with James and seeing Sarah, and I had my not-boyfriend as well, but now... it won't work."

She glanced across the table at Amy and Amy was looking at her intently. Finally, Amy said, "Open together."

"Open together?"

Amy nodded. "If we're open, it's together. Sometimes that could be literal, so we physically both experience it together with someone. But sometimes that can just be emotional if we're apart or even if we're not, complete honesty about what we might each be doing with someone else, making sure the other of us is engaged and is comfortable with it. Complete honesty between us."

Luisa's breath caught, because she realised that it was exactly what she'd wanted and hadn't realised. Not something that replaced what her and Amy got from each other, but something that built on it and allowed them to explore. Together.

"How would that work in practice?" asked Luisa. "Like, do we each need to give each other permission?"

Amy thought for a moment. "We can work out the details over time, I think. But no, not permission... that would feel weird. I guess, more giving our blessing? And trusting in each other, that is the most important thing. So, for example, you mentioned last night your sometimes have... errr... professional challenges where you might need some openness?"

Luisa nodded. "Yes... really not often, not often at all. But sometimes, well, there's not an expectation but also it can cement the professional relationship if there is something more... but only if the chemistry is there already." She paused and looked at Amy with slight scepticism. "You'd be ok with that?"

Nodding thoughtfully, Amy replied, "Yes, I would. If you told me that it was something that you wanted to do, then of course I'd trust your judgment and give you my blessing. I mean, something like that is essentially how me and Sarah got started..."

Luisa thought for a moment. Blessing rather than permission sounded good. "Open together," Luisa agreed. Two simple words but it felt like an enormous step. "But us above anyone else, most important of all."

"Us above everyone else." Amy raised her glass and Luisa tapped hers against it, both women smiling with a mix of excitement and relief.

As they walked back to the hotel later, hands held the whole way, Amy said, "So... Alethea."

"Yes...?" replied Luisa, pretty sure she knew where Amy might be going with it. When she'd come down to the hotel bar fifteen minutes after receiving a hard to believe message from Amy that she was having a drink with Alethea, she'd found them getting on like they were old friends, talking about somewhere in Greece that Amy had been on holiday several times and Alethea had gone to when she was young.

It had been uplifting to see, even if she was surprised that Amy had been able to get past Luisa's past with Alethea so quickly. But maybe that was just Amy, not wanting to overthink, keen to get on with life and see the positive in everything. She liked that side of Amy a lot.

"Do you think she'd be interested in... errr... helping us to be open together?"

Luisa stopped and looked at Amy. "You're blushing," she teased, and laughed as Amy went redder.

"Well it's not a question I've ever had to ask before!"

Smiling reassuringly, Luisa replied, "Don't worry, you look cute when you blush." She paused to think. "I think she would be. But we'd need to approach it in the right way." Luisa liked the idea of it. Obviously, she liked sleeping with Alethea or she wouldn't have done it over the years, but involving Amy too... she could think of some possibilities, and all of them were good.

"Which is?"

"Alethea wants what she can't have. With me and her, there's always a pretence of nothing beforehand, it's never acknowledged and that's the trigger for her. Right now, she definitely thinks that both you and I are unobtainable. For obvious reasons. So... we do nothing to change that. We don't approach her. Nothing different in how we interact with her tomorrow from today."

"Ok... then what happens?" Amy looked confused.

"Then... we approach her tomorrow evening. There'll be some sort of party, there always is. Leave it to me, I'll know what to say. Or I might tell you what to say."

Amy nodded. "This open together thing is fun!"

Luisa laughed as they carried on walking. "Not as fun as what I've got planned for you when we get back to my room." She leaned over and whispered in Amy's ear. "I borrowed the black bikini with the gold chain..."

Amy

The day had dragged. Saturday, the last day of the shoot, and it had been hot, and Amy was over the glamour of the day before. With no work of her own to do, and no one she really knew apart from Luisa to talk to who was busy, it had been a slow day. Not that she minded, it was important that Luisa was as professional as she could be in her work environment, but Amy resolved that maybe in future she'd come to the exotic climates but skip a lot of the modelling... go there for the partying and the evenings out. That sounded better.

