by Susan Kohler
“That works for me.” Bob broke off the kiss. “Too well, I’m already going to be late for work, so help me out here, please?”
Bob walked into his bathroom and turned on the shower. Kate, feeling slightly rejected even though she knew it was illogical, pulled on her skirt and blouse, and went downstairs to make breakfast. She made toast, coffee, orange juice and bacon. Then she went up to Bob’s bathroom and stuck her head into his shower.
“How do you want your eggs, handsome?” she asked.
“Later.” He pulled her, clothes and all into the shower and kissed her. Their tongues met in a gentle loving duel. He peeled her wet shorts down her legs, but before he peeled her blouse off he got distracted by her hard nipples clearly visible through the wet material. He played a teasing game, nibbling, suckling and even nipping them.
“You rat!” She pretended to be angry, an act that was ruined by her breathless gasps. “Now what am I going to wear home?”
“A big smile.” His mouth met hers again, and his hands went to the buttons of her blouse, finally stripping it off. “A very big smile.”
“That ought to make the traffic cops happy.” She locked her arms around the back of his neck, but she pretended to pout. “I thought you wanted to get to work. I thought I was making you too late.”
“I’m a fool,” Bob admitted.
She looked up into his eyes with a tender smile on her face, “Yes. I thought that, too.”
She never did get around to making eggs. She got out of the shower, put on a robe and put her clothes in Bob’s dryer. They sat at the table and ate cold toast and bacon for breakfast. When he couldn’t put it off, Bob left for work. Incredibly he was only slightly over an hour late.
Kate retrieved her clothes from the dryer and went home. She turned Charger loose and went in to greet Teddy and the four puppies. The puppies’ little eyes were just starting to open, and they seemed so big and fat she could swear they had gained weight overnight. Then she put on a bright green dress and got ready to meet Laura for lunch.
Laura’s doctor appointment was for 10:30, so Kate figured she’d probably really see the doctor around noon, with luck. She thought she’d meet Laura at the restaurant about 12:30. She was surprised when Laura called her at 11:30 and said she had already seen the doctor and was leaving for the restaurant.
“I don’t believe your doctor was actually sticking to her schedule. I always wind up waiting well over an hour,” Kate told Laura, hugging her when they met at the restaurant. “You look great! Is that a new dress?”
Laura had on a red dress with a full flowing skirt. It looked fresh and would never be out of style.
“Yes. Do you like it? It’s probably going to be my last non-maternity dress for a while. Well, my doctor surprised me, too. She said it was the first morning in two months without any emergencies, babies to deliver, or last minute patients. In fact, she had time to really talk with me.” Laura smiled. “I think she was almost as happy about that as I was. She warned me not to get spoiled however; it’s usually a madhouse in her office.”
“So? Did she confirm your pregnancy?” Kate asked, “Is it really official?”
“Yes.” Laura’s face lit up with excitement. “She said I’m about nine weeks along.”
Kate hugged her friend, “In that case, lunch is on me. And I might even answer some of the questions I know you’re going to ask.”
“Who me?” Laura asked innocently before launching into an interrogation that would have made J. Edgar Hoover proud.
Kate ate her lunch and good-naturedly fielded her friend’s questions. By the time Laura had finished lunch and started heading back to the office, she had a fairly good idea of how Kate and Bob’s relationship was going. In fact, she was taking full credit as the matchmaker, and had volunteered to be the maid of honor.
“It’s a little early to start planning the wedding, dear. I just met the man.” Kate paid for lunch and walked with her out to her car.
“It’s never too early to hope, is it?” Laura asked her with a saucy grin.
“I guess not. Laura, how were the women in the office acting this morning? I mean, were they still resentful of Bob because of Tonya?” Kate was concerned.
