A/N: Okay, ideas came to me and this is going on ;-)

Enjoy...

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Dinner

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I feel a foot at mine and without thinking I start to answer the light play under the table while I watch the people I'm here with.

My mind wanders back to the day at the old house. It has been a nice day with sun and heat and a lot of work but also with so much fun with Jenna's kids and their friends. And with Tommy. Lynley.

I sigh.

I should stop thinking of him as 'Tommy'. He's my boss. Full stop. But he's a wonderful friend too. I look at the plate in front of me and take a sip from my wine. We have finished dinner - Lynley has invited us for it - and keep sitting for a while with the remainders of our drinks. I watch Jenna. She looks quite calm and happy. Most of the time she and Winnie have tentatively flirted with each other during the day. Something might develop between them. I really would welcome that. Although she's looking at all of us she mostly only looks at him while she tells a funny story about her daughter. I already know it and I think she wouldn't mind that I'm not really listening.

My mind is busy with thinking about another person.

Next to Winston sits our boss. He's nice and polite and nods at the right places, giving a smile eventually where it fits. Sometimes he glances over to me and even has refilled my wine glass, noble gentleman he is. (Funny thing that I drink wine instead of my usual beer, but it has matched my pasta dish and when I've ordered it it has earned me an appreciatively raised eyebrow from him.) One or the other smile is dedicated to me and every time our eyes meet my foolish heart jumps a bit. Although I also feel a slight rosy touch creeping across my face. But that may come from those naughty thoughts that constantly pop into my mind.

That's definitely not healthy. I should stop that too.

After work we have changed into clean things at our construction site and Lynley is now in jeans and T-shirt like the rest of us but he still looks different. More elegant. Although he doesn't care. I always, well, at least after I've found out that he usually tries to be Mr Lynley and not the earl of Asherton, have admired his normal appearance. I don't say that I don't like it when he has to wear his tailor made suits, for work, at court or even at a function I happen to take part in and get the opportunity to see him in full noble gear. But when he's in common people's things he's all the more sexy. A nice bum in tight pants, a T-shirt that spans its sleeves' grip around his biceps, the v-neck that allows to fantasise about kissing his throat, the hem neatly put into the waistband of his jeans so you could see every bul-

Oh, good gracious. I do it again.

I think of his clothes and in the next second my mind turns to what is underneath. Where the hell does this come from? I'm a hopeless case. Oversexed with this handsomeness around me every day and unfortunately completely underfucked.

My face suddenly burns and I rip my eyes away from his throat and to my hand next to my wine glass. Which also was a fault. Now I am totally aware of his hand right there, only an inch apart from mine, lying there on the white tablecloth as innocent as my own hand is, but the warmth of it now radiating hot against my skin. I haven't been aware of it before but now it is like fire. Nervously and trying to do it inconspicuous I move my fingers away from his and closer to my glass. His fingers follow an inch. Of course it was accidentally. Definitely. He would have touched me if I hadn't moved. He wouldn't have done it on purpose. Never. I tell myself I shouldn't even think in that direction.

Useless.

I have to clear my throat, grab my wine glass and while I take a sip I look over its rim at my boss.

His eyes meet mine again for a brief second then flicker at his hand on the table, then at Jenna, then back to my eyes before he raises his chin and looks somewhere else in the restaurant.

Is he blushing? Oh, no, of course not. It's probably just the lights in here.

Realising that I still hold my glass and start to look stupid I take a second sip before I put it down again and try to give Jenna an unaffected smile. She raises an eyebrow. She probably sees right through my smile because earlier this day I've let it slip off my lips that I think my boss is quite a handsome guy. She has agreed but added that he wasn't her choice anyway and she was no rival. Then she has poked fun on me being in love with him.

Which I am.

Oh, hell, yes I am. I am such a fool.

Earlier that day in the house I've grunted at her that she's not funny and it's completely beyond debate. I have ended the discussion but felt watched from then on. Eventually when I laboriously had put up the bib of my ridiculous dungarees Jenna has laughed at me again. Meanwhile the men had started to help us painting the wall and I have felt I should better be properly dressed. Somehow. I remember how she has whispered into my ear that I should keep it down because otherwise my strip for him earlier would have been pointless.

I still blush at the thought of undressing halfway while he has sit in the shadow of the nearby tree.

But I have not been undressing for him. It was just too hot in the sun. I really haven't been aware that he has been watching me. Now my eyes return to his face and I realise he's obviously not listening much either. He's deep in thought and his fingers play with his napkin. His pensive expression doesn't change when he looks up and directly at me. I quickly return my eyes to Jenna and pretend to be listening.

Of course his presence in my peripheral field of vision is too obvious to keep my focus on my friend's tale.

I deeply inhale and it makes her looking at me without halting her story. She has laughed at me earlier and called me a bad liar. She was convinced I only had undressed for him. She has given me a hard day until I have started to tease her with Winston and how nice a couple they would be. Obviously she agrees. Her broad and slightly juicy smile returns to our DC.

Winston says something funny I don't hear and Jenna leans towards him with a laugh. It is a joy watching them. I would not even call it intense flirting. They just have found someone with the same mind and I feel entirely happy for Jenna. She deserves it. And Winnie is a good man. No need to tell him about her kids or her ex or the trauma she suffers from. There won't be another painful moment when he would retreat after learning this about her. He already knows and I think he's fully aware of the burden.

Under the table the foot on mine nudges me softly.

Being caught and with a deep red face I look at Tommy. It is him I have been playing footsie with without being aware. The way he looks at me now makes me nervous again. His eyes are sparkling mischievously and his lips are turned into a slightly mocking smile. It's my smile again. I turn into jelly and give a nervous laugh. Of course I have withdrawn my foot already. But I don't avert my eyes now. When he sees that he's got my full attention he nods his head towards the exit and then shot a glance at the other two.

Yes, we should leave them alone. Almost unnoticeable I nod positive in return and look at my watch.

"Sir, would you mind bringing me home? I've left my car at the house."

Winston's head quickly turns to me and his cheeky grin not only thanks me for leaving them alone but his winking eyes also wish me a nice evening with our boss. I glare at him.

Tomm... Lynley and I get up and say good bye. "Call me tomorrow, Jen. Good night." I wink.

"Thanks for the dinner, Sir." Winston says. "And a good night to you too." His smirk is clearly audible.

I can't help but roll my eyes at him before I turn to leave with Tommy.

Lynley!

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