Beginnings - SF2

by Susan X Meagher

  "Does your father have a staff just for the blinds?" she asked.

  "No, but he's a neat freak so I'd guess he has them cleaned every week," Jamie admitted.

  Next she led her to the living room and its matching black leather sofas that sat on the edge of the cranberry and slate gray tweed area rug. Small modern chairs in a shiny gray material filled out the living room perfectly. Ryan turned to her partner and mused, "There's more sitting space in here than we have in our whole house." But her tone was matter-of-fact so Jamie merely agreed rather than trying to discern if that fact bothered her.

  The kitchen was last on the tour but Ryan decided she like it the best of the whole place. It was even more modern than the rest of the apartment but there was a lot more color in the small, windowless room. Bright, wild modern art filled the stark white walls, making the room look bigger and more interesting. The cabinets and the appliances were uniformly stainless steel, but the counters were black granite. The floor was a dark gray stone of some sort and Ryan found that she liked the hard surface even though she mused it would be hard to stand on for long periods of time. But she needn't have worried about that fact. The kitchen actually looked as though it had never been used. Opening the Sub-Zero refrigerator Ryan nodded to herself, commenting, "Wine, beer, sparkling water, Pepsi, orange juice, oh…there it is," she declared, emerging with a jar of salsa in her hand. "Food!"

  "Hey, he's a guy," Jamie shrugged as she went back into the living room.

  "Is this just your dad's place?" Ryan asked as she joined her on the black sofa.

  "Yeah, I'd say so. They stay here together occasionally, but I don't think mother has ever been here alone. He uses it as a quick place to shower or take a nap if he has an important meeting in the evening. A lot of his time is spent wooing international clients so he sometimes has a teleconference at midnight or even three or four a.m. When he has those it just makes sense to stay here rather than drive down to Hillsborough."

  "Yeah, that makes sense," Ryan agreed. "So both of our fathers have to sleep away for work sometimes, huh?"

  "After a fashion," Jamie agreed as she snuggled up to her partner. They nuzzled against each other for a few minutes trying to keep things light. But the mere thought of all of those luscious curves in those skintight clothes compelled Jamie to begin running her hands all over Ryan's body. "You are so delectable looking in this outfit," she whispered.

  "Glad you like it," Ryan's deep voice rumbled back. "You don't think this shirt is too tight do you?" she asked in an innocent tone.

  Jamie blew out a laugh as she sat up and smirked at her partner. "I'd like you in Caitlin's clothes, you silly goose!"

  "Hmm," Ryan mused. "She has a hot little yellow terry cloth number I might borrow. Would I look good with little embroidered ducks dancing across my chest?"

  "I don't know about ducks," Jamie whispered, "but I'd like to take a turn across that dance floor."

  "My, my, Ms. Evans, you are the little minx today," Ryan teased as she tried to lighten the mood again. "Hey, is it just me, or is it hot in here? I'm dying of thirst."

  "Oh-oh, my bad," Jamie replied as she hopped up and headed for the kitchen. On the way she made a stop at the thermostat to turn on the air in the seldom-used unit, joining her partner moments later with a sheepish grin and two large bottles of mineral water. "Sorry about that," she chuckled as she handed one over to her sweating lover.

  "To tell you the truth I didn't notice until about two minutes ago," Ryan laughed. They managed to gulp down most of the liter bottles without pause, trying to hydrate themselves.

  "Wanna go to bed and cuddle while we do a little studying?" Jamie asked when they had finished their drinks.

  "Sure. Although I doubt we'll get much done," she warned as she picked up her book bag. They chose the guest room and together removed the bedspread and blanket before they kicked off their shoes and made themselves comfortable.

  Several minutes later they were busy studying—but not their books. Jamie was terribly intent on trying to examine Ryan's skin through her clothes and, even though she wasn't very successful, neither was complaining. Ryan was surprisingly in control since she had been expecting a full frontal attack. She was just about to call a halt to the proceedings when they both froze in wild-eyed shock.

  "Jamie?" boomed a voice from the entryway.

