by Annette Mori
The woman looked puzzled by Chandra’s remark.
“I’m so sorry you haven’t been able to connect. I’ll bet you’ve come all the way to Seattle under false pretenses. I’m afraid Lara is a horrible friend and tour guide, but you both are in luck because I’m a fabulous tour guide. While Lara is doing her boring financial stuff, I’d be happy to show you around. I would feel horrible about you coming this whole way and not getting an insider’s view of our beautiful city,” Rachel offered.
Finally, Joy found her voice and Rachel reluctantly turned her attention to the other woman. “Well, I’m not sure that my stick in the mud friend here will want to take advantage of your generous offer, because I think seeing your city is secondary to her primary reason for visiting. However, I would love a personal tour and whatever else you have to offer. I can’t seem to convince Chandra to play hooky today and join us for lunch and more, but you seem to be a person who would jump at the chance for a little fun and adventure.” Joy pulled a card out from her purse and handed it to Rachel. “My cell is on the back.”
Rachel was incredulous at Joy’s boldness. “Are you hitting on me, Joy?”
“I most certainly am. Are any of my hits landing?” Joy asked.
Sophia tugged on her friend’s arm. “Stop it right now. I’m sure Rachel and Lara have important things to discuss.” Sophia looked back at Chandra. “Can you just tell Lara that we stopped by again? I suppose our timing is terrible since we continue to keep missing her. Please have her call me.”
“My offer stands.” Rachel pulled out her own card, scribbled a number on the back, and handed it to Sophia. “That’s my office number and also my personal cell number on the back. I would really love to show you the city. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow and I can take off the afternoon.”
Sophia hesitantly took the card. “All right, if you’re sure it’s not an imposition on you.”
“Absolutely not. I don’t want you heading back to New York with stories about the barbaric, rude Seattelites. We pride ourselves on our friendly and welcoming nature.”
Rachel chuckled to herself as she heard Joy whisper. “Why do you always have to shut down my fun? Just because you’re taken, doesn’t mean I am and if the delightful receptionist Chandra won’t bite maybe the stunning Rachel will.”
Rachel couldn’t help herself as she watched Sophia’s lovely backside walk out the door, tugging on her outspoken friend’s arm. Nothing wrong with being friendly. She could look as long as she didn’t touch and look she did. It was hard to miss that delectable ass.
Rachel didn’t spend a lot of time analyzing the offer she’d made to tour around Lara’s friends from New York. A part of her wanted to know and understand that part of Lara’s life because Lara was so close mouthed about the time she spent in New York. Lara never mentioned any friends and Rachel had to admit she was more than a little curious. Rachel refused to acknowledge that a bigger part of the offer had to do with how the exquisite woman had inexplicably drawn her in.
†
“Ouch. I can walk on my own you know. You don’t have to drag me out the door,” Joy cried out.
“You need a leash. I swear if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were just like a dog in heat. You seem to squat everywhere leaving your scent,” Sophia complained.
“So what? I’m single. I can do that. You, on the other hand, are very married. Don’t think I missed the look you gave Rachel. Too bad you have a ball and chain because I swear I detected a whole lot of chemistry between the two of you. I could also feel the electricity when you shook her hand. I didn’t fail to notice that she never offered her hand to me. She only had eyes for yooouu,” Joy crooned.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I was being polite. She’s nice. I wonder if she works for Lara or is a client?”
Sophia wasn’t about to admit it to her best friend, but she did find Rachel extremely attractive. A person would have to be dead not to notice the beautiful young woman.
Sophia wondered if Lara instructed Chandra to make sure that she kept Lara’s marital status to a woman under wraps. She didn’t know a lot about Washington State politics. Maybe they were not as progressive as New York. She didn’t think so, based on what she’d heard, but that was the only possible reason for referring to her as a friend from New York.
Rachel seemed to take Joy’s advances with a grain of salt and Sophia was one hundred percent positive that she was a lesbian. The intensity of her eye contact with Sophia was a dead giveaway. She had to admit that it felt flattering.
She would call Rachel. What would be the harm—especially with Joy tagging along—that is if she could get Joy to behave just a little?
†
Lara heard the assertive knock on her door and glanced at her watch. Rachel was early. She must be anxious to see her. Lara debated whether to have Chandra bring in lunch or take her wife to their favorite restaurant.
Her initial plan to make the proclamation after she’d satisfied her wife, making her a bit more pliable, would require lunch in, but taking her out had some advantages as well. Rachel would never start an argument in public.
Lara opted for lunch in. That would be more fun. She opened the door to her grinning wife and kissed her soundly on the lips. When she broke apart from the kiss, she stepped into the reception area to ask Chandra for a favor.
“Chandra, would you mind calling the bistro and ordering lunch for us. Just get our standard order,” Lara directed.
“Sure thing. By the way, your friends from New York stopped by again. Sophia wanted you to call her back.”
Lara could feel the color drain from her face. “Were they just here?” she managed to squeak out.
“Are you all right, Ms. Beck? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Lara composed herself. “Yes, I’m fine. I guess I stood up too quickly and since I missed breakfast, I just felt a little light headed for a second. Did Rachel run into them?”
