Tropical Convergence

Chapter Ten

DAR RESTED HER head on her fist, her eyes scanning the reports in front of her. She ran her index finger over the lists of IP addresses, then picked up a yellow highlighter and swiped it over one of them.

Her intercom buzzed. "Yeah?" Dar reached over and punched the acknowledge button. "What's up Maria?"

"Jefa, you have someone with cameras in the security desk downstairs," Maria said. "They have told them you are expecting them?"

Dar checked her watch. "They're early." She sighed. "Okay, have security escort them up to the presentation center. I'll meet them there."

"Si, I will do that," Maria said. "Also, I have your arrangements for your trip this evening, the confirmation is from your hotel, and I have asked for you to be picked up at the airport."'

Dar gazed at the phone. "Thanks, Maria." She smiled. "I appreciate that."

"Of course," her assistant said warmly. "I will arrange for security." She clicked off, leaving Dar to nibble at the inside of her lip for a quiet moment.

Then she pushed herself upright and slid the reports back into their folder, closing it and putting it away inside her top drawer. "Damn it." She leaned back in her chair. "I should really fire my ass for that stunt."

There was a thick pile of printouts in her inbox. She debated, then opened her lower drawer, and picked up the pile, tossing them into the larger space and closing it. Then she got up and went to the closet, removing her suit jacket and slipping into it.

She was straightening the sleeves when she heard the inner door to her office opening, and she turned as Kerry entered, a folder in her hand. "Hey. CNN's here. Want to come watch me make a fool of myself again?"

Kerry came over and took hold of her lapels, tugging them straight and brushing a bit of dust off her partner's shoulder. "Honey, you're never a fool," she disagreed. "But I'd love to watch you charm yet another reporter. Let's boogie."

Dar rested her arms on Kerry's shoulders and leaned forward and rested her forehead against the blond woman's. "We're barely keeping ahead of the attacks on the website. Mark's got a redirect in place, but you're going to have to keep an eye on it."

"Ugh."

"Sorry." Dar exhaled. "I wish I could stay and take care of my own crap, but Godson's high profile. All we need is for him to complain we can't handle his business."

"No problem, hon." Kerry tilted her head and kissed her partner. "I've got your back." She slid her arms around Dar and hugged her. "Wish I could go with you."

Dar silently wished the same thing. "Hey, it's only overnight." She returned the hug, and patted Kerry on the back. "C'mon. I don't want to give the reporters an excuse to try wandering around the building."

She led the way out of her office, giving Maria a brief wave as she passed her admin's desk and emerged into the hallway with Kerry at her heels.

They went to the elevator and rode down a few levels in silence, emerging on the floor that held the big public presentation center they typically used for press functions.

And birthday parties, Kerry recalled, as she opened the door for Dar and waited for her to enter. She'd gotten her promotion to vice president in this very room, and met Alastair there for the first time too.

Now it was full of strangers bearing equipment and cameras, clipboards and strange pieces of gear hung off of every part of them.

One of the women turned as they entered, and headed for Dar. "Ms. Roberts?" She held a hand out. "Christine Banks. I'm the tech news producer."

Dar accepted the offer and gripped the woman's hand, then released it. "Good afternoon," she said, briefly. "Glad you made it through the traffic."

"You aren't kidding," the woman agreed instantly. "Okay, if you'll give us about ten minutes to set up here, we can get started." She indicated a man standing quietly by. "This is our tech reporter, Nelson Argos. He'll be conducting the interview."

"Hello," Dar greeted the man, taking his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the man said.

Dar half turned. "This is our vice president of operations, Kerry Stuart." She indicated her quietly watching partner. "We'll grab a cup of coffee while you get set up. Feel free to help yourselves if you want."

The cameramen started to unpack their equipment. "Hoss, set up in that corner," Banks directed. "We can shoot back across this way and get the light." She indicated the late afternoon sun coming in the shutters across the western facing window.

Dar went over to the service bar and picked up a stoneware cup in company blue, keeping her back turned to the bustle in the room.

Kerry took a seat on one of the stools near the presentation platform, giving the news people a pleasant smile. The big room was multipurpose, sometimes rows of chairs were put in place, other times tables for executive training, and still other times it could be converted to a small conference center for high level briefings.

That's what it was this time. The floor space was cleared, and the raised presentation area had been set up with a podium and stools, the company logo prominent on the curved wall behind it, lit with unobtrusive built-in lighting.

It was staid, conservative, and expensive with teak wood inlays and high end audiovisual equipment, including the new video conferencing system Kerry had overseen install of a few weeks earlier.

"So." The reporter wandered her way as the rest of the team fiddled with tripods and cameras and lights. "I saw the tape of your presentation at the conference the other day. Nice job."

"Thanks," Kerry responded. "I was glad to have the opportunity to tell our story there."

"Seems like there was more excitement there than anyone expected." The reporter took the stool next to her. "Caught us a little by surprise."

