“I did. It went much better than I thought it would.”
“So you had reservations?” Scott asked.
“Didn’t you?”
“Some,” he admitted.
Diana sat down on the sofa and slipped her shoes off.
“It was amazing to see the look on everyone’s faces when we walked in.” Scott laughed.
Diana enjoyed hearing him laugh.
“And you were great when you defused that situation Linda started.”
If only you knew. “It’s my customer service training.”
Scott moved to sit next to her. “Whatever it was,” he said, “I was ready to change the dynamics of what was going on if need be. I didn’t want this to turn into a night that humiliated you.”
“I thank you for that,” Diana told him. She propped her feet on the coffee table and stretched her legs out in front of her. Scott put his arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder. “You know,” she began. “I can fight my own battles.”
Silence followed her last statement. It stretched between them changing the friendly nature of the room to awkwardness. Scott stared at her. They were suddenly strangers, not knowing what to say or do next.
“Would you like something to drink?” Diana asked.
He shook his head, answering her silently. Then after another long moment, he stood up. “I think I’d better leave.”
Diana was at a loss as to what to say. She didn’t want him to go. Linda had read her right when she said Diana was in love with Scott. She was. They had made a deal to go to the dinner-dance together. It was a joke to begin with, but the last week had changed her. She thought it had changed him, too. Somewhere along the way, she’d begun to think their relationship was real, especially when he came to her aid in front of his friends and everyone else. The old Scott wouldn’t have done that. The old Scott would be hand and fist in the corner with the Lindas of the world.
But this Scott wanted to kiss her. She knew it. The air between them sizzled with unfulfilled sex. Even when they danced, when he held her, she felt it, knew they wanted each other. But he was leaving. Diana felt as if the room got longer as he approached the door. But finally he had his hand on the knob. He was really going to leave. And she was going to let him. She didn’t want to, but if she asked him to stay, everything would change. Diana wasn’t ready for changes. She had her business to run and it was flourishing. She was involved in the community, sitting on several committees. She had friends, people who liked her for who she was. They didn’t come with the baggage of her college years. They didn’t know Brainiac or Diana 4.0. They accepted her for who she was now.
Scott opened the door and went through it. He pulled it shut. Diana heard the click of the lock. She went to the door to throw the deadbolt. The house was quiet, but she heard a rushing in her ears to rival the home team winning the Super Bowl.
Diana didn’t understand how the door came to be open, but she was standing in it calling Scott’s name. Her feet were bare, cold on the wooden porch. He stood next to his car, key in hand.
“Please stay,” she said. Diana heard the words, recognized her voice, understood the implication of her request. And threw any caution her mind had left to the east wind.
Scott remained where he was. His body went still as he stared at her. Time seemed to stop its forward march as the two of them gazed at each other. Slowly he closed the car door and walked back to where she stood. Diana’s mouth went dry. He was the sexiest man she’d ever seen. No longer was there any boyishness about him. Neither of them said a word when they were face to face. He cupped her face and stared in her eyes. Then let his eyes rove over her features until they settled on her mouth. Diana couldn’t breathe. The noise in her head grew louder. He kissed her, tenderly, brushing his mouth over hers, teasing, tantalizing, promising more to come. Her arms wrapped around him and she pulled him close.
Scott pushed her backward and kicked the door closed. Reaching behind him, he secured the deadbolt without once lifting his mouth from hers. Diana felt his length pressing against her. His arousal was unmistakable. She moved against it, and he groaned in her mouth, a sound so guttural and pleasurable it sent prickles up her arms. Scott’s hands caressed her back, making long, slow sweeps over the fabric of her dress. She could have been wearing a sheer nightgown. She could feel the heat of his hands all the way to her skin.
When his hands smoothed over her bottom, a wave of pleasure slammed into her, pushing her further into him. She heard the rasp of the dress zipper as he pulled it down. Cool air replaced the heat building inside her. When he reached the base of the dress, his hand slipped inside. Diana’s head fell back. Her body was suffused with a red-hot fire that had her crying out. Scott pushed it away from her. A royal-blue puddle formed at her feet.
Wearing only a bra and panties, Diana bit her lip to hold in all waves of rapture vying for an outlet. This was the climax of her life to this point. She’d always wanted Scott. From that first encounter on campus to this moment, she wanted him to make love to her. She wanted to be in his arms, wanted to hold him and have him hold her. She wanted his mouth of her body and wanted his skin on her skin.
Scott must have pulled his tie loose after he left her front door. Diana caught one of the ends and slipped it free of his neck. She held it out the length of her arm and dropped it to the floor. Then her fingers worked the buttons of his dress shirt. As she released one button, her head bent and she pressed her mouth to him. His skin was moist as her sure fingers spread over him. Together they undressed each other, leaving a trail of clothes as they circled each other on the way to her bedroom.
