We're back with the fourth one! we get to deal a lot with Jade's Childhood, and mental health as both of the girls suffer from PTSD from the last major trauma. of course there is going to be action because what would these stories be without action. and lots of sweet moments between the two women. I hope you continue to enjoy these stories. Just as a reminder. It was written by a White CIS gendered lesbian back in the late nineties. I am updating terms and changing views to the more current views. That has been my major contribution to the first half of the book. I thought this was a completely different book though LOL and kind of wish this was that. but Alas... I must wait and see.


One


The hotel lobby was full of people, men in business suits, and women in equally well tailored suits of their own. The plush carpet muted the conversation, but the buzz tickled the senses as the crowd shifted and moved, sophisticated glances meeting and mouths tensing into polite smiles.

Behind the long, marble topped front desk, two reservations agents observed the cocktail party with mildly bored expressions. "I hate these things." One confided. "They're so stupid."

Her companion shrugged. "They're all right… this bunch is okay, at least. They tip. That convention we had last week… shoulda ended up at the Motel Six."

"You got that right." The female concierge fiddled with her terminal, then leaned on the counter and sighed. "How much longer?"

"Two hours." The dark effeminate man leaned next to her, watching the crowd. "Uh oh… "

"What?" The woman peered in the direction he was watching. "Oh." She rolled her eyes. Entering the hotel's elegant glass and brass revolving door was someone obviously out of place in the lobby full of expensive, chic clothing.

The sweatshirt, blue jean clad figure edged it's way through the party. The sun streaked light brown hair and and sun kissed skin collecting stares along the way, as the beginning of Fall had been a chilly one in New York. The woman headed unmistakably for the desk. Rips sliced the denim above the knees, and complimented the hiking boots which scuffed across the thick carpet.

"Water fountain." The man guessed.

"Bathroom." The woman countered.

"Directions." the man vollied

"Change for a dollar." the woman chuckled.

They both smiled sweetly as the scruffy figure came to the desk, and rested long, powerful hands on the polished surface. "Yes… ma'am?" The male concierge inquired. "Something we can do for you?" His tone indicated polite doubt.

One of the hands lifted, and removed the sunglasses hiding a pair of remarkably piercing eyes, which now drilled right through him. A dark, perfectly shaped eyebrow lifted wryly, as the woman answered. "West. I have a reservation." It was a low voice, but distinct, with the faintest hint of the south in it.

The male concierge blinked. "Um.." He rattled a few keys, then managed to get the name typed in, aware of his co-worker peering avidly over his shoulder. To his immense surprise, the name obediently returned an actual reservation, which he studied the details of. "Yes.. yes, Ms. West. We've got it right here…um… do you have any luggage?"

"Just this." The woman hefted a weathered leather overnight bag slung casually over one shoulder. She took the key the clerk handed over. "Elevators?"

"Over to the right there, ma'am." The man's tone had altered to one of tense respect. "Is there anything we can send up for you?"

Jade turned and surveyed the crowd, some of whom were eyeing her disreputable ripped jeans with distaste. ", Excedrin, BC? Anything for a headache." She enunciated the words carefully, then turned and made her way to the sleek elevators, ducking inside one and punching her floor. The doors closed lazily, trapping her in a small brass coffin smelling of polish, but at least it was quiet.

The concierges watched her leave, then glanced at each other. " Bitch!" The man shook his head in comic disbelief. As if his companion had spilled the juiciest of tea.

"That's their FOUNDER?" The woman stared at the computer screen. "She's got the VIP suite?" She looked up at the now closed elevator. "Holy shit."

"Ooh girl, she betta work!" he said. "She came up in here like she knew she was the shit. She wasn't out to impress NO. DAMN. BODY." he punctuated the last three words with resounding claps.

"Deadass!" the woman said. "That's the kind of rich person I can get behind.

"Let me get outta here and get that lady some headache medicine" He said walking around the desk. "Catch you later."


Jade sighed, and leaned back against the wall, swallowing as her ears popped with the rising of the car. She was already regretting agreeing to present the company's quarterly results at their stockholder meeting here in New York City, all the more so because it was so close to the Thanksgiving holiday, crowded airports, and lots and lots of traffic.

