You guys responded well. And there are new characters introduced in these chapters that have become my faves in this entire thing. We see greater commitment in these women, more drama. And new villains… because I killed the main one so I had to invent a brand new one. But no one will ever be as bad as Gary... we hope.
One
The office was mostly silent, save the faint scratching of a pen on paper, and the soft, distinctive hum of the computer on the desk. It was a room filled with warm mahogany wood, with a small conference table on one side surrounded by chairs, a discrete credenza holding a tray containing a pitcher of water and a set of glasses on the other, and the desk in the rear center, it's back facing a large, floor to ceiling window which afforded a horizon view of a choppy, blue Pacific Ocean.
Seated at the desk was a dark haired woman, dressed in a stylish gray skirt and white silk shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up past her elbows, exposing pale, muscular forearms. Draped over the back of the chair was a gray leather Jacket, and the dark head was propped up on one fist, while the other hand curled about a busily moving pen. One paper was completed, and then it was turned over, coming to rest next to a small aquarium where two suspicious Siamese fighting fish swam languidly, sparing occasional fishy eyes for the desk's tenant.
"Twelve down, eighteen to go." Jade sighed, scratching her jaw with the edge of the pen. "This is a fucking waste of paper." She paused, and then punched a button on the large console phone on her desk. "Cat?"
"Yes… hello, Jade. Good afternoon." The Personnel Director's voice was relaxed and friendly.
"Mind if I ask why we haven't digitized our evals?" Jade asked, testily. "Do you know how much more we would save?"
"Ah, Jade." Cat sighed, as though she'd been answering that very question all day long. Which she had. "If we did that, how would we comply with the regulation that dictates we insure all our senior staff know how to write longhand?" She inquired lightly. "Now now… you shouldn't complain… you only have thirty people you're directly responsible for. Think how Jose must feel? He has two hundred."
Jade considered this, chewing the end of her pen. "You're right. That put me in a much better mood." She chuckled. "He must be tearing what's left of his hair out."
"You're not kidding." Cat sighed. "Actually, the reason they're not e-forms is because when we were considering it we had that breach, remember? And employees were reading each other's evals. We just never revisited it. Maybe it's time we do that for the next Evals?"
"Oh." Jade thought about that. "So.. I probably shouldn't tell you that I just passed by the main printer room and saw all of Jose's completed forms printing out, right?"
Cat sighed aggrievedly.
"It was like a feeding frenzy in there." Jade grinned at the phone. "Everyone was peeking."
"And you didn't stop it? Come on, Jade… you're supposed to be The boss!" The Personnel director sounded peeved.
"Hey… how was I supposed to know that wasn't a new sales incentive of his?" Jade asked, reasonably. "After all, I fill out mine longhand."
"Jesus. All right.. I could use a cup of coffee anyway.. I'll wander down there. " Cat exhaled. "How are you doing?"
"Bout halfway. "Jade lied.
"Uh huh." Cat sounded supremely unconvinced. "Why do all you guys have to wait until the last minute?"
"Because it's such a pain in the ass, Kitten!" Jade responded, exasperatedly. "We are going to revisit this issue and put these damn things online! If they'd migrate to IIS4, security shouldn't be a god damned problem!"
"Can you spell that phonetically, Jade? I'm sending them a carrier pigeon." Cat responded, in a serious voice. "All right… I'll put it on the agenda again, for the forms to be changed to e-forms."
"Thanks." Jade grumped. "Gotta go." She hung up, and went back to her task. Each form had fifty categories, in which she had to grade her employees, and a comments section which by regulation had to be filled in. "Jesus Christ… " She sighed, riffling through the stack. "Can't I just send in a slip of paper that says 'If they're not fired, they're fine?'" She complained to the fish, who wiggled their fins at her.
"No, huh. " She bent her head to the paper, reaching out and snagging a piece of dried fruit from a cobalt blue dish on her desktop and nibbling it.
A tap at the outer door was a welcome interruption. "Come in." She called out, looking up to see her secretary poke her head in. "Mariela… have we gotten the status reports from Marketing yet?"
The short, older woman shook her head. "Nada…and I have called that new facilitator there three times." She walked across the carpeted floor and put several folders into Jade's inbox. "Three new accounts.. Victoria is going to be busy this week."
"Mm." Jade agreed, the mention of her assistant bringing an unconscious smile to her face. "Hang on... " She punched a number into the phone. It rang twice, then a perky voice answered. "I need to talk to Jose." Jade stated crisply.
"I'm sorry.. he's in a conference right now." The voice answered.
"Tell him to get out of the john and onto the phone or he'll have me in there hunting him down in thirty seconds." Jade replied, pitching her voice lower.
Dead silence. "One moment, please."
Jade waited, checking her watch. Mariela covered her mouth to keep a laugh from escaping. Twenty seven seconds later, the phone picked up again.
"What the hell, Jade?" The Marketing VP snarled.
"I need those status reports." Jade snarled right back. "And I frankly don't have the time to have my god damned staff running around the building chasing down your staff to get them."
In the silence, she could hear his heavy breathing. She waited, making a few more comments on the sheet she was working on, and munching another piece of dried fruit. "I'm waiting." She commented crisply.
"Hold on." The line went to music, and Jade hummed along, selecting a pecan from the dish and pushing it towards Mariela. "Want some trail mix?"
The secretary accepted the offer, picking up a piece of apricot and putting it into her mouth, privately amused by her bosses' sudden fondness for the relatively healthy snack, replacing her usual dish of chocolates.
"They'll be there in five minutes." Jose's voice came back on. "And stop scaring the shit out of my staff."
"If your staff did their jobs, I wouldn't have to be calling you, now would I?" Jade replied silkily, before she disconnected. "Asshole." She muttered, shaking her head. "Okay.. if you don't get those reports by the time you get out to your desk, lemme know."
"Si… Jade, have you seen Mr. Jose's new assistant?" Mariela lowered her voice. "I'm not the one to be talking in corners, but I heard twice today he is very sharp, and they are looking for him to, you know… go against you."
Jade leaned on her elbows and fiddled with the pen in her hands, then looked up. "I've heard the same thing." Her pale, intense blue eyes regarded Mariela. "Tori's in a meeting with him, and Elle right now in fact… he called the facilities projections for this year into question."
"Deus Mio." The older woman's brow creased. "Sounds like trouble, no?"
A slow nod. "Mr. Fabricini and I have met before." The executive remarked quietly. "In fact, we used to be friends." Her former classmate, in fact, whose hiring had been a very unpleasant surprise when they'd gotten back from the holidays. "We are not friends now." She told Mariela frankly. "It could get very ugly, yes."
Mariela sighed. "Can't you just fire him?"
