![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
TITLE: A Thousand Glimpses
SERIES: All My Children
AUTHOR:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dreiser
EMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.org/
CONTENT: F/F romance. Bianca/Reese. Breeze.
SUMMARY: Reese Williams had experienced a thousand glimpses of the life she always wanted but until she met Bianca Montgomery she never thought she could have it for herself.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my love for space cowboys.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't normally post this quickly but whatever. I'm speedy these days or something.
A Thousand Glimpses
By: Dreiser
Two
Fifteen minutes later and after numerous protests from Bianca and an insistence to keep the icepack, Reese was exiting the house more out of stubbornness than a real desire to do so. There was an instantaneous comfort gained in Bianca's presence accompanied by an underlining appreciation for her beauty and gentle kindness that unsettled the architect. She wasn't used to feeling this way.
It wasn't that she immediately found Bianca beautiful that bothered her because that had happened before. Quite often, actually. This was Paris and there was a beautiful woman lurking around practically every corner. No, it was more that the attraction wasn't just a physical one, there was this constant emotional tug she felt towards Bianca when in her presence and that couldn't be explained away by her delicate features and sensual curves. A distinct lack of logic was involved in this and Reese liked logic. It was reassuring and solid and reliable and it had never failed her before and so she found herself making an excuse about a meeting at work.
The moment she stepped onto the pathway in front of Bianca's house she noticed the figure of a tall man, muscular and darkly handsome, who possessed an aura of a dangerous sort of competence. A person that most other men would step back from, sensing to argue with or displease him would lead to a confrontation they would certainly never win. He leaned against a dark blue Aston Martin, arms crossed over his chest, gaze veiled as he looked at Reese with a stony expression.
"Nathan!" Reese heard Bianca cry, her voice bemused and fond.
Though her feet kept moving, Reese couldn't help but look backwards, drawn by the sound of the brunette's sweet voice and she saw Bianca smiling at the man, appearing to scold him as she hooked her arm through his and led him into her house. As Bianca pulled him forward he looked in Reese's direction and their eyes locked and there was a knowing light floating in his sharp gaze as if he somehow recognized her attraction to Bianca in the few brief moments he had seen her on the street. Then he was gone, inside of Bianca's house, in the exact place Reese had just left and now longed to be and suddenly her eye was hurting once again.
She was grateful her office was a short walk from Bianca's house but haunted by the idea this meant she could bump into Bianca with the intimidating man Reese assumed was her boyfriend. She couldn't quite picture it though. His severe unsmiling face with such a happy woman… with such a happy little girl who played so carefree and effortlessly. But quite easily Reese could see herself joining in that picture, laughing with Bianca and Miranda, a perfect example of domestic joy. Shaking her head, wanting to rid herself of these thoughts that couldn't serve any real purpose as she felt it was obvious she didn't stand a chance with Bianca anyway.
Releasing a sigh, Reese pushed open the glass doors to her lobby and was immediately greeted by their receptionist who, on seeing her bruised face, leapt up from behind the large reception area that Reese had designed herself. "Mme. Williams!" Danielle exclaimed, rushing towards her employer, a look of concern etched on her features. As with most employees of her firm, the receptionist spoke to her in English out of deference for Reese's personal preferences. "What has happened?"
"I got hit in the face with a ball," Reese said in droll tones, absently lifting up the icepack and noticing for the first time that it was in the shape of a penguin. She hated herself for it but another wave of affection for Bianca seized her at this. It was just so ridiculously cute.
"A ball?" echoed Danielle, her features scrunching up in confusion.
"Long story," drawled Reese and she shook her head slightly, giving the receptionist a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she headed towards the gleaming steel doors of their elevator. "I'll be in my office recovering and attempting to hide from Maurice."
"I do not think such a thing is possible," Danielle called out to her, laughter evident in her voice.
"Ah," Reese grinned, turning around to walk backwards as she shook her finger, "but I can always try."
