Tinas first day
Tina woke up before the alarm, shut it off, performed all of her morning rituals and prepared for her day. Tina was dressed in an olive green pantsuit, complimented with an ivory-colored blouse, and looked every bit the corporate developer she used to be. Tina felt a hint of trepidation, although she looked very confided and poised. Alice rose to the smell of coffee as Tina nibbled on a bagel to suppress the waves now trying to churn in her stomach.

Ready for your big day kiddo? Alice greeted.

Tina put the gnawed bagel down. I dont think so, but I better be, Tina admitted.

Dont sweat it, itll be fine, Alice comforted. Besides, if they didnt think you could do it, they wouldnt have hired you, so get your game face on and work your charm, Alice smiled and reached for a mug as the coffeemaker beeped.

Speaking of charm, Tina turned the attention to Alice, how was your date with Bev?

Alice spun around with mischief written all over her face. It was great!

Just great? Tina playfully questioned, making Alice laugh. Not fantastic? Just great? Well, that sucks, Tina continued her ribbing.

Youre being silly, Alice blushed.

Come on tell me, Tina coaxed. I dont have all morning remember?

Okay, okay, be easy with me. You know Im sensitive, Alice joked. We had a great lunch, talked, shot some pool, and then she took me for a ride on her Harley, Alice animatedly detailed. And let me tell you, what a ride it was, Alice winked. We rode into the mountains near all those fancy homes and *****, and we had a really great time. Shes a lot of fun.

Gonna see her again?

Yeah, I think so, but I have to decide whether I want to see more of her than Carla; shes a hottie too, Alice wiggled her brows.

Alice Pieszecki youre too much, Tina laughed. I think youre on the verge of giving Shane a run for her money.

Yeah right! Alice dismissed. Not in this lifetime, but Id certainly welcome next one though, Alice contemplated.

Well, Im glad it worked out. Now, I have to hit the road along with all those other road ragers, Tina kissed Alices cheek and headed out the door.

Knock em dead kiddo.

At the office, Tina was ushered into her well-spaced office by Sparta who was seemingly stoked by Tinas presence. Fortunately, Tina was spared, at least for now; Spartas enthusiasm because the trio behind the acronym CM&E were in her office already. Flattered by their accolades by them, Tina was anxious to get into some work and show them what their nearly six-figured salary was going to. Mr. Maxwell went over the details of a project he had in mind for her to work on, while the others excused themselves after once again showing Tina with compliments.

Shortly after Mr. Maxwell left Tinas office, Sparta came in with her welcome gifts, which consisted of a plant, a personalized coffee mug, and menus to all the places the employees ordered from on her desk. In addition, Sparta left her business card, that included every possible way to reach her handwritten on the back.

And Tina, if you can think of anything else I can do for you, Sparta suggestively stated, Id be more than happy to accommodate you. All you have to do is call me, okay? Sparta said with lilt in her voice that made Tina cringe.

Uh, okay, Tina struggled for words. Ill keep that in mind, she smiled pleasantly as not to offend.

Sparta switched her curvy hips as she sashayed out of the office, looking back at Tina with a wink.

Good grief, Tina thought. hope this isnt going to be a trend.

Tina reviewed the file Mr. Maxwell provided, performed some research, made her recommendations on it, and returned it to her manger for his review. Her manager called her and told her that he and Mr. Maxwell were pleased with her findings and suggested be the new focal point for additional comments. That made Tinas day and she almost by passed lunch so she could continue working, but Sparta made her rounds and scooped Tina up before she could protest.

Tina, this is Pierre, I think you saw him the day you were here to do your paperwork, Sparta babbled. Were going lunch and would like you to join us, Sparta pulled on Tinas arm.

Well, I was going to work through lunch actually, Tina politely tried to get out of their company.

Fooey! Pierre huffed. Therell be none of that, youll make the others look bad, Pierre waved his hands around.

Tina knew there was no getting out of it, so she reluctantly agreed and was escorted to a small caf two blocks from the office building where she was barely able to eat for being bombarded by their questions. By the time she finally managed to eat anything of substance, it was time to head back and Tina was now a little pissed, but she held it in.

Back at the office, Tina continued getting familiar with her assignment and met with other team members until it was time to go home. Tina invited to a Happy Hour, but declined and offered to go another day.

Bette makes plans
Bettes day was fast-paced and filled with meetings, teleconferences, and giving final approvals on what went where for the exhibit. James had been more than instrumental in keeping Bette calm, seeing that everything she needed him to do was done, and keeping her in line when Franklin came dangerously close to tipping Bette over the proverbial edge. By the end of the day, the only thing Bette had to look forward to was knowing that she could go home and enjoy some much-needed sleep. The night before was spent less than eventful and left Bette feeling resentful and frustrated come morning.

Im so damn glad this day is over, Bette sighed, as she slumped into her chair. James, can you come in here for a minute? Bette spoke through the intercom.

James sauntered into Bettes office. Whats up?

Have a seat, Bette pointed the chair in front of her desk. We havent had a chance to discuss it, but you read the email from Rayne Bryant right?