"Not if I don't want to get sewed." Jade stated.
Mariela frowned. "Why can't everyone just come, do their work, go home… not spend all day making problems." She exhaled. "Poor Victoria.. stuck with those two."
A quiet smile edged Jade's face. "She's tough… she'll be fine, Mari. " She reassured her secretary. "Listen, I know I've got a meeting after lunch with the executive committee, but did we reschedule that client briefing for tomorrow or is it still at four?"
"I'll check." Mariela headed for the door. "And I'll let you know about those reports."
"Thanks." Jade let out a breath, and went back to her task, concentrating for a minute, then dropping her pen down and leaning back, her eyes thoughtful.
So. Even Mariela had heard it. Jade felt a familiar frustration rising in her, triggered by the secretary's plaintive question. Why couldn't everyone just show up and do their job? It was obvious by their first encounter that Steven Fabricini had been hired specifically because he knew Jade, and Jose was hoping that knowledge could turn things to his advantage in the boardroom.
Not that he wasn't qualified, Jade mused. He was, more than Jose was, in her honest opinion. But he was also less scrupulous than the blustery Cuban, more ruthless, and far more aggressively antagonistic.
Like her, if she wanted to view things very objectively, in which case Jose's choice hadn't been a bad one, for his purposes. Their first meeting hadn't gone well.
"Hello, Steven." Jade had stood quietly behind her desk, her hands resting on the surface, as he entered.
"Well, well, well… look at what we have here. If it isn't my old, best buddy, Jade West." Steven had sauntered in, shutting the door behind him as he crossed the room towards her. He hadn't changed much, still tall, with a sleek, runner's physique, and thick, dark hair. His hazel eyes had made no bones about studying her as he came forward, and that slick, toothy smile creased his face as he held a hand out. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
Not nearly long enough. Jade had almost answered, as she reluctantly took his grip, and returned the strong handshake with one of her own. "Certainly has." She'd replied evenly. "I believe the last time I saw you was right after you were thrown out of school, that last semester."
"Mm… yes, and you enjoyed engineering that outcome, didn't you?" He chuckled. "That's okay.. no hard feelings…after all, things turned out all right, didn't they? Here we both are." He'd spread his arms out. "My office isn't as nice as this one, but… " Now he'd turned his eyes on her. "Maybe that'll change soon."
Jade had merely lifted an eyebrow, and refused to take the bait. "Well, best of luck to you." She'd said, keeping a neutral expression.
Then a knock had come on the inner door, and she'd called out, half turning her head to watch as Tori entered. The brunette had passed through, the sunlight pouring in her window, burnishing her chestnut hair, and highlighting her graceful physique. "I've got those reports." She'd said, giving Steven a curious look, then turning her attention to Jade. "That New York center is going to be almost impossible to complete on time.. The coders are scrambling but the graphics are still raw. They are projecting sixty days to pull it off."
"Not good enough." Jade had said, tersely. "I'll see what I can do." She'd turned to where Steven was watching interestedly. "Tori, this is Steven Fabricini, Jose's new AVP." She stated. "This is Tori Vega, my right hand."
Tori had almost.. almost… smiled at that. Jade had seen the crinkling of the skin around her eyes as she extended a courteous hand to Steven. "Pleased to meet you."
"Likewise.. I'm sure." He'd said lazily, giving her a charming smile. "We'll be working very closely together, I can see that."
Tori had merely nodded, then turned and slipped out, leaving them alone again.
"Well..well.. Jade, you old whore.. your taste certainly has improved." Steven had laughed. "That's a nice piece of ass."
She had only just been able to put a lid on her temper, as she realized almost too late he was trying to get under her skin. "This is an EEOC company, Steven, and we take that seriously. I'd keep those kinds of comments shoved up your ass, where they belong."
"Ah, now Jade." He'd stood up, that obnoxious smile sliding onto his face. "You've got everyone here so blinded by that kiss my ass attitude… but I know better. " He pointed a finger at her. "I know you… and that's how I'm going to beat you."
Jade had looked at him coolly. "Steven, I'm not the person you knew back then. Be careful you don't promise things you can't deliver."
He smiled, and walked out.
Since then, it had been a series of little testing jabs, culminating in a challenge, two days ago, to the projected facilities additions they'd structured before the end of the last year. She knew Steven was looking to prove himself to Jose, and use this as an opportunity to fence with her, so she'd reviewed the information, and sent Tori to the meeting he'd demanded instead.
She wondered how it was going.
The meeting room was small, only an oval table, with six chairs around it, and a whiteboard stark against the beige corded wall covering. Four people were seated around the table currently, three of them staring across the table at the fourth, a young woman with brown hair and Brown eyes. She was clad in a plain, dark blue denim with a matching sweater Knit in a fashionable style, contrasting with the other occupants' pinstripe business suits and bright red skirt and blazer. Tori had been taking fashion cues from Jade, and really loved the sweater Jade had given her over the holidays.
"I'm sorry.. I'm not sure I understand the question." Tori stated, turning her pencil in her hands, and peering patiently across the table. Jose, Elle and Steven rounded out the participants, and Tori had the very uncomfortable sensation of being a rabbit in a cage with three hungry snakes.
Fortunately, she sighed, rabbits did have claws, and teeth, and could use them when needed. "What does half a dozen prospective leads that haven't even gone to bid status have to do with projections from last year?"
Steven Fabricini had been very obviously miffed that Jade had sent her, Tori realized, but she also understood why her boss had done so.. she had the answers to their questions, and it prevented the meeting from appearing to be a forum where Jade would be pushed into the defensive, attacked by the three Sales and Marketers.
Now Steven stood, walking to the whiteboard. "Well, as I see it.. if we can show that kind of potential, then facilities has the obligation to add bandwidth so we have the ability to close the deals. " He held his hands out. "What is there to understand?"
Tori cocked her head. "That's like saying you're going to buy six hamburgers at McDonalds because you might be hungry." She stated. "Upping bandwidth on the network is done via a formula based on your department's past performance… if you want that changed, you need to close more contracts, because they're not going to acquire hard circuits on the possibility of leads." She consulted the information Jade had printed out for her. "According to the last five years projections, infrastructure is increasing the acquisition of circuits based on a new account rate of ten percent." She looked up. "Are you saying we're going to close more new accounts than that?"
"We have no idea!" Jose threw his hands up. "But we can't sell the accounts if we don't have the bandwidth to handle their demands immediately."
"Don't you see, Tori.. " Elle added smoothly, smiling at her. "We have to have a bargaining chip."
"Ah." Tori stated, folding her hands over the papers. "Okay.. so what happens if we don't add that many accounts, and we end up with a negative balance we have to compensate for?"