Jade closed her eyes. And small elevators. She felt a familiar queasiness start in her stomach, and she concentrated on taking long, deep breaths, clenching her hands around the straps of her bag, and the laptop case over her other shoulder. Add that to the sinus headache she always got when flying in the winter, and the dry heat, and by the time the damned elevator grudgingly allowed her out, her body was tense and shaking, making her nauseous.

The hallway was small itself, and she edged down it, finding her room and opening the door, moving forward into a plush, thankfully acceptably large room, and letting the heavy partition shut behind her. She dropped her bags down on the huge bed and collapsed into the nearby chair, her head falling back to rest on the soft fabric. "Alastair.. I'm going to get you for this."

As though in psychic response, her cell phone rang. With a silent curse, Jade removed it from her pocket and opened it. "Yeah?"

"Well, well… good afternoon, Jade." Her chairman's voice sounded calmly cheerful. "Where are you?"

"The hotel." Jade replied, keeping her eyes closed. "Finally… we circled for over two hours before they let us land at Laguardia." She exhaled. "Damn weather."

"Well.."

"Damned Northeast.. why the hell can't we have these meetings in San Francisco?"

"Now Jade… " Alastiar's voice grew placating. "It's not that long.. besides, I thought you liked to travel."

Jade thought about the hours spent inside the plane, pressing in on nerves made newly sensitive by an accident weeks earlier, which had reawakened a latent claustrophobia Jade had thought she'd conquered years back. "Not as much as I used to." She admitted, having been surprised by the level of discomfort she'd had to endure. "Maybe I'm just coming down with something... anyway, did you need anything or are you just calling to bust my chops?"

Alastair Rosenthal, the Chairman of WesTrek chuckled. "That sounds more like you. Actually, I wanted to invite you to dinner. There's a nice place just across the road from here… good Italian."

Jade let her eyes flick around the room, aware suddenly of its silence.

"I realize I'm not as interesting a company as Ms. Vega is, but… " Alastair coaxed. "C'mon, Jade… I promise I won't talk football at you."

Just hearing Tori's name brought a smile to Jade's face. Her friend, wife, and roommate was stuck back in San Francisco, consolidating a large deal with one of their major clients. "All right." She finally replied. "You're not bringing the whole board, are you?"

A snort. "No… I wouldn't waste the clam sauce. Just you and me, Jade." Alastair reassured her. "I'll drop by your room at six, all right?"

Jade eyed the clock. It was barely four, and that gave her time to shower, and relax a little. "Sounds good." She let a smile cross her face. "See you then, Alastair." She closed the phone and relaxed a little, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand. "Damn." The hand lifted and rubbed her eyes. "I need some coffee." The hotel phone was nearby, but her body resisted moving, content to remain nestled in the leather chair, now nicely warmed and comfortable.

She slumped there limply for a moment, then lifted her cell phone and thumbed a number into it without looking. Jade lifted the instrument to her ear, and listened to its buzzing ring. Once, twice... then the noise stopped, and a soft grunt issued down the line that brought a smile to Jade's face.

"Hello?" Tori's voice sounded almost breathless.

"Avoiding the elevators?" Jade queried.

"Oh." Tori exhaled, then apparently stopped moving. "How'd you guess? They just called me down to the tenth floor, and I thought I'd jog back up." The sound of a door opening and closing, then the echo of the stairwell vanished, replaced with a soft hum. "Where are you? Did you just get there? How was the flight?"

Jade pictured her wife striding down the hall, with that distinctive, sexy walk, and her nose wrinkled in pleasure. "Hotel, yes, pain in my ass." She replied succinctly. "Just thought I'd check in. We hit the weather over Virginia."

"I know." Tori answered, over the sound of a door closing. Now the hum was gone, and it was quiet. "I.. um.. tracked your flight."

Jade stretched out her long legs, and felt her muscles relax. "Oh, you did, huh?"

"Yes, I did." Tori's voice dropped a little, taking on a hint of huskiness. "I worry about you, you know."

