CHARACTER DISCLAIMER:
The characters herein are mine. Any resemblance to real or fictional people are strictly part of your imagination. Some places in the story are real and some are fictional.

LOVE/SEX WARNING/DISCLAIMER:
This story depicts an explicit love/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. If depictions of this nature disturb you, you may wish to read something other than this story.

Authors note: I want to take a second to thank those of you who poked and prodded me to write this sequel. I wasn't nearly done with these ladies. My list buds, who let me use their names in vain. :-) And of course, Rachel, Stacia, and Complx for making my gibberish understandable.

Authors other note: I must thank my FIANCE for not lopping my head off for spending way too much time playing with these ladies. Thank you for keeping the fount of inspiration so readily available for me to dip into at will. I thank you, Reece and Faith thank you, the readers thank you.. etc

©2000 -Vertigo-

Part 1

It was incredible. All her senses were being overloaded. Even behind the shades, her eyes watered when the icy wind slammed against her face. She wished she could feel it through her hair. The constant deafening rumble of the machine beneath her was dizzying. Her hands were numbed by the steady vibrations of the handlebars and the cold. She tried to catch her breath. Her lips had long since lost feeling, but she licked them anyway. The brightness of the sun was blinding. She squinted through the tears, not wanting to miss anything. Trees flew by at breakneck speed; she couldn't focus, only smell the beauty in fleeting glimpses.

The body behind her leaned impossibly closer. Long powerful arms and legs trapped her, forcing her to feel every moment as if she herself were in control of the beast. She closed her eyes. Adrenaline was pumping so rapidly through her body she couldn't help from screaming. God it was euphoric.

The trees slowed down, the rumble became a purr and, suddenly, it was deafeningly quiet. It was over just like that. The warm protective body behind her was gone, she tried to get off the bike but found that her legs were shaking. Her body was still thrumming with excitement. Faith tore off the helmet and sunglasses to glare at the person responsible for ending it all.

"Reece! Why the hell did you stop? God that was incredible!" She was practically shouting with frustration.

"I think I overdid it, being your first ride and all...."

"NO WAY! That was fanfuckingtastic!" Faith blurted out.

Reece chuckled. "I just wanted you to see it from my point of view. We should probably get going back towards the city within a half hour, so walk it off baby."

With her helmet under one arm, she shook out her dark hair, and pulled her gloves off with her teeth. "Anyways, you have to shoot that ep bright and early, and we all know how you love to get up in the morning."

The blonde back-handed her in the belly. "Aw c'mon Reece?" she whined. "Just a little more?" Faith jumped up and down on the seat, stuck out her lip and made puppy dog eyes.

"Babe, that line works much better in the bedroom. Besides, we've been pushing her limits for nearly an hour." Blue eyes twinkled as she effortlessly lifted the smaller woman off the machine, kissing her nose.

Faith crinkled that nose in disappointment.

"Well, I do have to pee." The blonde admitted with a kiss to a nearby cheek. "I think a kidney shook loose." She disappeared behind a tree.

"I told you, it's like riding a horse, you have to relax and go with it. You're going to be stiff for days with the way you tensed up." Reece found another tree to take care of her own bladder. "Ah fuck, you got any tissues?"

Faith was standing over the squatting woman holding one of those travel packs of tissues. "What'll you give me for them?" she teased with a smirk.

"Well, I could just drip dry, or pull up my pants now, no matter to me." she shrugged. "If you like the taste of that sort of thing."

"Ew. Here. And you better clean it good woman. I have a vested interest in that." Faith walked over toward the bike. There were waves of heat rising off of the engine. She suddenly realized it was February and shivered. She warmed her hands on the heat pouring off the bike.

"Wow, I have this fantasy...but now I'm not so sure. I can't even fathom sex on this thing. My heart would explode!" Green eyes closed to draw up the images of that fantasy.

"First off, I don't usually open her up like that. Second, sex at that speed is not an option. However.." Reece wiggled her eyebrows, "I can work around that little speed thing. For you, anything." She leered.

"I'd freeze my ass off right now, but hold that thought." Faith leered right back. "Let's get home and discuss this further."

Reece narrowed her eyes and climbed in front this time. "Oh yeah! Discuss...I'm sure Pepe can be bought into leaving the garage for a while."

Wandering hands immediately found places much more interesting than the handlebars to hold onto. The driver looked over her shoulder at the smirking culprit.

"What? My hands are cold." She replied innocently.

"So stick them in my jacket pockets."

"Party pooper." She stuck out her tongue behind Reece. "Why am I back here anyway?"

"It got colder, I'm blocking you from the wind." Reece lifted the bike off the kickstand.

"My chivalrous baby." Faith reached up and kissed the back of the neck in front of her.

"OK! All lips and fingers to yourself. A TV star with road rash won't bring in the viewers."

Reece brought the bike to life, closing off all verbal communication until the first traffic lights of Manhattan. With nothing left to do but think, Faith snuggled closer and let herself melt into Reece's back. She inhaled a deep breath of cold air and leather and smiled. "I love you so much," she mumbled. She knew Reece couldn't hear her, but she had to say it out loud anyway. So much had happened to her in the last few months. So much happened to 'us'! Faith thought back to when she was "discovered" by a talent scout at The Lounge that night and chuckled. Did Reece really think Cori could keep that a secret?

Reece felt Faith's muscles contract in a sigh behind her. She wondered what she was thinking about. Probably the shoot tonight. It's been bothering her since she got the script. I hope they're not killing her off, or pulling any 90210 rape and burn shit. She considered pulling over when she felt another sigh. Then Faith tightened her grip around Reece's middle and the tall woman relaxed.

Reece's passenger squeezed tighter as she thought back to that day.

Faith exploded through the door in a flurry. The blonde was smiling so hard, it made Reece's face hurt.

"Hon? What's up?" The taller woman was pulled onto the couch. Faith jumped onto her lap and gushed.

"I got it! I got the part! I'm in the show!" she ended each statement with big wet kisses.

"Fantastic! Did I have any doubts? What's the role? When do you start?" Reece stood up with Faith still wrapped around her.

"They're going to send me everything tomorrow! I can't believe it...I gotta call Brad! No I gotta call Cori! Shit, this is so cool!" She scrambled down from Reece's arms and dashed to the phone, pulling off shoes and stockings along the way.

The taller woman stood there and watched in amusement. She felt a great deal of pride. Faith's dream came true, and there was nothing more pleasing to her than seeing those green eyes lit up like they were at this moment.

Her whole life changed that night, and she owed it all to Reece. With a smile, Faith remembered how strangely Reece acted in front of Brad at the congratulations party that night, and how nervous Brad acted too. She should have known something was up- She wasn't that naive. She blamed it all on the excitement and not having the chance to corner Cori sooner than she did.

"God Cor, I wonder how Reece is going to take all of this... I mean, she's excited and all, but, I don't know." Green eyes spotted Reece standing against a wall, watching the goings on with little amusement. "She's not, well, she doesn't seem happy...its like she's hiding something. I guess I wouldn't know what to expect from her, would I. You know her better than me."

"Hey! I beg to differ. You know her way better than moi." Cori shoulder butted her friend.

Faith gave an insincere smile as she watched Reece chew on an ice cube.

"Ok Faith, just folly me, I gotta tell you something. Not because I'm a rat mind you, but because I think it will help you understand how happy Reece really is for you."

Green eyes caught blue and Reece gave her a brilliant smile. "See now? Look at that face, it's all about you, Faith." The dancer led her into the guest room.

At first, when Cori let Faith in on the whole thing, the blonde was furious at the club owner. She was angry that Reece would think that Faith needed her help finding an acting job. Then she was stunned at the lengths Reece was willing to go to make her dreams come true. It wasn't every day she made an ass of herself in public, and for someone else's benefit. When Faith thought about it, she had really given up on an acting career at that point, even though she herself didn't realize it. She remembered how Violet and Cori had talked her into going to see Brad the morning after they met at The Lounge. And how she was too distracted to realize that they had already planned a party before she even spoke to him. She chuckled again at how lucky she was to have them as friends even if they were no better than nosy wash women. Faith shook her head and smiled at how blind she had been to how involved Reece was with the whole thing. Then she blushed, when thinking about how she'd thanked her after the party.

Cori and Violet had stayed to help clean Reece's place after the party. Everyone was happily buzzed, and Faith had insisted they all stay for what was left of the night. All four women were lounging around the living room. Violet stretched across the love seat, Cori sat in the recliner, and Faith was on the couch with her feet on the coffee table. She was contentedly brushing her fingers through Reece's hair, relieving every strand of tangles, and simply enjoying the ability to do so. She loved the freedom of touching this woman who everyone feared. The club owner twisted around and laid her head on Faith's lap, practically purring from the feel of those fingers stroking her head. She turned her face and placed a quick little kiss to the underside of Faith's breast. Startled by the action, Faith blushed and slapped Reece's shoulder.

"Stop that! We have company!" she warned. Blue eyes twinkled and she kissed the other breast.

"I bet you look adorable in red." she chuckled "Don't worry, it won't leave this room." Faith crossed her heart. Well maybe just Cori..

Part 3

Faith thought she heard a jumble of foul words as she was thrown quite literally from her daydream. With a yelp the blonde became airborne for just a moment, then landed with a thud on the bike seat. She was aware that they were going slower and were surrounded by midtown traffic. It also seemed that she grew shorter and Reece grew taller. What's wrong with this picture?

"Christ! Uh babe? Would you mind scootching back a bit?" Reece sounded as if she was in pain.

Confused, the passenger realized she was sitting comfortably in the driver's seat and Reece was straddling the gas tank.

"Oh my God!" she yelled as she struggled to settle herself further back on the seat without leaning on her lover for support. She helped pull Reece back into place, which wasn't easy as she was steering the bike around another pothole.

"Are you ok?" Faith knew how hard she'd hit the seat, and it couldn't have been pleasant for Reece.

"Fucking potholes! Where the hell are all my tax dollars going?"

Faith could tell her lover was really pissed off again, and she frowned.

"That's it! I refuse to pay taxes any more! If I have one mark on this bike..."

Well, this sucks. After that little daydream, she was more than eager to get home and "discuss."

Now she'd have to wait till Reece calmed down. Lovely.

"...If there's one fucking little scratch..."

Hello??? Did you forget about me? The girlfriend?

They stopped at a red light and Reece turned around and took off her helmet. Faith didn't like the angry look on her face at all.

"Are you alright? You didn't get hurt did you? If you are I'll sue the fucking Department of Transportation."

"I'm ok, honey." She received a skeptical look. "Put your helmet back on, I'm really ok."

