Return to Computers, Conferences and Kisses Chapter Ten



Computers, Conferences and Kisses
CHAPTER ELEVEN: A NEW OUTFIT

Author: Spellbound
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: The Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and its characters are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy.


As Vince watched on, Tara's hand slid slowly up Willow's calf, tickling the back of her knee gently as the red head went about resetting the computer. Willow closed her eyes, trying to force them to focus on the task in hand, she looked down at Tara who was still pilling bottles into the fridge and seemed unaware of the reaction she was having on the other woman.

Vince grinned as he opened the hatch and walked the long way around the bar, his arms loaded with crates. "For gods sake!!" a loud voice boomed through the room making everyone jump, including Vince who dropped the crates noisily to the floor.

Everyone turned to look towards the door and saw David standing, or rather filling the doorway, his hands on his hips. "You couldn't move out the way?" he asked Tara, she blushed deeply, before she had a chance to respond, Willow jumped to her defence. "She's ok there, besides, I'm all done." She stepped back and smiled sweetly at the man who was eying the pair with a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

Willow gathered her things and stepped out from behind the bar, leaving Tara flushed and grinning in front of the fridge. "Things look good." She told David as she reached his side, "I don't foresee anymore problems." Taking his arm, she guided him from the room. With one final flash of a smile that made Tara fidget in place, the ravishing red head was gone.

Vince, who had returned the empty crates to the cellar took a seat on one of the stools at the bar and watched as Tara watched Willow leave. "Man, you got it bad for that one!" he said, making her jump slightly. She finished restocking the fridge and turned to face him. "Oh shut up!" she said, her cheeks and groin burning. "Shut up!" he mocked as she threw a cloth at him.

"You don't have time to be all lovesick anyway." He told her, his voice matching the rolling of his eyes. "We have the cheese fest tomorrow night."

The Pink Party, or cheese fest, as it was known to the hotel employees was a celebration of all things tacky and cheesy. It had begun life as the after 'Pride' party held by the gay community but was now a regular party for everyone and anyone. The music was awful and many people would dress up in fancy dress or come in drag, it was a night were you could be as silly and crazy as you wanted with no repercussions.

Secretly Vince loved The Pink Party, often dressing up and dancing to 'agadoo' with everyone else, his public dislike of the event always made Tara giggle. "Who are you kidding?" she asked him, "Last year you had on stilettos and a feather boa and we had to drag you off the table!!" she laughed whole heartedly as he blushed and hung his head.

Willow had said her goodbyes to David and the others and was standing outside the hotel, she turned, about to re-enter the building when her cell phone rang, "Willow Rosenberg?" she answered briskly. Listening to caller she nodded her head slowly, breathing a heavy sigh she replied, "Okay, I'll be right there." "Sorry Tara." She said towards the façade of the building as she jogged down the stairs and into her car.

The evening passed without much event for either woman, both carrying out their required duties and returning to their homes, alone. In their quiet homes, their minds wandered back to the afternoons events, in a long distance synchronised dance, both women headed to their kitchens, poured themselves a glass of wine and sank into their relevant sofas, where, after consuming their drinks, Willow's wine being white, Tara's red, they fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.

Problems with the system at the Benson Plaza forced her mind to remain on the job, brief images of Tara stealing away the odd moment in her day.

Over at the Noxon hotel, Tara was busy decorating the large bar for the Pink Party, Vince had left the room, supposedly on a hunt for a set of long ladders. Last year's party had proved fatal for the glitter ball and David had managed to acquire a new one although it had sat in the box for most of the year so Vince was given the task of hanging it.

A small man entered with the ladders that Vince had been searching for, he smiled at Tara who was spitting feathers.... Literally. She had found the feather boa that Vince had worn the year before and was decorating the till with it, unfortunately the feathers were a little lose and she had gotten a mouthful while trying to tape the bottom in place.

As the man, the caretaker, a man who looked to be about 100 years old but was only just past 50, set the ladders up in the middle of the dance floor, Tara turned, "Hey Jimmy." She said with a smile as she picked the past piece of feather from her lips. He nodded towards her in acknowledgement.

Vince burst in carrying a large box in his arms. "Can't find the... oh. Hey Jimmy!" he said when he saw the older man stood in the middle of the room. Tara smiled as she tried to throw a feather at him. He laughed as it drifted gracefully to the ground in front of her, "That went well!" he said as he crossed the floor to Jimmy and proceeded to hang the new glitter ball from the ceiling.

As his feet hit terra firma once again, he slapped Jimmy on the back. "Let the cheese fest begin!" he announced, throwing his arms in the air. Jimmy smiled as he took the ladders down and vanished off into the store closet.

The pair continued to make the final preparations to the area. Tara was hanging balloons from the walls above the tables and Vince was trying to set up a large, but sturdy folding table when David walked in. "I have new uniforms for you two for this evening." He said, dropping a large box on the table nearest him.

The table Vince had been struggling with collapsed, trapping his finger and causing the young man to yelp. Giving up on his losing fight he wandered over to David, dread written clearly on his face. Tara joined him and together they opened the box. "They're not so bad!" Tara said, lifting a pale pink shirt from the box and shaking the creases out. Vince looked at her incredulously. "Not so bad?" he said, pulling out a pair of dark pink trousers and holding them up in front of himself. "We'll look like.... Well, a damn Teletubby!!"

Both Tara and David burst into fits of laughter as Vince continued to flap and complain over his new outfit.


Continue to Computers, Conferences and Kisses Chapter Twelve


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