"Did you love them?" Bailey asked curiously.
"The first no, but the second I think I did for a while," Piper stated. "Unfortunately, it got pretty ugly."
"What got ugly?"
"Our separation I guess," Piper said quietly. "I found out that she was seeing other people behind my back and I left her, but she didn't let go easily and she ended up doing and saying a lot of hateful things when I refused to go back to her."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Bailey said.
"It's fine, it was a long time ago. Anyways, I've dated here and there but nothing serious. Or more accurately, I haven't come across anyone I really wanted to be with, until recently," she finished with a shy look.
"Oh," Bailey said with a scowl but then a clue hit her in the head. "Oh," she added more enthusiastically then blushed.
"You really do have a cute blush," Piper stated with a smile which only made Bailey redder.
"I'm glad you like it, I've gotten a lot of practice at it lately," she stated sarcastically.
"It becomes you." She smiled and then mercifully decided to take her out of the spotlight. "So you said you traveled a lot, was it for your job?"
"Yes," Bailey answered cautiously.
"What did you do?" Piper asked and noticed from Bailey's face that she had ventured into another avenue of conversation that wasn't going to be very informative.
"Nothing to be proud of," Bailey said quietly.
"How long did you have this job?" Piper pushed gently.
"Way too long," Bailey said more to herself than to Piper. "A decade and change," she added.
"Wow, that's a long time," she said cheerily seeing that Bailey was going into a funk.
"Yes, it was. Can we talk about something else?" Bailey asked a little peevishly.
"Sure, I didn't mean to pry," Piper said contritely.
Bailey's eyes shot up at Piper's tone and she was instantly sorry.
"No, it's okay," she started. "It's just something I'm not ready to discuss. I hope you understand," she said with some difficulty.
"I think I do, there are things about me that I find hard to talk about as well," Piper said sympathetically.
Bailey sat in an uncomfortable silence for several minutes until fortunately their food arrived and allowed a distraction. Piper waited until the waiter left before she broke the silence.
"Would you like to try a crawfish?" she asked brightly.
"Uhm…I don't think so," she said with a sour look.
"They really taste better than I described them. Besides, these are boiled, they look like little shrimp." She speared one with her fork and held it up for examination. "See?"
Bailey eyed it suspiciously.
"Come on. You can't even see it," she said a bit exasperated. "It's covered in sauce, try it, I'm sure you'll like it."
"Oh, alright," she said rolling her eyes.
Piper reached across intending to put it on her plate but it was intercepted as Bailey leaned forward and snagged it off the fork with her teeth, an act that Piper found to be incredibly sensual and she blushed powerfully.
Bailey noticed her reddening and looked at her with confusion. "What's wrong?" she asked innocently, chewing on the crawfish that was actually quite tasty.
"Hmmm?" Piper said distractedly. "Oh, nothing. I just didn't expect you to do that."
"Do what?" Bailey said replaying the last few minutes.
"Uhm… bite the food off my fork."
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?" she asked looking around to see if anyone saw.
"Well, not exactly," Piper said honestly.
"I don't understand," Bailey said, her brows knitting.
"It…uh… just struck me as very sexy," Piper admitted.
"Oh," Bailey said not completely understanding, but it dawned on her slowly and she smiled slyly.
"You really have no idea how attractive you are, do you?" Piper asked amazed.
"I really never gave it much thought," she admitted honestly. "But I'm glad you think so," she added with a shy smile.
"I do, very much." Piper smiled.
Bailey felt another blush coming on and decided to change the subject. "So where did you go to college?" she asked quickly.
Piper grinned at the obvious tactic. "Louisiana State University," she replied. "I majored in communications."
"Ah, so how did you hook up with Clinton?"
"I responded to a want ad in the paper for an accounts receivable manager and eventually became the office manager until C-Corp bought the company. He made me his assistant when he was made Director of Operations."
"How long were you with TDE before the buyout?"
"Three years. Can I ask a question?"
"Sure."
"C-Corp is made up of eighteen different companies, usually when businesses are bought and sold they're usually scrapped aren't they?"
"Sometimes. But each one was profitable, some very much so. All provided services that will be profitable well into the future so why not combine them? By doing so and departmentalizing each one you manage to keep the successful infrastructure and personnel in place."
"Hmmm."
"Most of the owners were happy to go along because it provided them with the opportunity to continue working and share in the profits of a much larger company. And since several of the acquisitions were local, the personnel remained pretty much intact."
"You seem to take a very hands off approach to running the company, why is that?"
"Because I know very little about running a corporation, nor do I especially want to. Bringing the owners and managers over intact assured that every department could be run by the people who made it successful in the first place. All that was needed was personnel that could centralize the company as a whole and coordinate and manage the departments as one entity."
"So why did you pick John to be in the Captain's chair?"
"Several reasons, but mainly because he had no ego."
"I don't understand."
"If I had chosen any of the other acquired executives, they would have run things in the way that they were used to. John could differentiate between running his own company and being in charge of several others."
"I see. So why me?"
