The Brass Ring Read online

  THE BRASS RING

  By

  MAVIS APPLEWATER

  Ebook by

  PDAFiction.com

  Cover Art by

  Calli's Creations

  Disclaimers: The characters and story belong to me and me alone. So no poaching! Do not post this story without permission. It's not nice. Oh and some of the characters may bare similar features to the two leads on a certain television show. You know the one. I don't own that . . . or them so thank Universal/MCA for them and just so you know I'm only borrowing them, blah blah blah.

  Sex/Violence & Roadtrips: Yes, no & maybe. You know the drill . . . but here goes if you are too young or this is illegal in your neck of the woods get out now! If you are offended by a loving, intimate relationship between two women crawl back into your cave and leave me alone. I am also warning you that at times some of the characters may use less than lady like expressions.

  Location: Some are real and many exist only in my imagination. The story takes place somewhere in New England. Vague enough for you?

  Thank You: To the folks hosting this wonderful Website that for some insane reason agreed to post my ramblings. Also to my beta readers Suzette and Shelia better known as the poster girls from Alabama. And Joanne.

  As Always

  For Heather

  * * *

  THE BRASS RING

  * * *

  CHAPTER ONE

  March 1989

  JAMIE JAMESON SAT along side of the road seated in her roommate’s green Volvo. Jamie was mentally debating what was worse at the moment, being seen in a green Volvo or having just been pulled over for speeding, again. Jamie couldn't help herself. This was Massachusetts; everyone drove like a freakin idiot. Jamie fumbled for her driver's license knowing that she probably wouldn't receive any form of a citation. Yes it was good to be blonde. Jamie checked her hair and make up in the rear view mirror as the tall uniformed figure approached. Her green eyes glinted merrily as she noticed the officer was a woman. Jamie suddenly felt her day had just gotten better.

  There was a tap on her window and Jamie turned to find the statuesque beauty staring down at her. "Oh my!" Jamie thought as she drank in the tall beauty standing outside of the car. She hurriedly rolled down her window as her heart began beating out of control. "License and registration." Came the cold demand. Jamie grimaced slightly at the officer's icy demeanor.

  Jamie felt her mouth go dry and decided to play up her hair color for all it was worth. "Why not have some fun?" Jamie thought wryly. After all she often flirted with male cops just to beat a ticket, even though she suspected that was not what she was looking for. Now this woman was definitely someone she would enjoy flirting with. As Jamie handed over the requested items to the tall dark officer she briefly brushed the officer's strong hands.

  Jamie smirked as she felt the officer tremble slightly from her touch. "Do you know why I pulled you over?" Jamie's heart dropped slightly as the icy facade remained firmly in place. "Why do they always ask that? Of course I know why you pulled me over, I was driving like a bat out hell."

  "No?" Jamie lied as she flashed her most innocent smile and batted her eyes at the dark beauty.

  "You were speeding." Came the curt response. "Well no kidding Sherlock." Jamie mentally groaned as she smiled brightly up at the woman whose legs seemed to go on forever.

  "I was?" Jamie gasped slightly adding a hint of an accent to her tone. "Yup, time to lay on that blonde charm. Please let her be gay . . .. Please let her be gay . . .. Please let her be gay and single." Jamie silently chanted to herself as she once again smiled up at the officer. "I had no idea." Jamie lied once again. "Was I going very fast Officer . . . Callaway?" Jamie added noting the name on her nametag. In truth she wouldn't have noticed the nametag at all if she hadn't been looking at the woman's chest.

  "Yes. You were doing sixty in a forty mile an hour zone." Came the frigid reply. Jamie saw herself grimacing in the mirrored sunglasses the officer was wearing. "This is a Maryland license are you from out of state Miss. Jameson?" "Gee you think?" Jamie mentally groaned realizing that she was quickly loosing ground.

  "Yes, I'm a student at BC." Jamie sighed conceding defeat.

  "I see." The officer noted. "And this registration says that the vehicle belongs to Claudia Turner."

  "My roommate." Jamie sighed again knowing that she was indeed going to get a ticket and Claudia was going to be her usual pissy self about it.