In a few moments the elevator doors opened silently to the top floor of the building and Reese felt herself relax on seeing the sun shining on a pair of comfortable leather chairs beside floor to ceiling windows that rested to one side of a distinctive stone archway. They didn't have the ability to design a building from scratch in Paris but they had renovated this one extensively enough that it had become entirely their own. She loved the fact that, at least on the inside, her office building was completely unique.
Creeping down the hallway, glad she wasn't wearing heels because she was certain the click clack of them on the wooden floors would alert Maurice to her presence. Reese ducked around the corner, eyes darting towards the closed door to his small office which she still regretted allowing to be joined to hers. She pushed the door handle down, opening the door as silently as possible, slipping her body between the minute opening for the wall and the door before closing it quickly. Resting back against the door, eyes closed and her relaxation increasing on finally being in her very own space, Reese released a tremulous sigh.
"You are sneaky but not sneaky enough," a silky smooth voice announced, causing Reese to jump as her eyes flew open, her hands following suit, causing her sketch book, drafting pen, and penguin shaped icepack to go scattering across the floor. The penguin came to a stop upon hitting Maurice's handmade leather loafers and he raised a tweezed black eyebrow on seeing it.
"Maurice!" Reese scowled at her assistant, her hand pressed against her chest in an absurd attempt to slow her heart. "You scared me half to death. Why aren't you working in your office? You know, the one I built especially for you? The one that isn't this office?"
"What is this thing?" asked Maurice, sounding both intrigued and horrified by the penguin icepack, holding it between the tips of his index finger and thumb as if it were some freakish alien object. Which, in truth, to him it probably was. His keen blue eyes drifted over to Reese and narrowed as he noticed her black eye. Reese couldn't help but try to roll her eyes when he released an over dramatic gasp and was rewarded with her right eye tearing up and a familiar throb of pain returning. "What did you do to your face?!"
"I've ruined it, clearly," Reese grumbled but she didn't try to escape when he inspected her bruised eye. His touch wasn't anything like Bianca's, it wasn't the least bit cool and comforting, it was warm and a tad sweaty and eventually she had to side step his attentions for the sake of her own personal space. Though she flashed a smile as she did so because despite his obnoxious way of doing things, something that she had somehow grown to love and appreciate over the years, he was only trying to help. Retrieving the penguin from Maurice, she pressed it to her eye and gave a soft sigh of relief at the cold sensation against her bruised skin. "I had a minor accident in the park, all right? It's honestly not that big of a deal. This is an architecture firm, remember? I'm Reese Williams: architect, not international model. We're not relying on my spectacular looks to get things done around here, just my spectacular brain."
Maurice had just produced the most disdainful snort that Reese ever heard when her office door flew open and she was met by the sight of her business partner in the firm and her oldest friend, Audrey Durand, who wore an expression that seemed to match Maurice's exactly on seeing her bruised features. "Claude told me that you were assaulted at the park. Who did such a thing? Hoodlums?"
"It wasn't hoodlums," Reese groaned, reminding herself to fight the urge to roll her eyes and cause herself even more pain as Audrey approached her and immediately pulled the icepack down to get a look at her face. "And I wasn't assaulted, it was an accident. Can we just forget about it and get back to work? I managed to get a few good sketches done before my bodily trauma occurred."
"Your poor face," said Audrey in mournful tones, her touch was cool much like Bianca's but it just wasn't the same, the comfort wasn't there despite the romantic history Reese had with the woman in front of her. Audrey's tanned features formed a tremendous pout and it made Reese chuckle in anticipation of whatever extravagant thing the redhead was bound to say next. "It's like defiling the Louvre. Which would be considered a national crime, to say the least. I do hope someone was arrested over this."
"No one was arrested," said Reese with amusement only to wear a frown when she thought back to the original statement that went along with Audrey bursting into her office. "How did Claude find out about this? I didn't tell her."
"She heard it from Jerome," Audrey replied carelessly, not seeming at all interested in how her assistant obtained the information on Reese's injury. After saying this, she looked backwards and following her gaze Reese noticed the small crowd of curious employees congregating at the door to her office and lifting the penguin icepack back up to cover her eye, she released another groan.
