Chapter 9

Steve opened his arms and Quinn gave him a warm hug. She turned to Tina and gave her a hug too, and Tina winced in pain, “You’re hurt!” Quinn exclaimed.

“Antique chairs can pack a punch,” Tina said with good humor, “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of it.”

“Are you sure?” Quinn’s looked earnestly at Tina.

Tina noticed Quinn’s eyes for the first time. Oh! Tina quickly looked at her daughter, who blushed a deep crimson.

“Uh, Ma, let’s get you to the doctor,” Andi quickly said, “I’ll drive.”

Steve nodded, “I’ll clean up and meet you guys at home. We need to let the cage burn for at least another thirty minutes.”

“Is that–” Quinn pointed at the cage at the far corner of the motor court.

“Yep. Going up in smoke…” Tina nodded to a burn cage, “That was one nasty piece of work.”

Steve nodded, “He… it… won’t bother you anymore.”

With Quinn distracted, and before Tina could protest, Andi led her mother to their car.

“Aiyaah, why are you running away from Quinn?” Tina muttered.

“I’m not running away. Your arm is hurt, we need to get you help,” Andi unlocked the car.

Quinn watched them go, disappointed beyond measure.

“I can drive with one arm,” Tina grabbed the car keys from Andi, “And stop changing the subject. Why are you running away from Quinn? I know she’s the woman you’ve been talking about. With the different colored eyes. You’ve been dreaming about her… and instead of staying with her, you want to take me to a doctor?”

Andi kept her mouth shut. Her dreams of Quinn had seemed like someone’s idea of a sick joke. But now, Quinn had been there all along. But in her mind, the real Quinn and the dream Quinn and the cursed Quinn still felt like three very different people. And what did it mean that Andi couldn’t see the truth until the very end?

Andi felt guilt slice through her. I only saw the old, broken body… I couldn’t see past it.

Tina punched in a number on her phone.

“Who’re you calling?” Andi frowned.

Tina waved her off as she waited for the call to be picked up, “Hi, it’s Tina Zhao, would Dr. Wang be able to squeeze me in today?”

Andi was surprised; her mother never proactively scheduled a doctor’s appointment.

“I hurt myself in a bout,” Tina continued, “Left arm. Blunt force… Okay, the North Side office. That’s great actually, I’m about twenty minutes away. Thanks so much.”

Tina put her phone down and looked pointedly at her daughter, “Now, go back to Quinn. I’ll drive myself to the doctor.”

Andi narrowed her eyes at her mother, “What’s with the pressure, Ma? You’ve never been this interested in my love life before.”

“That’s because you’ve never been in love before,” Tina said breezily.

Andi made a face, “I’ve been in love before!”

Tina shook her head, “Nope, not like this. And she’s real. En Ming told me that two people who make a connection in circumstances like this have a of golden connection in terms of chi. It rarely happens because the strength of the chi doesn’t usually overcome the strength of the curse. But I think it happened here. And you’re running away from it.”

“En Ming makes up fifty percent of the stuff she says, Ma. You’ve said it yourself.”

“Fine, but the other fifty percent is eerily accurate,” Tina arched an eyebrow, “Go. See. Quinn.”

“Mom,” Andi said quietly, “I don’t know what to do next. I don’t even know what’s real anymore.”

Tina scoffed, “I am not saying you have to have it all figured out, Andi. I’m asking you to not run away from her. Start with asking her how she’s doing, whether you can help, you know, like normal people do!”

“Ma,” Andi shook her head. Tina fixed her with a glare. Andi sighed, “Fine. Go see Dr. Wang.”

“Go see Quinn!” Andi heard her mother shout as she drove away. Andi rolled her eyes and turned back towards the house. Quinn was nowhere to be seen.

Steve beckoned her over, “Come give me a hand, Andi.”

Andi jogged over, “Where did everyone go?”

“Dunno,” Steve replied, “I figured they have a lot to process, so we should probably leave them alone.”

Andi looked at the mansion, remembering the way it felt to hold Quinn’s hand… and the way Quinn’s lips kissed her so perfectly. Mom’s right… I should stay.

“I’ll stay here tonight, Dad, just in case…” Andi fumbled for a reason as x-rated visions sped through her brain.

Her dad nodded, “Sounds good — now that Fu Manchu’s gone up in smoke… you can stay here as long as you’re welcomed…” He noticed Andi’s raised eyebrow, “Yes — I called him ‘Fu Manchu’… he was Chinese. He was evil. I think the name fits.”

Andi grinned, “Fair enough. I’ll see you later, dad.”

Steve gave his daughter a hug before she headed up to her mezzanine apartment. He also shot Tina a text, Reverse psychology worked. I told her we needed to leave, and she opted to stay. I’ll be home soon.

