BEER GOGGLES AND RED COATS

By Angel Sentier and Lady Parsley

Chapter Four

Tessa woke, sitting bolt upright in her own bed, in her own apartment, alone.

How did I get here? Did I dream the whole thing? Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she winced as dull pain throbbed lightly in sensitive areas. Ow... Guess not. That still doesn't explain...

She threw on her bathrobe and glanced at her bedside clock. It was 11am. Shit! I'm late for work! The blinking of her answering machine, however, slowed her mad dash to the shower. Eight new messages? That answering machine got about as much action as she did. Why in hell did she have eight new messages?

She hit the play button. "What the fuck, Tessa?" came a loud, slightly nasal voice. It was Ginger, the acknowledged leader of the Triumvirate. "Where the hell are you? You were supposed to pick us all up like, an hour ago!"

Huh?

"You'd better have a damn good reason when I get a hold of you!" Click.

Tessa had no idea what Ginger meant. Pick them all up? They weren't supposed to be going out again until that night... Did they suddenly get a breakfast date that Tessa didn't know about?

The next couple messages were from the other two goddesses, basically bitching at Tessa because she made them miss their table at the club since she never came to get them, which also made no sense.

"You fucking idiots," mumbled Tessa. "We're not supposed to go out to the club until tomorrow."

The next message was from her boss. "Tessa, you have a perfect right to take a few sick days if you need to, but we'd appreciate it if you followed the protocol and called your supervisor if you're going to do so. If you're going to be gone for more than a few days, please call us as soon as possible so we can arrange a temp..."

WHAT?

While her boss rambled on, Tessa ran to the door and jerked it open, to pick up the newspaper from the stoop. According to the date in the corner, she'd apparently slept for two whole days!

Oh, my God... She shoved the door closed and threw the periodical on the kitchen table before heading for the bathroom cabinet to get some painkillers. She could feel an enormous migraine coming on.

The next message was from her mother, who tersely told Tessa that she shouldn't have to lie to her boss about her being sick, asking why isn't she at home, and have the sense to call in to work herself so her 'emergency contact' wouldn't have to do it. Tessa rolled her eyes as she filled up a glass at the sink. She wouldn't even have her mother as a contact, if her work didn't require at least one family member on the paperwork...

There were then two messages from her best friends, Chloe and Teri; Chloe upset about her ex-fiancé and wanting to know where Tessa was so they could eat ice cream, Teri upset about having to contact the Triumvirate for her whereabouts and that being a total bust anyway, where the hell was she?

"Hello, beautiful."

The glass of water she had been raising to her lips stopped in its journey and the pills skittered across the linoleum floor. Jeff's voice continued from the machine's speaker.

"Just calling to see how you're feeling."

She couldn't move. The same paralysis that had held her transfixed in the car grasped her again, and he wasn't even present.

"I'll try you again later. Maybe if you're up for it, we could meet for breakfast." There was a slight pause. "I'd love to see you again."

It was almost as if he purred the words right next to her ear. No, not purred. Purring was too gentle a word. It was...

The phone began to ring, but she didn't even realize until the machine was picking up.

"You'd better bandage that," came Jeff's voice again.

She stared at the machine. What the fuck?

"Your hand," he clarified.

She looked down and saw that she had gripped the glass of water so tightly, it had shattered. How had she not noticed that? The linoleum was now covered in water and pieces of glass and a growing pool of blood that oozed steadily from the gash across her palm.

"CRAP!" She picked up the phone with her good hand and cradled it against her shoulder as she grabbed a dishtowel to staunch the bleeding. "Where the hell are you?"

"Hello to you, too." He laughed softly. "Look up."

She looked up and out the window over her sink. From across the street, she saw Jeff on a cell phone. He lifted a hand in greeting.

"Are you stalking me?"

"I hardly think two phone calls constitutes stalking. I hadn't heard from you in two days. I was a little worried."

"Don't try and confuse me with logic. How do you know where I live?"

"You have a driver's license with your address on it. I looked at it to take you home the other night." He paused. "I didn't know your last name was Woodsman."

"You're changing the subject. Why are you here now?"

"Breakfast? The message I left..."

"Oh, yeah."

He began walking across the street towards her. He never looked one way or the other, but somehow, he knew when to stop to let a car go past. As if pulled by an invisible thread, Tessa found herself walking toward the window, her feet avoiding the broken glass on their own.

"I know I came on strong two nights ago, but I couldn't help myself. I want to know you better, Tessa."

"Yeah, right. If one of my friends had accepted the drinks you sent, you never would have invited me over."

"Tessa, I sent those drinks to you."

She blinked, momentarily taken aback. It sounded good, and she wanted to believe it. "Okay, sure. You're a persistent one, aren't you?"

He stood before her then, with just the window between them. His gold-brown eyes never blinked as he looked at her. She couldn't look away. Her heart pounded wildly in her throat. Her arms fell limply to her sides and the dishtowel flopped to the wet floor. She didn't notice.

"I saw what I wanted and I had to have it." He lifted his free hand; if not for the pane between them, he would have touched her face. "Let me in."

Again, a direct command that fuzzied her brain. She slowly pressed her hand to the window to meet his...

"FUCK!" she yelled, as red-hot pain lanced through her hand when the glass slivers embedded in her skin were pushed in further. She looked back up at Jeff, blinking back the tears. "How about you take me to the emergency room instead of breakfast, Jeff?"

"I have to. Your car is still at my place."

"Crap..."

He laughed again. "What a mouth."

"I'm kind of frustrated and in more than a little pain. I'll say whatever I damn well please."

"I wasn't talking about the cursing." He smiled, watching her with that same half-lidded gaze.

No! she thought, firmly. Do NOT get distracted by creepy sexy man... "Shut up and get in here before I bleed to death."

He closed his phone and saluted her, touching two fingers to his brow before walking around to the door. Tessa picked up a clean dish towel for her hand and went into the bedroom to change into some clothes before he could come in and offer to "help." She had a feeling they'd never get to the hospital otherwise. They'd have to go pick up her car later, though... Right. She had a distinct feeling she wouldn't be leaving until the next morning if Jeff had anything to say about it.

To be continued...