Why had she wanted to leave Bianca's house again?
---
Reese told herself the next day that she had to return to the park for inspiration. That the sketches she had managed to complete before her encounter with Bianca and a soccer ball were so well received by Audrey she simply had to return to the place where she had gotten the ideas for them because there was nowhere else she could possibly go to help her to produce designs of that caliber.
A flimsy reasoning to be sure and one that didn't hold up very well when you took into account she had chosen to strategically place herself near the entrance to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont that Bianca had taken to return to her home yesterday. Two hours elapsed and Reese had gotten three extremely detailed sketches out of her time in the park but she was beginning to feel foolish as she looked up countless times on hearing the nearing of footsteps only to find herself disappointed over and over again when it wasn't Bianca. She was busy contemplating a return to her office when she felt a familiar presence, comforting and warm, and looking up she was greeted by a smiling Bianca, her figure wonderfully lit in the soft glow of the sun.
"I was hoping I would see you," said Bianca and she did indeed seem pleased to see Reese. Something that pleased the architect in return although she knew that it really shouldn't matter. Such a tiny thing shouldn't make her so happy but it did and she was having the hardest time fighting that feeling.
"Well, here I am," Reese replied in a slow drawl, returning Bianca's bright smile.
"I bought you something," Bianca said happily, looking very proud of herself and she followed this statement by rooting through the Fendi purse that hung from her shoulder. It was small, black, and utterly elegant, very much matching the dress that the brunette was wearing which was black with a high collar and had the slightest lacing of red. There was something about it that screamed a subdued sort of wealth to Reese, the kind one was raised into and not suddenly given nor earned, and not for the first time, she wondered what the other woman did by way of a career. A small triumphant sound escaped the brunette and Reese was utterly charmed by it and the eager way Bianca thrust her hand outwards in an offering to the blonde. "This is for you."
Scooting forward on the bench, Reese reached out, taking the small tube lying in the center of Bianca's palm, trying her level best to ignore the stupendously soft texture of the other woman's skin and how she felt her pulse increase on touching it. Looking at the tube, a perplexed expression formed as she read the label aloud, "Boiron Arnica Ointment."
"It's used to reduce bruising," supplied Bianca ever so helpfully, her eagerness remaining almost palpable, sitting next to Reese on the bench and gently taking the tube of ointment from the other woman. "Here," she continued, "let me." With a quick twist of the cap and a squeeze of the tube, Bianca was once again touching Reese with her cool and comforting caress that soothed as much as it made the architect shiver with a restrained passion. The pads of Bianca's fingers swept across her skin to spread the ointment, tenderly rubbing it onto the bruise, and when the brunette felt she had gotten enough of it in place she pulled back, admiring Reese with a tilt of her head. "That should do it." Suddenly a look of concern appeared and she asked, "How does it feel?"
Lost in the sensation of Bianca's fingers on her skin, baffled at how easily this woman could affect her, Reese was almost unaware of her words as she said, "It feels wonderful."
"Good," Bianca replied with a laugh, looking both amused and rather fond on seeing the architect's far off expression. She replaced the cap on the tube of ointment and gently placed it back into Reese's hand. "You should apply it three times daily."
There was another doctor joke on the tip of Reese's tongue but recalling the reaction from the day before and never wanting to see such a look on Bianca's features again, Reese instead offered a jaunty smile and asked, "Are you going to check to make sure I do?"
"I just might," said Bianca, smiling widely, her dark eyes twinkling. "The humanitarian in me does dislike that I'm responsible for injuring the face of a beautiful woman. Also, the rather shallow part of me dislikes it too."
Silence gathered in the air and Reese experienced an idiotic fear that if she didn't say something fast Bianca would make up an excuse to leave and she would have lost her only chance to spend more time with the brunette. "Where's Miranda?" she asked, hoping that her panicked need to continue their discussion wasn't evident in her tone. Though, in truth, she would've liked to see the little girl again.
