Keeping Faith (5 page)

Cori jumped up from the couch. "Reece! Wait up!"

"You snooze, you lose, get a move on."

Cori jogged out the door to keep up with Reece's long strides. "Jeez, it's not like he has rabies or anything, it's probably just dirt. And I thought Faith told you not to put that monstrous collar on him."

"He doesn't have dirt in his ears. I clean them you know." Reece replied defensively, shining Smudge's spiked collar with her shirt. "He likes his collar thank you very much."

Cori laughed out loud and received a menacing look. "Hey, I happen to think it's cute how you obsess over that little eunuch."

"Little
man
thank you. Just because Faith and her sadistic needs, had to chop his balls off he's still a man."

"You know, I saw on TV where they have prosthetic testicles for dogs. You can get him Great Dane balls, this way between that collar and his balls, he'll be totally unable to walk. "

Reece turned and growled at the dancer, as they headed through the Vet's door.

The club owner walked to the front desk and announced her presence to the receptionist, who winced. She remembered full well the neurotic standing before her from when the small dog was neutered. She hurried to get the chart to avoid any confrontations with the tall brunette.

"Just have a seat the doctor will be right with you."

"I'm not waiting forever." Reece complained before her ass even hit a chair.

"God Reece, you're one of those clients who drive people to drink." Cori observed, lingering by the brochures.

"Bite me."

The doctor's assistant appeared. "Goliath, Goliath Corbett."

Cori's eyes widened. "Goliath??"

"Shut it." Reece stood up and followed the assistant.

Cori sat in the waiting room, laughing herself stupid. "Wait til Faith hears that one!" Suddenly she was being dragged into an exam room by her ear and she raised an eyebrow at Reece.

"I don't trust you out there."

"You sure you want me to see you swoon when they take his temperature?"

Reece stood tall. "I do
not
swoon”

Reece stomped out of the Vet's office with a big fat scowl, followed by Cori with a smug grin. She didn't dare speak to Reece yet, the club owner needed to some time to calm down after what happened in the Vet. Turns out, Smudge, aka, "Goliath" had an ear infection and when the doctor suggested a deep cleaning, with sedation, Reece had a fit, snatching her dog off the table and attempting to flee. Cori finally convinced her to allow it, talking to her until the tall woman understood that this was going to make him better. Unable to hand him over, there was a tug-o-war of sorts over the tiny dog, with the doctor winning. Reece stood, menacing, eyes narrowed, arms folded over her chest to emphasize her muscles... daring the doctor to hurt the dog. He filled the syringe, stuck the dog with it and Reece's knees promptly buckled.

Now, Cori was dealing with a horrified Reece, grasping her sleepy dog and racing through the streets with long strides to run away from her. The dancer was getting tired.

"Reece, please, I won't tell anyone I swear! Just slow down will ya?"

"Oh, you know better , besides, I think it was a sudden sprain." Reece said, red faced, reaching down to rub her knee.

Cori snickered, "Yeah, that's what it was."

A
S SOON AS Reece settled Smudge at home, the doorbell rang. Peeking out the window she saw it was the FedEx guy and, and frowned. She had no desire to be bothered by the FedEx guy.

"It could be her script ya know." Cori said, poking Reece.

"Right." Reece sighed and opened the door.

The delivery guy looked back and forth between both women, then behind them with disappointment. "I'm looking for Faith Ashford?"

Reece took the guy's pen out of his hand. "She's not here. I'll sign for it."

"Oh." The delivery man looked dejected.

Reece glared at him impatiently as he clutched the box close to himself. "Are you gonna give me that or do I have to take it from you?"

"Well, I was kinda hoping... I mean, Faith Ashford lives here?"

Reece growled and snatched the package away. "No, but I do, and you wouldn't want to piss me off, buddy."

Cori snuck around Reece and sneered as best she could. "Yeah, me neither." She made biting gestures at him.

Reece slammed the door and shook her head. "Great that's all I need! Fuck!"

"It's not like you won't see him coming, he
is
wearing orange and blue."

The club owner glared at the dancer. "Make yourself useful and call Faith. Tell her the script is here, I have to do something."

Cori raised an eyebrow at Reece. "What do you have to do?"

The tall woman scooped up the small dog and cleared her throat. "He's sick." she replied in a quiet voice.

"Reece, you're not going to spoil him any more than he already is, are you?"

"Lick me."

The dancer stuck her tongue out at Reece as she ascended the stairs, then, stared at the box. With her excitement building every second, she shook it, and tried to tear a small hole in the box. Finally, after nosing as much as she could with no luck, she picked up the phone and dialed Faith.

"Hi baby!"

"Well, hello honeylamb."

"Oh, Cor... what's up? Where's Reece?"

