The Road to Glory (19 page)

"You can tempt me with all kinds of things and you know it." RJ looked at the girl behind the counter, who was openly staring at them. "What, haven’t you ever seen two people shopping for clothes before?"

The young girl looked utterly bored as she pulled her chewing gum out of her mouth and then pushed it back in before resuming chewing. "Whatever, Granny. What kind do you and your girlfriend want?"

RJ laughed out loud, looking at Leigh. "Well, what do you know? You’re my girlfriend! Did you know you had signed on for the long haul?"

"That’s news to me. Pretzel girl here must be psychic."

The girl rolled her eyes. Dykes were such bitches
.
"Do you want a pretzel or not? I’m totally busy." Now she snapped her gum, glancing down her fake black fingernails.

Leigh looked around her. They were the girl’s only customers and another pimply-faced boy was making a fresh batch. She shook her head slowly. "I can see that you’re swamped."

The girl narrowed her eyes and Leigh got on with it. "I’d like a cinnamon and sugar pretzel, please." Leigh’s gaze slid sideways. "And for you, honey buns?"

RJ shook her head. Leigh was nothing but trouble. But luckily, the pilot really enjoyed being in trouble. "When in Rome …" she shrugged, looking around a little more seriously now. "Whatever you choose is fine or I could just eat yours."

Leigh blushed again, causing RJ to clamp her hand over her mouth and the teenaged cashier to snigger. The trucker giggled despite herself and quickly handed over the ten dollar bill, getting back only a few ones for change. "You like doing that, don’t you?" she accused RJ.

"I will admit to getting a certain," she paused and locked eyes with Leigh. Bringing the hand that held the pretzel to her mouth, she took a long slow bite, humming with pleasure before she even started to chew. "… Amount of pleasure from it. Yes."

The girl at the counter said, "You two really need to get a room. And if you’re into movies, like, I know this guy, Freddy, who wants to be a director someday and he’d love to tape you two going at – "

"God." Leigh made a face and quickly began pushing RJ away from the counter.

RJ skidded her feet and turned so she was walking backward facing Leigh. "Wanna make a movie? That young lady seems to know someone who would –"

"Someone who would require us to get extra shots of antibiotics just to be around him." She leaned close to RJ and stood on her tiptoes so she could whisper in her ear.
I can’t believe I’m about to say this
. "If you really want to make a movie, I’d prefer we do it alone."

RJ nodded before turning around and re-taking Leigh’s hand. "Alone would be good too. I like being alone with you. You get all feisty and sweaty."

Leigh smiled a little bewildered, suddenly wondering if she and RJ were talking about the same thing at all.

RJ began looking around. The sweet-tasting pretzel and Leigh’s hand firmly placed in hers had given her spirits another boost upward, making her feel like a kid on Christmas morning. Full of excitement, her natural instinct to explore began to kick in. Then something caught her eye. She stopped and stared at the scantily clad mannequins in the store window. "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"

Leigh turned to see what had RJ standing in the middle of the mall with her jaw on the floor. She followed her line of sight and began to cluck her approval. "Victoria’s Secret." She bit her lip and let out a low groan. "If their catalog doesn’t turn you on to women, check for a pulse." She giggled at RJ’s continued open-mouthed stare and used her fingertip to close the now panting orifice. "I’d love to get you in, and then immediately out of, something from that store. But since I don’t think that will happen, you can shop for me there instead."

RJ gripped Leigh’s hand tighter and began pulling her in the direction of their goal. "Let’s go then! I’ll be happy to buy you anything you like from this place."

"No, no, no, no." Leigh shook her head. "You first. I have a feeling we’ll be all day if we start in there. I guess they don’t have one of those in Glory either." Around a bit of pretzel she said, "Are you sure that you’re not really a prisoner who’s been recently released on parole after a hundred-year sentence? You seem like a kid in a candy store," she teased.

RJ reluctantly tore her eyes from the storefront and followed Leigh past another shop, not bothering to respond to Leigh’s comments. They hit a little too close for comfort and with startling clarity RJ realized how lonely Glory had become for her. She stuffed the rest of the pretzel in her mouth and tossed the napkin in a trash bin.

