Chapter 21: Constellations
*You taught me how to move the stars, one at a time, until new constellations formed in the sky. – Christy Ann Martine*
After Reese had hung up with Frank from TRAAC, he called Joshua and told him to make sure that they got in and were taken care of. Joshua knew better than to ask questions of his boss. But the next day when they were at the gym, he teased his friend about his crush.
“I know you, boss man, it’s those thighs of hers.” Joshua said as Reese watched the woman in question wave at Pinky as she entered. “Me? Those tits.”
Reese grunted.
He liked the whole package. The thighs, tits, smile, everything. Plus, he had the advantage of having spent time with her. He made way more appointments with Frank than he needed and always showed up early.
“I don’t mind charging you for an hour of my time, but don’t you think it would be cheaper to just ask her out?” Frank had asked Wednesday at their appointment about… well, nothing.
And when Joshua had flashed his light at the camera, Reese had sent Gino down to escort them in. Before he got there, Nichols had turned them away.
“Charles.” Reese said into the radio. “Take Matthews and relieve Nichols. I need to speak with him.”
Reese knew that he would be hearing it later. As soon as Charles’ eyes landed on Helen being escorted back inside, he knew. Charles even flicked his eyes up to the camera with a knowing smirk.
They had known each other for years and shared a similar taste in women. Reese was the only one of the three that was still single. The other two enjoyed giving him hell.
Reese had muscles and tattoos, a little scruff and a lot money. Good investments while he was in the Navy for twenty years had left him with a nice amount to start his business. With no dependents living with him, he had lived on base or ship the entire time.
His ex did not want to raise a family traipsing all over the world. The divorce papers when he came home were not a surprise. They were young and she was pregnant. Against his better judgment, they got married because a man takes care of his responsibilities.
When Cheryl was seven, he picked her up to go to the circus and Colton was three and wanted to go. He was in tears because he didn’t understand why Sissy got to go and he couldn’t. Heather was seven months pregnant with number three and a cranky child was the last thing she needed.
Reese squatted down and looked him straight in the eye and said “You can’t go to the circus without shoes.”
Four months later, Heather was a single mom of three kids after an accident killed Billy. Reese filed for emergency leave and flew home. The advantage of his family was that all his sisters understood that he would not just abandon his ex and her kids.
Therefore, Heather was stuck with all of them also.
A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts and he called for Nichols to enter. Reese motioned to the chair in front of his desk. This was not his regular office, but it worked when he was here.
“The ladies that you turned away, I want to know why.”
“Did you see the hippo in the red dress?”
“First, if Joshua clears them, they come in. Secondly, you ever speak about a woman like that again, you will be out of a job and I will black list you. Third, those are my personal guests.”
“I didn’t know-.”
“I don’t care. Do you see how packed that floor is? Within an hour, we’ll be at max capacity and we’ll have to open up the terrace to allow more people in. I don’t need you to be selective on who comes in. I need you to make sure that they are old enough to be here.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I know door sucks. I get that. But while you’re doing it, I need you to do the best job you can. If you want to move up at IGYS, you have to prove that you can do the job. You didn’t go into the Army as a sergeant, right?”
“No, sir.” Nichols answered.
“All right. So, you know your orders. But I,” Reese stood up and the small office seemed to shrink, “am going to go my woman.”
“The blonde at the bar?” Nichols asked standing also.
“Reba is my niece. My woman is the hippo in red.”
Nichols paled and gulped as he realized just how big his mistake was. Quickly, he left the office and Reese followed, locking the door. While Nichols went downstairs, Reese went down the back hallway until he reached the Virgo sign.
He stepped into the security alcove and nodded at Childs. He was sitting in his chair with feet propped up on the wall. Childs had worked at the club since it opened and knew Reese well. Well enough that he only grinned when his boss untied his boots as he passed.
Reese walked into the VIP seating area just in time to see the younger women head downstairs to the dance floor. Helen stood at the railing watching the solar system. As a kid, he had loved that part of the planetarium. When he came back from the Navy, he was sad that it no longer worked. When it came up at auctio few years later, he knew he had to have it.
It took nearly two years to make it shine. Now it not only shined, it sparkled and the observatory was working again. In February, he would announce that it would be for rent for intimate dinners. He needed to find a better word than intimate or people would be getting intimate all over his telescope.
“I always loved watching it.” Reese said stepping up next to her. He leaned on the metal railing and looked at her. She was relaxed and her face was full of awe.
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