Satisfied, Reece replaced her helmet and turned back around. "I'll sue the freaking city."

What the hell is the matter with her? Its just a pothole? Faith worried again. Reece had been acting like this all week, jumping at little things and getting really angry over nothing. If she keeps this up, I'll never be able to tell her about my script! She took her hands out of Reece's pockets and replaced them under the leather jacket. She comfortingly rubbed all the parts of Reece's anatomy that she could reach until she felt the tension dissipate slightly. Then she moved her hands further south and toyed with the waistband of Reece's jeans. It wasn't exactly her fantasy, but it would do.

"Did you hurt yourself anywhere that needs a kiss, sweetheart?"

"Oh yeah, it needs many many kisses."

"Well then, let's get this baby home, shall we?"

Faith pulled Reece's shirt out from her jeans and stroked the tight stomach teasingly. The driver started wiggling around in her seat.

"You better stop that, Red."

"Oh? Why is that?" Faith was feeling rather cocky making her lover squirm.

"Because with that graceful landing, the seam of my jeans wound up someplace that it shouldn't be.."

"Ohhhh?" Faith tugged on the waistband with a smirk, thoroughly enjoying the feel of Reece's butt jerking against her spread thighs.

"Yeah and if you keep that up, it'll be over way before it starts."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"Don't make me stop this bike, Faith." she teased.

"Oh alright," she grumbled, suddenly reminded of long car trips with her father. Sliding her hands up Reece's ribs to bring her back to the present, she was satisfied with the shudder she caused. Pleased that she'd calmed the edgy woman, Faith leaned back against the sissy bar and relaxed for the rest of the ride.

-------------------

After many hours of "discussion," in various rooms of the house, the two freshly-showered women were sitting in the living room eating dinner. Reece was still edgy, and Faith was trying to figure out a way to bring up the script without an explosion. It would help if she told me what was bothering her. The actress had been all set to tell her 5 days ago when she received the damn thing, but Reece's behavior that day had been very unpredictable and hadn't gotten any better since. Faith felt that if she told her now it would look like she was trying to hide it from her, and that wouldn't be good at all.

"What's wrong, Faith? You aren't acting right."

Faith gulped down some wine and prepared for the onslaught. "Well, I have this thing.."

The phone rang and Faith thanked all the gods."I'll get it babe." She picked up the phone in the guestroom.

"WHAAASSSUUUPPP!!" Cori screamed.

"Oh god, not that, anything but that. Packs of teenagers have been drive-by whassuping all month." Faith cringed.

"So, did you tell her?"

"No, I was trying to, but she's been acting so schizo lately, I'm afraid this would make her wild."

"You know, now that you waited so long, it's not gonna look good."

"Yeah, thanks for the brilliant deduction, Watson."

"I have an idea."

"No, no. That's quite all right."

"So my suggestion of telling her while you had your face between her legs wasn't brilliant? Don't scoff."

"Did you forget the size of her quads?"

"She's not going to kill you Faith. But I have serious doubts that 'Jim the Dim' will survive," she added seriously.

"Would you stop? Jim is a nice guy, he's just been unfortunately cast."

"Yeah, well, you're the one that's gotta kiss him anyway. Oh man, I can't wait till you tell her about the bed scene."

"Are you crazy?" Faith felt her palms sweat.

"It's been a while since I saw a good murder, the movies just aren't what they used to be."

"You're twisted you know that? Oh no..." her voice was almost a squeak.

"What's wrong? Faith?"

Reece dropped the script on the bed next to Faith and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uh, Cor, I gotta go." The gulp was audible.

Cori hung up the phone with a gulp of her own. "Hide the breakables and set up the sofa bed, Violet, we may have a visitor."

-------------------

"I can explain why I didn't tell you sooner, babe..."

"Tell me what? Spill it!"

"You don't know?"

"What's the fucking secret, Faith?"

Puzzled, the actress shook her head. "Um, you didn't read the script?"

"Should I have? Is that the only way I'll be able to find out what's been eating at you?" Reece picked up the script and started leafing through it. Faith snatched it away.

"No, I'm sorry. I had something to tell you, and I didn't know how...it's silly really...now it's blown way out of proportion."

"So, if it's so silly, why don't you tell me now?" The club owner was now standing menacingly over the actress.

"I'm afraid ..."

"Of what!? ME? What have I ever done to you for you to be afraid of me?" She practically screamed.

"You didn't let me finish. I'm afraid of how you'll react, and well, you just confirmed my fears."

Reece suddenly felt like a shit. Of course she's afraid, look at you, you idiot! She took a deep breath and sat down on the bed.

"Faith, look, I've been freaking out all week over this."

"Why?"

"I'm having trouble at the club, and now you're hiding something from me. I knew it the minute you walked in the door after the read-through. Are they killing you off? Are they gonna hurt your character? C'mon, what gives?"

"What trouble at the club?"

"Inspectors showing up daily, auditor sniffing my ass. It seems your friend from my favorite club has been getting his rocks off torturing me."

"I'm sorry Reece. Really. If I had known you were having such a hard time.."

"Please, Faith, just tell me what's going on so I can stop popping Tums like Tic Tacs."

"Well, I, Judith, has a love interest." She paused, gauging the reaction. Reece's lips got tight.

"Who's the lucky guy?" It looked like Reece's pupils disappeared.

"Jim" she whispered.

Reece made fists in her lap, her knuckles turning white. Faith stood and stepped away from the bed.

"We, uhm.."

"Consummate?" Reece offered through gritted teeth.

"Exactly." Faith flinched as her tall lover stood up and seemed to grow even larger.

"Oh. I see. Is that all?" She failed to make the smile sincere.

Faith nodded hesitantly.

"You were afraid I'd dislike this new character development and run amok all over your little set?" Reece looked her dead in the eye.

Oh, that's bad. Way too calm.

"Well, sorry to disappoint." she stated, still too calmly for Faith, "I'm very happy actually. Congratulations. This is good for "Judith".

"Thank you." Faith said to her lover's back.

Reece exited the room, her boots clomping across the hardwood floor.

Wait for it...

SLAM!

The actress let out the breath she was holding and threw herself on the bed. She called Cori and filled her in, adding that she should be careful not to get in the way of her angry boss tonight.

--------------------

The tall form restlessly paced the length of her club. Sometimes she mumbled, and other times she sneered. The dancers whispered, the patrons stole glimpses. No one looked her in the eye. They 'd heard the rumors and she did, after all, live up to her reputation. If they hadn't witnessed it for themselves they knew someone who had, and they weren't suicidal. But what they didn't know was that Reece Corbett wasn't at all angry, she was a nervous wreck.

As the owner of the most lucrative gentleman's establishment in New York City, The Lounge, Reece already had her hands full. She didn't need this new development. Tonight, the love of her life was going to lie in bed with someone else, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Feeling very helpless and threatened, she made fists and continued to pace. No one dared confront the agitated woman, but some people never learn.

"Geez, boss, I saw a thing on spontaneous combustion on one of those learning channels... this woman, all that was left was an arm."

Reece looked at Cori like she was speaking Chinese.

"What the hell are you talking about?!?" she yelled.

"I'm just saying, that you should stand outside or something. Don't take us down with you," Cori said rather boredly.

The tall woman glared at her magenta-haired friend.

"Hey, easy tiger, Faith is acting... she's not actually doing anything with the guy. What is the big hairy deal?" The dancer shrugged. "She did more up on that stage with me."

Reece narrowed her eyes. "And that's supposed to make me feel better?" She stomped off to her office to brood.

Part 4

Faith was lost in thought. Here she was, with a great part on one of the most popular TV shows, and she was miserable. Why? Because Reece is miserable, that's why. She sighed sadly. It's just a show... Why is she reacting like this?

"Excuse me, Miss Big Bad Wolf, could you stop huffing and puffing? You're blowing all the powder off the brush."

John, the makeup artist, had just spent 15 minutes covering her hickeys, and just had to comment.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just thinking." Faith sighed heavily again, this time through her nose.

"Well then, could you not think so hard?" Finding yet another little bruise he sighed himself. "So Louise, how long have you been together?"

"Almost 5 months. Why do you keep calling me that?"

"Because I call all the men Mary." He covered the last mark with a flourish. "Aaaanyways, you can tell Mr. Wonderful that pissing on his property like a dog is quite the neon sign of insecurity." He lifted her chin to survey his work.

Faith paled slightly.

"Gorgeous! I'm just guessing here, but I think someone's been having a lover's spat? You know, I can see how he would be bothered by you kissing another man, any normal person would. You are stunning."

She got a little nauseous. Normal? Reece?

"If I were into women, HA! you get it?" Slightly indignant at the lack of response, he continued anyway. "Hokaaay, like I said, If I were into women, which thank god I'm not, I can't figure you out anyway, and I mean that 'you' collectively.."

"John, I'm getting old."

"Righty then, I'd be following you around all day."

Oh god.. I'm such a moron! She jumped up from the chair. "I gotta go make a phone call!"

"Women." John rolled his eyes.

-----------------

Reece sat behind her desk with her head thrown back over the top of the chair. She had been in this position for nearly an hour and it was making her scalp feel funny and her lips numb. She groaned out loud, making the poor auditor even more uncomfortable than he already was. The lightheadedness was much better than looking at Roy's latest distraction sitting across from her, so she spun the chair around a few hundred times. Fuck Roy and his rat- infested Playhouse! If it weren't for that dickless shit head, I'd be....what? I'd be stalking Faith and I know it. She stopped spinning. Why does she have to kiss this Jim guy? What if she likes it? Man, and they gotta lay all over each other in bed too. On freaking TV! God, if that Jim gets the slightest woody.. heh. Why shouldn't he? He better get a fucking hard on if he knows what's good for him. Reece's eyebrows met in a frown. What the hell am I saying?!? I gotta calm down. As soon as this moron leaves I'll go speak to ole Jim boy and make sure he keeps that tongue where it belongs. Fucking Roy! I have every right to march right over there and...

"Ms. Corbett?"

Reece just grunted from her current position.

"I was saying, It seems that these books are fine. You keep impeccable records. You run a tight business, ma'am."

Reece didn't move but held up a hand to point at the man. "Thanks. Don't ever call me ma'am again. K?"

He looked at the strange woman, who appeared headless for most of this session. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy. You can go now."

"Um, ok. Well, I suspect you have other things to do...Thank you for your time, Ms. Corbett."

Reece's hand just made shooing motions.

The auditor was met by Sarge and escorted quickly through the club. He was glad to be out of there to escape the pounding music but also the odd woman who made him feel more uncomfortable than the dildo standing on her desk. God, she was wierd.

