Bette of course recognized the name immediately, "Does it look like I was expecting her Alice? Christ, James must have told her I was here. Oh Shit! I think I dripped mustard on my suit" she muttered trying her best to remove the evidence with her napkin.

Shane moved to help her, wiping gently at the stain "Hey relax, Porter, she’s just like us, right. No reason to be nervous"

"Yeah" chirped in Alice, "without the billions, she would be exactly like us" she smirked sarcastically earning a glare from Bette that she chose to ignore. "Other than being clearly female, we have sooo much in common with someone like that." Alice went on to enlighten her friends. "I can’t believe it. Talk about drop dead gorgeous. You know I never really understood that phrase before now but when she stood here I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment or two. She is even more dreamy in person then in the news"

Shane agreed, "Yeah, she was really, really hot. And did you see those legs?" she asked Alice.

"Oh yeah. I had a sudden flash of her standing over me dressed in a tight leather corset. Maybe a whip in one hand or a …Christ now I’m horny." she said looking at Bette.

"Don’t look at me like that Pieszecki, I’ve got enough fucking problems right now." Bette admonished sternly.

"Yeah, hey, you better get going because she is not someone you want as an enemy." Alice said helpfully.

Shane finished cleaning the spot and Bette flashed her a reluctant grin. "Thanks"

"Just remember, she came to you so she must need something you’ve got. That gives you the power." Shane said reasonably. "Charm her with that Porter smile and she’ll be putty in your hands," she encouraged.

Bette took a couple of deep calming breaths, "Right, I won’t let her get to me. She is a possible client and the Gallery could only benefit from her attention. I can do this!" she stated confidently trying to convince herself. She threw down some cash for the bill to save time and left after promising her friends she would get back to them soon with an update.

Shane looked at Alice when Bette left. "Do you think she can control her temper?" she asked doubtfully.

Alice shook her head, "Not a snowball’s chance in hell babe. We’re talking about two sticks of dynamite coming together over there. The entire Gallery is going to get blown away. I just hope Bette survives the aftermath."

tbc