“Yes, they were out here chatting for a short while. Your friend Joy hit on Rachel. I think Rachel was shocked by that, but she handled it well.” Chandra chuckled.
No, no, no, no. Time to take control of the situation. I need to make arrangements pronto. I can’t take the chance that they’ll meet again.
Lara managed to formulate an appropriate response. “Joy is a bit of a wild child.”
She walked back into her office and tried to control her shaking hands. For the first time, unplanned events were challenging her carefully erected double life and she didn’t like the added complication.
“Hey, are you okay? You look a little pale. Come sit on the couch with me. My poor baby. I’ll bet you worked well into the night and hardly got any sleep. Look, I had every intention of seducing you at lunch, but you look positively exhausted. Why don’t we just have some lunch and tonight I’ll give you a nice massage guaranteed to ease your stress?”
“That sounds like the best offer I’ve had all day. Lunch should arrive shortly. I had Chandra get our usual from the bistro,” Lara said.
“You never talk much about New York. I don’t know any of your friends. Joy and Sophia seem nice,” Rachel probed.
Lara knew she had to change the subject. It probably wasn’t the most opportune time to bring up that she would be away for the next couple of weeks, but at least it would side track the discussion from Sophia. “Hon, I need to talk to you about something and I’m afraid you’re not going to be too happy, but I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes. “Okay, tell me what it is that is going to piss me off, because I know that look. Unhappy is an understatement. Am I correct?”
“The New York office has an emergency that I have no choice about. I have to return there in the next couple of days to straighten things out. I’ll be gone for at least a week, maybe more. I won’t know until I get there and try to unravel the mess,” Lara hedged.
“Fuck, Lara, you just got back. If your time there extends by a few weeks, you�
��re going to miss your birthday. I had something special planned. Can’t you at least try to get back for that?” Rachel asked.
“I’ll try and I promise when I get back, I’m going to see about scheduling us some time to get away for a week or two.”
“Now you’re just trying to butter me up,” Rachel huffed.
“Is it working?”
“No,” Rachel pouted.
“Aw, come on. A week away—just you, me, and a romantic bed and breakfast wherever you want to go. I’ll even cross the ocean for you,” Lara pleaded.
“When do you need to leave?” Rachel asked.
“I’ll see to making the arrangements tomorrow, but probably day after tomorrow.”
“Please take care of yourself and FaceTime me every night. You know all this money doesn’t mean shit if you keel over from a heart attack. I read about women having heart attacks more and more each year due to the stress of busting through that glass ceiling into the previously dominated male domain of high finance.” Rachel gently kissed Lara. “I love you and don’t want to lose you.”
“You’re not going to lose me. I promise I’ll try to slow down after I get this situation under control.”
†
After her disappointing lunch with her wife, Rachel returned to her office and sifted through the hundreds of e-mails waiting for her.
“I swear these e-mails multiple like rabbits. How is it possible that in only a few short hours I have more than a hundred new e-mails?” Rachel grumbled.
Rachel wasn’t able to concentrate because her thoughts kept returning to Sophia. The woman was intriguing and this uncharacteristic reaction was interesting. It was as if her brain was taking a major side trip from the main road. She wondered if she would call and take her up on the offer of lunch and a tour of the city.
She chuckled to herself about Joy’s blatant flirting. She would be fun to get to know, but she’d have to make it clear that she was off limits.
Rachel wondered if maybe Joy and Sophia had something going. She didn’t get that vibe. They seemed more like close friends. Sophia seemed like the type of person her wife would befriend, but not Joy. She’d get the scoop from Sophia if she ever phoned her. For some unknown reason, she really wanted her to call. Maybe it was a connection to her wife’s mysterious life in New York, or maybe it was something else entirely, but Rachel had an obsessive need to learn more about the woman.
Rachel decided to stay a little late to catch up on some work, just in case Sophia called. She wanted to be able to take the afternoon off and ensure that Sophia had a proper introduction to Seattle.
†
Sophia decided it would be fun to take an afternoon trip to the famed Experience Music Project. Joy wasn’t as interested in the attraction, but she went along with her best friend.
While Sophia was looking at the guitar sculpture made up of more than five hundred musical instruments, her smart phone buzzed in her pocket. It was difficult to hear in the large space so she walked to a corner to try to get some privacy as she swiped her phone to answer the call.
“Hi, honey. Yes, I know, but I was dying to find out what the big surprise was. I’ll take the bad news first. Oh, yes, I understand. I’ll drag Joy out tonight and we’ll find something to occupy us for the next two evenings. Although I’ll probably be crimping Joy’s style if she drags me to a bar. Really? Oh baby, that is the best news I’ve heard all day. I can’t wait to take that trip with you. Don’t worry, Joy will understand. She’s never had problems finding companionship, no matter what city she visits. Ok, I love you, too. Get back to work so that you get everything done in the next few days. I’ll miss you tonight.”
Sophia watched while Joy began chatting up an attractive young woman looking at the sculpture. She traveled back to give Joy an update.
“Hey. Who’s your new friend?” Sophia asked.
