Susan was enjoying her first week off in two months. After the party, Pierre's was flooded with request for parties. They had signed on clients that wanted to been seen at the right events, which they were now planning. Pierre had even raised her pay, after much prompting on Susan's part. She finally had some breathing room. It took her a while to carve out this time. She had everything she needed to have a week of total vegetation. She had pulled out her favorite ratty t-shirt and sweat pants. She settled onto the couch with all three 'A Star is Born' videos, a large pepperoni pizza and orange soda – the ice cream sundaes would be for later. There was a knock at the door.
"Not now," Susan groaned. "Who is it?" She said as she yanked open the door. "Oh God!" She said when she came face to face with Bizzy.
"Hello Susan. May I come in?"
Susan just shook her head. 'Why couldn't I have left the ratty t–shirt in the closet.' Susan stepped aside.
"How are you?" Bizzy said. Susan closed the door and faced her.
"Fine. This is my week off." She said as a makeshift apology for her outfit.
"You look relaxed." Bizzy looked around the apartment for another person. "Is Elise here?"
"No. She's been gone for a few days." Elise looked like she was finally recovering from her humiliation at the party. For the first few weeks following, Elise was withdrawn and spent a lot of time crying. Finally she decided she needed out of New York and boarded a plane for Seattle to see her mother. Susan hoped when Elise came home she would be better. "Did you want to see her?" Susan was disappointed.
"No, I came to see you," Bizzy paused. "I can understand that if you're upset about what happened at the party…" Susan shook her head stopping Bizzy's apology.
"I'm not upset about what you did. I am sorry that my friend got her heartbroken. But she walked into it on her own." 'Just like I am.' Susan said that last bit to herself. "Do you want to sit down?" Susan sat on the couch leaving enough room for Bizzy to sit next to her. "You came here to see me?"
"Yes, I did. I called your office and Edward told me you were off. I have been sitting outside of your apartment for over thirty minutes. Thinking."
"About what?" Susan was curious.
"You. Me. Kissing you. Things I shouldn't be thinking about." Bizzy took Susan hand turning it upwards and traced the lines on the inside, as she searched for what to say next. How she was starting to feel about Susan scared her. She had never missed anyone so much. She and the Captain spent most of their time apart; being married to a doctor meant that you rarely saw them. It was something she accepted during his residency. Her feelings for Susan were completely new to her. She didn't just miss Susan - she ached for her. "I've missed you."
Susan stared at their joined hands, "I've thought of calling you a few times. I was afraid that your husband would answer; or worse that you wouldn't want to talk to me."
Bizzy didn't know what to say, so she went back to her comfort zone. "Get dressed. I want to take you to Copper."
"What's Copper?"
"A restaurant here, it's my favorite place for the steak. They have the best chocolate fudge cake in the world. I've had a lot of fudge cake compare to it to." Bizzy poked Susan in the ribs and smiled.
Susan looked at her for a long time. "I have pizza."
"Pizza isn't a meal. I am not sure that beyond the age of 7 pizza is something humans should consume."
"Bizzy you're in New York. I am pretty sure saying that could get you arrested." Susan got a serious look on her face. "Is Copper a place you and the Captain go?"
"Does it matter?" Bizzy voice was indignant.
"Yes." Bizzy looked at Susan hurt. "Not because I don't want to be some place you have been with the Captain. If it's a place where people would recognize you or the Captain, people will ask questions that you may not be ready to answer. If there wasn't something between us, you wouldn't even know I am alive. You can't just introduce me as your party planner and expect that to end the questions. You are not the person that would take a party planner out to dinner."
"No one tells me who I can and cannot talk to. And no one questions me."
"I believe you. I don't think they would ask questions, but they would gossip." Susan didn't have to say anything else. Bizzy knew that gossip true or not could ruin your image. She needed her image for her social standing. She needed it to provide for her children. Bizzy put her head in her hands. This may be too much for her.