Yeah and I think we need to get on the ball with that Bette, James stated.

Agreed. Ive already emailed my response and am waiting to hear from her, Bette mused. In the mean time, I need you to check Franklins agenda and find out when we can make a run to the east coast.

Okay, consider it done. Anything else, James was filled with excitement.

Bette leaned across her desk and motioned for James to lean toward her. We might have to pull a scam like we did when we played hooky, so be prepared to be sick or something a day or so before or after me okay?

Whats the window for all of this to go down? James anxiously inquired, knowing the sooner the better in his mind.

Well, that depends on Rayne and what she has in mind when she gets to LA. Shes resourceful and moves fast, Bette considered. Not to mention that she has been waiting on us, so I know shes going to want to move quickly with all this, James nodded in agreement as Bette spoke. All I can say is be prepared, and make sure you keep a bag packed in just in case. But in the mean time, get your party clothes ready, because Ive got a feeling this is going to be an event to remember, Bette smiled.

James nodded and the plan was set into motion; at least the professional one anyway. Bette had other plans in mind for quelling her Tina-infused hormones and working on becoming the woman Tina could not refuse. She took a deep breath and exhaled before dialing Ivans number.

Theres always a twist – part 1
Bette was unable to reach Ivan, so she left a message for him to call her back. Unsatisfied with her message, Bette called back and left a more detailed message and went about her affairs and prepared to go home. Bette left the CAC, stopped for take out, and headed home. Stuck the usual late afternoon traffic, Bette resigned herself to speaking into her mini tape recorder her plans for the meet and greet with Rayne and as luck would have it, she was interrupted by the vigorous honking of someone trying to cut through her lane to exit and by the ringing of her cell phone. It was Ivan.

Bette Porter.

Hi Bette, its Ivan. I got your message.

So, you understand my situation? Bette cut to the chase.

Yes, very much so, but Im sorry I cant help you, Ivan politely declined Bettes request.

Bu, but why? Bette painfully asked, trying to understand Ivans lack of interest.

Bette, you havent always been very nice to me and now youre asking for my help. That hardly seems fair to me, Ivan informed.

Bette inhaled deeply and held her breath before exhaling; and to add salt to the wound, Melvins words echoed at mach speed in Bettes head. I suggest you try to work with Tina to improve your life with her and before you turn into a bitter, arrogant, and malcontented person.

Okay. I understand. Thanks for calling me back. Bette hung up and tried to ignore the rejection she now felt.

Theres always a twist – part 2
Since her lengthy conversation with Tina, Nya had been entertaining thoughts of seeing Tina again. Nya used thoughts of Tina as her catalyst to make it through the day. The case she was working on involved the rape of a woman who had filed for divorce from her husband and he was trying to get out of a prenuptial agreement and she hated every part of it. The woman had a clause in their agreement that in the event of either party committing adultery would forfeit a quarter million dollars in escrow on the estate they owned. There was evidence that he had cheated on her, but it was speculative, and it appeared that he had someone drug his wife, have ***** with her, and make it seem as if she consented. Nya had been researching toxicology reports, DNA samples, and other evidence to prove the woman was raped.

Nya spent weeks on the case and it was nearly time for them to go to court and she wanted to ensure she had enough evidence to not only indict the husband for conspiracy, but to him violating their prenup. Without her thoughts of Tina, Nya would have continued to languish on the case.

Nya attempted to call Tina many times during the day, but never completed the call for fear of being perceived negatively. When Nya finally mustered enough courage to call, she misdialed the number and reached a farmers market and Nya took it as a sign that she wasnt meant to talk to Tina that day, but that didnt stop her from continuing to think about seeing her again.

Tina needs a drink
Tina left work excited and exhausted. Her first day was filled with more than shed expected, but she welcomed the challenge nonetheless. Tinas lunch had long since worn off, but the effects of lunch had not. Sparta had done more than her share of being accommodating to Tina and her needs. Sparta went out of her way to ensure that Tina had everything and a little more to welcome her, which was much more than Tina could want or need; and Tina knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Sparta was making a move though shed initially dismissed the thought. For the entire day, Sparta called, emailed, or showed up Tinas desk to check on her, so by the end of the day, Tina looked forward to leaving.

Tina endured the grueling LA traffic to head home and savored the soothing, melodic voice of Kinnie Stars Alright,
is it alright for me to feel this way,
put my head on your lap
the world will go away
we can go there
we can go anywhere
we can go there
but is it alright
is it alright..is it alright
to hold you through the night
which she played on repeat for about fifteen minutes to calm down. The song made her think of Bette and the night they shared. Was it really all right to have been with her while they were still trying to get themselves together? Tina thought, but there was nothing she could do to take it back anyway. She had no regrets about being with Bette per se, but it was the ambiguousness of it that left her with some questions. But those were questions shed have to ask and deal with at a later time because the only thing on Tinas mind was to get home, get out of her work clothes, and enjoy a nice glass of wine or any other alcoholic beverage she could get her hands on.