The Brass Ring (2 page)

"Don't ask." Becky sighed heavily as she threw her overnight bag over her shoulder. "I just finished my paper for Stedman’s class. I was supposed to meet up with Steve over an hour ago. I swear I don't understand why we have to take some of these classes. My don't you clean up nice." Becky winked at her friend.

"Thank you." Jamie smiled in response. "Don't say that too loudly, wouldn't want Claudia to get the wrong idea."

"I've woken up in stranger places." Becky scoffed. "Where is Broom Hilda anyway?"

"Bathroom loosing her lunch." Jamie explained with delight.

"What did you do?" Becky asked in accusing tone.

"Me?" Jamie gasped in mock indignation as she flipped her long blonde hair out of her face.

"Uh huh." Becky snorted. "So where are you off to?"

"Somewhere Else." Jamie answered with the name of the popular woman's bar she was going to that evening.

"Good for you." Becky answered as the headed towards the elevator. "Maybe you'll meet someone nice."

"I'll settle for someone half way decent looking who can dance." Jamie answered as she pushed the call button for the elevator, which was now creaking in response.

"You never know." Becky encouraged her.

"What's the sense of it after graduation, I'm out of here." Jamie pointed out as the ancient contraption finally squeaked open. Reluctantly the two students entered. "Why do we trust this thing?" Jamie wondered aloud.

"Our youthful sense of adventure." Becky laughed. "Don't tell me Claudia is actually letting you use her car?"

"Are you serious?" Jamie chuckled. "One I doubt she'll ever let me near it again and two she has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want her car seen within a five block radius of
one of those places!
"

"Yeah someone might get the false impression she actually has a pulse." Becky teased. "I'm heading into the city do want a lift?"

"Thanks but you are already running late." Jamie responded with relief as the elevator doors opened. Over the past four years Jamie had learned not to use the elevator if you really needed to get where you are going. Like most of her dorm mates she found herself trapped in the mechanical prison once too often. "I'll just take the
'T'
."

"Don't be silly it's on the way." Becky offered with a warm smile.

Jamie accepted her generous offer not looking forward to riding on the crowded subway on a busy weekend night. That and the MBTA was about as reliable as the dorm's elevator. Jamie arrived at the club early enough not to have to pay any cover charge and treated herself to a Disaronno on the rocks. She took a sip of the nutty amber colored liquor and sighed deeply. Leaving a tip for the bartender she made her way to one of the back tables where she could see everything and everyone as they entered. Knowing that the upstairs would not be open to dancing for at least an hour, she sat back and people watched.

Jamie was content in watching the growing crowd. She had always been a friendly outgoing person, except when it came to meeting women. She was fine once the conversation started but she had been strangely shy when it came to chatting with women in a club. She of course understood why. At twenty-two she was a virgin. She wasn't ashamed of this; she had never wanted to sleep with the boys she met in high school. When she finally admitted to herself why, it had taken all of her courage to just tell another person. That had gone badly to say the least. Her sophomore year at BC had become a living hell after her roommate Janie had told anyone and everyone who would listen.

It was strange really, Jamie was waiting for true love before giving herself to someone but of course everyone assumed that since she was gay, she would sleep with any woman she could get her hands on.
"If they only knew!"
Jamie laughed to herself. Half of the gay women she met stayed away from her because of her lack of experience and the other half found her innocence just a little too interesting. It was the second half that frightened her most. So here she sat sipping her amaretto in the most popular women's bar in Boston almost two and a half years since she had come out wondering if she would ever meet Miss. Right.

The crowd was beginning to pick up when Jamie spotted a tall, raven-haired beauty entering the club.
"No it couldn't be!"
She thought to herself as she drank in the woman's beauty. The woman in question was dressed in faded blue jeans that were ripped slightly on one knee, a white tank top and a faded denim jacket. As the woman turned towards the bartender to place her order, Jamie knew it was her. She would know that butt anywhere. The woman turned back around unaware of Jamie's ogling.

Jamie found herself inhaling deeply as she watch the woman remove her jacket and lounge carelessly on the barstool. It was the eyes. They were the most amazing shade of blue Jamie had ever seen.
"Oh my Officer Callaway why would you hide those under such tacky sunglasses?"
Jamie was not surprised as she watched a group of women gather around the cop, she was after all drop dead gorgeous.

