Fanning The Fire Marshal's Flame

Coffee With The Girls

Lita was sitting with Corry, Chyna, Arwen, Deidre, and Jesse at a coffee shop a few blocks from HQ. It was the one they frequently used to reach the underground parking garage of Bellona and it was owned by their organization. The staff were either assets of Bellona, rescues of Bellona or women simply loyal to Bellona, like retired agents.

“Arwen, give me back my coffee.” Deidre growled at her.

“No,” She held her phone up with a pregnancy app open, “caffeine isn’t good for you in your condition.”

“She’s pregnant but surely having a little bit of caffeine isn’t going to kill her,” Jesse laughed at Arwen being overprotective.

“Look at this again, Jesse,” Arwen waved the phone at her. The girls all looked at it and then groaned. Addy, Arwen’s husband, and Jesse’s cousin, had been the one to send the pregnancy app screenshot and was giving instructions to make sure Deidre was pampered, spoiled, and well taken care of and had provided a list of dos and don’ts. “He’s doing this when she’s pregnant. Imagine what he’ll do to me?”

“You’ll be on bedrest from day one,” Jesse grunted. “No spankings for you for nine whole months.”

“Like hell.” Arwen folded an arm over her chest after tossing her phone away. She pulled her cousin closer and kissed the top of her head, “it’s very cool.” She looked to Lita, “well. Are you going to spill your weekend adventures or not? I will tell you, Addy really hates Stavros, so it’s been a great deal of fun to tell him you’ve been hooking up. He suggested we kidnap you and make sure you haven’t been brainwashed. He said if you really want to get involved with a family-type man he has plenty he can set you up better than Stavros Pappas.”

“Screw Stavros, I want to hear about Diarmid Clooney.” Jesse wiggled her eyebrows. “I checked out the photo in the file on Artemis’ desk. He’s smokin’.”

Lita scowled at her, “I’d rather talk about Stavros, and I really don’t want to talk about him at all.”

“Oh, come on. You have a gorgeous six-foot-four man, built as rugged as they can be sleeping on your sofa. He’s so wide across the shoulders he makes Cam Torres look skinny,” Corry threw her under the bus. “I don’t know how she didn’t drag him to her room and lock him in as her prisoner.”

“Very funny. We don’t take s*x prisoners, we rescue them,” she balled her napkin up and threw it at her friend. “And I live with my dad.”

“If you didn’t live with your dad, would you have taken Mr. Blue-eyes to your bed?” Chyna leaned forward. “I saw the photo.”

“How did you see the photo?” she glared at her friend.

“I got called into Artemis’ office and she had the guy’s face on the big screen and she and Psych-One were making comments,” Chyna grinned broadly at Lita’s discomfort. “I believe one of the comments was they would let him use his fire hose on them.”

“If that’s a euphemism for golden showers, I know it was Psych-One who said it,” Deidre picked at the cookie on her plate and dropped it back sighing dejectedly, “It’s not the same without a coffee.”

“I’ll go get you a decaf,” Lita started to stand up and both Chyna and Corry held her firm in place.

“No way,” Arwen waved to the girl behind the counter. “Can you bring Dee a decaf?” At the girl’s nod she grinned at Lita, “there’s no escape for you now. Spill it. Either Stavros or Diarmid but my man has been in Italy for three days. I need to feel distracted by anyone having real adventures in sexy time. Mine are stalled and video only.”

“Stavros has turned clingy,” she grimaced at their hoots of laughter, and she stared at her coffee cup. “He knows what he’s doing in the bedroom, and he makes me nearly pass out. The last couple of times I didn’t have the energy to lift my head off the pillow and at his insistence, I just slept it off there.”

“You stayed the night,” Arwen’s voice was a shriek of excitement and drew stares from other patrons.

“Shh,” Lita blushed furiously and wound her braid around her fingertips, studying the auburn color intently. “Yes, I stayed the night and turns out he’s a cuddler, though he said he’s never cuddled before. He also had made me breakfast three mornings in a row.”

“He can cook?” Jesse leaned forward excitedly.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“She bails while he’s in the kitchen. Sneaks out and leaves him making her breakfast and he thinks she’s still sleeping it off.” Corry cackled delightedly and kicked her feet under the table.

“Yesterday he called about thirty times to insist I call him back. I didn’t. I sent him a text while I was picking up Chinese food last night. I told him I didn’t want to see him again.”

“Why not?” Jesse asked curiously, “if the s*x is good to the point, you’re damn near passing out, and he’s making you food, what do you have to lose?”

She was quiet. “I haven’t ever dated anyone.”