"Because John bragged about you often and you had the experience under him to run things in a way accustomed to the norm. In addition, if I had tagged one of the others for the job I would be in the situation I was trying to avoid in the first place. I don't want the company run the way they ran their own companies, C-Corp is bigger than that," she hesitated. "And because you weren't intimidated by me."
"Was John intimidated by you?"
"No, like I said John had no ego, he just sort of breezed through life, but he was smart and ruthless when he had to be."
"Are those the qualities you see in me?"
Bailey stopped and considered. "I think you're the most unique person I've ever met," she answered honestly.
"Thank you," Piper said demurely and eyed her own plate.
"You're welcome," Bailey said happily, unreasonably proud to have put Piper on the spot for a change. "Did things go okay today? I only stopped into the office for a few moments and you weren't there," she added after a moment.
"Yeah, I was requested for opinions over a new account. I get the feeling some people aren't happy about my new status," she admitted.
"Did anyone say anything to you?" Bailey asked her eyes narrowing.
"No, they were polite, it was just sort of an underlying attitude."
"Let me know if you have any problems, I'll straighten them out."
"I'd rather handle it on my own."
"Why?" Bailey asked curiously.
"Because they won't respect me unless I do."
"Alright, I can understand that," she nodded.
"Besides, it would be embarrassing to have my girlfriend, who also happens to be the big cheese, swoop in and save me. It would be counter-productive I think."
Bailey was silen
t long enough that Piper took notice and reviewed the last thing she had said. She cringed a little bit when she identified the word she had spoken without thinking but really hoped was true. She was at a loss for words so she waited uncomfortably for Bailey to break the silence.
"Is…" Bailey said not sure how to proceed. "Is… that what I am?"
"What? The big cheese?" she offered brightly trying to sink into her chair.
Bailey just sighed and Piper bit the bullet. "You mean my girlfriend?" she asked quietly.
"Yes."
"I guess I sort of jumped the gun," Piper admitted embarrassed. "But I would very much like you to be, yes."
Bailey was extremely quiet for close to five minutes as Piper sat silently castigating herself and wishing that she would have a stroke or a sudden, fatal aneurysm that would alleviate the supreme awkwardness she felt.
"Uhm…" Bailey finally started. "…The whole …uh …concept is very new to me as you already know…but I think that I would be…honored …to be your… uhm… girlfriend," she finished saying the last word slowly to get her mind around it.
Piper, who was wondering if she could hold her breath long enough to pass out, sat up straight in her chair at Bailey's words and beamed her best smile across the table.
"Really?" she asked happily.
"Yes, I know enough to realize that you'll have to help me along, but I … well… I like the way I feel when I'm around you and… well… I would really like that, I think." She reviewed her words and winced. "That didn't come out right," she said and closed her eyes.
"I think I know what you meant," Piper said with a grin and mischievously added. "So, when do you want to meet my parents?"
Bailey went extremely pale and Piper experienced a twinge of guilt but their waiter approached before she could let her off the hook.
"Can I get you anything else?" he asked.
"A Southern Comfort and soda with a twist, a double please," Bailey said quickly and Piper laughed.
"And you, Miss?" he asked looking at the Piper.
"I'm fine, thank you," she said between giggles.
Piper waited for him to leave. "I was just teasing," she admitted and watched as Bailey slowly regained her color and started to scowl.
"I don't think that was very funny," she said seriously.
"Well…it was kinda," Piper offered, the ghost of a smile on her face.
Bailey had the urge to cross her arms over her chest but refrained from instigating a repeat of Piper's merriment from earlier. Instead, she tried her best to ignore Piper's little grin and concentrated on finishing the last of her meal.
Piper watched in extreme amusement as Bailey pouted while trying her best to look like she wasn't. It struck her that the woman sitting across from her was very much like a child in some regards and she wondered about the secrets that she so obviously harbored. It must have been hard to lose part of her family to violence at such a young age and why no contact with the remaining members since then? She did the math and realized that Bailey would have been on her own for fifteen years and she obviously had very little experience in dealing with people on a personal level. However, she was no fool and had to have money and smarts aplenty to acquire a business the size of C-Corp. The scuttlebutt around the office was that she was a ruthless negotiator and a razor sharp mind. She had a hard time comparing that image to the one pouting across the table. It dawned on her that this was more than likely the first time in Bailey's life that she had attempted to open up with someone and she was flattered to have been the one chosen. With that thought in mind, she again felt guilty for teasing her and resolved to try and be more careful in the future.
"I'm sorry," she said finally just at the moment the waiter arrived with Bailey's drink.
"Will there be anything else?" he asked.
"Just the check, please," Bailey said.
The man pulled the tab from his apron and sat it on the table. "I'll be your cashier when you're ready," he said.
"That's fine, here you go," Bailey said handing him a credit card from her pocket.
"I'll be back in a moment," the man said as he left.
"Are you mad at me?" Piper asked quietly as soon as the waiter was far enough away.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
"You seem mad."
"I'm not mad."