Chapter Eight — The Beauty and the Beast

She almost didn’t hear a gentle series of knocks on her door The apartment door gently swung open and Quinn stepped inside, “Oh good, you’re here!”

Andi jumped with surprise. The voice was Madame Zedecker’s, or rather, it was Quinn’s… and Quinn was standing in the room.

“Quinn!” Andi stood up and walked towards Quinn, like she had hundreds of times in her dreams.

Quinn smiled, “Were you hiding from me?”

“No,” Andi said in wonder, her eyes worshipping the beautiful woman in front of her, “I just didn’t want to intrude. You guys all went through so much…”

“Lewis has got it all covered. We’re going to be getting physicals and seeing head doctors over the next couple of days.”

Andi nodded, “Makes sense. How are you feeling now?”

“I feel fine, but weird. The discomfort is gone, but I don’t feel normal yet, you know? And I know Kei Shang is gone. But there are moments where… I don’t know, it feels like I’m in a dream and he’d still be there when I wake up…”

“It’s definitely not a dream,” Andi said reassuringly.

Quinn nodded, “Being trapped in your house for a year does strange things to your head. I mean, what even is normal? How do I even restart…” Suddenly, Quinn started laughing.

Quinn shook her head, “I just proved Lewis’s point… Dr Van Essen is the therapist I’m supposed to see tomorrow. I didn’t think I needed it. Lewis insisted, saying we all need help processing.”

“Sounds like Lewis really cares about you.”

Quinn nodded, “He’s been amazing this past year… he never gave up on me surviving the curse.”

Andi took Quinn into her arms and held her tight.

Quinn blinked back tears she wasn’t expecting.

“Nothing’s wrong,” Quinn sniffed happily, “It’s just feels so unbelievably good to be here, with you…”

“Shhh…” Andi couldn’t bear to see Quinn cry; she just held her tighter.

“Hmmmm,” Quinn sighed.

“What is it?” Andi whispered as she kissed the top of Quinn’s head.

“You smell so good,” Quinn murmured, “I’ve wanted to be in your arms for so long…”

“I am not letting go, I promise.”

Quinn looked up, her eyes misty, “Hold me tonight?”

Andi smiled and nodded, “Of course.”

Quinn took Andi’s hand and led her to the bedroom, “I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to do this for the past two months.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t figure it out,” Andi sighed, “I feel so stupid… so blind…”

Quinn loosened her hair, “You don’t have to apologize. You came back for me.”

“That day when you sent me away… I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what. You were so sad…”

“I wasn’t sad that you didn’t figure it out. I was sad because I finally understood that Kai Sheng wouldn’t have let me win.”

“But you did win!” Andi smiled.

“Lewis told me that it wasn’t until your dad killed the snake that the curse lifted,” Quinn bit her lip, “Kei Shang lied to me about the terms of the bet. It wasn’t enough that you came back… or that you said you loved me…”

Andi exhaled, “…The only way out was to get rid of him.”

Quinn nodded, “Yes. But I don’t want to talk about Kei Shang anymore,” she laid down on the bed and crooked a finger, “Come here…”

Andi knee-walked on the bed towards Quinn, “Here?” She teased.

“Closer,” Quinn raised her eyebrows invitingly.

Andi scooted closer until her knees were on either side of Quinn’s hips.

“Hmmm,” Quinn smiled, “A handsome butch hovering over me. Whatever should we do next?”

Andi hesitated, her instinct to comfort Quinn battling with her cresting need to ravish the woman lying beneath her, “I–“

Quinn grabbed Andi’s shirt and pulled Andi on top, “Shut up and kiss me.”

Andi needed no further invitation and kissed Quinn deeply. The hint of vanilla dazed her for a moment and Andi buried her nose in Quinn’s neck, “Jesus, you smell good…”

Quinn let out an involuntary moan as Andi’s lips caressed her neck.

That moan was the most arousing thing Andi had ever heard. It led her straight back to Quinn’s lips.

Andi couldn’t hold Quinn close enough as their mouths and tongues danced with each other.

Quinn’s hands were buried in Andi’s hair, “More… I want more,” she panted between kisses.

The two women quickly became a tangle of limbs, pieces of clothing were discarded with passionate efficiency. Once more, their intimacy felt new and familiar at the same time. Andi knew exactly where Quinn loved to be kissed, homing in on the spot right under Quinn’s earlobe and nipping gently with her lips, before moving lower to Quinn’s breasts.

If anything, the dreams didn’t do them justice. Andi caressed them with unequivocal appreciation, lovingly bathing each nipple with her tongue. Quinn whimpered with need, which spurred Andi on. Quinn loved feeling Andi’s body on top of hers, and Andi’s talented mouth was moving inexorably closer to Quinn’s sex, which was drenched in anticipation of her lover’s attention.

