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  An hour later Gail laid next to her, sated but frustrated at the same time.

  Emily touched her and made love to her but didn't want any return affection

  from her. It was happening with more frequency and Gail didn't know how to fix

  it. Did Emily just want to be conquered?

  "We'll have to talk about this sooner or later you know," Gail told

  her not moving the arm that she had draped over her eyes.

  Emily just rolled out

  of bed and headed for the shower hearing the sigh behind her before she closed

  the door.

  "I can't talk about something I have no answers for," she told her

  reflection in the bathroom mirror.

  Gail and Emily walked along the shoreline at six to get to Parker's house in

  silence. They both watched the undulations, which really couldn't be called

  waves, in the water as if they held the answers to what was wrong with them.

  Gail noticed the ball the dog had left in Emily's hand, the hand closest to her

  so that she couldn't hold it.

  "You go out into that sand and I'm throwing you on the grill."

  The

  voice held no hint of teasing and Emily and Gail stopped in their tracks.

  "I mean it, Abby, it takes an hour to blow dry all that damn fur of

  yours," Parker finished. Emily could see him standing on the edge of the

  deck looking at her hand and quickened her steps not to get the pooch in

  trouble.

  "Hey," Emily called up. Emily's greeting was followed by Abby's loud

  barking, alerting a ten-mile radius of the women's arrival.

  "Hey come on up. Don't worry Abby's h-a-r-m-l-e-s-s," said Parker.

  Gail quirked an eyebrow at the spelling and thought this was going to be a

  really long night.

  "Go on, Emily, obviously he's harmless." No sooner had the word left

  Gail's mouth Abby underwent a transformation. Like a cat his fur stood on end

  and his teeth were bared in a snarl.

  "Abercrombie Princeton King, down," shouted Parker. The yell made the

  dog whip his head around and instantly sit. He looked up at Parker and seemed

  to wait to see how much trouble he was in. "She didn't mean it, boy,

  everybody knows you're the real King Kong around here,"

  Parker cooed to

  the dog. The wagging tail was back and he was back to trying to coax the two

  women in the sand to join them.

  "What in the hell was that?" demanded Gail. If the woman had some

  kind of vicious dog, she shouldn't have invited people over without locking him

  up first.

  "Sorry Abby takes exception when people call him what you just did. Makes

  him feel like a weenie I guess. Say you're sorry, boy,"

  ordered Parker.

  Abby walked to Emily first and offered a paw with his head bowed, which she

  accepted giving him his ball back. The dog offered the same to Gail but pinned

  the woman with eyes surprisingly like his master's.

  "Hey I'm glad you came and I hope you're hungry." Behind Parker a

  formidable sized grill was burning logs of hickory down to coal, and next to it

  sat large steaks of salmon. Everything looked organized and within easy reach

  to an experienced cook like Emily. It was one of her hobbies that she didn't

  get to practice very often.

  "You cook, Miss King?" It wasn't until just then that the pilot wondered if Parker knew her name. They had never used a first name basis in all

  their previous meetings.

  "Please, Captain, call me Parker." She held a large tanned hand

  toward Gail and introduced herself to Emily's companion.

  "Welcome to my

  home, I'm Parker King and you've met Abercrombie."

  "Thanks for the invitation, I'm Gail Ingles and I see you already know

  Emily. And I hardly think you need an introduction Parker, congratulations on

  your recent win." Parker nodded at the greeting and pointed to some seats

  after the formalities were out of the way and moved behind the outside bar.

  "Can I get you two something to drink?"

  "White wine and a scotch if you have it," answered Gail for the two

  of them. Parker saw the look that Emily gave her partner for doing so and

  waited to see if the blonde would answer for herself.

  "I'll have a hot chocolate actually."

  "With or without marshmallows?" asked Parker.

  "What the hell, with."

  "Hot chocolate? What are you crazy, it's a hundred degrees out here."

  Gail's admonishments stopped when Parker uncapped the thermos on the bar and

  poured two cups of hot chocolate dropped in a handful of marshmallows into both

  then poured a scotch. "How did you know I'm not the wine drinker among us?"

  Brown eyes closed into an almost leer as Parker got their drink orders correct

  without having to ask.

  "Just a hunch, Ms. Ingles."

  "Gail, please." She accepted her drink and watched Emily wrap her

  hands around the mug Parker had given her like it was cold outside. Where in

  the hell had Emily met the number one tennis player in the world and why did

  they look so familiar with each other?

  "Now why don't you two entertain yourselves for a moment while I cook some

  fish. If you ask nice enough, Abby will be happy to run the gamut of tricks he

  knows, just start with play dead and work your way down."

  It had occurred

  to Parker to walk next door during her run and cancel since Gary had moved

  their photo shoot up a day, but despite the partner, she had wanted to see

  Emily again before they went home from their vacation.

