Madeleine was shocked by the sudden rush of tears over her kindness.
Kara hurried to her side, sitting close to her on the couch, laying a comforting arm around her shoulders and, from somewhere, finding and offering up a pressed and clean white hanky. A hanky! Reining in tears she accepted the hanky, carefully touching up her eyes before politely dabbing at her nose.
“Oh brother! You’re one of those?”
“One of those? One of those what?” Madeleine challenged before recognizing the playful smirk on Kara’s face.
“One of those delicate women who can’t blow her nose in public.” She challenged, “Go on, give the old schnoz a great big blow, you’ll feel better.” Kara was making faces. “Come on, I promise I’ll let you know if you have any Klingons. Scout’s honor!” she said, grinning and offering a three-finger salute.
Madeleine started laughing and of course snorted, adding to her embarrassment and the comedy.
“Come on, Madeleine. You’re a big girl, in command of your big world. You have the power in you. You can blow your nose in public with the gusto of an unapologetic toddler! Come on…blow that nose…blow that nose…”
As she chanted on, Madeleine didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. Almost mumbling under her breath, “If I was in control of my world I wouldn’t be in this mess.” She unfolded the hanky, took a big breath, puffing out her cheeks and clearing her sinus cavities for all the world to hear. Still embarrassed, she appreciated Kara’s kindness. There was no denying the woman was all smiles and jokes but something subtle had changed. She panicked thinking she had snot on her face and dabbed nervously until Kara stopped her.
“Stop. You’re perfect.”
“But you’re not. What happened, two seconds ago you were… This mess…Kara, I wasn’t talking about you. I—my life—my career. I’m at a crossroads, and I’ll admit it. I have no idea how to move forward. But I don’t want that to ruin our adventure. Forgive me?”
“Forgive you? Madeleine, you don’t need to ask permission to be human, to have problems or concerns. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
That question caught her off guard. She’d never had a boyfriend whom she would categorize as a friend. Was that what lesbian relationships were like? Did they build on friendship or just fall into bed like she usually did?
“Hey, I’m cool. Whatever you need.”
Madeleine just wanted to change the subject.
From their private dining room, they enjoyed an unobstructed view of the vast blue of Nevada’s huge Lake Mead. The weather was perfect and the restaurant’s Nana doors were fully retracted, allowing the light breeze to blow through. “Kara, you are so kind. It’s sort of new territory for me.” It was interesting to watch the range of emotions that played across the woman’s face. They were still sitting close together, and while Kara had moved away somewhat, she hadn’t removed the hand resting on her shoulder.
While they waited for the waiter to deliver their drink order, Madeleine for the first time let herself feel what it would really be like to let the world see her as a lesbian, a lesbian in a loving relationship. Drinks having arrived, and while the waiter jabbered about specials, when the dinner service would start, and the afternoon entertainment, she couldn’t help but try a little test, leaning into Kara and placing her hand back on a firm thigh.
He did notice that, but instead of faltering or backstepping, he gave them a wide smile. “It’s so nice to have family in the house,” he said, and was gone.
For a moment she actually imagined he was pleased to be serving someone from his family. Well, that wasn’t her, and Kara hadn’t… OMG! I have lots of gay friends. I know what that means. Madeleine…sometimes…
“Madeleine?” Kara asked gently. She had moved her hand to wrap her arm around her shoulders. It was comforting and didn’t make her feel creepy the way many guys did, the way they would drape their arm over her shoulder like it was too heavy to lift but light enough for her to bear. What upset her most was the way they would dangle the hand of that arm right in front of a breast. It was like they were killing three birds at once: the public display that said she’s my property; dropping the weight of their appendage as a reminder that she was to carry the load of their relationship; and the lecherous part that always made her feel like meat: “I can have this whenever I want.” There was also the constant risk of being publicly embarrassed. How many men had enjoyed putting her in her place? And how many had she let pull that crap, always laughing it off while seething inside?