“Oh this is—honey, what’s your name again? I am so bad with names, but I have other attributes that absolutely make up for it and I never forget a face, or any other part of a woman’s body.” Joy winked at the young woman.
The woman waved at Sophia. “I’m Bonnie. Joy was just telling me that you guys are here visiting for a few weeks and she wanted to know where all the hot lesbians go for entertainment. My friends and I will be at the Wild Rose tonight. If you want a one hundred percent lesbian venue, it’s the only one in Seattle. The other bars have a mixed crowd.”
“It’s good to know I found the right place on my first night in town,” Joy replied.
“Well, it looks like you and I will be on our own tonight and tomorrow night, so I’ll go with you to this Rose place. By the way, I’m Sophia.”
“Okay, who are you and where did you stash my best friend? You never want to go out to the bars with me. Why are you trying to butter me up?” Joy asked.
Sophia felt bad. She’d dragged her best friend across the country with her and now she was going to abandon her in a few days to take a romantic vacation with her wife. “Well, um, Lara has this romantic vacation planned after she finishes tying up a few loose ends during the next couple of days. Are you mad?”
Joy smiled at the young woman. “Will you be my personal tour guide after my best friend leaves me to languish in this terribly overwhelming big city? You’ll be helping to preserve our friendship if you agree.”
“I’d love to. You seem like a kick in the pants,” Bonnie answered.
“Don’t let her snow you. We’re from New York and this city is not at all overwhelming to her, but she can be charming and entertaining. I’ll give you that,” Sophia interjected.
“I don’t know if I’m a kick in the pants, but I know exactly what to do in someone’s pants.”
Sophia smacked her arm. “Settle down. She’s already agreed to tour you around, don’t scare the poor woman off.”
“Oh, I’m definitely not scared. Where are you staying?” Bonnie asked.
“We’re at Hotel 1000,” Joy answered.
Bonnie whistled. “Wow, nice place. How about if I come pick you up in the lobby at around nine?”
“Perfect. I am so glad we bumped into one another today. Seattle has been such a friendly city. I may have to put this on my radar as a nice place to periodically visit,” Joy declared.
“Can we see some of the exhibits now? It is why we came here. I might have to come back again. There is just so much to see,” Sophia enthused.
“Oh, all right. See you tonight, Bonnie.” Joy waved her hand and followed Sophia when she turned to visit the Nirvana exhibition.
†
Sophia decided she wanted to go out to dinner with Joy and called the Canlis restaurant on the off chance they would be able to get a table. She figured that if they went early, like five or five thirty, the likelihood of getting a reservation might increase. She’d heard Lara rave about the food and decided to treat her best friend for being such a good sport.
When they arrived at the restaurant, a man showed them to a table by the window and she wondered if Lara had something to do with the location. She’d called her wife earlier to let her know what she planned to do for dinner. It seemed that Lara had connections everywhere.
Sophia let her thoughts wander as they landed on the intriguing woman she met at Lara’s office. She wondered who this woman was. She seemed to know Lara well. Sophia was suddenly very curious about Rachel. She would call her tonight to see if she might want to join Joy and her for lunch.
“You’re going to call Rachel, aren’t you?” Joy asked.
“How in the hell do you do that? It’s like you just read my mind,” Sophia asserted.
“I’ve known you since grade school. What kind of best friend would I be if I didn’t recognize the signs? Look, I’m no angel and lord knows I act on instinct all the time, but you need to be careful,” Joy warned.
“What do you mean?” Sophia asked.
“I’ve seen you look at someone like you looked at Rachel today only once in your life. Six months later
you were married to her.”
“You can’t possibly be suggesting that I would cheat on Lara?”
“Some people hit a rough patch around the seven year mark. In your case, I think it’s the ten-year mark. I’m glad you and Lara are reconnecting, because you need to. I don’t think you’ve been happy these past few years and I worry about you. It might be time to have a serious conversation with your wife about her work-life balance. I’ve seen too many relationships go kaput when they aren’t able to manage that,” Joy explained.
“You’re right. We do need to talk. Honestly, I’m not sure how much I can take of her absence for more than half of the year and it’s gotten a lot worse these past two years. I’m glad I came to visit. The first night was almost like when we first met.”
“I know I haven’t expressed any interest in settling down, but honestly I envy what you have. If I could ever find the right woman, I’d give up my carousing in the blink of an eye,” Joy admitted.
“You’d have to start presenting who you are in a completely different manner. All anyone ever sees is that wall of promiscuity you portray to the world. Why would anyone take the chance if they believe you’ll never settle down? You need to stop screwing your way through the entire lesbian population. I love you, hon, but you are your own worst enemy,” Sophia admonished.
“Hey, how did we go from talking about you to my pathetic love life?” Joy asked.
“Because you finally admitted that your life is lacking an essential ingredient—love.”
“Just don’t let Rachel charm the pants off you.”
“Not a chance, especially since I’ll be heading off to my second honeymoon in a few days. I do plan to call. It would be rude of me to ignore her generous offer. Besides, I’m dying to learn how Lara knows her,” Sophia explained.