Kerry smiled pleasantly at him. "Technology's like that." She sensed Dar's presence and she turned, to find a steaming cup being held out. "Ah. Thanks." She sniffed the rich scent of cherries and took a sip of the herbal tea.

Dar settled on a third stool and took a sip of her coffee. "Is it true you folks didn't want to attend this year because we bore the hell out of you?"

Argos rubbed his nose, looking a bit abashed. He was medium height, with thick, curly brown hair and freckles. "Well, I wouldn't put it that way," he said. "We just had other things on our plate."

Dar gave him a darkly amused look.

"But you know, I'm not sure your stockholders would have appreciated it if we had been," the reporter said. "A lot more people would have seen that bit about you hiring hackers."

Dar shrugged. "Tempest in a teacup," she said. "No one admits it, but everyone who hires top rank techs knows there's a good chance they've walked both sides at one time or another."

"If no one admits it, why do you?" Argos asked.

"Hey, wait for the camera." Christine protested. "C'mon, people!"

Dar took another sip of her coffee. "I thought you were going to grill me about how I'm panicking about our overwhelming new adversaries, Telegenics," she drawled. "I think hackers are more interesting."

Argos grinned briefly. "Keep talking. I want to see Christine implode."

"People." Christine sighed. "Charles, are you ready?"

"Almost," the cameraman called over.

Dar relaxed a little, lapsing into silence as she drank her coffee, waiting for the set up to be complete.

Kerry felt her phone buzz. She got up and set her cup down, going over to the window before she answered it. "Kerry Stuart."

"Oh, Kerry. Good. It's Eleanor. Listen, we have a problem."

Kerry glanced over her shoulder. "Hang on." She put the phone on hold. "Be right back." She signaled Dar, and eased past the camera crew to duck out the door and move far enough down the hall to find a quiet spot. "Okay, go ahead. Sorry. I was in the presentation center."

"Okay." Christine finished her arranging, and stepped back. "We're ready. Right?"

"Ready," Nelson agreed. He took a seat on the stool next to Dar's, tugging his jacket straight and setting his notes down on his knee out of the camera shot. "You ready, Ms. Roberts?"

"Sure." Dar let her hands rest on her thigh, trying to relax as much as she could under the circumstances.

She wished Kerry would come back.

"Right, let's go," Christine said, briskly. "Nelson, you're on."

The light on the camera lit, and Dar took a breath, letting it out slowly as she felt the tension build in her guts.

Argos cleared his throat. "I'm here today with Dar Roberts, Chief Information Officer for ILS, a Fortune 100 company that provides technology services. Ms. Roberts, thank you for taking some time out to meet with us."

"Anytime," Dar responded amiably.

"One of the big stories at the recent technology conference in Orlando was the budding rivalry between your company and a small startup company..."

"Stop." Dar lifted her hand.

Argos paused, a little startled. "Excuse me?"

"Stop. That's not true," Dar said. "That wasn't a big story there. No one, in fact, even asked me anything about it."

Argos blinked.

"The big stories at the conference were a debate on security and the release of news about some brand new technology involving heuristic advances in networking hardware," Dar continued. "I don't mind talking about whatever you have a mind to talk about, but don't make things up."

Christine's jaw dropped.

Argos was caught very off guard. "I'm sorry, Ms. Roberts," he said. "I was given some information about what happened at that convention, maybe there was a misunderstanding."

"There wasn't any misunderstanding," Dar smiled briefly. "You were pitched a load of BS to get my competitors some good publicity. You should have done your homework."

Argos blinked again. Then he looked off set over at Christine in appeal.

"So." Dar shifted a little. "Want to talk about the conference, or do you want to go through your scripted bit of drama? Your choice."

Argos took a moment to gather his wits. "All right, fair enough." He closed his notepad. "Let's talk about competition, then. From your attitude, I get the impression you don't really think you have any."

Dar nodded. "That's a better question," she said. "Of course we do. We have large competitors like ourselves, and smaller ones like your friends at Telegenics. They're all a concern. No one likes to lose business, least of all me."

"So, does Telegenics have your number? They've taken twenty percent of your renewals this quarter. How much does that count?" Argos went hardball, his expression serious.

"Everyone has our number," his subject answered. "We've been doing this for decades. There isn't a company out there that hasn't studied our methods and found a way to pitch against us. We're not for everyone."

"Something is making your customers turn against you," Argos said. "The contention is that you come with too much overhead. Like this place." He indicated the presentation room. "In this economy, people don't want expensive frills."

Dar cocked her head and glanced around. "I like to think of the difference being between full service and self service," she remarked. "Yes, you can get what we do done with barebones and slim margins."

"And?"

"That doesn't pay for performance and innovation," Dar responded. "I also heard someone say because we're so big, we can't respond as quickly as a smaller company. That's nonsense."

"Really?"

