Tina eyed Bette as they rode the elevator up to Marissa’s Park Avenue penthouse apartment. When Bette had returned home, ten minutes after Tina got home, the brunette had quickly changed out from her work outfit, into grey wool tights, a frilly, romantic knee-length white blouse and heeled boots.  She wore the new oversize faux fur coat that Angie had picked out for her on their last trip to Switzerland.

As they rode up the elevator, she decided to take her hair down, and began to quickly remove the pins that had been holding her hair in place for the swept-up ‘do she’d worn to work that day, while Tina continued to look on.  Bette caught Tina up with her day as she removed the pins, "… I think Bernd and I are settling on an arrangement, finally.  I’ll just come in as an adviser, for this reconstruction project he’s convinced he needs to do for the resort in the Maldives, then we’ll negotiate again later on, for the other projects that come up in his other resort holdings." She bent over backward to shake her hair out, then straightened up, quickly running her fingers through her hair, from the inside out.

"T?," she asked, turning to look at Tina, noticing she hadn’t gotten a reaction from the blonde, as yet, to anything that she’d said.

"Ummmm…. yeah?"

"Nothing… just wondering whether you had any thoughts about all that."

"Ah…well, so an adviser, huh?  You’ve decided not to accept his offer for something more involved, like shares, or something?," the blonde asked, eyes still distracted as she continued to eye Bette from head to toe.

Bette shook her head. "No … I don’t want to be tied in with him like that.  I don’t think I’d be able to sustain a commitment to a venture like that. But if I come in as an adviser, I think I can manage my time commitment better, and at the same time, the project will give both Xavier and James something they’re really excited about working on.  Could lead to great things further down the road for them, other opportunities."

She paused, and returned Tina’s stare, smiling to herself.  Tina hadn’t changed from her work clothes, after she got tied up in a video-conference with William and other senior execs soon after reaching their duplex.  Bette had to stick her neck into her office, where Tina had elected to do the video-con, to prompt Tina about their dinner with Marissa.  Soon after, Tina shut the session down, assuring William that they could pick up the discussion when she and Bette returned home from dinner.