The interactions between Luisa and Alethea had been much the same as the day before, friendly, professional, you wouldn't have had a clue that there had ever been anything between them. Alethea had come over to talk to Amy for a while at one point as well which Amy had really appreciated... it felt like her snap decision to invite Alethea for a drink the night before was paying off.

That evening though, after Amy and Luisa had showered and changed, wearing dresses suitable for a night out in that warm climate, Luisa made her move. Operation Open Together as Amy had called it to Luisa's apparent bemusement.

They had walked together down to the hotel bar where a lot of people from the shoot had gathered to grab a drink before heading for a big group dinner in town and Alethea had been there, still wearing the same dress she'd been wearing a few hours before, looking like she'd gone for a drink but wasn't planning to join the bigger group.

Alethea was leaning against the bar, glass of white wine in hand, when Luisa walked over. Amy stayed back a few steps, not far, certainly close enough to hear, but not wanting to crowd them.

"We're going to watch the sunset on my balcony," said Luisa, her voice deliberately light and breezy. "You should join us." Alethea looked at her, not quite surprised but certainly intrigued. "Just one drink."

Amy could see the exact moment that Alethea understood. 'Just one drink' was the key. Whatever that was, whatever connotation it held between them, Amy saw Alethea cock her head to the side, a look of interest on her face.

Alethea looked to Amy, then back to Luisa. "I'd love to," she replied with a faint smile.

And that was that.

They sat, the three of them, sharing a bottle of cold white wine and let the conversation drift as the sun slipped below the horizon.

Luisa was relaxed, happy in a way that made Amy love her even more than before. Sitting there cross legged, barefoot, talking to Alethea with Amy alongside her, seemed to have a liberating effect on her.

Alethea was stretched out on one of the other balcony chairs, half reclined, her feet up on the balcony railings and her long, bare legs looking spectacular in the golden light.

And Amy, she sat watching, participating of course, but also waiting... listening to the undercurrent beneath the casual talk, almost too subtle to detect but there nonetheless in the glances that lingered a little too long, the smiles that carried something more.

It was Luisa, after an exchange of glances with Amy that Alethea couldn't have possibly seen, who made the move. It had to be really.

She stood, smoothing her hands down over the soft cotton of her dress, then crossed to the doorway leading from the balcony to the bedroom. Luisa stood there for a few moments, the last rays of the sun settling on her, and then she held out both hands, one towards each of Amy and Alethea.

"Come to bed."

Again, Amy didn't know the significance but Alethea set down her wine glass at once and stood, reaching her hand out towards Luisa. Amy's pulse leapt, realising this was the moment, the point at which open together took on real meaning, and she stood too, taking Luisa's hand in hers.

Then Luisa led them both inside.

The bed looked inviting, crisp white sheets cool and soft after the heat of the day outside. As the sun dipped below the horizon the sea breeze got up, a gentle, warm breeze blowing in through the balcony door.

"We go as slow as you need," Luisa whispered to Amy, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"Or as fast," Alethea added with a smile that somehow managed to be both playful and respectful of the two of them.

Amy smiled back, and Luisa turned to face Amy, letting go of Alethea's hand to instead brush a non-existent hair from Amy's face as she looked lovingly into Amy's eyes.

Luisa's kiss was gentle, playful, the usual incredible set of sensations... she was the best kisser that Amy had ever met, with lips that made Amy fall in love with her again each time they kissed. An incredible kisser, but the awareness that Alethea was watching them made it even hotter as Amy wrapped her arms around Luisa.

Then, Amy felt Alethea move closer, felt her lips on her neck, slightly harder than Luisa's lips, a perfect complement, and as Alethea found just the right spot Amy leaned back into her, breaking contact with Luisa's lips which instead started to kiss her neck. Already Amy was in danger of sensory overload, so much stimulation, four hands and two pairs of lips entirely devoted to her pleasure. It was even better than she thought it might be.

Suddenly, everything was happening at once... hands exploring, Amy turning to kiss Alethea on the lips, then Alethea and Luisa kissing, and their clothing started to come off, dresses falling to the ground then lingerie too. Amy found herself in an ecstatic confusion of sensations, the familiar in Luisa against the new in Alethea.

When Amy undid Alethea's bra, her and Luisa hungrily moved their lips to each of Alethea's breasts, drawing a long moan from her as they both played with her hard, erect nipples with their lips, teeth and tongues. Amy had been thinking about Alethea's chest since she first saw her modelling the day before, and they were every bit as good to touch as she'd thought they might be.

