Trivial Pursuits

Dear Readers,

Sorry for the long wait, but you can't really rush these things :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

I wanted to thank everyone who has voted for this story, because in the month of May, it was voted the highest story on the entire site. And I am super humbled and super excited about that. Thank you all so much for continuous support and all the feedback you take the time to give. It's always appreciated, even if I don't agree with you, even if it isn't always positive, it is always appreciated. So thanks.

And of course a big thanks to AlreadyTaken for her continued support and editing talent on this project.

Enjoy,

Titania

******

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"I'm your dolly,

Stuffed with extra baggage

Lay me down to shut my eyes

Beaded gazes

Lead you nowhere anyways

Press on my heart, I will say

Press on my heart I will say

I am lonely

With a static smile

I think my stitching's coming loose

I'm hard headed,

But completely soft inside

I'm all wound up and still

The only thing that I can say is

I don't need you anyway

I don't need you, go home

Go home."

"Go Home" Lucius

"But whenever a man shows ambition, it's rarely viewed as a fault."

"What about Macbeth."

"Ah, yes, but who in Macbeth really says he can become king? In whose heart does the traitorous ambition lie? His wife, remember? And so the clamoring to become more is once again a negative."

"But still..." Cadence hedged, not quite believing, or maybe not quite wishing to agree.

"Octo, no. All throughout history, all literature prevails to condemn women for their desire for more, describing them as lustful or cold or just calculating. If ever there is a commendable woman it has always been just to support her man. It's just so aggravating," she ranted.

After their early-morning run before brunch, Octo began sharing which of the books that Alessa had given her for her birthday she had read and what readings would be required that year in school. Eventually, the discussion led to the analysis of the common themes, and when she began to disparage the several female characters for their choices of marriage for money and social standing over bondage to the 'men they loved,' Alessa cut in, stating they could only perform as their male authors had written them. Moral lessons, she lamented, to discourage women from being aspirational or to describe the fairer sex's character as weak and prevalent to falling victim to their own baser nature despite the eventual societal repercussions they would suffer. Even death, Alessa pointed out.

"Maybe they're not blamed by the authors," Cadence mused.

"How do you mean?" Alessa asked as she led her sister up the stairs to her small apartment.

"Well, I think that in a lot of those stories, the woman didn't have any choice. Not really, not if she wanted to stay true to her nature. Maybe it was the writers' way of saying society isn't fair to women, that they're placed in unfair situations, forced to choose between what they want and what they need to do for either social survival, or just survival in general."

Alessa was quiet as she thought about her sister's argument before suggesting she go take a shower first. Octo grinned, knowing that if she hadn't actually won their discussion, she'd at least made a good point. Alessa was picking out her clothes to wear for brunch when her phone rang.

Her smile was small, but her eyes held a mild, excited glitter as she decided to answer.

"Good morning."

She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the fact that her stomach flipped at just the sound of his voice.

"Morning."

"What are you up to?"

"Octo and I just finished a run. We're just showering off before we head to brunch."

Denny chuckled. "Finally found a running partner that can't outpace you, huh?" he teased.

She tried to scowl, but her smirk sort of ruined it. "Yeah, well, I'm sure she'll be there in three years. I'm only getting slower," she sighed as she plopped on her bed and laid on her side to look at her reflection in her sliding closet doors.

"Thank you, again, for this weekend, I mean," she said softly, staring at her clear blue eyes. There was silence a moment as both were lost in images of Friday night; her reflection, his hand, her cries as he made her come with his fingers buried deep in her.

"You're welcome. Though, I probably should thank you, as well."

"Hmm?" she questioned.

"For being open." He chuckled then at his unintentional dirty entendre. "That is to say, for being willing to try."

Alessa only chuckled at his juvenility. "Denny, you are so..." but just held her tongue as every adjective she could think of was too harsh for the humorous man.

"Wonderful? Sexy? Smart? Loveable?" he teased.

"Yes, all of them," she admitted. There was another pause as they both wondered if she really meant that. Then Alessa heard a startling gasp from behind her and turned to see Cadence standing there wrapped in her towel and her eyes wide and mouth opened.