The room was lit only by the moonlight. Scott released her bra and it fell to the floor. His thumbs brushed over her nipples, which grew to hard peaks under his tutelage. Diana clung to him. Her knees were weak, and with what he was doing to her, she wasn’t going to be able to support herself much longer. They divested themselves of their final garments, and her heated skin met a torrent of fire. Scott turned Diana around and pulled her back into his front. His hands traveled all over her then settled over her breasts, and he brought her body to life as he gently massaged them.
The gentle pleasure Scott evoked in her as his hands moved over her, stopping and starting in places she never knew could add to her pleasure, built until she was panting and turning in his arms. Her body was hot and ready. She could feel herself flowing, wanting to be satisfied. Her inner muscles tightened to the point that she had to have him.
Together they fell on the bed. Scott quickly grabbed a condom, then he protected them and in one swift movement they joined. His mouth found her and he began the timeless rhythm of love. She opened her legs, allowing him greater access and wallowing in the pleasure that went through her with each pull and push of their bodies. His hands reached around to clasp her bottom. He lifted her to him, stroking harder and harder, increasing the pleasure quotient. Diana heard the sounds around them. She was unsure if they were from her or from him, but with each joining of their bodies the rhythm grew. They worked harder and faster. Her heart beat out of control. Her hands and arms held him, moved over him, pulled him into her, filling her with the love she always knew would be there.
Together they headed for oblivion, for the climax that came like a crashing wave. The roar started low, then stepped up one stair at a time until it reached the zenith of intensity, until it was impossible to do anything other than explode.
And explode they did.
* * *
The coffee cup on Scott’s desk had the Edward’s Coffee Shop logo on it. He lifted it and looked at the black writing on white paper. It reminded him of Diana. During the past couple of weeks it seemed everything reminded him of her. And it was all good. He laughed to himself. Some of it was fun. Not like the fun he had when he was a sophomoric prankster. He didn’t want to make fun of her. He wanted to ha
ve fun with her. Last night had created a memory he could hold and bring out when he needed to think of something good. It was their dance together. Despite his buddies’ comments, he enjoyed holding her close, and he wasn’t even sorry that they had seen him dancing with her as if she was the only woman for him.
He wasn’t sorry when they made love, either. He wanted to stay with her to repeat the all-consuming act again and again. But eventually they had to eat, and both had to work. This was what Scott should have been doing now, instead of reliving their wild night on the sheets.
The door opened, and in walked three burly men. Scott sat up straight in his chair. He recognized them, had been expecting them in some form: a phone call, email, text. But they were here in person.
They were his friends, had been since college. And each one knew him and how they all treated Diana. When he was not flying a corporate executive to a meeting or going up to Maine, they got together for a guys’ night out. They’d drink and talk about their wives, sometimes about the women who got away, and invariably come around to Scott’s state of singleness. Someone would always ask if he’d met anyone special, when was he going to settle down or mention someone they’d known in their collective pasts who was now divorced. Women would be surprised to know that men tried just as hard to introduce their single male friends to women as they did.
Dan’s and Mike’s wives were willing to introduce him to one of their friends. Scott declined every time. From what he heard them saying, marriage was great, but there were times when it was trying. So far he hadn’t met anyone he wanted to spend his life with.
Scott set the paper cup down and leaned back in his chair, linking his fingers together and placing his hands on his abdomen. The guys approached him seemingly in slow motion, like the astronauts in The Right Stuff. And undoubtedly, he was about to be told the right stuff.
“You’re late,” Scott said, getting in the first strike. “I expected you to show up for breakfast.”
When they met, they always had beer. Today, Hunt set a bag of sandwiches on the desk along with mega-size cups containing soft drinks. Without a word they dove in and pulled out food. Scott didn’t reach for the bag, but Hunt slid a wrapped sandwich and a cup toward him.
“What’s going on?” Mike asked. He spun a chair around and straddled it. Dan lowered his bulk into the worn leather chair of questionable origin. And Huntley Christenson, called Hunt by everyone who knew him, pulled a rolling office chair from a nearby desk. They looked like the dissertation committee except for the food.
“I’m sorry I missed the party,” Hunt said. “Sounds like you and Diana 4.0 were the highlight of the evening.”
“Don’t call her that,” Scott snapped. He came forward in the chair. Three pairs of eyes stared at him.
“Scott are you serious about her?” Dan asked.
“No,” he said quickly. The truth was he didn’t know how he felt about Diana. He did have feelings for her, more than even he was willing to admit.
“What was the dance about then?” Dan asked. “You showing up with her was bound to spark rumors.”
Scott smiled. He thought of them sitting in the arch and planning this. “At first it was a joke,” he said. He explained about them seeing the irony of a date together, especially one that would take them in direct view of the same people they went to school with.
“So you two came as a joke?”
“It started out that way.”
“Okay,” Hunt said. “Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell us what’s going on?”
“And I would do this why?” Scott asked. “You’re my friends, not my parents.”
“It’s damn interesting,” Dan said. “And Diana 4.0 is the last person we’d ever pair with you.”