  "MY FATHER!!!" she mouthed as she scrambled to her feet. "Get in the closet!!" she demanded. Before Ryan could utter a sound her partner was dashing out the door and running down the hallway to meet her father.

  GET IN THE CLOSET!!! Not for you or any other woman on earth!! Ryan fumed in outrage. But her love for the gentle woman she had held in her arms just moments earlier got the better of her and she silently put her shoes back on and climbed under the king-sized bed. Never the closet! she righteously declared.

  The minutes ticked away and with each sweep of the second hand Ryan felt her temper rise. She wasn't angry that Jamie was unwilling to reveal the nature of their relationship to her parents. Her years of experience with friends and kids on the Teen Talk Line had given her ample evidence of how difficult that step was. But she was still nearly speechless that Jamie had denied her very existence! There were at least one hundred ways to handle this situation and she honestly thought that her partner had chosen the worst one. And as each scenario flashed through her mind she grew more and more agitated.

  "Daddy!" Jamie nearly shouted when she reached the living room. She had managed to straighten her hair into a reasonable facsimile of its usual order and she offered up a silent prayer of thanks that she was not dating a lipstick lesbian.

  "You're the last person I'd expect to find here, Jamie," he said happily. "But it's a very nice surprise."

  "I was over here…um…in the city …um…working out," her mind rapidly constructed a reasonable lie. "And I've got plans in the city later tonight so I stopped by here for a little nap."

  "Oh, I didn't wake you did I, Cupcake?" he asked solicitously.

  "No, not at all, I was already awake. I've been here for a while," she honestly replied.

  He walked into the living room and noticed the two water bottles on the coffee table. "My, you must have been working out," he laughed. "That's an enormous amount of water for one girl to drink. What were you doing that was so energetic?" he innocently asked.

  "Uhh," she fumbled, All of my saliva's in Ryan's mouth didn't seem like a good answer, so she opted for a lie. "I was on a long ride. Guess I got dehydrated."

  "I didn't see your bicycle on your car. Is it up here?" he asked, looking around quizzically.

  "Oh, no, I rode with a friend and left it at their house." God, I'm already using 'their' as a substitute for 'her' and I don't even know the secret handshake!

  "Well, I must say I'm proud of the effort you're putting into this ride, Jamie. I didn't know that you had this kind of determination."

  "Thanks," she said weakly, trying to figure out how to get out of the house. "Why are you here, Daddy?"

  "I played golf with some clients at the Club and I've got a big charity dinner to attend tonight. I thought I could catch a nap before I have to get into my tuxedo."

  "Well don't let me stop you," she urged. "I was about to get going anyway."

  "I'd rather spend the afternoon with my daughter any time," he beamed. "But if you're ready I'll walk you down to your car."

  "NO! No, really, that's not necessary. You go on and lie down."

  "Jamie, I'm only 45," he chided. "And besides, I had to park behind you in the tandem spot. Let's go down together."

  " 'Kay," she said weakly. "Um…I left something in the bedroom. Be right back." She scampered into the room, closing the door almost in his face. Silently padding over to the closet she opened the louvered doors and practically fainted when she saw that it was empty. But when she turned she saw a dark head peeking out from under the tailored bed skirt. Dropping to her knees she whispered, "He wants to walk me to the car. Then he's going to tak
e a nap. Wait ten minutes after you hear him get back and then come down to the lobby. I'll drive around until you get there, okay?" Her eyes were wild with fright so Ryan swallowed her displeasure at the rude treatment she'd been subjected to. She merely nodded and blew her terrified lover a silent kiss.

  Ryan lay on her back waiting for the door to open again. It took much longer than she expected but she finally heard it open and close quietly. She set the timer on her watch, since her sense of time was obviously off, and settled back down to wait. But no more than two minutes had passed before she heard a gentle knock on the front door. That must be Jamie coming back for something, she mused. She pricked up her ears, listening intently for information. That better not be Jamie, she thought with horror as a woman's shrieking, giggling voice wafted to her ears. Please let that be her mother, she prayed, but she had a pretty good idea that the voice was not, in fact, Mrs. Evans.

