Wound in Time: At First

"Because Linda, you are the best at what I know you do," Adrian paused and when Bellinda said nothing she continued, "I need your help Linda."

Bellinda thought she'd heard wrong. "What did you say?"

"Are you sure you want to hear this?" Adrian asked but continued without an answer. "Okay look, I'm working on a contract here in Seattle but my client wants something that I can't give."

"Wouldn't be the first time, what does your problem have to do with me?" Bella spat with disgust.

"Well I'd like your help on a building design, and don't worry, I'll pay you for it."

"Hmm, that sounds like a steaming pile of fresh shit."

"Linda, come on. You and I are adults. We should be able to put our differences aside and work on something that'll benefit both of us."

"Adrian, why are you doing this now?" Bellinda rubbed her eyes, "If you wanted to do business with me, you wouldn't have burned the lines."

"You're right, but this client is high-profile, they want the best and you're it. So I'm hoping to reopen the lines but I need your help Linda."

Bellinda sat quietly for a while, half her mind spinning decisions the other half knew she would probably regret later.

"So what do you say Linda?" Adrian paused and whispered, "Do you want me to beg?"

"Send the specs." Bellinda spat and tried not to bite her tongue.

"Oh that won't be necessary, I'll be in New York later this week."

"What?!"

"I have to meet with a few clients there, it's routine for me." Adrian said in her southern drawl.

"Whatever, when should I expect your unwanted visit?"

"Wednesday. I'll be in the city 'til Sunday."

"Well then I'll see you on Thursday."

"Thanks, Linda. I promise it'll be a good thing."

"Well, I'm not counting on it, so get off my phone I've got better things to do."

"Sure, seeya soon." Adrian said and line went dead.

Bellinda threw the receiver across the room were it broke to pieces. "Nice Bellinda, more work for you." She looked at her sleeping friend and wished she hadn't even gotten out of bed herself. She was tempted to scream Joann awake, but decided against it. After all, she wasn't so evil like some people.

************ Tuesday ************

Mavin sat at the desk in her hotel suite clacking away on her laptop. She was putting the finishing touches on her presentation for the drug she'd been testing. The drug looked good for short term use, but long term tests were required in order to make accurate estimates. However, the company that manufactured the drug didn't want to wait and miss the money train. According to their way of thinking, the drug could go on sale without FDA confirmations and long term studies could happen after they've raked in a ton of money and lined their pockets.

Mavin knew from experience the kind of greedy bastards that wanted money and found it in gullible people. The drug claimed to burn, no, melt fat right off. The tests she'd conducted proved it could be done, but only with large doses of the drug, doses the average liver couldn't tolerate. But that was the gimmick behind the marketing. You'd have to use the drug and work your ass off if you want it to work and even then, the results were sketchy. Some of the unwanted effects the drug had were too ridiculous to mention. They ranged from diarrhea to stroke and even death. She'd almost expected to find spontaneous combustion as a side effect.

How many times had she seen and heard that? Mavin leaned back in her chair and decided on too many. She wouldn't be the only one testing the drug, there were about three or four other analysts scrutinizing the damn thing. She also wouldn't be careless in how she presented her findings, it had to be clear to the committee that the drug was a nicely crafted hoax.

She rubbed her temples and decided to give her eyes and fingers a break. She went in the lavishly decorated bathroom and ran the Jacuzzi. She fished in the wall cabinet for soothing oils and found a few bottles. She sniffed them and decided to use all three. She poured the oils in and stepped into the shower for a quick rinse. When she got done, she eased her long, thick body into the large tub. Groaning as the hot, bubbling water massaged her cramped muscles.

She sat still and let the water and oil soothe her body. She fought the urge to close her eyes and nap but she found a blank place in her mind and focused on it. She meditated for a long while, enjoying the peace. She didn't want to think about anything, so she just stayed there until the water began to cool. For a split second she felt like she could kill for a full-body massage.

********** About an hour later **********

Mavin stood in middle of the room, in her silk robe. It was a black, custom-made attire designed to drape her body in unbelievable comfort. She knew she had to finalize the report but decided on a mini-cardio/kung fu routine instead. She flexed her muscles and popped the tension bubbles between her joints. She was quite flexible but it wasn't easily maintained. She wasn't in pain or anything but her body had its demands; sex, good food and sleep were the basics. A good work-out was always welcome.