"Hey, I've got to go," she whispered quickly into the phone. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." And then, ending the call, she stood up to face her sister. "Hey there, finished?"

"You're dating Denny?" Octo gushed, her face lighting up.

Alessa feigned confusion. "What?"

But her act was unconvincing. Cadence came to stand in front of her sister, her happy expression edged with cunning eyes. "You were just on the phone with Denny. I heard you. And you were all," she brandished her hand in the air in a flittering manner, "lovey-dovey."

Alessa attempted to argue, opening her mouth to lie, but prevaricating no longer felt allowable. So, instead, she simply shut her gaping mouth and looked at her sister calculatingly.

"Admit it," the fourteen-year old girl demanded, a victorious glimmer in her eyes.

Alessa rolled her eyes. "Fine. Yes. Denton and I are...dating."

Cadence shrieked as she threw her hands up and lunged at her sister, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Now I definitely have to meet him! I can't believe you're finally dating. Mom is never going to believe this-"

"Cadence, listen," she said sternly, taking her jumping sister by the arms holding her away so she could look into her eyes. "Don't tell anyone."

Cadence excitement faded somewhat. "What? Why? You finally have a boyfriend. A sexy lawyer!" she squealed.

"Cadence!" Alessa hissed. "Stop talking like that. You're only fourteen. I can't believe you're so obsessed with boys."

Octo only rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease, Alessa, you're worse than mom. Besides, this conversation isn't about me. It's about you! You have to bring him home," she suggested with another excited squeal at the thought.

Alessa rolled her own eyes and let go of the squirming octopus, deciding the best way to end the conversation was to go for a shower. But Cadence just followed her to the small bathroom that was still filled in steam from her own shower.

"I don't understand. Why aren't you excited? Don't you want a boyfriend? Don't you want to fall in love?"

Alessa focused on staying calm and somewhat distant from the conversation. "It isn't exactly my life's ambition, no," she replied as she peeled her damp running clothes off.

Cadence leaned against the door jamb. "Why not? Don't you like guys?" she asked tentatively.

Alessa chuckled. "Yes, Cadence, I'm attracted to men, it's just that it's not the focus of my life. I want to

do something

with my life. I want to be successful in my work. I don't want my happiness defined by whether or not I'm lucky enough to hang off a man's arm like some sort of accessory."

Cadence frowned. "But that's not what love is."

Alessa chuckled almost cruelly. "And how would you know what love is?" she asked, now stripped of her clothes and stepping into the shower.

Cadenced hurt eyes matched her frown. "I know what love is," she mumbled, and then more forcefully, argued. "I know the importance of being important to someone. Sure, I may be young and maybe some of my ideas aren't quite what it's like as an adult," she admitted, "but that doesn't mean I don't feel the natural need we all have to be loved by someone."

"Who said anything about love?" Alessa asked loudly over the spray of the shower.

Cadence was quiet and then left to get dressed.

Alessa was waiting for her answer, and when none came, she peeked out the shower curtain only to find an empty room. With a sigh, she returned to scrubbing away the grit and sweat off her skin while her mind busied itself with convincing her heart she believed everything she said.

For the remainder of their time together, Cadence continued to harass her sister about Denny, until Alessa finally agreed she could meet him.

Though she instantly regretted her promise, when Monday came, she was swept away in the daunting flow of work, for a time forgetting anything beyond the case files in front of her. Cadence hadn't forgotten, however, and texted her Tuesday night, asking if she'd talked to Denny about any plans to meet. Alessa happened to be sitting in the employee lounge, eating her salad and filling out forms for her case.

She sighed and looked up from her work; Denny sat across from her, eating his own dinner, watching her intently. "Well?" he asked, recognizing her comingling need and reluctance to speak to him.

She sighed and continued stabbing her salad. "It's my sister, Cadence. She overheard us talking Sunday," she began tentatively. "Figured out we were...dating. She wants to meet you," Alessa mumbled.

Denny chuckled. "Really? Well, I'm honored. I'd love to meet her. How about this weekend? You can spend the night Friday and we can do something fun together Saturday. What does she like?"

Alessa's mouth dropped open as the plans took shape a lot more quickly than she desired. "Well..." she hedged, trying to create an excuse.

