Alice Abernathy wasn't what one might call a proper lady, at least not in the way her mother would have defined it. But she did what she could: she kept her swearing to a minimum (outside the bedroom); she kept her impressively long legs shut when she sat down; and, most important of all, she treated others with at least a modicum of respect.
No, she wasn't a lady; but it could never be said she wasn't a good person.
That same standard didn't seem to apply to Jill Valentine, the gorgeous S.T.A.R.S. veteran who had taken charge of the small group of survivors struggling to escape the zombie-ravaged city. An arrogant dark-haired beauty poured into a short blue miniskirt and matching strapless top designed to show off her attractive shoulders and enticing décolleté, Alice couldn't image her ever doing anything for modesty's sake.
Standing alone on a shadowy corner, the light above dim and flickering, she wasn't sure what to think. Gone only ten minutes, she had returned to find Jill once again bullying poor Terri Morales, Raccoon 7's disgraced reporter turned weathergirl.
"All right, all right," Terri said, flipping her mini-cam shut. "There--it's off."
Jill glared at the taller woman, her heaving cleavage glistening in the glare of a bright neon sign. "Turn that motherfucker on again," she said, "and I'll crush it under my boot."
She sniffed, then menacingly drummed her fingers on the butt of the gun holstered to her firm thigh, holding the sexy woman's gaze until she blanched and slunk away. Then she turned her head to give Peyton an annoyed look.
"What? Don't shake your head. She's only here because you think she's hot shit."
Peyton held up his hands in mock surrender, knowing not to mess with Jill when her back was up, before limping off.
Jill pulled a cigarette pack from her pocket and reached for a smoke, a frown coming to her face when she found it empty. She lifted the pack, took a deep whiff, then balled it up and threw it to the ground.
Alice chose that moment to step out of the shadows, the sound of her footsteps turning heads.
"Thank God," Jill said without bothering to look. "We're saved."
Alice ignored her tone and smiled at the others. Jill and Peyton were best friends, perhaps more, and since he had been bitten by the undead her attitude had worsened along with his condition. Alice sypathized; if she had been in the woman's black leather hooker boots, forced to watch her friend slowly die, she would have been grumpy too.
"I checked the police station," Alice said. "I'm sorry. There weren't any signs of survivors."
Jill seemed to soften, and she turned to meet Alice's compassionate gaze. "Don't be sorry. They knew what their chances were when they stayed behind." She looked down. "Besides, we all got the same training, and I'm still alive." Left unspoken was the fact that she was alive only because of Alice and her Umbrella-given abilities.
Jill turned to the others. "Okay, you two, you heard the woman: it's just the four of us now. Get your shit together and let's get moving. We've only got a few hours of night left, and if Umbrella is serious about covering their tracks they'll do it before the sun comes up."
Terri frowned and raised a hand. "Less witnesses," Alice explained before Jill could pounce.
She waited for Terri to help Peyton to his feet--noting how she batted her eyelashes at him--then put a hand on Jill's shoulder before she could walk away. It was warm and firm and made her pussy tingle. "Let's talk someplace private," she said. "You and me."
Jill looked down as Alice produced a fresh pack of cigarettes. "All right," she said, smiling brightly. "After you."
Alice looked away. She wasn't sure what to make of Valentine as a person, but there was no denying the hunger the raven-haired beauty stirred between her legs. And that was something she definitely didn't need to deal with right now.
Peyton, watching the two of them climb back onto the bus, threw up his hands in disgust. He hobbled into a nearby shop, leaving Terri alone in the street. Her uncertain eyes darted back and forth between the bus and the shop, until she heard a loud noise that sent her running after Peyton.
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Alice secured the door before joining Jill in the middle of the bus. She pushed thick strands of dirty-blonde hair out of her face and watched as the brunette smoked, her face illuminated by the flickering light from the burning cars outside. Alice hated to admit it, but despite the attitude the woman was pretty much flawless.
"You should ease up," Alice said. She looked down at the floor, studying her scuffed brown boots instead of that beautiful face. "Pissing off our only friends isn't going to get us out of the city any faster. Morales might be useless, but if we have to we can always give her a gun."
Jill shook her head. "Christ, Alice, don't tell me you're hot for her too. She is not that good-looking."
She laughed as she crossed her legs, her heavy leather boots slutty and but not so out of place with the rest of her streetwalker's ensemble.
"She's not even a reporter--she's the goddamn weekened weathergirl." She gave Alice an amused looked. "Stupid bitch used the studio's own cameras to film herself getting double-teamed on the fucking news desk, then forgot to take the tape with her. After that, she's lucky she still has a job."
Alice looked up, gazing almost lovingly at Jill as she wondered what upset the woman more: Peyton's fate, or all the attention Terri was getting. "Just give her some breathing room. Okay? Let me handle her from now on."
Jill shrugged. "Fine, whatever. I'll back off." She leaned back and blew smoke from her nose, an act so sexy it made Alice shudder. "Thanks by the way. For the cigs, I mean."
Alice gave her a friendly squeeze on the knee. "You're welcome."
She caressed the smooth skin without thinking, and suddenly found she didn't want to let go. Alice couldn't believe it. She had been openly bi-sexual her entire adult life, but never had she lusted after anyone the way she did Jill Valentine.
She flashed Jill a nervous smile, feeling clumsy and awkward, and quickly came to her feet. She turned away, only to be stopped in her tracks as Jill took her by the hand.
"Don't," the S.T.A.R.S. beauty breathed. "Don't go yet."
Alice looked back. The brunette, blue eyes smoldering, flashed her a wicked smile.
"They can wait for us a little longer," Jill said. She uncrossed her legs, parting them so Alice could glimpse her black panties. "I never thanked you for saving our asses back at the church."
