by Kandi Jaynes
Kate blinked back tears. She hadn't cried in years, and yet it seemed like lately she was doing it every few hours. Enough is enough. Slamming all emotions back down where they belong, she blew air out between pursed lips and grinned at him. "Smitty, there is something I've wanted to do for a very long time. Normally I wouldn't consider actually going through with it, but since there has been nothing normal about tonight, why not?" She lifted her hands and placed them gently at the base of his neck. Slowly she ran them across his massive shoulders and down his biceps, then back up to his neck. She giggled. "Wow. That is just amazing." She gave him a wistful smile. "Oh Smitty, why is it you and I couldn't fall in love and spend the rest of our lives taking care of each other?"
He grinned. "Darlin', I've asked myself that many times over the years. On paper we're perfect for each other. Unfortunately, nature just doesn't seem to see it that way." His eyes roamed over her. "Believe me, I have never regretted it more than I do tonight." He chuckled when she blushed.
"You guys aren't going to think of me differently now you've seen me as a girl, are you?"
Smitty laughed. "I've got news for you, there's not one of us who has ever seen you as anything but one hundred percent pure female. It seemed to make you uncomfortable to have us treat you that way so we haven't. This," he pointed to her dress, "is just icing on the cake."
She looked stunned, and he smiled. "Jeans and work shirts can't hide the kind of woman you are. We've all noticed your figure." He cocked an eyebrow. "Most of us notice it frequently." The fact you don't flaunt it or use it to try to get what you want has gained you respect. We also appreciate you haven't tried to act like a man to fit in. We admire the way you can work so well with us. Not many women would handle it so gracefully."
She was amazed. "I had no idea."
"That's part of your charm, young lady."
She slid her arms around his neck and hugged him. "Thanks, Smitty." Then she whispered, "Promise me we'll always be friends."
He hugged her back, his voice slightly thick as he spoke. "You can always count on me, darlin'. I promise." He straightened and looked her in the eye. "Although I have a feeling I'm not the only one who will be there for you."
She glanced at Drake who had been watching them since returning to the table. "I suppose there's a chance you could be right," she admitted.
Smitty dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Give him a chance. It's obvious he cares about you a lot. Think about it, he knows if he hurts you he'll have to contend with all of us, and he still wants to go out with you. That should tell you something right there."
Kate giggled. "Yes, that he's either genuine, or a complete idiot."
Smitty laughed and lifted her off the bar. "Now go enjoy the rest of your birthday."
For the most part Kate did enjoy the evening. She played darts and beat Drake at a game of shuffleboard. Later after the crowd had thinned, she was on her way to the ladies room when she felt something in her shoe. Sitting down at a corner table she removed the intrusive item and was about to continue on when a paper caught her eye. She recognized it of course. It was a copy of the standard betting pool sheet used in the shop. "What are they betting on now?" she murmured. They constantly had one of these going and it was usually about something silly, just for something to do. When she read the topic of this one though, she was stunned. They had started a bet as to what she had on under her dress. They are betting on my underwear! She glanced around. The few guys that remained were involved in games and not paying any attention to her.
She couldn't help but be somewhat impressed the bet was ten dollars. They rarely went above five. Just as she stood up an uneasy thought hit her. How do they think they're going to find out who won?
On the spur of the moment Kate made a decision. Quickly tucking the paper at her side, she strode to the ladies room. When she returned she carefully dropped it back where she found it making sure no one saw her. Casually strolling over to Drake who was engaged in a dart game at the time, she told him she was getting tired and asked if he would mind taking her home when his game was finished.
"We can leave now if you'd like," he answered.
"No, that's okay, you go ahead and finish your game."
The game finished about fifteen minutes later and they said their good-byes. Kate tried to stay calm but her level of nervousness intensified as they approached her house. Kate was out of the car before Drake had a chance to get out and open her door. She scurried to the house and stopped as she was about to put the key in the lock. Taking a deep breath she repeated you can do this, you can do this, you can do this. She unlocked the door and turned to smile at Drake, "Would you like to come in?"
He seemed a bit surprised, "Yes, I would."
Kate led him in. "Would you like something to drink? I should still have some soda, unless my friends finished them off without my knowledge, or I have iced tea, or juice or I could make some lemonade." Stop babbling, stop babbling, stop babbling. Take a deep breath and just calm down. She turned to look at him.
"Whatever you have is fine."
"Please, have a seat and I'll get the drinks."
Kate retrieved two sodas from the fridge and set them on the counter. Then she went to a small cupboard in the corner and took out a box wrapped in satiny white paper with delicately embossed roses. She carefully lifted the lid and removed a piece of white chocolate. She had never been able to resist white chocolate. For some reason however, she had yet to touch any of this.
Until now.
She felt like it would somehow be giving in if she ate it. But this was an emergency and called for a dose of chocolate. Unfortunately this was all she had. She took a bite and let it slowly melt on her tongue. She savored the rest of it in small bites as she filled glasses and arranged a plate of snacks. The last bite was melting slowly as she walked into the next room. Drake stood as she entered and offered to take the tray. She jumped when he touched her hand and nearly spilled the drinks. Taking a calming breath as the last of the chocolate dissolved on her tongue, she slid in beside him on the sofa. He gave her another surprised look when she sat so close, but didn't complain.