"Think about it," Dar said. "Let's say you're a client, and you suddenly become very successful. You need to open four more branch offices, immediately, to take advantage of your growth cycle."

"Okay," Argo said, in a doubtful tone.

"So who do you think is going to be able to respond faster, giving you connectivity and services? A small company that has to go out and provide them from scratch, or a big company, like us, that can simply make a phone call because we already have built-out infrastructure and services in reserve?"

"But that's an expensive insurance policy."

Dar's eyes twinkled, just a little. "You get what you pay for," she said. "So in answer to your original question--yes. Customers leaving us concerns me. It's something we studied very closely as it was happening, and it was debated around here pretty strongly. But the bottom line is, I wasn't willing to compromise our integrity and reputation in order to retain a handful of services accounts."

"So you're saying their model does work."

"I'm saying in the long run, ours works better. Eventually customers understand their business is worth investing in," Dar countered. "We invest in our service, and in being able to help our clients succeed."

The outer door opened, and Kerry slipped back in, pausing to stand against the back wall. She gave Dar a thumbs up at her last statement.

"Fair enough, Ms. Roberts." Argos let her get the last word in on the subject. "I'm sure we'll all be watching to see what happens next. Perhaps I can revisit this question with you in a few months."

"Anytime," Dar agreed. She wasn't entirely happy with the interview, but wasn't entirely unhappy with it either. She was content to let it end on a somewhat positive note.

"Cut." Catherine waved her hand. "Well." She scratched her head. "I'm not sure where we went with this."

"You're a tough interview." Nelson relaxed back on his stool. "But you're right on one thing, I should have done my homework better." He removed his mic and coiled it up. "I won't make that mistake with you again."

Kerry made her way around all the equipment and ended up at Dar's side. "Sorry I missed it." She rested her hand on Dar's back. "Are you all heading for the airport or staying overnight? I heard there was a big accident on the highway heading to MIA so I thought I'd warn you either way."

"We lucked out," Argos said. "We're staying overnight in South Beach." He got up and handed his gear to a waiting technician. "We weren't sure how long this would take."

"Well, I didn't get so lucky." Dar stood up. "I have a plane to catch, as a matter of fact. So if you folks are done with me, I need to get ready to leave."

"I think we're done, yes." Christine said, with a wry look. "We have some other background things to track down, but I think you covered what we asked." She glanced at Kerry. "Are you up for a go, Ms. Stuart?"

Kerry smiled briefly. "Wish I could, but I have a meeting I can't get out of in about five minutes." She gently nudged Dar toward the door. "My admin will be in here shortly. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to ask her."

"Okay, thanks." Christine gave them a brief wave. "We appreciate it."

Dar was glad to hear the door close behind them. "Meeting?" She eyed her partner.

"Yes. I'm meeting you so I can take you to the airport and get you some dinner before you take off." Kerry tucked her hand inside Dar's elbow. "You tell me what I missed, and I'll tell you about the latest disaster."

"Ah."

KERRY SLUNG HER sweat-dampened towel around her neck, and inched her way out of the slim boxing gloves encasing her hands. She was still breathing a little hard from the end of her sparring lesson, and she shook her head with a tiny jerk to clear a few droplets of perspiration out of her eyes.

"Nice moves, Ker." Her sparring partner Rod gave her a light clout on the shoulder as he moved past. "Glad you're back."

'Thanks." Kerry grinned at him. "That was fun."

"Eh." The woman at the locker next to hers gave her a wry look, examining a large purple bruise across the back of one hand. "Mostly fun. How are you, Kerry? We missed you and the Taz last week."

The Taz. Kerry wrinkled her nose at the nickname her partner had picked up from their kickboxing classmates. "We were in Orlando," she explained. "Now, Dar's in New York. She was sorry she was going to miss tonight too. She likes it."

"Well, we like it when you're here to occupy her." The woman grinned at Kerry. "Vacation?"

"Nah. A convention." Kerry stripped off her other glove and tossed it into her gear locker. Her head protector followed it, and the leather belt that protected her mid-section. "Phew...it's hot in here today." She wiped her face off with a corner of her towel, and then grabbed her clothing bag. "I'm going to go shower off. I feel grungier than an old dishrag."

"Hey." Rod poked his head around the door of her locker. "We're doing beer and wings across the street. You up for it?"

Kerry only hesitated an instant before she nodded. "Sure. Cold beer sounds really good right now," she agreed. "See you over there? You too, Sal?"

"Right on," the woman responded readily. "Tom's got his new bike, and he's dying to show it off. But I'm with Kerry--shower first."

"So you can sit in the bar and sweat?" Rod laughed. "You girls are so...so..."

"Girly?" Kerry supplied, with a grin. "If that means we feel good and don't stink, thanks!" She flicked him with her towel and headed for the women's shower room with Sally at her heels. This class was full of new people, and she and Dar had made friends with quite a few of them.

