“Brush your teeth twice, your breath could bend a wrench,” Nancy said with a smile.
Piper shot her the finger and tried to ignore the giggle that followed her into the bathroom.
VI
Can you feel me tremble when we touch?
Can you feel the hands of fate?
—J. Peterik, F. Sullivan
Nancy was folding laundry when the doorbell rang for the second time and with a sigh she threw a half-folded shirt back into the dryer and padded down the hall. As she passed the bathroom she could hear the blow dryer running and realized Piper hadn’t heard the door. Smiling and with a little spring to her step, she headed down the hall, happy for the chance to inspect Piper’s date without supervision. Summoning the best smug smile she had in her inventory, she opened the door and felt her grin vanish as she was instantly captured in an arresting black-eyed gaze. All thoughts of a good-natured teasing suffered a rapid demise as she watched the smile the woman had been wearing change to a slight scowl.
“Is Piper here?” Bailey asked.
“Hmmm?” Nancy asked distractedly.
“Does Piper Tate live here?”
“Oh, yes,” Nancy said regaining her bearings. “You must be Bailey, come on in. Piper’s running a little late,” she said as she stepped aside to let her in. “I’m Nancy by the way, her roommate.”
“Nice to meet you,” Bailey said tonelessly as she stepped into the house.
Nancy led her into the family room and gestured toward a couch. “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll go see if I can speed her along.”
“Alright, thank you,” Bailey said remaining on her feet.
Nancy tried not to look hurried as she left the intense woman’s presence and made her way down the hall to the bathroom. The blow dryer was still going so she let herself in and closed the door behind her. Piper saw her enter and, with a confused look, turned off the hair dryer.
“What’s up?”
“Wow,” Nancy stated seriously.
“Huh? What’s the matter?”
“Your date is here.”
“Oh,” Piper said with a smile. “Tell her I’ll be out in a sec.”
“No way,” Nancy said shaking her head.
“What?” Piper said as her smile became a frown.
“No way, she’s so intense it’s scary.”
“What did you say to her?” Piper asked suspiciously with narrowing eyes.
“Nothing, just hurry up will ya.”
Piper stared at her a long moment before putting the blow dryer on the counter and walking out of the bathroom.
She emerged from the hall to find Bailey standing uncomfortably in the living room; noticing with a smile that she had dressed in a white blouse and faded blue jeans. Although she wore a black leather half trench, she had even donned a pair of white tennis shoes. Her hair was tied up on the top of her head in a lopsided ponytail that Piper thought was unbelievably cute.
“Hey there, you look great,” she said with a smile that became brighter with the light blush her comment produced.
“Thank you,” Bailey said. “Uh… you look nice too,” she added belatedly.
“Thanks,” Piper said amused. “I see you met my roommate. Please forgive her she’s mildly retarded,” she said gesturing at Nancy who was observing from the hallway.
Nancy, who was staring without trying to look like she was staring, had to do a quick replay upon hearing her name. “Hey,” she said indignantly.
“See what I mean? She’s just a little slow,” she said with a wink at Bailey, noting that she was beginning to shuffle her feet a little.
“I just have to finish my hair and we can go, you can stay out here and watch Nanny try to stifle her chronic drooling or you can come keep me company if ya want?” Piper said with a quick glance at the now reddening Nancy.
She could tell Bailey was at a loss and caught her quick look at the door so she made the decision for her by walking up and taking her hand.
“Come on, we can talk about Nan behind her back,” she said as she led Bailey down the hall and into the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Piper picked a brush up from the counter and began to run it through her hair.
“You said Cajun was alright?”
“Uhm… yeah,” Bailey said not sure what to think. She felt terribly out of her element and the urge to run was incredibly appealing.
“Great, I know just the place if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine,” she said a little distractedly as she watched Piper tie her hair back.
Piper was also in faded jeans and sneakers but instead of a blouse she had on a New Orleans Saints sweatshirt. Bailey observed the petite woman with what felt like attraction and she had the sudden and surprising impulse to reach out and touch her hair, but she quickly caught herself and stifled the urge. She wasn’t sure what the hell was going on with her but she could feel herself staring and abruptly she had to know.
“Piper, is this…” she started but drifted off when Piper’s blue eyes came up to meet hers.
“Hmmm?” Piper asked inquiringly.
“Never mind,” she said losing her courage.
“Never mind what?” she asked noticing that Bailey seemed more distressed than usual. “You can ask me anything you want, Bailey,” she said sweetly to try and put her at ease.
Bailey took a deep breath. “Is this a date?” she asked in a rush.
Piper didn’t know whether to be hurt or embarrassed, so she settled for a little of both. She had thought she had been rather obvious in expressing her interest, but one look at Bailey’s expression told her that there was far more going on than met the eye and she should handle the situation as delicately as possible.
“Do you want it to be?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Bailey said eyeing her shoes.
“Are you attracted to me?” Piper asked carefully, noticing a blush make its way across her features.
“Yes, I mean…” Bailey said quickly and then sighed. “…I don’t know.”
“Would it help if I said I was attracted to you?” she asked feeling her way.