“Don’t call her that,” he said again. “That was a college thing and a poor one at that. We should all have had 4.0 averages. She’s a professional now with her own business.”
Silence spread over the small group.
“This is your fault,” Scott said, looking at them.
“How’s that?” Mike asked.
“It started at your wedding.”
“Mine? I’ve only been married a few months. Don’t you mean Bill’s wedding?”
“You weren’t there,” Scott told Mike. “You were off on your honeymoon. After the reception, we were all sitting around. The usual began and as usual conversation rolled around to my love life.”
“Or lack thereof,” Hunt interjected.
“We always do that,” Dan defended. “It’s all in fun. We don’t mean anything by it.”
“Just because we always do it doesn’t mean we should,” Scott told them. “Like we shouldn’t continue to think of Diana in the negative because of her brain.”
“This coming from the leader of the pack.”
Scott nodded. “I admit it. I did taunt her when we were in school, but we’re in our thirties now. We have jobs, responsibilities, you have wives. Would you want someone from their pasts referring to your wives with negative comments?”
They sobered and looked at each other.
“You’re really stuck on her,” Hunt said. “When did this happen?”
Scott took a moment to collect his thoughts. “After Mike’s wedding, you guys really laid it on heavy.”
They hung their heads a moment then nodded.
“It stayed on my mind, and one night while I was online one of those ads for singles popped up. I don’t even remember clicking on it, but when the window opened I had no intention of doing anything but reading. Then I saw the questions and I started answering them, entering information.”
“And you got Diana—” Mike stopped himself from adding the 4.0 to the end of Diana’s name.
Scott nodded, keeping the rest of what he’d entered to himself. “I didn’t know it was her for months. We didn’t include photos and we never used real names. It wasn’t until we met in person that we discovered we knew each other.”
“And you started dating.”
Scott shook his head. “We had one dinner, but I was called away. The scholarship dinner-dance was the first time we went anywhere together.”
“Are you going out again?” Dan asked.
“We have no plans, but I’m thinking of it,” he answered honestly. “She’s different from how we perceived her in school.”
“What about Linda?” Hunt asked. “I hear she’s back and gunning for you.”
“Not interested,” Scott said. “She’s not much different from when we were in school. I suppose we all don’t change.”
“Maybe she is changing, too,” Mike said.
Scott looked at him for an additional explanation.
“At first she was as mean to Diana as she always was. But later in the evening I heard her give Diana a compliment.”
“What did she say?” Scott asked. He’d witnessed Linda’s treatment of Diana. But after Diana returned from the ladies’ lounge something was different.
“She liked her dress and her hair,” Mike said.
Scott remembered the royal-blue dress Diana wore and the way her hair was. She’d done it in a huge, thick collection of curls that dangled down her back. He also remembered removing the dress and undoing her hair. After that he was the one who was undone.
“Are you sure that was a compliment?” Scott asked.
“She didn’t sound as if it was tipped with her usual venom. In fact, I was surprised to hear her speak without the sarcasm that usually poured from her lips.”
Scott remembered the comment from across the years. Diana wasn’t the only person they ridiculed. Linda got her share of colorful remarks from the group, some in private, some to her face.
“If Linda complimented Diana,” Scott said, “she wants something.”
“Or s
he’s planning something,” Hunt added. His tone had them looking at him.
“Do you know something about Linda?”
“Not about her and Diana, but I know what she wants.”
“How?” Dan asked. “You weren’t at the dance.”
Hunt said nothing, only stared back at Scott.
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Dan finally said.
“What’s she’s always wanted—you,” he said quietly.
All eyes turned to Scott.
Chapter 9
Scott set the plane down and rushed to complete the postflight paperwork. He was meeting Diana and that was uppermost in his mind. He knew he couldn’t skimp on what was necessary with the plane, but he was glad to be able to turn it over to the mechanics and take a quick shower before heading into town.
They had no formal plans, just dinner and relaxing at his place.
Teddy was leaving as he arrived. “Hello, Scott. Good night, Scott,” she called with a wave as she headed toward her car. The parking lot was crowded with construction material. The men had ended their work for the day. Scott had to step around cement bags and discarded wood and broken pieces of drywall to reach the door.
He brushed away a sheen of dust before climbing the stairs to Diana’s office. She met him at the door, and all thoughts went to her. Kissing her on the mouth, he stepped back and surveyed her.
“You look like you had a successful day.”
“I did. I only have a few details to complete and another Weddings by Diana will be up and running.
“Congratulations. We’ll have to celebrate. But let’s not do it here. There is so much debris outside.”
“Where did you go today?” Diana asked when they were in his Lexus and heading away from the parking lot.
“Tennessee.”
She laughed. “That sounds so interesting. Most people would answer ‘nowhere’ or ‘out to lunch.’ You get to visit entire states.”
“Today I didn’t get to see much of it. I only thought of getting back to you.”
His Love Match Page 11