When Andi ran her tongue up Quinn’s slit, Quinn screamed with pleasure, her legs opening with shameless desire, “Just like that, more, oh–!”

Andi moaned in response because Quinn tasted sublime. This was a detail the dreams never revealed. Quinn’s scent and nectar, mixed with the deeply aroused heat of her core, drove Andi’s tongue deeper, and it elicited louder cries of ecstasy from Quinn.

When Andi’s lips embraced Quinn’s clit, Quinn let out a high-pitched ‘oh!’. Andi paused, fearing she’d gone too far, too quickly. But Quinn looked down with a face flushed with lust, “Don’t stop, please, Andi, don’t stop…”

Andi grinned and lowered her mouth, allowing her tongue to luxuriate over and around Quinn’s clit.

“oh-my-god-just-like-that-just-like-that-just-like-that-oh… oh… holy sh– YES! Andi! Oh-god-oh-god-oh-god…!!!!” Quinn couldn’t form words anymore, her body tensing as pleasure pulsed through her. And then Andi plunged two fingers inside, her tongue never stopping its assault outside.

“Ah — Ah — Ah! AAAAAaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” Quinn’s body flared with defiant joy; the orgasm that ripped through her was her body’s emphatic liberation from the clutches of the past year. Quinn’s heart swelled with love for the woman who came back for her, the woman whose mouth was devotedly worshipping her sex.

“Oh… my… god…” Quinn breathed out as she came down off her climax, “That was…”

Andi scooted up the bed and took Quinn into her arms, “I want to do that to you over and over and over again…”

“No, not yet,” Quinn smiled as her hand slid lower, “It’s my turn now…”

Andi gasped as Quinn’s fingers slid inside her.

“I know you like it like this,” Quinn purred as she moved lower, “Jesus, you feel so good…”

Andi shut her eyes as the tip of Quinn’s tongue etched a path towards Andi’s clit.

“Fuck!” Andi shouted as Quinn’s lips enveloped her nub, sucking and squeezing as her fingers pumped in and out. Andi didn’t know her body could contain this much pleasure; it was coursing through her relentlessly. Her mouth was open, but only desperate gasps were possible.

Quinn reached up and raked her left hand across Andi’s breast, sparking the orgasm that had been building and coiling within Andi.

“Quinn!” Andi panted as her climax rumbled through, “Oh my god…”

Quinn devoted her tongue to the task of loving Andi thoroughly until Andi succumbed to the final pulse of climactic release.

“Come here,” Andi mumbled.

Quinn made her way back up to Andi and landed a gentle peck on Andi’s lips.

Andi buried her fingers in Quinn’s hair and rolled on top, kissing Quinn deeply.

“Hmmmm,” Quinn sighed, the weight of Andi’s body on top of hers felt sexy… and safe — another thing the dreams never fully conveyed.

“I’m not done with you, by the way…” smiled Andi.

Quinn wrapped her arms and legs around her lover, “I’m all yours, my love.”

Outside, a thousand tulips sprouted and bloomed in the warm glow of the sunset.

Epilogue: They Lived Happily Ever After

The converted mansion was bustling more than usual. It’d been two years since Kei Shang was vanquished. The buildings and grounds of the once cursed estate have been transformed into Thoreau House, a luxury hotel and event space.

An elegant new cottage stood on the far side of the lake. Stewart Bromley, the groundskeeper, chuckled to himself as he made his way across the placid lake in a bowrider. Tulips, hydrangeas, and roses have sprung up overnight around the estate; flowers that had no business growing in this part of the country, but they’ve consistently made a home for themselves here.

Stewart’s had to field a lot of curious inquiries about his ability to cultivate such flowers at Thoreau House, and his answers were always cryptically vague. In many ways, Stewart didn’t have a choice: no-one would believe him if he told the truth… and it had nothing to do with his horticultural skills. Stewart remembered trying — without success — in clearing the overgrowth of ivy and the petunias. It wasn’t until Andi’s arrival that the petunias retreated, replaced by daisies and honeysuckles. At first, Stewart thought Andi had something to do with the bizarre occurrences of random flowers blooming on the Estate. But it was after Andi officially moved in that it clicked for the groundskeeper; the types of flowers that grew with enthusiastic spontaneity were directly connected to Quinn’s state of mind. Flowers that symbolized anger and sadness ran wild before Andi’s arrival. Ever since Andi appeared in Quinn’s life, flowers of love, happiness, and passion have burst forth. With the explosion of roses that Stewart could see, last night was apparently a very good night for the couple. So good, in fact, that they’ve slept past breakfast with the wedding guests at the main house. Hence Stewart’s journey across the lake.