JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS PART 3

BY MAVIS APPLEWATER

Copyright August 2000

FOR DISCLAIMERS SEE PART 1

A quick note, I made a boo boo. In some of the early postings of part one of the story I used the wrong name for the nightclub that Sydney works at. I accidentally used the name of a real establishment. So you may notice that the name of the club has been changed to protect the innocent and my butt.

As Always For Heather

Olivia was settling into her new role with surprising ease. There were those in the office who felt some resentment towards her promotion. Most notably Rob Vadecki, who said nothing to her face, was constantly snipping behind Olivia's back. This did not surprise her, he was just being his usual snotty self. Rob was one of those guys who was great at taking credit for when things went well and a master at dodging the blame when things did not. Olivia never liked the scrawny weasel. But she didn't have to like him, she just had to tolerate him.

Much to her own surprise the break up with Ruth had left her feeling more at ease with herself. Although she did feel a certain amount of resentment towards Ruth and the good doctor. She did feel hypocritical by her feelings of ill will, but like Rob she could live with it. Olivia threw herself into her work, preparing for Karla's arrival. She felt a deep seeded need to prove herself to her new boss.

She felt certain that she could track down the elusive Charolette Hayden Smith, before Karla's arrival next week. After all in this modern world there is nothing a person can't find out. Unfortunately it did appear that there was definitely something she couldn't find out. She could not track down the mysterious novelist. "Well I understand her need for privacy." Olivia groaned in exasperation into the telephone. "No . . . you don't understand, my company has a very lucrative offer for her." Olivia was at her wits end. "Fine could you at least pass a message onto her?" The woman from Ms. Smith's present publisher had been stonewalling her for the better part of an hour. "Why not? Hello?"

Olivia hung up the telephone in frustration. "She hung up on me." Olivia spoke aloud to her empty office. She rested her face into her hands as she tried to think of something, anything that would shed light on the writer's whereabouts. The buzzing of her telephone snapped her out of her musings. She pressed her intercom in response. "Yes, Robyn?" She said wearily to her assistant. The thought of it made her smile. "I have my own assistant. My, you have come a long way from Chapel Hill."

"Miss James is on line two." Robyn informed her.

"Thank you Robyn." Olivia said with slight smile as she secretly looked forward to hearing the tall brunette's sultry voice.

Unconciously she brushed back her short blonde hair, straightened her posture and wiped her now sweaty palms on her skirt before answering the call. "Good Morning, Miss James." Olivia managed to say in a professional tone.

"Good Morning Olivia." Karla's deep voice floated from the other end of the country. "I've been going over the data you sent me and everything looks great."

"Thank you, Miss James." Olivia replied with a smile.

"I just have a few quick questions." Karla began as Olivia could detect the sounds of papers being shuffled around. "First off I understand that you are getting a new Governor."

"Oh yes, Thanks to our new President we are finally loosing our Governor to Canada." Olivia grumbled at the thought that Howdy Doody had actually been elected President. "So are we changing our position on doing her PR?"

"Not a chance." Karla responded firmly. "But we need to make sure we don't ruffle her feathers. Since she is going to be the Govenor we need to keep in her good graces. If we have to we could do some smaller projects for her. But nothing major."

"No problem." Olivia reassured her. "I've already excused us from working with her. I pointed out that since we do work for the Big Dig it could be considered a conflict of interest."

"Smart girl." Karla smiled into the phone allowing herself to get carried away by the tone of Olivia's voice.

Both women found themselves in a comfortable silence unknowingly they both allowed their minds to wander, thinking only of how good the other sounded.

"Now that is settled, how is everything going with my favorite pet project?" Karla said, suddenly breaking the spell when she realized that neither had spoken for several moments.

Olivia groaned in response. "Not good." She admitted shyly. "I can't find out anything. There seems to be no way of contacting her directly. I tried the internet, the phone book, and everything else I could think of. But it seems that the only way to get a message to her is through her publisher. The woman doesn't even have an agent. Frankly I don't get it. Don't these people usually seek out notoriety?"

"Apparently not." Karla chuckled slightly.

"I just feel like I'm letting you down." Olivia admitted with a hint of saddness.

"Hey give yourself a break here." Karla offered in a firm yet gentle tone. "You just got started."