Susan began to rub Bizzy's shoulders. "Everything is going to be ok." Susan wanted to say the right thing. She didn't want Bizzy to walk out and never come back. "We'll eat pizza and drink orange soda. And watch all three A Star is Born."
"I can't eat pizza." Bizzy was grateful, the realization was more than she could handle.
"We'll order you a salad then." Bizzy nodded. "Have you ever seen A Star is Born?"
"The one with Judy Garland?"
"That's one of them there are three."
"You're going to make sit through sequels."
"No, Judy did a remake of Janet Gaynor and then Barbra Streisand did a remake. All very different performances we'll compare and contrast. At the end you will write me an essay on what each brings to the performance. How they take the same character and make them relevant in their time." Susan gave her best dorky grin. "It'll be fun. I promise."
"I haven't watched a movie in a really long time."
"Its one of my favorite things to do. Wait till I introduce you to my Rita Hayworth collection. I have a thing for redheads." Susan winked at Bizzy.
"Lucky me." Bizzy kissed Susan, pressing her into the couch. Susan molded herself to Bizzy's body. Susan slipped Bizzy's jacket off her shoulders. Bizzy pulled back and stroked Susan's face. They kissed more. Kissing Susan Bizzy forgot that everyone else existed. She could spend the rest of her life here.
"Mmmmmmm. You're trying to distract me from my pizza." Bizzy laughed at her.
"I'm trying to save your life."
"Well, I make you a deal. I'll order myself a salad when I order yours, but its not going to stop me from eating pizza." Susan reached for the phone and ordered the salads. "Would you like me to make you a gin martini?" Bizzy looked at her stunned. "It's a weird quirk of mine – that happens to work well in my profession – I remember details about people. The first night we met you were drinking a martini. At your house, the decanter behind your couch was filled with clear liquid. The night of your party, despite the fact that you ordered some of the best wines in the world, you drank martinis. I made sure to ask the bartender what kind. In case it ever became necessary."
"You may very well be perfect." Bizzy kissed her. She wanted to know everything about Susan. The fear she had earlier of ruining her life was being pushed to the side.
*
Susan awoke with a weight on her stomach, she began to panic. Susan looked down to see Bizzy's head on her shoulder and hand under her shirt on her bare stomach. When the movie was over Bizzy had decided to stay. Susan offered to sleep in Elise's room, but Bizzy said that she would much rather sleep with her. Bizzy quipped that she could keep her hands to herself. Susan brushed her teeth and slipped on a tank. When she came into her room to offer Bizzy a t-shirt, Bizzy was unclipping her stockings from her bodysuit. Looking at Bizzy now, Susan knew she wouldn't able to keep her hands to herself.
Susan ran her fingers over Bizzy's back and arm trying to commit it to memory. She thought that this may be her only opportunity to touch Bizzy and she needed to take advantage. Susan's phone rang as Bizzy began to stir. "Hello… Hi Daddy… No I'm not just waking up." Bizzy's hand moved further up her shirt just below Susan's breast. Susan started to breathe a little heavier. "Did you get my letter?... Dad…" Susan stopped Bizzy's wondering hand, sitting up. "Daddy, I got a raise I can afford to help out… It's not that much money… Dad just let me do this. I can't be their like Rachel, Bobby or Mike. It's my way of contributing. You can blame it on yourself you said we should always contribute..." Susan looked over her shoulder to see Bizzy giving her the sexiest of smiles. "Dad I need to go. I'll call you later and you can convince me that I'm right." Susan smiled back. "I love you too. Tell mom thanks for the cookies."
"Sorry that was my Dad." Bizzy looked great in the morning. Her hair was mussed but her skin was glowing. How was it possible?
"Can I help?"
"With?" Susan looked confused.
"Your parents…"
"Bizzy, please don't. I…" Susan paused looking for the right words. "My parents take care of everyone in our family. My Dad is just being stubborn. He still thinks Pierre doesn't pay me enough. But thanks to this amazing redhead I met at party. Pierre has upped my pay because of all the business that has come flooding in." Susan caressed Bizzy's face.
