Honesty - SF8 (11 page)

"Deal," the dark-haired woman agreed. "Now give me my computer back."

Jamie handed it over, informing Ryan that, "I’ve got all of the latest financial magazines, and I’ve subscribed to the Wall Street Journal. We can share stock tips," she suggested.

"We most certainly can not!" Ryan looked horrified at the mere prospect. "If I do my own research, I’m using my knowledge strictly for my own benefit. You’re on your own!"

Rolling her eyes, Jamie climbed into bed, muttering, "What ever happened to ‘for better or worse, for richer or poorer’?"

"That’s for marriage," Ryan assured her. "This is a bet! Whole different set of rules, Babe."

On Friday morning Jamie arrived home at eleven, planning on making a good lunch for her partner. When she pulled into the drive for her unannounced visit she was puzzled to hear the heavy bass beat of music oozing from every crack and crevice in the house.
What in the hell…?

She trotted up to the door with the sound growing progressively louder as she approached. Neither occupant of the home was visible when she entered, and if they had been they obviously could not have heard the door swing open due to the ear-splitting noise.

Jamie searched the first floor, finding Ryan clad in a pair of her skintight compression shorts, red in this instance. A matching red sports bra peeked out from under a large white tank top. Heavy white socks bunched over the tops of her white mid-height basketball shoes, and her red Nike cap sat atop her head--backwards of course. She was sorting a massive pile of laundry, while Mia stood at the ironing board, neatly pressing a pair of Ryan’s chinos.

Jamie walked back into the living room and turned the volume down at least six notches. When she re-entered the kitchen both women looked up in surprise as Ryan said, "Hi, Honey! I didn’t expect you!"

She placed her hands on her hips and mused, "So this is what you two do when I’m at school all day, huh?"

"Yep," Ryan agreed. "We just try to have everything clean for you when you get home. We’re like a twisted version of Leave it to Beaver."

As Jamie’s gaze settled on Mia, she had to laugh at her damp face and weary expression. "How did you get recruited?" she asked.

"I’m a member of the household, Jamie," she said with a self-righteous glare. "It’s my duty to my roommates. Maria Los is very busy with the cleaning we have her do. We should be responsible for our own laundry."

"Ryan, did you brainwash this poor thing?" Jamie asked her grinning partner.

"Nope. I asked if she wanted to help and she jumped at the chance. I’ll go start some lunch for you, my princess," she added as she kissed Jamie lightly. "I assume you’re hungry, Mia?"

Jerking her head in the direction of the living room, Mia immediately flopped down on the sofa and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table. "Whew!" she said dramatically. "No wonder nobody wants to do their own laundry. It’s hard work!"

Jamie sat next to her and gave her an appraising smirk. "What was her lure?"

Mia looked a little embarrassed as she admitted, "Al Green."

"Was she dancing?"

A slight nod accompanied her flushed face.

"It’s okay, Mia. I don’t mind that you leer at her. And I agree that when she starts dancing and singing while she works around the house, no mortal could resist her charms."

"Does she do it on purpose? I mean, is it just a trap?"

"No, amazingly enough she doesn’t even know that she does it. But the fact that it’s unconscious is what makes it so appealing for me. She’s so sexy, but she doesn’t use it. That’s just how she is."

"I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. You hit the jackpot with that one, Honey!"

Ryan came running into the house that night after practice, barely stopping for a kiss on her way to the shower. "Pick out something for me to wear, will ya, Babe?" she asked.

"Happy to," Jamie called, always glad to get her partner to abandon her jeans for a change.

When Ryan had emerged from the bathroom, she surveyed the outfit that her partner had placed on the bed. Her black leather pants, a black sleeveless T-shirt, and a starched white oversized oxford-cloth shirt waited for her.

Smirking to herself, she started to get dressed, looking up when Jamie entered her room. Stopping in mid action, Ryan started shaking her head quickly, saying, "No, no, no, that will not work."

