SECOND CHANCES(A Lesbian Story)

Chapter 10

Vic watched her secretary as she slept, quite fascinated by the long black lashes which fringed her eyes. How beautiful those eyes were when open... how beautiful she looked while asleep. She was driving her slowly out of her mind.

Mika's head was resting against Vic's arm, and she kept still. For if she woke her, the secretary would draw away from her as she had been drawing away from her for days.

Vic Galang checked her watch, her eyes moving to the window of the plane. Soon they would be landing at Nairobi airport and the aircraft would descend against the background of a sky flooded with the fiery glow of the setting sun. Mika had slept through the last two hours of the journey while she... she had spent her time thinking about her. On her lap there was an open journal she had not read a word of. All her attention was focused on the beautiful woman seated beside her.

In her shadow-dance of evasion Mika had moved again... one step forward and one step back. No! Make that two steps back. What was she afraid of? Was she even afraid? Or was she (Vic) reading into this relationship more than what was there? No! That was not the case. Self-deception was not one of her failings.

Mika had been so light-hearted the other day, laughing and chatting with her and the twins all the way to Angeles. But the drive back to Manila had been very different. Without the presence of the children she had nothing to say to her. This, when she had expected so much more, when she waited two weeks to see her again, over Christmas and while Mika had been ill with flu. This, and her point blank refusal to have dinner with her.

But the next day it had been a different story again! Wednesday had given birth to a new girl— serene, more calmly efficient than she had ever been— and delighted to accept her invitation to dinner that evening.

Vic shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. Her eyes moved down the length of her secretary's body and back again, coming to rest on her mouth. Fortunately for the latter, she could exercise enormous patience over matters which were important to her. And this was important. Female games of cat and mouse were nothing new to her... not by any means. She would allow the other girl certain amount of fun... so much room in which to play. So much... and no more.

"Mika, wake up! The sunset will be worth seeing. Besides, we will be landing in twenty minutes and you have got to get yourself together."

Mika heard the words and registered the gruff tone of her boss's voice. What the devil was wrong with her now? Was she annoyed because she was sleeping instead of going over that boring report from Cooper's Beers? She had read it already... twice!

Blinking, she surfaced from sleep and snapped fully awake when she realized she had been resting her head against her. Damn! Now what would she read into that? She pulled away from Vic quickly, straightening her clothes.

Everything had gone beautifully so far... everything according to plan. She had managed admirably to be her usual self all week and Vic had not the slightest idea of what she feels for her. Over the last days, Mika deciphered and accepted the fact that she had indeed fallen in love with her boss. She made a resolve that Vic will never find this out. She had turned down her invitation to dinner the day she learned the truth about her relationship with Shiela Pineda. She had been too angry to accept. But the following day, she had dinner with her because to have refused again would have been an unnatural thing to do. After all, it was a business dinner. Vic wanted to talk to her about their trip to Nairobi. She had not, however, invited the boss in for coffee when Vic had taken her home. Nor did Vic invited herself in which had surprised Mika a bit.

That was the trouble. The boss had not laid a finger on her. There was nothing with which she could accuse her... no way could she broach the subject of her personal life, even in the most casual way. Maybe she had changed her mind about her... decided that she did not want her after all. Maybe she had enough to cope with... with Shiela Pineda and an unknown number of others.