The Jackie Bailey Chronicles

The redhead sighed contentedly. She entwined her fingers with Shane's fingers resting on her tummy. Jackie could feel the smile spread on the other woman's lips as she held her close and tight.

Jackie's eyes fluttered open to find two hazel orbs watching her sleep. A small smile spread on her lips as she realised that their legs were tangled and they were facing each other on the narrow sofa with their arms draped over one another. Their bodies were pressed together, melting into each other. Shane smiled sweetly at her, revelling in the warmth generated between their tightly pressed bodies.

"Good morning Sleeping Beauty," Shane grinned. Jackie returned the grin. She blushed.

"Good morning, my knight in shining armour," Jackie countered. She batted her eyelids at Shane. The dark haired woman chuckled softly. Jackie's smile faded as she stared at Shane's lips. She chewed on her bottom lip. Her eyes met Shane's as they both licked their lips. Jackie leaned in closing the small space between their lips. They closed their eyes. Jackie's cell phone rang on a small table next to the front door.

"This is really bad timing," Jackie muttered. She got to her feet and walked to the phone. Shane sat up on the sofa watching the woman with a wry smile on her lips. "Jackie, good morning... Oh morning Bev... no everything's alright... why..." Jackie looked at the clock on the wall above her television. "Oh shit, I didn't even notice what the time was. I just woke up. Okay, you go ahead and open up for everyone with your keys. See you in a bit." Jackie put the phone down smiling impishly.

"I'm late for work. You let me sleep in this morning." Jackie smiled at Shane. Shane returned the smile, watching Jackie walk around the sofa.

"I couldn't help it. You looked so peaceful, like a sleeping angel." Shane was stunned as Jackie settled on her lap straddling her hips. Jackie placed her hands on her cheeks.

"Where were we?" Jackie asked leaning forward very slowly. "I am the boss after all. I can be late if I want to be." Jackie stated. She brushed their lips together. A bolt of electricity shot through both woman as their lips touched for the briefest second.

Shane placed her hands on Jackie's hips. She opened her eyes to meet the redhead's gaze. She had been waiting for that first kiss. It was better than she imagined it would be.

"I should probably let you go now. The kids won't be happy if their kick boxing instructor is late." Jackie pressed their lips together one more time, this time for a few seconds longer than before. Their eyes met again.

"Yeah, those kids are counting on me to keep them off the streets out of trouble." Shane retorted. Jackie reluctantly got off of her.

She slid her hands down Shane's firm muscular arms into the woman's hands and pulled her to her feet. "I'll see you down in the lobby?" Shane asked raising her eyebrows expectantly. Jackie smiled. She led Shane to the front door.

"Uh huh... give me half an hour to get ready." Jackie opened the door for Shane and smiled brightly.

Shane walked out and turned back toward Jackie. She reached out and trailed the back of a finger down Jackie's left cheek and along her jaw. She leaned in, tenderly clasping Jackie's chin between her fingers and trailed her other hand up the redhead's right arm to the side of her neck. She settled her thumb on Jackie's right cheek. Their lips met again as she cocked her head to the side. Shane ran her tongue along Jackie's bottom lip. The woman parted her soft plump lips letting her in. Jackie met Shane's tongue with her own tongue. They moaned into the kiss. Jackie stepped forward placing her hands on Shane's hips. She pulled the dark haired woman's body into hers. Their lips parted, leaving them both breathless. They opened their eyes, their foreheads touching. Shane brushed a lock of hair behind Jackie's ear.

"I'll see you down stairs in half an hour." Shane said. She stepped back and pulled the door shut between them.

They both leaned their backs against the opposite sides of the door smiling. Both rushed to get ready for work, taking a quick shower and getting dressed. Shane was waiting when Jackie got out of the elevator. Her breath caught when her eyes landed on Shane's strong thighs hugged tightly by a faded pair of blue jeans. Shane wore light brown leather hiking boots and a black t-shirt slightly hidden underneath a thick black and red sports jacket with a kick boxing patch over her left breast. Jackie noticed Shane's eyes travelling over her body from her feet to her eyes and smiled shyly. Shane bit her lower lip, fighting the urge to kiss Jackie again.

Shane's heart stopped as soon as Jackie stepped out the elevator. The redhead wore grey furry boots overlapping a pair of skin tight calf-hugging dark blue jeans, overlapped by a grey turtle neck, with a long black female cut leather jacket over that with a red scarf around her neck.

