Hurricane Watch

Chapter

Twenty

”WHEW.” KERRY ADJUSTED the strap on her laptop case and handed over her suitcase to the skycap, as Dar bent her head to listen to his mate, who was processing their boarding passes. ”We’ve got time for a cup of coffee, Dar. You interested?”

Dar glanced over her shoulder and smiled. ”You bet.” She accepted the boarding passes from the porter, and rejoined her companion, zipping up her jacket a little as they moved along the concourse towards the door. ”I think we’re getting outta here just in time. Did you see those clouds?”

Kerry peered back the way they came, where lowering, gray clouds obscured the sunset, and nodded. ”Yeah, I think you’re right, partner.”

She patted Dar on the back. ”Unless I’m really mistaken, you’re going to miss a snowstorm.”

Dar’s ears perked up. ”A snowstorm?” She grinned, and bumped into Kerry’s shoulder with her elbow. ”That wouldn’t be so bad. I always wanted to have a snowball fight with someone.” She let out a breath, and paused before they entered the terminal. ”Maybe next time.”

”You want a snowball fight? You got it, but let me warn you it’s only fun for about the first ten minutes.” Kerry smiled, her eyes crinkling up all the way. “After that, you just want dry towels and hot chocolate.”

“Problem with that?”

“Nope.” She tucked a hand into the crook of Dar’s elbow and walked her inside, dodging a moving cart as they moved towards the security station. ”Whoops, time for the strip search.” She released Dar, and put her laptop case and purse on the belt, then shrugged out of her jacket and added that, since it had her cell phone and pager in the pockets. Then she stepped through the security gate and smiled at the guard as she went to pick up her things.

”Excuse me, we need you to open this,” the young woman behind the table stated, holding onto Kerry’s laptop firmly.

Kerry sighed. ”Sure.” She unzipped the case and laid it open, exposing the slate gray top of her computer. She was aware of Dar’s close presence, as the taller woman was also being asked to open her bag. ”Why don’t we have this much trouble at Miami,” she muttered Hurricane Watch

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under her breath.

Dar chuckled softly, unzipping the case and opening it. “I’m not carrying Cuban cigars, that’s why.”

”Could you turn them on, please?” the woman asked, implacably.

Blue eyes and green met in wry exasperation. ”Sure.” Dar flipped her power switch on, then reached over and got Kerry’s. ”I have Pinball loaded on there if you’re interested.” She remarked to the guard.

The woman looked frostily at her. ”Thank you. Could you turn on your phones and pagers, please?”

One dark eyebrow rose. ”You don’t want me to do that,” Dar drawled.

”Yes ma’am, I do, unless you’d rather do it in the security offices,”

the guard answered.

Dar shrugged, and flipped the devices on, then counted under her breath to ten. On six, both pagers went off, and both phones started beeping, indicating voice mail.

The guard backed away from the desk, with a frightened look.

”I told you,” Dar sighed, picking up her pager, and glancing at it.

”Damn it, there must be three dozen pages on this stupid thing.”

”Yikes.” Kerry picked hers up, and pressed the button. ”Oh, gee, I’m glad I’m just your assistant. I’ve only got two dozen.” She shook her head. ”I mean, didn’t they figure out we were together?” She glanced up at the guard, who had been joined by two others. ”We’ve been on vacation for two days,” she explained. ”Our office tends to freak out.”

Dar was muttering, and cursing under her breath as she reviewed her pages, then she looked up at the silent guards. ”Oh, for god’s sake, they’re pagers, not grenades.” She tugged her identification out of a pocket of her laptop and tossed it over to them. ”There.” She tugged her jacket back on, and shoved her phone in the pocket, then took her ID

back. ”Excuse me.” She started down towards the gate, still muttering.

Kerry found herself facing them. ”Um, it’s been a long week,” she explained, zipping up her laptop and shouldering it. ”May I?” She held out her hand, and was given back her pager. ”Thanks. Have a great day.”She walked off, resisting the urge to look back over her shoulder, and hurried to catch up with Dar. ”Hey, wait up.”

The long strides shortened and slowed, and Dar glanced at her as she came along side. ”Idiots.”

”C’mon, Dar, they’re just doing their job,” Kerry admonished her.

”It’s for everyone’s safety.”

Dar held up her pager. ”I meant this. I got pages from half the office. Duks, Mari, what the hell did they all want, a personal explanation of what happened?”

She tossed it up, then caught it and stuffed it in a pocket again.

”There’s the gate. You want to keep hold of these?” She indicated the laptop. ”I’ll go get some coffee.” She settled Kerry in a padded seat 268

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near the gate window, then put down her laptop. ”Be right back.”

