Thank you everyone who has followed, favorited or reviewed the story so far. I admit, this one has been fun for me to write. Once again I couldn't have done it without the help of two people. Honorcpt and CrackdownDraco - who have both allowed me to throw ideas around, add some of their own and just given their services to beta the story. Therefore, any mistakes are theirs! Oh... perhaps not... okay... geez, any mistakes are mine.
Same disclaimer as before... except the cats have just had a de-flea treatment. I don't know if that changes a cats value? Enough of this mindless drivel...
Merch and Isles.
Chapter two.
"What are you doing here?"
Maura had finally been able to straighten herself up before asking the question, although it didn't escape her notice that Jane hadn't fully relinquished her hold.
"Really? Of all the questions you have to ask! I had to pee, what do you think I've been doing here. Toilet, meet my rather full bladder!" Jane replied sarcastically, an eye roll thrown in for good measure, still gripping Maura's forearms.
"Jane!" Maura's tone showed she wasn't happy with Jane's retort, as she then tugged out of Jane's clinch. "So, what are you doing here? Spying on me?"
What?" Jane looked Maura in the eye, even though she knew that she had been trying to find out what Maura was up to, and just generally snooping. Yeah, like I'm going to admit to that, I'm in enough shit as it is.
"No, I was just interested, ya know. After you mentioned this opening, I went to the robber. Frost was there, we got talking about the opening and we decided to visit. See what all the fuss is about." Jane said, trying to pour as much sincerity into her tone as she could, hoping Maura bought it.
Maura meanwhile had grabbed Jane's one hand, and once sure they had both regained their balance, was pulling her back out into the bar area. Maura then scanned the room and with a slight but definitely exaggerated sigh, she spotted Frost, and they began to head his way.
Frost stood up when he saw Maura approach, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. "Nice outfit Doc." It barely registered with him that Jane was alongside Maura and he couldn't tear his eyes away.
"Thank you Barry. It's nice to know someone appreciates it." Maura looked pointedly at Jane who refused to look sorry, even though she knew deep down that she deserved the verbal blow from Maura.
"Follow me." Maura then turned on her heels, with a shocked Frost and Jane following a pace or two behind.
"God, Korsak would have a heart attack. Fuck me boots. You didn't tell me she was in fuck me boots. And that top, holy christ on a crutch!" Frost whispered as best he could.
Jane dug him in the ribs with her elbow. "Hear you say that again, and you'll be in for a world of hurt. You got me." Jane hissed as Frost grunted from the move before rubbing the now sore area. If there was one thing he knew, it was Jane had bony elbows!
"Chill. Jesus." Frost finally said, noticing Maura didn't even talk to the bouncer at one of the VIP doors, as she opened it before turning around, and waited for Jane and Frost to catch up with her. They walked in slowly, both still reeling from the latest development.
Frost let out a whistle as the smaller and obviously vastly more expensive part of the club was revealed to them. On the single table sat a bottle of chilling champagne in an ice bucket, and one partially drained glass.
Maura walked over to the large lone sofa, which was in black leather, before sitting down. From there, she pulled out a small telephone that was hidden from immediate view.
"Please bring in a fresh bottle and two additional glasses." was all Maura said as she spoke in to receiver, before putting it back, not even waiting for a response.
"I do hope you're going to sit and join me now that you're both here."
"Jesus, Maur... You own this place or something." Jane finally joked as she sank down in the plush leather, the modern glass and chrome, with subtle lightening giving an intimate atmosphere, without it being claustrophobic.
"I know who owns it, yes, and I also happen to know the manager. That's one reason I'm here tonight." Maura replied slowly, as there was a knock on the door, and a waiter appeared, a new bottle of champagne and two glasses with him. He quickly set them down on the table, and after waiting a beat, and seeing there were no further orders, disappeared back out of the door.
Maura leant forward and poured the champagne, handing the glasses out to Jane and Frost, before taking her own.
"Exclusive invite hey Doc?" Frost said as he took the glass, before also sitting down on the sofa, which still had room to spare, careful to give Jane and Maura room.
"Yes. If you must know, it was a one of a kind invitation." Maura replied, as she watched Jane carefully.
Jane meanwhile was finally beginning to relax, feeling happier now they were out of the main crowd. Her one arm was casually slung across the back of the sofa, as she carefully took a sip of her champagne. Her eyebrows went up, and she looked at Maura, a subtle change on her face to show she recognized just how good, and therefore, just how expensive the champagne was. Jane had, without a doubt, become far more of a champagne connoisseur now that her friendship with Maura had deepened. Beer was still very much her drink of choice, but she did appreciate a good champagne when the occasion warranted it - and as much as she was loathed to admit it - this occasion warranted it.
Maura saw Frost and Jane relaxing, so she moved slightly, and in a small alcove built into the side of the table, basically at her knee level, pushed some buttons that were alongside the previously hidden telephone. The music from the main club began to play, albeit at a much lower volume, allowing them to stay relaxed and still talk at normal levels to each other.