  "I'll be right back." Officer Callaway snapped in her ever-present icy demeanor.

  Jamie slumped down in her seat resigned to her fate. She found herself glancing in the rear view mirror catching a glimpse of the cop's well-defined backside as she strolled back to her patrol car. Jamie waited for what seemed an eternity as she watch the tall dark cop chatting away with her partner in the patrol car. "Great! Just my luck. Maybe she's straight, or just not interested in me. Maybe she thinks I'm a dork. Maybe she looks totally gross out of uniform. Yeah right and maybe pigs will fly!"

  Jamie had been so lost in her own little world she failed to notice Officer Callaway's return. "Sign here." Came the firm command as the officer shoved a clipboard with the violation attached into Jamie's face. Jamie angrily penned her signature to paper and handed it back to the officer. "In the future drive more carefully." The cop sternly warned as she gave Jamie the citation along with her driver's license and the registration for the ugly Volvo.

  "Thanks." Jamie snorted as she tossed the items onto the passenger seat.

  "Have a nice day." Officer Callaway added in a mocking tone.

  "Do they make you say that?" Jamie groused.

  "Yes." The cop responded flatly as she turned away.

  Later that day Jamie found herself storming into her dorm room. She tossed her backpack onto the bed and the spare set of keys to Claudia's Volvo onto her roommate’s bureau. "Of all the rotten . . .." She growled recalling her afternoon's exploits. "The first woman I've been attracted to in months and she doesn't even notice me. And she gives me a . . ." Jamie’s heart stopped momentarily as she suddenly realized that she had left the speeding ticket in the car. "Oh shit." She growled knowing that Claudia would check on the car as soon as she could.

  Jamie raced down the staircase not wanting to waste time on the ancient elevator. She was on a mission. Knowing her anal roomie would check every inch of her precious Volvo to insure Jamie had not marred the ugly vehicle. It always amazed Jamie that Claudia allowed her to use it all. As Jamie bolted out of the main doorway and raced towards the parking lot she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten the spare set of car keys that Claudia insisted that she use. 'Don't know what she's afraid of that I'll drive down to East Bum Fuck and ransack Mommy and Daddy's house.' Jamie thought in disgust not that she wanted to carry around Claudia's Jesus Saves key chain. But the spare set was on a key chain that held only the keys to the car and read, 'The wages of sin are death'.

  Realizing that she had forgotten the hideous key chain, Jamie came to a complete halt almost tumbling to the ground as she spun around and raced back into the dormitory. Once again she opted for the staircase as she ran back up the four flights towards her room. Bursting into the room, she was greeted by the sight of her roommate glaring at her. "You were speeding!" Claudia bellowed as she held up the slip of paper as proof.

  "Jesus Claudia." Jamie rolled her eyes as she snatched the citation out of Claudia's hands. Claudia inhaled sharply at Jamie's expletive.

  "Way to go Jamie first you get busted with the ticket and now you take the Lord's name in vain. Claudia is bound to have an aneurysm for sure. How did I get stuck with her for the last two years? Oh yeah no one wanted to room with either of us. So the dyke and the Jesus Freak were forced into it." Jamie's mind was raci
ng as she tried to calm herself. "Look I'm sorry." She said trying to placate her now fuming roommate.

  After a solid hour of lecturing from Claudia, Jamie found herself retreating out of the room muttering to herself. "Bad day?" A familiar voice called out to her. "You could say that Becky." Jamie groaned as she greeted her friend.

  "Let me guess, Claudia?" The brunette chuckled.

  "How did I get stuck with her?" Jamie whined. "Never mind I know. I should have never told Janie but somehow I thought we were friends. How did I know when I came out to her she would blab to the entire dorm."?

  "Hey you know that Toni and I never cared." Becky pointed out. "If we weren't already rooming together either one of us would have roomed with you after Janie asked for a new assignment."

  "I know." Jamie sighed.

  "And you know that people really like you their just too chicken shit to room with a lesbian because someone might think that they are gay also." Becky draped a comforting arm around her friend.

