by L A Morgan
“Not at all.” Maria quickly corrected him. “I told you before that I had dreamed about coming to Louisiana. Even though I’ve read a lot of books on the subject and saw it in movies and on TV, I never conceived of anything so grand as that. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever imagined.”
“Your praise is appreciated. Now, tell me, Maria, why does a woman like you, who told me you don’t need luxury, have such a high opinion of a place that only a great deal of money could buy?”
“As I also said, it’s only a dream. I’m entitled to those; aren’t I?”
“Of course you are. Do you have any others?”
“The house would be filled with happiness,” Maria immediately responded. “It would be an empty shell without that.”
“And how would that happiness come to you? With money?”
“That wouldn’t be a factor in my dream.”
“Then, what?”
Maria took a sip of her water as the waiter placed bread and sculptured pats of butter on the table, along with a plate of crudités. He also poured a small amount of wine into Steve’s glass. After the man sipped it and gave it his approval, the waiter filled both of their glasses.
When he was gone, Maria said, “You were getting rather personal with that last question.”
Steve picked up a roll to butter it as he replied, “I thought we had reached that level long ago. It feels like I’ve known you forever, Maria.”
The woman looked at him closely and nodded her repetition of his thought.
After a moment, she said, “I didn’t know that so much living could be concentrated into so little time.”
“It is amazin’; isn’t it? A week ago, you and I were strangers, and look at us now.”
“You say that as though we have a special bond between us.”
“We do.”
“What would that be, Steve?”
“I don’t need to answer that for you. You’re a very perceptive person. I’m sure you already know.”
“I’m not sure. Please, tell me.”
The man took a bite of his roll and chewed it carefully before replying, “Well, we’re still basically strangers, but we’ve found that we have a lot in common, and I’m not just referrin’ to the house. In a way, we both can be easy-going, but we expect certain things from people, from life.”
“You? Easy-going?”
“I can be, my girl. Wait until you get to know me better. You’ll see.”
“Where does your brother come into all of this?”
“I don’t see that he has any place in this conversation. Relationships are personal matters. They’re not based on the interference of others, or, at least, they shouldn’t be.”
“Please, go on with what you were saying about us,” Maria encouraged, as she picked up an olive and popped it into her mouth.
“You and I are like vinegar and oil. By ourselves, we would either be too abrasive or too bland, but when stirred together, we produce a delicious mix. I believe that this might be an essential spark that would be needed to ignite an interestin’ friendship. As long as both parties don’t feel an overwhelmin’ need to dominate or be dominated, they could have a delectable relationship.”
“You’re not a man who would ever stand for being dominated.”
“And you’re a woman who does not need to dominate. There. I believe I’ve made my point.”
“By that, are you suggesting that you may dominate me?”
“We all enjoy being ruled by our passion to some extent. You would never let me dominate you more than it pleased you. Isn’t that true?”
“I answer that, but I’ll ask you this. Wouldn’t it make you mad if you couldn’t control a woman completely?”
Steve laughed very briefly, and then took another bite of his roll.
“I am the big, bad man in your eyes; aren’t I?” he said.
“In a way, you certainly are.”
“Point taken. We’ve met under extraordinary circumstances, Maria. You have to admit that. If things had been different, you might not think of me as you do now.”
“How would I see you then?”
The discourse was interrupted by the arrival of their appetizers.
Steve looked down at Maria’s plate and said, “Have you ever had escargot before?”
“No.”
“They’re snails.”
“I can see that.”
“You use that small fork to dig them out of their shells, dip them in the melted butter, and eat them. Does it disgust you?”
“Not particularly,” Maria replied as she picked up a snail and eyed it curiously. “Do you intend to answer my question?”
“In a minute. Try it. It’s delicious.”
The woman pried the meat out of the shell, and after she dipped it in the small cup of butter, she put it in her mouth. The flavor was unlike any she had ever tasted.
She swallowed and nodded.
“It’s not bad, but it takes some getting used to.”
“As so many worthwhile things in life are.”
“Are you including yourself in that category?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You asked me how you would think of me if we had met under more normal circumstances. I can’t answer that question without guessin’, but I would have to say that we should think back to the way things were going between us before we discovered that we had a tie that binds. What did you think of me then?”
Maria carefully salted a radish, and then nibbled at it to keep the man in suspense.
There was a mischievous glint in her eyes when she said, “You were . . . powerful and scary.”
“Only that?” Steve asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.
“Maybe more,” Maria reluctantly admitted. “You certainly caught my interest.”
“May I return the compliment?”
“You may. You can be a very charming man, Steve . . . when you want to be.”
“When I’m given reason to be.”
“You shouldn’t need a reason.”
“You don’t make too many concessions; do you?”