"Yeah well." Olivia sneered. "I have some feelers out to high schools and colleges. If she is a local she has to pop up somewhere. It's a little difficult since I have no idea how old she is. That and I never realized how frustrating it was trying to track down someone who's last name is Smith."

"Okay then you get back on it and I'll see you in a few days." Karla offered with a light laugh.

"I live to serve." Olivia teased. "If you need me and can't reach me at the office let me give you my beeper number. I never shut it off so you can reach me anytime. I can call you back on my cell phone. Ready?"

"Go ahead." Karla responded in an odd tone.

"617-555-4039." Olivia said carefully.

"Got it." Karla's voice answered with the same strange tone. "What about the other number, the one from your personal file?"

"I . . . uhm." Olivia breathed heavily not wanting to go into details. "I've moved recently and I'm staying with a friend until I find a new place. If you need me just page me."

"Oh." Karla said heavily.

Olivia listened to the silence coming from the other end of the reciever. She was fighting with herself over wether or not she should go into further detail. She waited patiently as she tried to think of something to say that would ease the situation. She glanced at her watch quickly and smiled as something occurred to her. "Aren't you at work a little early?" She blurted out. "I just looked at my watch and realized that out there the sun hasn't even risen yet."

"I'm still at home." Karla confessed. "I got tired of packing and decided to check in with you."

"Oh I see." Olivia laughed. "So you were bored and thought of me? I'm flattered."

"Something like that." Karla quipped. "Look I'll let you get back to work and I'll touch base with you soon."

After they exchanged their goodbyes Olivia hung up the telephone unable to shake the warm feeling she was experiencing after hearing Karla's voice. "This is so bad."

CHAPTER NINE

Karla stood staring at the telephone before casting a glance around the mess in her apartment. She tried to decipher what was troubling her more at that moment; the mess in her soon to be ex-residence or the one inside of her head. "What the hell did I do?" She asked the small orange tabby who was sleeping peacefully on top of one her black cashmere sweaters. Karla didn't attempt to move the feline, after having conceded her loss to the cat years ago. "Tell me Howard, did I screw up someone's life? She moved out. I caused this." The cat looked up at her with sudden interest. "But then again Olivia did say there were problems in her relationship. And her lover couldn't have known that she had an affair unless she told her right?" Howard just looked at his owner quizzicly wondering just when he was going to be fed. "So I didn't mess up anything, then why do I feel so guilty? Talk to me boy, what should I do?" She asked the cat. Howard realizing that he was not going to be fed anytime soon began to clean himself. "Thanks alot Pal!" Karla growled at the ball of fur. "Some help you are. You know if I could do that I probably wouldn't be in this mess right now."

"Enough Karla!" She warned herself. "It was just one night stop over-analyzing it. All this proves is that Olivia was being honest with me about problems in her relationship." Karla took a calming breath and returned to her packing. She had decided that she would ship most of her stuff out ahead of her and simply get rid of the rest. As she looked at the now neatly stacked boxes that represented her soul worth on this planet she was startled to realize that she had very little to show for her thirty four years.

It wasn't a materialistic observation, in fact it was quite the opposite. There was her stereo equipment, vcr, dvd, computer and television. The furniture held no interest for her to keep. What was missing were personal items. Of course moving around so much as kid had alot to do with that. It's hard to feel settled when you have a new father every couple of years. Nothing seemed permanent in the land of neon she had been raised in. Then of course there was her biological father Harry. He was a good guy; he was just very stuck in the sixties. She and Harry would get together every now and then when she would bail him out of jail. Harry was most definitely a character.

Things at the office were finally falling together so she could leave for the eastcoast soon. But the unexpected delay meant that she and Howard would now have to fly out there instead of driving. The thought of going back up into the friendly skies made her stomach turn. "It will be alright." She told herself. Shaking herself out of her thoughts she tried to organize what she needed to do for her trip. She dug out the much needed list of things she needed and added a few more.

After making all of the telephone calls she needed to handle she showered and dressed and left for the office. Work that day proved to be easy. Kenny was slipping into his new role with ease. Tim had taught the young man very well. The extra time allowed Karla to handle some more last minute details. It also gave her time to allow her mind to wander. Her thoughts constantly drifting towards a certain blonde. More than once during the day she found herself asking Kenny about her new assistant.

