Hours later, Amanda was having the time of her life as she and Lee enjoyed the seemingly endless buffet, the light banter with their Russian counterparts and most especially the dancing. She was glad that contrary to what she'd told her family, this party was strictly for pleasure. Of course, they still had to keep up a bit of a cover for Yuri's benefit, but Lee actually seemed to be enjoying it. She'd lost count of how many times, he'd swept her out onto the dance floor and she'd even finally gotten her cha-cha with him.
They paused from their dancing for a moment, both needing to catch their breath and in dire need of drinks. Lee smoothly plucked two champagne glasses from a passing waiter's tray and handed her one. "Having a good time?"
She took a sip, smiled at him and answered with a nod. "I really am. It's really a lovely party. I'm so glad that Joe was willing and able to stay with the boys so I could still come. He was really a life-saver."
Lee tensed at the mention of her ex. "Joe was a life-saver, huh?" he snorted. He wondered what she'd think of her precious Joe if she knew that he himself had just literally saved Joe's life a week ago.
"Well, if he hadn't been here, I'd have missed all this." And you, she mentally added. "Besides he's been away so much, it's good for him to spend time with the boys. They've missed him terribly."
"The boys have missed him?" He arched an eyebrow wondering if that her subtle way of saying that she'd also missed her ex.
"Well, of course, he is their father, after all."
"Oh, right. Of course," Lee agreed and relaxed a bit as she seemed to be genuinely speaking only of the father-son relationships. He reflected back on his conversation with Joe in Malta and how he'd talked about missing his boys and while he'd mentioned Amanda, he hadn't said a word about actually missing her as well. So, then what the hell was he doing making plans for her? a nagging voice in his head argued. But she chose to be with me tonight, didn't she? the hopeful part of him responded.
He was pulled from his thoughts by a shift in the music. "Hey, listen. They're playing a waltz now." He smiled warmly at her, gently took her glass from her hand, set both of their glasses down on their table and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"
"Gladly," she responded eagerly as she took his arm and they walked out to the dance floor.
"So, are you having a good time?" she asked as he held her closely reminding her of the first time they'd danced.
"I am now," he crooned in her ear.
They were both silent for a moment as they moved effortlessly to the music together and reveled in enjoying each other's company. Amanda when Lee pulled back a bit to gaze at her intently and for a brief moment she thought he was going to kiss her, but all too soon, the song ended and a tango began.
"That was nice," Amanda said softly with a bright smile. "But I'm not really up for a tango. You wanna'...?" She gestured back to their table. "Maybe we could...I don't know...talk some more."
"Sure." Lee's face fell in disappointment, but he quickly tried to hide it with a smile. He wanted nothing more than to hold her all night. He clasped her hand in his as they walked back to the table together. As they sat, he inquired, "So...uh...what do you want to talk about?"
"Well, it's...ab-about..." she stammered nervously.
"About?" he probed and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"Well, about wh-what happened out there. For a second, I th-thought...well, we were awfully close and I...just for a second, mind you, I thought you wanted to-to kiss me."
"Kiss you? I-I...well, I was just keeping up appearances, you know." He nodded toward Yuri who was sitting at the next table. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Yuri and his buddy, Borchov, over there have had their eyes glued on us all night." He didn't say so aloud, but he'd also noticed how Yuri's friend had not only been watching, but had been leering at Amanda the whole night. While he'd never met him personally, he knew who he was and more than that, knew the man's reputation which was worse than Lee's own. Not only was Borchov a serial womanizer, but he was notorious for only going after women who were otherwise attached.
"Oooohhhh, right. Keeping up appearances." She tilted her head sideways and stared at him, not quite sure she believed him. The look in his eyes in that moment on the dance floor had been something different than she'd seen in him before. It wasn't like those times he'd blatantly flirted with her, it was more sincere.
Seeing her slightly hurt look on her face, he sputtered, "But...I-I...you know, I meant what I said. I am having a good time...with you."
"Good, but you know when you almost kissed me, it got me thinking...well, this is a New Year's Eve party and Yuri does think we're a couple and...just look at the time...it's not that far from..." She smiled awkwardly at him as her voice trailed off.
"You're thinking of the traditional New Year's Eve kiss at midnight," he surmised. When she nodded in response, he replied matter-of-factly. "Well, it's not as if we haven't kissed for a cover before...like at the football camp."
"Or how close we were that weekend at the Cumberland."
"Right. We'll...uh...just do what we've done before." He gestured to the dance floor. "But for now, how about another dance now that the tango is over?"
"Love to."
"Are my good friends having fun tonight?" Yuri interrupted stopping them in their tracks as he clapped them both on the back jovially.
"Oh, yes, Yuri, we are," Amanda answered. "And thank you so much for inviting us."
"I would like you to meet my other very good friend, Valery Borchov. Valery, Lee Stetson and Amanda King."