The tall woman winced a bit at the level of music that was playing. But once she adjusted to it, she actually started to enjoy the beat a bit.
Glenn Miller it isn’t. But it’s not bad.
But she couldn’t get her mind off the store with all the pretty, girly nighties. "We could have had so much fun in the other place, Leigh. I noticed this little black number you would look just wonderful in … then out of." She leered just a little, hoping to earn another blush. She really did enjoy doing that, guessing that not too many people could get that sort of reaction out of Leigh.

Leigh smacked RJ in the belly as they walked. "Not this time, Stretch." She rolled her eyes playfully. "I’m long past blushing about scantily clad women." After passing another few stores Leigh announced that they were ‘here’ and dragged RJ inside. They hadn’t gotten three paces into the store when a prissy sales clerk scampered over to them, appraising each of their outfits with what appeared to be genuine interest.

The tall, rail-thin man was wearing a pair of crisply pressed chinos, an obnoxious lavender-colored cotton shirt, and what RJ was sure were women’s shoes. His head was covered with a sparse patch of white blonde hair . "Hello, ladies," he exclaimed excitedly in a featherlight voice. When he got a good look at RJ he slapped his cheeks with both hands. "Look at those long legs. Aren’t you simply divine!"

"Watch it," RJ warned playfully. She hadn’t seen a man so light in the loafers in years. He was section eight material if ever there was some. "My," she glanced at Leigh and grinned, "girlfriend, here, will kick your butt for talk such as that. I’ll be needing a couple pairs of trousers."

"Ohhh," he squealed, happily playing along with RJ. "Whip me, beat me, teach me how to love. I am so all over that, girlfriend. Whatever it takes to make the little one happy." He winked at down at Leigh, his admiration clear.

RJ crossed her arms across her chest. "You keep that up and I’ll be the one kicking your butt. Just help me find a couple pair of trousers. I have better things to be doing with my time than buying my own clothes. There’s a shop back there," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder, "I need to get her into."

The clerk held up his hand to forestall any further comment. "Victoria’s Secret." He crossed himself and reverently said, "Say no more. I shop there."

"For yourself," Leigh mumbled playfully.

"I’m Alan." The man shifted into professional mode. "I understand you would like some ‘trousers’?"

"That’s what she said, Alan," Leigh supplied. "But we’ll be needing just a few more things besides the pants. We’re going out on the town tonight."

RJ looked a little surprised. Leigh hadn’t mentioned this before. She had just assumed they’d go back to the motel, have tons of obnoxiously satisfying sex and then go to bed.

Leigh gave the man a satisfied smirk. "And I want the entire city to wish they were me. Not that they won’t be anyway."

They both turned and stared at RJ, who was standing there looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Not a problem," Alan declared.

"And I want her to be completely comfortable in what she’s wearing."

Alan scowled. "I sense a problem."

*  *  *

Pete ran a shaking hand through his thick white hair. "I know, Katherine! I’m not disagreeing with you."

"How could you do it?" Her gaze raked across the table of men and women and not a single one of them would lift their eyes to meet hers. "She’s falling in love with that girl, whether she knows it yet or not. And there is no way they can be together! You’re going to let her get her heart broken." The middle-aged woman was nearly in tears.

"Katherine," Pete rumbled in a low voice. "We can’t change what’s destined to happen." He squared his shoulders, firming his resolve against the formidable woman. "You’ve been in Glory long enough to know that."

"Peter," she narrowed her eyes, "are you saying that me daughter is destined to have her heart torn from her chest and stomped on!"

"I’m not a fortune teller." Pete winced. "So I don’t know."

"If you don’t know, then why are you saying it’s destined to happen?"

"Katherine." Pete’s voice softened. "That they’re right for each other is obvious. Any fool can see that." Before she could respond he beat her to the punch by saying, "Yes, even a fool like me. RJ might get her heart broken." He looked directly into her eyes, an unusual helplessness overtaking his strong features. "There’s nothing –"

"I refuse to accept that! Her life was short enough as it was. Now she’s being shortchanged in her afterlife too?" Katherine slammed her fist against the table. Her husband, Frank, who was sitting quietly at the other end of the table nodded approvingly. A man who was married to a woman like Katherine didn’t need to say much. Thank the Lord. And he could see she was on a roll. "I, for one, won’t stand here idly while that happens. Ruth Jean deserves better."