Mmm. Jade smiled at the ceiling. "Well, I made it here… Alastair's taking me out to dinner, then I'm gonna get some sleep. The meeting starts at eight tomorrow."

"Ew." Tori replied. "I've got that group meeting at the church tonight, then Andre and Ray are meeting me and we're going to walk down the beach and see what trouble we can get into."

Uh oh. Jade imagined the possible results. "Be careful, okay?" She advised her wife.

"You too." Tori replied seriously. "That city can be a scary place."

Jade smiled. "Not scarier than San Francisco… I will. Talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay." Tori was smiling too, easily heard in her voice. "I love you."

"I love you too." Jade exhaled contentedly. "Night."


"Night." Tori listened, until the call ended with a slight click, then regarded the phone for a moment before she leaned back in her comfortable desk chair and tapped her pen on her notepad. Her desk was neat, and clean - the LCD screen and her phone on one side, her inbox, notepad, and the small, wooden framed picture on the other. Idly, she reached out and lifted the picture, smiling at the beautiful face gazing out at her. "Don't you be getting lost down any subway tunnels, cutie pie." She instructed the picture. "We've got holiday plans in a few days."

Thanksgiving. Tori set the picture down, and started straightening her things out in preparation to leave. Her very first real Thanksgiving, where she was in charge, and had decided what they'd do, and who they'd invite. She'd decided on a turkey, and a party, and Jade had amiably agreed, having never experienced the occasion as a host herself. She'd gotten her turkey, an enormous, frozen thing, and all the trimmings, and Andre had volunteered to come over early that morning and help with the cooking.

Jade's parents would be there. Tori smiled, as she picked up her laptop and slipped it into the leather shoulder bag she carried, and slipped her cellphone in her pocket. She heard a slight knock, and looked up as the door opened and her secretary Mayte peeked in. "Hey."

The slim, young Brazilian-American girl smiled at her. "Are you on your way out?"

"Not exactly." Tori answered easily. "I've got a meeting to go to, then some socializing to do... What about you?"

"I have my group tonight." Mayte replied. "I was going to ask, if it is not too much trouble, if I could get a ride with you just past the bus stop."

"Absolutely." Tori circled the desk. "C'mon… we'll beat the traffic." She motioned the girl out before her, and they left the office, walking together down the hall They were both dressed with casual elegance, and Tori was amused to note that Mayte had taken to carefully studying her own choices of silk shirts, and well tailored slacks, and chosen items as close as she could without outright copying of Tori's selections.

Tori straightened her shoulders in reflex, as they entered the elevator and she drew the eyes of the occupants already inside, her wine colored shirt contrasting neatly with her dark hair and tanned complexion. "Evening." Tori returned the quiet murmurs with a brief smile, acknowledging the slightly uncomfortable silence from the marketing clerks who were years older than she was, and probably aggravated beyond words that someone who looked just about Mayte's age of low twenty something had been promoted to Vice President regardless of what her qualifications were.

Or, she admitted wryly, they could also be fundamentalists who disapproved of her very publicly known alternative lifestyle. The doors opened on the bottom floor, and the other women moved quickly out, heading across the huge brass and marble lobby towards the front doors to the building.

"Ms. Tori?" Mayte murmured as they followed more slowly. "I do not think those ladies like you."

"Nope." Tori gave the security guard a smile, and received one in return as they exited the building. "There are people out there that don't. " She led Mayte over to the electric blue Spider convertible, and unlocked the doors, popping her hatch to set her laptop bag down inside. Then she got in the driver's seat and fastened her seat belt, watching her assistant do the same. "You know how it is."

Mayte was quiet as she started the car and backed it from its spot. The space next to her was conspicuously empty, in the full lot, having been filled with Jade's Volvo until the CIO had left for the airport. Tori suppressed an irrational desire to have left right along with her, and turned her attention to the traffic as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"Did the Boss lady get to New York all right?" Mayte inquired shyly. "Mama was worried, she said there was a big storm somewhere."

"Yeah... " Tori nodded. "She called me right before we left… it took them forever to land, but she's there, safe and sound." Her brow contracted. "I should have called your mother and told her… I knew she was concerned." She turned west and winced, as the sun invaded the car. "Whoops." One hand fished into the center console and emerged with her sunglasses, which she put on, cutting the brilliance and restoring her vision.