"So, how come you're here on your own?" Frost asked as he put his half full glass down, leaning forward, his elbows now resting on his knees.
"I wasn't to begin with." Maura admitted, "This is a fairly recent development and I was going to leave since my companions from previously would be tied up for the rest of the night. However, since you're now here, I thought we might stay a little longer."
"So why were you abandoned? Seems rude to me." Jane finally spoke up, helping herself to a fresh glass of champagne. The alcohol buzz was just beginning to hit, helping her mood.
"They work here, and had duties that couldn't be ignored. One also has an early start in the morning."
"Hmm, if they are working, manager is one I'm guessing." Jane finally said, her voice as neutral as she could make it.
Maura looked at Jane carefully as she answered. "Yes, it was, plus a couple of other people primarily involved in getting the new club off the ground."
Jane's eyebrows rise was almost indiscernible as Maura spoke, but it wasn't lost on Maura, who knew Jane had picked up on what Maura wasn't saying as much as what she was.
"So, why the distinguished company Maur? Sounds like they all had some part in the opening, so did you?"
"Did I what?"
Jane threw her arms up in exasperation. "And this is when you manage to piss me off. Stop deflecting." Jane glared slightly in Maura's direction. "Did you help with the reopening of this place in some capacity."
Maura knew she was now trapped in how she was going to answer, without giving herself away completely.
"What does it matter?"
"It matters because you're not giving us a straight answer..."
Frost couldn't stop the laughter that erupted, saying. "Straight, in this place? Yeah right!" The laughter abruptly came to a halt as Jane not only glared at him, but punched his upper arm - hard. He winched, but knew when not to do anything else, so grabbed his glass of champagne, downing it quickly before pouring himself some more.
"Stop interrupting me you idiot." Jane's irritation clearly shone through before she turned back to Maura, "So, come on, what's your involvement here?"
"It's complicated." Maura finally replied, beginning to squirm slightly in her seat, "but yes, I have placed some of my money into this venture."
Jane sat back upright in a shot, her eyes wide open, and some of the champagne sloshed out of the top of her glass as she did so. It then continued to drip off the rim. She didn't even bother to try and clean her top where the errant liquid landed. "You... But..." Maura had moved to brush off the moisture on Jane's top but halted at Jane's words.
It was then Maura noticed Frost had an equally stunned expression on his face.
"I didn't say anything, because as you both know, I rarely talk about my money. Whilst most is tied up in charitable trusts, there is some I use for a cause each year I feel is deserving. This year, I made the choice of Merch."
Maura spoke with barely a change in her face, but internally she was worried about how this latest news was going to be received.
Frost was the first to relax his posture slightly. "Brings new meaning to the word merchandise, so what, its now Merch-and-Isles?" Frost sniggered at his own joke, not realizing no one else was laughing before he carried on. "So, you get access here whenever you or your friends want?"
"I suppose so." Maura looked perplexed at the question.
Frost couldn't stop the shit eating grin. "So if I wanted to come and see some more of the booty on disp..."
He didn't get any further as Jane rounded on him. "Are you just being an asshole tonight for the fucking sake of it. For gods sake, shut up!"
"Jane," Maura said quickly, before looking at Frost. "And Barry, I'm disappointed in you."
Frost actually looked contrite as Maura spoke, knowing he'd taken it a little too far this time. "Sorry, I was trying to relieve some of the tension around here. Guess I made it worse, hey?"
Jane didn't bother to respond as she turned to look back at Maura. "I don't understand Maur. I know you get involved in a lot of stuff, but you usually let your finance manager - who I still think is a jerk by the way - deal with it, and this..." a hand came out and gestured in the air around her. "This is so different from anything I've known you get involved in. Can you blame us for being shocked?"
Maura took a deep breath. "I understand you're shocked. I just knew that when the Merch closed down as a result of our case, it left quite a gap in the LGBT scene in Boston. Despite The Commonwealth of Massachusetts being gay friendly, there are surprisingly few exclusive gay and lesbian venues in Boston. I felt that I needed to help redress this imbalance by being involved in the opening of the club back up again."
Jane worried her bottom lip with her top set of teeth, "Yeah, okay I get that. What I'm still struggling to understand is how you know all this, and why it's so important. Why? You feel guilty because you helped close it down in the first place? Hell of an expensive way to address your feelings of guilt if that's the case Maur."
"No, it isn't guilt." Maura replied. "I just knew it would leave a gap that would be felt. I can't and I won't explain it further than that if you don't mind. I came tonight to just enjoy the opening, and not get involved in conversations about my money and how I have gone about spending some of it."
Jane immediately looked sorry and placed a hand lightly across one of Maura's. "Sorry, I get that. So, let's just enjoy the last of this champagne and head home, okay."
"Thank you, I would appreciate it. Truth be told I'm a little tired after the week we've had, and I know you are." Maura looked carefully at Jane for a second. "And your apparel Jane is hardly what I would expect to see you in for an exclusive night out at a club."