"Preschool," said Bianca smoothly, not appearing to notice Reese's anxiety or if she did politely ignoring it. "I'm playing hooky at the office until two o'clock when the typhoon of meetings and an international conference call buries me for the rest of the day. Although, I shouldn't say it's a call since technically it's on the computer and involves us talking into web cams…"
"Video conferencing," Reese offered and Bianca made a noise of agreement on hearing this term for it. "Did your husband take her?"
She didn't know why she brought up the grim man but his figure danced in the back of her mind, a stain during her time with Bianca and Reese knew she couldn’t truly enjoy herself with the other woman until she knew precisely who he was to the brunette. The reaction to this question was a look of utter confusion on Bianca's part, her dark eyes blinking, then she exclaimed with a sudden laugh, "Do you mean Nathan? He's not my husband." Bianca paused, considering her words and smiling wryly as she said, "I don't date men. I'm a lesbian." Reese allowed herself the smallest internal cry of triumph on hearing this before focusing her attention fully on Bianca who still wore a wry expression as she went on, "Even if I wasn't a lesbian I wouldn't be seeing Nathan. I guess you could say he works for me." Another pause and Bianca released a sigh as she murmured, her tone soft and serious, "He's Miranda's bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?" repeated Reese, a wave of worry seizing her as she wondered why such a sweet little girl would need something like that. Unable to help herself, she was compelled to look around park, as if to spot the man's intimidating figure but she saw nothing.
"He's with her at school, he enjoys skulking about," said Bianca who clearly noticed Reese's search for him and the concern she felt over hearing about Nathan's role in their lives. Unsure what to say in response, Reese looked to Bianca with questioning eyes and Bianca sighed. "It's complicated," she murmured, moving her gaze from the blonde and looking into the distance. "I'm the Managing Director of Cambias Industries European Division but only by proxy. Miranda's the heir and it was agreed when I decided to move here to France and work for the company I would have protection for her because of our distance from the rest of her family."
"Were there threats?" asked Reese and a horrible sinking feeling took hold of her, a sort of sickness at the idea that anyone would want to hurt the smiling child who was so very carefree and happy in her life.
"Nothing I'm aware of," said Bianca and she smiled as she watched Reese physically relax on hearing this. "Her Uncle is concerned by our being so far away and doing this calmed him down. Along with my mother and sister," she said this with good natured humor, an affectionate exasperation evident in her voice when speaking about her family, one that Reese envied.
There were so many more questions Reese had, the most prominent being who was Miranda's father if Bianca was a lesbian and why had she apparently chosen to live quite a distance away from a family who clearly cared deeply for her. She kept them to herself out of instinct, observing the nervous way Bianca bit her lip and rearranged her wavy hair behind her ears, sweeping it back again and again, clear signs to Reese that the brunette didn't enjoy explaining this part of her life to others. Reese was contemplating the best thing she could say to make the other woman feel at ease when her stomach decided to do the work for her by giving a loud rumble.
"Sorry," Reese gave a sheepish apology, her cheeks heating in a slight blush. "I skipped breakfast this morning."
"Me too," confessed Bianca with a laugh. "Miranda was having issues with her barrette selection and it turned into a whole weird experience of me learning the art of feeding a three year old mini-pancakes in a moving vehicle while trying to keep my clothes clean."
"How did that turn out?" asked Reese in a humorous drawl.
"Not well," said Bianca, her voice overly solemn though her dark eyes were smiling. "You know," she began in thoughtful tones, turning around to look down a nearby pathway, "they have a really nice café in this park that's just a few feet from where we are now." She turned back to Reese and her expression was still open and kind but there was a type of hesitation there, almost like Bianca was afraid whatever she said next would lead to a rejection. "Would you like to go there and have some lunch with me?"
"I'd love that," Reese breathed these words more than said them, suffused by an airy happiness at the invitation, and when Bianca rewarded her with an enchanting smile, bright and sunny, she didn't feel the least bit embarrassed by her behavior.
Just appreciative to be spending more time with the woman who caused it.