Bailey shrugged her shoulders.
“Does it bother you that I’m your employee? Because I’ll quit if that’s the reason.”
“Why would you quit?” Bailey asked curiously.
“Because there are millions of jobs, but I’ve only seen one of you,” she said pointedly.
“You would quit your job to be with me?” she asked in wonder her eyes raising from the floor. “You probably wouldn’t like what you’d find if you got to know me much better.”
“I would quit right now if you said you wanted me and I tend not to judge people so harshly, there are reasons for everything,” Piper said sincerely.
“I don’t want you to quit,” Bailey said her eyes returning to the floor.
“Is it the female thing? Have you ever been attracted to another girl before?” Piper asked crossing her fingers behind her back.
Bailey’s eyes came up and she debated with herself furiously for a long moment. “It’s more like I’ve never been attracted to anyone before,” she said finally.
Piper chewed on that one for as long as she thought she could get away with it. She thought for a second that she was being blatantly lied to, but Bailey’s hand dog expression and her body language was too honest to be an attempt at deceit. She was definitely sailing on choppy waters. Finally, she hopped up on the counter and patted the space next to her.
“Come sit down, you’re making me a little nervous with all your fidgeting.”
Bailey frowned. “I do not fidget,” she said and the conversation she had with Satterfield immediately crossed her mind, she closed her eyes.
Piper giggled at her and again patted the space beside her. “Come on, let’s chat for a second.”
Bailey swayed indecisively for a second before shrugging her shoulders and taking a seat next to Piper on the countertop.
“Well, Miss
Cameron. It seems we have a bit of a problem here,” Piper started. “Because I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen and I’m very much attracted to you,” she said and watched as Bailey blushed again and started studying the countertop. “I would very much like to pursue a relationship with you,” she said and paused. “Would you let me try something? I promise to stop if you want.”
“Uhm… I guess,” Bailey said hesitantly and watched nervously as Piper slid off the counter and positioned herself in front of her, jumping a little when she put her hands on her knees.
“Scoot a little closer,” Piper said tugging gently on the back of her knees.
“I… I don’t…” Bailey stammered nervously as she complied.
“It’ll be okay,” Piper soothed.
Piper moved her hands to the inside of her knees and applied a small pressure to move them apart. She could feel her trembling and knew she had better move fast. As soon as there was room, she stepped forward between her legs and placed a kiss on her lips. A little gasp from Bailey was her reward and as soon as she made contact, she stepped back in case it wasn’t accepted as nicely as it was intended.
Bailey was stunned. As soon as Piper backed up, her hand went to her mouth and she noticed with irritation that not only was her hand trembling but her whole body was as well. She had never felt so powerless in her whole life; the little woman in front of her had walked right up and had changed everything. Her eyes took in the anxious expression on Piper’s face and she realized that it had taken a considerable amount bravery to do what she had just done, an emotional bravery that she knew she herself didn’t have. Should she pursue this? The thought of not doing so brought an unfamiliar pain to her chest and it dawned on her that for the first time in her life, she had let somebody in and she didn’t want to let go. There would be hurdles and she winced at the thought of how high those hurdles would be. Would it be worth the risk? Another quick glance at Piper and the decision was made.
“Well? What do ya think?” Piper asked nervously.
“I… I think…I think I want you to do that again,” she stuttered and this time felt the blush that scorched her face.
Piper smiled and stepped forward putting her hands on Bailey’s hips. “Are you sure?”
Bailey nodded thinking she might pass out her heart was beating so fast, closing her eyes when she felt Piper’s lips touch hers again. They snapped open in surprise a few seconds later when she felt a tongue gently trying to gain entry into her mouth. She let out a short gasp and her open mouth was instantly covered by Piper’s and she felt the tongue enter and run itself over her teeth. Her mind began to overload as she tried to analyze everything at once, so she just shut down and enjoyed the sensation of Piper’s explorations. She was disappointed when Piper broke the contact.
Piper pulled back a little and laid her hands on the top of Bailey’s knees. She was a little breathless and decided she had better stop before she ended up more frustrated than she already was. She got the feeling that getting to know the woman in front of her was going to be a challenge and it was clear that she would have to take the lead. There were at least forty questions that were dying for answers.
“Did you like?”
“Yes, very much,” Bailey said distantly.
“Can I ask you some questions?”
“Okay.”
“Have you ever been kissed before?”
“No.”
“How old are you, Bailey?”
“I just turned thirty-one.”
“How does a woman, who looks like you, get to be thirty-one and never been kissed?”
“I’m not ready to share that story at the moment,” she said regretfully.
“Fair enough.”
“I… I would like to try and… well… I would like to try and…” she stammered feeling stupid and knowing she was beginning to blush again. “…I mean… with you,” she finished and gave up with a sigh.
“I’d like that too,” Piper said with a bright smile.
“As you can probably tell, I…I’m… the concept is pretty new to me.”
“The concept of a relationship or a relationship between two women?”
“Both. I’ve experienced neither.”