------------------

The phone rang, making Reece jump up and giving her a good case of vertigo."Fuck!"

"What?!" she yelled into the receiver. There was a long pause.

"Uhm, hi."

Reece sat straight up in her chair. "Faith?"

"Yeah." There was awkward silence.

"Are you ok? What's wrong?"

"I just called to tell you that I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking about your feelings, Reece..." she paused to place the words in order. "This must be hard on you, you must feel, um, .."

"Sick? Left out? Jealous? Frustrated? Angry?" The words left Reece's mouth like rapid gunfire.

"Whoa baby.. yeah. But I wanted you to know, I love you, ok?"

"Someone is tasting your mouth Faith.. don't you get it?"

"I'll eat an onion if it will make you feel better."

"No. Not at all. I don't like the idea of this one fucking bit... I don't share my things.." Oh crap.

"Wait just a minute. Reece, you do not own me, and I don't like being referred to as property," she said with controlled anger.

"I didn't mean it to sound like that.. really. It just fell out." She ran her hand through her hair in frustration.

"Well? What did you mean?"

"I just hate this. I'm so happy for you, and at the same time...I don't know what to say without making you angry. I don't want his or anyone else's lips touching you but mine." The last part was a whispered admission.

"Can we talk about this when I get home? I'm not angry with you baby. I know you're happy for me, but I also know how upset this makes you feel."

"Can you make believe it's me you're kissing?"

"Are you sure that's what you want? That could get dangerous." She chuckled nervously. "Besides, I'd know your lips anywhere." she stated confidently.

"On second thought, make believe it's Pepe."

They both chuckled at that.

"I gotta go, they're calling me to the set."

"Soo, then, this is it?" Reece sounded crestfallen.

"Um, yeah, it is. I love you Reece."

"Me too Faith."

"I always know."

The tall woman stretched herself out on the couch.

Ok, it's just a job. Like Cori said, they did way more up on that stage than she'll be doing with him. But she never kissed Cori. The tension headache came back. Reece rubbed her temples. She got up and cleared off her desk, sticking the dildo back in her coat pocket. The only reason it had been on the desk in the first place was because that had been the last place she'd used it. An evil grin graced her lips as she thought about that particular time. She'd know my lips anywhere huh? Another wider grin spread on her face.

-------------------

After shooting the first half of the scene, there was a disagreement over lighting and everyone took a break. The writers were called onto one of the empty sets for an impromptu meeting by one of the producers. The head writer, Jayme, wasn't at all happy with this and voiced her displeasure loudly.

"There had better be a good reason for this!" She glared at the producer, Charles.

"Oh yeah, trust me. Is everybody here?" He smiled like a three-year-old with a secret.

"Good, if I miss one more week of Nikita, someone's gonna get hurt." Jayme added. The scary thing was, she was serious.

"OK, it seems we have a bit of a problem. Our Judith has a very unusual way of spending her free time."

All heads snapped in his direction.

"And..." the head writer prompted with a hand gesture.

"And... it's a strip joint." he added with a grin.

Nobody seemed fazed. This was NewYork.

"A TITTY club.." he clarifed.

There was a collective "Oh" and Jayme was the first to speak up.

"Who the hell cares? Maybe a friend works there, her sister... fuck, maybe she owns the joint! Wait a minute, how do you know anyway?".

Charles ignored the question. "Or, maybe she's queer. Did you think of that? We don't need any extra shit..especially from a newcomer."

"Of all the homophobic... What shit? She's boffing Jim tonight. It'll air in a few weeks." Jayme, was at the door, ready to leave.

"What I figured..." Charles suggested "is that we make her the campus floozy. Ya know, a new male interest every few weeks?"

"This is insane. The girl could have had to take a leak and walked in there for all you know. You guys figure it out."

Jayme was outta there. "Alright people! Lets get moving! I want to be home by ten!" Campus floozy indeed. I gotta talk to this girl before we lose her. "Um, Faith? Can you come here a sec?"

Part 5

Not great at apologies, Reece decided to head over to the studio, take Faith out for a ride, maybe even fulfill a little fantasy of hers. When it came to show and tell, Reece was much better at the show part. She grinned. Besides, she could have her little chat with Jim while she was there.

Thankful for the unseasonably warm weather, she mounted the bike and revved her up loudly. The rumbling echoed through the garage and set off a myriad of car alarms. Even though it meant he'd be scrambling around half the night shutting off alarms, Pepe was amused. She's something else, this Reece. In a way, he wanted to be just like her. He even sat on her bike sometimes. He whistled loudly through his teeth and watched as she drove up the ramp and out of sight.

Reece drove past The Playhouse. Idling at the light, she turned her head and looked back at the club. No, you're better than that shit, Reece. Still, she felt all the built-up misplaced anger rise. It had been a long time since she let loose. Too long. Her jaw clenched. Maybe if I just rough him up a little? Not one to analyze, she immediately blamed Roy's annoying antics for distracting her, making her angry, and therefore, making Faith afraid of her. That will never do. The bike peeled away from the light in a screeching left turn. He almost made me fuck this up with Faith! Irrationally furious at Roy now, Reece was out for blood. She circled the block and parked on the sidewalk in front of the bouncer, nearly taking off his foot. She lifted her helmet and with a sneer, dared him to say something. He didn't.

"Wise choice, my man." She patted him condescendingly on his cheek. "Where's my buddy Roy?"

"Who wants ta know?" He gave her a long leering look, puffed himself up, and then arranged his crotch.

Reece snorted, restraining herself from strangling the goon with his own thick gold necklace.

"Charming." She breezed by him towards the door, which he sidestepped in front of.

"Sorry, no ladies without an escort." he grinned.

"No worries." Reece flashed an evil grin. "I ain't no lady." And she pushed him aside effortlessly.

Reece walked in like she owned the place. Many heads turned in hopes that she was the featured dancer tonight. She banged her helmet on the bar and the startled bartender came running.

"Where's the boss?"

The bartender glanced at the woman's eyes and nodded recognition. "He's not here," she lied, throwing a warning glance to the waitress.

"Oh, I see. Thanks for your help" Then she turned to the waitress and flashed a winning smile.

Yikes! Someone should feed her.

"Maybe you would know where Mr. Roy is?" Reece narrowed her eyes seductively.

The waitress nearly swooned. "Oh, I'm Ronnie! He's in his office! " She giggled like a schoolgirl.

Reece inwardly rolled her eyes. She bent her elbow and linked Ronnie's arm through. "Lead on, my fair lady," and the tall woman bowed gallantly, shooting an evil smile at the bartender.

"What the hell was that?" asked a customer.

"Fucking Ronnie...That... is Reece Corbett. Owner of The Lounge and Frankie's former right arm. What she's up to though... never mind. I don't want to know." the bartender shook her head.

"Fuck she's gorgeous.."

"Yeah well, she's equally as dangerous. I hope she leaves Roy at least one tooth. He's ugly enough as it is."

---------------

Reece thanked Ronnie with another bow and a kiss to her hand. The dancer giggled again, and skittered away. Reece spat just in case. Poor girl.

The club owner really needed to get this out of her system. She couldn't afford to have Faith see her lose it. She took a moment to allow "The Animal" to surface, and then with one kick, blew the door clear off the hinges.

Roy hit the deck, nearly pissing himself.

"Ah, glad you remembered how to greet an old friend." Reece grinned ferally.

"Fuck off." he scrambled to his feet.

As Reece advanced with menacing slowness, he backed up slightly.

"You having fun playing games with me Roy? I got no patience for you, or your bullshit." She gestured with her hand, chuckling when he flinched.

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I think you should leave." He was proud and thought that came out rather forcefully.

Reece guffawed.

Roy fumed.

"Oh that's rich. You think.. Oh stop, you're killing me."

Before he saw it coming, her fist was buried deep into his stomach. While he was hunched over, and before his brain had time to register the pain, her knee connected hard with his nose.

"You know what I think, Roy?"

Roy retched at her feet.

Reece squatted down to his level and picked his head up by the hair. "I think you have too much time on your hands."

The blood poured out of his mouth when he responded.

"Please, Reece, don't kill me... "

"Your boredom gave me grief with my woman, it pissed me the hell off. You understand?"

She shook his head for him. "Atta boy. So, I'm going to give you something to keep you busy, and, consequently, out of my affairs. Comprende?"

Roy wasn't stupid. He nodded.

"Thanks, old friend." Wuss.

He flinched at every crash and bang that echoed through his club. He wept. I thought The Animal was dead?

Feeling much better and very adrenalized, Reece hopped on her bike and headed towards the set.

----------------

Jayme had pulled Faith off to the side. "You know, there's a bit of an uproar about you Faith."

"What? What did I do?" she nervously shifted her feet.

"You a dyke?" the head writer asked bluntly.

Faith's eyes widened. "Uh..."

Jayme's eyebrow shot up. "Well I guess that answers that question. You should work on that."

"What does this have to do with anything? Is it Jim?" She felt sick.

"No, but Charles is having a cow over it. You gotta be more discreet about where you hang out, Faith." She put her arm around the trembling actress' shoulder.

"I.. what do you mean where I hang out?"

"Titty clubs? Honestly, I'd have figured you for a leg woman." she joked.

"Oh god..." Faith groaned. "This is so not good." She slumped down to the floor.

"Don't sweat it, Faith. There's quite a few of your type floating around here. Just watch yourself more carefully. Tabloids live on this kind of stuff."

"What do I do now?" the blonde ran her hand through her red-blonde hair.

"I'd say make this look good with James, and maybe Charles will stop birthing farm animals."

Faith buried her face in her hands.

"Keep the stereotype to a minimum. You're famous now babe. Image is everything."

John ran up in a flurry of hand gestures. "Oh Louise! There's this wonderfully intimidating, yet drop dead gorgeous leather clad woman here to see you." He fanned himself dramatically. "And she's on a Harley!" he shrieked.

Faith laid herself out on the floor. "Kill me. Just kill me."

Part 6

Reece shifted against the bike and re-crossed her ankles. For Christ sake! I'm always waiting for this woman! She heard the loud buzz signaling the start of a scene. She was debating whether or not she should have mentioned Faith's name at all. Wonder who sissy cakes is? Token gay boy? She chuckled and shifted again. Lifting her hand to pick at her nails she noticed the blood. Ah crap. Gotta clean this. Looking around at the barren streets, she decided to slip into the studio despite her agreement with Faith not to come inside. They both figured it was better off not to feed the spark of jealousy that would surely burn out of control if Reece ever saw Faith in another's arms. Make believe or not, the tall woman got stomach cramps just thinking about that. Reasoning to herself that blood on her hands would be much more difficult to explain than getting caught, she went for it. There's gotta be a bathroom close by.

