Chapter Four:

Neota hovered in front of her bedroom closet, twisting her hands as she glanced back and forth between the hangers. Even though she always dressed professionally, and she cared about the quality of her clothes, looking over the limited options she had was almost depressing. There were only five casual dresses, one for each day of the work week, and the two pairs of pants she owned didn't fit properly anymore. Since becoming Tevos's assistant, she had lost a few pounds - most likely due to stress. And if the way her heart was thumping against her rib cage was any indication, she was probably due to lose a few more. She did own a gown, but only because Tevos occasionally asked her to attend important events, and it seemed far too formal for a date.

"How am I supposed to pick? I don't even know where she's taking me. What if it's somewhere really nice and expensive? Oh Goddess, I asked her out, so I suppose that means I need to pay… but she's the one picking me up and choosing the place… and I don't even know what time she's showing up!" Neota buried her face in her hands, letting out a muffled scream into her palms. Amara, her job, Tevos and Aria. It was too much. All of this was a huge mistake. Just another opportunity to make a bigger mess of her already messy life. She needed to call Amara and cancel, maybe make up a story about how she was sick, or...

The sound of the buzzer nearly made her fall over in surprise. Her eyes darted over to the clock, and she swallowed when she noticed the time. 15:00 counted as 'evening', didn't it? That meant Amara was waiting at the door. Worst of all, she was still in her underwear. Selecting those had been a chore in itself. In a panic, Neota grabbed the closest dress she could: Wednesday, the purple one with the white stripe down the center. It showed a little more flesh than the others, since a small diamond of fabric had been cut from the front to reveal the dip of her collarbone, but the sleeves were long enough to cover her upper arms, and it came with a matching set of gloves.

The buzzer rang again, and Neota squeaked, shoving the gloves between her teeth as she hauled the dress over her head. It took a fair amount of wiggling, but eventually, she got it past her shoulders and the widest part of her hips. Maybe she hadn't lost as much weight as she thought. That, or she was panicking so much that even putting on clothes was beyond her abilities. She hoped it was option one. She ran out of the bedroom in what could only be described as a sprint, pulling on her gloves as she dodged around the couch in the living room. She was out of breath by the time she arrived at the front door, and too overwhelmed to pause and collect herself before she threw it open.

Amara stood in the hallway, a smile on her face and one hand on her hip. She was also wearing a dress, a black one that showed a fair amount of her smooth purple skin. Her throat was completely exposed, and she had no sleeves to speak of, leaving her arms scandalously bare. Her hands were covered with short black gloves, but they stopped at her slender wrists. Neota suddenly became conscious of how hard she was breathing. It was difficult to forget what those hands had done to her just a few short weeks ago.

"Hey there," Amara purred. The low, smooth velvet of her voice sent a shiver down Neota's spine. "Ready to go?"

"Yes!" Neota blurted out before she could stop herself. The volume of her own words startled her, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Um, I mean… I think so?"

She trembled as Amara's eyes swept over her, lingering at the strip of bare skin above her breasts and following the white stripe that ran down the center of her stomach. They drifted lower, lower… passing her hips and the juncture between her legs to settle on her feet. "Without shoes?"

Warmth rushed to the points of Neota's cheeks. She let out a soft whimper and tilted her head down, even though she already knew what she would find. Just as she had feared, her feet were completely bare. "Oh Goddess. I guess I need those, don't I?"

"Probably a good idea if we're going out," Amara said. She stepped through the door and closed it behind her, shifting her weight to one hip. Neota swallowed, unwilling to raise her eyes from the floor, no matter how tempting the sight in front of her was. She flinched as a gentle hand cupped under her chin and forced her to look up. Amara's face was softness and smiles, so beautiful that it made her chest ache. "Hey, Neota… I think you're forgetting to breathe, too."

Or that could explain the burning sensation in her lungs… Neota took in a shaky gulp of air. "I'll go get my shoes, then." She started to turn back toward the bedroom, but one of Amara's hands caught her wrist. Heat burned her arm even through two layers of fabric.

"Don't worry about being nervous tonight, okay? I hope it doesn't last too long, because I want you to relax and have a good time, but I think it's cute."

"You… think it's cute?" Neota repeated without turning around.

The solid, warm length of Amara's body pressed against her back, and slender arms wrapped around her waist from behind. "Actually, I think you're cute. Well, not just cute… but I think I should wait until later to tell you the other things I think you are."

Neota froze, torn between pulling away and leaning back into Amara's comfortable embrace. She desperately wanted more physical contact, but she knew it was far too soon. A drunken one night stand was one thing, but she wanted to spend a little more time with Amara before falling into bed with her again. And if the teasing hands resting on her stomach started to wander, that was exactly what would happen. "Okay," she breathed, untangling herself as carefully as she could from Amara's arms. "I - I'd like that. But first…"

"Shoes." Amara gave her hip one last squeeze, and then pushed gently against the dip in her spine, urging her forward. "Go find them, and then we'll get some dinner."

. . .

"This is the place you chose for dinner?" Neota asked, staring up at an all-too-familiar sign. It wasn't that Apollo's Cafe was a bad restaurant. In fact, they made some of the best gourmet wraps and sandwiches on the Presidium, and their prices were definitely affordable. She stopped by to grab drinks for herself and Councilor Tevos at least twice a week during the morning rush. But the cafe also had its downsides, its very embarrassing downsides, and with her luck...

