Chapter Nine

Before she knew it, Tina was riding on the back of Bette’s motor cycle to her office for the first time. She was excited, needless to say, and also nervous. Although the brunette had been so nice and sweet during the time they spend together after establishing their relationship, she still felt a bit self-conscious around the rich girl. She tried not to show and just enjoy the time they have.

Bette had her own building as a gift from Melvin Porter for her seventeenth birthday. It was located not very far from Beverly Hill, about two dozens of employees working under her management. But because of her frequent absence, her business assistant, a capable young man named James who had distinct heavy sideburns, was the one who watched it for her. The four-story estate was managed like an art gallery, said the brunette, because before her purchase, the place was a small modern art museum so she kept most of its design. She stored her art collection here and handled her investment in art museums at this place. Outside, there was a garden where several kinds of roses, violets, and lilies grew, an army of palm trees stood guard. The driveway was divided into publics and privates. And of course, Bette had her own spot for her beloved motor in the shade of a weird-looking exotic plant. She expertly parked the Softail and guided the both of them into the building.

On the first floor, a front desk girl spotted her boss and immediately rushed out of her bubble to greet them. “Hello, Ms. Porter. How do you do?”

“Good. Carol—”

“Uh, her name is Karen.” Tina whispered to Bette, noticing the name tag of the employee. She apologetically glanced at Karen.

“Oh, right. Anyway, Carol, this is my girlfriend Tina. Have her name on my free pass.” The brunette dismissed the poor woman and regarded her building. “Oh, look, T, today’s Richard Prince Day.”

The little glass jars of different tiny models occupied the shelves on the first floor. Boats, islands, palm trees, ancient books, and some plastic fragments were sealed in those jars. “Secret of Life”, the series named. It reminded the blonde of Pirates of the Caribbean’s, when Jack’s Black Pearl got incarcerated into Black Beard’s glass bottle along with all the other boats he conquered and seized.