“They would have taken it much better if you hadn’t been ushered out in apparent disgrace just two days earlier. Now, they seem to think this is going to be a regular occurrence. Heads will roll! Unexplained disappearances! Wholesale slaughter! Film at eleven!” Laura intoned dramatically then she sighed, “They act like we’ve been replaced by pods. Remember that old movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers? You think they’d realize that we must have had a good reason for our actions. We’ve always been more than fair with them. I’m starting to get mad right back at them because we deserve a little of their faith.”
“They’ll come around. This is just a knee-jerk reaction.” Kate reassured her, “I know they all like and respect both of you. So get back to work, boss. I hope to be back soon. And Shelly’s coming back in three months, at least part-time.” She laughed, “Tell Bob I miss him, its been almost three hours. And tell him I’ll be at my house.”
Bob came over right after work. He seemed tense and distracted as he kissed Kate at the door. He went in to see the puppies. Kate got an old blanket out and spread it on the living room rug. Then she got two cold beers and opened them. She told Bob to bring the puppies into the living room. Bob put the puppies on the blanket, then they both sat on the floor and drank their beer. Somehow watching them, their innocent clumsiness and play, made all the tensions of the day fade away.
The puppies were still small and awkward, with their little eyes just starting to open. They were barely beginning to move around, but in spite of that they were starting to play. They had little mock fights and crawled all over each other. Teddy ignored her litter and went outside for a while. Charger sat by Kate and watched them curiously; this was the closest he’d ever been to the puppies. Occasionally he put his short pug nose down and smelled, licked or even pushed one of them. Teddy came back in and immediately all the little guys started to nurse.
“Tell me about your day,” Kate prompted. “Did the peasants revolt or did you manage to reassure them?”
“I had private meetings with each and every one of them. I think I’ve smoothed any ruffled feathers, except Rita. She’s still talking about staging a revolution.” Bob was worried, “I don’t know if I can ever make peace with her. And Cheryl is acting even stranger, she’s almost too calm and accepting. It’s weird.”
“When this is over, maybe I can help,” Kate offered. “Will this change the plans for the party?”
“No, that’s still on. Don’t argue,” he put a finger over her lips, just as she parted them to speak, “you’re coming, even if it means we let people in on our secret before we originally planned too.”
“What if Cheryl doesn’t show up? If she’s upset with you and Laura, she might not come.” Kate worried.
“In our private meeting today I made her promise to come. I even hinted that I had a surprise for her.” Bob grinned, “Her feminine curiosity will get her there.”
Kate slugged his arm playfully, “Chauvinist! Isn’t she suspicious that she’s the only one from the office invited?”
“Originally that was my plan,” Bob admitted. “To make her curious.”
“You, my love, are a devious devil.” She kissed him, “But you said it was part of your original plan, what’s changed?”
“I’ve talked with John and Laura, we may be able to have the whole staff at her party, and still have you there.” He drained his beer. “It’s kind of a good news, bad news situation.”
“What’s the good news?” she asked hopefully.
“It looks like Laura and I are going to be in the clear,” he said, kissing her.
“That’s fantastic. What’s the bad news?” She nibbled on his neck.
“We’ve got a major hang-up. The police and our own investigators are having trouble gatheri
ng the necessary evidence. My name is on a lot of suspicious documents, but the handwriting, like my signature, doesn’t seem to be a match. They think I’m in the clear, but they’re not sure. The same with Laura, except that she’s more in the clear than I am because her name is on less of the dubious documents, and the signatures don’t match her writing at all.” Bob drew a deep breath, “On top of all that, Jerry Weisner is missing.”
“Doesn’t that incriminate him?” She pulled back to look at him.
“Not if he was made to disappear.” Bob sighed deeply, “So his disappearance can go either way, for me or against me.”
“It’s ridiculous! What do they think you did? Murder Jerry to cover up embezzling money?” Bob shrugged, his face carefully blank.
Kate continued, “That’s not only ridiculous, it’s completely ludicrous. Why would you do something so stupid? There wasn’t enough money involved to make it worth murder. I mean, if you were the kind who could murder someone anyway, which you’re not.”