”Grab a paper, too,” Kerry requested, as she leaned back and watched her companion walk off. A grin wound its way onto her face as she enjoyed the little rhythm in Dar’s walk, too slight to be a swagger, but definite nonetheless. She was wearing a pair of worn, black stone washed jeans with her high top sneakers, and Kerry found herself wishing the company would allow casual dress in the office.

Not that Dar didn’t look good in a business suit, oh no, she certainly did, Kerry reflected. But she got the feeling Dar was most comfortable just like she was right now.

And so are you, wise guy. Kerry stretched out her feet and crossed her ankles, regarding her tan hiking boots wryly. She had her most comfortable pair of really nice, faded, soft jeans on, almost white from washing, with spots a little worn around her knees, and brass buttons with the letters rubbed right off them.

Her thick, warm flannel shirt was tucked in neatly, and she folded her arms across her chest, letting her head lean back against the chilly glass of the window.

It had been a good weekend, she decided. Despite the bumps, and the little moments of doubt, it still had brought them closer together, and put some truths on the table. They’d come out of it rested and pretty much relaxed, and, Kerry wiggled her fingers and regarded the ring on her hand. ”And pretty much committed to each other, I think.”

She took a moment out and allowed the joy she was feeling to bubble up, making her skin tingle.

”Kerry?” Dar’s hesitant voice broke her out of her dreamy state.

”Uh, sorry.” She pushed herself upright and took the cup her lover was holding out. ”I was just thinking.”

”Uh huh.” Dar dropped down in the chair next to her. ”I’m not going to ask about what, but based on that look you had, I hope it wasn’t the coffee.” She handed her the requested paper. ”Here, it’s tomorrow’s edition of USA Today.”

Kerry took it, and laid it down in her lap, then gave Dar a look over the rim of her cup. ”It wasn’t the coffee,” she admitted, taking a sip. ”I have this little ball of happy inside me, and I was just playing with it.”

Dar bit down on her cup edge, and her eyelashes fluttered in surprise. ”That’s an interesting way to put that,” she chuckled. ”Very poetic.”

Green eyes twinkled gently. ”I said you bring that out in me, didn’t I?” Her companion grinned frankly. ”Funny. Why do I bring out the worst in everyone except for you?” She leaned on the chair arm and pressed her shoulder against Kerry's, glancing down at the paper.

”Anything interesting?”

Kerry flipped through the pages as Dar relaxed, closing her eyes and taking slow, idle sips of her coffee.

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”Hey Dar?”

”Mm?”

”What’s a CIO?”

Dar regarded the popcorn ceiling reflectively. ”Chief Information Officer; it’s a person who sits on the board of directors of a company, charts strategy for IS, sets policy, that kind of thing.” She sucked down a mouthful of the mocha. ”Why?”

”We didn’t have one of those,” Kerry remarked.

”Nope. Alastair has been waffling on that for two years, since the last guy threw up his hands in disgust and walked off. He’s got to give up control for that, and he just can’t stand it.” Dar crossed her ankles.

”It’s worked for me, because it takes out a layer of pretty useless management between us.”

”Mm.” Kerry slid closer, and put her arm around Dar’s shoulders, putting the paper in front of her half closed eyes. “We do have one now.”

”What’s that...” Dar’s brow scrunched. ”Oh shit, he finally found someone? Damn it. Who in the hell...why didn’t he say something?”

Her eyes flicked to the page, and took in the headlines, scanning them impatiently. “Who is it?”

”You.”

Dar went absolutely still, her eyes wide and staring for a long moment, before she shot upright, and grabbed the paper, bending her head to read the text. Her jaw dropped open, and she took in and released several breaths before any intelligible words came out. ”That son of a bitch. I’m gonna kill him,” she managed to squeak out.

”Dar, honey, the usual response to a promotion is ‘thank you’, isn’t it?” Kerry murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. ”Not ‘you son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you.’” She watched Dar’s nostrils flare, and her jaw muscles work. ”Hey?”

Blue eyes pivoted and met hers. ”He’s toast.”

Kerry touched her cheek. “Why? If anyone in the world deserves that, it’s you, Dar. We both know it.” She rubbed the soft skin gently.

”Why are you so upset?”

”He promised me nothing would change,” Dar snarled. ”Bastard.”

”Dar...” Kerry leaned closer, catching her eyes. ”Weren’t you just telling me this morning you didn’t want to go back to the same old thing? This gives you a chance to change things, doesn’t it? It makes you rank higher than everyone else?”

