Page 37 of Hidden Desire

She sipped on her coffee. Perhaps that was a bit harsh. She stared at her phone, waiting, hoping he would call, and they could square things away. Yet, she waited, and no call or text came through. Her father suddenly ghosted her, but why?

Sage was at the entrance to the cafeteria, when Stassi approached it at noon. Sage grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her, welcoming her into a deep kiss. “I’ve wanted to do that since Wednesday,” she whispered.

“Even if people see us?” Stassi teased.

She shrugged. “Who cares? I’m at the point where I’ll tell anyone that wants to listen, that I’m sleeping with this beautiful woman. You just say the word.”

Stassi tilted her head. Sage wasn’t kidding. Stassi still felt that they had to keep things on the down-low, especially if it got out who her father was. Everyone would think negative thoughts about Sage. She was certain of that and if it hindered Sage’s reputation, she’d never forgive herself.

They entered the cafeteria, with the conversation dropped. Sage pointed to the booth where Lena and Marcus were seated. Stassi was a tad disappointed, considering she expected that they would be alone, but perhaps they would have that alone time once lunch was over and before she had to log in for the day.

“Grab your food and meet you over there.” Sage went over to the table, leaving Stassi to wander around, wondering what she should choose. She finally settled on a chicken Caesar salad and iced tea. She paid and took it over to the table. Sage scooted over, leaving the way for Stassi to take her seat next to her. “So, what’s this surprise you have?” Sage began.

Lena had a clipboard in her hand and was grinning. Stassi felt like she was warped into the situation, unsure which direction she should go, but she watched Lena.

“Following your meeting, Sage, I have done a lot of research. And I won’t even lie. I quite enjoyed it. Leaving me to think that maybe I would enjoy life in politics.” She laughed, then shook her head. “Only teasing. I didn’t enjoy it that much. Anyway, through this research I discovered something very important, which I believe will be quite beneficial for all of us.”

“Geez, Lena, the suspense is killing me,” Marcus replied, groaning. “Can’t you just get on with it?”

“You know our dear friend, Lena,” Sage began. “Always the drama queen.”

Lena rolled her eyes. “You joke now. You’ll ultimately be thanking me. The other day you said I should start a union, well that’s exactly what I’m looking to do.”

Stassi glanced to Sage, who had her eyebrow raised. “And how’s that, might I ask?”

Lena turned the clipboard around and placed it in the middle of the table. “If we can get three hundred signatures from the employees, we can unionize. Look, I already have twenty. We can do this.”

“That’s amazing,” Marcus replied. He grabbed the clipboard and pen and quickly jotted down his signature.

“Great job, Lena. I must hand it to you.” Sage was the next one to jump on board.

Stassi stared at the clipboard when it sat in front of her. If she didn’t sign, it would odd, but without having the full story from her dad, she felt it was impossible to get her name on board. Plus, if her name was there, people might start to realize the connection she had with the owner of the hospital.

“What’s wrong, Stassi?” Sage asked, nudging her in the side. “This is exactly what we need. If the staff is in a union, then they’ll be forced to listen to someone. Besides, if we don’t like how things are handled, we have more clout. I think this is perfect.”

Stassi nodded. “It is, in theory,” she began. “I’m just thinking about how it might look, though. I’m new to the group. They’re not going to much care what I have to say.”

Lena laughed. “Don’t worry about that. Heck, it doesn’t matter if you’ve been here two days or twenty-two years. All voices matter.”

Stassi felt this ache in her gut. “I just don’t want to rub anyone the wrong way. At least not yet. I mean, I’m still on probation. They can easily fire me for looking the wrong way.”

“I get what Stassi is saying,” Sage replied. “If she’s one of the first people to sign the petition, they’ll think she’s just trying to stir up trouble. If it comes down to you having two hundred and ninety-nine signatures, I’m sure that Stassi will be more than happy to help.”

“Right,” Stassi conceded.

Lena shrugged. “I suppose that makes sense. You are on probation and all. Wouldn’t want you to immediately lose your job.”

Stassi heaved an inward sigh. That could have gone horribly wrong and instead she had Sage to thank. The rest of lunch they hate, in peace, with Lena getting up a few times to grab signatures from fellow co-workers. By the time lunch was finished, forty-four names were listed on the board. Still had a ways to go, but would allow Stassi ample time to get through to her father and actually have an adult conversation with him.

When Stassi had fifteen minutes left until she was expected to be at the desk, she caught Sage’s eye. Sage gave a silent motion with her head and then got up. “We should be heading. I wanted to show you a few things before you clock in,” Sage began.

“Of course.” Stassi jumped up and they both went to discard their trash. Once they were out in the corridor, Sage grabbed her hand and pulled her towards a room. They went inside and she slammed the door behind them and made a point to lock it before turning back to Stassi.

“Now, about tomorrow.” She moved in closer to Stassi and Stassi could feel her breath hitch. She didn’t want to immediately be thrust into an awkward situation, but there they were. “I was thinking we could do a picnic in the park. Then maybe go roller-skating. I’ve never been, but I would love to learn. A moonlight walk could also be on our agenda. But I’m open to suggestions.” Sage winked before brushing a kiss on Stassi’s lips.

That all sounded great. She couldn’t recall the last time she went roller skating. But just spending time with Sage would hit her high-priority list.

“What do you think?” Sage whispered before capturing her lips again. She pulled Stassi’s pants back and slipped her hand down it the front of them, already filling for her opening. Stassi groaned, before she shook her head and tried to come back to reality.

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