To be continued...
SERIES: All My Children
AUTHOR:
dreiserEMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.org/
CONTENT: F/F romance. Bianca/Reese. Breeze.
SUMMARY: Reese Williams had experienced a thousand glimpses of the life she always wanted but until she met Bianca Montgomery she never thought she could have it for herself.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my love for space cowboys.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't normally post this quickly but whatever. I'm speedy these days or something.
A Thousand Glimpses
By: Dreiser
Two
Fifteen minutes later and after numerous protests from Bianca and an insistence to keep the icepack, Reese was exiting the house more out of stubbornness than a real desire to do so. There was an instantaneous comfort gained in Bianca's presence accompanied by an underlining appreciation for her beauty and gentle kindness that unsettled the architect. She wasn't used to feeling this way.
It wasn't that she immediately found Bianca beautiful that bothered her because that had happened before. Quite often, actually. This was Paris and there was a beautiful woman lurking around practically every corner. No, it was more that the attraction wasn't just a physical one, there was this constant emotional tug she felt towards Bianca when in her presence and that couldn't be explained away by her delicate features and sensual curves. A distinct lack of logic was involved in this and Reese liked logic. It was reassuring and solid and reliable and it had never failed her before and so she found herself making an excuse about a meeting at work.
The moment she stepped onto the pathway in front of Bianca's house she noticed the figure of a tall man, muscular and darkly handsome, who possessed an aura of a dangerous sort of competence. A person that most other men would step back from, sensing to argue with or displease him would lead to a confrontation they would certainly never win. He leaned against a dark blue Aston Martin, arms crossed over his chest, gaze veiled as he looked at Reese with a stony expression.
"Nathan!" Reese heard Bianca cry, her voice bemused and fond.
Though her feet kept moving, Reese couldn't help but look backwards, drawn by the sound of the brunette's sweet voice and she saw Bianca smiling at the man, appearing to scold him as she hooked her arm through his and led him into her house. As Bianca pulled him forward he looked in Reese's direction and their eyes locked and there was a knowing light floating in his sharp gaze as if he somehow recognized her attraction to Bianca in the few brief moments he had seen her on the street. Then he was gone, inside of Bianca's house, in the exact place Reese had just left and now longed to be and suddenly her eye was hurting once again.
She was grateful her office was a short walk from Bianca's house but haunted by the idea this meant she could bump into Bianca with the intimidating man Reese assumed was her boyfriend. She couldn't quite picture it though. His severe unsmiling face with such a happy woman… with such a happy little girl who played so carefree and effortlessly. But quite easily Reese could see herself joining in that picture, laughing with Bianca and Miranda, a perfect example of domestic joy. Shaking her head, wanting to rid herself of these thoughts that couldn't serve any real purpose as she felt it was obvious she didn't stand a chance with Bianca anyway.
Releasing a sigh, Reese pushed open the glass doors to her lobby and was immediately greeted by their receptionist who, on seeing her bruised face, leapt up from behind the large reception area that Reese had designed herself. "Mme. Williams!" Danielle exclaimed, rushing towards her employer, a look of concern etched on her features. As with most employees of her firm, the receptionist spoke to her in English out of deference for Reese's personal preferences. "What has happened?"
"I got hit in the face with a ball," Reese said in droll tones, absently lifting up the icepack and noticing for the first time that it was in the shape of a penguin. She hated herself for it but another wave of affection for Bianca seized her at this. It was just so ridiculously cute.
"A ball?" echoed Danielle, her features scrunching up in confusion.
"Long story," drawled Reese and she shook her head slightly, giving the receptionist a reassuring pat on the shoulder as she headed towards the gleaming steel doors of their elevator. "I'll be in my office recovering and attempting to hide from Maurice."
"I do not think such a thing is possible," Danielle called out to her, laughter evident in her voice.
"Ah," Reese grinned, turning around to walk backwards as she shook her finger, "but I can always try."