Once inside, she peeked around a corner and saw the lounge. She snuck in quietly and took care to wash with the barest minimum of noise. On the way out, she again heard the buzzer and saw the red light go out. It sounded like a flurry of activity had begun. Just one look ain't gonna hurt.. no one seems to know I'm here anyway... Reece tiptoed to the opening in the prop wall and glanced around quickly. Everyone seemed to be scrambling around willy-nilly. Disorganized chaos came to her mind. Spotting Faith walking arm in arm, giggling almost evilly with the show's star, Michele, Reece smiled.

They walked and talked till they came to a stop almost three feet from where Reece was hiding.

"So, John tells me a certain someone single-handedly depleted his supply of cover-up. Anyone I know?" Michele shoulder-bumped Faith and grinned.

Faith's hand immediately shot to her throat, and she blushed.

"Uh huh. I thought so." the actress nodded. "So, who is he? Anyone I know? Famous?"

"Wait a minute." Faith laughed. "Nosy much?"

Just then two more actresses ran over, both smiling like they knew something. It made Faith nervous. Reece took the opportunity to get a good look at the women Faith was so closely associating with. All three very pretty women, but as different as night and day. I could be happy working with these chicks every day, she mused.

"Soooo..." Alison started "Rumor has it you're family."

"Family?" Faith repeated, desperately trying to play dumb. How the hell?

The tall woman in the shadows winced.

"Oh come on, Faith," Ali teased. "You know what I'm talking about. Sisters, wink wink nudge nudge?"

"Oh, that kind of family." she swallowed nervously, not really ready for this conversation.

Michele raised her eyebrows and grinned. Faith was just gorgeous and this information made her stomach tingle. Her fame and Emmy award forced Michele to keep her personal life hidden. So hidden, in fact, that it was nonexistent. If I could be alone with Faith under the guise of working.. well... The thought alone made her knees weak. Easy girl, it's been way too long.

Reece did not like the look on Michele's face and made a mental note to add her to her list of chats.

"Hey, it's nothing to be worried about, really." Sandy put her arm around Faith's shoulders and gave a squeeze. We're not going to rat you out. It's not my style anyway."

John bounded up like a puppy, and Faith groaned.

"What are we chatting about, girlfriends?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Speaking of.." Ali gave Faith a questioning look.

"Ooo, she's??" He hit himself in the head a few times. "My gaydar must need new batteries, because you, Louise... I never even thought.."

"Yes, our Louise." Sandy sobbed and wiped her eyes dramatically. "We're so proud," she smiled.

Reece frowned at the women, John included. At least Faith had a crowd. That was important. But how did they know?

"Thank you guys, I appreciate the love, but Charles is supposedly birthing large farm animals over this. What do I do?" she whined.

"Tell him to fuck off. It works every time." Alison stated confidently.

"Uh huh. But how do we explain the walking billboard for queer stereotypes waiting outside for our 'Miss Judith'?" John asked seriously..for once.

Reece sneered.

All eyes turned to Faith, who blushed furiously. "She's uhm.. that's my..."

"Who's this?" Michele cut her off and started walking towards the exit, quickly followed by Sandy and Ali.

"NO! Please... don't go out there and stare at her... please! Faith panicked.

"And why not? She gonna run away? I just want to know who was lucky enough to practically eat you up alive." Mish laughed.

John put his head down guiltily.

"Oh? Do tell," Alison urged the makeup man.

"Big mouth." Faith glared at him.

John pointed all over his neck. "It was the most scandalous thing to happen here in a long time Louise. Give a bored soul a break" He batted his eyelashes and pouted.

Happy that the women weren't coming to gape at her, Reece beat a hasty exit.

"Oh puullease John. You'd find scandal on a toothpick given the chance." Sandy smiled at Faith reassuringly. Come on, we're almost done for tonight." She and Faith walked away from the others.

"Does everyone know?" Faith asked.

"I dunno, but don't worry, we're here for you. Just watch Michele, she looked hungry."

"Thanks for the heads up. So was that the extent of the gay crowd?"

"Yeah, but I'm not too sure about Jayme. I think even she doesn't know what she wants. Possibly asexual."

"Pity, she's very easy on the eyes." Faith grinned. She liked Sandy.

"So Faith, does she have a name?"

"Reece. Reece Corbett"

"Oh, that expression... priceless."

"It shows huh?" Faith smiled.

"It screams."

--------------

"CUT! That's it for tonight, everyone. Faith, can I see you for a minute?"

"Yeah, what, Chucky?" She saw him wince and smirked.

"James tells me you're not doing your best in the kissing scenes. Improve."

"How would he know what my best was?" She was insulted.

"Maybe you'd rather be with Travis?"

"Why don't you have me do both?" she grumbled.

"Look, I don't need your attitude. I'm trying to help you. We have to make this believable or you're going to be tossed into the background real quick. A piece of furniture. Can't fire you, discrimination and all..."

"Wait a fucking minute.." Faith saw red.

"Hey," Charles put up his hands. "I'm not the perv who's been hanging around in tit clubs." he smirked.

"Maybe you should, you uptight mother--"

"Faith! Can I see you?"

"What!" she yelled at Alison, who grabbed her elbow and dragged her away from Charles.

"Son of a bitch is smirking!" Faith was very angry.

"Babe, no need for this. Just relax. He cannot do anything drastic to your character. 'Judith' has 40% of the female cast fan mail. You're a teenage boy's wet dream. You have the upper hand.. use it."

Faith calmed a bit. "I do?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, you do. I know how moronic Charles is sometimes, but, please, just blow him off. It makes work so much better. And he is the only one who acts like that."

"Thanks Ali. He really pissed me off." she chuckled. "What do I do about Jim though?

"Honey, no matter what you heard, pretend. Make believe it's your Reece."

"I would know her mouth anywhere." She shivered at the thought of Reece's mouth.

"OK, pretend she's drunk, or drugged." Alison shrugged. "Either way, the more real it looks, the less you have to deal with Chucky."

"You know, it just may work." Faith grinned.

"So she's a good kisser?" Alison winked.

"Good? No. Fantastic, wonderful, breathtaking, amazing.." Faith shivered again.

"Ok, ok. I'm officially jealous." she pouted.

"With good reason, Alison. With good reason."

"Well then, you better get going. I hear your chariot awaits."

Faith smiled evilly. "Oh yes, my chariot." She hugged Alison and darted off.

----------------

Reece waited patiently--well, as patiently as Reece was capable of. Her mind was working a mile a minute processing everything she'd heard, then going through it again. She was afraid that Faith would be angry with her for showing up, but she couldn't leave now. She's gonna be pissed at me. Shit! Why did I come here anyway? By the time the door opened to let out the crew, she was more than just antsy, she was actually fretting.

John spotted her and waved. She nodded her head and looked past him for Faith's head.

Suddenly he was right in front of her.

"Sooo, you're Mr. Wonderful huh?" He looked her up and down.

Reece stood tall and folded her arms across her chest.

"Ok.. heh heh. I'm afraid of you. No need to get all butch."

She had to grin, however slightly.

Michele strode by, took in the tall body and made a sour face. That reminded Reece.

"Hey, TV star."

Michele pointed to herself and looked around. The others took notice and stood closer.

"Yeah, you, a word please?"

"What." Michele stated boredly.

"Cut the crap, girl. Find other things to fantasize about. That particular subject is off limits."

Michele blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about. You don't scare me." She stood defiantly.

"But I should. Spoiled brats like you get on my nerves. And I'm not so pleasant when I'm angry." Reece gave her a dangerous smile.

Michele gulped, embarrassed in front of her peers, and stomped off.

"Oh and sweetie? Be sure to tell all your friends," she smirked.

Alison and Sandy stood by John, all three grinning. Reece thought they looked like those monkeys and shook her head. Leaning once again against her bike, she turned to the peanut gallery.

"What's taking her so long?"

"She had something to take care of, she'll be right out." Alison offered, somehow knowing that telling her the truth would have a very negative and messy result.

Sandy stepped forward and offered her hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Sandy."

Reece shook her hand and nodded. "Reece, same here."

"Faith's one lucky woman if you ask me." she added.

"I didn't, but thanks." She smiled a little when Sandy frowned.

Faith walked outside and the devious grin she had on fell off. Oh no. I hope they didnít tell her what's going on.

Reece's relieved expression made Faith grin again.

"It's about time. I was gonna sic the Mary on you."

"Hey!" John huffed. "You worked me today Spike. A little less suction next time?"

Reece and Faith both shot him a look. The shorter woman wrapped her arms around the taller one, who bent down and covered her mouth with her own.

"Uh oh... I think that's our cue," Sandy whispered, and all three disappeared.

"MM, missed me?" Faith mumbled against soft lips.

"Like crazy," Reece mumbled back.

A few heated kisses later, Reece marveled at how kissing Faith made all her troubles dissipate. All that mattered was the mouth she was tasting and the body she was holding.

"I have a surprise for you." she whispered.

Faith narrowed her eyes. "I always did like it when you surprised me."

Part 7

Reece wanted to take them to a secluded little spot near Washington Square Park, but they never made it there. Putting Faith behind her on the bike wasn't the good idea she'd thought it was, and she had to pull over and put her in front. If she hadn't, they would still be idling at the stoplight in the middle of Times Square, giving a show that she thought no one should see for free. So here they were, not five minutes from the spot she had picked out, making out and groping like teenagers on a hot date.

Reece was straddling the gas tank, facing the rear of the bike. She had one arm stretched to the limits, holding on to the sissy bar for balance. The other one was holding Faith's body up against her, as close as possible. They were moving against each other, breast against breast, mouth against mouth. Reece couldn't remember a time when she was so preoccupied with kissing. She couldn't seem to get enough of anything when it came to Faith. She mumbled into the kiss.

"Hmm?" Faith opened her eyes.

"I said I love you" Her blue eyes locked into the startled green ones. Even if she hadn't said it, Faith saw it plain as day.

"Oh Reece." The actress consumed the club owner's mouth once again. The emotion she felt was too intense for words. Surprise...

The tall woman groaned as her tongue was sucked into Faith's mouth. It made her wish another wet warm orifice was engulfing it. She shifted her position to accommodate the twinge in her crotch.

"Babe, that fantasy..." she breathed in Faith's ear.

The blonde shuddered.

"Tell me about it." she purred, sucking the earlobe into her mouth.

