REPRESENTED (13 page)
Authors: K'Anne Meinel
“Are you afraid someone will see us?” Cassie asked amused. She had come a long way from hiding her sexual orientation and she didn’t want to be with someone who was ashamed of it.
“I’m hoping no one will sell pictures of Cassie Summers making out with a strange woman and damaging her career further when you’re starting to rebuild it. I’m not afraid of kissing you in public or even holding your hand if that’s what you’re asking but I don’t want to be front page news on the Enquirer or any other tabloid. I would rather start this with respect and friendship and not the pressure of public opinion about whether we should even be together.”
Cassie could respect that. Karin was right once again. That was an annoying habit of hers....
Late that afternoon they returned to Karin’s room because she had to finish some work on her computer after a phone call she received, Cassie could see that Karin was tired of baby-sitting clients as she spoke harshly into the phone to someone. She finished what she had to on the computer and then shutting it she stared out at the late afternoon sun as she folded her hands. Cassie came up behind her and began to knead her shoulders. Karin closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. Cassie leaned down and began to kiss along her neck, Karin leaned her head away so more of her neck was exposed. She shivered and goose bumps appeared on her arms from her enjoyment of Cassie’s lips along her neck. She sighed deeply. The sensations that Cassie was causing was also causing her to have a conflict. She wanted this woman, there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted her, but she wanted to wait too.
Cassie spun her in her desk chair. The chair had no elbow rests and Cassie straddled her as she began to kiss her on the lips. Karin grabbed her and held her in her arms as Cassie began to grind lightly down. Karin groaned quietly as they kissed deeply, their tongues doing a ballet. Karin’s hands caressed along Cassie’s back and she arched against her as she touched there. Cassie’s own hand had started by cupping Karin’s face and then caressing along her neck and then inside her blouse along her shoulder before cautiously caressing down her chest and hesitantly going inside her bra. Karin gasped as she came in contact with her nipple pulling back slightly Cassie saw that it was a good gasp and not a bad one. She leaned down and began to tongue Karin’s now exposed nipple. Just then Karin’s phone went off. Glancing at Cassie who got up off her Karin gave her an ‘I’m sorry’ look before answering it.
It wasn’t a pleasant phone conversation. Whoever had interrupted them got the cold Karin Myers that people knew and were frightened of. They were verbally flayed and not because of the frustration she was feeling from being interrupted. People just didn’t want to work sometimes and it was part of Karin’s job to make them want to, to motivate them, to demand the best of them. Sometimes she was nice about it, sometimes, like today, not so nice. The phone call lasted a good ten minutes but by then Karin got what she wanted and hung it up in disgust. Turning to Cassie she saw she had recovered her equilibrium.
“I’m sorry about that” she said apologetically.
“That’s okay, you’re here to work” she smiled as she walked over to resume her position but Karin stood up instead.
“I don’t think that was a good idea” she told Cassie looking deeply into those amazing gray eyes.
Cassie looked at her unhappily. The green jade eyes were as hard as the rock she likened them to. “Why not, you wanted it as much as I did?”
“I know I do, I want you. I really do. It’s just that I want the rest just as much if not more. If you can’t understand that I don’t know what else I can say.”
Cassie did understand but for some reason she just wanted the sex so badly. “I must sound like a sex starved hick...” she berated herself.
“No, I want you just as much. But I don’t want the sex to be the only reason we see each other. Let’s just avoid it for the time being, please?” she asked as she held out a hand which Cassie grasped. Pulling slightly Karin pulled her into her arms and just held her, she smelled heavenly and Karin breathed her in. She laid her head on Cassie’s shoulder away from her neck which she desperately wanted to bury her nose in. She just held her.
Cassie did want more, too much, too soon. She sighed deeply, held in Karin’s arms she let the hormone surge pass. They ended up just holding each other in their arms and sleeping together that night which was very nice but not at all the degree either wanted at that point, they would wait, they didn’t know when yet, but they weren’t in a hurry.
The next morning Karin drove Cassie to the airport and dropped her outside the terminal. They kissed lightly on the lips before she drove away. They had enjoyed a last breakfast together before they both went back to their jobs. Cassie to Los Angeles to finish recording her single, Karin to a bookstore and later a lecture podium to help her client’s sell their books.
Karin was in Robinson’s department store in Portland thinking seriously of sending Cassie a gift but couldn’t decide what to buy her. They had spoken on the phone for hours every night they could when Cassie wasn’t performing or Karin wasn’t working. She had found a couple of marvelous blouses for herself and the saleswoman was in the back getting her several of the same style in various colors for her as she stood there waiting. She noticed a little girl checking out the perfume counter, something all little girls should do, play dress up. She was a pretty little thing and Karin watched her intently, she looked familiar but for the life of her she couldn’t figure out
why
. Then it hit her, she was in Portland, one of her brother’s and his girlfriend lived here as well as their daughter. That was why the little girl looked so familiar. Karin looked around to confirm her thoughts and saw Cindy talking with a sales clerk. Then this little girl who looked just like her brother was Carrie, her niece. Karin walked over, keeping a respectful distance, and asked her “Aren’t you Carrie Myers?”
