"You two have really outdone yourselves!" Susan ran up to Bree and Katherine, using both arms to grab them both at once in a forced group hug.
"You're not just a client, you're a friend." Bree reminded her, patting her on the back.
"Oh, I don't know why I'm always surprised." Susan gushed. "You're professionals now!"
"Susan, it's almost time to start the signing." said Katherine, gently guiding her toward tables stacked high with picture books. She and Bree had booked a locally owned children's toy store, and there was a line of boys and girls ages five and up waiting to meet the woman from the back of their favorite books.
After getting her all set up, Bree and Katherine hovered a safe distance away as they usually did at the events they planned.
"Looks like there are more adults here than children. Do you think they'll all want a balloon?" Katherine asked. They'd only ordered one hundred balloons with the main character's face and name on them.
Bree was about to answer but caught sight of someone over Katherine's shoulder, and her face lit up.
"Look who's here!"
Katherine turned her head casually, then spun around when she saw who it was behind her.
"Adam!" Katherine heard the edge in her own voice and tried to shake it. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you in action." He leaned in so only Katherine could hear the next part. "You know, outside the bedroom?" Adam covered up his hidden comment by giving Katherine a quick peck on the cheek.
Katherine shifted uncomfortably, feeling the grin on Bree's face without needing to see it.
"Bree told me you'd both be here today." Adam explained, looking around the store.
Katherine turned her head slowly to look at Bree. "Really."
Bree continued to smile at Adam. "It's so nice to formally meet you, Adam. Katherine has told me so much about you."
"She has?" Adam seemed pleasantly surprised.
"Well..." Bree said. "No, not really. But I'd love to hear more!"
"And I'd just love to tell it," Katherine cut in. "But I really have to attend to the guests."
"You sure? I'd love to meet some more of your friends..."
"I'm just so busy, Adam. Maybe later?"
"Okay. I was going to get my book signed anyway." Adam held up a copy of Susan's book. "I can't wait to find out what happens to Tubby the bear cub." he said, pointing to the fuzzy illustrations on the cover. "Besides, I'll have you all to myself tomorrow night."
Katherine managed a tight-lipped smile, waiting a bit too obviously for him to leave.
"Come talk to me if you can spare a few minutes." was his last request. Adam gave Bree a wave and thanked her for inviting him before giving Katherine the space she demanded.
"He seems nice, why -" Bree began, but stopped short when she saw the dirty look that was being directed at her.
Katherine took off, forcing Bree to go after her.
"Katherine!" Bree hissed, not wanting to upset the special guests.
Katherine stopped, crossing her arms.
"You are acting childish!" Bree told her.
"At least I'm in the right place. What the hell were you thinking, telling him to come here?"
"I was thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce me to your...whatever he is at the moment. What were you thinking? At my worst moment of panic I did not treat Orson the way you just treated Adam."
"Sorry, I don't work well when ambushed."
"Don't be sore," Bree softened her tone. "You did the same thing to me when we met Orson."
"Yeah? The difference is you were secretly grateful for the interference!"
"And I know you will be grateful for mine." Bree insisted. "Eventually." she added after receiving another dirty look. "Now please, go over to him and at least imply that it was nice to run into him here."
Katherine glanced over to a display of puppets, where Adam was pretending to busy himself with a floppy cloth cat. When he saw that Katherine was looking, the cat puppet waved hello with its little paw.
Adam put down the puppet as Katherine approached.
"I didn't mean to intrude." he said.
"You didn't intrude." said Katherine. "I just don't like to be distracted while I'm working."
"Ah...so you find me distracting."
"Mm-hm."
"Now, why on earth..." Adam began, picking out a neon blue monkey from the rack of stuffed animals. He put its face to Katherine's cheek. "Would you find me distracting?"
Katherine scrunched up her nose as the monkey peppered her face with cloth kisses.
"I can't say it in front of Curious George."
"Can you say it at the little French place on 5th Avenue?"
"Five stars, huh? You must want to impress me."
"That's my goal, to graduate from distracting to impressive." Adam handed Katherine the monkey. "I'll pick you up at seven tomorrow."
"It's a date." Katherine found herself saying. And she still wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Later that night...
"Oh god..." Bree prayed blasphemously. Orson had her close to the edge. "Oh god!"
She clutched at his back, trying to make the good feeling last as long as possible before allowing it to take over her entire body. She held her breath, though every few seconds a high pitched moan would escape her throat involuntarily. Orson loved when she did that, loved how she tried so hard to control it even when he was really the one in charge.
"You ready?" he asked, teasing her. With eyes squeezed shut, she nodded emphatically. He felt her legs squeeze his waist, and he knew she was about to lose control completely. She cried out once, and murmured things under her breath that Orson was no longer shocked to hear coming from her mouth.
Orson finished soon after, taking full advantage of the still strong echoes of Bree's pleasure.
"Amazing." Orson said, kissing her as they both caught their breath.
"Mmm." Bree moaned into his lips. "Katherine..."
Bree's eyes flew open, as wide as if she'd been electrocuted.
It was so unexpected that Orson laughed out loud.
"Bree," he scolded playfully. "I had no idea."
Bree was trying to push herself up and out from under Orson, stammering incomprehensibly.
Orson laughed again, putting a hand on her waist to still her.
"Hey, stop, come back here."
She wriggled away, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and covering herself with the bed covers. Orson dove, grabbing her wrist before she could stand and escape. She sat back down on the bed, facing away from him.
"Bree! It's no big deal. It happens."
Bree refused to look him in the eye. It occurred to Orson that maybe it was a bigger deal than he thought. He wiggled her hand, trying to get her to talk to him.
"Bree...say something."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."
After another silence, Bree suddenly laughed a light, nervous laugh.
"I'm fine. I'm just going to take a shower."
Bree gathered her blanket around her, shuffling with tiny steps to her bathroom and closing the door behind her.
Whoa, Orson thought. He had stumbled on to something deep here.