THE DARE (G!P Freenbecky)

Chapter 18

Freen sat in her den, trying to keep her mind on the computer screen infront of her and nor succumb to memories of what had happened in this very room less than twenty-four ago.

She found the search engine she wanted and carefully typed in thr words, "Emotion in Motion." Then she hit enter, and waited.

Freen didn't have to wait for long. A page of various web sites came up, and she scanned them rapidly, grinning when she found a dance troupe in London well-known for its avant-garde entertainment.

She clicked on the web site, and her screen filled with a brilliant background that looked like bright splashes of vividly colored paint. There was a small picture in the corner, with instructions to click on it if you wanted to see a larger vision.

She did, then, "Bingo," she said very softly.

In the middle of a group of people, all in various leotards and costumes, was Becky. She'd recognize that laughing grin anywhere, those vivid eyes. There was so much life to her, a vibrant energy that seemed to shimmer off her body.

She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, then wrote down the address and a phone number of the dance troupe. She was just shutting off the computer when the other line on her desk rang. Her private line. It had to be Heng. For once, Freen found that her mind wasn't on business.

Freen picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Freen, how'd the wedding go?"

"Great. Can you cover for me for a few days?"

"What's up?"

"I'm going to be flying to London."

"What?" Her friend and business partner sounded amazed. "A quick getaway during one of our busiest times of the year?"

"It's important."

Heng was silent, then said, with total delight in his voice, "It's a woman, isn't it?"

"What makes you say that?"

"It's that Mon Becky girl, isn't it? The dancer?"

Freen stared into the phone. How did everyone in the world seemed to know all her business?

"How did you know her name?"

"We had a little chat on the phone last night."

"You did."

"Don't tell me you're jealous! Freen, I love this!"

Freen didn't know what to say.

"Look, she picked up the phone and asked me if you were always this bad."

"This......bad?"

"You know, Freen. All work and no play?"

"Yeah."

"Anyway, it was my impression that she really liked you."

"She doesn't like me at all," Freen said.

Heng laughed. "Give her a chance. I assume you're going out to London to meet her."

"In a way."

"This just gets better and better. Freen, take all the time you need. I'll be here running things, and Riley will be fine with me. If you have any worries about the company or this dancer, call me day or night."

Freen suddenly found herself very grateful that she had a partner like Heng. Her business partner was both a friend and the brother she'd never had.

"Thanks, Heng. That means a lot."

"Hey, anytime. I just want you to be happy, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

Freen hung up the phone, then turned the computer back on, went online, and found several travel sites. After comparing prices for several flights, she picked one, charged it, and turn off the computer. Though she could have afforded a private jet if she'd wanted one, she was a frugal woman by nature and saw no sense in spending money wildly. She'd invested carefully for the future and was perfectly content to fly on regular airlines.

She sat in her den, all alone, and it was as if Becky's spirit had possessed the place. She only had to close her eyes and she could see her dancing, her body swaying to the music, that glittering purple Mardi Gras mask on her face. She couldn't look at the crackling fire without seeing her lying infront of it on the fake fur rug, totally naked. She couldn't glance at the long leather couch without smiling, thinking of all those sharp, challenging retorts coming out of her glossy red mouth. And she hadn't even bothered to put the down comforter away; she'd merely thrown it up on top of the couch.

Well, she'd didn't leave for O'Hare Airport until morning, which gave her plenty of time to pack and do a little cleaning up. She'd vacuumed the family room before she and Anda had left for the wedding and also put the garbage out, the dark green trash bags filled with paper plates and plastic cups and forks. She'd fold up the down comforter and leave it here, then go upstairs and pack.

Freen got up from her desk chair and walked over to the sofa. She lifted the comforter off the leather couch, shook it out, and saw the small, dark stains against the cream colored duvet cover.

Puzzled, she looked closer. It took her a moment before she realized she was looking at bloodstains.

'Bloodstains. Did she hurt herself, cut herself, did I hurt her in any way?'

When the obvious answer asserted itself in her mind, she went totally still. And remembered how right it had felt when their bodies had been joined together, and how very tight she'd felt, how exquisitely her body had sheathed her.

Becky had been a virgin.

She'd been totally inexperienced, and she'd treated her as if she'd known exactly what she was doing, as if she were a very experienced woman. She'd done nothing to reassure her, nothing to make her first time special.

She'd stayed away from virgins for this very reason, preferring women who knew the score and knew what they were doing. And what she was going to do them.

A virgin.

She had to sit down; her legs were starting to wobble. She sat, still staring at the duvet. After almost a full minute, she pushed it away from her, tossed it back on to the leather couch, and put her face in her hands.

This made things ever so much more complicated.

Now she had two new reasons to go to London and find Becky Armstrong.

One, she had to apologize for treating her as if....as if she were really Mon. Basically, as if she'd had any idea at all of what she was doing.

And two, she hadn't bothered with any birth control, assuming that she'd taken care of the matter. Now Freen realized that she couldn't really assume anything. For all she knew, Becky might right now be pregnant with her child.

How right that funny little expression was, to never assume anything because all you do is make an ass out of you and me.

She'd treated her badly. As badly as a virgin could be treated. Becky had been like Little Red Riding Hood to her Big Bad Wolf. Freen cringed as she remembered hauling her up over her shoulder and carrying her down to the den, and later locking the door so they could be alone together.

'Let's not get carried away here. You didn't lock her in. She was definitely a consenting party.'

But she should've known better. She was older than her, more experienced, but she'd just let every shred of common sense fly right out the window.

'Right about the time you got a really good look at her breasts. And then of course there was that stellar moment on the dance floor when you grabbed her ass.'

It just got worse and worse. After a few moments, Freen stood up, grabbed the comforter, bundled it up, and headed upstairs to her bedroom to pack for her flight out to London.

It looked like she was going to have to eat crow, after all.

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