by Mel Walker
She pulled back the door to her closet as her eyes glazed past the extensive collection of sweaters, casual tops and yoga clothing. It had only been a few weeks, but the clothes spoke to her as if from a past life. Her eyes continued to scan to the rest of the assortment; the formal, business and dressy section. She pulled out her go to two-piece navy business suit. It screamed practical, business, and professional.
It screamed Boring.
She would need something a little more daring if she wanted to make an impression. A sexy smirk flashed across her face as she turned. Her tongue massaging her lower lip as her eyes took in the most dangerous dress she owned.
Wear me it shouted at her.
There were a million reasons not to wear that dress on this night to this event. Yet, not one of them stopped Leslie from reaching for it. Her fingers lingered on the fabric, as she pictured the reactions the dress always garnered.
Five minutes later Leslie couldn’t stifle the devilish laugh as she descended the steps wearing her most dangerously sexy dress, not once glancing back at the home cooked steak dinner for her husband, instead her mind racing ahead to the meal across town with another man.
* *
Justin's head hurt. He knew he was too old to be drinking like this. A realization he thought he had figured out some time ago. However, the combination of the frustrating day, the egging on by Marcus, and the anger of Paul kept the suds flowing. He should have disappeared along with Krystal and Violet at a reasonable hour, but the thought of coming home to an empty house yet again kept his butt glued to the bar stool.
As the hours crept by and the greasy appetizers arrived the rest of the evening became a blur. It was only the two cups of black coffee by Marcus which provided any level of clarity as he left the car in the parking lot of O'Flannery and came home via taxi.
It took three attempts for the key to finally ease into the lock. The door swung open and banged against the bookshelf. "Shhh," he whispered to no one. He dropped his briefcase on the floor as he stepped through the rooms. His jacket followed as his attention was drawn to the dining room. The table set up with the good china caused his head to spin. "Uh oh,” he whispered searching his mind for a forgotten appointment. He followed the barely there aroma to the kitchen. The steak still sat on the carving board. He lifted the lid on the pots taking a peek at the carrots which now looked like mush as the butter had coagulated across the top. The spinach had a similar disposition.
Justin couldn't resist however as he picked up the carving knife and cut a sliver off the now cool steakThe well-seasoned portion tasted like heaven. NY strip steak seasoned the way he liked, cooked the way he preferred.
Once again he searched his mind for the meaning of the dinner. He came up empty of the usual suspects, no birthdays, anniversaries and or achievements warranted such a feast. The clouds returned to his head the more he tried to challenge it, so Justin stopped.
Leslie will know.
He stole one last sliver of beef as he climbed the steps to the bedroom. It was dark. He flipped the lights on for a second, their brightness causing an instant headache. She wasn't there. Still out at the chamber event. He kicked off his shoes and plopped himself on the bed. It only took seconds before he was in dreamland.
* * *
Peter lifted the small glass to his thin lips as Leslie found herself mesmerized. This was his third drink since the team from the Java & Bread Company had left. During the meeting which lasted a lot longer than she anticipated, Peter had been the focused professional she knew him to be. He stuck primarily to seltzer during the extended dinner and dessert discussion. She recalled the joy she experienced as he wavered from pitchman to production expert almost from sentence to sentence.
She slowly continued to nurse her appletini drink, a rare midweek treat for herself.
The two sat side by side at the same roundtable, their chairs practically touching. The combination whiff of scotch and cologne momentarily got Leslie lightheaded.
Peter leaned in close to her, his face mere inches from his, "you were fantastic tonight. I told you I needed you."
"You are too generous. You were doing just fine without me. Those executives already loved you before I arrived."
Peter shifted his weight on the chair slightly; momentarily losing his balance, he steadied himself by placing his hand on her thigh. A tingle raced up Leslie's leg as her breath immediately shortened.
"Don't sell yourself, short dear. You were the clincher. I knew once they got a look at you the deal would be done.” Peter bit his inner cheek before continuing, “And that dress. From the reaction from the Java executives, I don’t think they have dresses like that in Indianapolis. No person can resist your charms." As if to emphasize his statement Peter squeezed her thigh ever so slightly. “Present company included.”
Her heart began to race as she turned away from the warm breath which practically massaged her neck. She didn't have to look at Peter to know that earlier look of desire had returned. It was a compelling look for any woman. A look of want, need and desire all mixed together.
"I couldn't have done this deal without you. We make a damn pretty good team you must admit," he continued.
Her silence had emboldened him. His hand remained on her thigh.
She reached for it, her fingers tapping a slow staccato beat. "Listen, Peter, it’s getting late, we should be going." With that, she lifted his hand off her thigh and pushed back from the table.
"I thought we were celebrating. You know it’s not every day a business our size gets this close to a regional contract like this. This changes everything." He emphasized the word everything; a slow and deliberate pronunciation with a slight Southern drawl. The drawl was new. She chalked it up to his developing inebriated state, a warning sign of a loss of control.