Kerry liked them. They were a mixture of professionals and working class, mostly laid back, with a diverse range of interests including diving and bikes, two of her own current fascinations. The women were into fitness, but not aerobics, and the guys were more relaxed and laid back than the martial artists that tended to populate the more traditional classes.

Cool group. They accepted her and Dar with amiable good nature even after their relationship had become evident and most of them held a healthy respect for Dar's fighting skills. "Ugh." Kerry stripped out of her baggy pants and T-shirt, then stepped under the shower with a feeling of relief.

The water was delightfully lukewarm, and she let it course over her for a minute before she squeezed out a handful of soap from the wall dispenser and scrubbed her skin with it. "So what did we miss last week?" she asked Sally, who had joined her in the next shower cubicle. The spaces were separated by half walls, to give a modicum of privacy.

"John just went over high kicks again," Sally responded. "He was in a bad mood. I think he lost big in that tourney he entered last weekend. You know how he gets."

"Ah." Kerry lathered her hair quickly and rinsed it, feeling one hundred percent better already. Her muscles were a little sore, and she was a little tired from the session, but she'd completed the rounds without taking any hard blows, and was pretty satisfied with herself all in all. "Yeah, he's a little touchy about that, I know. Especially when his buddies show up here to watch the class."

"Uh huh," Sally said. "Rod thinks he picks the wimpiest student he has to spar with when they're here. You notice he never picks Taz."

Kerry chuckled wryly. "Well, Dar's not exactly a novice, and he knows it," she explained, rinsing off one last time and grabbing her towel. "She teaches a class at our other gym near work. We're just on break from that right now, and she wanted to learn something new."

"Yeah, me too," Sally admitted frankly, as she joined Kerry in dressing. "I got really tired of spinning. You ever try that?"

"Nuh huh." Kerry pulled on her shorts and buttoned them, then donned a clean T-shirt from her bag. "The idea of riding and riding and riding and getting nowhere just isn't my style." She ran her brush through her hair, settling her newly cut locks into place. "I mean...we run every morning. We could get a treadmill and do it in the condo, in the nice air conditioning, but we don't."

Sally followed her out of the locker room and across the somewhat worn lobby of the boxing club where they had their class. "I kinda see what you mean, but sometimes it's a lot safer to run on the treadmill in here, than on the streets, y'know?"

That was true, Kerry admitted, as they left the club and headed across the street to the small pub already leaking faint sounds of music into the humid air. It wasn't something she and Dar had to worry about, and sometimes she did tend to forget not everyone lived on a private island where that kind of crime just didn't exist.

Rod and three others from the class joined them as they approached, already having claimed a table outside under the ficus tree. The doors to the pub were wide open, as were the windows. The place hadn't had air conditioning any time Kerry had ever been by there.

Outside was cooler, even in the dead of summer. She sat down in one of the worn, wooden chairs and leaned back as the group settled in under the string of tacky colored globe lights hanging from the tree. The place smelled of the distinctive scent of vegetation, of fried food and spices. Kerry considered it just about the most perfect neighborhood dive she'd ever seen. There was even a very worn dartboard nailed to the ficus, and for a quarter you could get three cracked darts to throw at it.

"Hey, honey!" Their regular waitress scooted over on spotting them, stopping in front of Kerry. "Usual?"

Kerry nodded, and stretched her legs out as the rest of the group made their orders. It had just turned dark, and there was just enough breeze to keep the night from being uncomfortable. The waitress had left a moment before the rumbling pop of a motorcycle engine interrupted the night, its roar growing louder as it came closer. "Ah...guess that's Tom."

"You guessed it," Rod agreed, hitching his knee up and slinging one long leg over the chair arm. He was tall and lanky, dark haired and relatively good-looking in an understated kind of way. "Big ol Harley, and damn he wants everyone to know about it."

Kerry snorted and shook her head.

The rider and bike arrived then, the noise precluding any further conversation until Tom turned the engine off and parked the big cycle, displaying it to various noises of appreciation. "Nice, huh?"

"Prettier than you are," Rod called out with a chortle. "Sure you can handle something that rad?"

"Kiss my ass, butthead," Tom replied with a grin. "If you're nice, I might let you touch it." He half turned and glanced back at Kerry. "Whatcha think, Kerry? Sweet, huh?" He indicated the bike, which was a monster in black and chrome with a custom painted gas tank covered in incongruous tropical fish.

"Very," Kerry agreed readily. "I like the soft tail. You didn't opt for a VRSC?"

Tom walked over and sat down next to her, clasping his hands together. "Oh...I think I'm in love with you. A girl who speaks my language." He grinned at her. "You have one?"

"Not quite." Kerry accepted her mug of ice-cold draft beer and sipped it. "We were going for one. Went into the show room, and the guy there told Dar she'd have to buy what he was willing to sell her." She licked her lips and sighed. "One 'kiss my ass' later, we headed over to the Honda dealership and the rest is history. I like my Shadow, though. It fits me."