The little girl looked up at her frightened that a stranger would talk to her and know her name.
She smiled warmly “It’s okay, I know you don’t know who I am, but don’t you remember me? Haven’t you seen pictures?” Karin asked.
The little girl didn’t say anything as she examined the strange woman’s face. She looked familiar but Carrie didn’t know her.
“I’m your Aunt Karin, your father’s sister” Karin informed her and waited. She gave the little girl a healthy amount of space in case she was frightened enough to bolt. She didn’t want to scare her, just say hello.
The little girl looked up at that information and stared at her curiously. She had always wanted to know her father’s family and only knew them from the few pictures she had seen of them on the internet. Her daddy had very few of them at their home. She recognized the woman now but having not met her before that she remembered was still hesitant to speak to her.
“You met me once; I think you were four at the time when your parents came back for a visit. You met my son Caleb and your other cousin Lynn.” At the mention of those names the little girl relaxed a little. She had played with her cousins in her own mind numerous times. She remembered those cousins from the pictures. She made up stories and had conversations with them all the time.
“Caleb is my son” the strange woman repeated to her for clarification.
Carrie nodded remembering the fun she had in the hotel pool with her much older cousin. He was memorable, this dressed up woman wasn’t.
“Carrie, what are you doing? Talking to strangers?” another voice broke in.
Karin grinned at her brother’s girlfriend. They had been together for so long that you could call it a common law marriage but they had never officiated it so she was still just his girlfriend. “Hello Cindy, Carrie is being very good about not talking to me, however I talked to her....” she said quietly.
Cindy looked at this elegantly dressed woman in surprise. She had only met her on one occasion and had her boyfriend’s rather one sided opinion of his little sister to know her by. The woman before her was very well put together. The pictures she had on the internet didn’t do her justice. “Well hello! What are you doing in Portland?” she asked in surprise as she recognized her.
“I’m here for a client on business, we are going up to Seattle next” Karin informed her pleased that she had been recognized and not had the police called on her for talking to her little girl, she had seen the alarm on Cindy’s face at first.
“Does Seth know you are in town?” Cindy asked as Carrie looked on. She was relieved the pretty lady wasn’t talking to her now and was looking at her more intently now that the focus wasn’t on her.
Karin shook her head “no, he doesn’t. I just got in and I don’t have to meet my client for several hours so I thought I’d get some shopping done.”
Just then the saleswoman return carrying the blouses in the colors that Karin had requested. Handing over her credit card she left with them to ring up Karin’s purchases.
“You should come to dinner” Cindy offered.
Karin smiled tightly “that’s not necessary but can I buy you two lunch” she offered generously. Carrie looked up hopefully; she wanted to know her daddy’s family and had only talked to one of her Uncle’s by phone.
“Well, we have to be home by 3” Cindy began as she looked at her watch.
Karin grinned, she was a brilliant negotiator. “It’s only noon, I think you have plenty of time.”
The saleswoman returned with a bag and a slip to be signed and Karin signed after looking at the total. She took the bag and thanked the woman for her assistance before turning back to Cindy and Carrie “at least let’s have a strawberry sundae” she smiled as she knew she had Cindy with that one, what kid could resist ice cream?
They made their way to the coffee shop in the corner of the store. After placing their orders Cindy asked “so you’re here on business?”
“Yes, one of my clients has a book signing tomorrow and I’ve arranged for a lecture at the local college. We will be in Seattle the day after tomorrow and we have three book signings there.”
“So you’re a manager?” Cindy asked curiously, she had no idea what this sister of Seth’s did; they weren’t close living halfway across the country.
“Not really and yet I am, I’m a promoter. I arrange things such as press releases, the signings, the lectures, I hold hands, I get the behind the scenes things ready and waiting for the clients so that everything runs smoothly” Karin explained. It simplified it this way, she didn’t get into the details of what she all did, it confused people. She usually told people she was in PR, but that opened another can of worms.
“You didn’t call Seth?” Cindy asked, knowing the answer before she asked. Seth would have told her.
Karin shrugged “why, he is busy, I am busy. It’s not like we are close or anything” she said it matter of factly; she didn’t feel bad about it at all, not after all this time.
“Well you are in town, it would be nice to see you while you’re here. Why don’t you come to dinner?” Cindy tried again. She didn’t understand why this sibling annoyed the heck out of her brothers so but the two brothers barely spoke to her unless they had to.
“I’m not sure...” Karin began but Carrie interrupted.
“Please, won’t you come?” she spoke for the first time.
Karin looked at her little niece. She hadn’t had daughters of her own and she wondered if they would have looked so much like her brother if she had. Her son’s certainly did, they looked exactly like her two brothers. She didn’t regret them. This would give her a chance to get to know her niece however brief it was. It would annoy her brother though. “I don’t think your dad would be too happy about that” she tried to gentle it.
“Daddy would be happy to see you” Carrie insisted with her six year old logic.
Karin couldn’t argue the complexities of her adult relationship with her older brother, especially with a little girl. She glanced at Cindy and resigned herself. Maybe she could do it. She just needed to keep her mouth quiet and not say anything to piss him off, that shouldn’t be hard...