"See? That's your problem, cupcake.. you can't think like that.. you have to think positive." Steven pointed the marker at her. "You're too conservative.. and it's killing our potential to sign new business."
Tori propped her chin up on one hand. "No… we're just following the written guidelines for new business, as set down by The board of directors, Jade and our share holders. If you have an issue with how the business case has to be structured, you need to address that with Alastair Roesenthal, since it's his model." She neatly flipped the tables on him. "And those five accounts you tossed into this issue do not adhere to that standard... in fact, two of them show significant potential for our taking a loss on the overall account, despite the bonus you all will get for signing the new business." Her voice was gentle, and almost pleasant. "So, as you can see, I'm really not convinced we should go to Infrastructure on this, and ask them to accelerate their program." She stood up. "Now.. if you'll all excuse me, I have a lunch meeting I'm due at in twenty minutes."
Jose grabbed his papers and left, with a disgusted look. Elle trailed him out, leaving Steven and Tori in the room. He sauntered over to her. "You're pretty sharp."
Brown eyes regarded him. "Thank you." She picked up her papers. "Excuse me."
"Hey.. hey.. hold on.. " Steven circled around and perched on the table. "I'm not going to bite you." He smiled. "Unless you want me to, of course." He flicked the papers. "No need to be hostile.. we're on the same side, remember?"
"Are we?" Tori asked. "Then why accuse my division of deliberately sabotaging yours?" She held up the printed out email. "Or didn't you write this?"
"Aw, c'mon.. " Steven chuckled. "It's just a game… loosen up." He slapped his folded papers against her arm lightly. "We're both pretty new here, right?"
"More or less. Tori replied, relaxing her pose.
"So… we can talk… look, I'm not here to make trouble, okay? I'm just trying my best to jump-start some sales here… it's to all our benefit, remember?" His brows lifted. "We can help each other… things are kind of stagnating… and if we work together, maybe we can get things moving again."
Tori studied him. He was charming, he knew it, and she could feel the allure of that engaging smile. "I'd be glad to help in any way I could." She answered, carefully. "Without compromising our standards."
He moved closer, in a casual way. "Ah.. now Tori.. would I ask you to compromise your standards?" He grinned. "I heard you say you have a lunch meeting… Maybe tomorrow we could grab a bite in the cafeteria and chat.. how about it?" Steven captured her eyes, and his lips twitched a little.
"All right." The brunette said, quietly. "We can do that." She shifted her papers. "I have to go… I'll be late for my meeting." She favored him with a gentle smile.
He winked. "Go on, cupcake.. .see you later." He watched her leave, then smiled to himself, letting out a low, soft chuckle. "More than one way to pull the fangs off a cat, Jade… I think you just made a big, big mistake."
The cafeteria was crowded with the early lunch people, staff who came in before eight, and by noon were more than ready to eat. Tori picked up her tray, and wound her way through the room, spotting Mariela and several other older women seated near the back where a window allowed a view of the water. "Hi." She greeted them, putting her tray down by an empty chair. "Looks like we're going to get some rain."
"Si." Mariela agreed, looking out at the threatening clouds. "How are you, Victoria? Did your meeting go all right?"
Tori seated herself, and picked up her silverware. "More or less… " She took a sip of her ice tea, and speared a piece of lettuce. "We agreed to disagree… you know." She gave the older woman a wry look, then glanced around casually. "Boss, get stuck again?"
Mariela nodded. "Si… a conference call from France… she asked me to bring her up a sandwich."
Tori clucked and shook her head, but didn't say anything. The table talk turned to the latest episode of a favorite TV show, and she joined in cheerfully.
"Guess that honeymoon ended fast." The faintly sarcastic remark made Robbie raise his head, and regard the speaker coolly.
"Excuse me?"
Comptroller Selene Advosan leaned closer. "C'mon, Robbie…when she first started, her and the ice princess were tighter than a champagne cork in a bottle… I haven't even seen them eat lunch together since the New Year.. I guess the novelty wore off."
The Financial VP chewed his corned beef sandwich thoughtfully. "Never noticed." He shrugged, then glanced over at Tori, who appeared perfectly at home with her tablemates, and was laughing at something Mariela had said. "Maybe they're just busy… Jade never did much lunch anyway… and they seem friendly enough."
"Yeah.. but I thought we had a juicy one going there for a little while." Selene sighed. "I should have known better.. Jade's way out of her league."
"Mm." Robbie dismissed the subject, and concentrated on his lunch.
Tori put her tray away, and joined Mariela as the secretary ordered a sandwich for their boss. The older woman checked the available options, then glanced sideways. "What you think…chicken salad?" She inquired, her brow creasing.
"Tuna melt, on raisin toast." Tori murmured. "With french fries."
"Ay." Mariela winced, and gave her an appalled look. The brunette shrugged, and smiled. "Deus, okay." She ordered the sandwich, and gathered some napkins as it was being made. She took the bag the counterman handed her and clucked, then followed Tori out the door and to the elevator, which swallowed them up along with several other staff members. At the last minute, running footsteps and a hand between the door delayed them as Steven Fabracini slid in.
"Well, hello there." He sorted his way through the mailman and two administrative assistants, choosing to lean against the same wall Tori was. "How was lunch?"
"Fine thanks." The assistant replied readily. "This cafeteria's really not bad…it's better than most of the restaurants around here."
"Ah.." He watched as the doors opened, and one woman left. "You live in the area?"
"Palo Alto." Tori answered amiably.
"Hey.. me too." Steven smiled. "Seems like most of the building does…either that, or out in Oakland." He glanced up as the mail man and the other woman left. "Guess we're headed to the same place." He noted, seeing the fifteen button the only one left lit.
"Guess we are." Tori eyed him. "Where in Palo Alto did you end up?"
He told her, crossing his arms. "It's a nice little complex…got a clubhouse, and all that."
"That's not too far from where I am…I like the area. We go bike riding down to that little bakery on the corner near the mall all the time." Thebrunette commented.
"Hey.. I ride all the time." Steven smiled. "Maybe we'll bump into each other sometime down there… I like that little place." The door opened and he gestured. "Ladies first.. "
Tori followed Mariela out, seeing the stiff set of the secretary's back and biting off a tiny smile. Steven accompanied them down the hall and into Jade's outer office, where the executive's distinctive, vibrant voice could be heard growling through the thick wood paneling. "Ay.. what now." Mariela sighed.
Steven chuckled. "Jade never needed a reason to be rude, crude and obnoxious." He brushed by them and walked into the dark haired woman's office, closing the door behind him.
Tori and Mariela exchanged glances, then Tori picked up the paper bag. "I'll drop this off." She paused with a hand on the doorknob, then opened the inner office door, and stepped inside.