Mavin began her routine with stationary twists, holding her hips still while her torso semi-rotated. Her lower spine popped and cracked as tension was relieved. She did this a few more times until the popping stopped. She then bent backwards into a crab-walking position. She held the stance for a minute, keeping her breathing steady, flexing her abdominal and latisimus dorsi muscles. She unwound herself slowly, and then bent forward to hug her calves. She held the stance for a few minutes and then went on with some rudimentary stretches, until she was sure every inch of her body had been attended to.

Upon satisfaction, Mavin began to throw kicks and punches at an invisible foe. She moved with speed and grace as her robe flowed with her body. She did a spinning double-kick and followed it with a cold shoulder aimed at someone's ribcage. She then ran up on the couch and stepped on it, gaining leverage to do a back flip and held herself up on a handstand. She did a splitting kick as her legs separated into a straight line from either side of her hips.

Her body in this stance was in the shape of a 'T', with blood rushing to her head. She sprung up and went back on her feet. She peeled off her sweat soaked robe and stood naked, drenched in perspiration despite the air conditioner. She stood still for a few minutes, her body pumping with blood. Her muscles twitched with energy and she ended her work-out with more flexing. When she finished, she agreed that she was hungry.

Mavin dialed room service and ordered her turkey special. She didn't have to explain what that meant even though it wasn't on the menu. She had juice with the head chef like that. She hung up and felt a bead of sweat run down the middle of her back and into the crease of her tight ass cheeks. She didn't mind the fact that she was glazed with sweat. What bothered her was her arousal.

Sure, she was by herself and properly salted but she really had work to do. Masturbation wasn't something Mavin did often. Not because she couldn't drive herself to orgasm, but she just never had to. For as long as she could remember, she never even had to do much to get pussy. It had practically been thrown at her. Why the hell was she thinking about sex now anyway? Her stomach grumbled and the computer glared at her, silently saying "I know what you're trying to do, so get your salty ass back to work!".

Mavin ignored everything and plopped down on the couch, flipping channels on the wide-screen. She only wanted the noise. She didn't give a fuck about some guy killing his whole family and then calling it in as a burglary. People were nuts and there was no cure for a society that had a severe fetish for nuts. She closed her eyes and took a tour of her mind. The loud TV served as a rope with which to pull herself out. She floated in and out of memories; some good, others highly irritating.

She came up to a vault among many with eye and voice recognition access, and the name 'Cecelia' hanging over it in a blinking neon sign. Mavin felt the air around her get hot. She didn't know why she was angry anymore but this always happened. She had 'constructed' the place shortly after Cecelia had accused her of trying to strangle her. Everything she felt for the fitness model was stored in this vault.

She rarely opened it but for some reason, she felt drawn to it at the moment. Mavin was about to 'scan' her eyes when she felt a cool hand on her shoulder. Mavin whipped around to see Bellinda's crying eyes and naked, bruised body. Her normally, firery hair looked stringy and lifeless. The luster was gone from her emerald eyes. Her lips were caked with blood and cracked with lack of moisture. Once dusky, smooth skin was black and blue.

Mavin stood still and realized she could still hear the TV. She blinked, trying to dislodge the image but nothing happened. Bellinda stood there, crying in a ghastly pose. Her cool grip on Mavin's shoulder, tightening. The air was still hot around Mavin and she couldn't keep a lid on it anymore. Just as she attempted to make sense out of things, Bellinda shrieked as her cool skin began to burn, the heat came from Mavin's shoulder but Bellinda would not let go. She held on, and burned to ashes as Mavin watched in horror. Mavin knew she was screaming, but her cords weren't making a sound.

The loud knocking on the door, jarred her awake. The TV blared on with some hip-hop music video. Mavin's body was soaked in fresh perspiration as her chest heaved, trying to fill her lungs with much needed air. She felt a bit disoriented and it took a few more knocks on the door before she remembered her roasted turkey sandwich.

************

It was a bit after dark noon, when Mavin finally concluded her report. She had accomplished her task of presenting the drug as glorified crap, in technical terms. She spent the next three hours trying at first to stay awake, then trying to sleep. Sleep took over her embattled mind and held it for a few hours, until her alarm shook her up. Mavin flew out of bed and into the shower, and back out again. She still had two hours before the conference, but the tall woman just wanted something to do.

