"My life's an open book." Kerry lifted her hands and let them fall. "What secret could I possibly be keeping? That I wash my hands with lavender soap?"

Dar lifted one of her partner's hands and sniffed it delicately. "Smells more like apple to me."

Kerry tweaked her nose. "I'm going to make some lemonade and shove the pits right up her..." She exhaled. "Oo...Dar, sending me to this meeting may not be a good idea," she said. "I could lose us the bid right up front if they tick me off."

"Don't sweat it, Ker. Just go, listen, and blow them off if they come near you." She took another cookie from the rack and split it, handing Kerry her share.

Kerry ate the cookie slowly. "Are you telling me to ignore them? Leave them alone?"

Dar nodded. "Don't let them get to you."

The pale blond brows contracted. "Paladar, do you find it a little ironic that you are saying that to me? After what we just went through with them? Are you going to take your own advice on that too?"

A shrug.

"I tell you what--I'll blow them off if you will. You stop letting what that whore bitch did to you chew you up inside, and I'll treat them like they were old buddies. Deal?" Kerry heard a sharper tone in her voice than she'd really intended, and saw the flicker in Dar's eyes before her partner looked briefly away. "Because I hate her so much on your behalf, it's the only way I could deal with it, Dar," she added, in a gentler tone.

Dar looked back up. "I don't want you hating people on my behalf."

"Tough."

A sigh. "Got milk?"

Kerry leaned over and gave her a chocolate tainted kiss instead. "Want to hear my poem?" she whispered. "Screw them."

Dar sighed again. She lifted one hand and let it drop in a gesture of resignation. "Poem me, and pass the milk. You're right. Screw 'em."

Kerry's face creased into a happy grin, as she reached over to the table for her writing pad. "You got it, partner. You got it." She leaned

over near Dar's ear. "Know what she must have found out about me?" "What?" Kerry whispered something, and nearly ended up with cookies all

over her chest as Dar convulsed with laughter. She chuckled evilly right along with her partner.



Chapter Ten



DAR RESTED HER head on her fist, her eyes scanning the reports in front of her. She ran her index finger over the lists of IP addresses, then picked up a yellow highlighter and swiped it over one of them.

Her intercom buzzed. "Yeah?" Dar reached over and punched the acknowledge button. "What's up Maria?"

"Jefa, you have someone with cameras in the security desk downstairs," Maria said. "They have told them you are expecting them?"

Dar checked her watch. "They're early." She sighed. "Okay, have security escort them up to the presentation center. I'll meet them there."

"Si, I will do that," Maria said. "Also, I have your arrangements for your trip this evening, the confirmation is from your hotel, and I have asked for you to be picked up at the airport."'

Dar gazed at the phone. "Thanks, Maria." She smiled. "I appreciate that."

"Of course," her assistant said warmly. "I will arrange for security." She clicked off, leaving Dar to nibble at the inside of her lip for a quiet moment.

Then she pushed herself upright and slid the reports back into their folder, closing it and putting it away inside her top drawer. "Damn it." She leaned back in her chair. "I should really fire my ass for that stunt."

There was a thick pile of printouts in her inbox. She debated, then opened her lower drawer, and picked up the pile, tossing them into the larger space and closing it. Then she got up and went to the closet, removing her suit jacket and slipping into it.

She was straightening the sleeves when she heard the inner door to her office opening, and she turned as Kerry entered, a folder in her hand. "Hey. CNN's here. Want to come watch me make a fool of myself again?"

Kerry came over and took hold of her lapels, tugging them straight and brushing a bit of dust off her partner's shoulder. "Honey, you're never a fool," she disagreed. "But I'd love to watch you charm yet another reporter. Let's boogie."

Dar rested her arms on Kerry's shoulders and leaned forward and rested her forehead against the blond woman's. "We're barely keeping ahead of the attacks on the website. Mark's got a redirect in place, but you're going to have to keep an eye on it."

"Ugh."

"Sorry." Dar exhaled. "I wish I could stay and take care of my own crap, but Godson's high profile. All we need is for him to complain we can't handle his business."

"No problem, hon." Kerry tilted her head and kissed her partner. "I've got your back." She slid her arms around Dar and hugged her. "Wish I could go with you."

Dar silently wished the same thing. "Hey, it's only overnight." She returned the hug, and patted Kerry on the back. "C'mon. I don't want to give the reporters an excuse to try wandering around the building."

She led the way out of her office, giving Maria a brief wave as she passed her admin's desk and emerged into the hallway with Kerry at her heels.

They went to the elevator and rode down a few levels in silence, emerging on the floor that held the big public presentation center they typically used for press functions.

And birthday parties, Kerry recalled, as she opened the door for Dar and waited for her to enter. She'd gotten her promotion to vice president in this very room, and met Alastair there for the first time too.

Now it was full of strangers bearing equipment and cameras, clipboards and strange pieces of gear hung off of every part of them.

One of the women turned as they entered, and headed for Dar. "Ms. Roberts?" She held a hand out. "Christine Banks. I'm the tech news producer."

Dar accepted the offer and gripped the woman's hand, then released it. "Good afternoon," she said, briefly. "Glad you made it through the traffic."

"You aren't kidding," the woman agreed instantly. "Okay, if you'll give us about ten minutes to set up here, we can get started." She indicated a man standing quietly by. "This is our tech reporter, Nelson Argos. He'll be conducting the interview."