"I will tell her when I get home." Mayte reassured her. "I think you were worried too… you did not eat your lunch."

Hm. Tori's nose wrinkled. Busted. "Well, everything turned out okay, so I'll just make up for it at dinner." She chuckled, then considered her choice of streets. "Listen, I have to go downtown anyway - why don't I just drop you off home?" She offered. "No sense in you having to grab a bus at this hour." Normally, Mayte rode home with her mother, Mariela, who was Jade's assistant, but the older woman had left early for a doctor's appointment after Jade had gone to the airport.

"You don't have to do that." Mayte looked shyly pleased at the offer, though. "You're so busy."

"Nah." Tori produced a grin. "Besides, after what I've heard about the BAT, I'd be a nervous wreck until I saw you again tomorrow morning." She pulled out onto the highway decisively, almost cutting of a huge truck as she ducked nimbly across two lanes of traffic.

"Oh. yeah…." Mayte closed her eyes resolutely and grabbed for the overhead handle. "I am feeling much safer already."


It was, after all, New York City, and here she was, dining out at night, with her Chairman. Jade crossed her ankles and reviewed the dark fabric covering her legs. At least he gets the jeans without the rips. She gazed across the table at her friend , who was watching her with a bemused expression. "Am I ruining your image?"

Alastair laughed. "Who, me? Just because half the people in here know who I am, and are dying of curiosity as to where I picked up the beautiful vagrant I'm eating dinner with?" He poked a fork at Jade's sweatshirt sleeve. "They'll find out soon enough."

Jade returned the chuckle. "Sorry… I would have changed, but I fell asleep after you called, and barely had time to get my head on straight before you knocked." She stretched, and picked up a fragrant garlic stick, nibbling it's end appreciatively. "I was at the office at four am… needed to get that new contract squared away before I left."

"Ouch." Alastair winced. "How's that going?"

"Not bad." The sandy haired woman replied. "I've got a meeting scheduled next week with the top brass down at Southwest Command... that's where Gerry wanted me to start."

" Close to home."

"Mm...not so much." Jade acknowledged. "They've been getting a pile of complaints about the training programs down in Point Loma. He wants me to go in and do a complete systems and processes evaluation." She carefully ignored her salad, and dipped the breadstick into the spicy Italian soup. "Gonna be a little strange. One of the bases he wants me to review is the one I mostly grew up on."

Footsteps closed in, and they both looked up to see a sharply dressed man standing at the tableside. "Hello, Al." The man had a slight accent, but it was hard to tell exactly what kind. "I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you before the meeting." He flicked a lazy glance over Jade's body, and the corner of his mouth twitched. "Sorry.. am I interrupting something?"

Jade considered the repercussions of stabbing him with her fork, and weighed the amusement value of hearing the scream, versus the certain lawsuit she'd have to deal with. She sighed, and just continued eating. The food was excellent, and she'd missed both breakfast and lunch, which hadn't helped the headache flying had given her. "Nah.. go ahead. I'm just his new intern." She commented lightly, sucking in a strand of spaghetti.

Alastair hid a smile behind his hand, and exhaled. "Good evening, Bob.. sit down, will ya? What can I do for you?" Bob Trancet was the head of Corporate Sales for the New York office, which handled a good deal of their international business as well.

The tall man sat down, and folded his hands, ignoring Jade now. She realized she looked a lot different than her public outing a few months ago, and was sorry to see her anonymity go.

Bob was clean cut, and good looking, with silvered black hair and a strong profile. His athletic body was balanced and he had a very self assured air. "Nothing major. I was just hoping to put a bug in your ear about a possible new alliance. Datacom contacted me today, and started sniffing around the edges of suggesting they want us to take over their network ops."

"Really." Alastair propped his chin up on one fist. "They're big competitors of ours in some places."

"Mm.. but they can't compete with the new network, and they know it." Bob smirked. "They're talking strategic partnership now… trading off them selling our net, with us getting a lot of their South American stuff."