He took a sip of his soda and set it back on the tray. As he sat back, he draped an arm around her, causing her to tense even more. Knowing if she were going to make this work, she was going to have to relax. She took a deep calming breath and let it out slowly.
With a finger on her chin, Drake gently turned her face to his and looked into her eyes. "What has you so jumpy? I would think by now you'd know I'm not going to attack you. I might kiss you, but I've done that often enough it shouldn't have you so nervous." He leaned forward and kissed her softly. A knowing grin crossed his face as he pulled away. "White chocolate. Something must be wrong if you needed a shot of that. What's going on?"
He's right, I'm not good at games. I'll just come out with it and get it over with. Kate stood up hands on hips and faced him. "Okay, here it is. How exactly do you plan to get me out of this dress?"
Drake looked stunned. "Well, I hadn't planned to get you out of your dress." He stood, giving her an exaggerated leer, wriggling his eyebrows. "But if you'd like me to, I'd be more than happy to oblige."
Kate realized as soon as the words left her mouth she had said it all wrong. She covered her face with a hand and tried to think coherently.
"Ahh..." Drake interrupted her thoughts, "You found out about the bet, didn't you?"
Kate raised her head and replaced the hand on her hip, "Yes I did. I assume you're the one who is supposed to discover the answer. I'd like to know how you thought you were going to find out."
"Well," Drake said. "I hadn't really thought much about it. I didn't find out about the bet until just before we left." He took her hand and pulled her back down onto the sofa. Facing her, he continued, "They did ask me if I would help and I told them I didn't think I could."
"Really?" she whispered.
"Really." He brushed a strand of hair away from her face, and smir
ked. "Not that I wouldn't be interested in finding out the answer, mind you, but I wouldn't try to get you out of your dress to resolve a bet."
She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you." She stood up again, paced the floor a few times, then gave him a sheepish grin. "Would you resolve the bet if I asked you to?" The stunned look returned to his face, and she laughed. "I know it sounds strange, but I need you to tell them exactly what is under this dress."
He stood, looking at her suspiciously, "How and why?"
"The how is I'm going to tell you what I'm wearing and you can tell them Monday, at lunch. When they're all together."
"Do you want me to wait until you're there or not?"
"Oh, I definitely want to be there."
Drake cocked his head grinning. "Am I going to be in big trouble with these guys for this?"
"No. You're simply helping them out with a bet. One I don't think they'll be dumb enough to make again. As for the why, I'd like to keep to myself for now if you don't mind."
He looked skeptical, "Why do I feel like those poor guys have been had?"
"Because they have. Will you help me?"
"You're sure you want to do this?"
Her fingers curled into fists at her side and her chin raised a notch. "Yes, I'm sure."
His skepticism was replaced by mischief. He stepped closer and pulled her into his arms. "How will I know if you're telling me the truth about what's under here?" He ran a finger along the edge of the shoulder strap. "I'm not sure I would feel right about going along with this without verifying the answer myself. They'll want to know how I found out. If it was discovered you told me what to say, how would it look? My reputation could be tarnished, I could lose all credibility in the shop and that might jeopardize my job. There's a lot at stake here."
She couldn't contain a grin at the obvious intent behind his statements. Finally, she laughed at the innocent look he was trying to achieve. "As I'm not going to just stand here and drop my dress for you, I guess you'll simply have to take my word for it."
Drake raised an eyebrow in challenge and started running his fingers up and down the length of her back. "I would never expect you to just drop your dress." He leaned forward kissing her cheek. "That would spoil my fun." He increased the pressure of his hands up and down her back as he kissed her. After starting soft and easy he reached up and cupped her face, deepening the kiss. His hands slid down her neck. His fingertips gently massaged across her shoulders, then trailed slow caresses down her arms until he linked his fingers with hers. As his lips left hers, he took a step back and lifted her arms slightly away from her body.
Kate didn't fully understand the satisfied grin on his face until she felt something tickle her foot and looked down. That's when she discovered her dress pooled at her feet. It took a few seconds for conscious thought to force its way through the shock at standing there in nothing but a black teddy and silk stockings.
She felt reality rise in direct proportion to the color flooding her face. She dreaded seeing the humor in Drake's eyes but couldn't stop herself from looking up. What she saw, however, was not smug humor. He was taking in every inch of her teddy and the parts of her that it did and didn't cover. Replacing the humor was a look even someone as inexperienced as Kate could recognize. His eyes returned to hers and held. She wanted to breath but couldn't. His breathing was shallow and strained.
Suddenly he was dragging her back into his arms covering her lips with his. This kiss was long, deep, and urgent, causing her to lose all sense of everything but Drake. Kate was vaguely aware of being lifted and carried to the couch. She felt the weight of his body press her into the cushions. His mouth left hers and started a trail of kisses along her chin and down the side of her neck. "Kate," he whispered against her skin, "you are so beautiful." She heard him draw a ragged breath as he lifted his head. Her eyes opened and locked with his. "If I don't leave now I'm going to tell you, as well as show you, how I feel about you."
