Eleven

Of course, it rained the next day. Tori stood for a moment, yawning, and peering out the double glass sliding doors that opened to the ocean, watching the sheets of thick raindrops almost obscure the surf.

Well, she considered, that was okay too. It was a great morning for sleeping in, and they had, and here it was almost noon and she was just crawling out to put up some coffee. She continued on into the kitchen and flipped the light on, since the weather outside made it gloomy, and measured off the coffee before hitting the start switch.

It made a friendly, percolating sound as the water emerged, and she stepped back, stretching her arms overhead and considering what to rummage up for breakfast.

Okay, brunch.

Tori glanced at the clock. Lunch, if they followed their usual schedule. She ran her hands through her hair and yawned again, smiling as Chino trotted into the kitchen and sat down in front of her biscuit jar, looking up at Tori expectantly.

"Oh." She put one fist on her hip. "So.. you think you've got me trained, huh?"

"Woof." Chino barked, then looked up at the jar.

"I don't think so, madam."

"Woof!"

Jade peeked inside, then slid her long body around the doorjamb and padded barefoot across the tile, going right to the jar and taking a biscuit out for the puppy, which Chino crunched contentedly.

"Jade!"

The taller woman paused, blinked, then removed a second biscuit and handed it to Tori. "Sorry.. didn't know you liked them." She drawled. "Try some peanut butter on it."

"Hah, hah." She tossed the cookie back, watching Jade catch it one-handed. "You spoil her so much."

"Mm.." Jade acknowledged a trifle sheepishly. "Seems to be a habit of mine lately." She slid an arm around Tori, who had sidled closer and welcomed the warmth of her body against the kitchen's air-conditioned chill. "Maybe I'm coming down with a virus."

Tori snorted into the cotton of her shirt. "You'd be more likely to write a virus than catch one… you're disgustingly healthy, Jade.. did you know that? I've had two colds and a stomach flu since I've known you.. and you haven't caught anything."

Jade chuckled. "My body knows how much I hate being sick.. and it hates putting up with me so much, if I do catch something, it pretends not to notice." She considered. " I can't even remember the last time…oh.. wait, yes I can." Her eyes rolled. "I caught food poisoning from the cafeteria at some account I was… consolidating."

"Ew." Tori winced. "I've never had it.. but Shelby did once, and the colors he turned would have done Van Gogh proud."

"Yeah… I was so sick... I didn't stop throwing up for… god.. it seemed like forever." Jade acknowledged. "I finally ended up just staying in the bathroom... I was too weak to get up." A reflective pause. "A long couple of days."

Tori's brow creased. "Why didn't you call someone to help you? God, Jade…"

The blue eyes studied her. "There wasn't anyone to call." She replied, very simply. "It was in my old place in the grove.. just me, and a few lizards."

It struck her, now, the realization of just how alone Jade had been before they'd met. "Wow." She put a hand out and touched the dark-haired woman comfortingly. "Well, if your body happens to forget now, rest assured you'll be taken care of."

Jade's lips briefly tensed into a smile. "That might be worth getting sick for." She allowed, resting her forearms on Tori's shoulders. "So." Eyes went to the window. "What do you feel like doing today?"

"Well… we've both got inboxes to clear… and laundry… we could get caught up on everything for a change."

"Mm." Jade sounded very noncommittal.

"Or, we could laze around together on the couch all day and watch cartoons."

A frank, unrepentant grin flashed back at her.

"Okay.. so.. now that we've got that settled… go find Space Ghost, and I'll bring out the coffee and whatever I find for breakfast."

Jade obediently ambled out into the living room, and flipped the TV on, grabbing the remote as she found a nice, soft spot on the couch to curl up on, wincing a bit as the cold leather took its time warming to her body. Thunder rolled outside, and she laid down on her side, propping her head up with one hand as she surfed.

Always liked rainy days. She reflected idly, listening to the hard pattering outside. They were good times to read, or watch old movies, or… A grin played over her face, remembering the long summer afternoons on the base spent constructing models… much to her mother's despair. All those intricate, tiny pieces and the scent of glue.. so carefully painted and put into place.

Haven't thought about that in forever. How many hours had she lost herself in those? All the ships of the fleet.. each with it's proper, exact markings.. and then coming home from college one time, and finding them gone. Given to some shelter or other, because her mother thought she'd outgrown them.

She'd rarely ever been that angry. She hadn't spoken to her mother for a month after that, until her father had sought her out, and made peace.

Like always, able to bridge their differences with his love for her mother, and his understanding of Jade.. they'd depended on him for that. Maybe that was why after he was gone…

Jade sighed, releasing the memories as Tori entered, bearing a small tray with two steaming cups and a basket of something that smelled cinnamony and sweet. "Oo… what have we here?" She grinned at her wife. "A nice healthy breakfast, I see."

Tori stuck her tongue out. "We're low on bean sprouts. I had to improvise." She set the tray down with the coffee and cinnamon rolls, then took a seat on the wide couch next to Jade's sprawled form. "I didn't think you'd object." She tore a roll in half and offered it to her wife.

"Nope." Jade chewed the sweet pastry contentedly, saving a small piece for the cream-colored Labrador head that magically appeared in front of her face. Then she licked her fingers off, and took a sip of her coffee, putting it back down and curling an arm around Tori to bring her closer.