“Join the club,” Jesse laughed. “Torben’s the first guy I dated. I ended up shacked up with him a month after.”

“But Torben’s a good guy. He doesn’t have lovers in the triple digits. The minute I give into Stavros Pappas, he’s going to reject me. I’ll have my heart ready to be into him and he’ll bail.”

“Oh,” Chyna said loudly, “what you’re saying is, you’re a coward!”

She shoved Chyna hard almost sending her to the floor. “I’m not a coward. I’m protective of my heart.”

“I think you danced too many romantic ballets,” Arwen laughed at her. “If the guy gives you multiples and makes you breaky in the morning then let him pay for your dinner.”

“Unless there really is something about him you don’t like, which I doubt because you wouldn’t be sleeping with him if you didn’t like him even a little,” Deidre spoke up.

“Uh, yeah I would,” Lita laughed at Deidre, “I might be shy and quiet, but I can name three guys in the last year I wouldn’t give the time of day of but knew they were packing and slept with them. Sometimes an itch is just an itch.”

“Aw, look at Dee blushing.” Arwen teased her cousin, “the most innocent one here and she’s the one knocked up.” She pinched Deidre’s cheek playfully and got her leg pinched back

“Who wants to see Lita blush instead?” Jesse was smirking.

Corry and Chyna raised their hands and then they all followed Jesse’s gaze out the big window of the café and Lita slunk down in the seat.

“Is that him in the flesh?” Deidre hissed excitedly.

“I sent him to my lawyer friend in the building across the street,” Jesse grinned. “I knew she was seeing him at two.”

“Is this why you suggested this coffee shop at three?” Lita stared out the window as he stood on the steps of the building across the street typing into his phone.

“Dang right. I wanted to see him in the flesh. I was totally scoping him out.”

Lita kicked Jesse under the table, “bitch.”

Arwen stretched her hands over her head and casually looked out the window, “oh, Lita, how are you not going to play dirty games with him in your house?” She turned her head back to Lita with wide eyes.

“He’s not interested,” she hissed back hating her friends as she fought the stain on her cheeks. Her pale complexion made her appear more tomato than human. “I’m his best friend’s kid. He’s running from crazy,” she made a pointed reference to the ex, “and he thinks I’m a child.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Corry argued. “He wouldn’t have told you his nickname and his prowess if he thought you a kid.”

“Wait, what?” Jesse was now almost clamouring over the table to get to Lita, “spill it. Come on. Torben’s working on some damn thing in the lab, and I need to live vicariously through you.”

“You’re not getting laid?” Lita asked her with disbelief.

“Well, yea, I’m getting laid. I’m simply saying the bite marks are wearing off and I need more stories.”

“Bite marks?” Dee asked in alarm.

Lita pointed around the table, “likes to get bit, likes to be whipped, likes to do it in public places and likes to have multiple partners at the same time.”

Dee looked to Arwen in horror. “I thought they were joking! He whips you in the same house we all live in together?”

Arwen glared at Lita, “you had to tell her?”

“You’re all throwing me under the bus.”

“Stop changing the subject,” Jesse slapped the table, “what is his nickname and how does it relate to his s****l capabilities?”

“We were razzing him really bad last night and drinking. Dad and I were mocking him about what he brings to the table considering his description of a perfect relationship is basically a woman making all the decisions and him just showing up for s**t. He was teasing saying he was going to tell me his nickname and it made dad get all frantic. Dad panicked and spilled they call him Leviathan.”

“Like the giant sea creature?” Jesse frowned and then her eyes drew wide. She held her hands two feet apart, “like this?”

She held her hands about eight inches apart, “more like this.”

“How would you know if you didn’t see it?” Arwen was now leaning forward too and then squealed at Lita’s pursed lips, “oh my god you saw it!”

“I didn’t hear him come in the house because I was on the phone with Corry,” she shoved her friend as if it were her fault. “I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth before bed, walked in and there it was, hanging out in all it’s splendor.”

Jesse reached out to her hands and lifted them again and held them apart, “eight inches?”

“Yeah, roughly.” She knew even her chest and arms were red now from their questions.

“Was it hard or soft?” Deidre asked and five sets of eyes swivelled to hers. “Hey, it’s a valid question. Eight soft could be nine or ten hard.”

Five nodding heads turned on Lita and she groaned, “I don’t know. He’s not as big as a p**n star but it was bigger than the one I’ve seen the last five times. I’m not a specialist in male anatomy. Is it hard or soft when they urinate? He was just tucking it in.”

“Tucking it in,” Chyna snorted, “like you tuck in a pet sea monster.”