The long hands gripped the chair arms with convulsive strength, as Dar’s gaze turned inward, thinking. Finally her body relaxed, and she took a deep breath, returning her eyes to Kerry’s face. ”If he thinks I’m moving to Texas, he’s got a surprise coming.”

Kerry felt the tension drain from her. ”I’m willing to bet you won’t even have to change offices, Dar. He just saw a way to fix a problem, and you were it.” She gave her lover a smile. ”He put you in charge of 270

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everything, and everybody, didn’t he?”

The pale blue eyes blinked, considering.

”I just wonder why he didn’t do it before,” Kerry sighed.

Slowly, a grin started to twitch Dar’s lips. ”He knew he never had anyone who could step into my Ops job before,” She drawled softly, putting a finger on the very tip of Kerry's nose.

”Oh no, no. I’m not...um...” Kerry held up a hand. ”No Dar, I’ve only been here for a few months. No, I— No, Dar, no. Stop looking at me like that.”

A dark brow lifted in question.

”Dar, don’t be silly. I can’t do your job,” Kerry wailed softly.

”No.” Now Dar’s gaze was sharp, and appraising, and reminded Kerry very much of the cool judging she’d received on that very first day. ”You can’t do what I did the way I did it, but I bet you could find a way to do it your way.”

”I can’t.”

”Then I can’t accept this,” Dar stated quietly. ”Because you’re the only one I trust to replace me.”

Kerry felt breathless. ”Dar, that’s not fair.”

”No, it’s not.” Her lover replied. ”Life sometimes isn’t.”

They looked at each other in silence. Dar sighed. ”At least think about it,” she asked quietly. ”Please?”

Kerry glanced down at her boots, kicking the carpet a little, then she looked up.” All right, I’ll think about it.” She nibbled her lower lip.

”Give me a day or so, huh?”

Dar looked like she wanted to argue, but she nodded. ”Sure, take your time.” She settled back in her chair and shook her head. ”I’m gonna kill him.”

Kerry poked her lip out. ”So am I,” she muttered.

Slowly, they turned, and regarded each other seriously. Then Dar started to laugh, and after a moment, Kerry joined her. They wound down, then started up again, until Kerry just buried her face in Dar’s shoulder, and curled a hand around her arm, helpless with giggles.

”I got an idea.” Dar pulled her sneakered feet up and tucked an arm around her knees. ”Why don’t we change our tickets, and go to Houston, and show up at his house with rubber hatchets?”

Kerry peered up at her. ”You really are a brat, aren't you?” She laughed.

A wicked, sexy smile answered her. ”You bring that out in me,”

Dar told her, shaking a long finger at her. She looked up as the boarding agent was clearing her throat, and picking up her microphone. ”Ah, looks like it’s time to go.”

Kerry finished off her coffee and stood, flexing her arms and wincing as her shoulder popped into place. ”Ow.” She reached down for her laptop, but found it taken from her fingers, and a warm hand touching her back. ”Dar, I can carry my own bag.”

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”Yes, I know,” Dar told her, lowering her voice. ”But it’s my privilege to do it for you.”

”Ah. I see,” Kerry mused, allowing herself to be gently steered towards the airplane ramp. ”Privilege,” she murmured very softly, almost under her breath, as she handed over her boarding pass to the smiling agent. ”Thank you.”

She took back her stub, and entered the long boarding tunnel, along with a straggling of the few other passengers on the evening flight. She slid in to the window seat in the first row of the airplane, and watched as Dar put their bags in the overhead bin, then sat down next to her, letting her hands rest on her thighs.

”Be glad to get home,” Dar sighed.

”How’s your knee doing?” Kerry asked, as she leaned on the console between them. ”I noticed you weren’t limping anymore.”

Dar nodded a little. ”Fine, it doesn’t hurt. It was a little bit stiff this morning, but it feels great now.” She gazed at the joint, hidden under stonewashed fabric. ”Find out tomorrow when I run on it, I guess.”

A blonde brow lifted at her. ”And if it hurts?” She knew better than to argue about the running.

Dar took a breath to answer, then found intense green eyes watching her. ”I can worry about myself, you know.”

A smile. ”I know.” Kerry wrinkled her nose. ”But it’s my privilege to do it, too,” she told her lover. ”It works both ways, Dar. We’re responsible for each other, okay?”

”Okay.” Dar snuggled back in the leather seat, and accepted a glass of wine from the steward, passing it to Kerry then taking one for herself.

She took a sip and rolled it around her mouth a few times before she swallowed it.

Someone else being responsible for her. What a weird thought. It’d been a very, very long time since anyone had wanted to do that.

But you know, Dar considered it seriously. I think I like that idea.