"Hello," Dar greeted the man, taking his outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," the man said.

Dar half turned. "This is our vice president of operations, Kerry Stuart." She indicated her quietly watching partner. "We'll grab a cup of coffee while you get set up. Feel free to help yourselves if you want."

The cameramen started to unpack their equipment. "Hoss, set up in that corner," Banks directed. "We can shoot back across this way and get the light." She indicated the late afternoon sun coming in the shutters across the western facing window.

Dar went over to the service bar and picked up a stoneware cup in company blue, keeping her back turned to the bustle in the room.

Kerry took a seat on one of the stools near the presentation platform, giving the news people a pleasant smile. The big room was multipurpose, sometimes rows of chairs were put in place, other times tables for executive training, and still other times it could be converted to a small conference center for high level briefings.

That's what it was this time. The floor space was cleared, and the raised presentation area had been set up with a podium and stools, the company logo prominent on the curved wall behind it, lit with unobtrusive built-in lighting.

It was staid, conservative, and expensive with teak wood inlays and high end audiovisual equipment, including the new video conferencing system Kerry had overseen install of a few weeks earlier.

"So." The reporter wandered her way as the rest of the team fiddled with tripods and cameras and lights. "I saw the tape of your presentation at the conference the other day. Nice job."

"Thanks," Kerry responded. "I was glad to have the opportunity to tell our story there."

"Seems like there was more excitement there than anyone expected." The reporter took the stool next to her. "Caught us a little by surprise."

Kerry smiled pleasantly at him. "Technology's like that." She sensed Dar's presence and she turned, to find a steaming cup being held out. "Ah. Thanks." She sniffed the rich scent of cherries and took a sip of the herbal tea.

Dar settled on a third stool and took a sip of her coffee. "Is it true you folks didn't want to attend this year because we bore the hell out of you?"

Argos rubbed his nose, looking a bit abashed. He was medium height, with thick, curly brown hair and freckles. "Well, I wouldn't put it that way," he said. "We just had other things on our plate."

Dar gave him a darkly amused look.

"But you know, I'm not sure your stockholders would have appreciated it if we had been," the reporter said. "A lot more people would have seen that bit about you hiring hackers."

Dar shrugged. "Tempest in a teacup," she said. "No one admits it, but everyone who hires top rank techs knows there's a good chance they've walked both sides at one time or another."

"If no one admits it, why do you?" Argos asked.

"Hey, wait for the camera." Christine protested. "C'mon, people!"

Dar took another sip of her coffee. "I thought you were going to grill me about how I'm panicking about our overwhelming new adversaries, Telegenics," she drawled. "I think hackers are more interesting."

Argos grinned briefly. "Keep talking. I want to see Christine implode."

"People." Christine sighed. "Charles, are you ready?"

"Almost," the cameraman called over.

Dar relaxed a little, lapsing into silence as she drank her coffee, waiting for the set up to be complete.

Kerry felt her phone buzz. She got up and set her cup down, going over to the window before she answered it. "Kerry Stuart."

"Oh, Kerry. Good. It's Eleanor. Listen, we have a problem."

Kerry glanced over her shoulder. "Hang on." She put the phone on hold. "Be right back." She signaled Dar, and eased past the camera crew to duck out the door and move far enough down the hall to find a quiet spot. "Okay, go ahead. Sorry. I was in the presentation center."

"Okay." Christine finished her arranging, and stepped back. "We're ready. Right?"

"Ready," Nelson agreed. He took a seat on the stool next to Dar's, tugging his jacket straight and setting his notes down on his knee out of the camera shot. "You ready, Ms. Roberts?"

"Sure." Dar let her hands rest on her thigh, trying to relax as much as she could under the circumstances.

She wished Kerry would come back.

"Right, let's go," Christine said, briskly. "Nelson, you're on."

The light on the camera lit, and Dar took a breath, letting it out slowly as she felt the tension build in her guts.

Argos cleared his throat. "I'm here today with Dar Roberts, Chief Information Officer for ILS, a Fortune 100 company that provides technology services. Ms. Roberts, thank you for taking some time out to meet with us."

"Anytime," Dar responded amiably.

"One of the big stories at the recent technology conference in Orlando was the budding rivalry between your company and a small startup company..."

"Stop." Dar lifted her hand.

Argos paused, a little startled. "Excuse me?"

"Stop. That's not true," Dar said. "That wasn't a big story there. No one, in fact, even asked me anything about it."

Argos blinked.

"The big stories at the conference were a debate on security and the release of news about some brand new technology involving heuristic advances in networking hardware," Dar continued. "I don't mind talking about whatever you have a mind to talk about, but don't make things up."

Christine's jaw dropped.

Argos was caught very off guard. "I'm sorry, Ms. Roberts," he said. "I was given some information about what happened at that convention, maybe there was a misunderstanding."

"There wasn't any misunderstanding," Dar smiled briefly. "You were pitched a load of BS to get my competitors some good publicity. You should have done your homework."

Argos blinked again. Then he looked off set over at Christine in appeal.

"So." Dar shifted a little. "Want to talk about the conference, or do you want to go through your scripted bit of drama? Your choice."

Argos took a moment to gather his wits. "All right, fair enough." He closed his notepad. "Let's talk about competition, then. From your attitude, I get the impression you don't really think you have any."