"Ok," Bizzy replied.
"Hungry? I can heat up pizza?"
"Do you eat anything besides pizza."
"Sure," Susan wiggled her eyebrows at Bizzy
Bizzy swallowed. "If I looked in your refrigerator would there be actual food?" Susan shook her head. "Do you cook?"
"Not really. Do you?"
"Yes." The buzzer on Susan's front door began to ring. "Hold on," Susan addressed Bizzy pulling on her sweat pants. "Yes,"
Is Mrs. Montgomery there. This is her chauffeur Parker. Bizzy approached Susan.
"Yes, Parker." Bizzy spoke into the intercom. It never occurred to Susan that Bizzy had not driven herself into the city or that someone had been outside all evening and night while she and Bizzy slept. Susan realized that she may be further outside of her league than she thought.
I'm sorry ma'am. Miss Addison's nanny Suzette just called. Miss Addison has refused to attend her riding lesson. Also, Mr. Archer's swim meet has been moved to this morning.
"Parker, thank you." Susan stood there knowing that any possibility of pulling Bizzy back into bed was over. "Susan. May I use your phone?" Susan nodded as Bizzy picked up the receiver dialing her home. "Hello Joseph. Will you put Addison on the phone?" There was a brief pause before Bizzy spoke again. "Addison, you're lesson starts in 20 minutes… Addison I don't have time for this. I am not making a request. You will attend your lesson or all other privileges will be revoked… I do not care what kind of surgery your father is performing today. You will not be spending your day watching him perform it… Addison this is not up for discussion." Bizzy replaced the receiver as she locked eyes with Susan. "I'm sorry, I have to go."
Bizzy wrapped her arms around Susan. For the briefest moment she considered staying just like this. Her and Susan. No children, no husbands, no work, no fathers – just them. Bizzy knew she could be happy with just Susan. However, she had responsibilities. Her life came with expectations. What she wanted was not a priority. She kissed Susan's temple, then her eyes, then her nose and lips.
"Its ok Bizzy. Last night was more than I expected."
Bizzy got dressed and left. Downstairs Parker waited patiently outside the car. "Good morning Mrs. Montgomery." She didn't respond. Waking up in Susan's arms Bizzy felt safe. She had every intention spending the morning forgetting her responsibilities and making love to Susan. Reality had interfered.
Last night Bizzy experienced something she had never experienced in 20 years of marriage something never knew she existed. Security. Bizzy never worried about money, she was a Bradford Forbes. When she was born her father established an irrevocable trust in her name. She did the same for her children when they were born. While she didn't run the family business she played an integral role, which gave her access to certain privileges. She always assumed that security came from her image and prestige. She never knew that it could come from a person.
She thought about her children, Addison tried so desperately to please her father. Bizzy tried to keep her occupied with other things besides medicine, but at 12 years old Addison wanted nothing more than the Captain's attention. Addison strived for perfection. It's a trait that Bizzy understood. The little tantrums that Addison threw when the Captain was home would have to come to an end. The Captain's solution was to remind Addison that she had to uphold the Montgomery name – so far it hadn't worked. Archer was different. He had a natural talent for almost everything he tried. But he had a recklessness that was very much the Captain. Bizzy kept as tight a reign on his recklessness that she could, but Archer seemed to thrive on it. Despite it all, they were her children. Her one accomplishment. She was all they had.
Susan was different. Bizzy didn't like to explain and rarely felt the need to do so. Susan instinctively knew that Bizzy had not fully considered the ramifications of their relationship. She made it possible for them to be together without Bizzy getting hurt. And Susan understood that Bizzy's preferred method of dealing with anything was to pretend that it didn't exist. With most people she made small talk; with Susan she didn't want to talk about flowers or the weather.
Bizzy didn't know what the next step was. She knew that she would see Susan again, very soon.