"Hm." The brunette relaxed onto her side and pressed her back against Jade's warmth, sharing the colorful, soft throw pillow. "Oh yeah.. I can deal with this all day." She yawned and snuggled closer. "I like rainy days." Idly, she picked up a few bits of mail lying on the table and sorted through them. "How did we get on a mailing list for X-rated videos?"

Jade lifted her head to peer at the item. "Mm… videos… mean video recorders, which means electronics, which means high technology.. which means computers. Can you figure out how we got on a list for that?"

Tori paused and thought. "Nope." She shrugged and chucked the mail, which Chino ran and retrieved for her, setting it down hopefully next to the couch. "Let's see… your Microsoft newsletter…. Want that?"

"No."

"Here you go, Chino… what about the small computer book club offer?"

"Oh. Right.. I need more small computer books."

"Right." Toss. "Invitation to a timeshare in Las Vegas?"

"Nah.. they don't like me there," Jade responded. "I know too much about the systems programming."

"Okay." Tori peered at the next envelope. "Oh.. you're having a class reunion."

A brow arched.

She passed the envelope back. "Here… oh wait.. don't move. I'll open it."

Jade hadn't stirred an inch. "Did I say I wanted to see it?" She grumbled, then sighed as Tori opened the green and orange striped envelope and pulled out its contents. "I'm not going."

"Aw." Tori read with interest. "Why not? It's here next weekend…it looks like fun, Jade... it's a 'come as you were' party." She showed the flyer to her wife. "C'mon…"

A blue eye pinned her. "High school wasn't a time I remember all that fondly, Tori…I think I was voted 'Girl most likely to be incarcerated'" She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "It was the start of that rebellious phase I mentioned."

"All the more reason." The brunette responded. "Don't you want to go back there and prove otherwise? Didn't you get a kick out of doing that with your relatives?"

Hmm.

A brow lifted in thought.

"I wouldn't call it a 'kick'," Jade murmured, then shook her head. "No… I really didn't get along with the crowd that's organizing this." She pointed at some names. "Key Clubbers….bet they haven't changed." She gave Tori a suspicious look. "Why are you so enthusiastic about this?"

Tori grinned, her nose wrinkling up cheerfully. "I want to indulge my newly discovered hedonistic tendencies. I want to see you in leather ."

She got a definite 'look' in return. "You what?"

"And chains.. and the torn clothes." brown eyes sparkled. "Though… " Tori riffled through Jade's hair. "I think we can fake the spikes."

Jade started laughing. "Jesus, Tori…. You gotta be kidding. I don't have that stuff around anymore.. and even if I did.. it'd never fit." Then she remembered the boxes still sealed in the storage area. She bit her lip. Nah.

A finger touched her nose. "I bet we could find something…" Coaxingly. "C'mon, Jade… hey.. tell you what... I'll even rent you a motorcycle or something for the night."

Jade clapped a hand over her eyes. "How d'you even know I know how to ride one?" She objected faintly. "Tori, I can't just… "

"Sure you can... lots of people go to their high school reunions."

Long fingers drummed on the couch's leather surface. "Okay." Jade finally responded. "On one condition."

Triumph. Tori squirmed around and faced her, with a delighted grin. "Name it."

Now it was Jade's turn to grin. "You come with me.."

A snort. "Of course! You think I'd let an opportunity like this go by? Me and the digital camera…"

"Dressed the same way." The low voice interrupted her slyly.

Tori stopped and blinked. "Uh." Slowly a finger pointed at her own chest. "Me?" Her face scrunched up in comedic dismay, as she fingered her Tweety shirt. "Jade, I'm not very convincing in leather. Really."

Jade waited, her eyes twinkling.

A sigh. "Well, okay… I'm pretty sure I'll look goofy, but.. if that's what it takes.. that's what I'll do." She gave Jade a firm nod. "Tori, Biker Chick will be there."

Hmm. Jade let a chuckle escape, as they snuggled together, letting the thunder roll around them. This might even be kind of fun.

It was still raining as Tori pulled up to the office, tugging up her rain hood before she ducked out of the Mustang and made the short dash to the front door. The security guard saw her coming and stepped on the plate, making the glass portals open and letting her inside with only a minimum drenching. "Morning, Ms. Vega."

"Hi... morning." Tori pushed her hood back and shook her head, scattering a few droplets from her hair. "Wow… lousy weather, huh?"

"Yes, ma'am… " The guard peered behind her expectantly. "Ms. West coming along with you?"

Tori smiled. "No.. she's got a meeting this morning… " Not true. "She'll be by in a bit." Jade was, in reality, not far behind her, but they'd decided to take separate cars this week, since their unwelcome board member was roaming around, and Tori had been assigned to escort him. Neither of them went out of their way to hide their relationship, but there was no point in advertising it to the already antagonistic Ankow.

She was alone in the elevator and remained that way as she got out on the fifteenth floor, not surprising given the hour. Mariela was in, though, and she smiled at the secretary as she poked her head into Jade's outer office. "Morning!"

"Ah.. good morning, Vitoria." Mariela smiled back. "Is terrible weather, no?" Her eyes went to the barely visible hallway behind Tori's head. "Jade is not with you?"

It occurred suddenly to Tori that coming separately might possibly cause more comments than just arriving together would. "She took her car." She explained. "Is our visitor here yet?"