  "Abby, play dead," said Parker to start them off. Parker pulled an

  imaginary gun from her hip and shot him. The ham with fur put a little more

  into it than the usual just falling and not moving most dogs did. With a paw on

  his head he howled like Parker had actually pulled the trigger then staggered a

  bit before falling down at Emily's feet and moaning a few more times before he

  died. While Emily laughed at the big dog's antics Gail got up and poured

  herself another drink, filling the glass up more than Parker had. This was the

  Emily Gail had first met one night out with her friends. She was lost to Gail,

  but if seemed Parker had found her and coxed Emily out of the shell she had

  wrapped around her.

  "Abby, dance," Parker prompted again. Gail kept her eyes on Parker,

  as Parker kept her eyes on Emily, who had her eyes on Abby.

  Leaving the dog to

  do a jig on his hind legs Parker asked Gail to watch the steaks for a minute

  while she ran inside. Emily praised Abby's efforts watching Parker retreat into

  the kitchen for a minute. The tall brunette returned with a bowl of marinating

  asparagus for the grill, and a smile for Emily.

  Now that would be fun, to have a someone to cook with, thought Emily as

  she watched the young woman work away at the grill. Gail didn't like to do

  anything in the kitchen, while Emily loved to spend the day trying new recipes

  when she had the time. Why in the world am I thinking about this person like

  this? Parker's call to the table didn't give Emily time to contemplate the

  answer to her silent question.

  During the meal Parker switched to water, as did Emily leaving Gail to finish

  the bottle of white wine in the cooler on the table. The trader declined coffee

  or hot chocolate and moved back to the scotch bottle she had started with at

  their arrival. They had run out of polite conversation twenty minutes before

  that and both Emily and Parker could see Gail's growing dark mood.

  "Maybe we should go." Emily was reluctant to leave and deal with

  Gail, but couldn't find an excuse to stay.

  "Could I walk you both home?" asked Parker seeing Gail's glassy look.

  If she stumbled in the dunes on the way back, Parker didn't think that Emily

  could handle her alone.

  "I think we are fucking smart enough to find the house next door, Parker,

  so back off." Gail didn't know what this dinner had been about, but she

  and Emily had some things to discuss when they ditched the tennis star and her

  goddamn performing dog.

  "I'm sorry if I offended you, Gail, I just thought you could use some help

  getting back." This was not the time to show the drunken woman sitting

  across from her that she could knock off more than the covers of tennis balls.

  "If you don't mind I have an early morning tomorrow, but I do appreciate

  you both joining me tonight."

  Gail got up from the table and stumbled right back onto it breaking every dish

  on her way down. Abby bared his teeth again without growling and Emily looked

  like she was about to help the dog out by contributing her own growl.

  "It's all right, Captain, Rosa will get it in the morning don't worry

  about it." Parker stopped the blonde before she picked anything up. Gail

  had turned already and made her way off the deck not waiting for Emily.

  "We can just say the dinner party was a smashing success."

  "I'm sorry, Parker. Good night," was all Emily could think to say

  before she too stepped off into the darkness. At almost the half way point

  between the two houses Emily saw Gail waiting for her. The anger that had

  erupted on Parker's deck minutes before that had only gotten worse Emily could

  see so she walked up slowly. "Thank you for embarrassing me like

  that."

  "You want to tell me when you became so fucking chummy with Parker King?

  Or did you fuck her to see what all the fuss was about?" Gail grabbed

  Emily's arm and squeezed as if trying to force her to answer the question.

  "Maybe I did. At least she is sober past ten in the morning."

  For the

  first time they had been together, Gail balled her hand into a fist and cocked

  it back. Emily just looked at her as if daring her to carry through with the

  threat. "Let me go." She was shaking inside but Emily's voice sounded

  calm and clear.

  "I'll decide when to let you go, don't forget that," said Gail squeezing Emily's arm harder. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hit you.

  There's no way you fucked someone else, Emily, because we both know you are too

  cold for that. I should tell your crew just how appropriate the nick name ice

  queen really is."

  "I said let me go," said Emily with more passion this time.

  She

  pushed Gail getting to fall backward into the sand. When the grip came loose,

  Emily started to shake and tears filled her eyes. She turned and ran for the

  house leaving Gail sprawled out in the sand. The fact she never looked back

  should have been a clue as to what point she was at with her lover of three

  years, but Emily didn't care. Gail had crossed a line that night and there

  might not be a way back.

  Continued in Chapter 3

  Comments to: [email protected]

  The Athenaeum's Scroll Archive

  ~ Game,

  Set and Match ~

  by Ali Vali

  Disclaimers: See Part 1

  Chapter 3

  "All right, people, let's get this stuff set up before we get one of those

  summer showers this place is famous for. I did the Sport's Illustrated cover

  here last year and ruined my favorite Nikon lens. If that happens today, heads

  will roll," said Annie Crain, the photographer Nike had hired.