They approached one another, took each other's offered hand and walked toward the door together. Jackie stopped as Shane opened the door for her and looked at the snowy weather.

Her eyes met Shane's while she reached up, removed the scarf from her neck and placed it around Shane's neck. "It's cold out there. I don't want you getting sick on me." Jackie walked past Shane into the cold. The dark haired woman took in a deep breath as she smelled that now familiar sweet floral scent emanating from the scarf. Shane smiled at Jackie and shook her head. She walked Jackie to her office hand in hand. They chatted about Jackie's work and Shane's gym.

Shane followed Jackie off the elevator to Beverley's office, still holding her hand. She noticed the woman in the wheelchair behind the desk. "Good morning Beverley," Jackie greeted smiling brightly at the blonde haired woman. Beverley looked Shane up and down then looked at their entwined hands. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Good morning Jackie... Who's your good looking friend here?" Jackie blushed crimson as she looked at Shane next to her. Shane smiled and shrugged.

"This is Shane, my... girlfriend," Jackie answered, smiling, not too embarrassed. "Shane... this is Bev, my best friend." Shane shook the woman's hand. Her heart made summersaults in her chest at Jackie's admission.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Beverley." Beverley smiled back.

"Same here, Shane and please call me Bev." The blonde released her hand and looked at Jackie. "No messages or calls so far but he was here looking for you. James escorted him out the front door very carefully." Beverley relayed the morning's happenings with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Bev, would you please get Peter from the police station on the phone for me? I need to report that Nathan is ignoring the restraining order." Jackie glanced at Shane as the woman squeezed her hand lightly. Anger flickered in her eyes. She looked back at Beverley.

"Sure, I'll get right on it. Can I bring you your morning cup of hot chocolate before the meeting starts?" Bev asked with a slight smile.

"No, it will be fine, Bev. I'll go make it quickly." Jackie looked at Shane with a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "Would you like to have a cup with me before you go to the gym?" Shane nodded, smiling reassuringly and kissed the redhead's knuckles. Jackie blushed. "Please forward the call to my cell phone?"

Jackie and Shane stood at the counter in the break room, drinking their hot chocolate in silence. Jackie felt no need to say anything at the time that Shane didn't already know. Jackie's phone rang in her jacket pocket. She answered it, placing the call on speaker phone. "Hi Peter, how are you?" A rough voice sounded on the other end.

"Hi Jackie girl, everything's going good. What's wrong, you sound distraught."

"Nathan has been violating the restraining order. He has been calling me and has tried to see me in person twice now. What do you suggest I do?" Peter sighed audibly.

"Well, have you recorded the calls like I told you to?" he asked.

"Yes, I have, and I have two witnesses of the two occasions where he tried to see me," Jackie answered.

"Okay... give me the names of your witnesses now then I'll come and fetch the recordings in an hour. Did you look for a place where you can learn self defence yet?" Jackie sighed loudly sinking her face into her free hand. She felt Shane's hand on her arm and met her gaze. Shane nodded, and then answered the officer.

"Yes, she has. I own a kick boxing gym across the street. I am also one of her witnesses, Shane Dickenson."

"Okay good, thank you Shane. Jackie, are you still there?" he asked, sounding relieved. His voice stunned Jackie out of her shocked trance.

"Yeah, I'm still here, Peter. My other witness is my friend, Beverley; you met her before." Jackie's eyes stayed glued to Shane's while Peter spoke.

"Yes, I remember her, the cute blonde in the wheelchair." Shane and Jackie giggled at that. Peter chuckled on the other end.

"Peter, I'm going to take the rest of the day off. I'll be at the gym with Shane. I'll leave the recordings with Bev for you." Shane stared shocked into the redhead's eyes. She hadn't expected this.

"Yeah, you do that. You're working way too hard. I'll find you and Shane at the gym. See you later, Jackie." Jackie smiled at Shane's shocked face.

"See you later, Peter." Jackie ended the call and put her phone back in her pocket. "What time do you usually open the gym?" Jackie asked. She stepped toward Shane.

"Usually at ten," Shane looked at her wrist watch. "It's nine o'clock now. Why?" Shane asked, smiling broadly at the redhead.

"Would you mind waiting for me while I handle this morning's meeting quickly?"