The dark head shook no. "His plane is landing at nine.. we are sending Consuelo for him."

Ah Consuelo.. not a bad idea. "Is she still moonlighting as a dancer?"

"Si." Mariela smiled primly. "Is so.. cultural, no?"

Tori bit off a grin. "Absolutely… hey, Cat tells me she's gotten approval for my assistant.. I hear it's someone familiar." She'd been surprised at the move and astounded at the person Cat had hired for her. They'd been putting off the addition for a while, with Tori stating she really didn't need one, more to prevent having to deal with the awkwardness of bringing a stranger in than anything else. But now, with all the new projects, it was unfair to ask Mariela to coordinate for both of them, and Cat had gone ahead, putting Tori's fears to rest by hiring Mariela's young daughter, whom both she and Jade already knew.

Who also knew about them, and was a quiet, reserved girl not much for spreading rumors around.

Mariela beamed. "Mayte is so excited…she spent the entire weekend choosing what clothes, and how to do her hair.. she cannot wait to start. She will be here at nine also, to do her paperwork."

"Great." Tori waved. "Gotta go get ready for my squiring assignment… see you later, Mariela." She pulled her head back out and went down the hallway, into the little alcove where her office door was.

There, she paused, watching the busy activity. A small room just off to one side had been used for storage, and now everything was being moved out. To the left, a handsome wooden desk stood on one end, waiting to go in, and behind that, an MIS cart was parked, with a pc and monitor on it. She poked her head into the room as the last of the boxes left and nodded.

It wasn't huge, about twelve feet square, but it was carpeted, and the walls were clean, with soft blue soundproofing weave on them.

"Excuse me, Ms. Vega." A polite voice made her jump, and she ducked out of the way as the maintenance worker maneuvered the desk through the door and got it positioned. Then he glanced up and wiped his brow. "This all right?"

Tori blinked. "Um... " She studied the room. "Yes.. sideways to that wall would be good, I think... it's near the powerstrip."

He nodded. "I always like to ask.. especially with you ops people. Dear Lord goes to town knows I was in that office... " He pointed towards hers. "Hours getting things how Ms. West wanted 'em."

It was an unexpectedly revealing moment, and Tori smiled. "Well, you did a great job... I didn't have to move a thing." She patted the door frame and left the man to his work, going through her door and into her office, and closing it behind her. Her eyes moved around the now familiar confines. "Hours, huh.. and you let me think it was just an extra office you had hanging around." She chuckled and went over to her desk, flipping the switch to turn on her pc then wandering over to the window while it booted.

It was dark and gloomy outside, with sheets of rain still falling over the drenched landscape, and fractious whitecaps lashing the shoreline just visible from her window and ruffling even the usually calm waters of The Bay, which the office overlooked. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and they'll close the airport." She remarked. "Or make him land in San Jose."

Not likely. SFO was used to this weather, and only ever shut down in the worst possible scenarios, such as earthquakes and Wildfires.

Her phone buzzed, and she sighed, then turned and eyed the display. Ah. She punched a button. "Morning, Sinjin."

"Hey. Where's the boss?" The MIS manager's voice was preoccupied. "She's not answering in her office."

"Probably because she's not here yet," Tori answered dryly.

"Oh... I saw your IP became active…. So I figured she'd be around." Sinjin replied. "I'll text her.. thanks."

He hung up, and Tori shook her head, then looked up as a knock came at the door. "What is this… did the entire building come in early today? C'mon in!"

Cat opened the door and entered, carrying several folders and a small pot of geraniums. "Morning, Tori… you're new administrative assistant is starting today.."

"I know. I saw the movers outside."

"Right… okay, here's her profile..we've already done the background and government screening, and she came out clean."

"I'd hope so.. since she's barely twenty." Tori took the folder and put it on her desk. "We got to meet her at her sister's quinces not too long ago.. she's really nice."

Cat nodded. "Yes, she is… she's got nice things to say about you, too." She smiled at the younger woman. "Not that people generally don't have, mind you." She took a seat in Tori's visitor's chair. "Which reminds me."

Uh oh. Tori sat down and rested her arms on her desk.

"Your six-month evaluation is coming up."

Ah. "I know."

The Personnel VP considered a moment, sucking on her lower lip. "Usually, the person who does that is your direct supervisor."

Tori nodded, folding her hands. "I don't see any need to deviate from that." She told the woman very calmly.

"Tori." Cat lowered her voice. "The purpose is to get an objective report on your professional qualifications."

"And Jade can be very objective." She responded. "She always has been… right from the start, When I do things right, I get commended. When I do things wrong, and I have, I get reprimanded, just like everyone else."

The older woman looked surprised. "Really?"

"Really… I've gotten called on the carpet several times.. and believe me, it hurts." Tori admitted. "But it's never personal, Kitten… it's all very 'you did this, you should have done that, this is what happened, don't let it happen again kind of stuff." A shrug. "Just like everyone else."

"Hm."

"The only difference is, after a day when that happens, I get to go home and get a big hug." Tori's lips pressed into a thin smile. "And I try not to let it happen very often.. so, no. I'm pretty sure I'll get an objective report - as objective as anyone else would give, at any rate." A pause. "At least I'll know she's not holding the fact that I'm sleeping with my boss against me."