"You... me... bike..." Faith groaned.

"What else?" Her mouth traveled around to meet Faith's.

"Mmmm..." The actress hummed her approval. "This is a good start," she replied between kisses.

"I could kiss you for hours," the club owner confessed.

"I could let you," the actress smiled.

"Where do you want me to kiss you?" she whispered in Faith's mouth.

"Lower."

Reece slowly worked her way down into her cleavage and stuck her tongue as far down as the shirt would let her. She was rewarded by a loud moan and another thrust against her abdomen. With both hands occupied, she tried to lift the shirt up with her teeth. Faith gasped when she felt the suction on her ribcage. Unable to wait, Reece closed her teeth around Faith's hard nipple through the shirt. The blonde held Reece's head in place and started a rhythmic thrusting against her. The club owner grunted.

"Something you want, Faith?" she teased.

"Touch me dammit!"

"Show me where." She knew she was playing with fire, and it was getting her so hot.

Faith unwrapped her legs from around Reece and pulled the arm out from behind her. She fell back onto the bike seat and braced her feet on the handlebars. She shoved Reece's hand between her legs and pushed her hips up.

"Oh, my baby's pretty horny huh?" she chuckled as Faith's crotch was practically eye level now.

The blonde whimpered when Reece put pressure behind her hand. "Open my pants." she demanded.

"Yeah? I thought we'd just..." Reece raised an eyebrow. Public displays were ok with strangers, but Faith?

"Shut up and touch me... now!" Faith opened her own pants

Reece looked around quickly. Seems deserted. She shrugged. She was still afraid they'd get caught. "Hey, c'mere. I got a better idea." She got up off the bike and sat in the passenger's seat, pulling Faith into a sitting position in front of her. She took a deep breath of Faith's neck and shivered. "I love the way your skin smells."

Faith took hold of both Reece's hands and squeezed them to her chest. She craned her neck and wet her lips. Her unusually mushy lover was making her heart swell. Reece took the bait and kissed her senseless. Faith guided one hand under her shirt, the other inside her underwear. She let out a loud satisfied sigh when long fingers found her nipple.

The club owner slid her fingers into the slick folds and groaned. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the feelings as a rush spread throughout her body. Her fingers explored, rubbed and circled, giving her aches of empathy. She pinched and rolled with both hands, Faith bucking against her, groaning. She tried to enter her lover, but cursed her big hands as she struggled to maneuver in such a tight place. "Fuck!"

Sensing her lover's frustration, Faith had an idea. "Just stay there baby." She drew her arms up behind her and wrapped her hands around Reece's neck. Shifting just a bit, Faith started moving herself against the long fingers.

Reece felt her adrenaline pump. "Oh yeah," she groaned. "Do it for me Faith." She looked down the length of her actress's arched body and the visual was getting her more turned on by the second. She began to rub and pinch Faith's nipples harder.

"That feels so good." Faith whimpered. Her slow steady movement allowed her to savor the sensations. Reece allowed this to go on until she thought her heart would explode out of her chest.

"You feel so good... so wet..." Reece angled her hand so two of her fingers were just entering Faith but not all the way. The blonde jerked, and tried to get them inside, but couldn't.

"God... come on!" She begged.

"What do you want?"

"Inside, please..." Faith gasped.

Reece plunged her fingers inside fast, causing a long sexy moan from her lover. Faith started to ride the fingers, slowly at first, but quickly building speed.

"Reece... oh god..." the actress whimpered.

Reece felt an orgasm start to build. She blinked a few times and wondered how the hell that could happen when no one was touching her. "You have no idea what you're doing to me." she whispered into Faith's ear.

"Gonna come baby..." The smaller woman impaled herself one last time and ground down onto Reece's palm. She yelled out and threw her head back. She was met with a hungry mouth and a devouring kiss. The sound of Faith's strangled cry, combined with the feeling of her silky muscles throb around her fingers, caused Reece to join her and groan loudly.

Faith felt the body fall against her back and tremble. After a moment to recuperate, she pulled back from the kiss to study Reece's face. "Did you just come?"

"Yeah, I think I did." she answered breathlessly.

"Wow... thank you." Faith stared at her.

"Thank me?"

"Yeah." she kissed Reece again. "For the fantasy, and the compliment."

The club owner blushed a little before composing herself and lifting the kickstand.

"Reece! My pants are open!"

"Yeah, and mine are wet. We'll be home in a sec... I want more." She brought the bike to life. Faith rolled her eyes in mock annoyance. "What else is new."

------------

Violet and Cori were just sitting down to some coffee after a very adventurous shower.

"Cor? Get me some more sugar?"

The dancer ran over and sat in her lap.

"Well then, if I could pour you in my cup, I would." She replied with a kiss.

"If I wasn't sliding off your lap, I'd sit here all day. Ew. When is the heat going to be fixed?" Cori made a sour face and fetched the sugar bowl.

"I spoke to the landlord's machine yesterday." Violet shrugged.

"I guess I shouldn't complain. I like you in your underwear." The dancer wiggled her eyebrows.

"You'd like me in a potato sack."

"I'd like to be the potato sack. With or without an 'e.'"

"You're insane babe." Violet chuckled.

Cori picked up the kitchen knife and made "Psycho" noises. "Have you met Mother?"

The phone rang and Violet picked up the cordless. "Insane Asylum."

"Uh... hello? This is Brad Rogers. Is Faith there?"

"Hold on a sec." She covered the receiver. "It's Brad, for Faith."

Cori took the phone. "Have you been a good neighbor, Mr. Rogers?"

"Faith?"

"It's Cori, the disappointing freaky chick. You really gotta lighten up honey. What can I do you for, Brad?"

Cori nodded, hmmed, and nodded again.

"Ok Brad, will do. Thanks." She hung up the phone and pursed her lips.

"Spill it." Violet prompted.

"The agency got a phone call yesterday, from a Mr. Quinn Ashford. Faith's father. He wanted to know how to contact his daughter."

"What did they say?"

"Nothing, yet. They forwarded the call to Brad's voicemail, and he just found it this morning. Being that he was looking to find Faith, Brad thought it might be a good idea to talk to her first."

"Good man. So, what are you waiting for? Call her."

Part 8

Reece grabbed her gym bag and was on her way out the door when the phone rang. She chuckled when she heard Cori's heavy breathing on the answering machine. The tone of the dancer's voice made her stop and listen.

"Hey baby... whaddya wearing?

Reece chuckled.

Come on sexy momma.. talk to me..." Cori choked on an inhale. "Fuck me. See, Reece? I'd make an awful perv. Pick up, I gotta talk to you."

Reece stifled a loud laugh, not wanting to wake up Faith.

"Moron."

"Ooo, I love you too, boss," and she blew a kiss.

"Well speak. I'm halfway out the door."

"I got a call from Brad just now... Faith say anything to you about her parents?"

"What does one have to do with the other?" Reece was getting annoyed.

"Faith's dad called the studio looking for her. You know, she hasn't mentioned much to me about them, what about you?"

"Um, nothing. We never uh..got around to it?" Reece kicked the door closed, sat down and took off her jacket.

"No need for excuses, babe, we all know how chatty you can be." Cori laughed.

"Yeah well..." The club owner frowned. Why didn't she tell me about them? Was I supposed to ask?

"Hey, don't get all stupid now, Reece. What do you think we should do? You think she'd freak out that her parents found her?"

"Why is this all of a sudden "us"? Shouldn't Faith be the one.." Then it dawned on her. "Oh, if that were the case, her parents wouldn't be looking for her."

"So, should we tell her?"

"If anything, I'd like to find out why she left in the first place. It can't just be her dad's attitude. Something had to happen. She's just not like that."

"If she was that lacking in patience, you wouldn't have lasted a day, legs."

"Thanks asshole. I think there's a difference there."

They both sighed, brains working too hard this early in the morning.

"Cor, why don't you meet me at the gym. Faith's still sleeping, and then she's got a hair dye appointment..."

"Hold it! A girl never dyes her hair.. learn that."

"A freak on the other hand..."

"Oh, you're a riot. It must piss you off that they fuck with her hair on that show."

"Nah, red, blond, it's all the same to me. She's still mine."

"Oh please, I'm gonna swoon from the romance. I'll be at the gym in half an hour."

------------------

Faith lay in bed for a long while after Reece had left. She'd picked up the phone before Reece did, thinking her lover had already gone. Now she had a stomachache. She felt a little guilty for listening in, but mostly sick about her parents. What the hell do they want from me? This is not good. My father will flip out if he knows I'm living here with Reece. God, he'll flip out if he finds out she owns a strip club!

She threw the pillow on her face. Maybe if I keep it here, I'll starve myself of oxygen and fall blissfully asleep. Mom. She'll drop dead if she finds out I'm sleeping with a woman. Fuck. She rolled over on her stomach and hugged Reece's pillow. It calmed her down. What are Cori and Reece going to do? Hide it from me? Lie to me, confront my parents? Reece will flip out if my dad says something typically derogatory about me. Oh god no... if my father pisses her off...shit. Everything was fine. Why did they have to come into the picture?

Faith groaned and had a tiny tantrum in the bed. She kicked her feet and punched the mattress. Oh yeah, that was mature. I'm an adult! Why do they make me feel like a kid? I don't have to justify anything to them! This is ridiculous. I'll just tell them flat out. Mom, Dad, Reece is my lover. Then after we revive Mom and bail said lover out of jail for attacking Dad after he slaps me... we can all go out for pastry.

-------------

Reece was nearly done when the dancer came bouncing into the gym. She flopped herself down spread-eagle on the floor at the club owner's feet.

"Whoa, nice view, boss. I need coffee."

Reece did another squat, blowing out a long breath.

"Oh yeah, that's very nice form." Cori drooled.

"Oh, that's what you were gawking at? My form?" She squatted again.

"Soooo lovely. I'll dream about this you know."

The tall woman lifted the barbells off her shoulders and shook out her arms. "Show's over."

"Oh well, you get what you pay for." Cori fanned herself. "I swear, Reece, whatever force created you, was a lesbian."

Heads turned curiously towards the pair.

"Great, as if I need more of an audience." Reece shook her head and stalked off to the lockers.

Cori jumped up and followed after her. "Oh really, Reece. Like you don't notice the entire gym staring at you? Please."

"No, I don't, thank you. But now, I'm sure they will since you declared god to be a lesbian." She stepped out of her shorts and twisted out of her wet tank top. She wiped the sweat off her naked torso.

"She's gotta be." Cori's eyes bugged out. "Look at you!" she yelled louder than intended.

