"Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence." George Washington (1732 - 1799)
Exile: Day 3Lady Jaye propped her head on her hand. Just one more and the house of cards would be complete. Almost there. Almost there. The shrill ring of the phone caused her to jump and the card house to scatter. Muttering an epithet that would make even the most burly sailor blush, she snatched up the phone.
"What?" she snapped.
"Now is that anyway to talk to a superior officer?" came the oh so smooth reply.
Flint. Just what she needed. Did her heart just flutter, or was it her imagination?
"What, sir?" she replied in a clipped tone.
He chuckled. God, but the man was infuriating. And for that matter, so was that little flutter in her chest.
"So, you kill her yet, or are you just resting between rounds?"
"For your information, I have done away with her body as well as any and all evidence she ever existed."
At this, Scarlett looked up from the book she had been reading and pulled a face. Jaye mouthed to her that it was Flint on the line. Scarlett rolled her eyes and went back to reading the book.
"Well, if you need a character witness at your murder trial, I'd be more than happy to testify in your defense," he commented.
"You barely know me, Slick." Was it her or did he just caress her with his voice as surely as if he'd used his hands?
"Well, of course, I would have to get to know you much better, but that would make me a much better witness. I am very thorough when it comes to getting to know a subject."
"Goodbye, Flint," she said as she hung up the phone. She had to fight to keep the smile out of her voice. If he heard it, it would just serve to encourage him. Something she did not want to do.
She turned to find Scarlett staring at her with an odd look on her face.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," Scarlett replied and proceeded to read again.
"Oh no you don't! You explain that look."
"It was nothing. Besides, it really isn't my place to say anything anyway."
Oh for Heaven's sake! She hated it when people did that; tell you it was nothing, and then all but tell you it was something, but don't want to comment about it!
"Spill," Jaye demanded.
"Look, just forget it," Scarlett said, not looking up from her novel.
Jaye knew how to handle these things. It may be a bit childish, but it usually worked. She cleared her throat and began to purposely sing off-key:
"This is the song that never ends. Yes it goes on and on my friends,"
"Stop,"
"Some people started singing it not knowing what it was,"
"Knock it off,"
"And they continued singing it, and now it's just because,"
"I'm warning you,"
"This is the song that never ends. Yes…"
"OK, OK. I'll tell you, just puh-lees stop singing."
"Alright, give. What was that look all about?" Jaye sat down and smiled. It was nice to know she hadn't lost her touch.
"You have the hots for Flint don't you?"
That wiped the self-satisfied smile right off Jaye's face.
Scarlett saw the smile disappear. She had to handle this carefully, so as not to break the tenuous truce they had come to. This was going to be touch and go. Jaye obviously had a thing for the guy, but either she didn't want him to know, or she didn't want to admit it to herself. Well, in for a penny, in for a dollar.
"What the hell kind of question is that?" Jaye tried and failed to sound nonchalant.
"One you haven't answered." Scarlett persisted.
"What, are we in the third grade?" she continued when Scarlett remained silent, "I most certainly do not like him. He is, after all, a superior officer. Flint and I just work together, that's all."
Boy, someone should tell this woman that denial wasn't just a river in Egypt. She had the hots for him. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, and Scarlett considered herself smarter than the average bear.
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Scarlett raised a finger to keep Jaye quiet, "Maybe you should rethink your approach to denial."
Jaye's eyes narrowed. Two could play this game. "For the last time, Flint and I work together. Just like you and Duke, or perhaps even you and Snake Eyes?"
"Excuse me?" Scarlett replied through clenched teeth.
So, Scarlett could dish it out, but she couldn't take it, eh?
"I said…"
"No, I heard what you said. What I want to know is what you mean by that?"
"Don't play coy," Jaye replied looking the redhead up and down, "You know exactly what I mean. Everyone knows you've been stringing both those poor saps along, batting those baby-blues and flirting. Be careful, my dear, that you don't play the part of a tart too well, lest you get bit."
"Why you holier than thou rich bitch! Let me make something very clear to you. There has never been, nor will there ever be, anything between Snake Eyes and myself. He saved my life, and for that I owe him mine and nothing else. And as for Duke…well, that is just utter nonsense, innuendo and flat out rumor!"
"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Jaye threw her earlier words back at her.
"You are the one who asked me to tell you what I was thinking. If you didn't want the truth, you shouldn't have asked. But, I guess up-tight people, like yourself, expect people to bow and scrape and tell you only what you want to hear. Well, don't expect that from me!" Scarlett raged.
"Just where the hell do you get off calling me up-tight?"
"Honey, I could shove a lump of coal up your ass today, and in a week I'd have a flawless diamond. If that ain't up-tight, I don't know what is," Scarlett smirked.
"Whatever made me think I could get a long with such a bitch!" Jaye threw her hands in the air.
"Sweetie, I'm not a bitch, I am the bitch." Having said that, she threw the cold glass of water she had been drinking in Jaye's face.
In for a penny, in for a dollar.
TBC