Hearts at War (A Lesbian Story).

Chapter 1

Alex's POV

I got into my matt black 2016 Porsche Boxster S and revved it to life. The music was sound to my ears - literally. Although now wasn't the time to be basking in the feel of freedom and control the sound usually gives me. No, now was the time for focus and high levels of concentration. I could not screw this meeting up or I could kiss goodbye to that once-in-a-lifetime sponsorship deal that I really needed.

Today could potentially be one of the biggest and most important days of my life. I pulled away from the driveway of my beautiful NYC home and started the ten-minute drive to the meeting, which was being held on the opposite side of the upper-east from where I live. As I drive through the busy streets I try to relax. I've been over the plan in my head more times than I can count; get in there, explain how the company started, why we deserve the sponsorship above everyone else and what we have to offer. I've gone over every possible scenario and question they could throw at me in my head and come up with a solution to every single one.

I even took a leaf out of my Mom's book. "First impressions are a big thing, Alex," she told me last night over the phone, "they'll judge you on your appearance before anything. Try to look smart for a change". She lectured me for a good half an hour on that one. But as always, Diane was right. I had a simple woman's suit on and some short heels. I even went the extra mile and put a little, light make-up on. Nothing should go wrong.

I have planned everything down to the final detail in both appearance and knowledge on my company and on that guy Larry Bloom's company – my competitor. I had done my research. I knew who he was, what he did, how he got there and what he brought to the table that I didn't have. I wanted to go in there knowing about the competition. As they say, it's better to know more than necessary than not enough. And I did.

The ten-minute journey flew by much faster than I had originally thought. I was lucky enough to be able to park my baby right outside the entrance of the extravagant building. I walked into the lobby and was greeted by the buildings enthusiastic receptionist.

"Can I help you?" she asked fluttering her eyelashes. She couldn't have been any older than 19, the poor girl.

"Actually, I think you can. Could you tell me which room Galina Reznikov is holding her conference in? I enquired.

She quickly moved to look at the screen, her fingers moving faster than the speed of light. An inappropriate thought crept into my mind but I pushed it back. 'Now is not the time for this Alex, now is the time to focus' I scolded myself.

"She's on the top floor - 70. You'll find her in room 71," she said,  interrupting my thoughts.

"Thank you" I replied politely before turning on my heels and heading to the lift.

Piper's POV

I woke up super early to get back on Larry's good side. We had another argument last night before we went to bed about work, more specifically, this conference - it's all we seem to do these days. So, as a gesture of good will, I woke up early to make him some breakfast and iron his best suit. I made him his favourite - some blueberry pancakes and syrup with some orange juice - especially to get back into his good books. After I woke him up I left him to eat and went to get myself ready.

As I got dressed I thought about how the would go. Or rather, how I wanted it to go. I hoped there would be no hiccups and that Larry wouldn't get too worked up. I promised myself to stay in line today and not put my foot in it. My foot in mouth disease has always been prone to make an unwelcome appearance and do some damage. After I was finished getting dressed I went to join Larry who was looking over his black portfolio of notes. I bit my tongue - 'This is a big day for him Piper'. He rose from his seat and looked at me, he smiled.

"You look smart" he commented, looking at my black skirt and white blouse. He pushed a strand of hair behind my ear as the rest of my hair was in a loose, neat bun on my head. "Thank you for breakfast," he said, kissing my cheek. Perhaps today wouldn't be so bad.

Ten-minutes after we were scheduled to be at the conference Larry announced he was ready. I gathered my things; handbag and keys, before leaving the house. The streets of New York were always busy, but today they seemed particularly disorderly. The mood in the car began to change very noticeably. Suddenly, Larry began to tap his foot, look at his watch, sigh nervously and run his fingers through his hair in a stressed manner. He looked at his watch for the fifth time in under a minute tapping the small glass face impatiently.

"Larry, I cannot make the traffic vanish," I sighed trying with to stay calm as I reluctantly stopped the car at the new red light.

"Being on time is the essence of punctuality," he retorted in an exasperated tone, slouching in his chair. I hated it when Larry started being an uptight ass.

"You know, we wouldn't be late if you didn't take so long getting ready," I defended, putting emphasis on the word 'you'.

"Piper, I had to shave. A lot lies on someone's first impression," he argued.

I found it ever so difficult not to mock him in a patronising tone of voice. But I held my tongue and put my foot down saying no more, knowing now was not the time to argue. I got us there with no more than two valuable minutes to spare.