She organized important papers, her Blackberry, memory sticks and laptop into her expensive leather briefcase. She got dressed in a beige linen shirt and some dockers. A pair of low-cut Tims adorned her socked feet and a white blazer finished her attire. She grabbed her Breitling and a pair diamond studs for accessories. By the time she finished, there was still forty-five minutes left. She decided to have breakfast down in the restaurant. Just as she made for the door, her cell rang in her breast pocket. Mavin stopped to answer it. It was Eva Wilson.

Eva was a board director at Micah & Connor Pharmaceuticals, one of the companies awaiting the reviews of the new drug. It wasn't her company's product, but Eva liked to scout the competition in every way possible. They knew each other from college and had been close friends ever since. Mavin would never admit it aloud, but she's had the worst crush on Eva for a long time. Eva had been married twice before and now, had been single for more than a year. She was the same age as Mavin but didn't look thirty-five.

"Wow, it's great to hear your voice, Doc." Eva said with a happy tone.

"Damn girl! Been a while." Mavin chuckled into her mic.

"For sho'. You ready for this?"

"Hell yeah. Where you at?"

"I'm in the lobby, doin' ma thang. You know how it goes."

"Yeah, go on with your bad self. I'ma see you in a bit, aight?" Mavin said. This was how they vibed, they didn't need to slap each other with college degrees or textbook english.

"Don't keep me waiting, sweetie." Eva said in a singsong voice. She enjoyed flirting with Mavin. It was safe and she knew Mavin never took her seriously, but she had to admit that she sometimes wished the tall woman did.

Mavin hung up and left the room in a bigger hurry.

***********

The hotel lobby was packed with guests. Some were here for the convention while others just weren't important. People clamored back and forth. Mavin walked out of the crowded elevator and scanned the lobby for familiar faces. She spotted A.J. Morris from Morris & Sons. A.J. was a short man with an oversized ego. The fact that he knew his work didn't make working with him any easier. He was a pompous prick from some Ivy League college and he never did without flaunting his credentials. Even though he and Mavin were pretty much equals in many aspects, A.J. just got a kick out of challenging Mavin's work.

Currently, A.J. was yakking with some new members of the sub-committee. The group included two women and another fresh-outta-college man. From the way A.J. was hogging air and space, he wanted to get rid of the young lad. Mavin felt pity for the two women and even the college kid. She ignored Morris and his antics for the moment and looked around the lobby again.

She saw Eva, stunning as ever, in a black skirt suit and a wine-colored blouse. Eva was Mavin's personal example of what a sista was. She was a strong black woman who had chewed and spat her way to the top, smashing the so-called glass ceiling and earning her position as a board director for a major drug company.

After two divorces, Eva was far from heartbroken. She didn't have any kids but then again, she wasn't the motherly type either. Her presence here meant more heat for Mavin in places that would never get relief. The slender black woman with a lot of attitude always made Mavin smile. Mavin held Eva to very high regard and loved her like a sister. Even though Eva had flirted with Mavin a gazillion times, she never seemed to openly express any interest. Mavin didn't feel like exploring curious roads. No wait, she craved to do just that because it was something she knew she couldn't have. Even if it was possible, she'd have to work for it.

Mavin weaved through the crowd of geeks and chemical wizards to reach the clay-skinned woman. Eva was shmoozing with two decent looking guys that really had no chance with her. Mavin came up behind Eva and hugged her gently. She gave Eva a peck on the cheek and released her.

"Quit being such a tease, Eva." Mavin whispered before letting go.

"Oh be quiet, you're the one who came up here, feeling me up and shit." Eva said as she forgot about her lunch boys for a moment.

"That's what you call feeling up?" Mavin grinned, "You ain't felt nothing yet."

"Is that right?" Eva said with a raised eyebrow. She turned her attention back to the guys, "Mavin, meet Rick Fields and Jason Pryce. They're business associates and it's their first time on the floor."

Mavin bit her tongue to keep from laughing. With Eva, 'business associate' meant Xerox-room fuck. She extended her hand out to Rick and Jason. Both of them had sweaty hands. She felt sorry for them. They didn't know what they were getting into with a woman like Eva. She changed men like a mourner changed Kleenex.

"Good to meet you guys. Don't let Eva scare you. The floor isn't as bad as it sounds." Mavin said as she tasted blood from her tongue.