“There’s well over a hundred thousand dollars involved, plus the threat of prison and public disgrace,” Bob reminded her. “People have killed for less. Much less.”
“Nonsense, Jerry knows he’s about to be arrested and he’s bolted.” Kate said sternly, “They’ll catch him.”
“Some of the questions brought out by Jerry’s disappearance involve just that point. How does he know he’s about to be arrested? What has he got to hide? There’s even a possibility he might know about you. The police think that if he does know you were the inside investigator, you could be in danger.” Bob was serious. “So be careful.”
“Danger? From Jerry Weisner? He was always so polite and, um, jovial. That sounds too strange to be real. They’ll catch him soon and solve this case.” She kissed him, pushing him down to the carpet.
“But not soon enough for me.” He met her passion with his own, then began to laugh as he felt several little feet trying to climb on him. “I’m being invaded!”
“Maybe it’s time to put these little guys back in their box. Then,” she added firmly, “we’ll find something to eat. That way, after dinner we can concentrate on pleasing each other for the rest of the night.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” he agreed.
“Then grab a puppy or two and follow me,” she instructed.
Soon the puppies were safely ensconced back in their box, with Teddy in attendance. They each settled down for a long puppy nap. Kate and Bob made their way into the kitchen and began to dig into the refrigerator.
“I have two steaks,” Kate told him, “and some brown rice. Or I can make hamburgers with fries and milkshakes. What do you think?”
“Steak. I’m not letting you near ice cream again until I recover from last night. And what you do with whipped cream is...”
“Sinful?” she suggested.
“Wonderful.” Bob kissed her deeply. “And sinful.”
“But you need to recover?” She teased him, “I have proof now, you’re getting old. Okay, I’ll fix the steaks and rice, but you’re in charge of salads and rolls.”
“Wait until after dinner, you’ll pay for those remarks. Old!” He walked by her pausing only to give her a smart slap on her round derriere.
“Chauvinist pig!” she squealed. “Why do I put up with you?”
“Because you love me?” Bob nibbled on the back of her neck.
“It only goes to prove it; there’s no accounting for taste.” She leaned back against him, rubbing her behind softly against the bulge at his zipper. “Great isn’t it?”
“Dinner first, wench.” He patted her fanny gently this time, “It was your idea, remember?”
Soon, they sat down and ate their dinner in companionable silence. The stereo was playing soft rock, and the dogs were locked outside. Several candles on the dining room table provided a soft, warm glow. Finally, sitting over the remains of the meal they began to talk again.
“I had a call from my mother today,” Bob told her. “She complained about missing me at home. It seems she’s been trying to reach me for several days.”
“Do you even have a home?” Kate teased. “It seems like you’re always here.”
“I could leave.” He started to rise.
“Not if you value your life,” she threatened. “So what did your mother want?”
“She’s in her planning mode. She wants me to come to a family reunion, two weeks from Sunday,” he informed her. “She wants you there, too.”
“Where is this going to be?” Kate quizzed. “And how does she even know about me?”
“She knows I’ve been busy and not home, so she asked who it was and I described you.” Bob gave a rueful laugh, “I think she likes you already, which is strange because she never liked my ex-wife, Jenna. I don’t want to panic you, but I think she’s been picking out names for our kids already.”
“Hey, no panic. She can compare her list of names with my mother’s, or Ida’s,” Kate laughed. “Ida wants me to stick with names beginning with the letter S.”
“Anyway, it’s supposed to be held at my folk’s home in Reno.” He noted her frown and put a finger over her mouth before she could even begin to voice her objections. “I have an alternative to the plan, however. I want to have it here, at my house. Both of my sisters, who happen to be one of the sets of the twins in my family, live nearby with their husbands and assorted kids. My brother, Jeff, and his family live in Arizona. If we have the reunion here, your family can come too. Your kids will be home by then. Heck, we can invite Ida, and even Charger can come.”
“Do you have enough room?” Kate questioned. “I mean, your folks and your brother’s family will have to stay over. Or did you plan to put them in a hotel?”