She turned to face him once again, his eyes already locked on hers, his blue-grey eyes blurring with moisture and hunger. "I agree however it's still just talking at this stage. We did well tonight."
"Very well," he interjected.
"Yes, very well," she couldn't prevent the smile from appearing on her face, "but there are a million more steps before they put a signature on a contract. You heard the approval process laid out."
"I also heard how quickly they want to move. I reminded them that each frame is custom, handcrafted and requires appropriate lead time to make their timelines. They know they have to act quickly."
She was impressed as he was still lucid enough to recall these details. She tried to push the thought out of her head, but it appeared. Nonetheless, he holds his liquor better than Justin.
"In either case, it's late; we need to get some rest because if they do come back, there won't be much rest in our future."
A twinkle appeared in his eye, "I like the sound of that."
She didn't respond and was pleased when he finally pushed back from the table. He stood and extended his hand to assist her in rising. She hesitated just for a second, just enough for him to notice. Their eyes connected and that twinkle in his eye was now matched by a handsome smirk which displayed his dimple. She slid her hand into his and rose slowly. He didn’t let the hand go.
"Leslie? There's something on my mind that I’ve been struggling with all evening." His tone serious all of a sudden.
Leslie released his hand and felt her body begin to stiffen up. "All evening?"
"Actually probably more than just this evening." His eyes locked in on hers as if they were magnetized. Leslie couldn't look away even if she wanted to.
She struggled to speak, her voice wavering the words delivered in a near whisper, "www what is ....." her voice trailed off.
"If we are going to go forward .. you know you and I, like this, like tonight ..." he paused.
The shortness of breath returned to her as she witnessed this man who had been so strong and confident all night all of a sudden struggling with a simple sentence. The fear she felt wasn't about what he was about to say but her uncertainty as to how
she would react.
Peter fidgeted transferring his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes however never wavered. "It’s something I’ve actually considered especially tonight after ... well... after the obvious connection we share. I know you've felt it too."
Her eyes sought out the floor as her hands began to rub one another, "Www, what are you saying, Peter?"
He stepped back into her personal space, taking her hand back into his. "We are a good team, it’s so obvious that there is something between …. “
Leslie’s lips parted as she exhaled. Peter’s thumb caressed the back of her hand.
A sparkle returned to Peter’s eyes as he continued, “ between ….our companies."
Leslie blinked, not sure she heard right, "... our companies?"
"Yes, our companies. I think we should formalize our partnership."
"Formalize?" Leslie tried to hide her confusion. She didn't know whether to take his words literally or not. “What did you have in mind?"
The smirk returned to Peter's face, she assumed he was reading her confusion and was enjoying the moment. "Hmm .. I have some thoughts on the business front, but I’m curious to hear what you may have in mind."
She pulled her hand from his and smacked it softly, "I never know when to take you seriously Peter." She tried to compose herself, "I hadn't even thought of a partnership but yeah if we are going to continue to work together like this ..." she noticed his glare once again, "... meaning with Max's and possibly with Java & Bread Co makes sense to formalize something. You know..." She couldn't stop herself from babbling as he reached down toward the table and lifted his drink to his thin lips.
His eyes never deviated from hers as he took a sip.
She found herself staring down at his lips as his tongue poked out for a split second, him enjoying the last drop of his drink.
"Let’s go back to my place, and we can begin to work on those papers right now," he said as he placed the now empty glass on the table.
Leslie felt as if her heart would stop. It had to be after eleven o'clock, and he was asking her back to his place. And from the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes, something told her that when he said his place he wasn't referring to his storefront. She froze like a deer in headlights as she cursed herself for wearing this damn dress.
His laughter broke her from her trance.
She bit her tongue, Shit. "You are terrible, for a second there ...."
"I know," he replied, "and for a second there you were actually considering it." A small laugh escaped his lips as he raised his hand and directed her toward the restaurant exit.
She didn't respond as like most partners in any relationship they could read and understand the thoughts of the other. Leslie knew there any words spoken would not have any effect as Peter already had his answer. Her silence, hesitation, and her god damn dress had already spoken volumes.
Chapter Nine
"Why didn't you wake me?" came the confused and exasperated question from Justin. He was still in his outfit from the night before as he struggled to climb out of bed.
"What do you think I am doing right now?" Leslie stood on the edge of the bed, her favorite silk robe wrapped around her.
"You let me sleep in my clothes all night. Is that clock right?' He rubbed his eyes almost in disbelief. "It’s nearly seven."
"Yes dear. You have to get up if you're going in. How do you feel?"
Justin sat up and held his head, "I’m getting too old to be drinking with those fools like that anymore." He stood slowly and stretched reaching up toward the ceiling. "What time did you get in? I was out to the world."
Leslie thought for a second about mentioning her nearly midnight arrival but knew it would lead to a lengthy conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was revisit last evening. She had snuck in like a teenager past curfew. Still reeling from the way the evening ended, she had ripped off the dress the minute she entered the house. It now sat in the bottom of triple bagged plastic bag along with the disaster of the special dinner for Justin.
