Melissa Good: Hurricane Watch

Kerry nodded. ”I’m meeting a few folks over at the gym for a climbing session at six. Will you be over for our class?”

”Oh yeah,” Dar responded positively. ”I’ll be ready for that. It’s been a long, aggravating day, and it’s only lunchtime.”

”Yikes.” Kerry’s hands had found their way across her boss’s neck, feeling the tension in her shoulders. She stood up and went behind the chair, reaching over and giving her a gentle massage, enjoying the warm feel of Dar’s skin under the cool silk of her blouse. ”You’re all wound up, huh?”

”Mm.” Dar closed her eyes and dropped her head forward, submitting

to

her

companion’s

touch

gratefully.

”Yeah.

Hurricane Watch

15

Ow…oh…damn, that feels good.” She finally leaned back, as Kerry finished, and looked up at her. ”Thanks.”

Kerry smiled back. ”You’re welcome. I’d better get going. Did you actually have stuff to give me, or was that just a reason for me not to leave?”

A soft chuckle. ”I’m not that bad. Here,” Dar handed her the three folders. ”Three new ones, and in case I didn’t say it before, the two you structured last week were very well done.” She patted Kerry on the leg.

”I got a note from Eleanor regarding the New England Power meeting.

She was very impressed with how you handled it.”

Kerry positively beamed. A big, sunny grin covered her face, and her eyes sparkled, as she drank in the words. ”Wow, thanks.”

Compliments from Dar, business ones anyway, were coveted treats all the more so because they were usually unexpected. Her reaction made Dar smile, which made her feel even better. “Boss, you rock.”

Dar’s phone buzzed. ”Dar?” Maria sounded resigned.

”Yes?” The executive answered, leaning on an elbow.

”Personnel, line numero uno.”

”I bet I know what this is.” Dar sighed. ”Thanks.” She hit the button. ”Dar Roberts.”

”You are such the troublemaker, you know that?” Mariana’s voice sounded halfway between irritation and wry amusement. ”Are you trying to set some record for complaints against one employee?”

Dar lifted her hands and let them fall on the desk. ”What did I do?”

she asked. “Now?”

”Oh, let's see…” A rustle of paper. ”Being rude, obstructionist, uncooperative, detrimental to the progress of business…”

”She really wasn’t, Mari.” Kerry spoke over her boss’s shoulder. ”I was here. She was really polite, as a matter of fact.”

Mariana sighed. ”What did he want?”

”Me.” Kerry replied. ”He wanted me, and another staff member assigned to him personally for two months, while he, as he put it,

‘straightened us out.’”

A soft curse in a fluid language followed. ”And you told him no, I take it?”

”I told him I didn’t have the time or the staff to go on wild goose chases and that if he wanted dog’s bodies to hunt stuff down, to go see you,” Dar replied. ”I’m not assigning one of the cleaning staff much less Kerry to that horse’s ass.”

”Mm. I see.” The Personnel VP sighed. ”Well, he kicked a copy of this up to Alastair, along with a bunch of statistics. It looks pretty nasty, Dar. I’ll forward you a copy.”

Dar drummed her fingers on her desk. ”Did he copy José?”

A moment’s silence. ”Um, now that you mention it, no,” Mariana replied.

Dar smiled. ”Okay. Thanks. I’ll handle Alastair if he decides to get 16

Melissa Good

involved.” She pulled a folder over to her. ”Meet you in the conference room?”

”You got it,” Mariana agreed, and hung up.

”He sounds like he really means to make a case out of this, Dar,”

Kerry stated quietly, her brow creasing in concern. ”Would it be easier if we just went along with it? I mean, it’s not like he’s going to actually find anything if he investigates our area.”

The pale blue eyes thoughtfully roamed the room, settling on Kerry’s face with quiet intentness. ”Yes, it would be easier,” she stated flatly. ”But I’m not gonna do it.” The ferocity in her voice surprised Kerry. ”He wants a fight? He’ll get one.”

Chapter

Two

DAR GLANCED AT her watch as she entered her office. It was a few minutes to seven and she lifted her cell phone, dialing a number without looking. Three rings, then four, then a breathless voice answered. ”Hey.”

”Oh.” Kerry paused to breathe. ”Hey, what’s up?”

”Where are you?” Dar inquired, hearing the panting.

”Halfway up the climbing wall, holding on by one hand,” Kerry replied. ”So as much as I love talking to you, could you kinda—”

”Sorry,” Dar apologized. ”I just got back from the briefing. I’ll be over in about ten minutes.”

”Right. I’ll let everyone know,” Kerry responded. ”Ooof…oh...wait, okay,” She sighed. ”That’s better. I was sort of upside down, and trying to hold myself up, my arm was giving out.”

Dar chuckled softly. ”Okay, well, get both hands back on those holds, okay? I’ll see you in a bit,” She cleared her throat audibly. ”Take care.””Okay, see ya.” Kerry hung up, and managed to clip her cell phone to the back of her workout shorts. ”Glad I got the lightweight model,”

she commented to the rough wall before her eyes. ”Well, time to go down.”

She worked her way slowly across the wall, moving from handhold to handhold, and finally let go of the last one, landing lightly on the floor. She straightened up slowly, then leaned against the wall and caught her breath. Her shoulders and thighs ached,

”Whoo.” She shook her arms out and flexed her hands, then paced back out of the climbing room and paused, searching the crowded gym.

”Ah.” She spotted Ken standing next to his small office, and she headed in his direction.

He looked up as she approached, and a smile creased his friendly face. ”Hey there.”

”Hey Ken,” Kerry wiped her brow with the towel she had tucked in her waistband. ”Dar’s on her way over. She had a late meeting.”

Ken rubbed his neck. ”I’m still sore from last night,” he complained wryly. ”Maybe we can just have coffee tonight, huh?”

Kerry laughed gently. ”I think she’s really enjoying your sessions, but I’m sure she’d take it easy on you if you asked her.” She looked up 18

Melissa Good

as Colleen approached, already in her workout gear. ”Hey, Col, it’ll be a few minutes. Dar’s on her way over.”

The redhead grinned. ”Good. I thought I was going to be late. I had two tellers come up short today, and we spent an extra hour trying to figure out what happened.” She tugged on Kerry’s shorts. ”Let’s get a drink while we’re waiting.”

”Okay. I’ve got to put my stuff on,,” Kerry agreed. ”You want anything, Ken?”

”No.” The gym manager shook his head. ”You two go on. I’ve got to give a few tours.” He indicated a small group of uncertain looking women. ”New members.”

Kerry nodded then followed Colleen towards the juice bar. ”Order me a strawberry banana, would you? I’m going to go change.” She angled her steps towards the locker room, waving at three sweating women who passed by. ”Hey guys.”

”Hi Kerry,” the closest one, a programming specialist who worked in Mark’s department, answered. ”The boss around?”

”On her way,” Kerry smiled, as she continued into the tile lined locker room, which echoed with the sounds of the showers, and the clank of locks against the metal doors.

Kerry went to her assigned space and unlocked it, pulling out her light cotton pants and top, and the white belt that went with them. She stripped off her shorts and the t-shirt she wore when climbing, along with the knee protectors that kept her kneecaps from being smashed against the rough concrete.