KERRY KEYED THE door open, and entered, smiling as she heard the raucous yipping from Chino’s room as she flipped the light on.

”Okay, honey, hang on.” She pushed the door back and let Dar move past her, then closed the door and plopped her laptop case down on the couch as Dar set the suitcases on the floor. ”I’ll go let her out, and I sure could use some coffee. You?”

”Uh huh,” Dar agreed, straightening. ”Damn weather, we must have circled over Tampa for an hour,” she complained, rubbing her neck. ”Thank god we had seats in the front.” She shouldered her laptop and moved into her office, turning on the light as she dropped the case on the desk. She moved around the other side, flipping her pc on and sitting down in the comfortable leather chair with a sigh. ”Let’s see, it’s nine o’clock, it’s Sunday, he’s home.” She cracked her knuckles, then 272

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wiggled her fingers before she punched a phone number on her speaker phone.

It rang once.

Twice.

A voice picked up. ”Hello?”

Dar smiled, and steepled her fingers. ”Hi.”

Momentary silence. ”Oh, oh, hello, Dar!” A pause. ”Heh heh, so how was your little vacation?”

Dar let him wait a beat. ”It was great until I picked up a goddamned newspaper at the airport a few hours ago,” she growled intimidatingly. “And read my freaking name in it.”

”Now, Dar,” Alastair's voice turned soothing. ”Let me explain.”

”Explain?” Dar barked. ”No no. It was perfectly clear to me, in black and white, in fact with a goddamned picture the size of a watermelon on top of it!”

”Dar...Dar...now listen.” Alastair cleared his throat. ”I tried to call you. I tried to page you several times, but you never answered me.”

”I was on vacation,” Dar reminded him. ”You knew that.” She looked up as Kerry entered, carrying a steaming cup, and dressed in a soft, brief cotton t-shirt which just barely covered her thighs. She grinned at her lover, almost forgetting the man on the phone.

”All right, well...but I tried to get you, Dar. I had to make a decision, and you know, when I’ve got to do it, I’ve got to do it. I can’t just wait around for things to happen.” He cleared his throat. ”It was the right time. I needed something to boost things, and it worked!”

”What worked?” Dar asked, taking the cup with one hand, and tracing the soft curve of Kerry’s leg muscles with her other.

”Stock went up five damned dollars!” Alastair chortled. ”Now c’mon, you can’t be that mad at me,” he chided her. ”Good grief, Dar, you’d think I’d asked you to go off and become a missionary. It was a promotion, in case you hadn’t gotten that part down.”

”What if I don’t want it?” Dar asked, mildly. ”I’m not moving my ass to Houston, Alastair, so forget it. Find some other dog out there to wag their tail for you.”

Silence.

”Alastair?”

”Hmm?? Oh, sorry, Dar. I was just contemplating the image of you wagging your tail at me,” the CEO remarked cheerfully. ”Hell, I’d move to Miami for that, never mind bringing you out here.”

Dar sighed. ”Alastair...”

”I know, I know, EEOC, but listen, Dar I never considered you coming out here. I’ve got a nice, peaceful office. I don’t need Hurricane Dar coming in and blowing everyone through the windows out here.

No, that’s not why I did it.” He paused. ”I just thought it would make things easier there. Some of the problem seems to be from the committee mentality. I just made you a committee of one.”

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”That’s a lot of added responsibility.” Dar slid her hand up a bit, twitching the edge of the t-shirt, and getting her hand slapped. She looked up at Kerry with a wicked grin.

”Well I gave you a raise with it.” Alastair sounded insulted. ”I mean, Jesus, Dar, give me a break, willya? I made the package with the works, even keys to the executive bathrooms.”

”In Houston,” Dar remarked dryly. ”Nifty, just what I needed Alastair. I don’t need more crap, all right? The money’s not the issue.”

He sighed. ”I thought you’d be flattered.”

”Don’t whine,” Dar told him, testily. ”Maybe I just like to be asked first, before I have to read about it in the goddamned daily news!” She glanced up as Kerry unfolded the business section of the paper she’d picked up outside the condo. ”Oh shit.” She covered her eyes.

”It’s a nice picture of you,” Kerry remarked, diplomatically. ”I like your hair.”

”Is that Kerry?” Alastair asked, brightly. ”Hello there.”

”Hi, Mr. M... Alastair,” Kerry responded. ”There’s a big story on the front page of Business Monday in the Herald about Dar.” She patted her lover, who had covered her eyes, and was moaning on her shoulder.

”It looks great.”