The group laughed. Tom groaned, and slapped his head. "Kerry...Kerry...Kerry...how could you?" He moaned. "Why didn't you try a different dealership? I got mine in Daytona during bike week. It was like a religious experience."

Kerry took a lazy swallow of her amber colored beer and shrugged one shoulder. "We use it down by the cabin in the keys. If we kept a Harley in the shed, we'd spend half our time writing police reports on it. So, it worked out for us. Maybe my next one'll be a hog."

Tom waggled his eyebrows at her. "Wanna go for a ride after we eat?"

"Sure," Kerry agreed. "As long as you don't have chili again."

The gang laughed again, and Rod threw a corn chip at his buddy. "She gotcha."

"Damn it, I like chili!" Tom whined. "Okay, here, at least get a picture of me with a good looking girl on my bike. I gotta have something to show the guys." He gave Kerry a pleading look. "You mind?"

With a chuckle, Kerry set her beer down and got up, following Tom over to the slick machine and admiring its lines as she hopped up and gingerly settled herself on the back part of the seat. "Hm."

Tom got on in front of her, and did a muscle dude pose, flexing his bicep for Kerry's admiration. Obligingly, she leaned against him and pointed at the muscle, raising her eyebrows for the camera. "Psst," she whispered. "I think Dar's are sexier."

Tom gave her a look over his shoulder. He was blond and football player style buff, and had a crew cut that was almost fifties in its rigor. "Gee, thanks Ker," he muttered. "You really know how to make a guy feel great."

Kerry chuckled, and slid off the bike now that the flashes had stopped. She headed for the table, sidestepping the outstretched feet and reclaiming her chair with a sigh.

"Okay, okay." Tom finally joined them, after he carefully made sure his new bike wasn't going to fall over onto the sidewalk. "This round's on me, since I don't have to start paying on this thing for three months."

Whistles all round greeted his speech.

Kerry relaxed, looking forward to her cheeseburger with a sense of decadent pleasure. She felt sort of bad for Dar stuck in her hotel up in New York, but she was glad to get the chance to decompress after work.

She let her eyes wander as the group chattered about Tom's new bike. The conversation ranged from the latest disaster film premier to the latest storm brewing in the tropic. "So what did you say you're doing tomorrow, Sal?"

"Canoeing." Sally looked quite satisfied. "We're going out to Uleta Park, up in North Dade. You can canoe around there for hours in those waterways. Then we're doing a barbeque at the park. Interested?"

"Mm...wish I could but I have to work tomorrow," Kerry mourned. "That sounds like a blast."

"Call in sick," Sally suggested.

"Can't," Kerry said. "Dar's out of town and I cover for her. But thanks for the invite. Maybe next time? I bet Dar'd like that too."

"You bet," Sally said. "We have a sort of adventurer's club around my complex. We do a lot of stuff like that, hikes in the Everglades, and sailing and all, you guys should hook up with us. There's an online calendar."

"Send it over," Kerry said immediately. "We're looking for something like that to get involved with, Sal. Thanks!"

Sally looked pleased. "You got it. You guys are fun. I think you'd get along with the rest of my crowd." She sat back. "Cool beans."

Kerry agreed. That would make Dar happy, and that made her happy. The night was looking up so far.

"Here's to my bike!" Tom said, raising his glass and extending it. "And to a bunch of good buddies!" He clinked his mug to theirs. "Just sorry Taz isn't here to see it."

Kerry tilted her mug toward him. "I'll drink to that sentiment. Me too."

Everyone laughed. The waitress returned and set their plates down, waving a finger at the beer steins and raising her eyebrows.

"You bet." Kerry handed hers over. "Let's get this party started."

"LET ME WALK you down to your car, Kerry." Rod hitched his jeans up and followed her away from the dive. "It's kinda late."

"Sure," Kerry amiably agreed, feeling a touch lightheaded.

They started down the sidewalk, and then cut over one street moving closer to the beach. There was a light stream of traffic on the roads, cars rolling along with stereos blaring and people in typically abbreviated clothing.

Kerry stifled a yawn with one hand and gazed casually into the storefronts as they passed. "Good grief. Do people actually buy that clothing?" She pointed at a shirt, which was mostly glitter and spandex.

"Beats me." Rod shook his head. "Especially since that's supposed to be a men's store." He peered at the sequined boots. "Wow."

"Wow," Kerry agreed. "I can't imagine a woman wearing those."

There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean, and Kerry gratefully turned her face into it, reaching back to ruffle her shortened hair and let the air get to her damp neck. It wasn't really that late, a little past nine, and privately she didn't want to rush back to their condo that was sadly lacking Dar's presence.

No offense to Chino, of course.

"Did you park in the public lot?" Rod asked.