  "Oh! Stop that! I said stop that!" the young-sounding woman cried. "OOOH! Put me down!" she cried again. Luckily her cries were playful as Ryan mused about what she would do if she sounded serious. That would be quite the introduction: Mr. Evans, unhand that woman! Who am I? Never mind who I am, just release that innocent young thing, you beast!

  The playful cries continued into the master bedroom where Ryan heard a loud thump as he obviously granted the woman's wish to put her down. Now loud giggles replaced the screams, but moments later she heard the woman dart down the hallway, with the heavier footsteps of Mr. Evans right behind her. "Come back here," he cried as he obviously chased her around the apartment. Please, oh please don't let her run in here, Ryan begged as she heard them dart down the hall again.

  The chase continued back and forth between the bedroom and the living room. She hoped that he would finally catch her in the living room since it was on the far end of the apartment, furthest both from the bedroom she was in and the front door. After a good ten minutes of shrieks and laughter the chase seemed to stop. Now she heard only an occasional cry. Hmm, if they're going at it in the living room I could get out. I think I'll sneak over to the door and crack it open for more information.

  When she did so she actually blushed to hear the woman's voice come through the apartment in a rough moan, "Oh God! Yes! Do it, Baby! Oooooh God, you're so big!"

  Do they really believe that line? She marveled as she grabbed her book bag and tiptoed out the door only to stop in shock when she turned to find Jamie's dad, pants around his knees, humping a woman right on the elegant carpet runner, not ten feet from her. She had never felt so much like a deer in the headlights and her first instinct was to crawl back under the bed and wait until Mr. Evans left for his dinner. But she had a small glimmer of hope since they were facing away from her. Even though a part of her wanted to poke her own eyes out after seeing Mr. Evans' bare ass, the position of the lovers guaranteed that either Mr. Evans would have to turn around or his 'date' would have to sit up a bit—and neither prospect seemed likely. So she swallowed her fears and crept soundlessly across the hall. But to her horror the very young, curly-haired redhead struggled into a semi-upright position, bracing her torso on her locked arms. Ryan was exactly halfway across the hall but since it was just as far to retreat as to move on she continued. Opening the door an inch at a time she slid out without detection. "Whew! That was close," she mumbled aloud. But her relief was short-lived when she realized that she had to use all of her acting talents to appear normal when she faced her girlfriend in a few minutes.

  "Where in the hell have you been?" Jamie cried when she slid into the Porsche moments later.

  "He was running around the apartment for the longest time," Ryan truthfully replied. "I couldn't leave until I knew he was…occupied."

  "Jesus!" she moaned as her head dropped onto the steering wheel. "My entire life flashed before my eyes when I heard him come in."

  "Because…" Ryan drawled, her ire beginning to rise again.

  "He might have seen you…I mean us," she explained lamely.

  "That would be tragic," Ryan snapped. Grabbing the door handle she flung it open as Jamie was slowing for a stop sign. Before Jamie could even blink she was walking briskly down the street, a determined set to her broad shoulders.

  Stuck on Lombard Street on Telegraph Hill, penniless, no change for the phone, and mightily pissed off was the best description of Ryan's state. How dare she! How dare she! She's actually ashamed of me!

  She was striding down the street, nearly oblivious to her surroundings. Her internal homing device was leading her in the right direction but she was clearly not paying conscious attention. Telegraph Hill was probably the most distant point from her house in the whole city and she knew she had a couple of hours of walking over the hills before she reached home. There was only one good thing about her situation; it would give her a chance to cool down and reflect a bit on the whole terrible afternoon.

  As soon as Ryan fled, Jamie pulled the Boxster up to the curb and sat numbly for a few minutes, trying to decide what to do. What in the hell is she so upset about? She knows I'm not ready to tell my father! And to have him find us in the bedroom together would be a horrible way for him to find out! She felt her head hit the steering wheel as she tried her best to open her mind and try to see the incident from Ryan's perspective, but she was having a devil of a time getting past her own hurt. Without warning it hit her—Ryan would not have acted that way if she hadn't been deeply wounded. Going over and over the scene she realized how terrible it must have felt for such a proud, self-assured woman to have to sneak out of an apartment just so her lover's father wouldn't find out about her. Jesus! she cried as she thumped her head against the wheel repeatedly. How could you have done that to her!