"I know," he cut her off. "How about Muir Woods? We could go for a leisurely hike and then head to the beach there and have a bonfire. Eat some good food. Play some bocce ball. What do you say?"

"I'm not sure—"

"Why don't you ask her?" Denny suggested, nodding to the phone in her hands.

Alessa's eyes gazed down to her phone, a half frown forming on her lips. With a sigh, she texted a message to her sister. She hadn't swallowed her next bite of salad before Cadence immediately responded.

"She'd love to," Alessa muttered reading her reply.

"Then it's settled. Tell her we'll pick her up late morning and she can spend the day with us."

"Right," she mumbled, resignedly sending the message.

Late Wednesday morning, Lou was sitting at Alessa's desk, attempting to dispel at least a small amount of Alessa's intensity with her latest adventure with her boyfriend. But her chatter only irritated the serious woman who hadn't made two comments during her entire story. In the end, an exasperated Alessa sighed and looked up.

"Lou, as much as I'd love to hear this, I'm very busy. So, unless you know anything about housing law that could help me out here, I'd rather we finished this later."

Lou frowned at her friend's terse expression. "Okay, I can take a hint. No need to get your knickers in a bind." She gave a sloppy smirk then. "That is, unless you'd like to tell me how your knickers got twisted this weekend."

That only earned her a cold glare. "I don't know why I put up with you," Alessa commented.

Lou's smile only faded minutely. "I was just thinking the same thing about you. Well, whenever you do want to hear the rest of my story, or share your own, come and find me." She winked and left. Alessa's displeasure quickly faded as she turned her undivided attention back to the case she felt was fast spiraling out of her control.

Denny's bids for attention went much the same way, his charming face only met with an annoyed expression, or his hands, which tried to draw her in, met by her resisting push. At some point when he had her cornered in a darkened hall, his hands pressed on the wall to either side of her as his body leant in against her.

"I've missed you," he murmured as his lips grazed her cheeks. He felt her grab his shirt and smiled. And then she shoved him back, her angry face glaring up at him.

"I'm busy," she whispered harshly, afraid someone would overhear, and tried to slide past him.

But Denny wasn't one to give up easily, and he made another grab for her, his hands going to her waist to pull her hard against him.

"Too busy for a kiss?" he growled.

"Yes!" she hissed, her face turning from him as she struggled.

"What is wrong?" he asked, relenting on the kiss, but not letting go of her.

Alessa placed her hands on his biceps, distractingly noting the hardness of their contours. "Denny, I'm busy.

With work,

" she intoned pointedly, as if the fact their office conducted

work

might not be self-evident.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "But you're busy with work all the time," he pointed out.

"Yes, well, now I'm swamped," she stated, still insisting to slip out of his arms.

"Are you sure that's it?" he asked, wondering what had happened to the intimacy their past weekend had spawned.

She paused in that, almost with doubt in her eyes. "Yes, what else would it be?"

Denny was quiet a moment before he gave a shrug. "You tell me. I just want to make sure there isn't anything...bothering you," he clarified with cutting, searching eyes.

"Nothing more than a sister who won't stop bugging me, a friend who won't shut up, a boyfriend who can't stop pawing at me, and a case I can't win," she ranted with a firm shake of her arms, his hands finally sliding free.

"What case?" he asked perplexed.

"That stupid housing case you handed me with the greedy and incompetent client and his maniacal ex-tenant."

"And why can't you win it?" he inquired, stepping back to give her the space one professional gives another.

"Because he's an idiot and I'm out of my depth."

Denny chuckled, unbelieving. "Sweetheart, there is nothing out of your depth."

Despite the praise, Alessa frowned at him, feeling as though he was patronizing her by not validating her anxieties. But before she could make a retort, Denny had a suggestion. "Listen. If you're that concerned about it, why don't you bring me the files this evening after your run, and I'll look over what you've done. I'm sure you're doing fine, but if it would give you a little peace of mind, I don't mind."