Reece looked around at the few women who had followed the dancer's instructions and were now openly staring at her.

"What!? You never saw a woman in her underwear?" she growled at the poor women.

"Uh, babe? I don't think they got that far down yet."

Reece threw her sweaty clothes at Cori and tossed on sweats. "Oh, I'm bending over now, ladies." And she tied her sneakers. The women hurried to get to their own business, properly embarrassed. Reece chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"I was hoping to fart while I bent over."

"And here you call me the freak."

------------

Faith arrived on set early and plopped down heavily in John's chair.

"Buck up, Buttercup!" he smiled and danced.

"Shut up, John."

"Ew." The make up artist frowned. "If it isn't Suzy Sunshine." He replied sarcastically. "I'd have thought you got yours last night."

"Just do my hair please. I'm not in the mood for chatting."

"Again I say.. ew."

Faith shook her head defeatedly.

"Oh come on, Faith. It can't be all that bad? Was Spike a bad girl?"

"It has nothing to do with Reece. My parents are annoying me."

John smiled triumphantly."Oh? What about?" He put the apron on her. "Speak up, honey, I can't hear you."

"That's because I'm not saying anything."

"If you hadn't noticed, I'm a really good listener."

"And a blabber, too." she glared at him.

"Yeah well, I swear I won't repeat this. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a penis in my eye."

"Somehow, I don't see a penis in your eye as an act of torture."

"In some countries it is, Louise." He shook his head solemnly.

"Oh alright. I left my parents, and my life, back in Long Island where they belong. I moved here, got a job, met a talent scout and got this job."

"Aaaand, there's scandal in there somewhere just screaming to get out."

"Yes and no. To us, it's not scandal. To my parents, it's horrifying."

John jumped up and down. "Scandal and horrifying all in the same breath!"

"Easy there, honey." Faith chuckled, glad he could make her laugh.

"Well? I'm plotzing here!"

"Ok, I first got a job as a waitress, in Alphabet City. My apartment was a rat and roach infested nightmare, but I had no skills and couldn't make a better living. Then I met Cori, she's well, she's sorta different. " She glanced at John who was wide-eyed, waiting for more. "Cori is an exotic dancer..."

"Oh goody! A stripper! Here's the scandal! " He tipped her head down to spread the color lower.

"Sooo, she thought I'd make a lot more tips if I worked as a bartender in the club she works at..you know, get a better place to live." She paused for a second.

"Ok, so.... you got the job, fell madly in love, realized you were gay, and now you can't tell your uptight froo-froo parents that you like to eat..."

"JOHN!" Faith interrupted his assumptions.

"Sorry, I got carried away." He grinned sheepishly.

"You know, you're not too far off there." Faith stared at her feet. "Actually, I was really freaked out by it. I wasn't upset that Cori was gay or that the women took off their clothes, though. I was disconcerted by my reaction when I met the owner of the club, Reece Corbett." She blushed.

"Oooh, someone's turning pink. Did you take the job?" John watched as the blush creeped up the back of her bent neck.

"Yeah, and I even danced too."

There was a clattering sound and cursing followed by John's astonished face appearing under hers.

"You mean tassels on the titties dance?"

"Get up. " she laughed. "Yeah, but no tassels."

"Whoo hoo! Girl! You didn't! Scaaaandalous!"

"Yeah, but that's after I told Reece where to go. She came on to me, I let her, but then I freaked out. I blamed it on the alcohol I consumed. Anyway, I danced at a rival club. She showed up there in drag and watched me. It was so cute."

"It's not Shakespeare, but I'll give Butch the 'e' for effort."

"OH, but you should have seen the reaction she had... and what she was wearing..." she blushed harder, and cleared her throat.

"Honey, you know you'll be giving me details at a later date." He thought a second. Hmm, maybe not. To turn that particular shade of red, it has to be entirely too juicy.

"Ok, to make a long story short, my parents are looking for me. They apparently saw me on TV and called the studio. I hadn't told them where I was going, not that they'd care. I really don't have anything to say to them. As a matter of fact, I don't want them in my life anymore, but they're my parents for Christ's sake. Part of me wants them to approve of me, and the other half wants them to fuck off. My mom's not so bad, but I soo want to see my father's face when he sees Reece."

"I wanna see too! Oh yeah! You gotta have her take him for a spin on the bike! Or how about if you put Spike on a leash or..."

"John, I hardly think.."

"Faith, listen, play with this! It's a lot more fun than getting sick over it. Have them come stay by her house and everything! At least think about it. The possibilities are endless."

Faith cocked her head and thought. He has a mighty good point there don't he? Play with it. Hmmmm.

Part 9

After a yawn that threatened to swallow Cori's face, Reece led the dancer to the coffee shop.

"Hey boss, this is the booth Faith and I had that first night, you know, the night we saw you and that tramp on your bike."

"Which one?" Reece took a long swallow of caffeine and sighed.

"The night, or the tramp?" Seeing the look aimed at her, Cori continued. "The night you made an asshole out of yourself, and frightened Faith right out of The Lounge."

"Oh, yeah." The club owner looked uncomfortable. "You called me a pussy cat, Cor, it was humiliating."

"Have you looked at yourself lately? The phrase contains the word pussy..." she smirked.

Reece glared at the dancer. "What's that supposed to mean, Freak?"

"Well, if the whip fits..." Cori motioned to the waitress for more coffee.

"You're calling me pussy whipped!?! I thought you valued your life a bit more than that..."

Cori saw the muscles in Reece's jaw clench. "Easy tiger, you say that like it's a bad thing. It's not, I think Faith was the best thing that happened to you."

"I hardly call that a compliment. I am not whipped." She slapped her hand on the table, drawing a few looks.

"You know, I'd think you were tired of all the attention today." Cori teased.

"This conversation is not over. We came here to talk about Faith's parents, didn't we? So talk." The club owner took a deep breath and put her agitation aside.

"Hokay. Here's what I think..."

"Oh no, not that. I don't want to hear any of your brilliant ideas. How about we just ask Faith what she wants to do?" Reece raised her eyebrow.

"I was thinking more along the lines of you meeting them first and beating some sense into them." Cori grinned.

"Her parents? Why would I do that?"

"That's what I want to do. They hurt her. Faith hasn't a nasty bone in her body, it kills me to think that she was so miserable she had to leave."

"You have a point, Cor, but they're her parents. I don't know."

"Think about it, Reece. She was working in a shithole and living in a tenement. She went from riches to rags. Why would she do that unless there was no other choice?"

"If it weren't for her leaving home, I never would have met her, Cor. I want to slap her parents around as much as I want to thank them." Reece frowned and narrowed her eyes.

Cori studied Reece's expression. "You pissed off she never brought it up?"

"And that I never thought to ask. I must be stupid or something. I suck at this 'relationship' thing. Why does she stick with me?"

Knowing it was a rhetorical question, Cori stared into her mug, while Reece beat herself up.

"Because I love you, asshole."

Reece blinked a few times and Cori blushed.

"Well, scoot over, unless you want me to sit on the table." Faith shoved Reece over with her hip.

"Hi, just talking about you, Red." Cori glanced at Faith.

"So I heard." Faith kissed Reece on the cheek and put her head on her shoulder. "So, tough guy, you wanna beat up my parents?" She smiled at her lover.

"How long were you standing there?" The club owner looked embarrassed.

"Long enough to know that I love you two for trying to protect me, even if you are sneaky little bastards."

"Yeah well, it was Cori's idea." Reece shot Cori a glare.

Cori pointed to herself and acted shocked.

"No, really, it's ok." Faith pushed Reece's mug toward the waitress and gladly accepted the coffee.

"Well, what do you want to do, Faith? Are you going to call him back?" Cori leaned forward across the table towards her.

"I already did." she answered nonchalantly.

"What? But how did you..." Reece was confused.

"I wasn't asleep, baby, leave it at that." She kissed Reece on the lips. "You are so cute, you know that?"

"Faith! I am not cute!" Reece was adamant.

"Yeah, and you're not whipped either." Cori added with a chuckle.

"I'll show you what whipped feels like, Freak!"

"You do not want to go there, Reece."

"Children, do I have to separate you?" Faith laughed.

"But she started." Cori whined then stuck out her tongue. Reece tried to grab it but missed.

Faith just shook her head. "You two are impossible, I really don't know why I love you."

Reece wiggled her eyebrows and smirked.

"Oh that's certainly part of why I love you." Faith leaned over and kissed Reece's lips. "Sexy."

"Oh, no, you don't! Don't start that here. So, what's the deal with your parents?" Cori asked.

"They're going to come to the city for a few days." Faith had a devious grin. "You know, see how the other half lives."

"Uh-oh... Reece, I don't like that look."

-----------

"NO! N-O!" Reece shouted.

Faith threw herself on the couch. "Come on, baby, it's just for a few days."

"Faith, I have no idea how to act in front of your family. I don't want to be uncomfortable in my own house! No."

"Honey, look..."

"No."

"But..."

"Let them stay at Cori's house."

"Reece, I want to show them up, not freak them out. They'll run screaming from..."

"Faith, please, I don't even know the concept of parents. Don't do this to me." Reece closed her eyes, fighting off the building anger.

The actress got a sick feeling in her stomach. "Oh, baby... I'm sorry..." She felt terrible at her lover's admission. "I wasn't thinking."

Reece sat down next to Faith and took her hand. "Look, I'd love to make your parents feel welcome, but I don't know how. What if I...what if they make you upset..." she shook her head, not wanting to continue.

"I know you won't do anything to hurt me. I trust you honey, I do. I swear, you can't embarrass me if you tried."

Faith crawled onto Reece's lap and lay her head on her chest. "I love you. I'll put them up in a hotel room. I'm sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. Ok?"

Reece sighed. I can do this. They're her parents for fuck's sake! She tightened her hold around Faith's body and kissed her head. I have a perfectly good guestroom.... It'll make Faith happy. Reece frowned. I am whipped. She rubbed her cheek on Faith's hair. If I can't handle it, I'll just find something to do at the office.

"Ok, Faith, They can stay here."

The actress lifted her head up and stared at Reece curiously. "What just happened there?" She tapped her finger on her lover's head.

"I changed my mind. I wouldn't want them to have to wake up to Cori and her freaklet in the morning." She pretended to shiver.

"Oh Reece, thank you so much." She grabbed her ears and kissed her soundly.

"Oh yeah. Do I get another thank-you party?"

"If that's what you want." Faith bent down to kiss her again.

"I want, I want." Reece accepted the kiss and stood up with Faith wrapped around her.

"Well, we better hurry then, they're due here in two hours."