Alastair chuckled. ”Oh yeah, they called up here for copy and a photo. I think they gave them the one from that company picnic last year.” He cleared his throat. ”So, what about it, Dar? I’ll concede I should have asked you, but I really didn’t think you'd mind.”

Dar sighed, and studied her hands. ”I need a few days to think about it, Alastair,” she told the CEO, her eyes meeting Kerry’s. ”I’ll let you know.”

”Dar, I hate waiting,” the CEO complained. ”Besides, what am I supposed to tell the board?”

A soft chuckle, almost unheard. ”Tell them I said to kiss my ass,”

Dar drawled in reply. ”I’ll let you know in a few days, Alastair.” She paused. ”Goodnight.” She hit the release, then took a sip of her coffee, regarding her computer screen in pensive silence. ”I wonder how much my raise was?”

Kerry flicked her fingers through the dark hair, then glanced at the phone when it rang. She picked it up. ”Hello?”

A low, raspy voice responded, causing her to smile. ”Oh, hi…

...yeah… ...yeah, that’s your kid in the paper, all right.” She watched Dar’s whole demeanor perk up when her words registered. ”Here, say hello.” She handed the phone to her lover and kissed her head. ”I’m going to put my stuff away,” she whispered, then eased out of the room.

Chino trotted over to her, licking her chops from the snack Kerry had provided the puppy and attempted to catch her feet. ”Hey, cut that out.” She laughed, reaching down and picking the animal up, then carrying her upstairs. ”You leave your mom alone for a few minutes, okay? She’s talking to her daddy.”

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”Woo?” Chino yawned at her. ”Yeep.”

”Yeah, I know.” Kerry entered her room, and put the puppy down on the bed, then sat down herself, laying back onto the soft surface and regarding the ceiling. Chino curled up by her side, and she stroked the puppy gently as she thought.

”Chino, I’m twenty seven years old,” she told the animal. ”I’m not ready to be a vice president of anything more vital than the condo association here.”

”Yeep.” Chino licked her chops again.

”I mean, it’s ridiculous. I can’t do her job,” Kerry argued, waving a hand. ”I can’t even begin to do it. Look what happened in only one day without her there?” She shook her head. ”I don’t know what she thinks she’s doing by even suggesting it. She’s just being nice, Chino. She can’t be seriously thinking I can do that.”

She played with the puppy's ears. ”I can’t do it. I’m not good enough, Chino.” She felt a little sad. ”I’m no match for her capabilities.

Even though she says she put me in here because she thought I was, I’m not.””That’s not true,” the low, vibrant voice came from the doorway.

Kerry sighed. ”Dar...”

”It’s not true, Kerry.” Dar crossed the room and settled onto the bed. ”I know you believe that, because you’ve had assholes telling you you’re not capable half your life, but it’s not goddamned true.” Her voice deepened with anger. ”And you do me a disservice by thinking I’d put someone into a job unless I believed in their ability.” A pause.

”Unless I believed in them.”

“Dar—”

“I have to live with my decisions, Kerry. Do you really think I’d open myself, not to mention you, to the embarrassment of that kind of failure?”

Kerry had no answer for that, so she simply closed her eyes. They sat in silence for a moment, then she opened them. ”I can’t do it Dar.

Please don’t ask that of me.” She put out a hand and captured one of her lover’s. ”All my life I’ve had to fight to make people believe I earned what I got. I’d never be able to fight hard enough on this one.”

”But—”

”Dar.” Kerry gazed up at her, heartsick. ”You know it’s true. No matter what I did, nine out of ten people in that company would believe I got that job because we’re lovers.”

Dar's shoulders slumped, as she exhaled in resignation. ”But it’s not true. I swear it, Kerry, I swear it. If I didn’t even know your first name, but I’d worked with you as much as I have, I swear you’re the best choice.” She got up and paced to the French doors, opening them and going outside onto the breeze licked balcony, leaning on it and gazing out over the water.

The soft sound of the waves breaking came to her ears, as Kerry just Hurricane Watch

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lay there, unable to come up with even a ghost of a possible plan, one that would get both of them what they wanted. Or didn’t want, as it happened.

”Okay.” Dar had returned, and was standing in the doorway, arms crossed, jaw shifting lightly as she thought. ”What about this—”

”Dar—”

”Just listen to me, will you?” Dar insisted. ”Just listen a minute.

How about, I don’t fill the position.” She moved forward, holding a hand up. ”I just leave it empty because you’re right, you’ve only been with us for a few months, and frankly, there isn’t anyone in the immediate chain I’d be able to put in there anyway.”

Kerry regarded her warily. ”Yeah?”