"Mike, I don't give a god damn what they're telling you, it's bullshit." Jade punctuated her words by slamming her pencil on the desk. "I'm not going to accept sixty days to refine a stupid code, so they better come up with something else."
"Look, Jade… we've been going around and around with them for two months.. they won't budge." The man's voice answered, sounding tired. "They've got unions to deal with up there, and facilities that are older than my damn mother."
Jade looked up as the door opened, and her nostrils flared a bit as Steven walked brazenly into her office. "Hang on a minute. "She hit the hold button. "People knock before they come into this office."
Steven clucked, and dropped into a chair. "Get your panties out of a wad, Jade."
"What do you want? I'm in the middle of something." The dark haired woman snapped back.
Steven leaned back, glancing up as the outer door opened, and Tori slipped in. "Thought people knocked first?" He asked mockingly, smiling at Jade.
"She doesn't have to knock. She works here." Jade replied. "You've got ten seconds. Talk, or get out."
Tori paced quietly across the carpet and deposited the bag on Jade's desk. "Lunch." She murmured, then headed for the inner door that led down a service corridor to her own office.
"Thanks.' Jade spared her a brief glance. "Hold on a second.. I have some contracts to turn over to you." Then she focused back on her unwelcome guest. "What is it?"
"I want a task force." He leaned forward abruptly. "I want two people from your staff so I can figure out what the hell you're trying to accomplish around here, and see if I can straighten it out." He pointed. "I want her, and whoever else you have assigned over to me for a period of two months, starting tomorrow."
Silence fell. Jade folded her hands over her desk, and blinked at him. "That's what you want?" She inquired mildly.
"That's what I want." He smiled.
One long, powerful finger pointed at the door. "What I want is you out of my office." The executive stated flatly. "I don't have the time, or the people to dedicate to you for your wild goose chase. If you want to bring in temps to play with files, talk to Cat."
"Afraid of what I'll find, Jade?" He crossed his legs, and smiled at her, as he glanced sideways at the quietly waiting Tori. "You can't hide it forever."
Jade merely stared steadily at him.
"Fine." He stood up and brushed his pants off. "I'll just make it a formal request up the line, the board will hear me out… I'll get what I want… and everyone will know it… sorry, Jade.. I was trying to spare you that for old time's sake." He winked at Tori then left, the door closing behind him with a bang.
A silence settled, then Tori cleared her throat. "You know what I want?"
Jade raised an eyebrow at her.
The Latina walked over and settled on the corner of Jade's desk. "I want a shower." She pointed "Right in that corner, so every time I have to talk to that sneaky little piece of pig manure I can go and wash myself off." She made a face and gagged. "He makes me feel so slimy!" She shuddered. "Ugh! Jade! Gag! Gross! Yuck!"
That got a weary chuckle from the dark haired woman, who shook her head and sighed. "He's a piece of work, that's for sure. " She punched the phone button. "Mike, you still there?"
"Yeah.. " A muffled voice answered. "Just eating my lunch."
"All right.. gimme the name of someone up in their chain.. I'll see what I can do to shove things along a little." Jade propped her head up on one hand. "Sixty days… my dog could code stellar graphics in less than sixty days."
"Probably do a neater job of it. "The voice agreed. "I'll email you with some names… thanks Jade."
"Yeah, yeah…" Jade sighed, as she disconnected, and turned to face Tori. "Hey."
Tori cocked her head and smiled.. "Hey." She indicated the bag. "Tuna on raisin… better eat the french fries before they soak through the bag."
Jade's expression gentled, and she captured Tori's hand, squeezing it. "Thanks.. how'd the meeting go? You must have made an impression, or he wouldn't be asking for you."
Tori rolled her honey brown eyes. "I think he's just bound and determined to screw you over…he went from being condescending and antagonistic, to hitting on me." She made a face. "He wants to do, "lunch" tomorrow." She watched Jade's right eyebrow lift. "Here… just in the cafeteria." She amended with a gentle twinkle. The eyebrow remained where it was. "Oo.. do I sense some territoriality raising its head?"
"Hmph." Jade snorted softly. "No… that's not… you can go to lunch with whoever you want to, Tori.. I'm not.. um.. "
A hand cupped her cheek unexpectedly. "I'm flattered." Tori whispered.
Jade fell silent, then chuckled a little. "I do have a pronounced possessive streak. " She admitted wryly. "But be careful, all right? He's very sharp."
The Latina leaned closer. "Not as sharp as you are." She murmured softly. "Even though he thinks he is." She informed her boss. "What is his problem with you, anyway/"
Jade sighed. "We went to school together… We were pretty good friends, even though we don't have much in common... we were both in the martial arts together, hung out with some of the same crowd… the trouble started when I beat him in the nationals that year."
"Ah." Tori lifted a hand. "I get it… let me guess, he was god's gift to karate?"
"No." Jade replied, surprisingly. "He wasn't really that good, maybe that was the problem.. he never made it past the preliminary rounds, and I was the one that kicked him into the loser's bracket… purely by chance. " She exhaled, remembering. "He felt I should have helped him get further… because he was trying to impress this girl on the opposing team he'd been after for years… it was why he got involved in the stuff to begin with."
"That doesn't make sense.. why would you have taken a dive for him?" Tori inquired. "I can't see you doing that in any case."
Pale blue eyes winked at her from under long, dark lashes. "It was complicated.. he thought I owed him the favor.. but at any rate, I didn't, and he lost, and he dropped out of the karate program after that." She paused, ordering her thoughts. "He was majoring in systems design.. and through a chance routine I was running, I discovered he'd stolen his entire senior's design matrix from someone else. "
"Uh oh." Tori winced.
"Yeah… Well, me being a moral and upright bastard in the old days, I had to go running to the department head with it, and he was tossed out of school." Jade sighed. "Our last meeting wasn't very pleasant.. he told me he'd get back at me someday, and now, here he is trying."
"Jesus… he should get a life.. What was that, ten years ago? What a waste of time." Tori folded her arms across her chest. "He gives me the creeps."
"Mm." Jade agreed. "Well, we have to deal with him.. if he keeps pushing you, you can tell him you're not interested.. or that you're involved with someone."
"Both of which are completely true." Tori agreed." Your sandwich is getting cold." She gave her boss a not so subtle nudge.
The dark haired woman smiled, then opened the bag, tugging out the sandwich and munching on a fry. "Mm… bet Mari made a face at you for this." She bit into the gooey sandwich happily. "She usually brings me chicken salad on pita."
Tori watched her indulgently for a minute, then stood up. "Yes, she did… but not nearly as nasty a face as when old Stevie Snake was flirting with me." She touched Jade's shoulder. "I think she has a protective streak, too."