  A crew of fourteen women ran around the outside court setting up lighting

  equipment hoping to get as much natural light as they could. In the gym Parker

  was lifting weights in her birthday suit on a towel draped bench so there would

  be no marks on her body of any kind for the camera to find.

  The shouting and music from next door finally woke Gail who was still asleep in

  the dunes with what tasted like a mouth full of sand. The combination of

  alcohol and sun had made a bad situation worse and she felt as if a team of

  horses had trampled her during the night. On the way into the house she passed

  Emily who had her bathing suit on and was on her way out.

  Emily shrank away

  from her as if in fear and Gail reached to comfort her making the blonde take a

  couple of steps back to get away from her. The small woman's demeanor told Gail

  that there was nothing to say at this point so she just headed to the shower

  and some aspirin. Maybe after a nap she would feel good enough to have the talk

  they were avoiding. Had Gail made it into the house the night before, she would

  have found the door to their bedroom locked.

  The music pumping through the outdoor system made Emily put her book down and

  concentrate on what was happening next door. Besides a whole lot of people with

  camera equipment, there was a huge selection of tennis shoes around the outside

  of the court. Once the photographer was set up she called to a man named Nick

  and told him to get Parker. The shower the woman had been complaining about was

  just offshore and looked like it was bringing with it a dazzling lightening

  display.

  Emily watched as Parker walked out of the house onto a now clean deck wearing

  only a robe. The fencing from around the court had been taken down and Emily

  figured they were going to take photographs of Parker's play. The pilot found

  it odd that Parker grabbed a racket and hit a few practice rounds with the robe

  on. Out of sight in a small boat in the water Gary fed her some lobs over the

  net so that Annie could get her locations for different shots set up.

  Once a good sweat had broken out on Parker, they were ready to begin and she

  dropped the robe. Emily thanked god that she was sitting on the beach and not

  out in the water. The sight before her would have made her drown she was sure.

  Standing on the court with her hair loose wearing only tennis shoes was Parker.

  The makeup job Parker had undergone that morning made it look like there were

  no tan lines anywhere on the most perfect body Emily had ever seen. "Holy

  shit," was all she could think to say as the popping noise from the day

  before returned. Parker hit ball after ball as the woman shot more and more

  rolls of film. The backdrop of the incoming storm only accentuated Parker's

  form thought Emily as she watched how the muscles bulged when she went to hit

  the ball. Without her permission Emily found her feet moving closer to the

  court as the commercial shoot came to an end.

  By the time Emily was next to the deck Parker was sitting at the table they had

  had dinner on the night before having another bottle of water wearing the robe

  she had come out in. The man that had been throwing the balls from the water

  was sitting with her as the other man helped the crew pack up their gear.

  "Emily, good morning. I hope our little bit of capitalism didn't disturb

  you too much this morning. If it did see Nick, it was all his idea," said

  Parker. Abby's whining had alerted Parker to the pilot's presence before Parker

  had actually seen her.

  "No, I came to apologize again for last night," started Emily before

  Parker put up her hand to stop her.

  "Not necessary, Captain. I think if I were in Gail's shoes the evening

  might have played out about the same, minus the drinking and the broken dishes.

  I am really glad you came though, I enjoyed our time together before you have

  to go back to the real world." The bathing suit finally clicked as to who

  this woman was and that she was very much, like Willy had said, involved with

  someone else.

  Gail wouldn't look as good as you in your shoes, thought Emily as the

  mental picture of a naked Parker played in her head again.

  "Thank

  you then, I enjoyed it too. I'm thinking of heading back today and I wanted to

  see you before I go. If you are ever in New York please give me a call and if

  I'm in town I'd be happy to return the dinner favor," said Emily. She

  crossed her arms over chest to hide her discomfort.

  "Why don't you come up for some juice or something,"

  offered Parker

  not ready to see her go just yet. Parker could see that like her, Emily looked

  lonely and the thought of not seeing her again was suddenly unacceptable.

  "Parker, we need to finish this," insisted Gary. Parker glared at him

  to shut him up and the coach just ignored her. Before him on the table was the

  fifth death threat that had been sent to Parker in just the last month. In each

  note the group that claimed to be the Soldiers of Christ got more explicit as

  to how they were going to kill the tennis player. The tabloids headlines of her

  latest break up with Alicia had spurred a new flurry of right wing hate mail,

  but this group scared Gary. The others never sent such detailed descriptions on

  how they were going to do away with his friend.

  "Maybe I should just go, Parker, you seem busy." And I'm standing

  here half naked, and you are naked under that robe.

  "Nonsense, Emily, Gary is just our resident worry wart.

  People threaten me

  all the time because of who I am, the clothes I play in, for the way I wear my

  hair you name it they find fault with it. This isn't anything new and I'm sure