Cat winced.

"I trust her," Tori added, very softly.

"All right." Cat held up a hand. "You've made good points…let me go drop off the forms in her office. Mind if I use your back way?"

A sigh. "Go ahead.. but she's not in yet, I don't think."

"Really? Something wrong? You guys all right?" Concerned hazel eyes studied her.

Tori threw up her hands. "We were trying to be inconspicuous for a week while that board member's here.. instead, I think the most talked about thing in the lunchroom's going to be the fact we didn't drive in together."

Cat stared at her, then laughed. "Oh, my god.. that is so true." She admitted, lifting her hands with the geranium and all, and letting them drop. "Apologies, Tori… it's just that you get used to a routine around here, and when it changes, people notice." She held up the plant. "This, for instance. I gave it to Rob because he was moaning that his office has no color."

"Yeah?"

"Mm… except he's had to explain a dozen times to people why he's suddenly showing an interest in horticulture. He gave up, and made me take it back.. said he'd just go out and get a couple of beer steins instead or put a stuffed fish on the wall."

Tori laughed.

"All right, Tori… I'll send Mayte over when she gets done with her paperwork.. hopefully, that'll be before our guest shows up." She waved her geranium and walked out, leaving behind a scent of earth, flowers, and Chanel.

Tori sighed and shook her head, then turned and opened up her mail program, watching the inbox fill to bursting with lots of little exclamation points indicating urgent messages. "Happy Monday."

"Jade."

The tall woman looked back over from her worktable, where she'd been studying a new set of bandwidth reports. "Yes?" She called out, knowing the intercom would pick her voice up.

"Mr. Ankow is here."

Yippee. "Thank you.. show him in, please." Jade allowed her voice to ooze with mock charm. She expelled a breath, and glanced at her phone, noting the time. Well, the storm had bought them a few hours, at least, and trapped Ankow in an airplane for the same length of time.

The door opened and Mariela came in, allowing the tall man to enter behind her and giving both him and her boss a polite smile. "Jade, they have canceled your conference call at eleven.. they will reschedule for later this week."

"Thanks, Mariela." Jade turned and faced her unwelcome guest. "Morning.. hear you had a rough flight coming in."

Ankow was dressed in an impeccable dark gray suit, and expensive-looking midnight blue silk tie with very thin maroon stripes. "A waste of my time. Let's stop compounding that, West." He walked across the floor and sat down in one of her chairs, peering out at the rain. "Now that you've had your little fun sending Carmen Miranda after me, you can just assign me to whatever blonde bimbo with the brains of a pencil you have planned, and let me get on my way."

Jade finished making a note on her notepad, then took her time meandering around to her desk chair and sitting down in it. She leaned back and crossed an ankle over her knee, very aware of her comfortable cotton hoodie and joggers in contrast to his formal wear. "Carmen who?" She put a faint smile on her face. "You mean Consuela?"

"The dancer you thought you'd distract me with." He smiled right back. "She's not my type."

"Ah." Jade rubbed her cheek. "Consuelo Gonzalez is our top marketing strategist… she's got three bachelor's degrees, and a master's in business, and she's working on her doctorate in finance and applied statistics… and all you noticed was her body?" Jade clucked. "We thought you'd want to ask her questions about how we do business... must have been an interesting ride from the airport."

He glared at her.

Jade smiled charmingly. "We don't keep bimbos on staff." She pressed a button on her intercom, and a quiet voice answered. "C'mon over."

Ankow decided to ignore her win over Consuela. "I want access to everything."

"Except for the ladies' room, you've got it... unless you feel like the gender binary is an issue there." Jade replied, deadpan. "Just don't touch anything… I don't want to spend half the day reprogramming mainframes."

He gazed at her. "Enjoy the jokes while you can. " He remarked mildly. "I would guess you've got about a month, until the stockholder's meeting. After that, if you're in this office, I'll be very surprised."

Jade didn't react. "You seem to think that worries me."

The inner door opened, and Tori entered giving Ankow a quick, almost invisible once over. "Morning." She offered a greeting to both of them politely.

"Morning," Jade replied. "Tori, this is J.D Ankow, a member of the board of directors. He's here to review operations. "

"Sir." Tori inclined her head graciously. Okay, not blond… brunette, and gorgeous, but Tori's well-bred air and quiet intelligence should have clued him otherwise.

"This is Victoria Vega, our director of operations." Jade circled her knee with both hands and interlaced the fingers ."She'll be your contact while you're here.. if you have any questions, she can answer them."

"Great." Ankow stood up. "First thing you can show me is a cup of coffee… is that starting off simply enough for you?"

"Regular or espresso?" Tori inquired, as she followed him to the door. "Or would you like to try café con leche?" She managed to get to the knob before he did and opened the door for him. "Out, and to your left." She spared a glance behind her for her boss, who made a sympathetic face before she closed the door.

"So. What is it you do here, exactly… Ms…. Vega, was it?" Ankow inquired, as they left the break room. "I'm not sure what an operations director does."

"Good question," Tori replied. "It depends, unfortunately, on what day of the week it is, and what time of the month." She passed by her office and caught Mayte, installed in her new office, peeking out at her. She smiled and rolled her eyes outside of Ankow's field of vision, and the girl smiled back, then went back to check some reports Tori had left her.

"Oh, really."

