INSTALLMENT ONE


The glass door slowly slid open as the tall sleek figure quietly entered the shower. A thick cloud of steam shrouded the bathroom leaving the air heavy with humidity. The dark haired woman closed in on her unsuspecting prey as the sound of the shower's spray pounded against the shower floor. Long slender fingers glided across hot drenched skin and the petite blonde leaned back into long protective arms. The two wet hot bodies began to sway against each other and the shorter woman reached up behind her to bring the taller woman's mouth down to kiss the expanse of her neck. She could feel her lover's hand make its slow torturous journey down to her sopping wet center and long fingers begged for entrance.

Brrring, Brrring?Brrring, Brrring.

"No?No?No." Not wanting to wake from her sleep induced fantasy, a hand groped at the offending sound wanting nothing more than to project it across the room. Slowly gaining consciousness, her body still tingled from the effects of her very provocative dream.

BRRING, BRRRING?

All right already. "Hello?" Brett's voice answered in a sleepy haze.

"Hi sleepy head." A low seductive voice answered on the other end.

"Uh?Who is this?" Still not quite awake, but well aware who was on the line. She would recognize the voice even if she were unconscious.

"You mean you don't know?" The voice purred into the receiver.

"You know if my girlfriend finds out that you keep calling here, she's going to be very upset." Brett was still feeling very aroused from her dream and hearing her lover's voice on the phone just amplified its effects.

"Really? If she was any kind of a girlfriend, she wouldn't leave you all alone in that big bed by yourself this early in the morning."

Victoria smiled thinking about the love of her life sprawled across the length of the bed. In the last month, Tori found that although Brett was a very petite woman, no bed was big enough for her. Tori would always wake up to find herself teetering precariously close to the edge of the bed with a very beautiful Brett pinning her in place almost fully on top of her.

"I'm sorry but I don't remember mentioning I was alone."

Tori snapped out of her reverie. The statement caused her to cringe in jealousy. Hesitantly she replied, "Really??well maybe I should call you later?" Her voice sounding stilted.

Brett could hear the hurt in Tori's voice and thought she had better do some damage control. And quick. Looking across the bed, she could not help but smile. There lying on Tori's side of the bed was her furry friend.

********

They had been staying at Tori's family estate in South Hampton for the last month. Tori had offered to help take care of her older brother Ian's kids, while he and his wife took a much needed vacation in Colorado. Brett would visit with her grandparents, write, or teach once the Spring Semester started while Tori went to conquer the world at Hull Enterprises. In the evenings, they would entertain Tori's nephew, Marcus and little baby Dominique Elizabeth. Brett had learned many things about Tori in the last month and if it was possible, had fallen even deeper in love with her. All the qualities that Brett loved about Tori seemed to have blossomed and she found herself drawn even more to the woman that had always captured her heart. After the kids were asleep, they would spend quiet evenings together talking over a candlelit dinner or exploring each other in the privacy of Tori's bedroom. Their lovemaking was very intense and often times lasted well into the morning. Brett had often worried that Tori would be unable to function properly at work but somehow their relationship supplied a vital energy to both of them. As the month dwindled down, they slowly but surely became more at ease with one another. Not that they ever really had a problem with that. As the days unfolded, the bond that they shared intensified. Their connection spilled over into their work, giving them much satisfaction and each supplied the other with the love and support they had craved for so many years.

The weekend before Ian and Pamela were due to return, Brett and Tori took the kids to the city to enjoy the sites and bring the kids to FAO Schwartz. Brett laughed as Tori left behind her corporate persona and morphed into a kid again. She jetted around like a child with little Marcus following playfully behind. She bought a wide array of toys for her niece and nephew, many of which the kids would not be able to enjoy for quite some time. She argued that Dominique Elizabeth and Marcus were just as brilliant as she was and would be using the toys in no time flat, although Brett suspected many of the play things were for her six-foot overgrown baby.

"Whatever you say honey?." Brett patronized Tori. "I can't wait to see Pamela and Ian's face when they see the miniature Harley Davidson Motorcycle you bought for Marcus. I'm sure that's gonna go over really well."

"Sweetie?.You know how important family is to me. By getting this bike, I'm insuring that Marcus and I will spend much needed family time together when he gets older." Tori had a big smile on her face.

"Oh really? And how does that work exactly?" Brett inquired.

"Well in the summers when he gets old enough, we can take our bikes out and I'll show him the subtle art of cruising chicks. The girls dig motor bikes and I happen to have a Harley Davidson Heritage Road King Classic in Purple and Diamond Ice." Tori wiggled her eyebrows and gave Brett a shit-eating grin.

"You most certainly will not." Brett responded in outrage. "At least not if you want to continue seeing me. All your cruising days are over, Buddy. The only rides you are taking are with me. Do I make myself clear?" Brett's hackles were up and Tori loved to get a rise out of her whenever she could.

"Is that so?" Tori stepped closer to Brett. Slowly she lifted her hand and ran her fingers across Brett's lips. If they weren't in the middle of the huge toy store, Tori would have given Brett a very thorough kissing.

Brett could feel her heartbeat pick up and swallowed, "Yeah, it is. I plan to keep you so satisfied, the thought of someone else kissing these lips won't even enter your mind." Brett reached up and traced her finger over the outline of Tori's soft pink lips, down her chin, and stopped at the top button of the blouse that Tori was wearing.