"Yeah." Kerry nodded, her eyes drawn to a lurid neon sign. She slowed as they came even with the tattoo shop, looking at the art in the windows and the dimly seen figures inside. "That's some nice art."

"Hell yeah," Rod agreed, stopping to look. "You have any?"

"No." Kerry shook her head with some regret. "In my family, that wasn't something you did if you didn't want to be locked in the attic for twenty years."

"I thought you lived with Dar." Rod pressed his fingertips against the glass. "A good friend of mine works here. He's an artist."

"I do live with Dar." Kerry found her eyes drawn to the designs, some basic and explicit, others fantastic forays into strange art.

"She has a problem with tats? I didn't figure she did. She's pretty cool."

"No, not that family. My birth family." Kerry peered at one of the designs. "Is any of this your friend's work?"

"That stuff." Rod pointed at a phoenix erupting from a bed of flames, and a beautiful Chinese dragon. "That's his." He eyed Kerry. "You want one."

Kerry's lips twitched. "I've thought about it," she admitted.

Rod glanced at the door. "Let's go inside and talk to my friend. At least he can give you an idea of what it costs, and stuff like that. Maybe if you have a design in mind, he can draw it up and show you what it would look like."

It sounded pretty harmless. "Okay." Kerry followed him inside, aware immediately of several things.

One, it smelled clean inside. There was a distinct scent of cleanser in the air along with an almost jarring buzzing noise coming from one of the three dentist style chairs against one mirrored wall.

"Hey dude." The man behind the desk greeted Rod. "You're moving up in the world."

Rod blushed. "Ah...uh, no, uh...this is just a friend of mine. Her name's Kerry. She's in my kickboxing class."

"Uh huh." The man regarded Kerry. "Looking for some art, Kerry?"

Kerry bravely approached the desk, putting her hands on it and giving him a faint smile. "Well, I was thinking about it," she said. "I wanted something sort of personal."

"You mean you don't want a flaming skull with born to die on your bicep?" The artist grinned at her. "Damn."

"Not exactly." Kerry felt her mouth go a little dry. "Let me tell you what I had in mind, and maybe you can suggest something."

The man smiled broadly. "Now that's what I like to hear." He pulled a stool up behind him, and motioned for her to sit down. "Rod, go get a coke." He eyed his friend. "And get one for the lady."

Rod gave him a long-suffering grin. "You want a soda, Kerry?"

"See if they have a milkshake." Kerry felt a nervous clenching in her guts. "I have a feeling I might need it."

He patted her on the shoulder. "You got it. Be right back."

KERRY STUDIED THE piece of paper in front of her, her heart beating a little fast. She was aware of shakiness in her belly, and the air conditioning of the shop seemed a little too cold at the moment.

"Do you like it?"

She traced the outlines of the design with her eyes, all smooth and sinuous. "I do like it. Very much." She looked up at the artist. "I'm just trying to psych myself into doing it."

The artist sat down next to her. They were on the other side of the shop, in a small, almost cozy seating pit with a comfortable couch and two plush chairs. "You know, I hear that a lot."

Kerry laughed faintly. "I'm sure you do," she murmured.

"Take your time," the artist said. "But if you really want to do this don't go home and think it over. You won't do it."

He was right. She could feel it in her heart. If she walked out now, she wouldn't come back. This was one of those 'in the moment' things Dar was always talking to her about.

Did she want to do this, though? Kerry ran her fingertip over the design. She'd been thinking of getting a tattoo for a few months, spurred on maybe by the body art she saw in the gym.

Maybe driven by the need she still had to rebel against her family. The thought of her family's faces if she told them made her lips twitch into a fierce grin. This was something different than everything she shared with Dar, too.

This was just her.

"It is forever," the artist said. "Well, unless you're stupidly rich and love pain. The laser hurts more than the tat itself does. So if the design there isn't something you want on your skin for a long time, give it a pass."

Kerry looked up at him, studying his interesting, angular face. She handed back the piece of paper, and managed a shaky grin. "I want it," she said. "Let's do it."

He didn't seem surprised. He got up and patted her shoulder. "Okay, you sit here and finish your shake, while I get this ready and set my station up." He hesitated. "Did you want to hear the price first?"

"No." Kerry shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

He nodded. "Want to know if it's going to hurt?"

Kerry gave him a wry look. "I assumed it would," she said. "I nick myself shaving and it hurts. Can you stick needles into your body and have it not hurt?"

"It'll hurt," he confirmed. "Especially where you're getting it. But if you get to where you can't take it, just kick me in the kneecap and I'll give you a break. Fair?"

"Fair." Kerry knotted her hands together and took a deep breath as he moved away. "Whooof," she muttered. "Here we go."

DAR TRUDGED INTO her hotel room, tossing her jacket over the nearby chair and kicking out of her formal shoes even before she had the door properly closed. "Know what?" she addressed the empty room. "I'm about ready to go work someplace I can wear jeans every damn day."