Shane thought about it for a second then answered. "I don't mind at all. I can wait." Jackie wrapped her arms around Shane's neck, holding her gaze.

"Thank you Shane, for everything you've done for me. You have been so sweet, patient and understanding." Shane smiled, placing her hands on Jackie's hips.

"I'll do anything for you, Jackie. I'm... in love with you. I have been since we first met." Jackie smiled. She tilted her head toward Shane's.

"I'm in love with you too, Baby." Shane quickly closed the space between them, spilling all the love she felt into their passionate kiss.

Shane pushed forward more slowly, pinning Jackie between her body and the counter. Their kiss grew urgent and needy as the overwhelming warmth coursed through their bodies. Someone at the door of the break room made a noise.

Their lips reluctantly parted as they turned their heads toward the door. Beverley sat there smiling at them. "Everyone's ready for the meeting Jackie. Can I send them in now?" Jackie cleared her throat and took her arms from around Shane's neck.

"Yeah, send them in Beverley. Don't leave though. I need you for the meeting." Beverley nodded eagerly, and then turned to exit the door. "Thank you, Bev." Jackie rested her head against Shane's shoulder watching the blonde move about. "She really is a good friend." Shane kissed her forehead then released her. She took a seat close to the counter as everyone started to come in.

Jackie waited for everyone to settle down and take their seats. Beverley reappeared in the door with Jackie's prepared notes. Jackie walked toward the blonde smiling brightly, took the notes and started handing them out. "Right everyone, before we start the meeting... I would like to let you all know that we finally got that big account from the legal firm, Bradford and Associates."

Everyone clapped their hands and cheered happily. Jackie took a seat next to Shane while her employees went through her notes. They solved a few problems together as a team then ended up with small talk.

"Okay... Who is your friend who graces us with her presence, Jackie?" One of the female accountants asked smiling broadly. Jackie looked at Shane and smiled shyly. Shane nodded, returning the smile.

"This is my partner, Shane. She is waiting for me to finish the meeting so we can leave." Jackie looked over at Beverley. A blush crept up her cheeks as everyone went oh, aw and ho.

"That's why I asked Beverley to join us today. I'm taking the rest of the day off to sort out a personal matter. Beverley will be in charge for the rest of the day. She knows how I run this business." Jackie noticed that one of her employees pulled his face at the news of Beverley being in charge. "Do you have a problem with my decision Charles?" she asked, directing all the attention toward him. He cleared his throat nervously.

"Beverley isn't even qualified to run this business, even if it's for a day," he said, eyeing the blonde. Jackie looked at Beverley.

"May I tell them Bev? I think it will settle any doubts they may have concerning your abilities." Beverley nodded. She smiled nervously at Jackie.

"For your information Charles, Beverley has a Doctorate in business ethics and management and a degree in accounting just like the rest of us. Who do you think does this firm's books and pays your salary? She is also my silent partner in this business. She owns fifty percent of it. Don't let the wheelchair fool you. I assure you that Beverley is more qualified than I am to run this firm. She is your other employer, which is why she handles the hiring and the firing... if you haven't noticed by now. I could never run a firm this size by myself."

Jackie stood up and looked at everyone else in the room. She kept her voice normal and calm. "Beverley prefers to remain a silent partner for a reason and I respect her wishes. I don't like firing people but you all know how I feel about discrimination and sexist behaviour. The next person who bad mouths my best friend again or anyone else working for this firm, will be fired. Are we clear?"

Jackie's fiery eyes met everyone else's nodding heads as she scanned the room. She settled on Charles' crimson face. "Yes Jackie, we're clear." Jackie smiled as her anger faded.

"Good. This meeting is adjourned." Jackie walked toward Beverley and gave her a hug as everyone else left.

"I think I have officially become the fire breathing dragon of the firm." Jackie said, making Beverley laugh.

"He just picked the wrong day to pick a fight with you. I'll make it up to all of them with pizza for lunch." Jackie smiled, crinkling her nose at the sound of pizza.

"They have been working very hard. Maybe we can let them go home at four today instead of five. By the way, Peter is coming to collect the recordings of Nathan's phone calls and he wants to talk to you about what happened this morning." Beverley's smile grew wider at the mention of the officer's name.

Jackie smiled as she noticed Charles waiting aside for Beverley. "I think he wants to talk to you." Jackie pointed with her thumb then kissed Bev on her cheek and left with Shane.

