Disclaimer: Not mine.

Helpless 18

Going to Paris

Marron spent the rest of the day catching up on her household chores. She put in a call to her parents, and in spite of her attempts to remain cheerful, couldn't keep the dejection out of her voice.

She was somewhat comforted by her father's concern about her low spirits. Somehow she managed to convince him she was feeling just fine and was just a little homesick. Promising to come home for a visit at the first opportunity, she hung up and then spent a miserable evening in front of the TV trying not to imagine what Trunks was doing.

She slept badly, and aware that she was not looking her best, she dressed conservatively the next morning in a maroon shirtdress and a navy blue jacket.

She arrived at the houseboat half expecting to see a line of cars along the riverbank. The mooring was deserted when she got there, however, and she wasn't quite sure if she was happy about that or not. She was feeling a little uneasy about seeing Trunks again. She wasn't sure what to expect.

Trunks, it appeared, had no such qualms. He greeted her as if the day before had never been, though he did have the grace to apologize for running out on her.

"I would have suggested Ranko stay and sample your wonderful cooking," he said, surprising her with a hot cup of coffee. "But I was afraid you wouldn't have enough for all of us and I didn't want to embarrass you."

She'd made up her mind to be cool and professional with him, but it was hard when he gave her that one-sided grin she found so appealing. "No problem," she said airily. "I hope you enjoyed your breakfast and champagne in a cozy little nook overlooking the river?" She hadn't quite managed to keep the irony out of her voice.

He eyed her as if suspecting her of being sarcastic, but she gave him an innocent wide-eyed smile, and he shrugged. "It was okay, but a bit like a busman's holiday. I would rather have gone to the mountains."

"I'm sure Ranko would have been glad to take you," Marron murmured.

Trunks peered at her. "Are you okay? You look a bit down in the mouth this morning."

Marron punched out a command on the keyboard. "I'm just a little tired," she said, frowning at the computer screen. "I didn't sleep well last night."

"I'm sorry," Trunks said quietly.

He sounded so apologetic she looked up at him. "It's all right, it's not your fault." Not intentionally, anyway, she added silently.

"Well, let's get on with some work, then, shall we?" He took his usual place on the couch and opened his briefcase. "Paresu called this morning. It looks as if I have a new client. I'm going to need to draw up some preliminary plans, and jot down some specs, so I guess we should start off with the dimensions first."

Marron nodded, and pulled up the file. "Okay, I'm ready when you are."

"I've been giving this a lot of thought, and I think we should start at-" He broke off as someone thumped on the front door. "Now who on earth could that be?"

Marron pursed her lips. "Ranko, perhaps?"

Trunks gave her a guilty look. "No, she's gone skiing in the mountains."

"Perhaps it's the woman who was looking for you yesterday," Marron said, suddenly remembering she hadn't told him about his second visitor.

"Hikaru? Er. no, I saw her last night. She came to tell me that she'd taken the Porsche to the office parking garage."

So that was the woman he'd run out on at the hospital, Marron thought, beginning to feel just a little irritated.

The thumping sounded even louder. "Do you want me to get it or shall I?" Marron said grimly.

Trunks looked like a little boy who'd been caught dropping his toy soldiers in the toilet bowl. "I'll get it. It could be Paresu. I told her I'd need my drawing board this week. She might have brought it over."

He limped into the kitchen, and after a moment or two a shrill voice echoed through the kitchen. "Trunks, dah-h-ling, whatever are you doing hiding in this ghastly shack? When Ranko told me I simply couldn't believe it. I just had to come and see for myself-"

Marron stared at the computer screen, trying to stem the misery that seemed determined to engulf her. She should have known better than to get excited about a little kiss, she told herself bitterly. After all, she'd practically thrown herself at him.

She was no better than all these silly women with their breathy voices and heaving bosoms. How on earth could she have thought for one moment that she could interest someone like Trunks Briefs? She had to be crazy.

The voice broke off as the woman appeared in the doorway and stared at Marron. This Barbie look-alike looked painfully similar to the other two. "Oh, sorry," she said, her voice tinged with distaste, "I didn't know you were busy, Trunks. I can't imagine how you can concentrate in this seedy environment." Her look of disdain obviously included Marron in that description.

"This is Marron," Trunks began, but with an abrupt movement, Marron got to her feet, cutting him off.

"Excuse me, Mr. Briefs, but you mentioned that you needed your drawing board. I might as well go over to your office and collect it."

Trunks looked sheepishly. "You don't have to do that. I don't need it right away and Paresu can bring over."

"I'm sure your secretary has enough to do. I'll be happy to pick it up for her if you'll just give me directions." Marron listened carefully to Trunks' directions; them gathered up her purse and, ignoring the other woman, hurried past him into the kitchen.

She couldn't take another minute of Trunks' women. She needed fresh air, and the privacy of her car in which to vent her feelings.

She pulled out of sight of the houseboat before parking off the lonely road. Then she put her head on her arms and bawled. It wasn't very mature behavior, but she felt a little better by the time she'd spent all her tears.