"Mmhmm… " Jade nodded, with her mouth full. "She thinks you're a manifestation of the Blessed Virgin for getting me to eat trail mix instead of malted milk balls."
Tori snorted softly. "That didn't take much effort at all.. c'mon…anyone could have done it."
Jade studied her sandwich for a moment, before taking a bite of it. "No one else ever tried." She remarked casually, as she chewed the mouthful, enjoying the gentle tang of the raisins in the bread. "Even my mother gave up on me."
"Well..." Tori reached over and gently pushed an errant, dark lock out of Jade's eyes. "I'm pretty stubborn." She smiled. "Not to mention a little on the possessive side myself." She confessed. "Was your mother into greens?"
"Vegetarian." Jade replied, wiping her mouth. "She tried… but my father told me even as a baby I used to chuck up the strained peas, and go after his hamburger. Must have driven her nuts." She finished off her fries and neatly disposed of the bag. "Thank you…now I have just enough time to review this damn status report before the executive committee meeting… and I'm stuck with a new client briefing at four… I won't get out of here before seven."
Tori nodded. "I'm meeting a few folks over at the gym for a climbing session at six…will you be over for our class?"
"Oh yeah." Jade responded positively. "I'll be ready for that…. It's been a long, aggravating day, and it's only lunchtime."
"Yikes." Tori's hands had found their way across her boss's neck, feeling the tension in her shoulders. She stood up and went behind the chair, reaching over and giving her a gentle massage, enjoying the warm feel of Jade's skin under the cool silk of her blouse. "You're all wound up, huh? "
"Mm." Jade closed her eyes and dropped her head forward, submitting to her companion's touch gratefully. "Yeah… Ow… oh… damn, that feels good." It was such a nice feeling, she reflected. Not just the massage, which was relaxing her, but the warmth and caring she could practically feel pouring from Tori. It made the nastiness of the day recede, and put her in a much better frame of mind in which to face the upcoming meeting. She finally leaned back, as the brunette finished, and looked up at her. "Thanks."
Tori smiled back. "Your welcome.. I'd better get going .. did you actually have stuff to give me, or was that just a reason for me not to leave?"
A soft chuckle. "I'm not that bad. Here… " Jade handed her the three folders. "Three new ones…and in case I didn't say it before, the two you structured last week were very well done." She meant it, too, the business plans had been very well thought out, and the start up schedules were efficient, and thoughtful. "I got a note from Elle regarding the Kingsland meeting…she was very impressed with how you handled it."
Tori positively beamed. A big, sunny grin covered her face, and her eyes sparkled, as she drank in the compliments. "Wow.. thanks…" Somehow, when Jade discussed business with her, she managed to forget their relationship, and simply react as anyone else would in getting praised by their boss. It was a weird sensation, almost like she and Jade were two different people, the ones who worked together, and the ones that lived together. "Glad I did good."
Jade's phone buzzed. "Jade?" Mariela sounded resigned.
"Yes?" The executive answered, leaning on an elbow.
"Personnel, line numero uno."
"I bet I know what this is." Jade sighed. "Thanks.." She hit the button. "Jade West."
"You are such the troublemaker, you know that?" Cat's voice sounded halfway between irritation and wry amusement. "Are you trying to set some record for complaints against one employee?"
Jade lifted her hands and let them fall on the desk. "What did I do?"
"Oh.. let's see.. " A rustle of paper. "Being rude, obstructionist, uncooperative, detrimental to the progress of business… "
"She really wasn't, Cat." Tori spoke over her boss's shoulder. "I was here…she was really polite, as a matter of fact."
Cat sighed. "What did he want?"
"Me." Tori replied. "He wanted me, and another staff member assigned to him personally for two months, while he.. as he put it, straightened us out."
A soft curse in a fluid language followed. "And you told him no, I take it?"
"I told him I didn't have the time nor the staff to go on wild goose chases.. if he wanted dog's bodies to hunt stuff down, to go see you." Jade replied. "I'm not assigning one of my staff, not even mentioning my very valuable, and very efficient assistant to that horse's ass."
"Mm.. I see." The Personnel VP sighed. "Well, he kicked a copy of this up to Alastair, along with a bunch of statistics… it looks pretty nasty, Jade.. I'll forward you a copy."
Jade drummed her fingers on her desk. "Did he copy Jose?"
A moment's silence. "Um…now that you mention it, no." Cat replied.
Jade smiled. "Okay.. thanks.. I'll handle Alastair if he decides to get involved." She pulled a folder over to her. "Meet you in the conference room?"
"You got it." Cat agreed, and hung up.
"He sounds like he really means to make a case out of this, Jade." Tori stated quietly, her brow creasing in concern. "Would it be easier if we just went along with it? I mean.. it's not like he's going to actually find anything if he investigates our area."
The pale blue eyes thoughtfully roamed the room, settling on Tori's face with quiet intentness. "Yes, it would be easier." She stated flatly. "But I'm not gonna do it." The ferocity in her voice surprised Tori. "He wants a fight? He'll get one."
Jade glanced at her watch as she entered her office. The briefing had lasted an hour longer than predicted, but it had ended on a good note, so she considered the time well spent. It was a few minutes to seven, though, and she lifted her cell phone, dialing a number without looking. Three rings, then four, then a breathless voice answered. "Hey."
"Oh.. " Tori paused to breathe. "Hey… what's up?"
"Where are you?" Jade inquired, hearing the panting.
"Halfway up the climbing wall, holding on by one hand." The brunette replied. "So..as much as I love talking to you, could you kinda…"
"Sorry." Jade apologized. "I just got back from the briefing… I'll be over in about ten minutes."
"Right.. I'll let everyone know." Tori responded. "Ooof…oh..wait..okay." She sighed. "That's better.. I was sort of upside down, and trying to hold myself up… my arm was giving out."
The executive chuckled softly. "Okay...Well, get both hands back on those holds, okay? I'll see you in a bit." She was looking forward to the class, and her sparring time with Ken. "Take care."
"Okay.. see ya.." Tori hung up, then managed to clip her cell phone to the back of her workout shorts. "Glad I got the lightweight model." She commented to the rough wall before her eyes. "Well, time to go down.."
She worked her way slowly across the wall, moving from handhold to handhold, and finally let go of the last one, landing lightly on the floor. Her shoulders and thighs ached, and she straightened up slowly, then leaned against the wall and caught her breath. "Whoo." She shook her arms out and flexed her hands, then paced back out of the climbing room and paused, searching the crowded gym. "Ah." She spotted Ken standing next to his small office, and she headed in his direction.
He looked up as she approached, and a smile creased his friendly face. "Hey there."