Half of the reason she hadn’t wanted this job was her worry it would be just as bad or worse. She had worried Kara would be some big tough dyke with short stubby fingers always busy with an even shorter stubbier cigar. After she had signed the nondisclosure agreement, they had shown her a complete workup on their client including pictures from the company website and her social media accounts. While Kara was nothing like her worst scenario, she would have easily pegged her as a lesbian just by the haircut. She could also admit she would have revised that first impression had she been briefed on her career first. It was illogical to think lesbians couldn’t be successful business leaders. “Do you ever have people assume you’re straight just because of your work?”
“All the time,” Kara answered. “Everyone presupposes the world through their own lens. It’s natural especially when we get down to our reptile brain.”
“Reptile brain. We don’t have a reptile brain.”
“Actually we have three brains. The first one we gained millions of years ago, back when we crawled out of the ocean to adapt to life on land. That’s our reptile brain. It’s back here.” She touched a region at the lower back of her head. “Then, about four hundred thousand years ago we gained our primitive middle brain.” She tapped the back of her head toward the top. “Finally we got really smart and grew our modern brain up here, the prefrontal cortex. The thing is, we have this amazing supercomputer at our disposal, but most of us fall back on the old reliable primitive brain even though we have a better tool available.”
“I had no idea. Did you learn this at school or just take an interest and teach yourself?”
“I have a degree in communications, but I can’t say I’ve ever used it. Being the boss’s kid, I was tutored since I was oh, fourteen or so, on the reality of modern advertising. I started reading everything I could find to help me understand why smart people could be so easily persuaded to do stupid things.”
“Uh-oh, I’m scared to hear your conclusion.”
“Uh-oh is right. We could be here all year if I get into it. What I’d really like is to hear about is you. It wasn’t like we got to talk much last night. Although,” she smiled, cuddling in just a bit closer, “I must admit I’ve never danced so much in my life. Thank you for that.”
Caught off guard by this woman’s constant gratitude, she couldn’t hold back the smile or the blush. “You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.”
“How many crazy Canucks do you know?”
“More than you’d think, especially if you’re speaking of the hockey types.” At Kara’s incredulous look, she added, “I’m from Minnesota. We know about Canadians and hockey.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep lungful of the soft warm desert breeze. This was nice. No, this was starting to feel like a perfect adventure. It would be so easy to befriend this woman.
“Tell me about your crossroads. I want to listen,” Kara promised.
That caught Madeleine. I want to listen. Men would say, I want to help, I want to fix it, I want to make it better. They didn’t want to listen to her opinions and choices, much less her feelings. It was exactly what had driven her from her family home. Her mother always wanted to do something to help her, fix something, anything to have peace, without regard for the cause of her problem or her actual feelings. Kara didn’t want to fix her life. She didn’t seem to be interested in telling her what to do. She wanted to listen, Listen? Who does that? “You don’t want to listen to me whine about my failing care
er. Besides I’m not ready for advice, no matter how well intended.”
Kara just smiled in that gentle way of hers. “I would never assume to advise you on your career or anything really, unless you’d like to run a national or global advertising campaign, then I’m your woman.”
Affected by the sincerity and feeling a little naughty, she couldn’t stop herself from saying, “You’re my woman? Hmm, let’s see…”
The waiter chose that exact moment to make an appearance. He set out place settings and delivered a rather large hors d’oeuvre platter with a flourish before dismissing himself.
Madeleine leaned forward to sample the assortment. Sitting back to comment, she turned and met Kara’s lips. It wasn’t their first kiss. Kara had given her a peck at the car when she picked her up, and they had shared a few teasing kisses late last night on the overheated dance floor. Taken by surprise, she offered a perfunctory kiss in return. She could feel Kara’s disappointment as she resumed her place and suddenly pulled her back into her arms and corrected her lame kiss with a fire-breathing attempt, leaving her out of breath and her own legs weak.