Kate didn't immediately release him. She studied him for a moment unsure of what to do. Drake threw his head back and yelled, "Yes!" with a satisfied laugh and hugged her tight. "At least you thought about it and didn't just throw me out. I'm making progress, aren't I?" He kissed her again when she would have spoken, then stood up. "That's good enough for now."
Glancing down the length of her body, he said, "One day soon though, I'm going to tell you. So you'd better get used to the idea." Kate immediately flushed under his gaze and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch, wrapping it around herself.
Drake bent and gave her a slow kiss good-bye. When she opened her eyes again, he whispered, "Happy birthday," then strode over and retrieved his coat. He opened the door and turned, Smiling, he said in that familiar tone, "Sweet dreams, Kate," before disappearing into the night.
Kate sat stupefied, not being able to take everything in. The evening had started out strange and continued to get more bizarre as it progressed. She felt like her whole life had changed in the course of a few hours.
She had come out of childhood into adulthood knowing who she was and how she would spend her life. It would be spent with a good job, working with people she liked, for a company she was proud to work for. It would be lived in a house bought by her no one could take away. She had worked hard and accomplished what she had set out to do and was lucky enough to have gathered close friends along the way.
Not once had a man been part of the master plan. Kate had just accepted at an early age she wouldn't marry. She didn't remember really ever questioning it or being upset about it. She just knew it wouldn't happen.
This man however didn't seem to want to go away. Kate didn't know what to do. She had tried to explain things to him but he wouldn't listen.
Chapter Ten
Monday morning dawned and Kate was glad for the distraction. She was tired of trying to find things to keep her mind off Drake, and trying to convince herself he was not making progress.
After spending the morning focused on work, she felt much better. When the lunch bell ran, Kate headed to the break room. She was about half way through her sandwich when Drake strolled in.
"Hello." He received a round of, "Hi, Drake," in return. Kate stifled a grin as he moseyed over to the pop machine and got a soda. She noticed several of the guys looking at him, then glancing at her. He popped open the can and took a drink, then walked over and stood across the table from her.
He looked around the table. "I believe I have an answer you guys want." Kate noticed some of the men start to fidget. Others made faces and squeezed their eyes shut, as if they could disappear. "Uh, you could tell us later Drake," one of them said.
"Yeah, this might not be the best time," added another.
"I think now is as good a time as any," replied Drake. "It was a black teddy with lace trim and garter."
They all turned to look at Kate. She glared around the table. "Now why would you guys need to know that?"
Steve pulled out his wallet and Terry slowly pulled the crinkled sheet of paper out of his pocket. He scanned the grid and said, "Here it is, someone got it exactly right." He squinted, pulling the paper closer, "The name's so small it's hard to read."
Steve pulled a stack of bills out of his wallet. "Here's the money when you figure out who won."
Terry looked again at the paper, then a look of disbelief eased across his face. He glanced at Kate, then buried his face in the paper again. "I don't believe it," he mumbled.
"Well, who is it?" someone asked.
He turned toward Kate. "It's her."
They all gaped at her for a moment then one of them said, "How did you get your name on there?"
"First of all, you guys should know by now you can't hide things from me." She reached over and picked up the money. Even dared to count it in front of them. "Secondly, you should learn not to leave your grids just lying around on tables unattended." She splayed the money and used it to fan herself. "Well it looks like I'll be eatin' good this week. Thanks, boys."
She felt quite smug now, giving her unexpected courage. "Well Drake, since you helped make this possible how about a thank you dinner." She waved an arm around the table. "Compliments of the shop."
Drake smiled a slow, unnerving smile. "I would love to have dinner with you, but it would simply be for the enjoyment of your company. Believe me, being shown the teddy was all the thanks I need."
He winked at her and strolled out of the break room as casually as he had entered, leaving her and her crimson glow to face this mob. I'll get him for that, she thought as she picked up her things, head held high, and marched out of the room, pretending not to hear the snickering behind her.
She stopped at the grocery store after work and found Drake waiting in her driveway when she arrived home. He unfolded out of the jeep as she pulled into the garage opening her car door when she shut off the engine. "Hello, I was hoping you'd be home soon. I just got here myself." She climbed out, and rather than shut the door, he slid into the driver's seat. She gave him a cautious look but didn't say anything. "Don't worry I just want to look." He slowly inspected the inside and gave a low whistle. "Nice," was all he said before looking up at her. "I know I'm not allowed to drive it, but do we get to take this when we go to dinner tonight?"
"Sure. But right now you can help me carry the groceries in." She loaded him down with bags and entered the house. They talked about the day as they worked. Kate had noticed the second she saw him he had lost the dress shirt and pleated pants and changed into snug faded jeans and an equally well fitting hunter green pullover. He even had on a pair of tennis shoes. Did he somehow find out how attractive she thought he was dressed like this? And what if he realized she kept handing him all the things that went on the lower shelves of the pantry because it gave her an unobstructed view?
When Drake straightened and turned after the last item was put away, she noticed his brow arch as he looked at her. Not only had he caught her staring, but she wondered just how goofy the grin on her face had been considering her thoughts at the time.