The table erupted into giggles at her comment and Lita couldn’t help herself joining in. “Laugh it up. I now have to spend the next two weeks avoiding it.”

Jesse nudged her under the table, “he’s coming to get a coffee.”

“No.” Lita swallowed hard as she watched him cross the street in their direction, “maybe he’ll get hit by a bus.”

“Lita!” Dee rebuked sharply while the girls all chortled at her discomfort.

Chyna pinched her thigh, “Lita, he’s even hotter up close. You sure you don’t want –” she broke off in gales of laughter as Lita smacked her arm. “I think our girl doesn’t quite know what she wants.”

Just as he stepped in, with his eyes focused on the menu behind the counter, Arwen grinned at Lita and Lita gave her a warning glance.

Arwen spoke loudly, “Lolita O’Malley! You hussy. Two men in one night. Straight to hell with you!”

The girls all roared as several patrons turned to the table to check out the commotion as Lita considered shooting Arwen with her own g*n. “I hate you!” she hissed at her.

Arwen winked, “no you don’t. You love me. It’s why I’m your favorite sniper.”

“Hey, I’m her favorite sniper,” Corry shoved Arwen under the table.

“I love you both, now f**k off,” Lita whispered furiously.

“Lita?”

She closed her eyes as her friends all giggled and stared at the man who approached her from behind.

“Hey Diarmid, what brings you to Manhattan on a Monday.”

“I was meeting with the lawyer your friend set me up with.”

Jesse rose from her seat and extended her hand, “Jesse Chavez. I’m the one who recommended my friend to you.”

He shook her hand warmly and then had to tug it away when Jesse was examining it closely. “Well thank you. She’s already been a big help.”

Jesse whispered loudly, “his hands are as big as Torben’s.”

“Jesus Christ, Chavez,” Lita shushed her.

“Introduce us,” Deidre spoke up.

“You’re supposed to be the quiet one,” Lita glared at her, but Deidre just shrugged back.

“I’m blaming the hormones from the baby.” She sipped her decaf with a wicked grin.

“Diarmid, these are my friends. You’ve met Corry already and now Jesse. This is Chyna, Arwen, and Deidre, we call her Dee.”

“It’s nice to meet you all. Do you all work together?”

“No.” They all shook their heads, but their smirks were all twisted in the same sinister grin.

“Women’s shelter,” Lita said pursing her lips together.

“Oh, you all volunteer there. Very cool. Conor was telling me about the great work you all do down there. It’s fantastic.”

“It sure is,” Chyna batted her eyes at him. “Lita was mentioning her father had a guest staying for a couple of weeks. Are you in New York for good?”

“Yes.” He nodded uncomfortably as Chyna reached out and gripped his forearm.

“You’re very strong. You work out a lot, don’t you?” She sucked in a breath when Lita stomped on her foot. “I’m just curious whether he does steroids or if it’s natural?”

“Natural,” he winked at her. “A little hard work never hurt anyone.”

“I bet you’ve never hurt anyone in your life,” Chyna continued as the girls all snickered.

“Not if I can help it, I try not to.” His smile was toothy and white as he easily picked up the flirtatious behaviour.

Lita shot her friend a dirty look but then picked up her coffee cup and took a long sip. She didn’t know what Chyna’s game was flirting with Diarmid, but she knew she shouldn’t care one way or the other.

“Well, I’ve got a meeting I have to get to. I’m going to grab my coffee and run.” He touched Lita’s shoulder, “will you be home for dinner?”

“No. I have a date.” She saw her friends all pull back their heads in surprise.

“Oh, okay, well, I’ll see you later.” He gave a wave and stepped away.

Lita pulled out her phone and sent a text to Stavros.

“What are you doing?” Chyna asked furiously, “you can’t go out with Stavros now.”

“Why not? It gets me out of the house.”

“Because, dumbass,” Chyna nudged her, “I just proved to all six of us you are not as immune to him as you want to think. You nearly stomped my foot off because I flirted. You like him. You want him. You should go get him. Screw Stavros. Get the fireman.”

Lita considered her friend had played her like a fiddle. She’d fallen right into the trap of revealing to five women highly trained to read behavior responses she was lusting over the man only a few feet away. She shook her head in denial. “You’re wrong. I just need to do what Jesse said earlier.”

“What did I say?” Jesse acted as if she were under attack.

“What do I have to lose? I should at least give him a try, right?”

As her friends all sat staring at her in confusion, she realized she was even more confused than they were. As Diarmid gave another wave to them when he left, she considered, she needed to hit a reset button. Maybe the date wasn’t such a bad idea after all.