In a few moments the elevator doors opened silently to the top floor of the building and Reese felt herself relax on seeing the sun shining on a pair of comfortable leather chairs beside floor to ceiling windows that rested to one side of a distinctive stone archway. They didn't have the ability to design a building from scratch in Paris but they had renovated this one extensively enough that it had become entirely their own. She loved the fact that, at least on the inside, her office building was completely unique.
Creeping down the hallway, glad she wasn't wearing heels because she was certain the click clack of them on the wooden floors would alert Maurice to her presence. Reese ducked around the corner, eyes darting towards the closed door to his small office which she still regretted allowing to be joined to hers. She pushed the door handle down, opening the door as silently as possible, slipping her body between the minute opening for the wall and the door before closing it quickly. Resting back against the door, eyes closed and her relaxation increasing on finally being in her very own space, Reese released a tremulous sigh.
"You are sneaky but not sneaky enough," a silky smooth voice announced, causing Reese to jump as her eyes flew open, her hands following suit, causing her sketch book, drafting pen, and penguin shaped icepack to go scattering across the floor. The penguin came to a stop upon hitting Maurice's handmade leather loafers and he raised a tweezed black eyebrow on seeing it.
"Maurice!" Reese scowled at her assistant, her hand pressed against her chest in an absurd attempt to slow her heart. "You scared me half to death. Why aren't you working in your office? You know, the one I built especially for you? The one that isn't this office?"
"What is this thing?" asked Maurice, sounding both intrigued and horrified by the penguin icepack, holding it between the tips of his index finger and thumb as if it were some freakish alien object. Which, in truth, to him it probably was. His keen blue eyes drifted over to Reese and narrowed as he noticed her black eye. Reese couldn't help but try to roll her eyes when he released an over dramatic gasp and was rewarded with her right eye tearing up and a familiar throb of pain returning. "What did you do to your face?!"
"I've ruined it, clearly," Reese grumbled but she didn't try to escape when he inspected her bruised eye. His touch wasn't anything like Bianca's, it wasn't the least bit cool and comforting, it was warm and a tad sweaty and eventually she had to side step his attentions for the sake of her own personal space. Though she flashed a smile as she did so because despite his obnoxious way of doing things, something that she had somehow grown to love and appreciate over the years, he was only trying to help. Retrieving the penguin from Maurice, she pressed it to her eye and gave a soft sigh of relief at the cold sensation against her bruised skin. "I had a minor accident in the park, all right? It's honestly not that big of a deal. This is an architecture firm, remember? I'm Reese Williams: architect, not international model. We're not relying on my spectacular looks to get things done around here, just my spectacular brain."
Maurice had just produced the most disdainful snort that Reese ever heard when her office door flew open and she was met by the sight of her business partner in the firm and her oldest friend, Audrey Durand, who wore an expression that seemed to match Maurice's exactly on seeing her bruised features. "Claude told me that you were assaulted at the park. Who did such a thing? Hoodlums?"
"It wasn't hoodlums," Reese groaned, reminding herself to fight the urge to roll her eyes and cause herself even more pain as Audrey approached her and immediately pulled the icepack down to get a look at her face. "And I wasn't assaulted, it was an accident. Can we just forget about it and get back to work? I managed to get a few good sketches done before my bodily trauma occurred."
"Your poor face," said Audrey in mournful tones, her touch was cool much like Bianca's but it just wasn't the same, the comfort wasn't there despite the romantic history Reese had with the woman in front of her. Audrey's tanned features formed a tremendous pout and it made Reese chuckle in anticipation of whatever extravagant thing the redhead was bound to say next. "It's like defiling the Louvre. Which would be considered a national crime, to say the least. I do hope someone was arrested over this."
"No one was arrested," said Reese with amusement only to wear a frown when she thought back to the original statement that went along with Audrey bursting into her office. "How did Claude find out about this? I didn't tell her."
"She heard it from Jerome," Audrey replied carelessly, not seeming at all interested in how her assistant obtained the information on Reese's injury. After saying this, she looked backwards and following her gaze Reese noticed the small crowd of curious employees congregating at the door to her office and lifting the penguin icepack back up to cover her eye, she released another groan.