"Really. I mostly handle day-to-day operational problems, like outages, customer contact issues, and utilization... those areas. But I also structure and organize the consolidation of new acquisitions, and make decisions on integration when we buy into companies or join with them as part of a common effort." Tori motioned down the hall. "Our main operations center is down here."

"You do, huh?" Ankow seemed either bemused or amused, Tori couldn't tell. "How long have you been doing this?"

"About six months." She answered, scanning her ID card through the large security door. "I was working for Buzz Media when they were acquired.. as the manager of operations there, and when a position opened up, I applied for it and was hired."

"This position?' Ankow inquired.

"No." Tori slid her card through a second door and opened it for him. "But then, you already know that Mr. Ankow, since you requested my personnel file." She smiled and stood back. "This way, please… I was hired as Jade Robert's assistant, and moved into my current role when she took on the responsibilities of CIO."

"She is your boss, then." Ankow stopped and watched her face intently.

"Yes."

"Just wanted to clarify that." He smiled, and walked on, into the brightly light expanse and low-key activity of the operations center.

Tori indicated the door ahead of her, exhaling a little as they approached the cafeteria. It had been hours of pointed questions, and the acceptance of her answers with an air of smugness that was frankly, getting on her nerves.

The smell of arroz con pollo hit her as the door opened, and she entered the line just behind her guest, and she debated on whether to stick to her usual chef salad or go for one of her favorites.

"Do they have anything American here?" Ankow asked, giving the dish a distasteful look.

"Well.." Tori smiled at the attendant, who looked at her expectantly. "I'll have the chicken, thanks.. and some flan… and a café con leche." She turned to Ankow. "They're Perdue chickens if that makes you feel better."

"Si, Senora." The lady behind the counter wrinkled her nose at Tori. "Senor?" She turned her attention to Ankow.

"Give me one of those chef salads." He ordered. "And a bottled water."

They took their trays and moved to a table near the window. Tori took a bite of her chicken and glanced around, noting the eyes watching them, and glad it wasn't just her they were watching for a change.

"You were involved in the Peak Media fiasco, weren't you?" Ankow inquired, after spearing a forkful of lettuce.

"Yes, I was," Tori replied. "I did the initial analysis on the data that came from them… it was very disappointing." She took a sip of her coffee.

"My question is, how did it get as far as it did? How did you allow us to be duped like that?" The acid comment surprised her. "Do you understand how much that cost?"

Keep cool. He's an asshole. Jade's words echoed gently in her mind. "I beg your pardon?" Tori inquired. "I'm operations... I think it's acquisitions you want to discuss that with.. or maybe Ernst and Young, who did the due diligence they very obviously should have failed."

"Yes, but how long did it take you to figure that out?"

Tori chewed thoughtfully. "I was suspicious the first day… I sent the data the second day…Jade came out that Thursday night and by Friday we had them locked up. "

"Ah. So your… boss… had to come bail you out, is that it?" Ankow now looked amused. "Well, that's understandable... " He dismissed the subject and looked around. The buzz of Spanish around them was perceptible, as well as a lower hum of English, and a few tables of Creole. "Interesting place."

"I think so." Tori scooped up the last of her rice and washed it down with some coffee. "I enjoy the different cultures... it's very different from where I grew up."

"Connecticut, wasn't it?"

Tori nodded.

"So.. what's it like having a scandal in the family?"

Tori put her silverware down and laced her fingers together. "Mr. Ankow, I've had to put up with your being deliberately antagonistic all day."

"Too bad."

"I don't have to put up with personal questions. That's not part of the job. So in answer to your question, that's not your concern." Pause. "Sir."

"All right, fair enough." J.D. Ankow sipped his water and regarded her coolly. "I'm not here to make enemies, Ms. Vega…and despite what everyone seems to think, I'm not here to tear down you, or anyone else."

Tori lifted an eyebrow.

"My job.. " he paused for emphasis. "My job, Ms. Vega, is to protect the investment that people.. just regular people, like you and me, have made in this company. Some of those people depend on that investment to carry them through lean times.. some of them depend on it when they retire. It's my responsibility to make sure we don't betray that trust. You understand me? That means I have to come in and ask hard questions, like why an account that cost us twenty million dollars to acquire had to be scrapped. That's not your money, Ms. Vega."

Tori had listened to him, waiting patiently. "Part of it is." She remarked softly. "I'm a stockholder."

He was silent.

"So is Jade. So are most of the people around you." She leaned forward. "I understand about being responsible to people, Mr. Ankow… my job is to try and make everything run, so the company can do what it's paid to do, and provide value to those very same stockholders." She studied his face. "You represent me, just as much as you do those faceless people out there who invest without being personally involved in the company."

A smile quirked the very corners of his lips. "You are Holly Vega's kid, aren't you?" There was a touch of wry admiration in his tone. "I interned in her office for a year…I remember seeing a picture of you in her office."

It hit her so hard, that Tori almost lost her lunch on the spot, and it took everything she had to keep a politely interested look on her face.

"Hi." The interruption was doubly welcome, and the voice put a covering of calm over her very jangled nerves. "Mind if I join you?"

Jade hadn't eaten lunch with her in the cafeteria for at least three months, but Tori had never been so glad to see anyone in her life. "Sure."