The irritation burning in Alessa's eyes began to fade a little. His offer to help made him seem less glib, and she tried to believe his confidence in her. The plan went a little ways to calm her anxiety, but as she pushed herself faster on the treadmill that evening, she was hit with the groan-inducing idea that he would be scrutinizing her work even more closely now that he was purposefully overseeing her work. As she walked back to the office, all the stress that had been lifted by his offer of help came tumbling back down heavily on her shoulders.

Denny found her at her desk a little after eight, her face illuminated by the blue glow of the computer screen before her.

"Alessa, I thought you were going to bring me your case," his voice intruded into her manic thoughts. Her head shot up, surprised to see him as she had been deep in thought. Denny didn't miss the slant of restless apprehension in her eyes. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, never having seen her this discombobulated.

Her eyes were angry. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I'm just busy. I really don't have time to talk. In fact, at the rate this is going, I think we have to cancel this weekend. I'll let Cadence know. Maybe some other time," she tried to dismiss.

Denny eyed her speculatively. "Would you like me to look over what you've-"

"No, I'm fine. I can handle this. I just need to be left alone."

His expression was a smooth mask. "You need to be left alone as about as much as you need a sharp blow to the head. I never had any doubt you could handle this. But

you

clearly don't believe it. You're a mess."

She pursed her lips in heated annoyance.

"Let me take a look and put your worries to rest. There's no need for you to become this crazy over a simple case you more than likely have under control."

They stared at each a moment, Denny's eyes light and challenging, Alessa's sharp and irritated. "Fine," she said at last, gathering up her notes that detailed her plan. Denny smiled as he took the short stack of paperwork, and then leaned upon her desk as he read quickly through.

He could tell she had done her homework; she had acquainted herself with the relevant and applicable laws, had searched the case-law for other similar cases, and even found a surprising, but possibly brilliant legal test that would more than cinch it. She had even written out an incredible memo that he was willing to give her a twenty-thousand dollar raise for. The woman was too good.

"I don't understand," he asked confused looking up, "what's the problem?"

Her expression was contained, cautious. "You...think my groundwork will hold up if I have to go to court?"

Denny stood disbelieving. "Hold up in court? Are you serious?" Alessa looked back down at her computer. "They'd have to be four generations of inbred hillbilly to proceed after you present them with this. I hate to call anything a slam-dunk, but it looks like there's little they can do," he declared emphatically. "You're now ready to prepare a counter settlement for the firm's time, and I'd be happy to review that for you when you've finished. But for now, all this work is finished."

Alessa looked up sharply, quite surprised by his assessment of her work. She felt an awkward uncertainty. Were his words those of a man attempting to woo a woman, or was that his true professional assessment? Denny smiled curiously when he saw the doubt in her blue eyes.

"What? Don't believe me?"

She turned her head askance, sizing him up. "Maybe not," she answer warily.

His curious expression only grew as did his playful smile. "Alessa, Sweetheart, I'm your supervisor. This case is under my name. I'm too vain to let you screw it up. Sure, I might not come right out and tell you it's crap, but I'd certainly let you know if it wasn't up to par. And from what I've seen, you've more than met my expectations for this assignment."

Her face calmed as she watched for the signs of sincerity in his own expression somehow slowly allowing trust in his words to permeate her mind and begin to unknot the tangles of worry there. "Fine, if you think so," she allowed and then turned back to her computer screen. "But I would have described you as egotistical, not merely vain," she muttered.

Her cheeky response caused a smirk on his lips. "For that, you little minx," he growled in warning a split second before her cupped her behind the neck and leaned down for a quick but thorough kiss.

Alessa allowed the kiss for just a moment, before she quickly pulled away and looked about the office to see if anyone had witnessed the intimate act. Seeing no one, she turned back to him, a warning eye gleaming in displeasure.

"Stop doing that. Someone is going to see one of these times and get us into trouble," she chastised crossly.

"You're so fucking beautiful when you're uptight," he teased, pulling her back for another kiss before she could resist. Knowing no one was around for the moment, she allowed him to kiss her a little more fully, having missed the close contact all week despite her general irritation.

"And watch yourself, or you'll be up for disciplinary action. Over my knee," he warned against her bruised lips.

Alessa let out a shuddering breath that told Denny he very much should follow through with his warning. But not now, not when she was still frazzled by the heavy load she had placed on her shoulders.