"She's too busy doing some irreversible damage to the dog. Your script is here! I wanna open it!"

"It's THERE? For real? How big is it?"

"Yep! I'm holding it in my hot little hands right now! It's pretty heavy. Please let me open it!"

"Cor! Behave. I'm sure you'll be there when I do open it."

"But I wanna be special. Pleeeeeeease?"

Faith laughed. "Oh, alright you big baby, go on and open it. I'm on my way home anyway."

Cori hung up the phone and tore into the box like a kid tearing open candy. It was two big binders full of script. She held it in her hands, pretended to weigh it, smiled and giggled excitedly. Looking around, she saw no sign of Reece and began to peek inside. She shuffled through the first binder, than the second. She blinked a few times after thinking she saw the words naked and bed. She thumbed through that particular section of the script again and came upon what she was looking for. Jessie was naked, in bed with Meredith and from the looks of it, it wasn't the first time. Cori's stomach began to drop until she realized she had no idea what character Faith was playing and it very well may not be her at all. Nervously, she read further, liking very much what she saw, but uncomfortable with putting Faith as any of these characters. Reece began moving loudly and Cori slammed the script shut, almost throwing it on the table.

"What the hell?" The club owner asked, pointing at the open box.

"Faith said I could!" The dancer's voice was high pitched and nervous.

Reece raised an eyebrow and approached the two binders. Cori ran and grabbed them. "Do you think it's respectful to peek at it if she hasn't read it yet?"

"Did you?"

"Me? No! I wouldn't do that!" Cori replied defensively.

"Well, alright, I'll wait, but just in case." Reece took the script and put it on top of the entertainment center so Cori couldn't reach it.

"I'm hurt that you don't trust me."

"You'll live." Reece handed Smudge to Cori and went to the fridge.

"What the...? Reece, he smells like your cologne!"

"I gave him a bath, he likes the bubbles."

"Oh lord. Does Faith know you bathe him in the jacuzzi?"

"She doesn't have to." Reece glared, getting some chicken left-overs.

Cori watched with interest as Reece pulled the food processor out and started picking chicken off the bones. "You're pureeing chicken?"

"Yes."

"What? Do you have a tooth ache?"

"It's for the little man."

"Oh, brother!" Cori rolled her eyes and kissed Smudge on the nose. "You are so lucky, do you know that "Goliath?"

Reece spun around and pointed at Cori. "Oh, and no Goliath in front of Faith."

"Yeah, I saw how fast you whipped that collar off. You are so pussy whipped."

Reece guffawed. "I am not!"

Cori snickered. "Yeah, right, sure."

"I'm sure you know I could kill you with one poke to the neck."

"C'mon Goliath, lets leave the terminator to her pureeing."

Faith and Violet burst through the door in a flurry of bags and perfume, nearly knocking Reece to the ground.

"Hey!" The tall woman shouted, clasping the tiny dog to her chest.

"Where is it?" Faith asked, hurrying through the house.

Cori grabbed her excited friend by the back of the pants and stopped the nonsense. "Settle down, Reece put it away so I wouldn't peek."

Faith snickered. "And I'm sure that worked, not."

Reece reached up and took the script down, grinning at how wide Faith's eyes became at the size of it.

"Oooo, gimme!"

Reece dropped the heavy script down on the coffee table, and all four women hovered over it, looking at it intently, like it might do a trick. Cori was the first to act and reached for a binder. "I'll read it to you if you want."

Faith snatched it away with both hands and promptly sat on the other binder. "Oh no you don't, I bet you already know what happens in scene 85 by heart." Faith joked.

"Actually, scene 93..." Cori mumbled. Violet chuckled, thinking it was a joke and they all huddled around Faith as she opened the book.

"Alright! Time to leave my wife alone." Reece ordered, pointing at the door.

"What? No fashion show?" Violet asked, gesturing to a big pink bag. "And I wore panties with ass cheeks just for that reason."

Reece cringed. "I'm sure I don't want to see what's in that bag anyhow. Come on, Faith's gonna be buried in that script for the rest of the night."

"Thank you, baby." Faith said, already deeply involved in the first pages.

Cori sighed. "Well, alright. Let's go Vi, I, for one, am dying to see what's in the bag. Love ya Faith."

"Love you back Cor, now shoo!"

Reece smirked at Faith's willingness to throw the girls out. "Later. Lots." she said as she held the door open.

Cori blew kisses. "Love you too, Reece."

"Bite it." Locking the door behind her, Reece walked slowly towards Faith. The actress was buried in the script, a look of anticipation on her face. Reece watched her for a minute, then held Smudge at arms length. "He has an ear infection."

"Mmm."

"It was deep... like to his brain."