The floor was just that. The last place anyone wanted to be and the first place everyone had to go through in order to get a preliminary hearing so that you could become a sub-committee member. The sub-committee was a branch of the committee that dealt with lesser research and didn't involve the FDA as much as the head committee did. Mavin was a member of the head committee and it had taken her a surprisingly short time to get there. Apparently, her work was not to be messed with. If only someone would explain that to A.J. Morris.

"Excuse us guys." Mavin said, by way of dismissing Rick and Jason. Mavin pulled Eva to a secluded section of the lobby and couldn't hold her laughter back anymore. "That takes the cake Eva, business associates?"

"What, can you blame me for wanting double shot espresso?"

"Damn, what the fuck happened to Omar?"

"Please, I got bored with that fool." Eva said nonchalantly.

"Wow, that's a record. What was it, three months?"

"Two and a half. Goddamn mid-life crisis bullshit. Had to cut him off."

"Look who's talking." Mavin grinned.

"Well that's easy for you to say. I doubt you need to worry about mid-life crises."

"Hey, just cuz I got my game tight, doesn't make the game easier."

"Yeah, I hear you on that." Eva sighed and brushed a lock of hair away from her face, "So how have you been. I've been so busy with internal affairs, I barely have time to keep in touch."

"It's only been two months, Eva. I know I may not look like it, but I can live two months without you." Mavin rolled her eyes.

"Who is it?"

"What?!" Mavin wondered when she became an open book.

"Don't even try to play it off, Luv Doc. You know what I'm talking about. Who's the new chick that's got you sprung?"

"Come on, it ain't even like that. There isn't anybody." Mavin said as her gaze shifted from Eva's dark eyes.

"Mavin look at me, I know you. You're practically glowing. The only time that happens is when there's a woman in your life." Eva said matter-of-factly.

'Or when there's a woman in front of me.' Mavin thought and smiled despite herself.

"See, I knew it. So who is it." Eva pressed on with gusto.

"Eva, why won't you believe me? There's no one." Mavin said, making sure to enunciate the 'one'.

"Of course there isn't one, there's like twelve. But one of them's got you and I'm starting to think you don't even know it."

'No there isn't one. But two delicious looking collections of hot flesh.' Mavin thought to herself behind her grin. 'Oh and they're snuggled together in a red-laced secret but they'd be better off in my hands. Oh yeah, much better.' Mavin glanced away from the tantalizing predicament of Eva's chest. Her hazel eyes met with Eva's dark ones.

"What'd you mean by twelve?" Mavin said with mock confusion.

"Do you want a list?" Eva said fingering her neckline, "I bet you'd like to add me to that list."

"Yeah, you can humor me but seriously-" Mavin grinned.

"I'm being serious. You got it going on." Eva said in a firm, boardroom voice that betrayed nothing.

Mavin looked deeper into the slender woman's dark, brown eyes. Searching for the punch line. Mavin looked around them.

"Did you run out of business associates, Eva?" Mavin said as she refocused her eyes on the slender woman.

"You think I'm playing?" Eva asked and took a step closer to Mavin even though they were already pretty close.

"It ain't that. I just don't know what it means." Mavin said slowly.

"It means what it means." Eva sighed as she brushed a lock from her pretty face. She had a terrific bone structure with delicate features.

"Which is...?" Mavin prodded. She couldn't believe what she thought she was hearing.

"Mavin, I thought you were good at this. Is it so shocking to you that I think you're hot?"

"Hell yeah! Shit, I don't even know what to say." Mavin burst with a sound that was a crude cross between a laugh and a whimper of shock.

"How about you tell me what you're gon' do?" Eva's bit her lip for effect.

The wide lobby suddenly became too congested for Mavin. She remembered the weight of her briefcase pulling on her left arm. Her right hand flew in and out of her pocket. Her vision blurred as her body overheated from the inside, out. She realized Eva was moving closer to her. She stood still as Eva came within inches of her fevered body. Eva looked into Mavin's eyes and stepped into Mavin's space, crushing her body against the tall woman's.

Mavin stood still, wanting to know how far Eva would go on her own, liking the way Eva's breasts pushed into her broad chest. She felt her clit thrumming in time to her heart. Eva slid her right arm around Mavin's neck and pulled herself up closer. Her glossy lips were inches away from Mavin's. Her left hand found Mavin's right, taking it and moving it to her ass.