Jamie went to take a sip of her drink and realized that while she was lusting after the policewoman she had drained her glass. Knowing that she now had an excuse to return to the bar she quickly inspected her own attire. The black silk vest that showed just a hint of cleavage and her black jeans were a good choice. She grabbed her glass and made her way over to the bar. She had considered heading over to where the policewoman was perched but at the last moment her courage failed her. She took a spot where she could watch the woman and hopefully she could be seen as well.

Jamie ordered another Amaretto and waited for the tall beauty to notice her. Jamie nursed her drink already feeling slightly buzzed from the first one. After finishing her second drink and failing to be noticed by the object of her affections, Jamie was feeling a little bold and slightly drunk. Jamie hatched a plan. She would just go over and give the woman a hard time for writing her up this afternoon. Not a good plan but it was all she had. Jamie placed her glass on the bar and blazed a determine path over to the brunette.

Jamie never knew how or why it happened but just as she stepped up to the brunette who was engaged in a conversation, she tripped and landed right into the policewoman's lap. Jamie's ears were ringing from the laughter that suddenly rang out. Through the chuckling Jamie heard a deep sensual voice asking if she was all right. Strong hands lifted her up from her embarrassing position and she suddenly found herself staring into pools of crystal blue. "Speeding again?" The same sensual voice asked her as Jamie felt her entire body turn beet red when the question evoked another round of laughter.

"My mistake." Jamie responded in a hurt tone as she brushed away the policewoman's hands. Then she gathered what little dignity she had left and walked away.

"No wait." The policewoman reached out for her as Jamie started to stumble once again. Strong arms held her carefully preventing her from falling and embarrassing herself further. "Ugh!" The petite blonde snarled as she steadied herself.

"CC I've always known you had a way with women." A tall dark skinned woman to Jamie's right snickered. "But now you have them throwing themselves at you!" More laughter ensued as Jamie took a sudden interest in her footwear. "Damn girl what's your secret?" Jamie was plotting her escape as more and more comments were being made at her expense.

"Look I'm sorry for intruding." Jamie muttered as she turned to CC.

"You're not." CC responded unable to meet Jamie's eyes.

"CC her eyes are little higher than that." The dark woman teased her friend.

At that moment Jamie realized that CC had been addressing her cleavage. The tall brunette turned an unnatural shade of red and buried her face in her hands. Feeling slightly relieved that the shoe was finally on the other foot, Jamie relaxed slightly. "Maybe if I had been wearing this earlier today, you wouldn't have given me that speeding ticket?" Jamie quipped.

"She didn't?" One of the policewoman's cronies laughed. "Shame on you CC."

"Tells us sweetie was the big bad CC mean to you?" The first woman placed a gentle arm around Jamie. "Come on what did she do? She didn't frisk you now did she?"

Both CC and Jamie blushed furiously at the comment. "Enough!" CC barked out. "You'll have to excuse them they don't get out very often." CC apologized.

"Oh come on CC lighten up." Her friend teased. "Isn't she beautiful when she's angry?" The woman addressed Jamie. "I'm Kendra by the way."

"Jamie." The blonde answered as she relaxed slightly.

"Nice to meet you Jamie." Kendra smiled keeping her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders. "Now tell us all about how mean Robocop over there was to you. She didn't do a strip search did she?" Jamie's mouth hung open uncertain how to take the woman's teasing.

A growl escaped from CC. "They have opened the upstairs and I'm going to dance." CC snapped coldly and stormed off. Jamie swallowed hard as she watched the taller woman's retreating form. "I blew it." Jamie muttered as the crowd surrounding her dispersed. "No no sweetie." Kendra who had remained reassured her.

"I should go and apologize." Jamie said with a hint of sadness.

"No." Kendra replied firmly as she gave her a slight hug. "I did this. Sometimes I just don't know when to quit. Look I'll go and soothe her ruffled feathers. Then you could . . ."

"Never mind." Jamie cut her off in a dejected tone. "I think I'll just cut my losses now so I can leave here with some dignity."