”Okay, and you...you can take on a little bit at a time. No, wait...wait…just listen—” Another hand. ”Just try things out, see if you think you can handle things.” She paused, and waited, aware of the cautious, green eyes regarding her now in silence. ”No pressure, you just fill in for me here and there, just to see how you like it.”

”What if I don’t?” Kerry asked, hesitantly.

”Then you stop, and after six or eight months, you’ll know if you can do the job or not. If you can, great. You get it, and by that time you’ll have proven yourself so thoroughly, everyone will be slamming my ass for not promoting you earlier. If you decide you can’t then you can help me pick someone who can.” Dar stopped again, and raised a brow at her. ”What do you think?”

Kerry got up and paced around the area near the bed, her hands behind her in a classic pose, while a sleepy Chino watched curiously from the bed. Finally she stopped, and regarded her lover dourly. ”I think you’re too smart for your own good, Paladar.”

A cautious twinkle appeared. ”So, is that a yes?” Funny how nice that name sounded, coming off those lips.

Kerry ran the idea through her head again a few times, looking for pitfalls. It did make sense, and it gave her an excellent, fairly low pressure way to really find out if she had what it took, without putting herself, or Dar, or their relationship at risk. ”I can just back off at any time?” she questioned closely. ”If I get in over my head?”

”Anytime.” Dar reassured her. ”You just come and say, ‘I can’t do this.’”

Hmm. And by waiting, Dar would defuse the sure charges of nepotism that would start flying. In fact, by not acting immediately, she would put everyone else off balance. ”All right,” she finally said, putting her hands on her hips and exhaling. ”I think I can cope with that.”

Dar’s head cocked gently to one side. ”You sure?”

Kerry’s brows lifted. ”Now you’re asking me that?” she demanded.

”And don’t give me those puppy dog eyes.”

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me,” she replied, in a steady voice. ”I mean that.”

The smaller woman let out a breath, then she walked over to where Dar was standing. She felt the soft carpet under her feet, and the cool breeze coming in the open doors. She stopped right next to Dar and looked up. She could see the tension in her lover’s body, and the effort it was taking for Dar to keep a cool, calm facade.

Her choice.

What the hell. Life is short. ”It’s all right.” She put a hand against Dar’s belly, and gave her a tiny, friendly shove. ”I can live with the compromise.” She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Dar’s collarbone. ”I think it’s a really smart idea.”

Dar wrapped her arms around her partner, and pulled her close into a hug, tucking her head in against one shoulder and pressing her lips to the pale hair. ”Thanks.” She felt Kerry’s body shift under the light cotton shirt and press warmly against her, and she rocked them both gently for a few quiet moments.

”Does that mean you’ll be saying yes, then?” Kerry asked finally, in a murmur.

”I guess,” Dar shrugged. ”What the hell. It’ll make for a damn fun meeting tomorrow anyway.”

”Mm.” Kerry listened to her heartbeat for a moment. ”What did your dad have to say?”

Dar laughed a little, then cleared her throat. ”Let me tell yah, rugrat,” she imitated. ”Was a fine thing me walking into the dad blasted govnmet center station, jest to see my kid plastered all over the damn place. Made me spit my coffee halfway to Tampa.”

Kerry burst into giggles. ”Oh god, you sound just like him,” she gasped, thumping her head against Dar’s sturdy frame. ”But,” She quieted, and looked up. ”I bet he was so proud of you, wasn’t he?”

Dar shrugged nonchalantly. ”He’s not much into status stuff.” She dismissed the idea. ”I doubt it.”

”Dar.” Kerry took hold of her lapels and tugged them. ”That is so bogus, and we both know it. I bet he was ready to explode he was so proud of his kid,” she scolded her lover.

A hesitant smile. ”Well, actually he did say he was going around and collecting copies of the paper to find the one with the best picture,”

she admitted sheepishly.

”Why don’t we just give him an original?” Kerry asked gently. ”We can go get your picture taken at one of those places in the mall. I bet he’d like that.”

”No, no, I...” Dar hesitated. ”Only if you’re in it too.” She changed her mind. ”I’d...um... I’d kinda like one of those for my desk.”

A startled, but giddy grin split Kerry’s face. ”You’re on,” she agreed enthusiastically. ”This weekend.”

Dar nodded, apparently satisfied. Then she glanced over her shoulder. ”Hey, it’s a pretty night out, wanna go for a little walk?”

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Chino’s ears perked up at the sound of the word, and Dar smiled at the puppy. ”And you too.”

Kerry chuckled. ”Sure, let me just throw some real clothes on. It’s a little chilly for just a T-shirt.”

”And nothing else,” Dar teased, sliding a hand down her back and giving her a pinch on the behind.