Once she arrived home she decided to take a hot bath and relax; hopefully the allure of the vanilla scented bubbles and a nice glass of Zinfandel would be the calming influence she needed. She sighed as she lowered herself into the steamy bath. Howard perched himself on the rim of the tub and watched the bubbles with fasination. Occasionally the feline would reach out and try to capture one of the elusive bubbles. "Watch it Howard." Karla warned. "You're just going to fall in like you always do." The cat looked at her in disbelief. "Hey don't say I didn't warn you." Karla chuckled.

"Tell me Howard, what is it about Miss Olivia Davenport that has me so hot and bothered?" Karla asked the feline. Howard paid no attention to the human as he watched the water. "I've been good at putting some distance between us. I didn't correct her when she started calling me Miss James. That was good right?" Karla looked over at the orange tabby who wasn't paying any attention to her. "Some help you are. Maybe I should have gotten a dog." She snorted. Howard simply meowed in disgust at the very idea.

Karla closed her eyes as she tried to release herself from the thoughts of the impending move and working side by side with her beautiful assistant. She felt herself beginning to drift off as images of Olivia's body crept into her mind. "What the hell." She conceded as she began to create a fantasy in her mind. She pictured Olivia standing in her office late one night. Olivia approached her slowly. She was wearing a short black dress that allowed Karla to see her cleavage peeking out. Karla chuckled slightly at the thought of Olivia wearing something like that to the office. "Oh well it's just a fantasy." Karla sighed as she began to picture the petite blonde's hands reaching up and gently begin to caress Karla's shoulders.

Karla absently began to caress her own body. She was lost in her musing, disturbed only slightly at the sounds of Howard chasing the ever elusive bubbles. With one hand cupping her own breast her other hand was beginning to trail down her body as she pictured Olivia's hands touching her. Her hand slid between her legs, when a sudden splash jolted her back to reality. She laughed at the sight of the now soaking wet tabby trying to make his way out of the tub. "Hey I warned you." Karla laughed as she lifted the extremely agigtated cat out of the water. "Well so much for playtime." Karla sighed as she stepped out of the tub so she could take care of the dripping wet Howard.

The following week Karla found herself gripping the arm rest of her seat on the airplane. She gave a fearfull glance over at the pet carrier seated next to her. Howard was sleeping peacefully thanks to the pills from the vet. Feeling no comfort from the sleeping animal Karla braced herself for the landing at Boston's Logan Airport. "Almost on the ground." Karla muttered to herself. It had only taken one transfer and three delays but she was almost there.

She added a silent prayer that her luggage would be waiting for her as well. She shipped her belongings on ahead of her and she hoped that they would arrive in Boston sometime this century. She had sold off her funiture and at the last minute her car. Now that she wasn't driving to the eastcoast, she wouldn't need it. She could always buy a new one if she needed to. She had heard the horror stories of trying to find parking in the city and when she had visited last month to meet with Tim she found the drivers in the area a little unsettling to say the least.

Karla breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the plane landed safely. She gathered up her belongings and Howard and waited for her turn to depart the aircraft. She needed to find the baggage claim, then her luggage and then a taxi. She had the address of the apartment she would be renting temporarily written down. "I hope we like our new home Howard." She offered to the sleeping feline.

As she stepped past the security gate she began to search for signs that would lead her into the right direction. She held Howard's carrier tightly in front of herself while she balanced two bags on her shoulders. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a familar blonde. A slight smile crossed her lips as she watched Olivia approaching.

CHAPTER TEN

Olivia saw her the moment she stepped through the crowd. It was hard to miss Karla James even in the hub bub of the airport. "Hi." Olivia offered shyly as she approached the taller woman. She relaxed slightly when she saw the smile Karla offered in return.

"What are you doing here?" Karla asked softly.

"I know you said you didn't need any help." Olivia quickly explained. "But I know how crazy it is here. I'm glad I did, you're loaded down like a pack mule. You have more bags I take it."

Karla nodded in reply. "Are you okay?" Olivia asked quickly as she held out her hand for Karla's claim checks. "You look a little pale."

"Oh I'm fine." Karla lied not wanting the petite blonde to know about her fear of flying. "I was a little worried about Howard here." Karla shifted the carrier.

"Oh." Olivia smiled in disbelief as she peeked into the pet's carrier. "Yes, I see what you mean. He looks absolutely traumatized." Olivia chuckled softly as she looked up from the sleeping feline.

"Okay." Karla blushed deeply. "I hate to fly." She confessed as Olivia directed her towards the escalator.

