So cut and dried. What did she care what he thought about it?

She didn’t, Dar sighed and shook her head. She didn’t give a rat’s ass what he thought or what he’d do about it. “But I do care what she thinks,” she spoke aloud to the sunlight. “And I do have better things to do.” The phone lit up again and she put aside the issue to deal with this far more urgent one. “Probably easier to solve anyway.”

KERRY FOUND HER way out to the back balcony, around the back behind the copier room where there was a tiny patio that overlooked the water. She liked to come out here sometimes and just think in the quiet peace the altitude afforded.

It was a beautiful day out, and she

wistfully realized that the current crisis was probably going to take precedence over leaving early, which was kind of depressing.

She’d been looking forward to some quiet time out on the water, where they could just watch the sunset together, and get in some twilight diving in the shallow, warm waters.


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Only a few minutes, she promised, knowing she had to go back inside and resume dealing with the problem. Just a few minutes to lean against the heated metal of the railing, and feel the warm, fresh sea air against her face, and drink in the sunlight.

She wished Dar was beside her, and she wondered what her lover had thought about her request. The stunned look hadn’t really indicated if she’d considered it, or if the idea was palatable or not, but Kerry had the feeling she’d at least gotten her to think about it. That had to be good, right? With a sigh, she closed her eyes, and turned her face up to the sun, feeling the brightness against her eyelids.

The door opened behind her, and she turned, blinking in surprise as she recognized Steven’s slim figure sauntering out towards her.

Warily, she leaned against the railing and watched him approach.

”So.” He studied her. ”Here we have the Queen bitch’s little collared pet. Is this your private space?” He walked to the railing and leaned on it.

Kerry regarded him thoughtfully. ”Sorry about your nose,” she remarked.

He stared at her. ”So, what’s it like screwing the boss?”

She felt a deep jolt of anger erupt in her gut. ”Wouldn’t you like to know?” she responded. ”But she wouldn’t give your ugly butt a second glance.” Inwardly, she sighed. What was that you were saying to Dar, about not liking being hated? Smooth, Kerry, very smooth. What is it about this dork that brings out the hyperbitch from hell in you anyway?

”And I take that back; I’m not sorry at all,” she added. ”Excuse me.” She turned and headed for the door.

”I should have guessed it before,” he yelled after her. ”But Dick McMasters is a buddy of mine. He told me you didn’t put out.”

Kerry turned, with her hand on the doorknob, and looked back at him, the ugly memories flooding over her.

”Ah, I see you remember him,” Steven’s voice took on a savage satisfaction. ”Yeah, he told me all about you, the straight laced, stuck up aristocrat. He’s gonna laugh his ass off when I tell him what a pathetic little loser you turned out to be.”

It took several breaths, to force the nausea down, and shove aside the familiar sensation of sickening dread she’d felt for those long, dark months. ”You’re the one without a life, morals, or integrity, ”she told him finally. ”So which one of us is the loser?”

“Listen, you—”

Kerry cut him off, ”I hope someday you start taking responsibility for what happens to you, and not just blame everyone else. Maybe you’ll end up a happier person.” She opened the door and got through it, closing it behind her and moving away from it as quickly as she could, blindly finding her way towards the break room. She ducked inside, and leaned against the counter, looking up as a hand touched her arm. ”Wh— oh, hi Duks.”


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The gentle brown eyes regarded her. ”Hello there, Kerry. Are you doing all right?”

Kerry sucked in a breath and released it. ”Yeah, yeah. ” She put a hand over her stomach. ”I think that meat pastalito I had didn’t agree with me.” She forced herself to settle down. ”Hey, you got a sunburn.”

Duk’s face creased into a wry smile. ”Yes, yes, I put on my bathing suit and went down to the pool for the first time since I moved into that damned place,” he told her, releasing her arm and walking over to the coffee pot. He poured a cup, then glanced over his shoulder. ”And how are you after all the excitement of yesterday?”

Kerry regarded the floor for a moment. ”Doing a lot better today,”

she admitted. ”I’ve, got to get back to work.” She gave Duks a brief smile. ”See you later.”

The hall seemed wider than normal, and she was glad to get inside her office with the door shut. She stood for a long moment, leaning back against the cool wood, then she shoved away from it and crossed to her desk, settling into the cool leather of her chair and folding her hands on the wooden surface. A soft knock came on the inner door, and she sighed. ”Come on in.”

Dar entered, her blue eyes holding a touch of concern. ”Hey.”

Kerry gathered herself together and half turned to gaze up at the taller woman. ”Hey.” She pursed her lips. ”How goes it?”

”Mmph.” Dar slid a hand over hers. ”You’re cold, you feeling okay?” she asked hesitantly, seeing the pallor under her lover’s normally golden skin tone. ”Ker?” she added softly, when Kerry didn’t answer.

”Yeah, I’m fine. I—” Kerry suddenly had to resist the almost overwhelming urge to simply put her head down on Dar’s thigh and let Dar pet her like a cat. “Last couple of days catching up to me, I think.”

She gave her lover a wry look. “And I just bumped into our friend out on the balcony.”

Dar’s brows lifted and she tilted her head a trifle. “And?”

“Turns out we had a mutual acquaintance and he...” Kerry hesitated. “Anyway, he was just being a jerk.”

“A jerk how?” Dar persisted.

Kerry’s phone rang and both of their pagers went off simultaneously. ”We can talk later.” Kerry gave her a wry grimace.

”This is going to hell in a handbasket.” She reached for the phone.

”Operations, Stuart.”

A harried voice answered her. ”Kerry, this is John Collins. I've got the New York office breathing down my neck, and I can’t get hold of Dar. You gotta give me something to tell them.”