  "Yeah or they might catch it." Jamie chuckled feeling slightly better.

  "Right." Becky laughed. "Never mind you are the only dyke in the building who has the guts to admit it. How many times has one these little Miss prim and proper gals gotten wasted so they would have an excuse to make a pass at you."

  "Don't remind me." Jamie sighed. "Just a few more months and I'm off to Med School."

  "So, what got Claudia's knickers in a twist?"

  "I got a speeding ticket while I was driving her precious little car." Jamie explained as they walked towards the elevator.

  "That bucket of bolts can actually speed?" Becky asked surprised.

  "Who knew?" Jamie laughed, as she looked at the ticket in question. "Damn it! Seventy Five bucks!"

  "How fast were you going?" Becky inquired.

  "About twenty five over the posted limit." Jamie confessed. "Seventy Five bucks and a lecture from Claudia. This day totally bites."

  "What was the lecture about?"

  "Oh, being responsible when borrowing other people's possessions, blah blah blah." Jamie responded with a roll of her eyes. "Oh, and of course her usual reminder that I'm going to hell. You know that one really frosts my cookies. Because only one of us is a virgin and it isn’t the bible thumper."

  Jamie felt better after chatting with Becky and decided she deserved a night out; it was after all the weekend. Claudia walked into the room and gave her a disgusted snarl. "Where are you going?" Claudia asked with her arms folded.

  "To a lesbian bar." Jamie said flatly knowing it would bother her roommate.

  "Ugh." Claudia blanched. "You can't . . ."

  "Use your car." Jamie finished for her with a smirk. "No kidding."

  "You shouldn't go to places like that it's disgusting." Claudia added in a distasteful tone.

  "How would you know?" Jamie shot back deciding it was time to torture Claudia. "Have you ever been to one? Come on Claudia fess up; have you ever felt up another woman? Stuck your tongue in a woman's mouth while gently caressing her breast. Feel her nipple harden from your touch. Gotten all hot and sweaty while your bodies pressed together in the heat of passion. Feeling yourself getting so wet that you thought that you would explode from her touch." Jamie hadn't done most of those things either but that wasn’t the point.

  Jamie watched in amusement, as Claudia turned pale and bolted out of the room. "Now that was fun." Jamie smiled as she finished getting dressed. Jamie stepped out into the hallway and carefully locked the door behind her. She turned hearing footsteps rapidly approaching. "Where's the fire?" Jamie called out as she spotted Becky barreling towards her.

  "Don't ask." Becky sighed heavily as she threw her overnight bag over her shoulder. "I just finished my paper for Stedman’s class. I was supposed to meet up with Steve over an hour ago. I swear I don't understand why we have to take some of these classes. My don't you clean up nice." Becky winked at her friend.

  "Thank you." Jamie smiled in response. "Don't say that too loudly, wouldn't want Claudia to get the wrong idea."

  "I've woken up in stranger places." Becky scoffed. "Where is Broom Hilda anyway?"

  "Bathroom loosing her lunch." Jamie explained with delight.

  "What did you do?" Becky asked in accusing tone.

  "Me?" Jamie gasped in mock indignation as she flipped her long blonde hair out of her face.

  "Uh huh." Becky snorted. "So where are you off to?"

  "Somewhere Else." Jamie answered with the name of the popular woman's bar she was going to that evening.

  "Good for you." Becky answered as the headed towards the elevator. "Maybe you'll meet someone nice."

  "I'll settle for someone half way decent looking who can dance." Jamie answered as she pushed the call button for the elevator, which was now creaking in response.

  "You never know." Becky encouraged her.

  "What's the sense of it after graduation, I'm out of here." Jamie pointed out as the ancient contraption finally squeaked open. Reluctantly the two students entered. "Why do we trust this thing?" Jamie wondered aloud.

  "Our youthful sense of adventure." Becky laughed. "Don't tell me Claudia is actually letting you use her car?"

  "Are you serious?" Jamie chuckled. "One I doubt she'll ever let me near it again and two she has made it perfectly clear that she doesn't want her car seen within a five block radius of one of those places! "

  "Yeah someone might get the false impression she actually has a pulse." Becky teased. "I'm heading into the city do want a lift?"