"Not worth it." Jade commented, biting a meatball in half. "They've got twenty year old infrastructure, and it'll cost us over a million bucks to upgrade their nodes to our spec."

There was absolute silence for a moment, giving Jade some peace and quiet to slurp her noodles in.

"Spunky intern." Bob remarked dryly. "But all of a sudden, I'm realizing that voice is familiar." He waited for Jade to lift her eyes and met them, with a twinkle of amusement. "I finally get to meet the infamous Jade West... that was outstandingly stupid of me, wasn't it? I should have figured it out from the start." He held out a hand, which Jade reached over and clasped. "Intern, eh?"

Jade smiled at him, and their eyes fenced briefly, two very strong wills gently testing each other. She could feel the intense magnetism he was putting out, and as his glance drifted over her and showed a distinct admiration, her ego pricked it's little bat ears right up. "Well.. " She drawled. "It was better than the other obvious conclusion."

He grinned right back. "Better for who? That would have done wonders for Al's reputation."

Alastair cleared his throat, glancing between the two. "I hadn't realized you never met Jade, Bob… I know you've spoken on the phone, though."

"No no." Bob slowly shook his head, still apparently fascinated by Jade. "Never had the pleasure.. and I do mean pleasure."

Jade took a breath, and went back to consuming her dinner. "If Datacom wants to deal, they have to pay for their own upgrades before we sign anything. I don't want them bottlenecking us." She stated, then sighed, as her cell phone rang. "Yeah?"

"Jade.. it's Sinjin… we've got a situation."

Figures. "Hang on." Jade stood, and tucked her napkin under her plate. "Be right back." She edged around where Bob was sitting and headed for the door, out of the noise where she could hear better.

Alastair took a sip of his wine, and gazed drolly at his long-time associate. "Put your tongue back in your mouth, will ya?"

"Son of a bitch." Bob laughed, shaking a finger at him. "You told me she was smart, tough, and stubborn.. how come you never mentioned she was gorgeous?" His eyes stayed pinned on the toned, curvaceous figure leaning against the door outside, phone pressed to her ear. "That is a serious hunk of woman, Al."

Alastair rolled his eyes. "You never change." He snorted. "Wipe your chin.. you're drooling."

"Hell yes I am!" Bob asserted. "That's one sexy item I intend to get a closer look at."

"She's taken." Alastair held a hand up.

"Bullshit. Nobody owns her… not in this lifetime, bucko." Bob shook his head firmly. "Don't get so serious, Al.. I just want to have a drink with her, not get married."

"Bob, she's gay." Alastair threw his trump card.

"And? Your point is what?" His chief salesman replied. "Who cares? I sure don't." He balled up the napkin he'd been playing with and straightened. "I'll just in...hey..."

Alastair had reached across the table, and fastened one hand on his wrist. Now he bore down, and pulled, a suddenly serious, intent look on his face. "You listen to me, mister. Don't fuck with her."

A tiny pocket of shocked stillness surrounded them. Bob blinked, and stared at his boss, nonplussed. "Hey… c'mon, Al..." He said, softly. "Take it easy."

"I mean it." The Chairman stated flatly.

The younger man drew in a breath and held out his other hand, palm up in a gesture of conciliation. "Okay… okay, boss.. I hear you." He gathered his composure as Alastair released him, and sat back. "Is it okay if I just talk to her? She's really bright, and I'd really like to spend a few minutes doing that."

A finger pointed at him. "If you go a step further than that, I will personally fire your ass. Understand?"

"Understood." Bob acknowledged quietly, as Jade reentered the restaurant, moving back towards them and taking her seat. Alert blue eyes flicked first to Alastair, then to him, and he got the curious sensation of being analyzed like a faulty piece of code by the raw, potent intelligence lurking just behind Jade's now watchful gaze.

"Trouble, Jade?" Alastair took a gulp of his wine, and swirled the remainder around his glass. "Didn't think we had that much going on this week."

"Ah." Jade twirled a forkful of spaghetti and munched on it, swallowing before she answered. "It's that damned conversion in Madison…they've been trying to tie in that big ATM pipeline up to Alaska for two weeks, and every time they do it, they take down half the damn west coast." She took a sip of her own wine. "I may have to send a team out there."