She was tired, and aggravated, and here she was near midnight after a very long, stressful day. "Stupid sons of bitches," she cursed, giving her room a glare. "I come all the way up here and the entire pack of jackasses don't have the start of their act together. Pain in my ass, and a waste of my time."

Their client's team had fallen apart trying to answer her questions. Everything she asked was either deferred to their VP Ops who was out of town, or met with an anxious, wide-eyed stare of incomprehension.

Their CIO had been pretty much mortified, and offered to take Dar out to dinner to make up for the chaos. He'd turned out to be a vegetarian.

Dar had forced him into a steakhouse, sending a brief mental apology to her mother as she ordered hers rare and spent a desultory couple of hours making polite conversation about nothing significant at all while a pounding ache in her head slowly grew into what she suspected was the beginning of a migraine.

Aggravated wasn't the word for what she was. Disgusted, hurting, sick to her stomach, and just hellfire damned annoyed didn't even come close either.

With a sigh she started unbuttoning the sleeves on her shirt, slowing as she spotted a basket on top of a small table in the reasonably elegant room. She didn't remember it being there earlier when she'd thrown her luggage into the room before heading for the client, but then the bottle of champagne resting with distinguished chilliness nearby hadn't been either. "Hm. What have we here?"

She glanced at the tag on the champagne. "Forget it, Stewie. You'll be lucky if I leave you an extra set of tin cans tomorrow." Her lip curled slightly at the sight of her erstwhile dining companion's name. "You can keep your damn fake French bubbly."

She tossed the card on to the table and watched it slide off the polished surface and waft toward the carpet with a supremely disinterested shrug.

Now, the basket. Gift from the management? Dar circled the table and cautiously investigated the unexpected offering. The basket was a nice wicker one with a lid. She opened the top and peered inside, a smile appearing on her face when the first thing she saw was a packet of good hot chocolate. "So." She sat down and upturned the basket, spilling out its contents.

Brownies. Cookies. The hot chocolate. Truffles. Dar poked her finger among them and stopped at the last item--a frilly little gauze bag filled with Hersey's kisses. She picked it up and cupped it in her hand, gazing at the silver wrapped treats with eyes that suddenly, unexpectedly, stung.

There was a card attached to the wicker. Dar opened it, already knowing what she'd find inside.

Hope you're looking at this as you finish up business early and are watching the sun set over Manhattan. But I bet you ain't. Love, Kerry

"Bet you're right," Dar answered in a husky voice. "Wish to hell you were in that basket."

The quiet of the room settled around her as she sat there, her head resting on one hand and a bag of kisses cradled in the other. Finally she sighed and straightened up, opening the net and retrieving one of the candies. "C'mon, Dar. Get a grip. She can use a vacation from you with all this insecurity crap you've been pulling the last week." With a morose look, she popped a kiss into her mouth and chewed it.

Here, alone in her hotel room, she could lean back and be as depressed as she wanted to.

Her eyes shifted to the table.

But it was hard to do that, when she was practically up to her earlobes in thoughtful presents from her beloved partner whose warm smile seemed to reflect off the packaging scattered over the surface in front of her.

Even if it was midnight, and she had a migraine.

Dar pulled the other chair over and put her feet up on it, leaning back as she consumed more of the kisses. Lacking milk, she reached over and snagged the bottle of champagne, untwisting its top and popping the cork in a smooth motion. She poured herself a glass and took a sip, letting her head rest against the back of the chair as she thought about Kerry.

Slowly, the tension eased from her shoulders. She knew Kerry was trying her hardest to be supportive, she only had to unfold the piece of paper in her wallet and reread yesterday's poem to see that. Chocolate chip cookies, her stuff all taken care of...this...Dar exhaled, acknowledging the deep emotion in her guts the thought triggered.

Kerry cared so much about her. It was almost like she could feel her partner's presence, and if she closed her eyes, she could almost sense a pair of ghostly hands on her shoulders and the faint brush of Kerry's lips on the top of her head.

Tears came again, and Dar rested her head on her hand, letting her fingers slide forward to cover her eyes. "God damn it," she cursed at herself softly. "Would you fucking snap out of this already?"

It was ludicrous. It was frustrating. Dar wanted to slap herself for feeling the way she did, for what she considered such a stupid reason.

For no reason, really. So what if she'd had to tangle with Shari? She'd gotten exactly what she wanted from the trade show, and they'd won, damn it! So what the hell was wrong with her?

I need to kick myself in the ass.

Disgusted, she shoved herself to her feet and went to her window, brushing aside the curtains to lean against the glass and stare out at the city. Behind the thick glass, the sounds were muted, and the garish lights and looming buildings seemed alien beyond their usual to her.

She'd never liked New York. The city seemed big, impersonal, nasty and dirty to her, without any of the exciting energy and pulse she'd heard its residents boast of. The streets were narrow, the buildings were overbearing and in some places dirty, and in the heat of the summer, the place stunk to high heaven.