Borchov gave Lee a curt nod, but then turned his attention to Amanda, looking her up and down. "How you say in your country...charmed to meet you, Miss King," he greeted her as he reached for her hand.
"It's Mrs. King..." Lee corrected gruffly, but by the look on Borchov's face, he knew that was a mistake as soon as he said it.
"Oh? So, you've branched out," the Russian sneered. He knew Lee's reputation as well.
"Actually, I'm divorced," Amanda explained. "In fact, my ex-husband is at home with the children tonight so I could go out."
Borchev beamed. "Then perhaps, I could ask you for the pleasure of a dance?"
"Oh, thank you," she responded politely. "But I promised this dance to my date." She linked her arm with Lee's and leaned her head on his shoulder, not liking at all the way the Russian was undressing her with his eyes. Perhaps her mother had been right about her dress being too revealing. She had to admit she'd been right about one thing...she had worn it to impress a man, just not that man. "So, if you'll excuse us..."
Lee didn't wait for a response as he tugged Amanda toward the dance floor and dramatically took her in his arms. "What was that all about?" he hissed in her ear.
"What was what all about?"
"All that stuff about your ex-husband being at home with the children?"
"Well, it's true, Lee."
"Except that it's not his home...not anymore, is it? You don't understand that with a guy like Borchov, he'll just take that as a challenge if he thinks you're here with me and still have Joe at home waiting for you."
"Oh, Lee, don't be silly. Joe's not at home waiting for me, not in the sense you mean anyway. We're divorced, remember? He's only staying at the house for the holidays and then he's off to wherever the EAO is sending him next."
Lee paused in his dancing and released her. "Wait! What? He's staying there? At the house? With you?" He stomped off the dance floor in a huff and Amanda quickly followed behind him.
"Lee, wait!" she called after him and finally caught up to him as he reached their table and downed the remainder of his champagne in one long swig.
"What?" he snapped as he slammed his glass down. "What do you think you're doing? Did you even think about how confusing is must be for your kids if you're letting Joe stay with you? Like you said, you're divorced."
"I think you've seriously misunderstood. Joe is not staying with me. He's been sleeping on the pullout in the living room."
"But he's still staying at your house," he argued.
She let out a deep sigh. "Yes, but only because he had a very rough time in Malta and he needed to decompress and..."
"You're telling me..." Lee muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing. Go on."
"Well, like I said, he needed to decompress and I thought he could do that better if he were with family rather than in some hotel. It's been two years since he's seen the boys and I...well, I-"
Lee's facial expression softened. "You were just trying to do what's best for your family like you always do."
"Yes," she stated emphatically. "Now, what's this really all about? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were jealous of Joe." She searched his face for a reaction, but there was none. "But that would be silly, right? I mean, you have no reason to be jealous...do you?"
"Jealous? No, of course not. Why would I be jealous? I'm just concerned for your well-being...and the kids, of course. You're a good mother and I wouldn't want to see you doing anything that could hurt your kids."
"Well, I appreciate your concern, but the boys are fine and they understand that I'm not getting back together with their dad...ever. And they understand that that's why he's sleeping in the living room. He divorced me, not them, so he's staying at the house as their guest, not mine."
"Okay, okay, I get it." He really didn't. He couldn't understand why Amanda was so friendly to a man who'd pretty much abandoned her and her children, but he was willing to concede because he didn't want to ruin their evening by fighting. "I'm sorry I lost my cool. I just...with Borchov...and Joe and...we were having such a good time and I-I-I just didn't want that to end."
"There's no reason it should. I mean, we may have come here together to keep up appearances, but still...we are here together and we might as well enjoy it. Right?"
"Right. So...another dance?"
"Sounds good to me," she readily agreed. As luck would have it, they didn't get the opportunity to have that dance because the band had stopped playing to begin the countdown to midnight. "Oh, gosh, it's almost midnight already."
"Yes, it is," Lee murmured as he caught a glimpse of Borchov staring at them again and placed his hands on her waist to pull her closer.
Amanda's hands slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders and she shivered slightly in anticipation of the promised kiss. She only vaguely registered the countdown around her, lost in Lee's eyes as he edged closer to her. She parted her lips slightly as the cries of "Happy New Year," blew up around her, but her only thoughts were of the explosion of sensation as Lee's mouth descended on her, their breath mingling, his arms tightening around her.
Lee was lost in the heady sensations, whether it was from the buzz of the champagne he'd just chugged or kissing Amanda, he couldn't quite be sure, but he knew he didn't want that feeling to end. Unfortunately, it was not to last because a boisterous cry of "Happy New Year" close to them broke the spell.
They released each other and both turned to find Borchov invading their space. "Perhaps now, I could have that dance?" he asked.
"Take a hike, Pal," Lee growled before Amanda could answer. Between Joe being around and this guy, he'd had enough. "Your buddy Yuri must have told you by now that Amanda is my girl."