Pete hung his head. "You’re right, Katherine." When he looked up he pinned every member of the Glory City Counsel with a withering gaze. "RJ has given us sixty years of dedicated service." He sat down in his chair, jumping back up when Flea hissed in outrage. "Sorry, Flea," Pete offered contritely, as he picked up the fat cat and set her on the table in front of him. "I think maybe we need to consider breaking the rules and letting RJ leave Glory permanently."

Katherine, along with everyone else in the room, gasped, a pang in her chest making it hard to breathe. Would they really let RJ leave?
Lord above, it would take a miracle.
But she nodded. Her daughter deserved her chance at happiness and she would take her petition to the very top if she had to.

*  *  *

RJ didn’t know where to start when they got back to the lingerie store. There were just so many options. She began counting on her fingers, her brows drawing together.

"What are you doing?" Leigh asked as she took notice of a nice little purple number that was a distinct possibility.

"Counting how many nights we have."

"Nuh uh, RJ." Leigh shook her head. "I only got to buy you one outfit. And you insisted on buying yourself those jeans." Her smiled at RJ’s new Levis. "That means you can only pick one thing for me." She smiled mischievously. "Fair is fair."

RJ growled deep and loud at her stubborn companion. She usually enjoyed the fire and the fight that Leigh so easily displayed. But couldn’t she see reason just this once? There were so many … interesting outfits to be had here. All of which the blonde would look completely delightful in. "Fine," she muttered, only somewhat dejected. She was still buying one, by God. "Which one do you like, lass?"

"Doesn’t matter." Leigh smiled coyly. "If I’m not mistaken," batting her eyelashes, she drew her fingertip from RJ’s belly button all the way to collarbone where she let it rest, "this is really for you, right?" Her smile broadened when she heard RJ swallow. Hard.
God, I love flirting with her
.

RJ captured Leigh’s hand and kissed the tip of her wandering, but much appreciated finger. "Well, that’s true, but I want you to feel good in whatever it is you wear. If you feel good you’ll enjoy it more. And if you enjoy it more, I’ll enjoy it more." She gently bit the tip of Leigh’s finger. "And if I enjoy it more, you’ll enjoy it more." She gave the blonde a wicked little sneer as one eyebrow arched up and said, "Don’t you agree?"

This particular conversation was making Leigh dizzy, though the ‘feel good’ theme was registering loud and clear. "How about this?" She walked over to a rack of short silk robes and watched as RJ’s eyes lit up.
Hmm …nice reaction,
her ego purred happily.
But how about …
As an experiment, she walked over to another rack, this one containing lacy bras, and received an equally enthusiastic reaction. "Oh, boy." She laughed. "I think we’re going to be here for a while."

Leigh crooked her finger at RJ and the tall woman immediately complied by stepping over to her. "You know they have dressing rooms here, right?" she said with the innocence of an angel.

"You know, lass," she shifted just slightly. Suddenly her clothes were becoming very restricting and warm, very warm. "If you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting ..." RJ whimpered at the thought.

Leigh’s smile grew even larger. "Yes?"

"Well, then that might be –" RJ was forced to stop and clear her throat. "That might be a mistake. Now mind you, I’m not certain, but I’m thinking even in the great State of Washington you can get arrested for what would happen if we went into that dressing room together."

Leigh pouted just a little and RJ tweaked her lower lip.

"It might be best if you find an outfit or three that you like and then we take them to the hotel and try ‘em out." RJ was quite certain there was nothing in this store that Leigh wouldn’t make look even better.

"Tch," Leigh scoffed. "Such a dirty mind." What RJ had said was, however, right on target. The thoughts that were floating around in Leigh’s brain and sending lovely signals to the rest of her anatomy would most certainly get them into deep trouble if they got caught. "I was just suggesting that you pick out a few of your favorites for me to try on." The trucker tried her best to look innocent, which even in the best of times was a bit of a stretch.

"Right." RJ eyed her companion, knowing better than to fall for that sweet, innocent look. Leigh Matthews was many things. But sweet and innocent were not among them. "All right, tell you what. Why don’t you pick one you like and I’ll pick one I like and we’ll go with those? We can surprise each other."