"What?" Jamie asked, looking down at her short, tight black leather dress. "Don’t I look okay?"

"You look a lot more than okay," Ryan assured her. "You look scrumptious…
luscious…
fantastic…" Her head continued to shake as she ordered, "Take it off."

"What?" Jamie was giving her a completely confused expression, very unhappy to have Ryan supervising her style of dress.

"I’m not worried about the restaurant," Ryan said, "but I know Jordan will want to go to a bar afterwards. School just started; this is the first weekend out for everybody. It’s going to be wild out tonight, and I guarantee you’ll be fighting guys off all night in that outfit."

Now strangely complimented by Ryan’s logic, Jamie said, "But won’t you be there to protect me?"

"Yes, I’ll always be there to protect you," Ryan assured her. "But I have a feeling that out of fourteen women one or the other of them will manage to get into some kind of trouble before the night is over. I’d like to not have to worry about you too!"

"Are you really serious, Ryan?"

"Completely," she insisted. "If I was a guy, and saw you come in with a big group of women, I’d attach myself to you before you could take a seat. You’d have to call security to get me to leave you alone."

Jamie smiled at her, thinking that she was exaggerating just a tiny bit. "Well, what should I wear?"

"How about some of my sweats?" Ryan suggested.

"Oh yeah, sweats three sizes too big. That would look nice."

"That’s about the only way to hide your gorgeous curves, Babe. Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"Funny, Buff. Very funny." She watched Ryan slip into a pair of very sexy black lace panties, then tug on her tight pants. "So I have to wear an overcoat, while you get to look as sexy as all get out?"

"Yep. Guys don’t like me," she insisted. "I thank God every day that I’m gay, ‘cause I’d be home alone every Saturday night if I was straight."

"Highly doubtful. You’re drop-dead gorgeous, and that wouldn’t change if you were straight."

"Well, we’ll never have to find out, will we?" the dark woman asked, her blue eyes twinkling.

Jamie finally found an outfit that Ryan approved of--a pair of faded jeans, a bulky beige cable-knit sweater, and her butterscotch suede jacket. It was unseasonably cold for late August, and Ryan knew that it would get worse as the evening progressed, hence her insistence on the jacket.

When they arrived at the restaurant every member of the team was there, with Jamie the only outsider. The whole team greeted her warmly and after just a few minutes, everyone seemed at ease. Ryan made it a point to sit next to Heather, who still seemed quite uncomfortable with her. Jamie, of course, was on her other side, and Ryan managed to get Ashley to sit next to Jamie, knowing that her partner could warm anyone up if she tried hard enough.

Jordan was across the big round table from Ryan, and she had snared the other two freshmen to sit on either side of her.

By the time the meal was finished, Ryan had to admit that Jordan’s idea had been a success. Even though it cost her $110, she complimented her friend on the suggestion. "Good call, Jordan. This was very helpful. Everybody seems a lot looser than they were earlier in the week."

"Yeah, the thought of playing for keeps seems to have freaked the young guys out. I think being around us in a relaxed setting really helps them feel like they’ve got support."

"I’m sorry I doubted you, Buddy. You really seem to have a sense for team dynamics."

"Hey, thanks, Ryan," she said, grinning widely. "It means a lot to me to have you say that."

There was a frat party on campus that all of the freshmen and most of the sophomores wanted to attend, so most of them left in a group. By the time things sorted out, Jordan was pleased to see that only women over 21 were left. "Now we party," she said, a devilish gleam in her eye. "Let’s head over to Blake’s," she suggested. "They’ve got live music tonight."

It was only ten o’clock, and Ryan knew she didn’t have any reason to beg off so early, so she quietly complied. She had never been to the bar, but once inside she didn’t really care for the atmosphere. It was loud and dark and filled with young guys, and she generally made it a practice not to mingle with large groups of men when they were drinking. Someone always made a pass at someone in her group, and sometimes the guy took offense no matter how politely the offer was declined. But since everyone else seemed in favor she kept her opinion to herself.