Why had she wanted to leave Bianca's house again?
---
Reese told herself the next day that she had to return to the park for inspiration. That the sketches she had managed to complete before her encounter with Bianca and a soccer ball were so well received by Audrey she simply had to return to the place where she had gotten the ideas for them because there was nowhere else she could possibly go to help her to produce designs of that caliber.
A flimsy reasoning to be sure and one that didn't hold up very well when you took into account she had chosen to strategically place herself near the entrance to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont that Bianca had taken to return to her home yesterday. Two hours elapsed and Reese had gotten three extremely detailed sketches out of her time in the park but she was beginning to feel foolish as she looked up countless times on hearing the nearing of footsteps only to find herself disappointed over and over again when it wasn't Bianca. She was busy contemplating a return to her office when she felt a familiar presence, comforting and warm, and looking up she was greeted by a smiling Bianca, her figure wonderfully lit in the soft glow of the sun.
"I was hoping I would see you," said Bianca and she did indeed seem pleased to see Reese. Something that pleased the architect in return although she knew that it really shouldn't matter. Such a tiny thing shouldn't make her so happy but it did and she was having the hardest time fighting that feeling.
"Well, here I am," Reese replied in a slow drawl, returning Bianca's bright smile.
"I bought you something," Bianca said happily, looking very proud of herself and she followed this statement by rooting through the Fendi purse that hung from her shoulder. It was small, black, and utterly elegant, very much matching the dress that the brunette was wearing which was black with a high collar and had the slightest lacing of red. There was something about it that screamed a subdued sort of wealth to Reese, the kind one was raised into and not suddenly given nor earned, and not for the first time, she wondered what the other woman did by way of a career. A small triumphant sound escaped the brunette and Reese was utterly charmed by it and the eager way Bianca thrust her hand outwards in an offering to the blonde. "This is for you."
Scooting forward on the bench, Reese reached out, taking the small tube lying in the center of Bianca's palm, trying her level best to ignore the stupendously soft texture of the other woman's skin and how she felt her pulse increase on touching it. Looking at the tube, a perplexed expression formed as she read the label aloud, "Boiron Arnica Ointment."
"It's used to reduce bruising," supplied Bianca ever so helpfully, her eagerness remaining almost palpable, sitting next to Reese on the bench and gently taking the tube of ointment from the other woman. "Here," she continued, "let me." With a quick twist of the cap and a squeeze of the tube, Bianca was once again touching Reese with her cool and comforting caress that soothed as much as it made the architect shiver with a restrained passion. The pads of Bianca's fingers swept across her skin to spread the ointment, tenderly rubbing it onto the bruise, and when the brunette felt she had gotten enough of it in place she pulled back, admiring Reese with a tilt of her head. "That should do it." Suddenly a look of concern appeared and she asked, "How does it feel?"
Lost in the sensation of Bianca's fingers on her skin, baffled at how easily this woman could affect her, Reese was almost unaware of her words as she said, "It feels wonderful."
"Good," Bianca replied with a laugh, looking both amused and rather fond on seeing the architect's far off expression. She replaced the cap on the tube of ointment and gently placed it back into Reese's hand. "You should apply it three times daily."
There was another doctor joke on the tip of Reese's tongue but recalling the reaction from the day before and never wanting to see such a look on Bianca's features again, Reese instead offered a jaunty smile and asked, "Are you going to check to make sure I do?"
"I just might," said Bianca, smiling widely, her dark eyes twinkling. "The humanitarian in me does dislike that I'm responsible for injuring the face of a beautiful woman. Also, the rather shallow part of me dislikes it too."
Silence gathered in the air and Reese experienced an idiotic fear that if she didn't say something fast Bianca would make up an excuse to leave and she would have lost her only chance to spend more time with the brunette. "Where's Miranda?" she asked, hoping that her panicked need to continue their discussion wasn't evident in her tone. Though, in truth, she would've liked to see the little girl again.