“Well you’re off to a good start, I mean I’m a pretty good catch if I do say so myself,” she said cheerily.
Bailey couldn’t stop the smile at Piper’s words.
“You ready for dinner?” Piper asked.
“Sure.”
“Me too, let’s go,” Piper said and took Bailey by the hand again and led her from the bathroom, letting go of her at the front door. “Let me just get my coat.”
Bailey nodded and waited by the door dutifully for Piper to return, which she did in just under a minute.
“Let’s roll,” she said with a grin.
She opened the door for Bailey and followed her out on to the porch, where she turned and locked the door. Bailey went ahead to unlock the car and opened the passenger side door for Piper, who giggled a little upon being confronted by the big black muscle car parked in her driveway.
“My goodness, how butch,” she said amused.
“What?” Bailey asked confusedly, waiting patiently for Piper to get in the car.
“My brother would give his right arm for this car,” she said inspecting it from bow to stern. “A HemiCuda no less, I had you figured for the small sporty kinda car. What year is it?”
“1971,” Bailey said. “Would you like to drive?” she asked impulsively, pleased when Piper’s eyes lit up and she smiled.
“Can I?” Piper asked excitedly.
“Sure,” Bailey said handing her the keys and surprising herself with a giggle as Piper performed a little jump and skipped around to the driver’s side. She watched in amusement as she sat down and placed both hands on the wheel, bouncing up and down a little in her seat making engine revving sounds; smiling when Piper turned in her seat with a sly look.
“Can I peel out?” she asked with narrowed eyes.
“Sure,” Bailey chuckled, reaching to put on her seatbelt.
“Heh, heh, heh,” Piper cackled as the car rumbled to life and she backed out onto the street.
“Prepare for ludicrous speed!” she yelled as she stomped the accelerator and the car lurched violently forward.
Bailey placed both hands on the dash and laughed delightedly as Piper laid rubber for close to an entire block.
———
“Holy shit! Stay with ‘em, Zack. Goddamn it,” Russell yelled to his partner as the Barracuda rocketed down the street.
“Relax, they’re just goofing around, see?” Zack said pointing at the car half a mile away.
Russell looked through windshield to see that the car they were following had indeed slowed down and had resumed a less reckless speed.
Zack slowed their car as well and maintained a good distance between the women in the Barracuda and themselves. Following them for close to a quarter of an hour before they pulled into a restaurant parking lot, he pulled into a lot across the street and parked, immediately producing a pair of binoculars to watch the women exit the car and walk into the restaurant. Both Zack and his partner looked like college football players dressed in suits off the rack, the only difference being that Zack was dark-haired whereas Russell was blond.
“Who do you think the redhead is?” Russell asked watching through his own pair of binoculars.
“No idea,” Zack said with a shrug.
“Did you know The Wraith was a chick?”
“Nope, always figured it was a guy.”
“What do you think they’re doing in there?”
Zack lowered his binoculars and turned an unbelieving look on his partner. “Why, I would think they’re getting ready to have dinner, you idiot.”
Russell lowered his binoculars and laughed at himself. “Sorry, I’m a little worked up,” he chuckled.
“Just take it easy, we’re only supposed to follow her.”
&
nbsp; “Are they really recalling everyone to Atlanta?”
“Yeah, from what I understand. Mike will be here tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll give him the scoop.”
“I heard one of the guys with Mr. Phillips say The Wraith wiped out Richards and his team earlier today.”
“No shit? Ben Richards?” Zack asked surprised.
“Yeah, I figured it for the truth. Why else would Phillips be in town?”
“That’s pretty fucking scary. Richards was a cool customer.”
“No kidding, do you think they’re bringing everyone in to take her out?”
“I dunno, possibly.”
“You wanna know what I think is scary?”
“No,” Zack said with a sigh.
“I think if that chick really is The Wraith, I don’t want to be anywhere in the vicinity if they try to put her down.”
“Why? It’s just one woman?”
“Gimme a break, have you heard some of the shit The Wraith is responsible for?”
“Sure, but rumors tend to get exaggerated.”
“Yeah, then why the hell are they bringing everyone in?”
“I guess you’ve got a point there,” Zack admitted thoughtfully.
“Plus I think if I was on the Organization’s hit list, I wouldn’t be out frolicking and eating dinner in public. Do you really think she knows we’re out here?”
“I would assume so, the dossier said she was aware that she would be followed and not to approach her for any reason.”
“I dunno, I’m getting bad juju vibes here.”
“Just relax, we’re only here to observe at the moment.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Gimme a break will ya? Get some sleep, they’ll probably be in there for a couple of hours.”
“I’m too wired to sleep,” he said and then with a grin he turned to look at Zack. “Would it bother you if I choked the chicken? It helps me relax.”
“Not at all. Would you like me to hold a cup for you so you don’t get any on your clothes?” he asked courteously.
“Why, that would be very thoughtful, thank you,” Russell said picking up a crushed coffee cup from the floorboard and offering it to his friend.
“Get the fuck out of here,” Zack said, slapping the cup from the outstretched hand with a laugh.
Engravings of Wraith Page 13