“Oh, it was good thanks. Solana's got big plans."
"You said you invested?"
Luisa smiled. "A little. My agent thinks I've gone crazy. They offered me either the usual fee structure, which would have been very lucrative, or a mix where I also get equity in the business." She shrugged. "A model's career is time limited... I thought it would be sensible to diversify. And, I figure, if I'm invested it makes it harder for them to fire me as their face."
Amy started laughing, thinking back to a strategy course she'd done once. "You've created an exit barrier."
"Something like that..."
"Tell me about the plans."
They spent the next drink talking it through, starting with the brand's launch a few months before in Austin, the weirdness of attending a launch party where your picture is projected thirty feet high on the walls and everyone wants to talk to you. It sounded to Amy as if this was, genuinely, a serious company getting started, even with a young and inexperienced founder. Their expansion plans were ambitious but achievable, and it sounded like they were based on solid assumptions.
"The founder... Solana, right? If she needs a good lawyer..."
Luisa laughed. "I'd be delighted to put her in touch with you. Or anyone at your firm."
"What's she like?"
Amy asked it openly, but felt her pulse race a little when she saw how Luisa shifted in her seat at the question, her eyes looking down briefly at her drink.There's something there, she realised.
"I'm no good at keeping secrets," Luisa said after a moment. "You really want to know?"
Know what?"I... I guess, yeah, if there's something you want to share."
Luisa shrugged. "I slept with her."
Amy started nodding, wanting to act cool, even though she felt something strange happen inside... she knew they were open, but she hadn't expected Luisa to be so honest about what she'd done over the last few days. She wasn't quite sure whatshe thought about that, not while she'd been sat herself in a hotel room missing Luisa, and she realised that she'd started to babble.
"Ok... that's cool... I mean, it's fine, right... that's what we... an open relationship, right…" She stopped when she saw that Luisa was laughing.
"Not yesterday."
"Oh."
"No, we... it's a long story, but the short version is that when I first went down to the ranch there was something. Months ago. Before you. But we decided that it couldn't happen. It was, like, a couple of day thing but there's nothing there now. Strictly professional. Well, me and her hang out with her friends when I'm down there, but there's nothing more."
Amy smiled ruefully. "That's... look, it'd be cool if you had. We're open after all. It's just... my reaction..."
"What?" Luisa looked intrigued.
"The selfie you sent. Was that with Solana?"
Luisa nodded. "Solana's the dark haired woman. The blonde is Kelly, she's great fun."
"So... I'm going to regret telling you this, I'm sure, but..." Amy trailed off, having second thoughts.
"What?" Luisa laughed. "You can't tease me like that and not tell me."
"I might have... I guess, imagined you and Solana. I'd guessed there might have been some history, and the two of you together..." Amy shrugged. "It got my imagination going."
Luisa looked into Amy’s eyes, then whispered, “Got your imagination going how?”
Smiling shyly, Amy replied as quietly as she could, “I think you can guess… imagining, you know, you and her…” Amy could feel herself getting turned on at the thought.
Leaning over right next to Amy’s ear, she surprised Amy by planting a soft kiss on her neck, then whispered, “Me and her doing what?” She kissed Amy’s neck again.
“Not in public,” whispered Amy. “I’ll tell you later.” Amy’s senses were on fire, and she got the feeling that Luisa was in a similar predicament.