They moved to the bed, tumbling onto the white sheets in a breathless tangle of limbs. Amy found herself at the centre initially, Luisa's mouth tracing a path along her neck while Alethea's hands explored lower, each touch driving her arousal higher and higher. The experience was overwhelming, both physically and emotionally. Each touch, each kiss, each drag of the fingers carried multiple meanings... not just desire but also trust and, for Amy and Luisa, the joy of an artificial boundary falling away.

"Is this ok?" Luisa whispered against Amy's ear at one point, her eyes bright with her own arousal but her voice showing how important it was to her that Amy was as into it as she was.

Amy could only nod, words beyond her as Alethea's fingers, stroking gently but expertly between her legs, suddenly become more focused and deliberate, and Amy felt the pleasure she'd been feeling suddenly crest, cumming hard, the orgasm rocking through her as she held on tight to Luisa, kissing her passionately, not wanting to let her go.

"Open together," murmured Luisa between kisses.

"Open together," replied Amy, laughing quietly once the waves of pleasure had subsided.

As the night went on they shifted between different permutations, each woman taking turns to be the centre of attention.

When Luisa was between them, Amy experienced the strange intimacy of locking eyes with Alethea, sharing a smile just the two of them, a moment of connection as Luisa writhed at both of their touch. The look spoke volumes... mutual respect, understanding, but also lust... there was palpable desire between the two of them, even though it was Luisa that had brought them together, and rightly so reflected Amy.

Not long later, when it was Alethea's turn to be the focus, Amy discovered the unique pleasure in working in tandem with Luisa, both touching and kissing Alethea as if they'd done this with a thousand other women before.

"Show me," Amy said to Luisa at one point. "Show me what she likes."

That simple request seemed to have an electrifying effect on both Luisa and Alethea. Luisa's eyes were wide, her cheeks flushed, as she took Amy's hand and guided it, showing her precisely what it was that made Alethea arch her back in pleasure.

"Let me," Amy said to Luisa, and Luisa rolled off to one side and went to fetch a glass of wine as she watched Amy pleasure Alethea on her own.

Desperate to show what she could do, Amy combined what Luisa had just shown her with the technique honed with Sarah and more recently Luisa to go down on Alethea, teasing her and building her up then letting her down, again and again, until finally, when Alethea was calling Amy's name, she pushed her over the edge, making her cum hard.

Amy didn't stop there, looking at Luisa with a grin, a grin that Luisa returned having been on the receiving end from Amy many times before. She gently, expertly used her tongue to build up Alethea again, drawing a second orgasm from her a minute later.

Still she didn't stop, a third, then a fourth, then finally, noisily, Alethea came for the fifth time in the multiple orgasm that Amy had gifted her, her whole body tensed, a loud, uncontrolled, animalistic moan coming from deep inside her.

As Alethea lay there, stunned, Amy moved up the bed to kiss and caress her, and Alethea looked at her almost in shock. "No one ever touched me like that..." she said quietly, her Greek accent stronger in that moment.

Luisa laughed kindly from her chair next to the bed then came over to stroke Alethea's hair. "You see what I see in Amy?"

"Yes... wow!" Alethea gave a tired grin. "If you ever don't want her..."

That made Amy smile, knowing that Alethea was (mostly) joking.

Sometime later, roles reversed when Amy found herself between Alethea and Luisa, sat back with her back pressed against Alethea's chest, Alethea's hands touching and lightly pinching her nipples while Luisa knelt between her legs. The sensation of Alethea's breath against her neck combined with the sight of Luisa looking up at them both as her tongue did it's magic created a perfect storm of sensation that overwhelmed Amy's senses.

"You're beautiful together," Alethea said quietly into Amy's ear, her fingers pinching and teasing. "The way she looks at you..."

That comment, made in such a moment of vulnerability, struck Amy hard... Alethea's recognition even in that incredibly collaborative moment that there was a bond above all others between Amy and Luisa.

Amy lost track of time completely, in her memory a mix of heavy breathing, moans, gasps, guiding comments, and occasional laughter when limbs got tangled up in unexpected ways or someone's hair got caught. It was the moments of lightness that really made it so special, reminding all of them that pleasure was fun as well as serious.