She took another ten minutes to repair the damage by her venting. When she was reasonably satisfied, she drove into the city to Trunks' office.

Emerging from the elevator on the eighteenth floor of the impressive building, Marron found herself facing a long, gleaming desk where a perfectly groomed receptionist, wearing an expensive blue linen suit, greeted her with a professional smile.

After giving her name and asking for Trunks' secretary, Marron waited while the elegant woman spoke to someone on the intercom.

A few moments later another majestic vision wearing a fabulous white wool dress appeared in the hallway. The stark simplicity of the outfit was broken only by the vivid turquoise scarf fastened at a slender throat with a gold pin.

Of all the women Marron had seen in connection with Trunks, this one was the most stunning of all. Her mahogany hair dipped and waved in curls Marron would kill for, and her beautiful brown eyes sparkled in a perfect face.

Marron's spirits sunk to a new low. Of course Trunks' secretary would have to be gorgeous. Just once, she thought miserably, she'd like to see one of Trunks' women with a hair out of place, or smudged mascara, or crooked teeth or something.

Thank heavens she hadn't said anything to Trunks when he kissed her. The only consolation she had was knowing that he'd probably forgotten all about it by now, and wouldn't dream that mousy little Marron Chestnut was breaking her stupid little heart over him.

"I'm Paresu," the lovely creature said, extending a slender hand. "I'm so happy to meet you, Marron. Trunks has said some very nice things about you."

Marron noticed the gold wedding band on Paresu's finger and felt some of her tension easing. "I imagine Trunks says nice things about everyone," she said, trying to put some warmth in her smile. "I've come for his drawing board."

Paresu gave her a sharp look. "Of course. Come into my office and I'll get it for you."

Marron followed her down the long hallway, feeling more and more depressed with every step. Every man they passed looked at Paresu as if she were the first woman they'd seen in months. No one even saw her trailing along behind.

Not that she wanted any men to look at her, she thought irritably. Only one. And he was the least likely of them all to notice her.

Seated in Paresu's comfortable office, she tried to relax. She had the feeling that Trunks' secretary missed very little, and the last thing she wanted was to let Paresu know how she felt about her boss.

"How is Trunks doing?"

Paresu asked, seating herself at the desk.

She seemed in no hurry to get the drawing board, Marron noticed uneasily. "He's fine," she said automatically, them hastily corrected herself. "I mean, Mr. Briefs is doing very well. The doctor thinks he should be off the crutches in a few days."

"So he told me. That's good to hear." Paresu smiled and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sure he's anxious to get back to the office. I'm surprised he's lasted this long on that houseboat. Everyone figured he'd be hobbling in here on crutches after two or three days."

"Well, he has plenty of company now to keep him happy," Marron said with more than a trace of irony.

"Oh, dear. The social menagerie has tracked him down, I take it."

Marron almost smiled at that. "In droves. I'm surprised they're not all fighting over him with swords or dueling pistols."

Paresu laughed outright. "They must make it difficult to get work done."

"They make things difficult. Period." Marron said bitterly. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. She did her best to amend her remark, "It's none of my business, of course, but it would make things easier if they'd just leave him alone during working hours. What Mr. Briefs does in his free time is his own business. I mean it has nothing to do with me but..." Aware that she was just making things worse, she let the words trail off.

"Has Trunks been giving you a hard time?" Paresu asked gently.

Marron gave a ferocious shake of her head. "Oh, no, he's been wonderful. He hasn't complained at all, and he's been wonderful to work for. He took me to see his house, and up to Taurus for a couple of days."

She saw Paresu's eyebrows rise and added quickly, "It was strictly business, of course. He needed to get away for a while, and we had separate rooms and everything."

"I see," Paresu said with a wealth of meaning in her voice."

"No, you don't," Marron argued, afraid she'd given this shrewd woman the wrong impression. "Trunks. Mr. Briefs has been the perfect gentleman. He's always treated me with respect. Just like he would a sister." Except for the kiss, she added silently. And that would remain a secret, locked in her heart forever.

I'd like to thank my friend, Absolut, for making me very happy today. Here's to long life! Cheers!

I had the weirdest dream today. I was going to be a bridesmaid at an orgmate's wedding. But my live-in boyfriend in the dream who was supposed to be my date made a no-show! The nerve! And he had to break the news via e-mail. I was fuming that he'd embarrassed me in front of my friends because even they swear that I'm the pickiest woman alive when it comes to men. So, naturally they wanted to know who I deemed "worthy" enough. I was so mad that I demanded that he hand over the keys to our apartment, the car and about everything else. That still wasn't enough and I had to schedule a flight to LA to make sure that he moved out as soon as possible.

Anyone, know what that dream means? It could be that all these weddings that are going on are freaking me subconsciously. Leona's going to be a bridesmaid in 10 days.

By the way, I keep a dream log. A lot of my stories are inspired from my dreams. They star me (of course!) but for better action, I put Marron instead. I'm already planning the next fic but I still need to research about clothes and stuff. :)