”Eek.” Kerry jumped a little, grabbing for Dar’s fingers. ”No fair!”

”Arf.” Chino sat up and barked a puppy bark at her.

DAR WATCHED THE panes beyond the shutters slowly change from black to a dark gray, heralding the coming dawn. Kerry was sound asleep, her arms and legs wrapped around Dar like a blonde octopus, with her face buried against the taller woman’s shoulder.

Well, she still had a few minutes, anyway. Dar reasoned, as she settled her arms around Kerry’s warm body and exhaled. I could get used to this. She mused, resting her cheek against the soft, blonde hair.

She considered that a moment, listening to her own heartbeat in it’s slow, even rhythm. Who am I kidding? She finally admitted. I am used to it. I’m so used to it I don’t know what I’d do without it anymore.

It seemed so damned strange. She’d been so incredibly self-reliant all her life. She hadn’t depended on anyone for anything for a very, very long time, and now, when you’d think she knew better, here she was willingly becoming dependent on something so intangible as love.

Wasn’t that just the most screwed up thing you ever heard? Dar pulled Kerry a tiny bit closer, and was rewarded by a softly incoherent mumble and a tightening of Kerry’s already snug hold. But it feels so good. Her most self-indulgent, hedonistic instincts whined for attention.

Admit it, Dar. She faced herself. You’ve been starved for this for a damn long time, and now you’re finally getting a good, strong dose of it, no wonder everything’s going crazy in there.

She produced a contented sigh, and gave up worrying about it, turning her thoughts to the coming day instead.

Monday. Her brow creased. Hmm. Monday with her the senior executive in charge. It could be fun.

She wondered if she could get away with firing José. Nah, she decided, probably not, but... A grin. It would be fun to let him think she could. She gave the steadily lightening window a glance, then sighed. Time to get up, and get back into her routine, before her body got used to all this lazing around. With a silent chuckle, Dar stretched, then slowly started to untangle herself from her partner.

”Mm...” Kerry complained softly, tightening her grip. ”No...”

”C’mon, cutie pie. I gotta go pay the piper,” Dar murmured, pausing when she realized what she was saying. Cutie pie? Oh Jesus, Dar. She sighed, as Kerry burrowed closer, letting out a tiny mewling noise. ”Hey...” She patted Kerry’s cheek very softly. ”C’mon now. I 278

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gotta get up.”

An uneven intake of breath, then Kerry opened her eyes dazedly, peering up at her through half lidded and mostly unfocused orbs.

”D...Dar... Wh...”

”Hey...it's okay. I’m going to go run, you go back to sleep,” Dar told her soothingly, as she combed Kerry’s hair back out of her eyes.

Kerry slowly let her go, and rubbed a hand across her face. ”Oh god...I was having this dream...and there were gerbils everywhere. It was so strange,” she murmured, obviously disoriented.

”Gerbils?” Dar repeated, in a puzzled tone.

”Yeah, lots of them, little brown gerbils in tiny green hospital scrubs, jogging,” Kerry responded. ”It was really bizarre.”

Dar regarded her bemusedly. ”No more chocolate covered bananas for you before bed,” she pronounced gravely, giving Kerry a little pat on the belly. ”Not with dreams like that.”

Kerry rolled over onto her back. ”Ungh, yeah, I think you’ve got a point.” She stifled a yawn. ”Give me a second to shake out the cobwebs and I’ll go with you,” she offered. “I could use some salt air.”

Dar contemplated telling her lover she didn’t have to, then reflected on how much more pleasant it was to have company during her run.

She kept her mouth shut, and merely rolled onto her side, reaching over and gently rubbing Kerry’s arms and legs to get her blood flowing.

”Couple of laps and a quick breakfast at the beach club?” she suggested, with a grin. ”It’s Monday. They’ve got those black walnut pancakes you like.””Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?” Kerry laughed, as she rolled out of bed and stood, arching her back and running her hands through her hair.Dar blinked appreciatively as the pearly dawn light outlined her lover’s lithe body. ”What purpose?” she asked, her own body now fully, interestedly awake. Amazing how fast blood can rise from the groin to the brain. She mused wryly. Or maybe it was the other way around. She thought about that for a while, then realized Kerry was standing, hands on hips, watching her with uplifted eyebrows.

And other things.

Dar gave herself a mental slap. ”Uh, sorry. Let me get outta here.”

She hauled herself out of the warm bed and trudged towards the bathroom, glad, at least, that her knee seemed to be holding up just fine.

She flipped on the light and winced at the brightness, hearing the low moan of protest from Kerry who was behind her, nuzzling her back.