"Lousy time to be traveling." Bob ventured. "Holidays and all."

"Mm." Jade agreed, meeting his gaze. "Comes with the territory, though…. My people know that." She finished off her meatballs and sat back, crossing an arm over her chest and as she sipped the wine. The problem was aggravating, for sure, and she wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't going to have to go there in person to take care of it.

Which truly, truly sucked.

"Hey, Jade?"

She looked up, to find Bob leaning forward, with a look of friendly interest on his face. "Mm?" Something had gone on between him and Alastair, that much she knew, but what that was…

Probably didn't involve her. "Something on your mind?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Get to the city much?"

That surprised her. "No… I try to not cross the Mississippi unless I have to." She replied dryly, giving Alastair a look. "Why?"

Bob folded his hands together. Jade noticed they were nice, strong ones, with well tended nails and just a hint of callous along the top of his index fingers. "I'm pretty proud of the place… I've lived here since I was shorter than the fire hydrants outside… will you let me give you a quick tour?"

Jade considered the request. "If you put an itinerary together for tomorrow night, sure." She agreed amiably. "It's been a long day." He was attractive, and a sharp businessman, and it never hurt to build a few bridges when you had the chance to.

"You're on." Bob grinned, then pushed back from the table and stood up. "Al, it's been a pleasure as always." He inclined his head. "See you at the soiree tomorrow." His eyes shifted. "And you as well, I hear, madame.. looking forward to hearing the presentation." With a slight bow, he turned, and threaded his way through the now truly busy restaurant, disappearing into the New York Night once he cleared the door.


The small group sat in a circle, in chairs so mismatched you'd have thought it was on purpose, done by a designer with a definitely twisted streak. All were young, most in their late teens save the woman seated cross legged in the large overstuffed chair nearest the door.

"Okay, Barbara… what makes you think he's got it out for you?" Tori asked quietly, setting her mind to the problems of these troubled youngsters, halfway between children and adults, and dealing with an emerging sexuality they weren't sure they understood. Weren't really sure they wanted, for that matter, being different at this stage in their lives, at an age where different meant outcast in so many poignant ways.

She shared her counseling duties with two other older women, and found she enjoyed her time with the group. It meant having to listen to, and deal with problems vastly different from the ones she normally handled, and reminded her all over again that her own acceptance of her lifestyle had been far smoother than any number of other people's. Right now, the youngest member of the discussion group, Barbara Gonzales, had confessed that she thought her boss at Burger King had figured out she was gay, and was trying to get rid of her because of it.

"I don't know." The slim, brown haired girl wrapped an arm around one knee. "He changed my shift... Now he makes me do all the hard stuff, like figuring out how much bread and meat to order for the next week, and making me check out the bathrooms, and stuff like that."

"Hm." Tori sat back, aware of the girl's eyes on her. "Did you ask him why he did that?"

A shrug. "No. I just figured it was because he saw me and Sally in the freezer that one time… we were so stupid about that."

Tori reflected. "Do you do a good job?"

"I guess… the customers like me. I get stuff done, and I'm always on time, and all that stuff."

"Well, he could be coming down on you, but there is another possibility." Tori told her. "He might be trying to nudge you towards a more responsible position in the restaurant."

Barbara blinked at her, obviously never having even considered it. "Huh?"

"If I were a fast food manager." Tori speculated. "And I had a position I needed to fill.. say, an assistant manager, or a shift leader.. .I'd find someone who was trustworthy... who was prompt, and neat, and got the job done, and give them a little more responsibility every day to see how they handled it."

"You would?" Casey cocked her head, covered in an explosion of dark curls.

"Sure." Tori smiled. "Asking Barbara to do the ordering projections, and supervising the cleaning of the bathrooms seems to me, to be an indication that the man trusts her, and maybe wants to see if she's ready to be promoted." Her eyes twinkled at Barbara, who was staring open mouthed at her. "Tell you what. Think of it that way for a week, and try to look at everything he does positively, instead of negatively. See what happens."