Amara came to a stop beside her. "Not a fan? That's too bad. The food's really good, and I thought you'd prefer somewhere low-key. Less pressure, you know?"

Neota hurried to explain herself. The last thing she wanted to do was make Amara regret her choice. "No, I am! I would! I mean…" She swallowed and turned to look at Amara, hoping the dark purple flush on her face wasn't too obvious. "I actually love this place. It does have good food, and it's definitely a more relaxed atmosphere. Thank you for thinking about where I'd feel most comfortable."

A small line appeared in the center of Amara's forehead, and Neota noticed that it was in the exact same place where Aria's tattoo rested. "I'm hearing a 'but' at the end of that sentence. What's the problem? I really won't be upset if you want to go somewhere else. There's a sushi restaurant a little further down the strip…"

"The only 'but' is that I'm a regular here, and I know some of the other, um, regulars. If someone saw me…"

The worry line on Amara's forehead grew deeper. "Are you sure, Neota? I like you a lot, but if being out in public with me makes you uncomfortable…"

Neota suddenly realized her mistake. Her eyes grew wide, and she sucked in a horrified gasp. "Oh, no! No, no, no. It's not because of you. If some of the people here saw me on a date with anyone at all, they'd tease me." Amara still didn't look convinced, and in a moment of desperation, Neota reached out to take her hands. Even though they were both wearing gloves, she could not shake the impression that Amara's fingers were incredibly soft. "Please… stay. It took me weeks to get up the courage to call you, but I thought about doing it every day. I'm a little terrified, but I want to be here with you more than anything."

Amara lowered her eyes, and for a moment, Neota was afraid that she would walk away. But instead, she smiled and squeezed their joined hands tighter. "It's okay. You aren't the only one that's just a little bit terrified."

"You too?"

"Uh-huh. It's not always easy finding real dates when you're a porn star. Most people get the wrong idea about me."

Neota tugged her lower lip between her teeth. "I… honestly, it didn't even cross my mind. I mean, I've… um… watched your vids, but I wouldn't have thought your career would make it hard to find a date. You're so kind. I remember how well you treated me when Councilor Tevos sent me to your apartment…"

Amara's face broke into a smile. "The fact that 'kind' is the first adjective you came up with to describe me is why I wanted to go out with you in the first place." She turned and held out her arm. "Come on, let's go get something to eat."

Neota looped her elbow through Amara's without any hesitation. "That sounds wonderful."

They wove between the tables arm in arm, making their way toward the glowing sign. The cafe was a little crowded, but they had beaten the worst part of the dinner rush, and they didn't have to wait for a table. Soon, they were tucked away in a cozy place beside the bar. "You know, I think this is the fastest I've ever been served here," Neota said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should come in the evenings more often instead of early in the morning…"

Amara laughed. "This place is crazy in the morning. Everyone wants their coffee to get through the work day, and once 10:00 hits, they come here during their lunch breaks. Evening is much better. The people looking for alcohol and a good time go to Purgatory, so it's usually not too crowded."

"I'm, uh, not much of a drinker." Neota flushed as she remembered the second time she had met Amara, and the dramatic effect of Tevos's Azure Kiss. "Alcohol and I aren't exactly friends."

"Don't say that like it's a bad thing. Drinking every once in a while is fine, but in my line of work, you meet plenty of people who should probably cut back."

"It's the same for me. You'd be surprised what politicians do in their spare time… I mean, not Councilor Tevos, of course..."

Amara smirked, leaning closer over the table. "Councilor Tevos is a special case. We all have our vices, but she was smart enough to marry hers."

A vivid, intense image of Aria moving behind Tevos flashed to the front of Neota's mind, and she had to blink to clear her head. "I… I suppose it did work out well for her in the end. She really is a wonderful boss, even if it is difficult working for her sometimes."

"Still walking in on them, huh?"

Neota sighed and nodded her head. "Yes. It isn't their fault. It just sort of… happens."

"Just sort of happens?" Amara repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, what do you mean?" a deep, gravelly, uncomfortably familiar voice said from beside the table. "I'm pretty curious myself."

Neota's chest tightened. Even though she knew who she would see when she raised her head, and even though it was exactly what she had feared when she had first seen the glowing lights of the Apollo's Cafe sign, she couldn't bring herself to lift her eyes. She stared determinedly down at the table, praying that if she didn't look, the source of her embarrassment would go away. Unfortunately, she had no such luck.

"Aw, come on. You can't stop there," the voice protested.

One of Amara's hands reached across the table to rest on top of hers. "Neota, who is this?"

Neota swallowed, trying to force down the thick lump in her throat. "Oh. Her? Um…"

"Matriarch Aethyta, and I'm gonna be your server tonight. Don't technically work here anymore, since I stopped all that spying business, but let's just say I came by for a drink and felt a bit nostalgic."

Neota pulled her hand away from Amara's and covered her face, praying that she would melt into the floor and disappear. She had been right all along. Going out with Amara had gotten her tangled in another awful, embarrassing mess.