“How can you stand him?”

“Let it go.”

“He taped you, Shane.  You know, Mark isn’t finished with you.  He’s just waiting for a chance to do somethin’ else.”

“He is not.”

“He is.  He’s like one of those guys who beats his wife and then promises he won’t do it again.  He’s gonna beat you down, baby.”

“I don’t think so,” Shane said ending the conversation.

* * * * *

After Dana left the gym and a tough but excellent cardio workout, she drove back to her place and checked her mail.  She went through each envelope delaying her departure.  There was some heavy stuff going on with Alice.  Since their talk at the Heart concert, Alice had calmed down and was willing to let their love move naturally, but lately she had been clingy and impossible to communicate with.  Every activity that Dana did that didn’t include Alice was a direct punch in the stomach as far as Alice was concerned.  If Dana locked the door to the bathroom, they’d spend fifteen minutes out of their life discussing why Dana was shutting her out.  Dana was getting more than a little sick of it.  And Dana didn’t like the idea of hiding her friendship with Lara.  She had even lied to Alice about her choice of foods at The Planet.  Twice she had ordered things not on the menu, but Lara had made them per her request.  Alice didn’t like it and threatened to tell Kit that Lara wasn’t following her menu. 

Dana grabbed a protein bar from the basket on the kitchen counter and left her house.  She had to face Alice.

* * * * *

“Get in the house, woman,” Shane said while standing behind Carmen at the front door.

“After you…bee-atch.”

“Who you calling, bitch?  You’re gonna be my bitch tonight.”

“Night isn’t even close, Shane.  I guess you’ll be my bitch now.”  Carmen turned around to face Shane and her hands went to the buttons on Shane’s button fly jeans. 

“What are you doing?”  Shane laughed.  “Carmen?”  Carmen unfastened all the buttons and yanked her 501s down until they rested on her calf, displaying her bare ass to everyone walking or driving down the street.  “Carmen, everyone can see me.”

“That’s cause you’re not inside taking care of me, baby.”

Shane took a step forward and tripped rushing to get inside the house to her woman.  No neighbors saw, but Mark’s car had pulled up and he held his foot on the brake as he stared at Shane’s tiny ass.

* * * * *

Dana entered the bedroom, dropping her keys and wallet on the table beside the bed.  She was surprised to see Alice fast asleep in bed.  Her laptop rested in Dana’s spot and Dana picked it up to move it.  When she moved it, the screen went from the Screensaver of Wonder Woman to the program Alice had been working in.  What Dana saw was an image of Alice’s living room.  She sat on the bed and clicked play.  The video started, but then Dana rewound it a bit.  She saw the footage of her and Lara talking over the meal plans and what looked like a not-so innocent exchange between the two.  Dana stared at the images in shock, then pushed the laptop between them on the bed.  She knelt in the bed and moved next to Alice’s ear and shouted, “Wake up!”