"Don't worry your secret is safe with me." Olivia smiled in return. "I've rented a car. How many bags do you have?"

"Three." Karla sighed as they made their way over to the proper baggage carousel. "You don't own a car?"

"Not much need for one when you live in the city." Olivia explained. "Plus the parking in town sucks. Not to mention the insurance rates in this state. Sydney has one but it tends to break down alot."

"Sydney?" Karla questioned. "That's one." She went to reach for the bag but Olivia grabbed it before she could.

"Sydney Chase." Olivia explained. "My friend that I'm staying with until I find a new apartment."

"Oh." Karla said with a hint of discomfort. She felt a wave of guilt wash over her when Olivia mentioned her new living arrangments. Karla shifted nervously as Olivia gathered the last of her luggage. "That's nice of him to put you up." Olivia laughed brightly as she directed Karla out of the airport terminal and into the parking area. "What?" Karla asked in confusion.

"Nothing it's just that Chase is most definately not a man." Olivia smiled as she led Karla over to the green Ford Focus she rented for the weekend. "She's a very old friend of mine. It was nice of her to give me a place to crash. I need to find something soon though, two people sharing a studio in Cambridge is less than ideal."

"A bit cramped?" Karla inquired as they loaded her bags into the small car before strapping Howard's carrier into the backseat. Karla then squeezed herself into the car. "They just make these cars for normal sized people." Karla groaned. Olivia looked over from the driver's side with a teasing smile. "Oh I don't know I find it quite comfortable." Olivia smiled brightly as she cast a quick glance over Karla's long legs.

"Where to Miss. James?" Olivia offered brightly. Karla reached into her pocket and pulled out the slip of paper that had the address of her new apartment. "Do you know how to get there?" Karla asked hesitantly.

"Oh sure." Olivia replied. "That's a nice area of Brookline. Lot's of restaurants and shopping."

"Really?" Karla brightened at the thought.

"You don't know where your apartment is?" Olivia questioned her as started the car.

"Uhm no." Karla confessed. "I just had a realtor find me something."

Olivia just shook her head in disbelief. "Well I'm glad I picked you up, after we get you settled I can show you around town." Olivia suddenly wondered if she might be overstepping their boundries. "I mean if that's alright with you, Miss. James.?"

"Yeah that would be great." Karla smiled as she cast a glance in the backseat noticing that Howard had just begun to stir. "Olivia how about when we are not in the office you call me Karla?" She offered shyly as she cautiously eyed her companion. "Damn she looks good today."

"Okay, Karla." Olivia smiled as she stole a glance at Karla's body. As they made their way through the congested roadways they managed to engage in small talk. On more than one occasion Karla found herself hanging onto the dashboard. "Does everyone drive like this?" Karla gasped at one point. "This is Boston." Olivia offered simply.

"I thought LA was bad." Karla's eyes widened as she swallowed hard when Olivia maneuvered around another construction site.

"You've been here before, right?"

"Yeah. When I met with Tim a few months ago." Karla tried to explain. "I mostly took the trains. When I did take a cab I just assumed that I had a lousy driver." Olivia simply laughed in response.

They arrived at Karla's new home in Brookline and Olivia double parked so they could unload Karla's belongings. Karla attended to Howard who was beginning to meow in protest. Once they brought Karla's bags up to the third floor apartment, Olivia rushed downstairs to move the car to a legal parking space.

Upon returning she looked around Karla's very empty apartment. "Do you have more stuff coming?" Olivia questioned her as she noticed the scowl on Karla's face. "Books, electronics, clothes. You know stuff like that." Karla groaned.

"Funiture?" Olivia asked with concern.

"No." Karla's eyes narrowed at the empty space before her. "The realtor was supposed to find me a furnished apartment. This is supposed to be temporary until I can find something else more permanet."

"It's a nice place . . . . empty but nice." Olivia mused.

"Well first things first." Karla stated firmly. "Howard is going to need some provisions."

"Okay we can take a quick trip to Shaw's and get everything that Howard needs." Olivia offered. "But what about you?"

"What do you mean?" Karla inquired.

"Karla, where are you going to sleep?" Olivia chuckled. "Or more to the point on what? Shaws doesn't stock beds and at this hour I'm not sure what we can find. I'd offer to put you up but I'm staying with Chase."

"Three's a crowd." Karla teased.