Exciting? Dar had driven past the financial district earlier, as the cabby proudly pointed out Wall Street to her. Peering down the rows of buildings, it had appeared like nothing more than a huge, impersonal canyon about as picturesque as a bunch of shoeboxes set on end.

The change of subject was helping. Dar took several deep breaths, reassured by the order that seemed to be returning to her thoughts.

She spotted a man walking a dog across the street, and focused on that. He was a street person, she realized, wearing ragged clothing and carrying probably all his possessions on his back. Alongside him a mixed breed shepherd dog trotted, his tail wagging proudly. He had a kerchief around his neck that probably cost as much as the owner's shirt, and as Dar watched them move past and studied the man's lifted head and jaunty step, she decided she deserved nothing but a first class butt kicking rather than chocolate baskets and pretty poems.

"Okay, Paladar," she addressed herself, moving back from the window and starting again to unbutton her sleeves. "That's enough. You're over it. Grow the fuck up."

She slid her shirt off and tossed it over the chair with her jacket. She slipped out of her skirt as she walked to her suitcase, it's top neatly opened. She removed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, changing into them and breathing in the scent of home as the soft folds settled over her.

"That's better." She took her sundry kit from the overnight bag and went into the bathroom, setting it onto the sink and removing her toothbrush and paste from it. She glanced at the paste and half chuckled, recognizing the flavor. "Grape." She held the paste up. "Thanks, Ker."

Her headache was easing a little, and to further that end, she swallowed a few Advil after she finished brushing her teeth.

Wandering back into the main room she sat down on the bed, flipping the television on more to provide some background noise than anything else. She found CNN and stretched out on the bed, lying down flat and watching the picture sideways.

Some of the CNN anchors, she'd discovered, looked better that way. The news, however, always seemed to be the same thing. Trouble in the Middle East, typhoons in Tokyo, political wrangling in the U.S. Never changed.

Dar checked her watch, hesitantly wondering if it was too late to call home. The thought was only barely articulated when her cell phone, resting on the nightstand, went off with a low, rumbling buzz.

She rolled over a few times to get to the head of the bed, and grabbed the phone, glancing at the caller id as she flipped it open. "Hi."

"Hey, sweetie."

Dar realized as she listened that there was something about Kerry's voice that did something to her when she heard it. It was a visceral reaction--she felt her body relax onto the bed, and the tension across her shoulders eased almost like magic. "Ahhh...Kerrison. Now that's a sound for sore ears."

Kerry laughed. "Did I wake you up?" she said. "I'm sorry if I did. I just got home and I wanted to make sure you got there okay and everything was going fine."

Dar's eyebrows lifted. "You just got home?" she queried.

"Yeah." Kerry sounded a trifle abashed. "We went to the pub after class and talked trash for a few hours. Tom got his new bike." She cleared her throat. "And...I...um...did something I think you're going to kill me for."

Dar blinked, her eyes searching the arched ceiling. "You did?"

"Yeeahhh...but I'd rather tell you about it in person."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Dar's brow furrowed. Kerry didn't sound really worried about it, but... "You know I hate surprises."

A soft, wry chuckle. "Honey, I know that. But humor me. Please?"

The tone reassured her a little. "Okay." Dar sighed. "It's been a bitch of a day. I'm torked," she complained. "I hate New York."

"Wish I was there," Kerry admitted. "Rather than going to that damn meeting tomorrow. At least I have picking you up to look forward to."

It made her smile. "Hey. Thanks for the basket," Dar said. "It was nice to come in to after a lousy night."

"Aww." Kerry chuckled softly. "Glad to hear that. How's the sizing going? Did you straighten out what they need?"

Dar sighed. "No. They weren't ready for me today. I'm going to have to really push tomorrow to get out of here on time. Maybe I should take the morning flight out and forget about it.

"Dar." Kerry cleared her throat gently. "These guys are pretty big. We should take care of them."

"Yeah, I know."

"After that pullout Eleanor told me about, we could use some good news," Kerry said. "That was a big contract."

Dar sighed. "That deal was screwed from the start. I told you those people were never going to sign," she said. "They can say it was pricing but that's BS."

"Well, if they tell everyone we're too pricy does it make a difference?"

Dar sighed again.

"Listen, just do what you can, and then get on the plane. It'll work out," Kerry said. "At least they put you up in a nice place."

Dar glanced around. "Yeah." She shrugged. "It's okay, but it's lacking an amenity."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"You."

A low chuckle came through the phone. "See you tomorrow night, sweetheart. Try to take it easy, huh?"

"You too." Dar smiled. "Night. Love you."

"Love you too. G'night."

Dar folded the phone shut and put it on her chest. Now what, she wondered, could Kerry have done?

That Dar would kill her for?

Dar sighed.

It was going to be a long twenty-four hours.