“Wow,” Kara said quietly. “I did not see that coming.”
“Did you…was that…”
“Madeleine? Please forgive me if I’m out of line, but as much as I’m enjoying our time together, I have this idea in my head. I keep thinking you haven’t dated a lot of women, maybe none at all?”
Trying to look sentimental or at least mysterious, she toyed with the comment. Her attention focused on topping up their wine classes, she deflected, “So you liked the kiss?”
She knew Kara was watching her. She waited almost breathlessly for her answer, not knowing why it mattered so much. When it didn’t come, she knew Kara wanted to see her eyes. Turning, connecting, she listened.
“Yes. I liked it. I’ll warn you though, a woman who can kiss like that is dangerous.”
Piqued and leaving the “dangerous” comment, for now, Madeleine asked, almost in disbelief, “Not all women can kiss like that?”
Kara gave her a teasing grin. “You tell me. What’s your experience?”
Staring at the hors d’oeuvres again and wondering just how to answer the question, her head fell when Kara started to laugh. It wasn’t a mean laugh or depreciating in any way, but clearly, she’d blown it.
“You are so busted!” Kara raised her glass. “Here’s to Madeleine’s walk on the wild side. I can only hope that while you’re visiting, you might find you like living with the other team.”
Madeleine couldn’t control the blush. “You’re not offended?”
“Me? Oh, Madeleine. All you need to know about me is that when a beautiful, smart, charming woman plants a kiss on me like that, well, you can stay as long as you like. And,” she warned with her brilliant and mischievous grin, “you mustn’t worry. I’m a gentlewoman in all respects; content to be your host for this outing or, well, I’m happy to just listen, too.”
Face still flushed, she nodded, finally asking, “How did you know?”
“Until now, I didn’t for sure.”
That got a rise out of Madeleine.
Smiling, Kara moved a little closer, her arm around Madeleine’s shoulders again, and said quietly, “It’s the little things that tell me you’re uncomfortable at times. That’s okay. Everyone has their own comfort level.” When Madeleine wouldn’t look at her, she offered with no hint of disappointment, “Would you like to talk about your career crossroads? I’m a good listener with a great advantage over most others. After Sunday, if you want, you’ll never have to see me again.”
“If I want?” She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. Finally, she conceded, “You’re right, I don’t know a lot about women. But most people would look at an…encounter in Vegas as a no-strings-attached fling.”
Kara fussed with her wallet, then said, “Here’s my card. As you can see it clearly says, ‘Not Your Average Bear.’”
Madeleine examined the card. “It says no such thing.”
“It doesn’t have to. It’s been my tagline for a good seventy years.”
Rolling her eyes, she offered the card back, “I do believe it’s Yogi Bear’s tagline. Besides, you are not seventy. I’d be shocked if you’re even nearing forty.”
“Thirty-four,” she answered, pressing the business card back into Madeleine’s hand. “You keep that. Think of it as your ‘get out of jail free’ card. If you ever need me. Call, write, swipe, whatever you like.”
“And in return?”
Kara smiled, but her look had saddened. “I’m not a quid pro quo kind of gal. Madeleine, you’ve made what I imagined would be the worst week of my life into a complete delight. I’ll always be thankful for your friendship. Much as I enjoy your company and forgetting the fact that you are one hell of a kisser, I would never dare presume more.”
“So…I’m a good kisser?”
“You, gorgeous Madeleine, with your Riddler Red hair and your mesmerizing green eyes, are the best kisser I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. A skill like that could upset the balance of lesbian life on earth.”
“And all this time, I assumed it was just men who couldn’t kiss worth a damn. Damn!”
That had them both laughing when the waiter reappeared. He explained the afternoon’s entertainment was an open mic and the first act was ready to take the stage. The private dining area they occupied could either be closed off from the stage, or the divider panels pulled back so they could enjoy the show. Madeleine astonished Kara and the waiter with a request to take the stage herself. The waiter, delighted, opened the glass divider, and left, promising to add her name to the list.