"Knowing Chase if she caught a glimpse of you I'm certain she would be more than willing to find a place for you." Olivia teased in return.

"The friendly type is she?" Karla responded with a knowing smirk.

"To say the least." Olivia chuckled. "Wait, I have an idea. I have a ton of stuff in storage including a futon. Ruth never liked my stuff but there were things I just didn't want to get rid of. I guess that should have been a sign huh?"

"Ruth?" Karla asked carefully.

"My ex." Olivia offered quietly. "Come on let's go get Howard everything the little guy needs before he has an accident." Olivia changed the subject quickly as she grabbed Karla's arm to lead her out the door. Their eyes locked for a moment as each felt a rush of desire race through their bodies.

They went to the local supermaket and stocked piled on a few essentials that Karla would need to get her through the weekend. Olivia couldn't help but notice that most of the purchases made were for Howard. When Karla went to grab a can of coffee, Olivia stopped her. "We'll stop at Dunkies and get you a pound of that." Olivia stated firmly. "It's time you became a real New Englander. None of that Starbucks crap either."

"We do have Dunkin' Donuts in California you know." Karla groused. "I think there is one in San Jose."

"That must be quite a drive when you need coffee." Olivia snorted in amusement.

"Hey a donut shop is a donut shop." Karla objected as she paid for her purchases.

"Blasphemy!" Olivia scowled loudly causing the young cashier and Karla to stare at her oddly. She just shrugged and ignored the staring.

They loaded up the car and made their way back to Karla's apartment after making a quick stop at Dunkin' Donuts for a pound of coffee. "You need a coffee maker." Olivia pointed out as Karla set up Howard's litter box. "And a bean grinder, I'm sorry I didn't think about that when we bought the coffee. I think I have those in storage as well." Olivia's face suddenly frowned when a realization hit her.

"Okay." Karla answered as she opened a can of food for Howard was now circling her legs demanding attention. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah." Olivia answered softly. "I just remembered where the keys are to my storage locker."

"Problem?" Karla inquired as she set down a plate of food for Howard. "You're welcome." She spat at the cat who was now ignoring her.

"No." Olivia said a little too quickly. Karla gave her a curious glance. Olivia suddenly found herself in an awkward situation. "It's just that the keys are in my old apartment. I didn't take alot of stuff with me when I left. In fact I left only with the suitcase I brought to New York. I haven't had the stomach to go back."

Karla remained silent for a moment before speaking. She didn't like having this hanging over them. It was time to clear the air. "Do you want to talk about it?" She offered gently.

Olivia didn't respond she just stood there contemplating what she should do. She knew that she was being a coward for not facing Ruth. Sydney had pretty much said that to her already. It was that she was just so angry at how Ruth had betrayed her. Which of course caused her to recall her own feelings of guilt. "I can't. You're my boss." Olivia finally offered weakly.

"Not today I'm not." Karla countered uncertain as to why she was about to break her own ground rules. She wrapped a comforting arm around Olivia's body. She found herself smiling internally as the smaller blonde leaned into her touch. "Today, I'm just a friend that you picked up at the airport."

Olivia allowed herself to relax, feeling strangly comforted by being held in Karla's embrace. She found herself caught in the scent of Karla's body. Her mind swooned as she realized that the woman wasn't wearing any perfume and that the intoxicating aroma was pure Karla. As Olivia found herself snuggling closer to the taller woman, Karla was fighting her own battle. The closeness of Olivia's body was causing her heart to beat wildly not to mention her lower body parts were doing their own happy dance at the moment.

Olivia could feel Karla's heart racing in a steady rhythm that seemed to match her own. Hesitantly Olivia pulled away slightly. "Well friend we need to get you some stuff." She offered shyly. "Frankly I can't stand the thought of you trying to survive without some of the creature comforts. How do you feel about futons?"

"They're okay." Karla answered in confusion as Olivia pulled away from her.

"I noticed there was a shop along the way to market." Olivia said. "We could pick you up one for now. You can't very well sleep on the floor."

"That's a good idea." Karla responded as her body felt a sudden chill; missing the warmth of Olivia's touch.

"We should get a move on then." Olivia suggested. "I'm not sure what time they close. If you decide you don't want to keep it later on, I'm certain you could always sell it to one of the college kids in the area."

"You are so smart." Karla smiled brightly. "I knew I liked you. Are there alot of students in the area?"

