People tend to a.s.sume she works there and is just out of her office for a few minutes.

Mandi strode to the elevators, rode it five floors down to Lew "Jackie"

Jackson's office, and waved as she entered.

"Mandi!" said Jackie. "You're back!" then he muttered, "Not to mention your front..."

Grinning as she sighed at the remark, Mandi said, "I heard that. Been watching old Groucho Marx reruns again?"

"Are there any other kind? The guy hasn't been on TV for quite a while, y'know. How was Atlanta?"

Reaching into the fridge, she said, "It's still there."

"All because of you, according to WNN."

"Oh, there were a few others involved."

"They didn't show anyone else hauling cars into the sky. Hey, some guy called me about setting up a Mandi Steele look alike contest. Was that your idea?"

"No, but it worked in Atlanta. You'll meet the guy who thought it up in a week or two. He's busy converting, and I'm going to call him out here to help with fixing up our new digs."

"Converting, huh?" He shook his head. "Shoulda known. Let you run off to Atlanta and you meet some young cutie and..."

Sighing again, Mandi said flatly, "He's fifty-three, Jackie."

Shrugging, Jackie continued, "Okay, then, some old cutie. How many is this one? Six?"

"Only five. Don't try to make me sound easy, you putz." She sipped her drink and said, "Anyway, if he doesn't develop flight, I'll fly him out here and we'll get things started."

Indicating the 'in' basket on his desk, she asked, "Any messages for me in that pile?"

"Oh, all of 'em. Of course. n.o.body ever calls for me."

"You poor thing. But if I recall correctly, they aren't supposed to call for you."

"Still... It'd be nice, just once in a while, y'know?"

Parking her b.u.t.t on the edge of the desk, Mandi began pawing through the pile of pink 'While You Were Out' slips and said, "Pooor Baaaby. Being my secretary isn't enough for you anymore, huh? Don't I pay you enough?"

The phone rang and he answered it, then held it out to her as he said, "John again. I'll see you later, Mandi. It's closing time and I'm shooting league tonight."

Nodding, she said, "Thanks, Jackie. Have a good night."

Grabbing his coat as he headed for the door, he grinningly said, "Always do."

Perching the phone on her shoulder as she riffled through the messages, Mandi said, "Hi, John."

"Hi, Mandi. Alan's in charge of the Mandi contests now. You'll be hearing from him soon."

"Already have, John. Thanks."

"You talked to Cade?"

"I did, and he's in Andrea's hands until the conversion is finished."

"That woman can handle him, Mandi. Cade's a sucker for eyes like hers."

"I saw how you looked at her, John." She snickered and added, "Sucker."

Laughing, John said, "Yeah, all right, she got me, too. Any hitches or glitches?"

"A few, but I think they'll work out. Unless you need him for something, I'm going to bring him out here to work on the base in a couple of weeks."

"You know us. We don't always know if we'll need somebody 'till we need him.

Or her. Thanks again. Oh, and I covered your b.u.t.t about those melted video tapes. The report now says a machine malfunctioned and overheated."

"You didn't have to do that, John. Those tapes were a message to some people."

"Oh, your message got through, Mandi. I just fixed the official report so there couldn't be any official flak later. Is there anything else?"

"You called me, John. That's my line."

"Ah, so it is. Well, there's nothing at this end of things. Keep me posted about Cade, will you?"

"Will do."

"Thanks, Mandi. Later. Bye."

Before she could say 'you're welcome', he'd disconnected.

Mandi tossed the handful of messages back in the basket and left the office to return to the roof. A quick change later she was in uniform and lifting into the sky again for a cruise around the city before going home for the evening.

At the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Lake Mead Road she dropped out of the sky to push a stalled truck to the side of the road and half an hour later she helped a Cessna land in one piece when the pilot pa.s.sed out.

When nothing else seemed to require her attention by one in the morning, Mandi headed home to see if a certain someone she was rather fond of had finished tweaking her website.

-- End, "An Encounter in Atlanta" --

Other t.i.tles by Ed Howdershelt *

SCIENCE FICTION "3rd World Products, Inc., Book 1"

"3rd World Products, Inc., Book 2"

"3rd World Products, Inc., Book 3"

"3rd World Products, Inc., Book 4"

"3rd World Products, Inc., Book 5"

"3rd World Products, Inc., Book 6"

"An Encounter in Atlanta"

"a.s.signment: ATLANTA"

"Bitten and Smitten"(Vampires!) "Hunt Club"(Vampires!) "In Service to a G.o.ddess, Book 1"

"In Service to a G.o.ddess, Book 2"

"In Service to a G.o.ddess, Book 3"

"In Service to a G.o.ddess, Book 4"

"STARDANCER"

FICTION-EROTICA-ROMANCE "ANNE"

"Dragonfly Run"

"Field Decision"

"KIM"

"MINDY"

COMING SOON: "ANSEN"

"Crystal River Witch"

An index to articles and ebooks may be found on our website: http://www.AbintraPress.com

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