Chapter 4:

Aww! You guys are worried about Paige and Walter winding up together! Don't worry, my dears. Don't you worry. If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to make Simon be somewhat charmingly despicable…that's all I'm saying for now, but read on! Was going to break this into 2 smaller chapters, but, well, here you go! To the guest who has suggested I could have made this into one big story...you're totally right! I'm so sorry if this is vexing you. I write when I can, and the plot isn't going to involve anything meaty like saving the world. Sorry, sorry, sorry, but I hope you can enjoy the story for what it is. If not, let me know and I'll bugger off! :) Hey, am also pondering a sort of "choose-your-own-adventure" (Am I old? Do those stories still exist?!) moment and having you vote in form of review for which way you'd like the story to go…but I'm not there yet! For now, let's get to that date with slimy Simon!

After squaring things away with the babysitter, and telling Ralph's bedroom door (he refused to come out) to make sure he finished his homework, ate some salad with dinner, and only spent 45 minutes with video games, she told him she loved him, would be back in a few hours and headed down the lobby of their complex to wait for the cab.

It arrived late, as she'd anticipated due to the traffic, and while she waited, she'd gotten more than a few suggestive glances from the people who entered the building. "Maybe a little too much make-up," she thought to herself, unsure if she was just being paranoid, and feeling even guiltier for going on her "nice night out." When the cab finally arrived, she repeated the address she'd already given the company when she had made the call, and settled into the back seat. The cab's GPS informed them it would take 30 minutes to get to Simon's condo, and the driver glumly muttered it would be more like an hour, so Paige looked out the window and had some time to process the thoughts that were racing through her mind as the streets of LA crawled by.

She was not some dewey-eyed school girl who needed to believe that sex was about anything more than physical gratification. People had one-night stands, sex with strangers in night clubs, didn't they? So she wasn't one of those people? Who was she to judge!? They were out having a great time while she spent most nights with her son in their apartment. And this was not even that scenario. Simon was a respected man. She…"stop justifying this Paige," her conscience sneered. "This is your personal business. You're a grown woman who doesn't have to explain herself to anyone." Paige swallowed and nodded to herself in agreement. Except she'd have to explain this one to herself at some point…because her heart and gut just weren't in it. Wasn't this some silly revenge scenario to make Walter jealous? Had she really plotted that? Who was Paige Dineen anymore?

-ooo-

When she arrived at Simon's, she asked the cab driver to wait a moment and walked up to the doorman asking him to let Simon Bennett, of 1203, know that she had arrived. She was expecting Simon to take the elevator down to the lobby and pay for the cab, as promised. Instead, the doorman reappeared and simply held the door for her and told her she could proceed "straight ahead and then to the right" for the elevator. Sighing, she asked him to give her a moment, and went over to the car, giving the driver a handsome tip on a $92 cab fare, and braced herself for the evening. She waited a moment before going through the revolving doors and watched some other occupants enter their building. They were remarkably well groomed and exuded a grace and confidence Paige didn't quite feel. Was it Walter's harsh words that were making her feel this way, or her own insecurities? She regretted not asking the cab to wait for a few moments….she could have created a story for Simon, explaining on why she couldn't come in, or stay long, or…"what am I doing?!" Paige asked herself. Tears threatened to fall again. A storm cloud rumbled from above doing nothing to improve her nerves or resolve. "One drink," she told herself. "Play it by ear. You owe him nothing. See where the night takes you." She had noticed a bus station that was within a mile from Simon's building. She could always walk to it and save money on the ride home. But that was only if things went badly. She quickly conjured a "pillow talk" conversation where Simon insisted on chivalry and drove her home. He could turn out to be a knight in shining armor hidden somewhat deeply in disguise, right? She could do this.

-ooooo-

Simon opened the door to his condo and looked her up and down. "Well, hello there," he said. "Hi," said Paige, blushing slightly, feeling more creeped out than desired.

"Come in, come in," Simon said as he held the door open wider and gestured for her to enter his condo. She crossed the threshold and looked around. It was not the black leather, cheesy-music-emitting, track-lighted bar in the corner, man cave she'd been anticipating. There were shelves of books and a large entertainment center and a simple bottle of red wine on an end table. True, the lighting was dim and there was some jazz piano playing through unseen speakers, but the music was appealing, and the overall appearance of the room was one of warmth. Paige released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned around, feeling more relaxed. Until she realized that while she'd been studying his living room, his eyes had been on her ass.

He didn't even have the good sense to look embarrassed. He just cleared his throat, pulled out his wallet, and said, "Before I get you a drink, what do I owe you?"

Paige just stared at him for a moment before finding her voice. "Excuse me?" she whispered.

"For the cab fare. I know they jack up the prices during rush hour." He pulled some cash out of his wallet.

Paige swallowed and felt very hard not to feel like a prostitute. "Oh, no, I couldn't possibly. I mean, I'm the one who changed our plans at the last minute." She tried her best to look and feel coquettish when she said it.

"And I'm so very glad you did," Simon grinned. She tried to admire him in his gray suit pants and light blue oxford shirt, but got stuck on his gelled blonde hair and shining bleached teeth that made him look like he was a bad version of Prince Charming. Why had she never noticed that before? "Please, sit down. Make yourself at home while I pour you a drink," Simon drawled, "I can give you a tour of the place in a bit if you'd like? Pinot Noir ok? If not, I have some Lagavulin?"

