Tara surveyed the room with utter boredom The party like atmosphere did nothing to quench it. She didn't like parties, never had, yet here she was stuck at one trying to be congenial to the handsome but boring man at her side who had been following her around the room all afternoon trying to engage her in a conversation. He seemed oblivious to her attempts to move away from him and hide herself in a corner somewhere until this was all over. She tried once again.
"That all sounds very lovely I'm sure. Excuse me. I think Mother wishes to see me. Tara said absently and walked away, leaving her companion staring at her with his mouth wide open. He had been telling her about a gruesome murder case he had single handedly solved and her reaction had been to call it "Lovely".
Relived that he wasn't following her, she made her way over to Mother and Rhonda to say her goodbyes. With Steed on holiday and no one else there to keep her company, she really saw no point in staying. This impromptu party had been brought on by a very successfully resolved case that most of the men in the room had been working on for months. She and Steed had not been involved in it so she couldn't very well feel the elation and relief of the others around her. As she got closer to Mother sitting in his wheelchair drinking a glass of champagne she saw he was involved in conversation with a dark haired, tall young man. Tara hesitated for a moment, not wanting to interrupt. Besides, the view in front of her was extremely pleasant and she wished to enjoy it for just a minute more.
The young man in question looked to be about twenty four or twenty five, dark brown straight hair that had an endearing look of messiness to it, yet was well groomed. He was tall, around six foot four, and very well built. And his face, Tara could not get enough of that handsome face. His deep set hazel eyes, his strong chin and mouth. When he smiled she saw white, even teeth gleaming. His lips were full and sensuous. His tailored blue suit spoke of pure English Gentleman, but by the way Mother was laughing at something he said and the bright spark in his eye, she thought there must be a bit of the rogue in him which she liked even better.
She wanted to go over there, but her feet stayed firmly planted right where she stood. She was afraid that if she went she would do something or say something stupid and embarrass herself in front of him now and forever. For the first time in her life she felt unsure of herself, all of her self confidence gone. Oh where was John when she needed him? He could have introduced her to him and she wouldn't have felt so self conscious. She felt a bit guilty at the thought though. She and Steed were close. Very close. In fact, until just a few months ago had been even closer. But they both found eventually that while they loved each other dearly as friends and working partners, neither one was in love with the other and Tara would not sleep with a man she felt she was not in love with. She wanted a solid relationship and Steed couldn't give it to her. Oh the lovemaking was wonderful. He was sweet, gentle, kind, but she wanted something more. Neither one regretted their decision. Both felt their friendship to precious to compromise, but sometimes, laying alone in her bed at night, knowing that Steed was just a phone call away, Tara began to feel very lonely. She wanted someone who truly belonged in her life. Someone to love her. Someone to love.
Tara suddenly realized that Mother was motioning to her with a bit of impatience. He must have been trying to get her attention for some time. Blushing, she slowly walked over, keeping her eyes on Mother because she didn't dare look at the man who was watching her as intently as she had been watching him just moments earlier. She felt more self conscious then ever before as she caught him staring at her out of the corner of her eye.
"My dear Miss King. Have you met Roger Lars yet? He's been stationed in Berlin for the past three years. He's here on leave because his mother has been ill. But she's alright now Lars?"
"Uhm..sorry. What?"
"Your mother. She's getting well? Good heavens. What's the matter with you man?" Mother demanded as he saw the slack look in Lars' face.
When Mother had introduced Miss King to him, he instinctively had held his hand out to her in greeting. When she took it, he felt her tremble just a bit, but it didn't matter. His was shaking a bit too. Who was this incredibly beautiful girl? He had given her an appraising look when she had stood across the room. His breath had caught in his throat when he saw her. Tall, slender, incredible bright green eyes, her dark hair perfectly coiffed and framing her soft, sweet face. This delicate looking creature was an agent? Unbelievable He had to get to know her. He had a feeling that there was a lot to discover in the beautiful Miss King and he intended to find it all out. Lars cleared his throat again as he tore his eyes away from the vision in front of him and focused back on Mother's question.
"Oh um yes. She's getting better every day."
"Good to hear it. And you Tara? Feeling better now dear girl? Wrist is almost well?"
"Yes, it's doing fine. Mother, I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well. I must go." Tara said confusedly.
When Roger had taken her hand in his she suddenly became very nervous. What was the matter with her? She had never felt this way before. Strong willed and very independent, no man had ever made her want to just sink to her knees before. Who was this man who could hold such power over her with just a touch? She meant to find out everything she could, but first she needed to get away and think. The room was too close, there were too many people around and she started to feel dizzy with all the turmoil spinning around in her head and heart.
"I'm sorry to hear that. Hope it's not the flu. Been going around here, knocking down our agents one by one. Go home and rest child." Mother said sympathetically.
"Are you well enough to drive Miss King? I could take you home if you like and bring you back to pick up your car when you are feeling better." Lars offered.
Tara stared at him for just a second wanting desperately to say yes, but really wanting to get away and think for awhile. She blushed hotly under his gaze.
"Thank you, but no. I'll be all right." Tara hurried away, kicking herself for not saying yes. She quickly made her way to her car and opened the door but before she could get in she felt a gently restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Miss King? Would it be all right if I rang you later to see how you are feeling?" Roger Lars stood there looking down into her eyes. Tara blushed again.
"Yes. It would be all right." Tara reached into her car and pulled out a small card out of the glove box.
"Here's my number." Tara blushed some more when his hand touched hers as he took the card without even looking at it.
