Sitting in the warm leather comfort her Saab, Bette reached down and picked up the piece of paper that had been riding shotgun on her way home from work. Looking up for the third time since shed smoothly guided the car into the driveway, Bette glanced at the front door of her home and then at the dashboard clock.


6:56pm.


Moving the note closer to the window, Bette used the last pale streaks of the sunset to once again read what had occupied her attention since it had come across her desk almost 11 hours ago.


Be home by 7pm”T.


Turning the note over and over in her hand absently, Bette knew that there was more to that note than the 5 little words Tinas sweeping cursive was conveying. Volumes existed in those delicate spaces between consonants and vowels and Bette felt the familiar tingles of giddiness as her brain worked out the permutations of the note for the thousandth time that day.


*********

She had scarcely given it thought when James had dropped the envelope on her desk earlier that morning. It had quickly become another white blur in the landscape of papers that had taken refuge on her desk. But as she reached for the phone to make the first phone call that would open the floodgates, her gaze was drawn to the handwritten address gracing the front of the envelope. Bette instinctively glanced up at the door, certain that someone was waiting for her to see the envelope but finding only the brown of the thick wooden panel returning her inquiry, she quickly reached forward to gently open the envelope and pull the note out. She recognized the handwriting before even seeing the words and greeted the piece of paper with a dimpled smile. Leaning back against the smooth leather chair, Bette held the note captive between her elegant fingers, her eyes tracing the dips and curves of each letter as her mind processed each precious word Tina had written her.


Be home by 7pm”T.


Bette felt her enchanted smile slipping minutely as she read the note over and over again. Laying the note on the desk, she reached for the envelope, certain that there was some hidden cargo she had overlooked. Tipping it this way and that until she was sure that only the note had been enclosed, Bette again reached over and picked the note up, leaning forward on her elbows and reading the note again. No I love yous. No sweet words. In fact, barely any words at all. Chuckling a bit, Bette shook her head, dislodging several curls from their delicate perch on her shoulder.


Why didnt Tina just call? Bette wondered aloud.


Pressing the intercom, Bette asked James where the recently delivered envelope had come from.


It was delivered by courier first thing this morning, Bette. Came the muffled response.


With her finely sculpted brows drawn together in slight confusion, Bette decided to call Tina, as the mode of communication seemed to overshadow the simplicity of the note. As her fingers began to dial their home number, Bette once again allowed a smile to curve her lips as the silliness of the past couple of minutes started to sink in.


What is she doing? Bette once again spoke to no one in particular, laughing lightly as she settled back into her chair.


Bette continued to toy with the note, distractedly running her fingers over the imprints in the paper, only coming to realize that Tina wasnt answering when her own voice spoke to her through the smooth sounds of their answering machine. Undaunted, Bette simply dialed Tinas cell phone, concentrating now on the ringing and less with the note still held between her long fingers. When she was once again greeted with voicemail, Bette sat up a little straighter, holding the note in front of her face as she sweetly asked Tina to call her back at the office, wishing her a great day and adding a few tender words meant solely for Tinas heart. Content that she had at least made an attempt to figure out what was going on, Bette gently placed the note near her monitor, rolled her sleeves up and began her day.


As the hours passed in the hustle and bustle of the CAC, Bette found herself taking reprieve in the note sitting silent vigil at her desk. At first, it was the simple comfort of Tinas handwriting that soothed the frown dancing along her forehead. Picturing her beautiful wife writing those words, despite their seemingly antiseptic nature, brought a warm smile to her face. But as time wore on and morning shifted into afternoon, Bette found her eyes drawn more and more to those 5 little words.


Be home by 7pm”T.


Acutely aware that her phone call had not been returned, Bette felt the slightest rush jolt through her as she let up on the reigns of her imagination. Her libido immediately discarding scenarios involving dinner parties or going out, Bette really let herself think about Tinas note. Fantasizing about her wife while at work was nothing new. It was all Bette could do just to leave her in the morning and continuing their early morning love making, even just in fantasy, was sometimes the only way she made it through the day. She found it easier to swallow the pretentious lines she was fed by the Board if she imagined Tina kneeling before her in that boardroom, her wifes soft hair tickling the inside of her thighs as she slowly ran her..


Unbidden, a small groan escaped Bettes lips. Standing next to her desk, Bette felt a faint throbbing begin. Squeezing her legs together, she inhaled sharply as a strong pulse answered her motion. Feeling the blush rise to her cheeks, Bette quickly sat down and moved the note behind a paperweight, glancing longingly at the clock.


4:28 p.m.


Bette reluctantly acknowledged that continuing her current train of thought would only make the hours pass by slower. And for all she knew, Tina could have a perfectly benign reason for having sent that particular note. And while her head accepted that answer, her body knew different and directed her eyes towards the note one last time. Bette allowed one more fleeting lustful thought to race through her system and tingle between her legs before taking a deep breath and reaching for her phones headset. With the intense look known well by her competitors, Bette set about making sure that the next two hours were the shortest two hours in history.