Paige wasn't even sure what Lagavulin was, though she was confident it was whiskey, scotch, or brandy, none of which were her cup of…anything. "Wine would be lovely," she purred, sinking into a suede tan sofa, wondering if the high backed maroon chair in the room wouldn't have been a safer option. Simon poured two glasses and handed her one as he sank down next to her on the sofa. They chatted for a bit about what they'd each been doing the last few days since they'd seen each other, and Paige began to feel normal again. As she sipped her wine and laughed at a funny story Simon told about one of his employees, he began to run his finger up her arm, tracing her neck, then chin and cupped her cheek. "I don't think I told you how glad I am that you're here," he stated. Paige smiled and lowered her eyes from his. "Now we're getting somewhere," she thought. "See this is normal. This is relaxing after work. This is what life would be like with Walt-SIMON!" She snapped out of her reverie and stood, almost spilling her last sip of wine. "So can I get that tour?" she asked, knowing full well where it would lead. She and Simon had thus far only shared one brief kiss, but "You can do this – it's your personal business," she started to tell herself and then replaced it with her inner voice yelling, "REALLY?! YOU NEED TO GIVE THIS SPEECH TO YOURSELF ONE MORE TIME?!" She was starting to feel crazy. "I'd really love to see the rest of your place." She tried to coo, but was pretty sure it sounded forced. Simon didn't seem to notice. He stood with her, and smoothly poured her another glass of wine.

"Absolutely," he said. "Right this way, Paige." He led her into his kitchen, then study, where Paige managed to make some appropriate comments about the décor and functionality of the rooms, and then finally, he opened the door to his bedroom.

The bedroom was how Paige had pictured his pad - dark furniture, navy paisley curtains, and matching comforter. There were two doors in the room, both ajar. One suggested an expansive closet and the other an equally expansive bath. There were two trays on the matching nightstands, each with an unopened bottle of sparking water and crystal glasses. She tried not to cringe. "It's lovely," she lied. Simon pulled her in for an unexpected kiss. Paige tried her damndest to succumb to it, but it just screamed, WRONG to her. She pulled away. "I'm sorry," she said, catching her breath. "I'm just not myself. My son, Ralph was acting kind of funny today and I think I'm just still worried about him."

"I'm sure he's fine," Simon murmured as he began to trail kisses down her cheek, jaw line, and neck. Paige tried again to surrender to him (and his, was that charm?) and reminded herself that this was the moment to tilt her head back and enjoy the attention his hand was giving to her breast while his mouth nibbled at the top of it. She even made her free hand trail up his back and neck and glide into his hair, but it got stuck in the several gallons of hairspray or gel he'd used to shellac it into place. Suddenly the thought of being naked with Simon was completely repulsive to Paige as she pictured shiny Ken-doll anatomy under his clothes.

"Y-you know, I'm not s-sure he is," Paige stammered, "I'd really like to go check on him." She was fumbling for a way out. "You could come with me? He's anxious to meet you and I'm sure you guys would really hit it off," she fibbed. Surely Simon might be disappointed at first, but he would understand, right? But his kisses were now becoming less lips and more tongue as he continued to graze at her décolletage. "I-It would make me feel a lot b-better about where we're headed right now," she continued to stutter, wondering how she was balancing her wine glass while trying to not be completely manhandled. She finally managed to pull herself away from him and tried for a smile. "I'm sure traffic's let up by now? What do you think?"

Simon's eyes looked her up and down again and gripped her ass to pull her closer. "I think, that this is date number three, and you came over here for a reason." He raised an eyebrow and cupped her face in his hands. "I am happy to meet Richie this weekend or next if you'd like, but right now, I'd really like to spend some time with you."

His words more than lacked sincerity for her and served as her wake up call. Paige stepped back and gave his chest a not-so-gentle shove, inadvertently splashing some red wine on his bedspread. She'd spent date number two pouring her heart out about Ralph, Ralph, whom he had apparently feigned interest in and whom she'd stated just hours ago was her number one priority. She believed and honored that with her whole heart. This guy couldn't even remember his name?! No. Done.

"Shit, Paige! I'm going to smell red wine for weeks! Do you know how much the cleaners charge for a comforter?"

Paige looked at Simon in shock as he scrambled around the room, finally grabbing a white undershirt from a drawer to soak in the wine.

"Done" didn't even BEGIN to explain what she was feeling right now. She turned on her toes and headed for the living room to grab her clutch, setting her dripping glass down without a coaster on the end table. She hoped it left a stain. She grabbed almost all of the remaining cash out of her wallet and stormed back into his stupid bedroom lair where he was still trying to blot out the substantial stain and flung it at him. "Here. I hope this covers the dry cleaning bill for you." And with that, she left, hearing a crack of thunder and the heavens unleash as she entered the elevator and tried not to cry.

Good for Paige, and poor Paige, all in one! Let me know what you think, please! I appreciate your thoughts and reviews….debating on how she gets to Walter and how that conversation should go…and end!