"Perhaps if you are feeling better we could go out to dinner." He said quietly. Tara noticed for the first time that the hand he had used to stop her with was still on her shoulder.
"I would like that very much."
"Good. I'll ring you around five to see how you are feeling."
Unable to think of anything else to say, Tara nodded and got into her car. Roger backed up as she turned the ignition and put it into gear. She glanced into her side mirror and saw him standing there watching her drive away. It didn't make sense to her that she should still feel the warm pressure of his hand on her shoulder or that it should send delicious shivers of anticipation down her spine.
Tara lay awake for hours that night, thinking about the wonderful evening she had had with Roger. Not only had they gone to dinner, but they went dancing as well. She could still feel his arms around her hours later, still smell the scent of his cologne, still picture his eyes as he looked into hers when they sat talking over coffee afterwards. When he brought her home, he walked her to her door and waited until he knew she was safe inside. He took her hand into his and kissed it gently and thanked her for the wonderful evening. It took all her will power not to throw herself into his arms and make him kiss her properly and she felt slightly ashamed for her thoughts. She wasn't a fast woman by any means despite having had her fair share of lovers over the past few years. She had been in love, or at least had felt she was in love with each man she had ever slept with though one or two may have been only because she had had a little too much to drink at the time. Nevertheless, she was very selective in whom she allowed to touch her and Roger looked as if he was going to be in that class if she could be sure he felt the same way about her. Giving up on getting any sleep, she got out of bed and went into the kitchen to make some coffee.
"Hello?" Tara answered the phone on the first ring, hoping it was Roger calling. She was disappointed to hear Mother's voice on the other end.
"Miss King, I was just phoning to see how you were feeling my dear." Tara had to think for a minute before answering. She had almost forgotten about the little white lie she had told Mother the day before. Besides, it was unusual for Mother to call about something so trivial.
"I'm feeling much better thank you."
"Good to hear it."
"Mother, are there any assignments available yet? I mean anything at all?"
"Sorry to say there isn't Miss King. I suppose one could say that is good news considering our line of work though good news doesn't feed the bank account now does it? I promise you the next assignment will be yours."
"Thank you Mother."
"Stay well Miss King."
Tara hung up the phone with a sigh. She didn't know what she was waiting for really. There had been no promises of phone calls or meetings or anything else last night. But wait she did and the waiting wouldn't be so bad if she had something to do. Her flat was immaculately clean, she was showered and dressed. She wasn't hungry and she had read all the books in her case. Twice. She didn't dare leave in case he called. Maybe she should call him? Of course she should. There was no reason in the world why she shouldn't. Or would she look too forward? What if he didn't like that in women? For all their talking the night before, there were still a lot of things she didn't know about him. She put her hand on the receiver and started to pick it up, but suddenly slammed it back down again with a grunt of annoyance. She wouldn't call. She would wait. But why? If she called it would let him know she was still interested in speaking to him again. Or it would make him think she was desperate. She glanced up at the clock. It was only eight thirty in the morning. Way to early for a drink which she was beginning to feel a need for since her nerves were shot. She made a decision. She went into her room and changed her shoes to a more comfortable pair. She would go for a walk and relax.
Two hours later Tara returned. She heard the phone ringing as she tried to hurriedly put the key in the lock. Twice she dropped it before she got it in and was able to open the door. She picked up the phone on the table in mid ring.
"Hello? Hello? Damn!" Tara slammed the phone back down on the hook. She had missed the call. That did it. She was buying an answering machine no matter what the cost. She made her way down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen to make herself some tea. The weather was slightly chilly so the tea sounded especially good right then. She took off her jacket and threw it on the chair as she passed by. She hadn't taken ten steps when the phone rang again. She hurried back to the chair, sat down on it and her jacket and picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Miss King? Roger Lars."
Tara had to force herself to sound natural as her heart started beating faster and her breathing started coming in short gasps. Taking a deep breath and letting it out explosively, away from the mouth piece of course, she found her voice.
"Hello Mr. Lars. How lovely to hear from you again." Oh dear god! Could she possibly sound any stiffer or more prim and snobbish? And where in hell did that falsetto voice come from?
"Miss King, I was wondering if you would do me the pleasure of accompanying me for a walk this afternoon and dinner this evening?"
"Go ahead Tara, make a bigger fool of yourself and scream yes!" she thought to herself.
"I would enjoy that very much."
"How about if I pick you up at twelve thirty?"
"Lovely. I'll see you then." Tara hung up the phone and groaned. She was an everyday, twenty two year old woman who had just been asked to go walking and to dinner, yet she had sounded as if she were a matronly fifty year old duchess being asked to come to Buckingham Palace for a formal tea with the Queen. Either Roger Lars was now laughing himself into hysterics at that moment, or wondering if he had made the right decision to see her again. For a moment she almost decided to call him back and cancel in order to avoid any further embarrassment. But she swallowed her pride and sensibly went back into the kitchen and made her tea.
Roger in the meantime was holding his head in his hands. What had he done? After calling her Tara all evening the night before and laughing and joking with her, he had called this morning and spoke to her as if he were conferring a great gift to her by allowing her to be in his company. Miss King indeed. How was he supposed to face her now after acting the fool on the phone? Still, she had said yes. Did she really want to see him again? Or was she just being polite? She was probably sitting there laughing hysterically at his weak attempts to impress her. Either that or she was regretting ever having gone with him in the first place. Maybe he should call her back and call it off. No, that would be rude. He would be sensible and go shower and shave and then wait out the time to pick her up.