The artist thought it was sweet of Mary to think of her even when it was obvious she was in a hurry. “I live on the opposite direction. I’ll take the subway.”

The taxi stopped in front of the pair, and Jodi graciously opened the door for her companion. Mary leaned against the door on the opposite side. Their faces were closer than they had been all evening, and Jodi could not help but admire once again the physical beauty of this woman.

“I’ll call you tomorrow to set the time and the place,” she said.

“Perfect,” Mary replied with a genuine smile. “I had a wonderful time.”

 “Me too.” Only the door stood between the two of them. Jodi bit her lower lip absently, trying to concentrate on something else other than Mary’s lips. It wasn’t because the other woman was speaking, but because Jodi was having a hard time fighting the urge to kiss her. She silently wondered how Mary would react, but quickly decided against it. The last thing she wanted to do was scared her. “Go… before I do something you might regret.”

Mary’s own eyes shone with the emotion Jodi had spotted earlier in the café. “Something like this?” She leaned closer, her lips settling over Jodi’s in a supple kiss. It was a kiss that would have been considered innocent by some, but it sent shivers up the redhead’s spine.

Jodi didn’t know what to make of the attraction she felt for this woman; she just knew she wanted more.

Mary stepped back, smiling in a way that managed to be both smug and bashful.

“Yeah… something like that,” was all Jodi could manage to say, her tongue darting slightly between her lips in an attempt to capture the now fading taste of the blonde.

“I don’t regret that at all.” Mary finally entered the cab and closed the door behind her, waving goodbye as the yellow car drove away.

Jodi reached into the pocket of her suit and retrieved the half-empty carton of cigarettes. She could barely control her laughter as she placed a cig between her lips and lit it.

She had never imagined going home alone could feel quite so good.

Many thanks to those who drop me a line! I’m very happy to know that I wasn’t the only one interested in Jodi’s backstory. Thank you wigbee715, LetsBoogie (I just hope I don’t disappoint you), Seahurst ( know you from the SHO forums, don’t I? Glad to see you here), drseuss (thanks for having my back, good doctor), JaneC (thank your for always supporting me), and lovin tina (lol loving Tina has nothing do with liking Jobette. I like her too!) for your support and for taking a moment to drop me a line.

To azmama, rufus, and Eddy, I specially want to thank you for giving this story a chance even when you are not particularly fond of the Jodi character because of her relationship with Bette. I just wanted to remind you that this is a back-story, so Bette won’t be coming into the picture until, maybe by reference, on the very last chapter when we are set to return to the present. This is only about Jodi and her story, my own humble attempt to dissect the character and show a bit of what makes her tick.

Thanks again for reading.