“I thought I’d give my brother and his family the house. He has the other set of twins, girls, so there’s four of them.” Bob smiled at Kate’s expression, “I told you twins run in my family.”
“You said run, but you never said they race.” She moaned.
“My folks can stay with one of my sisters.” Bob gave her a sly grin, “And I can stay here.”
“There’s one more to add to the list,” Kate told him. “Since my mom’s bringing the kids home so soon, my grandma’s coming with her.”
“When exactly are the kids coming home?” he questioned.
“Next Sunday,” she sighed. “I’m enjoying my time alone and I still miss those guys like crazy.”
“Isn’t that sooner than you planned. What’s up?” Bob was concerned.
“The kids are homesick. Mom misses dad. And grandma is coming with them because she wants to see me.” She grinned at him, “Of course, they all want to get to know you. You are a curiosity, my dear. The first man I’ve dated since losing Joe.”
“And I’d better be the last.” He picked up his dishes and carried them into the kitchen, with Kate following. “Kate, you might want to consider postponing the kids’ return until this is cleared up. The police think Jerry’s unbalanced. That is, the ones who think I didn’t kill him think he’s unbalanced.”
“I’ll think about it.” She hugged him, talking softly while leaning against his sweater, “I know it’s silly but one of the reasons I want the kids home now, is so they can play with the puppies while they’re so cute.”
Bob gave her a reassuring squeeze, then went back to cleaning up the kitchen. He rinsed the dishes and put them into the dishwasher.
Finally he turned to Kate. “I thought we had plans for after dinner, wench.”
“Yes Sir, oh lord and master sir.” She bowed in front of him. “Shall I await your pleasure in the bedchamber or,” she grinned, “just drop my drawers and climb on the kitchen table?”
He turned on the dishwasher and came over to stand in front of her. Gently and very slowly, his eyes intent on hers, he unbuttoned her silk blouse. He unfastened the front clasp of her lacy bra and slid the straps off her soft shoulders. She removed his tie, then reached up and unbuttoned his shirt, carefully
removing his cuff links and putting them on the kitchen table. She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. He tugged her shorts gently down her long legs. She lowered his pants slowly down his legs. She was very careful and slow, gently working his underwear down his legs and passed the bulge of his manhood. He gave her a naughty grin and ripped the side of her panties in a quick motion.
“You . . . rat!” she sputtered.
“I’ll buy you a dozen pair to replace them. I’ve always wanted to do that.” He drank deeply of her mouth, “Let’s go upstairs.”
She took his hand and started up the stairs with him a step behind her, leaving the clothes strewn on the kitchen floor. Halfway up the stairs he stopped her by taking his free hand and reaching around to cup her breast, gently teasing at the nipple. Then he trailed his hand back around to her spine, and moved up to caress the back of her neck before moving slowly down again. She stood there, her back to him with one hand on the banister. Her other hand still held his; she felt a slight pull on it as he took a step back so that he was two steps below her.
She was startled and yet not surprised when she felt his lips and tongue kissing and teasing her spine and her rounded bottom. She gave a small jump when his teeth joined in the play, giving her a slight loving nip. He pulled his hand free from hers and used his hands on her hips to turn her gently around so that she faced him.
“Part your legs, love,” he commanded, lowering his mouth to her moist femininity as she did so. He played with her, with his mouth, until her legs felt like they could no longer support her. She pulled slightly back and lay down on the carpeted steps. He joined her there, his mouth continuing its quest until he felt her stiffen against him and heard her gasping, throaty cry. He cuddled her in his arms, rolling over so that he was on the bottom, then she felt him laughing silently under her.
“Well, we probably can’t do that again once the kids are home,” he said to her with a questioning glance.
“But there’s still the bedroom.” Standing up and pulling on his hand she continued, “You know the place we were headed before you got so distracted? Remember it has a big bed? We could go there now, and I could give you a little bit of payback.”