October 1, 1982
It's late, but I have to write about the most incredible man that came to the office today!
Handsome, cultured, successful...
My heart leapt up into my throat when I first laid eyes on him. Not because of his obvious good looks, but because I had been caucusing with Murph and Bernice about the case just at the very moment that he let himself in to the main office, and I had likely dropped pertinent details that would expose the secret to the success of my agency; the inimitable, albeit imaginary, Remington Steele. I just hope he never heard anything. That would just be...an epidemic!
Bernice's jaw hanging open, and her eyes like saucers just before she began batting her lashes at him, confirmed for me that he was indeed an 11!
And then he began to speak, which notched him up to a 12. Another assessment of Bernice's reaction to his Continental way of speaking, and she likely had him at 15. Offering to make him fresh water instead of coffee! I ask you! It's girls like her that keep us women subordinates to our male counterparts!
But back to the point, it was clear that he was a gentleman who spoke eloquently and was very good-looking to boot. But this would be nothing! There are a lot of pretty guys around. Most of them can't find the happy medium between lousedom and adolescence.
Well, his next words sent him plummeting down the chart in my books. He was a typical louse, assuming that I was a secretary. Just because I'm a woman! Thank goodness for my Remington Steele. If it wasn't for him and Murph, I would despair of the entire population of the male sex.
At any rate, I set him straight about my position in the Agency and, curiously, he accepted that fact without an iota of surprise, so I figured he couldn't be all that bad.
And then he introduced himself as a Special Agent, and I thought to myself; okay, I give him a nine and NO MORE!
But the more he spoke, the higher on the chart he crept. He was not only eloquent, but knowledgeable and demonstrated a degree of integrity that did not go unnoticed. And, alright. I admit it. The looks he levelled at me were hard to ignore. He definitely got my pulse a-pumpin'!
But don't worry, dear Diary. I will not forgive him his assumptions! Still a bit of a louse, if you ask me. But just a bit.
Anyways, after he concluded his business with us, I put him out of my mind. I have way more important things to think about than some smooth-talking agent from South Africa...okay, okay...that extraordinarily handsome, smooth-talking agent from South Africa...
No sir...I'm on a mission to get Remington Steele Investigations out of the red...permanently! It's not like I have time to contemplate romance. Ugh!
Besides, Bernice was in full va-va-voom mode. They are probably together at this very moment. Hell, she's probably already hopped in the sack with him!
But I digress...That was not the end of it. Later today, I was at the hotel bar on the pretence of waiting to meet my fabled Remington Steele, when guess who made several smooth passes at me in quick succession. Mr. Ben Pearson. In a suit!... Yes, you heard right! The Special Agent from South Africa had shedded his Safari clothes and had suited up. With pleasing results, I might add. Not that I had anything against his Expedition duds. I wouldn't mind evaluating his performance in the jungle...
Stop it, Laura! You're a professional woman running your own Agency! Put the blinders back on and do your work!
Well, in my own defence, I was ambushed by Mr. hot-in-a-suit Ben Pearson's many weapons in his seduction toolbox. He came on to me by way of a magnum of champagne presented to me via a, shall we say, goal-oriented, waiter. I refused it, of course (See? I was trying to be good!), but only to the point of it becoming a scene if I were to insist on my refusal. Clearly, there had been something in the way of monetary persuasion involved in the delivery of the ostentatious gift.
Well, it presented the perfect "in" for the Special Agent from South Africa. He smooth talked his way into my company with the most audacious line, and invited himself to join me! But not before I chastised him, but good, for his erroneous assumptions about women and detective work.
Following that, he did not give up the sexy banter. I guess this is how they conduct business in South Africa. Talk about having a way with words! I didn't mind, really. He provided me with the perfect opportunity to flaunt the Agency and it's fictitious figurehead. But I'll admit it, at that moment, even as I extolled the many virtues of the incomparable Remington Steele, it was not hard to imagine having a real man I could respect in my life.
And my imagination was working in overtime! Oh, if I could land him! A man of intelligence who works in a field somewhat related to mine. If I could convince him to partner with me (in EVERY way), who could stop us? He's like Wilson, only with an undeniable magnetisim I could feel on a cellular level!
I know I need to focus, but he is the perfect package! Business and pleasure one stop shopping!
Anyways, again I digress...
After we parted from our little interlude with the champagne...
...*sigh* champagne... something I've sworn off ... along with romance...
Focus, Laura!
Okay, so after we parted, he sought me out AGAIN just as Fred swung by to take me back to the office.
Turned out he was in need of a lift, but that was just a cover for needing my help in escaping some thugs who were after him and the gems that the agency was charged with safe-guarding.
I was nervous to be with him alone in the limo. Nervous of what my own involuntary reactions to his killer charm might be. So, naturally, I was determined to keep things strictly business-like.
Turns out I need not have worried. He made it easy, making small talk and giving me another opportunity to sing my illustrious
Remington Steele's praises, and soon, the danger was upon us.
But Ben handled the situation perfectly, diffusing it with skilled ease.
And when he did, I was literally stunned, suspended between admiration for his suave manipulation of the situation, and then there was...well, never mind...Oh okay, I couldn't help but stare at him. I was fascinated by his blatant delight at his success in having the criminals apprehended.
I am grateful for my fascination by his obvious talents. It was the perfect distraction from the charm that oozed from him. And, in the interest of staying on task, I had Fred drop me at the office and instructed him to take Mr. Pearson wherever he needed to go.
Okay, it's time to reign it all back in...Now that I've spilled my guts, he's out of my system. Like I said, him and Bernice have probably hooked up and so be it. I cannot be distracted from my goals.
Goodnight
Oh Hell! I can't sleep! I seem to be vibrating from head to toe. Alright, so I found him incredibly attractive in every way. And it scares me. I never had anyone check so many boxes and still be attracted to them.
Damn! I can't get his blue eyes out of my head, and I got a close look at his hair and lips too! They made mine tingle, and that had nothing to do with the champagne.
But again, ALL that, PLUS, he was really good! He handled those two thugs brilliantly! They were in police clutches within a matter of minutes.
He was also complimentary, as if he recognized MY skills...what kind of man does that?
He's everything Wilson was, but with a spark that I'm finding hard to ignore. I've never really admitted it to myself, because I've never experienced such a strong pull towards someone, but I wasn't attracted to Wilson. I mean, he's a man and I'm a woman, so we fit the pieces together, but, hard as I tried to be a good girlfriend and a good fiancée, we never had a fulfilling experience. And I wanted it to work. Desperately. He checked all the boxes. Stability, Intelligence. A good guy with good looks. I was devastated when he left. He symbolized everything I thought I should be. I always thought that, in time, the passion would grow. Instead, I came home to find him moved out, without so much as a note. It hurt a lot.
But right at this moment, Wilson seems a distant memory. Ben represents all those things and I already want to jump him and we've barely just met.
Oh Hell, I'll never get to sleep tonight.
This calls for some..well...let's put it this way...
Good-"Knight"