“You don’t know me well, either.”
“Eat your escargot,” the man replied with the merest hint of a smile. “I know you well enough for me to end this discussion now.”
Maria thought about this conversation as she accustomed herself to the strange food. Steve finished his appetizer at the same time she did. They pushed back their plates and looked into each other’s eyes.
“Where do you want to go from here?” asked the man without looking away.
“It’s your home state,” Maria responded. “It’s up to you.”
“Shall I suppose you were still talkin’ about our discussion?”
“If that’s what you want to do.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I’d like to get to know you better.”
“All right, then. Let’s go back to what we were talkin’ about. When we first met, was it only a flirtation for you?”
“I know that you expect me to say that it wasn’t.”
“I’m not that vain. Tell me the truth.”
“What is truth?” Maria esoterically replied, taking into consideration a deeper level of their relationship.
“Whatever we want to make of it. You can hold onto your secrets for a while. Tell me what you want.”
“You presume that we’re going to get to know each other far better.”
“I’ll leave it to you to judge what’s best to say. We may not be friends, but I believe we’re becoming close acquaintances; aren’t we?”
“I don’t know.”
“If you’re still thinking about that witch woman’s warnin’, you can rest assured that I’m not the one who would use and deceive you.”
“I only have your word on that.”
“I’ve never gone back on my word.”
“Can you give me any references?” Maria asked in the way of a jest.
Steve appe
ared to be somewhat offended.
“Do I need to?” he asked.
Maria’s face fell into serious lines.
“Not really, Steve. I may not know you well, but I do feel that I can trust you to a certain extent.”
“Thank you for that at least. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, are there any shockin’ revelations about yourself that you would care to share with me?”
Maria’s disconcerted surprise was followed by a hasty, “No.”
“Then, you’re sayin’ that I know all I need to know to understand you?”
“I believe you’re being emphatic about understandin’ someone. How could anyone fully understand someone else?”
Smoothly shifting the emphasis of the subject, Maria added, “What about you? Why don’t you tell me some of those deep, secrets you must be hiding?”
“I believe our original decision was for the best, my dear. Some mystery is healthy in a relationship. I’ll wait for you to open up with me first. Let’s hope it happens soon.”
Maria was curious about his final comment, but before she could put her question into words, the waiter returned with their entrees. She looked down at the plate that was set before her.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Coq au vin. It’s chicken.”
“I’ve heard of it, but what’s in this dark sauce?”
“Red wine. It’s very tasty.”
Steve waited while Maria cut off a few bite-sized pieces of chicken. European style, she continued to hold her fork in her left hand as she raised a piece to her mouth. Her face was inscrutable as she chewed.
Her eyes foretold her pleasure before she said, “This is much better than it looks.
“Is that the highest praise you could offer?”
“Okay. It’s delicious. And I’m not saying that just to placate you.”
“I should hope not.”
The couple ate the rest of their meal in relative silence. The wine made a heady companion.
When they were done with their meal, Steve asked, “Would you care for some dessert?”
“I’m quite full, thank you.”
“There’s Mississippi mud pie,” he offered.
“That sounds attractive,” Maria facetiously replied.
“It’s not what it sounds like. Do you like chocolate ice cream?”
“Yes, but I’d rather delay the pleasure until a time when I have more room left in my stomach.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Steve signaled the waiter for the check, and after he took care of it, they left.
“We never quite finished that conversation we were havin’,” Steve commented as he drove along the back road.
“Which one?”
“The one where you were tellin’ me how you felt about me before everything changed. I don’t believe you got beyond the word charmin’.”
“You are hungry for compliments; aren’t you?”
“Come on, Maria. I’m curious to know if you liked me or not.”
“I was beginning to.”
“I was, too. Do you think it might have come to anything more than that?”
“It’s hard to say, Steve. When I came to New Orleans, I wasn’t looking for romance.”
“Then why did you come?”
“What do you expect me to say? To see Mardi Gras?”
“I guess I asked for that one. Speaking of Mardi Gras, I haven’t given you much opportunity to enjoy it in these last few days. What do you say we go to the Quarter right now?”
“Can we stop off at the house to put on our costumes?”
“We don’t really need the masquerade part. Things will be in full swing. Nobody will notice us in the crowds.”
“Then let’s go.”
They drove on for a while without speaking.
Then Maria said, “Your question really wasn’t fair.”
“Which question was that?”
“The one in which you asked me how I would have felt about you if certain information hadn’t been revealed.”
“Why wasn’t it fair?”
“Because I’ve come to know you so much better since then.”
“Uh-oh,” the man said ominously. “Now, I’m really in for it.”
“Why should you say that?”
“Come on, Maria. You’re goin’ to tell me something like you really would have fallen for me if I hadn’t ruined everything by bein’ so angry when I learned the truth.”
