“So why am I meeting with Shane on Thursday if it’s already been decided how far the house will go?”

“I’m here to-“

“Give me my options.” Tina’s eyes were wide as she stared down at the edge of her table. At some point Bette had pulled a folder from her bag and laid a thick contract on the edge of the table in Tina’s line of sight. “You think I could fight my mother in court?” Tina’s voice was small when she asked and it made Bette drop her defensive demeanor.

“I think you deserve a good fight with her. It’s time.” Bette answered honestly. Tina’s mother was a manipulative bitch who knew how to tap dance on her daughters’ emotions to get her way, whether or not it was detrimental to them was of no consequence to her. “But whether or not you’ll win is out of our hands Baby.”

…………………………………………………………….

Tina sat with her back to the headboard, pulling and flipping one of the cigars from her modest collection in her hands. She didn’t want to smoke it but the feel of it against the skin on her fingers took her mind to some other place she needed it to be. Looking down at her girlfriend’s bare chest while she slept gave her a modicum of peace. There was a calming beauty in the way that Bette trusted her with her body and her secrets.

She could tell right away when they met that they were going to connect with each other. Whether or not Bette was in the closet was irrelevant, Tina wanted her. She could see behind the subtle glances or the swift way she made a point to touch Tina anywhere when she passed by, that Tina was going to be hers as well. Tina had slept with plenty of women in the closet, being a closeted lesbian required a smooth balance between being open to innocent flirtation and knowing when to tip the scales mutually.

Some of Bette’s colleagues had spread rumors of her anonymous boyfriend, who seemed to deliver practical gifts like a new set of running shoes and then overly romantic typical gifts like huge vases of flowers the next day. Only a few people knew that all of these gifts were from different women in her life, one of which was her boss Shane. Shane knew about the speculations of Bette’s affairs with a number of women, they all ran in the same circles. The only difference being that they both understood that clients were out of the question. One sour encounter could damage the House’s reputation within the literary community, something that they both worked too hard to avoid. But neither woman could account for a woman like Tina coming into their lives. The way she flirted and gestured for Bette to make a move left her with no choice. Bette took her to bed the second week they met to discuss Tina’s upcoming book.