What struck Amy most, as the night progressed, was how the experience seemed to transcend the physical. It wasn't just bodies connecting but histories, personalities, vulnerabilities. Each woman brought her whole self to the encounter... Luisa with her passionate intensity, Alethea with her confident directness, Amy with her curious exploration.

"Touch her," Amy found herself saying at one point, wanting to see the connection between Luisa and Alethea from the perspective of an active and willing participant rather than an accidental observer. "Show me what you two do together."

Luisa hesitated briefly before doing as Amy asked, her fingers brushing patterns across Alethea's skin with the familiarity of many nights spent together. Amy watched, mesmerised, as Alethea responded with an immediacy that spoke to their long history. But, rather than feeling excluded, Amy discovered a strange new pleasure in seeing this connection... in seeing Luisa through Alethea's responses, in understanding a facet of the woman she loved that had previously been compartmentalised away from her.

"Now show me what you do to her," Amy said to Alethea, her voice catching slightly, belying the little flash of jealousy that she suppressed as she said it.

Alethea's eyes met hers with a questioning look, but when Amy nodded her encouragement she turned her attention to Luisa, proving with actions rather than words the unique dynamic that they shared. Amy watched, then later joined in, their hands sometimes working in tandem, sometimes taking turns, creating a rhythm that had Luisa moaning ecstatically between them.

The night unfolded in waves, moments of intense focus giving way to periods of gentle recovery before building again. They took breaks for another glass of wine, individually or together, for talk, for laughter, before desire would pull them back in. The vibe in the room shifted constantly, sometimes playful, sometimes almost reverent, sometimes raw with need.

Through it all, Amy found herself experiencing a kind of dual awareness... fully present in each moment of pleasure while at the same time appreciating the significance of what they were creating together. This wasn't just physical pleasure, it was a redefining and refreshing of her and Luisa's relationship, a practical embodiment of their new open together philosophy.

When exhaustion finally caught up with them, they lay tangled together in the centre of the thoroughly dishevelled bed, a constellation of limbs and shared breath. Amy found herself sandwiched between Luisa and Alethea, her head on Luisa's shoulder while Alethea's arm draped across her waist.

"That was..." Amy began, then laughed softly, words failing her.

"Extraordinary," Alethea finished for her, her usual cool composure softened by the night's events.

"Beautiful," Luisa added, pressing a kiss to Amy's forehead. There was a glow to her that Amy had never seen before, a completeness, as if she'd found peace in drawing her two most important compartments together.

They shifted, finding comfortable positions for sleep, but firmly for sleeping together, not apart... a hand resting on a hip, legs intertwined, shoulders touching. Even as they drifted toward sleep, there remained a connection that felt significant beyond the physical.

Amy felt no jealousy, just a strange sense of pride. The night was a gift that she and Luisa had given to each other, and a gift that she was sure they would give again.

Sometime around dawn, after what could only have been an hour's sleep, Amy woke up to see Luisa sound asleep next to her, but Alethea stood by the bed, pulling on her clothes.

When she saw Amy, she smiled and whispered, "We try not to stay over..."

Amy smiled back and carefully climbed off the bed, making sure not to disturb Luisa. As Alethea walked to the door, ready to leave, Amy walked over with her and stood in front of her.

"So..." Amy whispered. "Thank you, I guess?"

"It was nice to meet you," replied Alethea quietly.

They looked at each other for a few moments. "I'm not sure how we're supposed to leave this..." whispered Amy with a quiet laugh.

Alethea said nothing, but leaned in and kissed Amy, gently at first but then more passionately as Amy kissed her back, the slightly rough feel of Alethea's clothes against Amy's naked skin sending a little thrill through her. It was a kiss that said that maybe, just maybe, there was some unfinished business between the two of them.

"Like that..." replied Alethea, breaking the kiss. She reached to open the door. "Until next time..."

Amy raised an eyebrow at that. "Next time?"

"Yeah, next time... you need to come on more of Luisa's shoots."

With a smile Alethea left and Amy quietly closed the door behind her before climbing back into bed next to Luisa.

As she watched Luisa's chest rise and fall with each breath, marvelled at her lips, at her face, at her neck, at everything really to do with her stunningly beautiful lover, one thought echoed around and around in Amy's head.

If Luisa thought that this was good, just wait until she met Sarah...