Soon Kara sat hypnotized, along with the all the staff and patrons, as Madeleine sang, entertaining them in the midday sun with the breathtaking view from the Temple Bar Marina behind her. She was a natural with the crowd, funny and kind; she had everyone eating from the palm of her hand before she even started her first number, an upbeat and playful version of Belinda Carlisle’s, “Mad About You.” The applause that followed more than demonstrated the room’s appreciation and Kara’s too. She was only supposed to sing one song, but the place loved her, and the host invited her back up and no one was disappointed. After a few seconds conferring with the three-piece band, she had everyone and Kara too swaying to “It’s All In The Game.”
Not good with music, after all that’s what she paid her composers and her music people for, Kara used an app on her phone to find the song title and the name of the original artist: Tommy Edwards, 1951. She bet it didn’t come close to the way Madeleine’s rendition set the place in flames. God, the woman could sing. And it wasn’t just her voice, it was the presence, the entire package. She commanded the stage like she’d been born there, and everyone was falling for her. When the number finished, she and the guy on the piano played at fighting for his bench and had everyone laughing. Kara could only grin with pride.
The best was her third and last number. Now sitting at the baby grand, Madeleine locked eyes with her, delivering a song she knew from Diana Krall. Her app said “The Look Of Love” was a Burt Bacharach composition and first recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1967. Madeleine’s rendition was slower, steamier, and much, much more sensuous.
Kara sat entranced. Uh-oh. I’m in trouble.
Chapter Seven
That evening, Kara stepped off the elevator surprised to see Madeleine already there, ten minutes early. “I’m so sorry you’ve been waiting. Why didn’t you call?”
“I just stepped off the elevator too, and I certainly didn’t want you standing here alone while your account reps march past.”
They were headed for a ballroom. Everyone would be there, everyone with any clout in the company. Kara hadn’t planned on attending. After all, she had already quit, so this sucking up reception held little value for her. That plus her father would be in attendance removed the last ounce of appeal. But once again, Joanne had talked her into it. And she’d convinced Madeleine to j
oin her too. She did wonder why Madeleine would volunteer to accompany her for such a crap duty, but she was thankful. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the national account reps. Most were a little too driven for her liking, but they brought in the work even though her father’s management style and shortsightedness robbed them of potential clients and commissions. It would be interesting to see who was sucking up to the old man this year and who, like her, wanted fresh blood.
As they strolled the long corridor toward the reception room, Madeleine slipped her hand into the crook of her arm. “It won’t bother you, will it?” she asked, her face apologetic as her gaze flicked to Kara’s arm and her hand.
Stopping, uncaring that she forced other guests to walk around them, Kara took both her hands. This was important, and she wanted to be clear, to be sure Madeleine understood. “You could never do anything to bother me. As far as this crowd goes, there isn’t a single person who will be bothered or surprised to see you with me. Well,” she joked, “there’ll be questions as to how I met someone so amazing. These guys can be a little forward. Still, if someone says anything untoward, you have my permission to slap him upside the head.”
“Untoward?” Madeleine laughed, her grin reaching all the way up to her eyes. “I take it you’ve had offers to help you switch teams?”
“All the time,” she said with a groan, and taking Madeleine’s hand, led her into the reception, giving that soft hand a reassuring squeeze. They passed through the open double doors to the gathering of media sales professionals. Even though there were several female account executives, it always felt like a sausage party to Kara. What was it with men? It was like a gathering of roosters, all of them cocksure and strutting around crowing over their accomplishments.
A waiter arrived offering flutes of champagne. That was new. Looking around the various chatting groups, she noted that the West Coast boys hadn’t arrived yet. That was too bad. She could always count on them to shield her from the old man, not to mention various right wing nutbars among the group.
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