"Hey Ken… " Tori wiped her brow with the towel she had tucked in her waistband. "Jade's on her way over… she had a late meeting."
Ken rubbed his neck. "I'm still sore from last night." He complained wryly. Jade had surprised him with a side kick that had nailed his jaw, and snapped his head sideways. "Maybe we can just have coffee tonight, huh?"
Tori laughed gently. "I think she's really enjoying your sessions… but I'm sure she'd take it easy on you if you asked her." She looked up as Andre approached, already in his workout gear. "Hey, Dre… it'll be a few minutes. Jade's on her way over."
The man grinned. "Good..I thought I was going to be late..I had two glitches on Life Sim today and I couldn't let go until I figured it out." he tugged on Tori's shorts. "Let's get a drink while we're waiting."
"Okay.. I've got to put my stuff on.. " Tori agreed. "You want anything, Ken?"
"No… " The gym manager shook his head. "You two go on.. I've got to give a few tours." He indicated a small group of uncertain looking women. "New members."
Tori nodded then followed Andre towards the juice bar. "Order me a strawberry banana, would you.. I'm going to change." She angled her steps towards the locker room, waving at three sweating women who passed by. "Hey guys.. "
"Hi Tori." The closest one, a programming specialist who worked in Sinjin's department answered "The boss around?"
"On her way." The brunette smiled, as she continued into the tile lined locker room, which echoed with the sounds of the showers, and the clank of locks against the metal doors. She went to her assigned space and unlocked it, pulling out her light cotton pants and top, and the white belt that went with them, and stripped off her shorts and the t-shirt she wore when climbing, along with the knee protectors that kept her kneecaps from being smashed against the rough concrete.
Idly she glanced to the right, and caught sight of herself in the mirror, and she paused to evaluate the reflection. Turned sideways as she was, she could see the smooth curve of her thigh muscles, which had become a good deal more pronounced and she slid a hand up along her waistline, where she was just beginning to be able to see a little definition. "Hmm." She raised an eyebrow at the sight, watching the rounded shoulder muscles shift as she moved her arm. It had taken her a while to get used to it, to be honest.. she'd been so accustomed to thinking about herself in a certain way, that this sudden change had made her a little uncomfortable at first.
Okay, she sighed, as she slipped into the cotton pants. A lot uncomfortable, as her mind fought against a lifetime of being subject to her mother's views on what a woman should, or should not look like. Women were not supposed to look like wrestlers. Slim, yes. Poised, yes. Buff?
Ah, no. And there were a lot of people here at the gym who fit into her mother's views, keeping strictly to the light aerobics, and the sweat rooms to produce bodies like whippets, all slim bone and taut skin, who avoided the weight rooms and machines like the plague.
Jade had gone a long way towards providing her with an example of a different way of thinking. The other woman regarded strength training as an important part of her fitness regimen, and was completely unapologetic over the amount of smooth muscles that covered her body, explaining to Tori a touch sheepishly that she preferred it that way, since the muscles burned up a lot of the excess she tended to indulge in.
That made a lot of sense to Tori, and she'd decided if she was going to share a life with Jade, she'd better make an effort to insure sharing the other woman's eating habits wasn't going to be totally self destructive. And she'd found that she liked the activities, as well as her growing competence at them, comfortable with the thought that the hour of climbing she'd just enjoyed would also make the pound of strawberries and crock of thick, dark chocolate waiting at home equally and guiltlessly enjoyable. As if on cue, her stomach started growling, and she rolled her eyes, locking her locker and heading for the door as she tied the belt around her.
"Took you long enough." Andre gently pushed her drink over to her. "So.. how's the week been?"
Tori sighed. "Personally, great. Professionally, great, except that new guy I told you about… he's been driving us crazy this week." She took a long gulp of the frothy fruit drink, enjoying the tangy sweet taste. "He's got it out for Jade."
Andre sipped his own drink, and fiddled with a napkin. "Well, you be careful, there, m'dear.. don't get caught in the crossfire." he warned. "Jade's fully capable of taking care of herself."
"I'm already in the middle of it." The brunette woman sighed. "It's a mess…but we'll handle it." Her eyes went to the door just in time to see it open, and a familiar form ease inside. Jade was still in her business causal, but had her gym bag hitched over one shoulder, and she pushed it back as her eyes swept the interior of the gym.
It took less than five seconds. Tori counted. It was a game they played, sometimes, to see how fast they could find each other. On the count of one thousand four, the blue eyes zeroed in on hers, and Jade's lips twitched into a grin. She made her way over to where they were seated, gracefully sidestepping a pair of power walkers, who were strutting their way across the machine area.
"Hey." Tori offered her a sip of her drink. "How'd it go?"
A shrug. "Same as always." Jade accepted the glass, and took a swallow of the fruit smoothie. "Hello, Andre."
The man smiled. "Hi, Jade…any chance of going over those punches today?"
"Sure." Jade replied, handing Tori back her cup. "I'm going to go change… meet you guys over by the mats." She headed into the locker room, crossing to her locker, right next to Tori's, and unlocking it. She put her bag inside, and changed quickly, glad to get out of her skirt, hose and pumps, and into a comfortable pair of cotton pants and soft boots. She loved fashion, but it had been such a long day.
She hung up her work clothes, and shrugged into the mid length shirt, pulling the long, black belt from her bag and glancing at it before she wrapped it twice around her waist and tied it off. Putting this on had felt very strange, she remembered. She usually worked out with the trainer on the island in a pair of sweat pants and a tshirt, but when she actually started teaching class, Ken said it would make the students feel less awkward with their own new garb if she wore hers as well. So she'd rooted around in the three trunks tucked into the condo's closet that represented her personal possessions, and dug the old thing out, a little surprised it still fit. She'd had her doubts about wearing it, but then Tori had told her she liked it… okay, she'd told Jade she thought she looked really cute in it, and since then she hadn't minded wearing it again.
"A little egotistical?" She asked herself wryly. "Oh. Just a little." She chastised herself, as she locked the locker and headed out towards the class area.
They were all waiting, a group of ten including Tori and Andre. Jade took them through a series of warm up routines, using the time to stretch her own muscles out, then went over several concepts she'd taught the week before, and linked that into the day's lesson. As always, Tori watched her with that little look of utter concentration, her brow furrowed, the tip of her tongue poking out a bit, as she repeated the exercise, at first uncertainly, then with more confidence.
"Nice. " Jade complimented her. "Okay.. now you and Andre go at each other." The rest of the class watched tensly, as the brunette and the dreadlocked man squared off, and Tori edged forward, getting the hold on Andre's arm, then correctly dumping him on his butt. "Right."