Walking down the street holding Shane's hand, Jackie got to thinking about what happened in the meeting. "Do you think I was being unreasonable toward Charles?" Jackie asked out of the blue, looking down at her feet. Shane squeezed her hand, stopped and pulled the redhead into her arms.

"He got what was coming to him. You should never judge a book by its cover. Everyone should know that. I learned something new about you in that meeting to." Shane passed Jackie a lopsided smile.

"And what is that?" Jackie asked. She kissed Shane on her lips.

"I learned that I should never make you angry at me. You handled the situation so calmly. It's the calmest person who does the most damage. I bet Charles felt this small in there." Shane said, indicating with her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

Jackie chuckled softly then turned serious. "I really put you in a tight spot in there. I didn't even ask you if you would prefer keeping us quiet until you're ready to tell everyone." Jackie lowered her head and turned her face away from Shane.

"Honey... I am openly gay. You didn't put me in any kind of spot. I'm actually surprised that you're so open about our relationship, given what you went through." Jackie met Shane's hazel gaze, a soft smile playing on her lips.

"I never even thought of my own feelings about being publicly gay. You are my very first partner. I have never known the kind of love that you show me every day."

"I knew that I had to wait to win your heart when I first bumped into you. This is a major step for you. You are taking a risk to face your deepest fears. I'll wait for you until you are ready to fully face all of your fears. That is how much I love you, so don't push yourself so hard. I will tell you if you do something I don't like." Shane explained then kissed Jackie on the lips.

"Now let's go teach you some basic self defence." Shane took Jackie's hand in her own and led the redhead across the street to the gym.

Jackie sat on a leather bench watching Shane do her warm up stretches before starting her work out. There were kids of different ages using equipment and working out under supervision while older people did their own work outs.

She was admiring the dark haired woman's softly toned muscles rippling as she moved about. Shane had changed into a pair of boxer's shorts, a tight fitting sports vest and a pair of boxer's shoes to protect her feet and ankles. Shane started throwing punches and kicks at a boxing bag hanging from the roof on a thick chain. Shane stopped her work out and grinned at Jackie.

"You look super cute in the boxing gear I gave you," Shane said pulling Jackie to her feet. "But it won't do you any good just sitting here. You need to start stretching." Jackie grinned at Shane, batting her eyes.

"Why thank you, Baby. I don't know the first thing about stretching." Shane chuckled at the redhead's playful antics.

"That's why I'm here. Come on." Shane tugged Jackie toward the centre of the floor onto a thick work out mat covering the hard floors. She showed Jackie the basics about stretching and explained why it was important to warm up her muscles before and after any work out. After the stretching was done, Shane led Jackie into the boxing ring wearing boxing gloves.

"Okay Honey, now throw a punch at me so I can see where I have to help you," Shane suggested. She held her hands out, palms facing Jackie. Jackie looked at the way Shane was standing. She spread her feet apart and stepped her left foot back. She held her hands up then threw a punch into Shane's hand with her right hand.

"Okay, that's good for a start. As you throw a punch pull your arm back keeping it close to your body. You'll put more force into your punches that way. The force will come from your hips as you turn your body." Shane smiled at the look on the redhead's face.

"Here, let me show you." Shane stepped behind Jackie, forming her body to Jackie's. She then brought her hands to Jackie's front meeting the redhead's hands. Jackie smiled, revelling in the warmth of Shane's body pressed against hers. The soft skin of Shane's arm slid along her own, sending goose bumps scattering all over her skin. Jackie sighed as she felt Shane's firm breasts press into her back and Shane's hips press into her buttocks.

"Okay, here we go." Shane pulled Jackie's right hand back, keeping their arms close to their sides, and then thrust their arms forward. "Now from this stance, you can also use your right arm to block a punch and punch from underneath with your left, like this."

Shane brought Jackie's right arm up to block an imaginary punch. She then brought Jackie's left arm back and thrust their fists upward. "You just learned the jab and uppercut. Both punches can be performed by either hand, left or right."

Shane stepped away toward her previous position, eliciting a disapproving groan from Jackie. She smiled at the redhead with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Can I ask you something Baby?" Jackie relaxed her arms at her sides. Shane nodded, smiling brightly. She always seemed to smile brightly around Jackie. "What's the difference between a jab and a hook?"