Tori's body screamed for attention as Brett turned the tables on her. Feeling a tug on her hand, she looked down to find Marcus waiting impatiently to get his playmate back.

Tori leaned over and whispered into Brett's ear. "When we get home, I plan on collecting on that promise."

Tori bent over, picked up her nephew, and ran off again leaving a very flustered Brett standing beside baby Dominique who was sleeping peacefully in the stroller.

******

Brett walked around the huge store going down memory lane. Her parents used to take them to FAO Schwartz when they were kids. They would come into the city and watch the Christmas Show at Radio City Music Hall, and then go to Rockefeller Center to go ice-skating. They would check out the windows at Saks and Tiffany's and then head over to the toy store. Her favorite part of the store was the Barbie doll section. They had the largest collection on the planet starting with some very rare and expensive dolls. And of course the latest models.

Brett saw the life size keyboard. It was displayed on the floor so customers could step on it. She did a little tap dance on it and giggled. She took the escalator upstairs and pulled out her camera. She took a picture of the famous ball mechanism in the front of the store and the face of the clock. She turned and saw the various array of toys, and characters she had never seen before. So caught up in her musings over her childhood at the store, she did not see the two little boys careening toward her totally unattended.

"Hey watch out!" A man screamed trying to warn Brett of the impending accident.

Brett's eyes snapped up as she saw the boys coming straight for her. She quickly pushed herself and Dominique out of the way, as the sales associate and the kids ran past and barreled into a display. Brett shook her head and gave the salesperson a sympathetic look.

"This must be a really wonderful place to work." Brett said to the young man. His face riddled with fatigue and exasperation.

"Yeah right. If you'll excuse me I have two boys I have to kill." He ran over to the kids and quickly separated them.

"Where are your parents?" The kids pushed and shoved one another and again the man tried to position himself between them. The man looked at Brett and she quickly came to his aid.

"Is there anything I can do?" Brett offered. Seeing the man was losing the battle.

"I have to find their parents. Could you get one of the other associates to announce if anyone's lost these lovely children?" The man rolled his eyes and Brett understood completely.

A few minutes later, an announcement came over the store P.A. system: "If anyone has lost two children please come to the Gundam Wing display on the second floor. That would be the display that is literally on the floor."

Brett went back to the man and, just as she got there, a screeching voice carried across the area.

"Jonathan and Andrew!! How many times have I told you to behave yourself?" The woman gave her children a menacing look. "Wait till we get home and your father hears about this." The woman turned to the man with an apologetic look. "I'm so sorry for the trouble. They can be quite a handful."

The man looked at the woman and with as much of a smile as he could muster, he replied, "It's quite alright ma'am. I see this everyday. Kids can't help themselves. It's like Disney World in here and they think it's a big playground."

He handed her children over and the kids slumped over to their mother knowing that they were in big trouble.

"Well thank you anyway. I think it's time to go." The woman took the boys' hands and yanked them towards the escalator. They could hear the mother yelling at her kids all the way out the door.

Brett turned to leave and was stopped by the salesperson.

"Hey, thanks for helping me. I really appreciate it." The man looked at Brett's hand and saw she was not wearing a ring.

Man she's gorgeous, too bad she has a kid. "Umm. I think I owe you for saving my life with those two."

"It was nothing, really. You must see that type of thing all the time?" Brett turned her head in the direction of the departing woman and kids.

"Yeah, it doesn't take much. A parent turns their head for a second and their kids go running off." The man lowered his head and scuffed his shoe on the rug. "She really should be more careful, this being New York and all."

"I know. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my child. I'd probably go nuts." Brett rocked the stroller a little and the man peered in to see the sleeping babe.

"Well you seem to be doing okay. She's beautiful." The man looked at Brett and there was a little twinkle in his eye.

Oh boy, I think I have an admirer. "Yes she is. She's a real sweetie."

"How old is she?" The man took in Brett's long blond hair and shapely body.

"Umm, she'll be three month's on the 15th." Brett looked at the man. He had wavy light brown hair and light brown eyes. He was slightly taller than Tori but in addition, he was too skinny for Brett's liking. That is if she was interested in men. He had a nice smile and a very warm personality.

"Really? Well you look incredible for just delivering a baby a few months ago." The man gave Brett an appreciative look and winked.

Brett almost rolled her eyes but controlled the urge. Instead, she gave him a polite smile. "Oh thanks. But she's not mine. She's my girlfriend's niece. We stopped in here with her niece and nephew."

The man not understanding the use of the word girlfriend continued. "Oh, well it's a good day for it." The man looked nervous and obviously had something he wanted to say. He held out his hand, "My name's Peter."

"It's nice to meet you Peter. I'm Brett." She returned the handshake and looked around hoping to find Tori coming to her rescue.

"Umm, I'm getting off in a little while. I don't suppose, you would let me take you and your friend out to dinner? So I can thank you for saving my life." Peter looked at Brett hopefully.

"Thanks, but I don't think my friend?. that is my girlfriend would appreciate it." Brett emphasized "girlfriend" that time and she could see understanding spread across the sales associate's face.

"Oh, I see?well?ah?it was still really nice to meet you. Thanks again for coming to my rescue."

"You're very welcome and it was nice meeting you too." Brett gave Peter one last smile and turned to search for her own missing companions.