"Ugh." Andre squinted up at his friend. "I'll be needing a pillow on my butt, much more of this."
Tori grinned, and offered him a hand up.
Jade hadn't expected to enjoy teaching. She'd volunteered on the spur of the moment, and afterward had almost regretted it, but as the weeks went on she'd found herself looking forward to her little class. "Okay… good." She nodded, as two of the men squared off against each other, and demonstrated. "Right.. a little higher on the kick.. you have to get it just above the knee." She got in closer, and tapped the man on the thigh. "That's it."
The class finished, and she leaned against the wall, watching as Ken ambled over, an apologetic look on his face. "Evening, Ken." She greeted the man. "How's the neck?" She really hadn't meant to nail the poor guy like that.. she'd just been trying out a move she hadn't been able to do in a while, half expecting it not to work, when it did, they'd both been pretty surprised. Or rather, she'd been surprised, Ken had been too busy counting stars on the mat to be anything other than in pain.
"Hurts like heck… " He admitted. "I think I'm going to have to give it a miss tonight."
Jade chewed her lip. "Sorry about that." She told him, sincerely.
"Don't worry about it." He chuckled deprecatingly, then he glanced up at her. "Say, Jade… you ever give any thought to going back into competition?"
The question surprised her. "No, I…" She paused. "No...come on, Ken… it's been ten years. I'm way past that."
The short man shook his head. "I beg to disagree… I mean, I don't know if you're interested, but I was at a match this past weekend, and I have to tell you, honestly, Jade… you'd have walked with the trophy." He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I know it was just a little local thing, but if you wanted to, you could go back into that… you've still got the moves, it would just take a little work."
Her first instinct was to say no. Absolutely not, she didn't have time for that, her life was too complicated as it was, there was no way she'd have time to do it right.. to get into the kind of shape she knew she'd have to in order to really compete.
But.
A seductive tendril she'd thought long buried surfaced, reminding her of just how much she'd enjoyed competing. How much she'd enjoyed winning. Maybe seeing Steven had shaken that loose and brought it to the surface, she mused. Her eyes flicked over Ken's waiting face. "Something to think about." She replied quietly. "I don't know… I really hadn't considered it before."
He grinned. "Well.. you think about it…" He patted her arm. "We'll talk about it in a couple of days."
Jade walked slowly across the busy gym, her eyes thoughtful.
Tori relaxed into the soft leather seat and sighed. "God, I'm starving… I am so glad I stuck that bowl of chicken satay in the refrigerator before we left this morning."
"Mm… that sounds good." Jade agreed, as she gazed out at the road.
The brunette woman glanced at her, studying Jade's profile. "You're quiet tonight." She said, after a moment of silence. "Everything okay, or are you still stewing about Mr. Slimeball?"
Pale blue eyes left the road and gazed at her for a moment. "He's not worth stewing over." She stated, knowing it was a lie. "I managed to put a corncob up Jose's tailpipe… I gave him a copy of that email." She chuckled softly. "I haven't seen him change that shade of red in a while… I usually cause that."
Tori stretched out, and leaned on the armrest. "What does he hope to accomplish, Jade? Fabricini, I mean."
"Bottom line?" Jade turned onto the bridge and drove contemplatively across. The cool January air blew against the Volvo making it shake as the gusts hit it sideways , "He wants Jose's job, and my head." She said, "If he can prove we lost money because of something I did, he's got a good chance of convincing the board to buy me out.."
Tori blinked. "But… How can he prove that? You know nothing like that happened."
Jade ducked her head to one side. "No one's perfect, Tori… it's possible he could dig up something where we could have done our jobs better, and we lost out because of it… we've got so many things going on at once, and so much of it involves making decisions based on the best information available… it can happen." She settled her hands on her knee. "But I've got a pretty good batting average.. he'd have to find something really major, and I'm not really worried about that." She fell silent, and watched the ripple of the water in the ferry's wake, scattering the moonlight over its surface.
"So.. what are you really worried about?" Tori prodded gently. "Is it because he's made it so personal?"
Jade thought about that. "Maybe." She acknowledged. "Or maybe it's because he's sniffing after you…" She let a rueful grin cross her face. "And if he does find out about us, he will most certainly make an issue of it."
"Mmph." Tori rolled her head to one side,staring out of the window. "Well, we just have to make sure that doesn't happen… right?"
Jade drove off the bridge , and turned onto the access road that led to the house. She pulled in next to Tori's Spyder, and turned the car off. "C'mon.. let's go get slurped." She got out and took her bag, then waited for Tori to join her before she keyed the door open.
They ducked inside and turned the lights on, then Tori dropped her bag on the couch and continued on into the kitchen towards the utility room, which was issuing shrill yelps. "Okay, okay Chino…. Take it easy.. " She unlatched the gate, and let the three month old Labrador puppy out. "Did you miss us?"
The puppy scrambled up her leg, hopping up and down until she picked her up and cuddled her. "Hey… " Tori laughed as the pink tongue got her neck. "Hey.. no nibbling!" The sharp little teeth nipped her skin, as she glanced into the puppy's area. "You were a good girl, werentcha!"
Jade wandered over, and the puppy whined, wriggling towards her. "Hey, puppy… "
"All right…all right… here… " Tori turned her over. "Go… I know who your favorite is… look, Jade.. she was a good girl all day."
The dark haired woman suffered a nose nibble, then peered into the room. "Hey… look at that. Good girl." She praised the puppy. "Getting resident services to come and let her out twice during the day was a good idea, huh?"
"You bet." Tori agreed. "Want to take her for a walk while I get dinner?" She watched indulgently as Jade scratched the puppy's chin, and cooed at it, the little tag on her collar, which bore her name, and their address jingled softly as she moved. "Jade?"
"Hmm?" The executive glanced up. "Oh.. right.. sorry." She kissed the puppy on the head. "C'mon, Chino… let's go out… see if you'll piddle for me, huh?" She slipped out the back door, and down the patio steps into the moonlit grassy area.
Tori had to laugh, as she rinsed her hands off. "No one at work would believe hearing that." She shook head wryly. Jade had proven to be an extremely soft touch when it came to their little addition, and Chino had learned that all it took to get a puppy biscuit was a pair of soulful brown eyes, and a tiny paw. She'd find Jade, and sit next to her, raising the paw up and patting Jade's leg with it, and the well trained human would immediately produce an Iams biscuit which Chino would crunch contentedly.
It was cute in the extreme, and Tori loved watching her intimidating lover turn into a blue eyed puddle over the puppy's admittedly adorable ways.