The tall executive dropped down next to her and put a tray down, with a meal the duplicate of Tori's on it. "How's the tour?" She asked Ankow, drawing his attention to her. "Find any roaches?"

"Very educational." Ankow went back to sipping his water. "I owe you an apology, West… my compliments on your selection of a babysitter for me." He tipped his water bottle in Tori's direction. "I've learned a lot."

"Good to hear." Jade speared a bit of chicken and chewed it. "Considering your being here is putting a huge kink in operations with Tori playing tour guide. How much more time are you going to need?"

"Hard to say." He leaned back. "I'll have to let you know." Another sip. "I'd like to speak to Robert Shapiro.. I want reports pulled on all the account consolidations this year, so I can review them."

Jade shrugged, unconcerned. "Suit yourself… but you'll do that without Tori. " She took a swallow of coffee. "We've got an Operations staff meeting this afternoon."

"It can wait then… I'd love to sit in on your meeting." He changed his mind smoothly. "I've heard so much about your managerial style." A smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing it in action."

Jade chuckled humorlessly. "Try coming to the board meetings sometime." She finished her coffee and picked her tray up. "See you upstairs in a few minutes." She met Tori's eyes.

"Will do." Tori answered briskly. "Can you have Mariela print the minutes? I haven't had a chance to get back to my desk."

Jade nodded, then left, threading her way through the crowd with a powerful stride that cleared a path before her like magic.

Tori let her breath out slowly, grateful beyond measure for the few minutes Jade had allowed her to collect herself and regain her composure. Cookies for that, honey.. or maybe an ice cream cone, hmm? She put her silverware on her tray. "Are you done?"

"Just starting." He smiled at her, with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

It had been months, Tori reflected, since they'd seen a full-fledged, all-out temper tantrum from Jade. The tall executive had been businesslike, but fairly mellow for her, accepting reports at their weekly meetings, and doling out assignments without her usual bouts of calling people on the carpet or picking apart a particular operational issue until whoever it was felt like curling up under the conference room table.

Today, however. Tori sighed and kept an eye on her boss, who was seated in her usual chair, leaning forward and fiddling with a long stick pen she'd just been using to doodle. Ankow was in the seat next to her, questioning a reallocation of server resources, that had taken down a fairly important client for an hour, to maintain the integrity of the network.

It had been a chancy decision, Tori knew, since she was the one who had made it. But her options hadn't been extensive, and it had either been that, or lose two critical financial applications for the balance of the day. "Without having a backup routing center, there wasn't much else we could do." She spoke quietly, catching his attention and drawing it from her visibly edgy wife. "It was my decision."

"Did anyone call Interspatial and tell them?" He asked her.

"I did, personally," Tori replied. "They weren't happy."

"No, they certainly weren't." Ankow agreed. "And what's to say it won't happen again if you don't have any backups?"

Tori propped her chin up on one fist. "That's exactly why Jade's spending all her time designing our new network. So it won't happen again." She shifted her gaze. "Right, boss?"

A very wry blue twinkle. "That's the theory, yes."

Ankow sat back and lifted a hand.

"Sinjin… what about those server farms, did we get them online?" Jade asked, making a tick mark on her agenda. Was a time, she reflected, when she wouldn't have had to ask. She'd have known.

"Game A came online Tuesday, Game B on Thursday," Sinjin answered, batting a small, red rubber ball between two pens on the table. "They're running pretty good, but A's taking three percent more utilization than they projected… I'm gonna have to monitor that." He glanced over at Jade. "They've got some weird traffic going across."

"Don't we know what they're running over our network?" Ankow asked immediately.

"Not always," Jade interjected quietly.

"Why not?"

"Depends on the contract." Jade was drawing a pig. "Sometimes we're just the carrier."

"I disagree with that." J.D. Ankow shook his head. "We should know what we're putting down those pipes… it's our responsibility."

"Talk to the people who sign the contracts." Jade shot back. "I don't make the deals."

"But you approve them."

"I approve the technology." Blue eyes took on a dangerous glint. "I make sure we can deliver what we promise. I don't judge the content."

Ankow met her eyes and returned her intent glare.

Tori cleared her throat gently, distracting them. "Actually... we generally do know what kind of data's being carried… just not the specifics of the packet structure, unless we're asked to analyze that to improve network performance, or if there's a problem."

"Generally?" Ankow turned his eyes to her.

"Sure. Banks send banking data. Graphics companies send graphics files." Tori smiled at him. "We don't need to know more than that… in fact, in some cases, intercepting that data is strictly against the contract, like with government programs."

"Really."

"Of course. " Sinjin picked up the thread. "We transmit 90 percent of the air traffic control and communications data.. we could, technically, intercept an air mayday or a vital directional instruction if we dipped into the data stream at the wrong time."

"Yeah... " Sinjin's assistant agreed. "We just make sure the right packets are going to the right people."

Ankow sat back and regarded them in silence.

Jade made another tick point and wished she was home. "That's it for open issues… anything out there you want me to know about?"

"Shouldn't they be asking you that.?" Ankow got a last snipe in.

Jade didn't dignify that with an answer. Normally this was where her team told her about all the goofs and mistakes they'd made, which she'd be likely to catch wind of or have to explain. They'd tried to keep something like that from her once, and she'd given them the 'if it's going to come out of Alastair's mouth, I want to know about it" speech.