  As the minutes passed she was yanked from her reverie when she was struck by the thought that Ryan could not have had any money. She didn't have any pockets in those pants. And her book bag is right here! Oh shit! I let her get out on Telegraph Hill to walk all the way to Noe! That's criminal! Throwing the car into gear she pulled into traffic, nearly getting sideswiped by a passing car. Shit! she continued in her rant, ignoring the close call. She had loafers on too, so she couldn't even run if she wanted to. Making up her mind immediately she started to slowly prowl up and down the streets that would lead Ryan to Market, the obvious choice to crisscross the city. She crept down Sansome, Montgomery and Geary, looking at every pedestrian that she passed. Knowing that Ryan could have been walking very fast she decided to proceed to Market and patrol it until her peripatetic lover appeared.

  It didn't take long to get over to Market in the light Saturday afternoon traffic but the street itself was a mess, as it was at almost any time of day. The MUNI buses stopped constantly, blocked traffic fully, and were a general nuisance. The constant stream of tourists--who also drove the street--made it a nightmare much of the time, and this day the added issue of street repair made the trip even worse than normal.

  After just a few blocks Jamie spotted her partner's dark head bobbing down the crowded street. She missed her for a few blocks since Ryan was moving faster than traffic, but finally pulled up at the corner that she would cross in a few feet. "Ryan!" she cried, but either the street noise blocked her out or her lover was intentionally ignoring her. "RYAN!" she tried again but the pedestrians had a walk light and the tall woman strode off again.

  They played this cat-and-mouse game for another few blocks with the same result. Her patience was starting to fray as she realized that Ryan was intentionally ignoring her. She cut around a pack of slow cars, nearly going into opposing traffic to do so. But she finally got well in front of the dark haired form she could see approaching in the distance. Just when it seemed like she would intercept her Ryan crossed to the other side of the street, neatly avoiding her waiting friend. "GOD DAMN IT!" Jamie shouted to no one in particular.

  Now she had to turn across traffic, try to get ahead on a side street and then double back. But this task was much harder than it sounded and it took her almost 15 minutes to e
xecute it. Just when she was about to yell her name again a MUNI bus pulled up to the curb, obscuring her view and preventing Ryan from seeing her even if she wanted to. Now frustrated beyond good sense she pulled up to the first spot she could fit in and parked. It was clearly not a legal space and she knew she would get a ticket at best but she was not going to be ignored like this when she was doing her best to apologize. She started running in the proper direction but now she had lost her even though there was really only one way to go. "RYAN!" she cried as she stared up at the heavens in supplication. She scanned the street in both directions and caught just the top of her head--once again--across the street. "I'll kill her!" she yelled as she raced back to her car.

  The officer who was writing the ticket was pleasant enough. And he assured her that she was a very lucky woman since he was about to call a tow truck. She tersely thanked him for the $105 present and once again took off, now madder than a hornet. This time she took no chances. She raced ahead of traffic, flaunting several sections of the vehicle code, but she got a good two blocks ahead of Ryan. This was a less-populated section of the busy street and she pulled up next to a bona fide parking meter. Finding quarters in her wallet was another stroke of luck and she fed the meter before taking off running back toward her lover. Playing it safe she watched both sides of the street but did not notice her until she was nearly even with her--on the other side of the street of course. "Oh, no you don't!" she declared as she darted across the street--against traffic. She dashed a few feet, neatly bobbing and weaving to avoid the, thankfully, slow-moving glut of cars, then ran the rest, escaping another close call with a Yellow Cab. Her heart was racing from excitement and anger when she finally caught up with the brunette. Without thinking, she impetuously grabbed her shoulder and hauled her around forcefully, forgetting for a moment who she was approaching so aggressively.