"Are you kidding?" Olivia snorted. "You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting an institute of higher learning."

Howard meowed sharply at her comment. "Sorry!" Olivia laughed. "I had no idea he was so sensitive." Karla simply laughed in return as they gathered up their coats and headed out the doorway once again.

"What do you think of this one?" Olivia asked Karla who seemed to be preoccupied. They had been roaming through The Futon Palace for almost an hour. Olivia carefully studied each unit, checking the price and size. Karla found herself bored, her mind as well as her eyes kept drifting towards Olivia's well defined backside. "Karla?" Olivia's voice snapped Karla back into reality.

"Hmm?" Karla sighed heavily disappointed that she could no longer watch the one thing that held her attention since their arrival at the store.

"I was asking what you thought?" Olivia repeated as she turned back towards the futon in question.

"Very nice." Karla responded absently as her eyes returned to Olivia's backside.

Olivia turned back towards Karla and offered her a strange smile. "Excuse me." She called a sales clerk over. "Does this model come in a king size?"

"Yes." The young woman answered brightly.

"Is it in stock?" Olivia continued.

"I'll check on that." The saleswoman answered and walked away.

Olivia walked over to Karla and leaned up to the taller woman's ear. "You do know that I was asking you about the futon and not my ass?" Olivia whispered hotly into Karla's ear. Karla's jaw dropped as her face turned an unnatural shade of red. "I thought so." Olivia laughed lightly as she lifted her fingers to Karla's gaping jaw and gently closed it. "You are sooo busted." Olivia chuckled lightly as she watched the woman shift uncomfortably.

"I wasn't . . ." Karla began to stammer. "I'm sorry it was completely inappropriate of me." She finally managed to squeak out.

"Karla, it is alright." Olivia cut in. "One of the reasons I wanted to meet you at the airport was so we could spend time together. I was hoping to put some of the awkwardness we felt in New York behind us. Look we are not at work right now. And we know the ground rules about not letting that happen again. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen."

"So. . . you are not offended?" Karla asked her carefully.

"Do I look offended?" Olivia questioned her seriously.

"No." Karla smiled slightly. "Although you look rather pleased with yourself at the moment."

They shared a warming glance at one another until the return of the saleswoman broke the spell. Karla cleared her throat loudly and forced herself to pay attention to the saleswoman. Karla paid for her purchases and they brought the rental car around back. After an intense struggle they managed to secure the frame of the futon to the roof and stuff the matress in the trunk. Olivia felt tense when she sat into the driver's seat of the car. It wasn't the struggle to secure Karla's new futon or driving thru the busy city with it strapped on the roof it was the accidental touching that had occurred.

At one point Karla had been behind her as they were trying to jam the mattress into the trunk of the car. The feel of Karla pressing into her body had sent her pulse racing. Not to mention a sudden throbbing eminating from a decidedly southern location. The image passed thru her mind while they found themselves waiting at the stop light. Olivia could feel her chest tightening as she looked over at Karla. "It would be so easy to just lean over and kiss her. God I feel like one big hormone! But she is such a good kisser. Stop it! Now!" She mentally chastised herself as she felt her jeans becoming damp. Thankfully the light changed and she could focus on driving.

Olivia's condition seemed to worsen as she drove along the streets of Brookline. The cramped quarters of the small car were filled with the delicate scent that was most definitely Karla. There was something about the way this woman smelled that drove Olivia's libido into overdrive. This was going to be much harder than she anticipated. "Just focus on driving." She cautioned herself despite Karla's earlier reassurances that this was simply an outing between friends, Karla was still her boss. Of course the situation seemed to be getting worse since they had to drive very slowly because of the futon frame strapped onto the roof of the car.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Miraculously somehow Olivia managed to endure the drive. The struggle to get the new futon into Karla's new apartment was another matter. Olivia was holding the top end walking backward up the staircase, while Karla was supporting the bottom. "Try turning to the left." Olivia instructed the taller woman as they struggled to get the futon frame up the staircase. Karla responded to Olivia's suggestion. Olivia inhaled sharply as she watched the taller woman's arms tighten. The sight of those well defined forearms caused Olivia's chest to tighten. Her palms began to sweat and before she realized it the hold she had on the wooden frame began to slip. "Careful!" Karla called out effectively alerting Olivia to the situation. Stumbling slightly she managed to regain her balance and not drop her end. "Are you okay?" Karla asked with concern.