Today, however, everyone kept prudently quiet.

"Nothing?" Jade prodded. "Don't tell me we had a mistake-free week?"

They all looked at each other, then at her.

"Ops, nothing?" She looked at Tori, who gravely shook her head. "Facilities?" Now she glanced at tall, bookish Bill Bowers, who blinked and shook his head.

"Not this week, boss."

"MIS?"

Sinjin cracked his knuckles. "Nope."

"Security?"

Sinjin grinned. "Sixteen attempted accesses, sixteen repulsions, resulting in four IP traces, and two hits, which I turned over to the goon squad."

Jade nodded. "All right… that's it. See you next week." She stood and gathered her papers. "I believe you had an appointment in Accounting?"

Ankow also stood. "Actually, I wanted a word with you first."

Jade sighed inwardly. "C'mon."

Sinjin edged around the table and ended up next to Tori, as they watched the two leave. "Is she gonna hurt him or what?" He shook his head. "What a rhino-sized butthead."

"Ugh.. you don't know the worst." Tori drank down her glass of water and exhaled. "I'm going to run down to the cafeteria and grab some coffee… then I've got an inbox the size of Manhattan to work out."

"I'll walk you down." Sinjin offered. "I could use a soda myself.." He followed Tori out the door. "Besides.. you'll need an extra hand to help carry her milkshake back up here."

Tori gave him a look. "Am I that predictable?" She hit the elevator door button.

Sinjin grinned and rocked up and down on his heels. "NO... but she is."

"All right." Jade dropped her notes on her desk and sat down, giving her trackball a spin to bring her monitor to life. Another page of messages had appeared, this one with a scattering of exclamation points. "What do you want?"

J.D Ankow crossed behind her, and gazed out the window, admiring the view. "Nice."

Asshole. Jade closed her eyes against the pounding headache. Then she opened them, and surveyed the screen, deciding to ignore her unwanted guest until he decided to say his piece. She clicked on her first mail and reviewed it.

"You think I'm here to bust your chops, don't you?"

"I don't much care why you're here," Jade replied, typing rapidly.

Ankow circled her and sat on her desk. "You don't like being questioned, do you, West?"

Jade half turned and regarded him. "I don't like wasting my time answering questions you could have looked up in the corporate database, no." She paused. "You're wasting a company resource."

His eyebrow, so even she suspected he plucked it, lifted. "Is that how you view yourself, as a resource?" He didn't get an answer. "All right…Im going to surprise you." He stood and walked around to the front of her desk, then sat down. "I agree. I think you are a resource." He leaned back. "Much as I hate to admit it.. and I do… trust me, you 're not just a resource, you're damn near the cornerstone this operation's built on."

Jade folded her hands. "And your point is what?"

"My point is… you think you've got this company over a barrel."

Jade rolled her eyes. "You know what?" She gave him a disgusted look. "You're stupider than I gave you credit for. Get the hell out of my office, and go find something useful to do, will you?"

He blinked at her.

"Catch a god damned clue, Ankow… It's my company, and I will do what I want with it. If I deviate from original plans I will do it and the shareholders are free to buy me out if you don't like it." Jade stood, and leaned forward, using her height to good advantage. "I don't ask for trouble, I don't ask for help, I don't ask for assholes to come flying in here from New York who don't have the sense that god gave a squirrel and waste my time."

Surprisingly, he chuckled. "Now, that's the Jade West I heard about. I was wondering where you were hiding."

"What." Jade let her voice lift. "Do you want?"

"Me?"

"Either talk or get out."

"And if I do neither?" Ankow seemed amused.

"Then I'll pick you up and throw you out." Jade felt her darker side waking up, as her temper flared.

"Would you?" Her antagonist asked, softly. "I'd be a little careful there, West. I'm not one of your Texas two-steppers." He stood and advanced towards her. "I don't spend all my time around a desk."

Jade remained still, allowing only s faint smile to crease her lips. "Neither do I."

They were eye to eye now, wills clashing over the wooden surface of Jade's desk. "So… talk, or you'll leave, one way or the other."

He let her wonder for a moment, then cocked his head, and broke the tension. "All right." He sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll tell you what I want… since you asked so nicely." A smile. "I want the company."

Jade rolled pale blue eyes. "There's a shock." She muttered.

"I want Rosenthal out… I want his job." Ankow continued. "And I want you to help me get it."

"Ah." Jade nodded. "Is that all?"

"You think I'm joking."

"I think you're two squid short of a seafood salad." The tall woman replied. "One, for wanting to run this place, and two, for thinking I'd help you."

Ankow didn't seem to be surprised at the answer, he rose and went to the window, watching the rain fall. "Well… one, I've got my reasons.. and two… you'll help me all right." He turned and smiled viciously. "Or I'll make your life miserable until you do."

Jade resumed her seat and propped a knee against the edge of her desk. "You don't have the power to do that." She lifted a hand and pointed. "Now, get out."

He gazed at her. "You don't think so, hm?"

"Nope." The blue eyes held him in hooded disdain. "To do that, I'd have to give a damn about your.. or this job… and I don't." She pointed again. "So take your sleazy little plan and don't let the door hit you on the way out." He didn't move. "You think I'm joking?" Jade inquired. "Right now, this company needs me a hell of a lot more than I need it, Mister… and if you think you can do this job better… g'wan. Give it a try."

