Kiss Me Like You Mean It

Jane Wilde's has always choked on first dates. Every compliment leaves her inside her head instead of inside the moment. So she hires Serene Siren, a dating coach who swears her beautiful client is just stuck, not doomed. One afternoon Jane blurts out a merciless high-school rejection that still stings, and Serene nods like she expected it. She’s seen worse. The fix starts with a kiss. Jane freezes, so Serene flips open the "professional" card and promises, "I do this for work." Jane inches forward, plants a nervous peck, then goes again when Serene signals she isn’t settling for anything faint. The shy routine melts. Before long Jane is meeting her mouth full-tongue, hands clutching the older woman’s shoulders, finally sinking into the lesson she paid for.