Reece dropped Faith and looked around frantically. "Two hours!? Why didn't you tell me?"

Faith watched from the floor as Reece ran into the kitchen and came back out with handcuffs and some leather straps.

"Honey, as much as I'd like to explore that world, now is not the time."

"That's not what I'm doing..." Reece stopped in her tracks. "What? You do? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Honestly, it never came up." Faith blushed.

"Oh baby! Hold that thought." She bent down and kissed Faith. "Help me parent-proof the house. Grab the dildo from in the video cabinet, will ya?"

"What in god's name is it doing there?" The actress looked towards the cabinet.

"You never know." Reece shrugged. "Oh, and there's some lube in the candy dish by the lamp."

Faith watched, astonished, as Reece disappeared into the guestroom with a shopping bag. I really shoulda found some snoop time huh? She chuckled then gathered the items she was looking for. She gave this new dildo the once-over. Hmm, nice, balls and everything...cherry flavored lube? She shivered. Now she tells me. This is going to be a very long few days.

---------------

Faith watched from the doorway as her parents exited the limo. Her stomach turned upside down and she felt like she had to go to the bathroom. She grimaced as her mother received a dirty look. She'd obviously said something that her father didn't like. Then he turned and gave Faith the same look. Her stomach twisted again and she squeezed her butt muscles tightly and prayed she wouldn't do something stupid like shit her pants. Why do they *do* this to me?

"Mom, Dad." She stepped aside to let them in.

"That color is horrible, Faith dear." Her mother said with a sour face.

"Thanks, mom. Have a good drive?" The actress shut the door behind them and led them to the living room.

"This is your home, Faith?" Her dad gave her a disbelieving look.

"Yeah, you want something to drink, Daddy?"

"I'll have a vodka tonic." her mother answered.

"Marsha, you had quite enough in the car. Your mother will have club soda, I'll have a martini."

"Mom, do you want lemon or lime in that vodka?" Faith ignored her father's comment.

"Lemon, dear, thank you." Marsh hmmph'd at her husband.

"How did you manage such a place, Faith? You couldn't possibly afford this on an actress' salary."

"I don't, Daddy. It's my, um, I share it with someone." Someone who I wish was here right now.

Quinn Ashford accepted his drink and shot his wife a dirty look as she sipped from her own.

"That's nice, dear. Will we meet this someone?"

"Yeah, Mom, tomorrow. She works late." And I have a feeling she'll be working very late.

"Are you going to show us to our room?" Quinn stood up and started inspecting the knick-knacks. Her mom followed suit.

"This is very masculine dÈcor, Faith. Are you sure you're not living with a man?"

"Positive, Mom. Positive." Faith smirked despite the situation.

"Well, I could use something to eat. After you show us around, we'll go out to dinner."

"Quinn, honey, don't make assumptions. Maybe Faith would like to cook for us?"

"No, that's quite alright. I have a very good restaurant picked out for us. You'll love it, Mom, it's French."

Faith led them into the guestroom and opened the bathroom door. Marsha took it all in and Quinn just stood there in the middle of the room.

"You're not living with a drug dealer, are you, young lady?"

"What do you mean by that? Only drug dealers make money in this city?" Appalled at the accusation, Faith responded with hostility.

"Well, you don't make this kind of money doing decent work. Just what does this roommate of yours do?"

"She's an entrepreneur." Faith swallowed and left the room quickly.

"Oh? Really?" She heard her father reply, but ignored him.

"I'm going up to change for dinner. Make yourselves at home."

When she got into the bedroom, she burst into tears for no apparent reason. "What the hell is this?" She sobbed. "Why am I crying?" She was forced to sniff back the tears when the phone rang. Composing herself, she answered.

"Sweetheart? Are you crying?" Reece was already panicking.

"Yeah, but I don't know why. It's frustrating as all hell." She wiped her eyes angrily.

"Did they do anything, say anything? I'll come home right now. Do you want me there?" She was already grabbing for her coat.

"Of course I want you here, Reece, I never want to be away from you. But that's not necessary. You finish up with work, I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

"Are you sure? I'll have Cori take care of the new girls."

Faith laughed. "That's like putting the wolf in the hen house. You'll have 20 new employees in as many minutes." She smiled.

"Well, if you say so. I'd rather be there with you. Not so much your parents, but definitely you."

"You know, we can still..."

"Oh, no, you don't, we cannot still anything. Not with them in the house. You're quite the screamer, baby," Reece teased.

"I happen to recall a rather loud orgasm coming from you, too."

"I did no such thing." Reece acted insulted.

"It went something like: "Oh Faith...Fuck! Baby...Yes!"

"I did not, you liar." Reece was instantly horny hearing her lover imitate her orgasm.

"Oh mmmm...yeah! Fuck me!" Faith continued.

"Ok, Faith, that just made me wet." Reece growled.

"Oh, god, me too. Why did I do that?" the actress groaned.

"Save it for me, babe. I'll be home before you know it."

"I might just have to take care of it myself, you know, take the edge off." Faith threatened.

"Don't you dare, I love your edge."

"Reeeece..." Faith groaned.

"Besides, I'm the one locked in an office with a whole shitload of goodies."

"Oh, so that's where you hid the bag. I was really looking forward to taking that fat dildo into the shower with me."

Reece moaned on the other end of the phone. "Oh, what an image I just got."

"Keep it there, I'm going into the shower now. You better get home at a decent hour."

"Or else..."

"Or else I'll take a lot more off than just an edge, wipe myself all over your pillow and sleep in my parents' room."

"Oh, you wouldn't dare."

"I love you, see you later."

"Me too."

Part 10

Faith was snoring loudly by the time Reece snuck into the house. The tall woman rolled her eyes and smirked at the sound. Having skipped dinner, She made a beeline for the kitchen, and frowned as the light from the fridge momentarily blinded her. Rummaging around in the brightness, she settled for a half-stale bagel and a bottle of water and made her way into the living room. As she passed by the guest room, the club owner peeked inside, curious to get a glimpse of the people who had created her Faith.

Judging from the lumps under the comforter, Quinn Ashford was at least 5'8", and solidly built. Marsha was about the same size as Faith, and seeing the familiar blonde hair poke out from the covers made Reece grin. She tiptoed around in the dark and sank heavily into the couch, chewing quietly, and listened as the muffled snorts of her lover floated down the stairs. To some, the sounds of the night were unsettling, but to Reece, the noises of the city and the large dark house were comforting, and she relaxed deeper into the couch. Soon enough, she was fast asleep.

-------------

Faith rolled over in the empty bed and frowned. "Well, I didn't really believe that she'd come home last night." She muttered to make herself feel better. "It's not me, it's them. She loves me." She stood up to stretch.

"OH, DEAR GOD!"

His wife's shriek startled Quinn, who was stretching the last vestiges of sleep from his sore back. He jumped up and ran into the living room, his heart racing a mile a minute, his head filling with all sorts of horror stories he'd read about in the New York Times.

Faith was halfway down the stairs in full panic mode when she heard the crash. She jumped the rest of the way in one leap.

"AAH! Quinn!" Marsha screamed once more.

Faith arrived in time to see her dad holding a small statue, about to make contact with Reece's head.

"DADDY! NO! Put that down!" Seeing the odd look on Reece's face, Faith rushed to her side. She was pushed away as the tall woman leapt off the couch.

"Get off! I'm fine." she growled, picking up broken pieces of the pottery that littered the couch.

Faith noticed that her lover was bleeding from her hands. "What just happened here?" the actress demanded of her mother.

"That.. that.. woman grabbed me!" Marsha clutched her Versace robe tighter against her body. "So I hit her with that offensive southwestern pot."

Faith gave Reece the eyebrow and cocked her head.

"Who the hell are you? What are you doing in this house?" Quinn lifted the statue in a threatening manner.

Reece narrowed her eyes, plucked the figurine out of the man's hands and placed it back on the shelf.

"That is a one-of-a-kind piece. I'd like very much that you not touch my stuff."

"Your stuff?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Yes. This is my house, hence, my stuff." Reece was fuming. It was taking all of her self control not to pick the man up by his nasty BVD's and fling him out the window.

They glared at each other angrily.

The actress was embarrassed.

"Mom, Dad, this is Reece. She's the woman I share the house with," Faith offered as a means of distraction.

"Charmed." Reece bit out sarcastically.

The actress watched as her lover stalked up the stairs. She turned back to her father, who was giving her that look.

"You know, that look may have worked when I was 5, but now it only makes me sick. What were you thinking? How could you do such a thing?"

"That roommate of yours was mauling your mother!"

Faith looked to her mother and she was nodding in agreement, a look of horror on her face, and a fading blush. Curious...

"You are not living here any longer, young lady. I didn't raise you to associate with these...this kind of person! You will move this instant! Deviants, I tell you!"

Unable to listen to the ridiculous ranting of her father any longer, Faith ran upstairs to listen instead to the ranting of her lover.

Reece was pacing in the bedroom, her entire body shaking with tension. Faith anticipated a very combative confrontation.

"Babe, let me take a look at your hands?"

The tall woman stopped stalking and glared at her lover. Faith walked confidently towards her and glared right back.

"I'm in no mood for pride right now, baby, give me your hands."

Reece presented her hands to Faith, and was led into the bathroom to have her cuts tended to.

Grateful that the tall woman was being compliant, the redhead dried the water off with a towel and began applying the band-aids.

"Hon," the actress asked quietly. "What happened down there? Why is mother saying you 'mauled' her?"

"I thought it was you."

"What?!? You what?!" Faith dropped the box of band-aids. "Just what did you do to her?!"

"Babe! I was sleeping, for Chrissake!" The club owner pounded herself in the head. "I felt her walk between my legs and I just pulled her into my lap. It was purely instinctual!" she shouted.

Faith couldn't help herself and started to giggle. The look on Reece's face was absolutely priceless. She had never seen her lover as speechless and startled as she had been when she ran into the living room. And now she knew why. And Mother's face...probably the closest she's come to sex in years. Faith began to laugh outright.

"I am soooo glad you find this amusing! I groped your mother! GOD!" Reece covered her face with her hands and belly-flopped onto the bed. "I can't go down there now!" she groaned.

Faith was guffawing. She knew that if she continued to laugh at Reece's expense, she was going to be in for real trouble. She took several deep breaths and only lost it once before composing herself. After wiping away the tears, she walked over between the long legs and turned Reece over onto her back, the taller woman still covering her head with the pillow.

"Oh, Reece, it's alright." Faith uncovered the club owner's face.

Bright blue eyes carried annoyance with a hint of something Faith was unable to read.