”John?” Dar interrupted smoothly. ”Hold on a minute.” She put the call on hold, then faced her assistant, placing two fingers on her chin and lifting it up so their eyes met. ”We can talk now, if you need to,”

she said. “What did the stupid bastard say to you?”


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Melissa Good

A peaceful silence settled over them, as they merely sat and looked at one another. Kerry’s lashes finally fluttered closed, and a faint smile twitched the corners of her mouth. ”When I first joined Associated, I had a supervisor named Richard McMasters,” she stated. ”And he didn’t quite subscribe to EEOC.”

”Ah.” Dar's brows contracted, and a gray tone entered her eyes.

”Did he mouth off to you?”

Kerry exhaled. ”Oh yes, and he took every opportunity to touch me, and to comment on my appearance, until I couldn’t look at him without my hands shaking, wondering what was coming out of his mouth next.” She stopped momentarily. ”And then one night he bumped into me at the library, and told me he wanted to...get to know me better, and if I didn’t cooperate, he’d fire me.”

The hum of the computer was very loud in the silence, a soft blooping noise coming from the screen saver which had sprung into life. ”Did...” Dar hesitated. ”I...I mean, did he...” She was honestly shocked, and a little hurt that Kerry hadn’t confided in her before.

”He cornered me in the back room two days later, and I told him if he didn’t leave me alone, I’d have my father sic the IRS on him. ”

Kerry’s face tensed into a grim smile. ”In a way, that made it worse. He kept after me in other ways, slamming my work, spreading rumors, until one day, some nice person over at Arthur Anderson hired him away.”

She paused. ”He said it was a boss’s prerogative to get the most out of his employees.” Her eyes searched Dar’s face. ”I think you can see why I never mentioned it,” she concluded, a little wistfully. “Figures he and Steven are friends. Same mind set.”

”B...” Dar could hardly articulate the emotions. ”I’d...nev...”

Kerry curled her hand around the suddenly nerveless fingers still resting against her face. ”I know that,” she replied warmly. ”Believe me, I know that, Dar. It’s just, I felt strange talking about it with you.” She let out a breath, some of the tension dissipating. ”I mean, you are my boss, after all.”

Dar was dismayed. She’d never thought to ask Kerry if staying in her current position was what she wanted to do. She’d only thought of herself, and how she felt about it. But when she opened her mouth to do just that, nothing came out.

She cleared her throat and tried again. ”Are you... Kerry, if you’re not comfortable with this, we could, I mean, there are plenty of places in the company. I just...I...”

Kerry felt the tension build under her casually draped arm resting against Dar’s thigh. ”You said you needed me where I was,” she stated softly.

”I did. I do, Kerry, I...I mean, of course I do, but if it’s going to make you upset, I...” Dar felt herself stuttering, which hadn’t happened Hurricane Watch

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to her since the fourth grade. She clamped her jaw shut, and swallowed a few times. ”We can make arrangements if you’re not comfortable with this.” There, she managed in a calmer, more even tone. ”I survived without an assistant for years. I can manage on my own again.”

”At what price?” Kerry stood and laid a hand alongside her neck, feeling the rapidly beating pulse under her fingertips. ”You said yourself the pressure was getting to you,” she reminded her lover, whose eyes dropped to the desk. ”I’m fine. I love this job. I love working for you, and I don’t want to go anywhere, okay?” She leaned forward and touched her forehead to Dar’s. ”I just had some nasty flashbacks, that’s all. He’s a jerk, and maybe he reminds me of Dick, the way he gets on my nerves all the time.”

Jesus, when did I get this insecure? Dar wondered, as she felt her heartbeat start to calm. What the hell is wrong with me lately, anyway.

It’s like I’m a kid again, going back to being a damn teenager. ”Okay.”

She managed a smile. ”You can tell me more about it later if it bothers you, all right?”

Kerry smiled back. ”All right.” She spared a glance for the phone, still flashing. ”Now, what in blazes do I tell him, Dar?”

”Huh?” Dar's brow creased as she followed Kerry's eyes. ”Oh, right.” She rubbed her temples. ”Um, tell him we’re sending an executive team to North Carolina to take charge, and get the systems back up as soon as possible.”

Kerry reached for the button, then hesitated. ”We are?” she asked, curiously.

A sneaky, seductive grin tugged at one side of Dar’s mouth. ”Yeah.

I figure eight hours to get their asses in gear, and a couple days for us in a little cabin I happen to know about near there.” She hesitated, both brows lifting hopefully .”Sound okay?”

Sea green eyes blinked. ”You mean us?” She pointed at Dar's chest, then at her own. ”You and me, we’re going up there?”

Dar simply nodded.

”Awesome,” Kerry pronounced, then hit the button. ”Hello, John?”

She muted the mic for a moment. ”They don’t have any horseback riding up there, do they?” She released the mic. ”John, we know it’s really bad. You can tell them that Dar’s going up there to take charge personally.”

Pause. ”No shit?” the man replied, clearly impressed. ”That’ll get them off my ass. Thanks Kerry. You’re the best.”

”It’s my pleasure,” she assured him cheerfully, all thoughts of Steven dissolved. She disconnected the line and turned to Dar. ”Now, we were discussing horses, right?”

A chuckle. ”Yeah, they’ve got some trail riding, figured we could do a little hiking while we’re up there,” she offered. ”If we leave tonight, we’ll have tomorrow and Friday to get the network office back up, then the whole weekend to play.” The idea had come to her right 178

Melissa Good

before she’d started over, and she’d put the plan in action before she’d left her office. ”I’ve got Maria making reservations.”