"Yeah." Olivia gasped as she tightened her grip. "I'm fine. It just got away from me for a second."

The two woman worked together to maneuver the funiture. The occasional touching was proving to be too much for Olivia. Despite the chill of the approaching evening she found herself sweating. "Just keep moving and get this done then you can excuse yourself and go back to Sydney's and release some of this tension. This shouldn't be too hard. It's not that bad really. Liar! It's the first time we've spent anytime together since New York. Once today is over with we should be able to see each other every day at work. Liar, liar pants on fire."

Olivia tried to steady her breathing at the thought of having to work closely, very closely to this woman every day. Mentally she tried to convince herself that it wasn't going to be a problem. She felt herself becoming exasperated knowing that she was only fooling herself. The conflict between her desires and her common sense were now engaged in a full fledge war.

The two women found themselves exhausted once they had the futon set up in the living room. "Are you sure you want it in here?" Olivia questioned her. "Yeah." Karla answered sighing deeply as she dropped down onto the futon. " I can use as a couch. I'll only be sleeping on it until I have time to go out and buy a bed. This way I won't have to move it again." Karla reasoned.

Olivia found herself sitting on the futon next to the taller woman. "I guess I can skip the gym tonight." Olivia chuckled.

"I'm sorry about this." Karla apologized. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."

Without thinking Olivia shot the dark haired beauty a suggestive glance before she could stop herself. Once she realized what she had just done she blushed deeply. Karla laughed heartilly. "Now that is an attractive shade of red." Karla noted as the embarrassed blonde buried her face into her hands. "Well that makes us even for what you did to me at the Futon Palace." Karla continued to tease her.

"I didn't do anything." Olivia countered as she swatted Karla playfully. "I was just making an observation."

"Uh huh." Karla responded as she absently ran her tongue across her teeth.

Olivia found herself mesmerized by the site of the pink appendage peeking out. "I should be going." She said abruptly as she shook her head trying to erase the erotic images that were now dancing merrily thru her mind.

"Oh." Karla responded in a disappointed tone. "Well uhm . . ." She scrunched up her beautiful features. ". . . I'm sorry, I didn't mean to monopolize your time. I was hoping to take you to dinner . . . but if you have plans. . ."

"No." Olivia blurted out quickly. Her jaw dropped as she realized how insane she must sound. "I mean I don't have any plans and I would love to go to dinner with you."

"You had me worried there for a moment." Karla laughed lightly. "Where would you suggest that we go."

"I don't know." Olivia responded thoughtfully. "Given our attire and that we smell like we've been moving furniture. . . how about some take out from that little Thai place on the corner."

"Are you insinuating that I stink?" Karla chuckled as Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "Okay point taken. Take out is is then."

Twenty minutes later the two women found themselves stretched out on the floor in front of the new futon arranging cartons of food in front of them. "Sticks or plastic fork?" Karl inquired as she handed a paper plate over to Olivia.

"Sticks, please." Olivia answered as she reached across the taller woman to retrieve a container hidden behind her. "That wouldn't be the Pad Thai hidden behind you would it?" Olivia inquired playfully as her body accidentally brushed across Karla's chest.

"Oh is that over there?" Karla answered an innocent tone.

"I see, holding out on me already?" Olivia laughed as reached for the container.

"Trust me I would never hold out on you." Karla responded in a husky tone before she could stop herself.

Olivia turned to the woman to make a snide comment in response. As she turned she realized just how close they were to one another. Her body was balanced over Karla's lap as she turned their breasts brushed together. They found themselves locked in a fiery gaze. Neither spoke as their lips came together. Brushing slightly against the other's in a timid motion. Their eyes locked once again as their hearts raced uncontrollably. Uncertain that it was the right thing to do Olivia found herself allowing her heart and body to take control. She lowered her head slightly and captured Karla's mouth with her own.

The moment quickly became heated as Olivia deepened the kiss. She playfully teased Karla's bottom lip, nipping at it gently. She could hear Karla moaning with pleasure as her tongue entered her mouth. Karla's hands began to caress Olivia's back pulling her closer to her. Suddenly Karla broke away and Olivia found herself looking into a pair of very frightened eyes. "I should go." Olivia said abruptly as she pushed herself up off of the other woman. Standing on shaky legs she gathered up her keys and forced herself out the door before either of them could change their minds.

End Of Part Three

TBC

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