"Preschool," said Bianca smoothly, not appearing to notice Reese's anxiety or if she did politely ignoring it. "I'm playing hooky at the office until two o'clock when the typhoon of meetings and an international conference call buries me for the rest of the day. Although, I shouldn't say it's a call since technically it's on the computer and involves us talking into web cams…"
"Video conferencing," Reese offered and Bianca made a noise of agreement on hearing this term for it. "Did your husband take her?"
She didn't know why she brought up the grim man but his figure danced in the back of her mind, a stain during her time with Bianca and Reese knew she couldn’t truly enjoy herself with the other woman until she knew precisely who he was to the brunette. The reaction to this question was a look of utter confusion on Bianca's part, her dark eyes blinking, then she exclaimed with a sudden laugh, "Do you mean Nathan? He's not my husband." Bianca paused, considering her words and smiling wryly as she said, "I don't date men. I'm a lesbian." Reese allowed herself the smallest internal cry of triumph on hearing this before focusing her attention fully on Bianca who still wore a wry expression as she went on, "Even if I wasn't a lesbian I wouldn't be seeing Nathan. I guess you could say he works for me." Another pause and Bianca released a sigh as she murmured, her tone soft and serious, "He's Miranda's bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?" repeated Reese, a wave of worry seizing her as she wondered why such a sweet little girl would need something like that. Unable to help herself, she was compelled to look around park, as if to spot the man's intimidating figure but she saw nothing.
"He's with her at school, he enjoys skulking about," said Bianca who clearly noticed Reese's search for him and the concern she felt over hearing about Nathan's role in their lives. Unsure what to say in response, Reese looked to Bianca with questioning eyes and Bianca sighed. "It's complicated," she murmured, moving her gaze from the blonde and looking into the distance. "I'm the Managing Director of Cambias Industries European Division but only by proxy. Miranda's the heir and it was agreed when I decided to move here to France and work for the company I would have protection for her because of our distance from the rest of her family."
"Were there threats?" asked Reese and a horrible sinking feeling took hold of her, a sort of sickness at the idea that anyone would want to hurt the smiling child who was so very carefree and happy in her life.
"Nothing I'm aware of," said Bianca and she smiled as she watched Reese physically relax on hearing this. "Her Uncle is concerned by our being so far away and doing this calmed him down. Along with my mother and sister," she said this with good natured humor, an affectionate exasperation evident in her voice when speaking about her family, one that Reese envied.
There were so many more questions Reese had, the most prominent being who was Miranda's father if Bianca was a lesbian and why had she apparently chosen to live quite a distance away from a family who clearly cared deeply for her. She kept them to herself out of instinct, observing the nervous way Bianca bit her lip and rearranged her wavy hair behind her ears, sweeping it back again and again, clear signs to Reese that the brunette didn't enjoy explaining this part of her life to others. Reese was contemplating the best thing she could say to make the other woman feel at ease when her stomach decided to do the work for her by giving a loud rumble.
"Sorry," Reese gave a sheepish apology, her cheeks heating in a slight blush. "I skipped breakfast this morning."
"Me too," confessed Bianca with a laugh. "Miranda was having issues with her barrette selection and it turned into a whole weird experience of me learning the art of feeding a three year old mini-pancakes in a moving vehicle while trying to keep my clothes clean."
"How did that turn out?" asked Reese in a humorous drawl.
"Not well," said Bianca, her voice overly solemn though her dark eyes were smiling. "You know," she began in thoughtful tones, turning around to look down a nearby pathway, "they have a really nice café in this park that's just a few feet from where we are now." She turned back to Reese and her expression was still open and kind but there was a type of hesitation there, almost like Bianca was afraid whatever she said next would lead to a rejection. "Would you like to go there and have some lunch with me?"
"I'd love that," Reese breathed these words more than said them, suffused by an airy happiness at the invitation, and when Bianca rewarded her with an enchanting smile, bright and sunny, she didn't feel the least bit embarrassed by her behavior.
Just appreciative to be spending more time with the woman who caused it.
To be continued...
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