"Oh, I won't bother with that." Ankow smiled. "I'll just have our lawyers file a lawsuit against you.. for this quarter's losses. Since you made those decisions, West…and you are liable for them, you did realize that, right?"

Jade was silent for a moment. "You'd never win that." She finally responded.

"Maybe." Ankow purred. "Maybe not… you've profited nicely from this company… how would the stockholders feel about you sitting there on your little nest egg, while they have to eat losses caused by your blunders?"

"If they were mine." Jade kept her breathing even. "I wouldn't wait for you to sue me. I pay my debts."

"Well… we'll just see. Why don't you think about it, hmm? I can file suit against your friend Alastair.. which I was planning on doing… have you seen his portfolio lately? Or I can do both of you.. and we can make a profit this quarter." Ankow stood. "It's your move, West… but I'd guess you were used to that nice lifestyle."

Jade watched him saunter out, holding the door open for Tori as she entered. Her stomach hurt, thinking about the threat, and she exhaled slowly as the door closed, and her wife stood quietly watching her. "Hi."

Tori walked over and put a styrofoam cup down on her desk. "Hi… what happened? You're white as a sheet."

"Bastard," Jade whispered.

A glance over her shoulder showed the tightly closed door, so Tori rounded the desk and leaned on the edge, putting a hand on Jade's arm. "Hey… what the heck did he say to you?"

Jade took a deep breath. "He wants me to help him oust Alastair."

"What?"

"Yeah… I told him to forget it… but.."

Tori closed her hand around her wife's. "But what?"

Jade was silent for a moment. "He threatened to file suit against me… to recoup the losses from this quarter."

The brunette's jaw dropped. "Can he do that?"

"I don't think so... I mean, he can file, sure." Jade's brow creased. "But he'd have to prove criminal negligence, and frankly, there's no chance of that." She let her eyes lift to meet Tori's. "I may have been a touch absentminded lately, but not negligent."

"You haven't been absentminded at all," Tori replied sharply. "No one has.. the entire division's been running better this quarter by stats than the past four." Her eyes glinted a bit. "I could take personal affront for him even making that statement."

Jade patted her leg. "Easy there… no, you're right… we just had a string of bad luck this quarter… god knows it would have been worse if we hadn't caught some of it… and there's no doubt about it, but…" She sighed. "It's gonna raise questions… they'll drag out all my personal and financial records."

Tori shrugged. "So? Jade, you've never even paid your phone bill a day late… what's the big deal?"

A dark brow lifted at her. "The big deal is going to be the fact that the half-owner of everything I have happens to be my second in command here." A pause. "Who also lives with me, and shares a bank account."

"Ah." Tori felt like slapping herself. "Right.. yeah, I forgot that part." She thought about the problem. "That's going to look kinda bad, huh?"

Bad. Jade rubbed her temples. "It's certainly going to throw doubt on a few things… like my personal judgment, for instance…. Not to mention the fact that a number of the board members are a little more conservative than Mike Pence."

"Mm."

They looked at each other. "So.. what's the plan?" Tori finally murmured.

"I've got no idea…. I want to talk to Alastair, and see what he's got to say.. maybe there's a way to pay this guy off… I don't know." Jade closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool leather of her chair. "Damn."

"C'mon, Jade.. what's the very worst that could happen." Tori stroked her knee gently.

A blue eye appeared. "If they sue me and win? They wipe me out… wouldn't be much left but the clothes on my back, and the damn car."

"Mm.." Tori got a peculiar look. "Well, we could go on the road then… " She mused. "Just sort of.. wander from place to place..maybe I could read poetry for a couple of quarters... you could give self-defense lessons… it might be fun."

Jade cocked her head.

"Sleep under the stars…. Fish for our dinner… how about it?"

Blue and brown eyes met, and shadows within them twinkled and danced together. "Sounds….like an adventure," Jade murmured.

Tori smiled. "Doesn't it?"

They both chuckled and looked away. "What's that?" Jade pointed at the cup, changing the subject.

"Chocolate milkshake." Tori nudged it towards her. " I figured you might need it."

"Mmm.." Jade captured the cup and sucked at the straw with a look of absorbed delight, then she peeked over the rim and offered it to Tori. "Share?"

A sigh. "Yeah." Tori took a slurp. "What an aggravating day."

"Looking forward to the gym tonight," Jade growled, then punched a number into her phone. It rang twice, then was answered.

"Hey, boss."

"Sinjin… I need a full profile on Ankow. Everything.. from his birth certificate to last year's taxes."

Sinjin's voice was definitely smug. "Already running." They could almost hear him buffing his nails on his shirt. "Figured you'd ask… what a jerk." A clatter of keys. "Should be about four, five hours…. I'll queue it to you when it's done."

Jade nodded, her eyes narrowing. "Good." A light flaring of her nostrils. "He wants trouble?" She murmured. "He's going to get it… Thanks, Sinjin."

"No problemo."

She hung up and took the proffered cup back, sucking on the milkshake with a thoughtful look. "Sleeping under the stars, huh?… you know, I hate camping, but there's something very appealing about that thought.."

"Mm… yeah." Tori smiled a bit. "I can almost smell the woodsmoke of the campfire, can't you?"

Jade's nose twitched.