She put up the satay and some rice, then added some fresh green beans to the steamer. "That'll do." She dusted her hands off and retrieved her bag, glancing around the living room with a sense of quiet satisfaction. At one time, it had seemed very sterile to her, but since she'd moved in, she'd coaxed some personal items out of Jade, and added her own stuff to it, resulting in a warmer and more cheerful atmosphere that now included some prints they'd picked out at the Art Festival, a colorful native woven blanket that was draped over the central table, and a brass sculpture of dolphins and waves sitting in the middle of it. She'd coaxed a few pictures out of Jade, including two of her at school age which Tori thought were adorable and added her own in the niches of the entertainment center.
Nice. Tori trotted up the stairs and dropped her laptop off in her office, then went into her room.
Her room. She still had to run that through her head when she walked in, as the spacious, vaulted ceiling and the wide, glass doors that opened out onto the Bay hit her eyes. She'd moved most of her things up from her apartment, though she was still retaining the lease there temporarily, and it still seemed a bit strange to see Pooh holding out his arms for a hug from the comfortable, overstuffed chair perfectly situated for reading as the sunlight came in the room. She'd hung her pictures on the wall, and it was her quilt on the bed, and the dresser held her things in a slightly jumbled disarray.
Tori put her bag down and went to the glass doors, sliding them open and going out onto the wraparound balcony to just stand, and gaze out over the black, rippling water for a long moment, watching the quarter moon send a tiny splash of light over the waves. It smelled of salt, and the rich scent of the freshly fertilized lawn below her, and the hint of hickory smoke from the beach club just down the way.
It was beautiful, and she loved it, even though she had to pinch herself sometimes just to prove it was real, and not just some outlandish dream. Not just the house, but her life. Sometimes she was a little afraid to go to sleep at night, fearing she'd wake up one day and it would all be gone as though it had never existed.
A sigh. "C'mon, Tori… get changed, and stop being goofy." She went back inside, closing the doors, and slipped out of her work clothes, exchanging them for her favorite sleep shirt and hanging her jacket and skirt up in the huge walk-in closet that Tori swore was the same size as her bedroom in her Palo Alto apartment.
A tiny whine alerted her, and she looked up as Chino pushed the door open with her nose, and came stumbling in, having laboriously negotiated the stairs. It was a new skill of hers. "Hey, Chino… c'mere honey." Tori sat down and let the puppy scramble over her. She played with her for a minute then got to her feet and headed downstairs, with the animal trotting behind her.
Jade was in her office, working on something, and she looked up as Tori poked her head in. For a minute, they just looked at each other, then Jade leaned back in her comfortable chair. "That smells great." She put her hands behind her head and exhaled, pulling the thin fabric of her worn baseball shirt against her body. "Ken sprang something on me tonight… he… broached the subject of me going back into competition."
Tori came forward and perched on the arm of the couch. "Really?" She watched Jade's face. "You think you want to?"
The dark haired woman nibbled the inside of her lip. "I don't know.. when he first mentioned it, I came up with all the reasons why I couldn't… and they seemed like good ones. "She shrugged. "I mean, it takes time, a lot of effort.. training…" She sighed. "It's been a long, long time… I don't know if I could still do it."
"But?" Tori saw the indecision in her expression.
Both hands lifted, then fell to the arms of the chair. "Maybe the stuff I've been doing with him… triggered some stupid adrenaline gene in there… I don't know… I've been getting quite a kick out of trying to see how much I could get back." She looked up. "What do you think?"
The brunette studied her in silence. "I think you should go for it." She grinned. "I love the classes, but watching you and Ken go at it afterward has been such a blast… you get this incredible look on your face when you get past him."
Jade scratched her jaw, looking a touch embarrassed. "I do?"
"Yes, you do." Tori held out a hand, as she checked her watch. "Come on.. we'll talk about it over dinner. It should be ready."
They settled in front of Picture Frame TV, Jade flipping it on after she set her gently steaming plate down. "Oh… look, it's the Crocodile Hunter." She peered. "What's he after now?"
Tori observed the screen. "Snakes." She took a bite of chicken and then a mouthful of the steamed rice, which she'd put a touch of ginger and spices into. "Mm… yeah, rattlesnakes." She shook her head. "Jesus… he's picking them up by the…. Jade, he's crawling into a cave of those things… its no wonder he died how he lived.``
Jade pulled her plate over and took a bite. "The Discovery Channel probably had him sign a document in quintuplet that absolved them of any responsibility for him." The spicy peanut sauce on the chicken contrasted with the gentle, gingery taste of the rice, and she sighed contentedly. "Tori, this is great."
"Thank you." Tori took a sip of ice tea. "We have strawberries for dessert, you know."
"I know." Jade chuckled softly, as she settled an arm over the Latina's shoulders, eating one handed. "So. What's he doing now? Oh…hey, is his wife pregnant?"
Tori peered. "Either that, or she's been munching on the crocodile crackers overtime." She watched. "And he dragged her up into the mountains, and handed her the tail of a rattlesnake to hold onto…Jesus!" The man on the screen cooed at the angry female rattlesnake. "You gotta love them? No Steve.. I don't!" She chewed. "He had such a cute accent, though." She reached over and picked up a green bean from Jade's plate, and offered it to her. "Here… I sautéed them in a little garlic butter… just pretend it's a French fry."
Jade obligingly took the bean, chewing it speculatively. "I think I'm being condescended to." She blinked. "Look at him… there must be a dozen snakes under that rock.. can't he just leave it alone? Wait… did he just say 'shit'?"
Tori's brow creased. "Yeah.. he just said 'shit'…what's… oh man, did you see how pale he just got?" She turned up the sound a little. "Oh… Jesus… he's got a snake between his legs."
Her lover burst out laughing. "Well, it's not original, but.. "
"Tch.. Jade! NO! He's got a rattlesnake between his legs! Look… they're going nuts… he doesn't know what to do!" They watched as the man on the screen eased out of the way, and scooted out of range. "Wow… that was outrageous.. I wonder if they'd show it if he actually got nailed in the nuts by a poisonous snake."
"Well." Jade laughed helplessly. "At least he could get a tourniquet in place.. not like if he got bit on the face." She sighed, and chewed a mouthful of rice. "I think he was an adrenaline junkie." She quieted for a moment. Looking for that fix.. that excitement… Was that what was tugging at her towards resuming the aggressiveness of competition? Otherwise, what was the attraction of going back ten years, and trying to recapture that particular bit of glory? Or was this even a reaction to her getting older. A reassurance to her ego that she still had 'it'?
Now.. that was a depressing thought, wasn't it?
Conceit, or a challenge it would just be fun to attempt? She studied the image of the once defeated Steve Irwin bounding over the rocks in search of yet more snakes, undaunted by his close encounter.
Hmm. She finished her dinner thoughtfully.