Oh shit. ”What I think about that is...that it’s ten o’clock here in Miami, and we’re going rapidly nowhere. Why not schedule a meeting when everyone has their acts together?” There. Throw a few insults; see if that gets things moving. ”That’s what I think,” Dar added, for good measure.
She took a contented sip of chocolate milk as the soft hiss from the Hurricane Watch
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phone indicated a shocked worldwide silence. Another Dar Roberts legend in the making, I bet. She rolled her eyes, regarding her bare feet resting on her desk, crossed neatly at the ankles. “Regretting your decision already, Alastair? Next time, you’ll ask first, huh?”
A gentle clearing of the throat. ”Well,” Alastair responded. ”That would be a novel idea.” He sighed. ”Okay, so Monday after a disaster was a bad choice of times. Let’s reschedule for Friday, same time?”
Fine. She’d call in from her cell phone, while floating on the Atlantic. ”Sounds good to me,” she agreed, stifling a grin. ”I’ll have the proposal for the new networking center by then.”
”Good...good...all right then, good night, ladies and gentlemen.”
He paused. ”And Dar.”
It hit her unexpectedly, and she burst out laughing, hearing a rustle of sound as the rest of the group belatedly joined in. ”Good night.” She sighed, hitting the release button, and shaking her head. So much for my first board meeting, but at least it was more productive and less antagonistic than their usual staff gatherings. So maybe that was a good sign.It was very quiet in the office, with only the soft hum of the air conditioning, and the gentle, sporadic clatter of her hard drive to break the silence. With a sigh, she slipped her shoes back on and stood up, pulling her jacket over her arms and shouldering her briefcase.
The elevator ride was quiet also, and she was conscious of her own footsteps as she crossed the long, empty lobby and headed for the door.
The security guard met her and opened it, touching his head in a military type of manner.
”G’night, Ms. Roberts,” he remarked, politely. ”Late night, eh?”
”Night, Pete.” Dar gave him a smile. ”Same old, same old. You know how it is.”
”Yes, ma’am, but we haven’t seen you here at night for a while. I was wondering if you’d changed offices.”
No, just priorities. ”I’ve been here...just not late,” she commented.
”Take care.”
She walked across the parking lot and unlocked the Lexus, dumping her briefcase inside and getting in, exhaling as the cool, soft leather surrounded her. She closed the door and sat for a moment, resting her hands on the wheel, before she started the car up and pulled out of the parking lot.
KERRY WAS CURLED up contentedly on the couch, her head resting on the arm, and Chino tucked up in a ball against her belly. She let her eyes follow the action on the television screen, though she found herself watching the clock almost as much.
Oh well. She snuggled down further into the couch and watched the crocodile man try to trap a crocodile. He was just stringing his net 300
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up when the phone rang. She picked it up immediately. ”Hello?”
”Hey.” Dar’s voice sounded quiet over the dull roar of boat engines. ”I’m on the ferry.”
”So I hear,” Kerry responded. ”How’d the meeting go?”
”Bullshit,” the executive replied. ”It was mostly Alastair just blowing hot air across three continents. I finally called him on it, and he rescheduled for Friday.”
”Ew,” Kerry replied. ”That’s not fair.”
”Nah, we’ll be out on the boat. That’s why god made cell phones,”
Dar chuckled. ”How’d your night go?”
Kerry rolled over, and let her head rest on the sofa arm. ”Well, I got home, and put together a little dinner for us, then I stuck that in the frig and took Chino for a nice long walk.”
”I could live on Frosted Flakes. You didn’t have to do that,” Dar protested gently.
”You cannot live on Frosted Flakes, Dar Roberts, so hush,” Kerry shot back. ”So, then I went over to the gym and worked out for a couple of hours. You know, I like that gym, Dar.”
”Yeah, I haven’t seen much of it lately,” her lover responded ruefully. ”But it’s pretty well stocked. They’ve got a circuit there I really like. The gym by work doesn’t have it.”
”Mm...yeah...then I got home and took a shower, and now I’m just watching Steve Irwin, and waiting for you,” Kerry concluded.
Dar couldn’t help the silly little grin that crossed her face at Kerry’s words. ”Waiting for me?”
”Yep,” Kerry confirmed. ”Chino and I are right here, watching the door.”
A soft laugh. ”Well, I’m pulling into the parking space right now, so guess I’ll see you in a minute.” She hung up and got out of the car, closing and locking it and heading for the condo entrance. At the door she paused, reflecting.
How many times had she come home, just like this, to a quiet emptiness? How many years had it been? The idea that someone was in there…god.
Thoughtfully, she keyed in the lock and opened the door, stepping inside as a scrambling puppy and a smiling blonde greeted her. ”Hey guys.” Dar dropped her briefcase and knelt, playing with Chino for a moment before she stood and faced Kerry.
”Hey, here, let me take your jacket. You look wiped.” Kerry reached for it, only to have her hands caught and held, as Dar stepped closer to her. ”Wh—”
Dar released her hands, and let her arms rest on Kerry’s shoulders, gently interlacing her fingers behind the smaller woman’s neck. She gazed into the puzzled green eyes, and wished she had the words to fit the emotion she could feel balling up inside her. She tried, but nothing would come out, so she merely drew Kerry’s head forward and gently Hurricane Watch
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kissed it. ”Thank you.”
”Dar?” Kerry asked softly, pulling back a little and giving her a worried look. ”Are you okay?”
There was really no way she could explain. ”Yeah.” She managed a smile. ”Just been a long day, that’s all. ”Awkwardly, she dropped her hands, then backed off a step. ”I’m going to go change. I think I need some coffee.” She rubbed the back of her neck wearily. ”Haven’t had a headache like this in a while.”
Kerry cocked her head to one side. ”Mm...let me help.” She gently drew Dar into her bedroom, and peeled off her jacket, draping it neatly over the back of the chair near the dresser.
”I am capable of taking my own clothes off,” Dar protested mildly, finding herself intrigued by the absorbed look of concentration on her lover’s face.
”Well, sure, I know, but it’s a lot more fun for me if I do it,” Kerry replied, working the buckle loose on the thin, ornate belt then reaching around to unbutton Dar’s skirt. ”Because if you do it it’s just like...well, you know, changing. But if I do it...” She slid the zipper down, and removed the skirt, leaving Dar in her silk blouse.
”If you do it...” Dar repeated softly, tracing the line of her jaw. ”It becomes a lot more interesting.”
”Right,” Kerry agreed, slowly unbuttoning the shirt and letting it fall open, releasing a scent that was mostly Dar, and a touch of perfume.
She slid her hands under the fabric and let her fingers slide up the smooth, powerful back, clucking softly at the tension she felt there.
”C’mon, lie down.” She gently peeled the shirt back, and Dar let it fall down her arms to the floor, feeling the slight chill as the conditioned air brushed her skin.
It felt like a dream, really, but Dar couldn’t find it in her to protest.