Jane looked down at her the now very crumpled jacket, her still moist two day old shirt, and rumpled pants, before looking back at Maura, who had a grin on her face.
"Didn't I tell you once," Jane gestured to her attire. "These are my going out clothes."
Maura's laughter was loud and uninhibited with Frost looking at the two women as if they had suddenly grown two heads.
"Man, I hate not knowing the in-joke." he muttered, as Jane followed Maura's lead and began to laugh.
The laughter finally died down, and the three of them just sat there in silence for a bit.
"So, we going home or what?" Frost finally asked, as he drained the last of his champagne, looking across at the two other women, who had both sat there just doing their usual; seemingly unaware of the way the other one looked at them. He sighed, hoping that his instinct about the two was accurate, and if it was, that they finally understand what was happening and do something about it.
Frost then stood up, and his movement was enough to garner the attention of Maura and Jane. "So, are we going?" Frost repeated, a nod of his head towards the door.
"God you're like the annoying little brother." Jane bumped her shoulder against Frost's as she also got up and walked past him, while he held the door open. "As if I don't have two already to contend with."
"Hahaha," Frost replied, "Keep it up Rizzoli, paybacks a bitch. Just remember that."
Jane sat down on Maura's sofa, while Maura checked on Bass, and made sure that the house alarm was back on, before she also settled down alongside Jane, handing over a bottle of chilled beer, a glass of Merlot in her other hand.
"Are you sure you can stay?" Maura asked suddenly. "What about Jo? Is she still with Tommy?"
Jane smiled. "Yeah. He really loves her, and she loves it when he does some of the dog walking he still has. Gets to be around other dogs for a bit. And he at least has pretty regular hours, not like you, me or Frankie. And I can't expect Ma to look after her the whole time, even if she does call her the grandpup."
Maura merely nodded, before pushing back more into the cushions.
"So, you really put some money into Merch." Jane finally said after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
Maura noticed Jane had not looked at her directly, and was a little unsure why that was, but decided not to push the matter.
Jane meanwhile was having a hard time not to stare at the now very obvious boobs of Maura that were still straining against the top, looking as if they were desperate for release. Release Jane wasn't entirely sure she would be unhappy to provide. Even that thought was scaring the crap out of her, let alone being constantly reminded of the reason for those thoughts at every turn. It wasn't the first time Jane had entertained the idea either, but it was the first where she could remember it being - so - prominent.
Maura sighed as she took a sip of wine. "I thought we had already established I've placed money into opening of Merch Jane. It seems rather strange to be rehashing what you already know."
"Yeah true," Jane finally looked in Maura's direction. Come on Rizzoli, you can do this."I guess I'm still slightly shocked by it, is all."
"I appreciate that, but really, I don't want to continue talking about it."
Jane could see it was making Maura uncomfortable, so she put her beer down, before opening her arms, and Maura immediately took up the offer of a hug.
"Just... What isit with the outfit?" Jane then asked as she gently rubbed the bare shoulder blades where the top dipped away at the back, leaving a vast expanse of flesh, trying not to revel in the feeling too much.
"I don't often get the chance to do something a little more risqué than my normal wardrobe allows." Maura finally admitted, knowing the question was a genuine one, and not a criticism like the earlier comments Jane had made. "Tonight was an ideal opportunity."
"Letting the wilder side of Doctor Isles go. Huh? Who would have thought you had it in you."
"Obviously not you by your earlier reaction Jane." Maura replied lightly, allowing her tone to remain carefree to show she was joking, and sensing Jane's body language hadn't changed, she knew Jane was accepting it as such.
"Yeah, sorry about being such a jerk earlier. If I plead tiredness mixed with shock, would you accept that as a defence?"
Maura smiled, "A weak defence Jane. We both know you sometimes you react first, and ask questions later.
"Alright, so I suck. Totally suck." Jane's tone held the same tone of cheerfulness that Maura had displayed, as they continued to stay in the hug. "Forgiven?"
"Forgiven." Maura all but whispered when she began to move as close as should could into Jane's body. Her relaxed demeanour was abruptly shattered as Jane suddenly sat upright, pushing Maura gently, but firmly away from her body.
Dark brown eyes stared intently at Maura, Jane's face a total mask of seriousness all of a sudden, as a thought struck her.
"Hold on, you never just go in to any pure business venture unless you have majority control Maura... Its one reason you're always telling me you tend to stick with charities. Business with others is fraught with all kinds of crap, charities are easy and fulfilling - no managers or partners who have completely different ideas or ideals than you to deal with... So, what the hell?"
Jane fully released Maura, and pushed a hand through her rather tangled hair, confusion showing on her face.
"No kidding when you said you know the owner... you and your deflecting... Dammit, why didn't I see it earlier? That means you're..." Jane's voice drifted away. Her eyes then looked at Maura, shock still showing.
Maura knew she would have to be completely truthful now Jane had put the final pieces together. Maura was actually surprised it had taken Jane as long as she had to connect the dots, and could only attribute the exhaustion from the case for being the reason.
"It means I am the sole owner of Merch, yes."