Maria smiled and looked out the side window.
“Well? Weren’t you goin’ to say that?” the man persisted.
“You deserve it after what you said.”
“I think you’re being a tease again.”
“Again?” she repeated, turning to him.
“I’m not goin’ to answer as long as you’re givin’ me that look that women give to men when they’re ready to tear their hearts out. You already have a bad enough opinion of me.”
Maria could see that Steve was in a light-hearted mood, and it made relax and feel playful.
In an airy voice, she said, “Oh, my opinion of you isn’t as bad as you seem to think. You can be very cute at times.”
“Cute?” the man replied incredulously.
“Absolutely. I like that dimple in your left cheek when you give me one of your rare smiles.”
“Cute, and then dimples? You’re destroying the image I have of myself.”
“I know that you can be nice, so stop trying to pretend you’re only a grouchy, old bear.”
“Would you prefer it if I was a teddy bear instead?”
“Yes, a warm, cuddly teddy bear.”
Steve pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. He turned to look at Maria with a gleam in his eyes.
“I think I’m goin’ to take your advice,” he said.
“How’s that?”
“You know what teddy bears were meant for.”
Maria suppressed a grin as the man leaned closer to her.
In a light tone, she replied, “I knocked the stuffing out of mine.”
“Well, this is one old bear that’s only meant for huggin’,” Steve said as he pulled her into his arms.
Maria’s face split into a smile as she pressed her hands against his chest.
“You go back to your cave, you old grizzly!” she said with a laugh.
“Nothin’ doing, lady. You woke me up out of my hibernation and now you’re goin’ to have to pay for it.”
Steve’s mouth swooped down to nibble on one of Maria’s ears. She giggled nervously.
“Please, don’t eat me,” she pleaded.
“I’m goin’ to do just that,” Steve breathed against her ear, “a little at a time.”
A car drove past them and Maria pushed harder on chest.
“Someone will see us,” she warned.
“Let them look. I don’t care.”
“But, what if they know you?”
Steve buried his face in the woman’s wavy auburn hair and replied, “They’ll say that Steve DuPont is a lucky man.”
“What about your brother?”
Those words brought on a reaction. Steve leaned back to look at Maria’s face closely.
“Are you afraid I’ll ruin your reputation?” he asked.
“People might talk.”
“You’re not married to Tienne yet.”
“Is that all this means to you?” Maria asked and a frown creased her brow. “Are you doing this to amuse yourself until your brother gets home?”
“I see no reason to stop then.”
“Steve DuPont!” Maria exclaimed in sudden anger. “What a wicked thing to suggest!”
“Maybe I was only jokin’.”
“Were you?”
“You’ll just have to wait until Tuesday to find out.”
“Why? What do you plan to do?” the woman asked anxiously.
Steve reached around to push a lock of hair off her forehead.
“
Would you like it if I fought him for you?” he asked sensuously.
Maria’s eyes opened wide.
“Would you do that?” she asked.
“It depends. How would you reward me if I won?”
Now, Maria was really feeling worried.
“I don’t want you to fight with your brother because of me,” she stated firmly.
“Why not?”
“Because his intentions are honorable and yours are dubious.”
“Isn’t that awful, cherie?”
“Well, you’ve never mentioned your intentions to me.”
“I think you have a pretty good idea about one of them.”
Maria blushed furiously and tried unsuccessfully to unwind herself from his arms.
“You’re a bad man,” she said, “and I don’t know why I ever let you hug me in the first place.”
Steve let out a low laugh and replied, “Here, let me show you.”
Before she had a chance to react, he captured her head so that she could not pull away and kissed her soundly on the lips. She resisted him at first, but after a few seconds, she could no longer deny her urge to respond. The hands that beat futilely at his chest slowly stole around his shoulders.
As soon as Steve felt her surrender, he pulled back his head to look down into her face. Slowly, Maria opened her eyes.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to fight my brother for you?” the man asked.
“That wouldn’t be right. You have to talk with him after I do.”
“What do you plan to say to him, Maria?”
“I can’t tell you that now.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a private matter.”
“And I don’t come into it at all?”
“Please, Steve! I don’t want to talk about this right now. You can ask me anything you like after I speak with your brother.”
“Well, maybe I don’t like it that you’re givin’ Tienne so much preference over me. Maybe you still have your heart set on him as a better catch since he offered you marriage.”
The man’s expression became grim.
“What are you offering me, Steve?”
“Myself, here and now. I don’t want to make you promises so you can feel it’s all right to trust me. I want you to take me on faith, and go along with whatever happens without any qualifications. Take me for myself, Maria, or don’t take me at all.”
“There’s something you just don’t understand,” Maria tried to explain.