"You sure?"
Bailey pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I'm not mad, I just can't think of anything to say," she said honestly.
"Oh," Piper said and smiled. "Did you like your dinner?"
"Yes, I even liked the crawfish."
"Do you have plans for tomorrow night?"
"No, did you have something in mind?"
"Well, I was hoping we could do something together."
"Like what?" she asked interested.
"Would you like to come over for dinner? I could rent a video if you want."
"Okay," Bailey said with a smile as the waiter returned with the tab, which she signed and pulled a ten from her pocket to return with the receipt.
"Thank you, ladies. Have a good evening," he said in departure.
"What would you like for dinner, any preferences?" Piper asked.
"Not really. I'm sure I'd like just about anything."
"Alright, what kind of movies do you like?"
"Something funny."
"Consider it done. Is 7:30 good for you?"
"Yes."
"Great, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah," Bailey said as she finished her drink. "I'll let you drive back if you promise not peel out."
"Deal," Piper said with a grin as they both got up from the table and Bailey handed her the keys.
They walked out the front door and Piper quickly snuggled up to her and put an arm around her waist, feeling Bailey tense for a second and then relax.
"I really am sorry, sometimes I get carried away. I didn't mean to upset you," Piper said earnestly.
"It's alright, you just threw me for a loop is all," Bailey said, tentatively putting her arm around Piper's shoulders. Piper smiled and squeezed her a little harder to let her know she liked it as they both walked to the car.
"You ready to rumble?" Piper said releasing her so she could get in the car.
"You promised," Bailey said walking around to the other side.
"Oh, alright," Piper said getting in and leaning across to open the passenger door.
VIII
And I, I could see, That before too long,
I'd fall in love with her.
- J. Lennon, P. McCartney
Russell tried to keep from laughing because he knew the slightest sound would wake up his sleeping partner. It was hard to control the snickers as he stuffed another piece of gum in his mouth, for a total of eight, and chewed vigorously.
He had painstakingly crafted his device over the last half an hour and it was almost time to put it to use. The device being four soda straws attached end to end and two pair of wooden chopsticks that he had stuffed inside the straws to give them stiffness. He again fought the urge to laugh and he took several calming breaths before he reached for his apparatus. He stared at Zack for several long seconds to make sure he was still sleeping before he took the huge wad of gum from his mouth and placed it carefully on the end of his creation. Once attached to his satisfaction, he slowly deployed his device toward the sleeping Zack until it the gum was only a centimeter from his right eye. He took several more deep breaths before he was ready.
"Hey, Zack. Check this out!" he said loudly.
Zack awoke in an instant and turned his head in Russell's direction.
"What the fuck!" he yelled as his eye collided with the huge wad of wet gum and his hand went involuntarily to his face.
Russell dropped his device and laughed uproariously as Zack made it worse by getting it in his hair.
"You are so fucking dead," Zack said as he attempted to remove the gum from his eyebrow, eyelashes, and bangs.
/> Russell didn't hear the words over his own laughter, which was threatening to cut off his wind. Several minutes went by before he regained a little control and, breathing heavily, he blinked the tears out of his eyes so that he could focus in on Zack. One look and the laughter erupted again at full volume and continued until he thought he might pass out. Finally, he succeeded in stifling himself long enough to glance up and see Zack glaring at him dangerously. His laughter came to a trailing and rather pathetic end as he suspected he might have gone too far. He sat up in his seat as he considered his options and was tremendously relieved to see the women walk out of the restaurant and head toward their car.
"We've got movement," he said importantly and picked up his binoculars.
Peering through the field glasses he was excruciatingly aware that Zack hadn't moved and he could feel that the glare being directed at him had not subsided. He watched nervously through the binoculars as he observed the two women separate and get in the car.
"Zack, they're moving," he said hoping to diffuse the situation.
He watched as the Barracuda made its way out of the parking lot and he could take it no longer.
"Zack, they're driving away, man," he said impatiently and turned in his seat to look at his friend. It took every once of willpower at his disposal and even at that he had to deplete his reserves not to collapse to the floorboard in helpless laughter. The man had completely covered his hands and had managed to coat most of the right side of his face and hair with the sticky pink substance. Summoning the Force, he removed all strains of humor and a stubborn strand of amusement from his voice.
"Zack, get on it. We'll catch hell if we lose them," he said as authoritatively as he could and was greatly relieved when Zack finally moved to start the car. A laugh threatened to escape when a long strand of gum followed Zack's hand from the ignition to the steering wheel and he mumbled a profanity under his breath. He quickly turned away and schooled himself not to look anywhere in the direction of his friend until he had achieved complete control over his hilarity.
Russell was extremely quiet as they followed the Barracuda back to the house where the redhead obviously lived and not once during the journey did he even so much as risk a quick glance in the direction of his fuming friend.
Zack pulled their car up to the curb and parked when he saw the Barracuda pull into the driveway. He turned off the car and slowly rotated his head in Russell's direction.
Stories by Kiera Dellacroix Page 14