Notes from Underground – Shot through the heart

Short Story 3: Part 6 – It’s raining brunettes, hallelujah

London, Friday (cont.)

It was Friday afternoon when the senator finally finished the last of her presentations and everyone was relaxing in Barbara’s largest luxury suite with the Secret Service agents posted outside the door. The senator was flying home the same evening to spend some time with her family before getting ready for the hearing of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. She gave the team a week off to meet the day before the hearing to go over the notes and the schedule.

Tina was flying home to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon and she could hardly wait. She hasn’t visited her family in a long time and she was looking forward to a week of laziness and relaxation. Alice and Dylan decided to stay in London until Sunday to do some sightseeing and shopping at Harrods since they all hardly had time to do anything but work during this trip.

Barbara left to catch her flight with the Secret Service agents but Agent Schecter was staying behind so she could watch over the remaining members of the senator’s staff. After Grisham’s departure Tina went back to her suite and took a nap while Alice, Dylan and Jenny went for an early dinner. They were all planning to go to a lesbian bar in Soho later in the evening and Tina needed her rest.

Friday, June 8…1:00 pm

To: IceQueen

From: SwimCoach

‘Grumpy’ had left the building and we’re following. JS is staying to look after the rest. ‘Happy’, ‘Bashful’ and ‘Sleepy’ are going to the Candy bar on Carlisle Street in Soho. Tonight is the last night to make your move. Good luck!!!

Bette spent most of the day pacing around her hotel room and thinking what to wear and what to do when she would get to the club. She had never been so nervous about meeting another woman in her entire adult life and this thought in itself was very unsettling to her.

“I hope I won’t blow the case by falling for her,” she said with frustration, settling for a moment on the edge of the bed. Her anxiety only allowed her to sit there for a few seconds before she pushed off the bed and began pacing the length of the room again. “Oh, who am I kidding…I’m already enthralled by her and she hasn’t even seen me yet. What if she takes one look at me and won’t feel anything?”

Bette stopped pacing and took a deep breath. “I need to calm down or I won’t be able to do my job.”

She went for a walk and then took a long bath, relaxing her nerves with a bottle of her favorite Syrah. After going through her clothes and not finding anything to her satisfaction, Bette went out for a little shopping and after a few hours she finally got an outfit she hoped would help her accomplish her mission tonight.

When she was finally ready to leave, Bette looked into the mirror at her reflection and nodded with satisfaction. She was dressed to kill but not deadly enough to draw everybody’s attention. All she wanted was Tina’s attention and with some luck she would make their first contact tonight.

“Showtime,” Bette smiled at herself and left her hotel room, heading for the Candy bar.

~~~~~~~~

Helena was trying on some new outfits she bought this afternoon for her evening adventure. The bed was piled up with the different articles of clothing while she was checking herself in the mirror.

“No…it’s too willfully defined…nope…it’s too public school girl…noooo, too many buttons…” the pile on the bed was growing but Helena still couldn’t find what she wanted. “Too ‘Sound of Music’…I’ve lost weight…too inviting…oh, yes…this is the one. It says, ‘I’m here to have fun but I’m not a complete slut and I will treat you like a lady’…fantastic.”

Helena was confident that nobody, including Tina, was immune to her charms. “I’m gorgeous, I know that I’m gorgeous and I’m confident because I know it. Women can feel the vibes of confidence that I exude from ten feet away. I had never been rejected before in my life and nobody…” she pointed at her reflection in the mirror after getting ready to go out, “…I repeat, nobody can say No to this hotness.”

She gave herself a charming smile said with poise, “It’s showtime,” before leaving her flat.

~~~~~~~~

Tina, Alice and Dylan were hanging around the Candy bar for almost an hour but Tina couldn’t get in the mood for anything tonight.  After a few drinks, Dylan disappeared in the bathroom with a set of twins. Alice had a few shots of tequila and then quickly found her way to the dance floor with another drink in her hand, while Tina stayed seated at the bar, savoring Tequila Sunrise and doodling meaningless patterns on the napkin.

“If I can guess what you’re thinking about right now, will you let me buy you another drink?” soft voice behind her was comforting and soothing but Tina was not in a mood for another pick-up tonight. She turned around briskly, about to rebuke the unwelcome intruder when her throat suddenly got so tight and dry that she couldn’t say one word. The view in front of her was breathtaking.

A tall, slender woman with a long dark hair and a most amazing smile was standing just a few inches away, her intelligent eyes revealing amusement and interest. She was stunningly beautiful and Tina wasn’t going to send her away as she did with a few other women who tried to buy her a drink or asked her to dance tonight.