The six women found a table near the rear of the bar. There was a large stage set up for live music and as they got settled, a band came out and started to set up. The band members were in their early 20’s, and they looked pretty scruffy. The women were just starting on their first pitcher of beer when the group began to play. To Ryan’s practiced ear, they weren’t half bad. Regrettably, they only covered songs by other artists, producing nothing original. Most of the tunes they selected were relatively current and tended towards a rock/punk sensibility. The music was so loud that it was tough to have a conversation, but they managed, allowing the older team members to at least get to know Jamie a little bit.

Ryan scanned the room. She had learned the discipline in her martial arts training, and she found that she now did it automatically when there were large numbers of people around her. It wasn’t that she was paranoid, but she liked to size up the crowd and at least be aware if problems loomed.

Everything looked calm, so the tall woman began to relax and enjoy the evening. They whipped through two pitchers of beer faster than Ryan thought prudent, but Jamie offered to be the designated driver, so Ryan felt comfortable letting her guard down a little.

After their third pitcher, Jordan got up to visit the restroom. Seeing Jordan depart, Ryan decided she needed to take a trip herself. She considered asking Jamie to accompany her, but she knew that her partner would not want to do so if there was just a single stall. Rather than making her uncomfortable she leaned over and said, "I’ll be back in a few. Don’t order me any more beer, ‘kay?"

"Had enough?"

"More than enough. I’m really kinda buzzed."

Jamie looked at her carefully, seeing a faint fuzziness in the blue eyes. It was a subtle difference, and only someone who knew Ryan very well would notice it, but it caught her a little by surprise. "You okay? Need me to go with you?"

Ryan smiled at her partner’s thoughtfulness, shaking her head as she patted her cheek. "I’m fine, Love. No worries."

She took off across the crowded space, eating up ground with her long, leather-clad legs. Jamie didn’t realize she was staring, but Grace caught her and teased, "Don’t you two get enough of each other at home?"

Blushing furiously, Jamie shook her head, giving Grace a small grin. "We’re ridiculous, aren’t we?"

"Nah, I think it’s cute. I want someone to watch me like I’m the most fascinating thing in the bar."

"She is," Jamie sighed, sneaking a quick glance to see if Ryan was on her way back yet.

The other three women decided to take off, and Jamie promised they’d do the same as soon as Jordan and her partner returned from the bathroom. After goodbye hugs, Jamie settled into her seat and waited patiently.

When Ryan emerged from the restroom she cast a glance at their table, surprised that Jordan wasn’t there. Deciding to look for her, she found her by a pool table chatting with two couples. Upon second glance, Ryan wasn’t sure if they were couples, or just women the men had picked up. Both of the guys seemed very interested in Jordan, and she was flirting a little, at least more than Ryan had ever seen from her. The women both looked miffed, and when Ryan came over to try to convince Jordan to leave, they both looked like they wanted to cast a vote in favor of her departure.

"I’ll be ready in a few," Jordan said, "but if you wanna go—go ahead."

The blonde didn’t look drunk, but she was behaving in a friendlier manner than Ryan was used to, so she decided to stay and keep an eye on her pal. "We’ll wait for you for a while, but don’t be all night, huh?"

"Deal," she said, giving Ryan a broad smile.

Striding back across the floor, Ryan saw the drummer sitting at her table, chatting Jamie up.
Can’t leave her alone for a minute
, she smirked.
I understand the allure, but it does get a little old to have guys so drawn to her.
Chuckling to herself, she decided,
That was one nice thing about Ally
.
I can’t imagine how much confidence a guy would have to have to approach her!
The band had obviously taken a break, and as Ryan slid into her chair, Jamie looked up at her partner with an impish grin. "Clive here knows Rory," she said, pleased with her investigative skills.