"Come on sweetie." Kendra encouraged her. "Trust me her bark is much worse than her bite."

"Thank you but I've made a big enough ass out myself for one evening." Jamie responded.

"No you didn't." Kendra answered gently.

"I fell into the woman's lap." Jamie snorted.

"Well it was certainly an ice breaker." Kendra teased her.

"Oh yeah it was real smooth." Jamie sighed. "Look thanks again but I'm just going to dance and then head out of here."

Jamie walked away with her shoulders slightly slumped and made her way upstairs. She was careful to stay clear of CC. A woman approached her who was about her height with thick glasses and asked her to dance. "Why not." Jamie found herself saying as she walked off to the dance floor. The woman wasn't a bad dancer but she just wasn't a terribly good one either. Jamie endured two more dances with her all the while scooping the crowd for CC. She spotted her at one point leaning against a wall talking with Kendra.

After leaving the dance floor Jamie made her excuses to the woman she had been dancing with and decided it was time to leave. She descended the staircase feeling a sense of loss at the way her entire day had gone. Just as she reached the bottom of the stairwell she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and found herself captured in a fiery blue haze. She could feel her emerald eyes twinkle in response. "Wait." The tall beauty said in a voice that almost sounded as if it was pleading with her.

"Yes?" Jamie responded in a slightly nervous tone.

She watched the tall woman shift nervously from one foot to the other. Uncertain as what she should do Jamie just stood there as she felt her mouth go dry. "Was I going too fast again?" Jamie finally offered hoping to prod the policewoman into speaking. "Huh?" The woman responded with a blank stare. They remained that way for a lingering moment as Jamie felt her eyes drift down to the taller woman's chest. Jamie was losing herself in a delightful fantasy when CC decided to speak once again. "I uhm . . ." CC stammered as Jamie returned her gaze to a more appropriate position.

"Yes?" Jamie repeated in a curious tone.

"Dance . . . you . . ." CC stammered like an idiot.

"Excuse me?" Jamie questioned her as she tried to understand what the woman was trying to say. Jamie watched the policewoman fight some internal battle as she chewed on her bottom lip. Jamie glanced at her watch quickly while she waited for CC to compose herself. It was getting late and if she wanted to catch the train she would need to leave very soon. "I have to go." Jamie finally said regrettably.

"No." CC managed to blurt out as Jamie looked at her in bewilderment. Jamie found herself amused by the policewoman's nervousness. It was hard for her to phantom that this was the same woman who had treated her so coldly earlier in the day. "I . . . uhm . . ." CC began to stammer once again. "Wow." She finally said as she blew out an exhausted breath. "I'm sorry I'm not usually this much of an idiot." CC finally managed to say. "I wanted to know if you would like to dance with me?" She blurted out finally.

"Here?" Jamie responded with a slight chuckle trying to ignore the way her heart had begun race. She was relieved as she watched the slight smile emerge on CC's face.

"No I meant upstairs." CC answered with a slight blush. "You know where the music is."

"I'm sorry." Jamie answered with a slight frown.

"Oh. Well okay." CC sighed heavily. "Sorry." She offered to the smaller woman as she turned to walk away.

"Wait." Jamie called out as she panicked slightly. Reaching out she touched CC's arm gently feeling a sudden surge of warmth. "It's just that I need to catch the train. My roommate won't let me use her car anymore since I got that ticket this afternoon." Jamie explained hurriedly. "Not that I like to take her car to clubs anyways. She's a bit of a phobe."
"That's putting it mildly."

"Sorry about writing you up today." CC curled up her lips in embarrassment. "I was going to let you off with just a warning. But my partner is a bit of a hard ass and I'm a rookie. Plus I'm not out on the job. You know how it is."

"Yeah. I do." Jamie sighed deeply and glanced at her watch once again. "I need to go."

The last thing Jamie wanted to do at that moment was leave. But the thought of adding cab fare to her already over extended budget at that moment was unthinkable. "What if I gave you a lift home? That way you could stay for one more dance." CC offered hopefully.

"Really?" Jamie asked brightly.

"Yeah." CC responded with a shrug. "I mean it's the least I can do."