  "Thanks but you are already running late." Jamie responded with relief as the elevator doors opened. Over the past four years Jamie had learned not to use the elevator if you really needed to get where you are going. Like most of her dorm mates she found herself trapped in the mechanical prison once too often. "I'll just take the 'T'."

  "Don't be silly it's on the way." Becky offered with a warm smile.

  Jamie accepted her generous offer not looking forward to riding on the crowded subway on a busy weekend night. That and the MBTA was about as reliable as the dorm's elevator. Jamie arrived at the club early enough not to have to pay any cover charge and treated herself to a Disaronno on the rocks. She took a sip of the nutty amber colored liquor and sighed deeply. Leaving a tip for the bartender she made her way to one of the back tables where she could see everything and everyone as they entered. Knowing that the upstairs would not be open to dancing for at least an hour, she sat back and people watched.

  Jamie was content in watching the growing crowd. She had always been a friendly outgoing person, except when it came to meeting women. She was fine once the conversation started but she had been strangely shy when it came to chatting with women in a club. She of course understood why. At twenty-two she was a virgin. She wasn't ashamed of this; she had never wanted to sleep with the boys she met in high school. When she finally admitted to herself why, it had taken all of her courage to just tell another person. That had gone badly to say the least. Her sophomore year at BC had become a living hell after her roommate Janie had told anyone and everyone who would listen.

  It was strange really, Jamie was waiting for true love before giving herself to someone but of course everyone assumed that since she was gay, she would sleep with any woman she could get her hands on. "If they only knew!" Jamie laughed to herself. Half of the gay women she met stayed away from her because of her lack of experience and the other half found her innocence just a little too interesting. It was the second half that frightened her most. So here she sat sipping her amaretto in the most popular women's bar in Boston almost two and a half years since she had come out wondering if she would ever meet Miss. Right.

  The crowd was beginning to pick up when Jamie spotted a tall, raven-haired beauty entering the club. "No it couldn't be!" She thought to herself as she drank in the woman's beauty. The woman in question was dressed in faded blue jeans that were ripped slightly on one knee, a white tank top and a faded denim jacket. As the woman turned towards the bartend
er to place her order, Jamie knew it was her. She would know that butt anywhere. The woman turned back around unaware of Jamie's ogling.

  Jamie found herself inhaling deeply as she watch the woman remove her jacket and lounge carelessly on the barstool. It was the eyes. They were the most amazing shade of blue Jamie had ever seen. "Oh my Officer Callaway why would you hide those under such tacky sunglasses?" Jamie was not surprised as she watched a group of women gather around the cop, she was after all drop dead gorgeous.

  Jamie went to take a sip of her drink and realized that while she was lusting after the policewoman she had drained her glass. Knowing that she now had an excuse to return to the bar she quickly inspected her own attire. The black silk vest that showed just a hint of cleavage and her black jeans were a good choice. She grabbed her glass and made her way over to the bar. She had considered heading over to where the policewoman was perched but at the last moment her courage failed her. She took a spot where she could watch the woman and hopefully she could be seen as well.

  Jamie ordered another Amaretto and waited for the tall beauty to notice her. Jamie nursed her drink already feeling slightly buzzed from the first one. After finishing her second drink and failing to be noticed by the object of her affections, Jamie was feeling a little bold and slightly drunk. Jamie hatched a plan. She would just go over and give the woman a hard time for writing her up this afternoon. Not a good plan but it was all she had. Jamie placed her glass on the bar and blazed a determine path over to the brunette.

  Jamie never knew how or why it happened but just as she stepped up to the brunette who was engaged in a conversation, she tripped and landed right into the policewoman's lap. Jamie's ears were ringing from the laughter that suddenly rang out. Through the chuckling Jamie heard a deep sensual voice asking if she was all right. Strong hands lifted her up from her embarrassing position and she suddenly found herself staring into pools of crystal blue. "Speeding again?" The same sensual voice asked her as Jamie felt her entire body turn beet red when the question evoked another round of laughter.