Whoa. Another rush of blood. Definitely in the wrong direction.

”Um...” She felt a pair of hands slip around her waist and clasp in front of her, and a light nibble along her shoulder blades. ”Kerry?”

”Mm?” The blonde head poked past her elbow, and peered up at her, half obscured by Dar’s own body. ”Problem?”

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With a rueful grin, Dar put the tip of her finger against Kerry’s nose. ”Work before pleasure,” she reminded her.

”Hmm.” Kerry nibbled a rib, licking it delicately. ”You sure?”

Dar felt her heart double it’s pace, and her breathing pick up. Well, it could be considered an aerobic exercise, right? She turned inside the circle of Kerry’s arms, and cupped her chin, drawing her head up and surrendering to the insistent surge of sexual feeling. Her fingers brushed over warm skin as she reached blindly for the light, dousing it and throwing them back into the murky shadows.

Not that they needed light, of course. Dar slid her hands down and got a grip on Kerry’s waist, half lifting, half gently tossing her back into the waterbed, as she followed, finding herself being rolled over and straddled as a soft, lazy chuckle trickled from Kerry’s chest.

Whoa. Dar felt the tingle as it spread across her skin. Definitely aerobic. She took the opportunity to start at her lover’s knees, and slid her hands up the muscular thighs, then inward, and across Kerry’s abdomen, which tightened in reflex as she spread her fingers and left little trails of goose bumps after her touch. Then she pushed up, lifting Kerry a little before settling her in a more comfortable position.

Hmm...a little weight training, too. She chuckled, as Kerry’s lips started a progression down her neck. Maybe we can put out a video.

She sucked in a breath in reaction as Kerry’s lips moved lower, and their bodies slid together. Then again, maybe not.

THEY ENDED UP making their laps, but skipping breakfast, resulting in their crossing only one ferry later than usual after a hurried, shared shower. ”Whew.” Kerry checked her hair in the mirror on her side of the Lexus. ”That was the most entertaining Monday morning I’ve had in a while.” She gave Dar a look, her body still tinglingly aware of her partner’s close presence.

Dar chuckled and sighed. ”Oh yeah.” She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, enjoying her relaxed, good mood. ”Sure beats a staff meeting.” She glanced at Kerry, and they both laughed. ”Okay, let’s see what’s going on.” Dar punched a number into the cell phone strapped to the dashboard.

”Good Morning, Operations, Maria is speaking.” The voice came back, a tad more official sounding than usual, given that it was eight o’clock in the morning.

”Morning, Maria,” Dar drawled.

”AEEEIIII!” the secretary squealed, startling Kerry who jumped.

”Dar! Dios Mio! You are higher than el presidente now!!”

”Well, yeah, sort of.” Dar laughed.

”Oye, Dar. Have you seen the paper this morning?” Maria inquired.

”What paper?” Dar asked, innocently.

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”You mean the one with her picture in it?” Kerry interrupted helpfully.

Maria laughed. ”Si, si… Mark has put the picture into the computer, and we all have it as our screens.”

”What?” Dar barked.

”Oh, that’s wild,” Kerry chortled. ”Did he get it on mine?”

”Don’t you start in,” Dar warned her, shaking a finger. ”Maria, you tell him I want that off the desktops by the time I get in there, or he’ll be wearing one of those monitors.”

”Aww, c’mon, Dar, ” Kerry objected. ”I think it’s great.”

”It’s not your picture, is it now?” her boss shot back. ”Maria, get Mark on the phone.”

”Dar,” Kerry turned gently pleading eyes on her. ”I wanna see it. I bet he did a great job. It was a fantastic picture of you.”

Frustrated blue eyes fixed on her face. ”Absolu...” Dar felt herself melting at the sight of those beseeching orbs, and sighed. ”All right, just until we get there. But then, off it goes!”

Kerry blew her a kiss and smiled, getting an aggrieved look in response. ”Did you have a nice weekend, Maria?” She directed her attention to the phone.

”Oh, si, Kerrisita, and you?” The secretary sounded pleased.

”Yeah. We had a lot of fun. We went horseback riding and sailing,”

Kerry told her.

”Kerry fell off her horse,” Dar added sweetly. ”Then dumped me in the lake.”

”You jumped overboard,” Kerry objected. ”That wasn’t my fault.”

”You could have told me it was fifty degrees. Water isn’t supposed to be that cold,” Dar groused. ”Maria, we’ll be there in about ten minutes.” She started up the Lexus and drove it off the ferry, turning onto the causeway and heading for the office. “Picture on the desktop...I swear.”

Kerry snickered, half covering her eyes as she watched the busy streets go by.