"Lee..." Amanda said softly in a warning tone. While he may deny it, she knew there was some jealousy at work and she didn't want to see it turn into a fight.
"Ahhh...of course..."
"Listen, Mr. Borchov, I appreciate the offer, but I'm here with Lee tonight, so if you don't mind-"
Borchov nodded to her and walked away.
"You know, you don't have to be so nice to him," Lee groused. "That kind of guy is only interested in one thing."
"Well, I'm not interested," she informed him. "But just because I'm not interested, that doesn't mean that I need to be rude about it."
"Just like you don't want to be rude to Joe by making him stay in a hotel, I'm sure," he spat as he flung himself into his chair.
"Oh, stop it!" she scolded as she sat beside him. "I already explained that to you. And that's an entirely different situation. He and I have two children together and he so rarely gets to see the boys... What else do you think I should have done?"
Before Lee could answer, Borchov returned to their table with a bottle of vodka in one hand and four shot glasses balanced in the other, Yuri by his side. Lee glowered at the Russian. "Would you take a hint already? The lady's not interested."
"I wish to apologize for my presumptuousness with a drink...perhaps we could toast to the start of a new year?"
"That's very nice of you," Amanda replied politely earning her a glare from Lee.
Borchov took Amanda's kindness as an invitation and sat in one of the unoccupied chairs at their table, while Yuri took the fourth. "And to good friends," Yuri chimed in as Borchov poured.
They all drank and while slamming his shot glass down, Lee's temper began to get the better of him and he barked at Borchov, "What kind of girly name is Valery anyway?"
Borchov grinned maliciously and fired back, "But Lee...is that not also a girl's name in this country?" His grin grew wider when he saw the flare of anger in Lee's eyes. "Another drink?" Without waiting for an answer, he refilled Lee's glass and his own.
"No more for me," Amanda jumped in and covered her glass with her hand.
"Lee, My Friend, I don't think this is a good idea, " Yuri warned as he covered his own glass. "Borchov is known to be quite the drinker."
"It's just a 'friendly' drink, isn't it?" Lee raised his glass. "To new 'friends,' he jeered at Borchev and they both drained their glasses.
"Lee, I have to agree with Yuri," Amanda piped up. "This really isn't a good idea. I mean, you still have to drive home tonight...don't you?" She was already pretty certain with the way things were going that between the champagne and the vodka, she'd be the one driving Lee home tonight.
"It's fine, Amanda," Lee insisted.
"Perhaps you should listen to your girlfriend," Yuri suggested but his words fell on deaf ears as Lee was already reaching for the vodka bottle.
"I can't watch this," Amanda moaned. "Yuri, would you like to dance?"
"It would be my pleasure," he replied and the two left the other pair to their contest of wills. As they walked out onto the dance floor, he mused, "Lee, he is quite the jealous man, is he not?"
Amanda chuckled. "Not that he'll admit to it. I just hope he doesn't do anything that he's going to regret in the morning."
"Liquor and jealously are a bad combination," he agreed. "But what will happen, will happen." He felt that a change of subject was in order."So, how are your children? You have two boys, yes?"
"Yes, they're growing up so fast, I can barely keep up with them, especially since their father is not around much. But he did make it home for Christmas and they were thrilled to have him there."
"That is good...but perhaps not so good for Lee. A bit of jealousy there too, if I'm not mistaken."
"You know, speaking of which, this has been lovely, but I really should call home and check on them...make sure that he's gotten them into bed now that it's after midnight. If you'll excuse me..."
"Of course," Yuri responded. "Thank you for the dance."
Amanda hurried to find a pay phone and upon making her call, found that per her instructions, the boys were already in bed though they'd grumbled about it. "Thank you, Joe. I'm sure they gave you the argument that they're still on vacation, but I appreciate you making sure they listened to me. I'll be home as soon as I can." She ended the call and returned to the ballroom just in time to see her worst fears realized. Lee and Borchov were now standing near the buffet table squaring off with Yuri trying to get between them.
"Why don't you just go back to your own country?" Lee shouted as he poked Borchov in the chest with one finger and swayed unsteadily on his feet as he did so. "Or aren't there any desperate women there?"
"Gentlemen, please," Yuri pleaded as Amanda hurried over to see if she could help.
"Oh, yes, but your American women are so much more so and they love a man with an accent, especially the bored housewives like your Amanda."
Lee took a swing at Borchov who easily sidestepped it causing Lee to land on the buffet table.
"Oh, Lee," Amanda moaned in dismay as she and Yuri rushed to help him up. She frowned as she saw the deep red stain spread across Lee's tuxedo shirt. She took a moment to examine him to make sure he wasn't hurt and was relieved to see that it was borscht, not blood on his shirt. "Time to go, Lee. Yuri, would you mind terribly helping me get him to my car?"
"Not at all." He gave his friend a stern, scolding look and said, "And you and I will talk later."