"I'll explain everything to them, ok?" She bent down to give Reece a peck on the cheek but was pulled down and engaged in a very heated kiss.

"Ummm...mmm..." Faith tried to pull away, but was held tighter. Her struggling sounds were replaced by happy ones. "Mm hmm." She wrapped her arms around Reece's neck and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Oh, wow. What brought that on?" Faith managed to get out before her lips were consumed once more. She pressed herself hard into the leather-covered thigh.

"You were a bad girl last night, Faith." Reece narrowed her eyes and stared at her actresses lips.

"What?" Faith was a bit confused at the change of mood in her lover and pulled back to look at her.

"The pillow.. it smells like you were a bad girl."

"Oh..." Faith blushed.

"Did you actually follow through on your threat?" Reece inhaled the pillow once more.

"Well, I didn't intend to at first." she confessed.

"Then explain how my pillow smells like you?"

"I was only hugging it, really, but then I started thinking about what you said, you know, about the bag of goodies..."

"You pictured me playing with myself?" Reece smirked.

"And the bag." Faith lowered her head. "The pillow was just...there...so I uh..."

"Humped my pillow?" she leered. "I thought I told you to wait for me?"

"I thought you said you'd be home to make love to me." Faith countered.

Reece thought about a reply, but raised an eyebrow instead.

"Uh huh. I thought so." Faith kissed Reece's nose and stood up. "I better go down and see to my parents. They're going to be impossible to deal with, so you stay up here for a while to avoid confrontation. Okay?"

"Sure...you go ahead, tell me you masturbated with my pillow and just leave me hanging here." Reece cupped her crotch for emphasis.

"You just get your hand out of there, woman. Any touching being done over there needs my supervision."

"Hell yeah. Go on.. I'll be waiting for you."

Faith winked and licked her lips as she disappeared out the door.

----------------

"So you see, it was an honest mistake." Faith laughed as she explained the situation.

"I don't like the looks of her one bit, young lady."

"Daddy, please.. she's really a good person. I wish you didn't judge people so quickly by what they look like."

Reece stopped eavesdropping on the stairs when she heard Faith get upset.

"Well, only a crazy person dresses in all leather. Or a..."

"Dad, don't you dare..." Faith warned as she saw Reece coming down the stairs.

"Good morning." offered Marsha.

Reece grunted, still embarrassed.

"Reece, be nice." Faith tossed her a look.

"I had no idea who you were, Mrs. Ashford. I was asleep."

"That's ok. What's done is done." She threw up her hands.

"You call that an apology? What are you, on drugs, maniac? Scaring my wife half out of her wits!"

Shit is he hostile! "That was as good as it gets, Sir."

"Dad, please, let's drop this." pleaseohpleaseohplease..

"Fine. I for one would like to put this whole ugly incident out of my head."

"Yes, let's do that." Reece snapped. "It's not like I enjoyed it."

Faith gave her a pleading look, and Reece's nostrils stopped flaring.

"I started a pot of coffee, Reece, would you like some?" Please calm down, baby, Faith prayed.

"Well, how about if I whip up some breakfast for us, huh?"

"Mom, really, that won't be necessary. I'm not hungry anyway."

"Don't be silly, once you smell the bacon, you'll be ravenous. How about a tour around the kitchen cabinets, honey?"

"Alright, if you insist." Faith shot Reece a look ordering her to comply.

"My mouth is watering already. Mrs. Ashford, if Faith learned how to cook from you, then I can hardly wait."

This time, Faith gave Reece a look that she'd never seen before. Whoa, that's new. Baby's got some temper. She chuckled.

"What exactly do you do, Reece? And what kind of a name is Reece? Irish?"

Great. Which one of those zingers do I want to answer first? "Um, it's Italian, actually...

Faith bit her lip so she wouldn't giggle, earning a curious glance from Marsha.

"It doesn't sound Italian to me." Quinn cocked his head and smiled.

Sure, bait me, asshole. "Reece is short for Theresa."

There was a snicker from her lover.

"Ah, I see. So, Theresa, what kind of business are you in?" Quinn gave Reece an eyebrow.

There was a muffled chortle from beside the cabinets.

"I'm self-employed. I own a business." The club owner fidgeted in her chair. She was torn between making a good impression to please her lover and running out of there as fast as she could.

"I see. What kind of business are we talking about? This is quite a spread you have here."

"I own a gentleman's club." She scowled at Faith.

Faith watched in anticipation as her father and lover had "the" conversation. Her mother had stopped scrambling around the kitchen and stood expectantly at her daughter's side.

"A gentleman's club." he repeated, as his face turned slightly pink.

Reece sat taller and her expression changed to defensive.

"She inherited it, daddy. She was left the club in a will," Faith hurried to offer.

"You own a strip club?"

"Yes, I do. Problem?" Reece clenched her jaw.

"Daddy, calm down. Its not like she's doing anything illegal..."

"Illegal, no. Disgusting, yes." He stood up. "Faith, you are not associating with this pig. She's is a freak, a pervert..."

Reece's eyes were huge. Ok, breathe...10..9...8..7...

Faith could see her lover's chest heaving with anger.

"Quinn, dear, please calm down."

"You are not living with a filthy piece of..."

Reece stood up so fast the chair fell over.

Afraid her premonition of Reece beating her father would come true, Faith tried to calm the situation. "Daddy, Baby, please. Let's not get crazy here."

Faith saw the expression on Reece's face change. Immediately she realized what she had said and swallowed hard.

"What did you call her?" Quinn was furious.

Seeing as Faith seemed to be paralyzed, Reece stepped closer to Quinn.

"She called me Baby." The tall woman leaned down into the angry man's face.

"Faith Ashford! Why would you call this rude and nasty woman such a thing?" He pointed wildly in Reece's face.

6...5...4...3..

"Reece is my lover." The actress glanced in the tall woman's direction.

"Excuse me?" Marsha squeaked

"What did you say?" Quinn sat back down with a thud.

Faith walked over and grabbed her lover's hand. The club owner peered down into frightened green eyes and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

With Reece squeezing her hand, and the safety she felt in her eyes, a wave of confidence washed over the actress.

"I said, Reece is my lover." She smiled.

"Why you filthy little.." Quinn's lunge at his daughter was stopped by the taller woman's crushing grip on his wrist.

"Sir, I suggest you sit back down now." She sneered. When he resisted, her face twisted into a sadistic smile.

"Oh Jesus!" he gasped as he felt his bones close to being crushed.

"I said sit!" Reece snarled.

Faith stood frozen as her father obeyed. She was mortified at the turn of events, and frightened by the look on her lover's face.

"Babe, let go of him. It's ok. Come on."

"Your dyke tried to kill me!" he yelled once he had his hand back.

"Quinn! Stop it this instant! Can't you see she was trying to protect Faith?"

"She's an abomination.." He wouldn't look at her, but he gestured in her direction.

"Yeah, well, I'm an abomination too, Daddy. We love each other. We live here in this house in blasphemy and do horribly perverted things to each other on that table."

"Oh my god... I think I'm going to have a heart attack. You're looking to kill me, aren't you?"

"Daddy, grow the hell up." Faith smiled at her lover, who looked like she was desperately trying not to laugh.

"Good lord, Faith! This is how you repay us for all that we did for you? What else are you gong to surprise us with?"

"Well, I could show you my nipple ring." She smirked as Reece made clicking noises with her tongue piercing. "But then you'd have to give me a dollar."

"Marsha! Listen to your daughter!" he yelled frantically.

"I am," she stated calmly. "And I think she told you, didn't she." She winked at the two women.

"Sir, I suggest you find a hotel to stay in if you cannot treat your daughter with respect. This is our house--you're just visiting." Reece stood behind Faith and held her shoulders. "I don't tolerate idiots too well." She looked down at Faith. "I tried, Babe, I tried."

Faith felt a kiss to her hair, and then the warmth and support of her lover was gone.

"You know, Daddy, you had better lighten up, she could have done some serious damage to you. I won't stop her next time."

"Faith, honey, it's ok. I'll take care of your father. You go on and take care of your, um, friend. I will not leave here under such conditions."

"Thanks, Mom. I apologize for this whole thing." she blew out a breath and headed after Reece. What the hell else can happen today?

The doorbell rang. Faith opened the door to find two police officers on the stoop.

"Can I help you?"

"Is this the Corbett residence?"

"Yeah, that freak is Corbett." Quinn motioned towards Reece.

"Reece Corbett?"

She nodded suspiciously.

"You are being placed under arrest. Palms against the wall.. spread 'em."

"Wait a minute! What are the charges? You just can't walk in here.."

"Faith, honey, it's alright."

"Trespassing, aggravated assault, criminal mischief..."

"Son of a bitch!" The club owner realized what was going on.

"Reece! What the hell is going on?" Faith was panicked, holding on to her lover's arm.

"You have the right to remain silent..."

"Honey, it's ok. It's Roy, I'll be alright. Call Nikki, will ya?"

Faith watched as her mother crumpled to the floor in a swoon, her father stood in shock, and her lover was led out the door in handcuffs.

Part 11

Cori bounced into The Lounge and was met with the solemn face of Sam.

"What's with the pout, Sarge?"

"You haven't heard?" Seeing Cori's confused look, the bouncer continued. "Didn't Faith call you?"

"Me and Violet spent the day in the city. Why?" The dancer became scared. "Did something happen to Faith?"

"Reece is in jail." Sam put her hand on Cori's shoulder. "Faith called here, frantic."

"Sarge, what the fuck happened? What did she do? Is she ok? Where's Faith?"

"Calm down, Cori, she's ok, everyone's ok. It would seem the boss paid Roy a little visit that she conveniently forgot to mention. Did him good, from what I hear."

"She's in jail for beating up that asshole? God! Don't the cops know it was a good thing?"

"Well, she took the long way out and half the club with her."

Cori snickered at the mental image of Reece trashing The Playhouse. "Did she call Nikki? Should I?"

"No need, that's what Faith called here for. She had to have gotten in touch with her by now. Why don't you give her a ring?"

"Yeah, thanks. I still can't believe she's in jail. Which one?"

"The big one, downtown. They got her at home."

"At home? But Faith's parents are there!" The dancer's eyes went wide.

"There was a blowout of some sort with them too."

"Oh my god. You know, Faith was afraid something would happen, but I bet she never envisioned this." Cori shook her head. "This is the last thing she needed with the parents there and all."

"I heard her father yelling in the background when she called. I asked if everything was ok, and she blew it off."

"She must be thrilled. Lemme go make that call. Later, Sarge."

"Yep, let m