Barbara pushed a lock of hair behind an ear. "Wow… okay, yeah, I guess I could do that." She mused. "Maybe I could, like, iron my shirts and stuff.. see if he notices." She smiled, and her whole face lit up. "Thanks, Tori… you're so cool."

Tori stood up and circled her chair, leaning on the back and gazing at them. "Sometimes, it's easy to get into the mode where you think everyone's against you.. or that your sexual preference automatically makes you a victim. It's not true." She paused, and considered. "Not that it doesn't happen, of course it does.. we all watch the news.. or have had stuff happen so you know it does." A brief smile touched her lips. "But not always."

"You're pretty out at work, aren't you?" Casey asked, curiously.

Tori nodded.

"Do you get shit for that?" The girls watched her, intensely interested in her answer. Tori tended to turn talk away from her life to theirs, and they were always digging for little nuggets about her personal side. They knew she worked for a big company, and that she was gay and not a whole lot more. Most of them hadn't even met Jade, since the group had formed after the last picnic her wife had attended.

"Sometimes, there are people who find out, and they don't like it." Tori allowed. "But mostly, I just do my job, and they don't really care."

"Your boss doesn't care?"

She couldn't help the smile. "No. Definitely not."

"Cool." Casey nodded. "Maybe I'll get me a job there, then… they sound all right."

Tori reviewed the stocky young woman, whose dark hair was dyed in three shades of purple, to match the six different kinds of earring stones, and contrast with the tattoos dancing across her neck. "Sure." She agreed mildly. "Give me a resume for you, and I'll give it to personnel."

Just the look on Cat's face would be more than worth it.

"All right." Casey stayed by her, as the rest of the group filed out. "You're pretty cool, for an old lady."

Tori's eyebrows lifted. "Just how ancient do you think I am?" She asked, mildly outraged, putting her hands on her hips. "I only have three gray hairs, you know."

Casey grinned, then dropped her eyes bashfully. "I know.. I was just ragging you… it must be so cool to have it all so together like you do."

Hm. Yeah, as a matter of fact, it was pretty darn cool. "I've been really lucky." She admitted. "I've had good opportunities given to me, and I've managed to find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. I thank God for that every day, believe me, Casey."

The teen glanced down, folding her arms with a distinct air of discomfort at that. "So. When do we get to meet this mystery woman of yours? You keep talking about her… she sounds pretty hot."

Tori turned and gestured to the door. "C'mon... I've got to lock up. You'll get to meet Jade at the party next week... you'll like her. She's really nice." Well, nice wasn't really what Jade was, but…

Casey walked out, and watched her lock the door to the back room of the church. They strolled together up the narrow aisle past the rostrum, and up the two short stairs to the main door of the building. Tori held the heavy portal open, then let it shut behind them, and locked it with the key she'd been given. The other girls were waiting outside, giving her shy looks.

"Hey." Casey was, apparently, elected the spokeswoman this week. "We're goin for a beer.. you want to come?"

For a moment, Tori was tempted. Being the center of this sort of adolescent attention was very new, and very strange for her, and she felt the urge to explore it more thoroughly. However, plans were plans, and she suspected the invitation would be repeated.

Frequently. "Not tonight, guys... I promised I'd meet some friends down on the beach... but thanks for asking." Tori smiled warmly at them. "Go on and have a good time.. but be careful, okay?" No sense in her pointing out most of them were underage, since she knew they'd just have Casey, the only one who had military ID buy the beer for them. The youngster had enlisted and lasted exactly two weeks in the marines, then busted out, but she'd kept the ID.

She watched them saunter off, then she turned and headed for her car, parked nearby, checking her watch as she walked. A half hour until her meeting up time with Dre and Ray, which would give her more than enough leeway to get down to the beach, and the waiting sushi dive. Her stomach started growling at the thought, and the skipped lunch and breakfast suddenly made her light headed.

"Damn." Fortunately, she was next to her car, and a quick grab at the doorframe of the Fiat let her keep her balance. "Guess the intermittent fasting gig isn't for me." She got the door open and sat down, waiting for the dizzy feeling to fade. It did after a moment, and she closed the door and started the car. "Soon." She patted her stomach. "Hang in there kiddo… Teriyaki chicken is straight ahead."