She gazed down toward the floor, “It was late. I tried to wake you when I got in. You were so out of it I just left you." She recalled climbing the steps quietly, as she peeked into the bedroom and spotted Justin laid out across the bed fully clothed it didn’t take much for her to continue down the hall. It looked like both of them had regrets to sleep off.
"Sorry. I hope I left some room for you."
"Yeah if I was eight years old maybe; it's ok dear, I slept in Jake's room. You needed your rest, and I wasn't going to disturb you." Leslie stepped back as Justin stepped toward the bathroom.
"Shit."
She knew why he cursed. He despised it when they slept in separate rooms. Early in their marriage, they had gotten into a silly argument, and Leslie had stormed out and slept on the couch. She woke in the middle of the night and stepped on a sleeping Justin laid out on the floor next to the couch. He explained at that time no matter what, no matter how upset they may be with one another that as long as they were married, they should be in the same room together even if it meant they stared at the ceiling all night and not sleeping.
“Dear? Can we talk about last night?” she asked to a half closed bathroom door; the lack of looking him in the eye giving her to courage to speak.
"Can we talk about that later? I have to get to the office." Justin popped his head out of the bathroom for a second, he had already stripped, and she heard the shower start up.
"What is going on at the office?" she asked. After a few seconds of silence, she realized he hadn't heard the question. She stood there for second thinking before pushing open the bathroom door. The room had already filled with steam. The sound of Blake Shelton filled her ears as she smiled at yet another of Justin's inventions - the shower companion.
The invention was a computerized shower massager consisted of a programmable shower head with custom music. Temperature, setting, and water pressure could all be configured on a computer and downloaded to the device. It had buttons which allowed the user to store up to twenty-five customizable shower experiences. Each stored selection had the option of syncing with music. The Blake Shelton experience, also known as the morning after reboot, was Justin's shortest - three minutes for the man in a hurry.
Blake would have to wait, was the thought Leslie had as she placed her robe on the hook behind the door. She slowly stripped as she heard Justin mumbling the words along with Blake. She could tell he was scrubbing his hair as the words were coming out as if he was underwater. She pulled back the shower curtain and stepped in behind him.
She recognized the tune, Hunny bee by Blake Shelton. She stepped in and joined him on the chorus.
He turned, nearly slipping and losing his balance. "Whoa didn't hear you come in."
"That was the point," she said smiling and reaching for him.
He caught her arms in mid-flight, "oh dear, would love to, normally, but I just don't have time this morning." His suds-filled hand framed her face as he bent it down and he placed a warm kiss on her forehead. It reminded Leslie of how she kissed Jake just before he raced up the school bus steps.
She wouldn’t be dismissed that easily. "I just thought ... we haven't caught up in a while."
"And whose fault is that dear?” He shifted body shifted nearly as quickly as his mood. A wave of hot water flying over his shoulder and striking her on the chest. “ You are out with your Chamber business every night of the week."
"Not every night..." she whispered defensively.
"Let's see you were out Monday night right?"
She nodded.
"And once again last night, right?"
She hesitated as a picture of Peter with his hand on her thigh flashed in her mind.
Justin didn't wait for a response. "That’s what I mean. And I do appreciate that you made my favorite meal last night, but as I’ve told you a thousand times, I’d much rather be sitting on a park bench in the rain eating cold pizza with you than eat a
four-star meal without you."
"But ..." she began.
"I have a lot going on in the office and need to get in and prep. Can we do this another time? That is if your Chamber business permits you time for your husband."
Leslie shot him a dark look. She pulled back the shower curtain and stepped out onto the cold bathroom floor; the heat and anger in her guarding her against the coldness. She grabbed her towel off the hook and ignored Jason Aldean's musical request to Stay a little while. She plodded out of the bathroom purposely leaving the door wide open.
"How many times have I told you to close the door behind you, you are letting out the steam."
Leslie felt justified in disregarding the plea from her husband as all she wanted from him was to be seen and heard and not ignored.
* * *
Justin adjusted the leather portfolio under his arm, still not sure why he carried it. He doubted that there was going to be anything out of Barry's mouth worth note taking. He knocked lightly on the conference room door and entered.
Barry sat across the wide table as if it was meant to protect him. He stood and extended his hand. Justin crossed the room and provided the requisite corporate handshake noting how clammy and weak the return shake was. Barry was the first to speak, "Thanks for coming Justin. Please have a seat."
Thankfully Barry sat near the end of the table as Justin pulled back the seat on the corner, a strategic selection thereby avoiding having to sit adjacent to him and turning at an awkward angle. Justin observed as Barry adjusted a file stuffed with paperwork in front of him, confirming that Justin was just one of several meetings he was conducting today.
Justin noted that Barry was smallish; no more than five-four on a tall day, from behind you might even take him for a college student, that’s how young his boyish features came across.
"Before we jump in, I’ve had a chance to review your personnel file. Very impressive stuff Justin,” he paused, adding, “especially your early years here at General Modification."