Author's Note : Thanks for the patience of the reader's who are enjoying this story...I hope this was worth the wait. I-C girls and boy - you rock !!
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Chapter 12
Betty walked into the office the next morning wearing the red dress Christina had picked out for her. This was by far the most form fitting and revealing dress Betty had ever worn. However, after her encounter with Henry the day before and really the whole week, she was feeling confident and even a little pretty. She was basically glowing. She had however decided to avoid Henry today, well, at least she was not going to purposefully hunt him down. If he saw her, he saw her.
Ava came in and they went over her calendar for the day. She was taking a half-day off the next day to help Hilda with the wedding so she had a lot to fit in.
"I don't have anything on Mr. Grubstick's calendar yet for today."
Betty smiled.
"You know what, that's okay. I think he has had enough of me this week anyway."
Ava smiled.
"Well, you do have staff with Daniel at three, so I am sure you will see him then at least."
"Oh, right. Okay. Thanks, Ava."
Ava left and Betty dived into her email. She saw a message from Henry and opened it.
"When you have a minute, stop by Anne's desk to pick up notes from yesterday's presentation. She has them at her desk."
Short and to the point. Betty looked at her watch and then her calendar. She had time now. She stepped out of her office.
"I'm walking down to Anne's desk to pick up some notes Henry left me. I'll be right back."
Ava nodded as Betty walked off. Anne was at her desk when Betty arrived.
"Morning, Anne."
Anne looked up and smiled.
"Betty, don't you look lovely today. Red is a perfect color on you. I bet you are here about the notes Henry left for you."
Betty blushed slightly. She knew that over the years her body had toned up nicely because she was just so busy and running around all the time, but she still preferred the protection and safety of layers on a normal day.
"Thank you, yes."
Anne moved some papers around on her desk before picking up the folder.
"Here you go."
Betty took the folder from her and was just turning to leave when Henry came out of his office.
"Anne…."
He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Betty. He had to swallow before he could even begin to put words together.
"Betty."
She smiled.
"Henry."
He went weak in the knees.
Anne was amused at the tension that darted from one to the other. She had been dealing with Henry's mood all week and now she knew why. They were both wound up tighter than a spring. She was glad they were going to the wedding the next day, she had a feeling they needed a weekend to unwind. Betty turned to Anne again.
"Thanks Anne. Have a good day."
She turned and walked away. Henry watched her leave. He took a deep breath and looked back at Anne.
"So, can you have copies of this made before the staff meeting with Daniel later today ?"
Anne took the papers from him smiling.
"Sure. You okay ?"
He smiled.
"Yeah, fine."
He started to walk away and then turned back.
"Have you ever made a decision that you thought was a good idea at the time and then regretted it every minute after that with no one to blame but yourself ?"
Anne smiled.
"All the time."
He looked back toward the path Betty had just taken tempted to run after her and drag her back to his office and behind closed doors. He looked back to Anne and smiled weakly.
"Yeah. I'm just ready for this week to be over. Thanks."
He walked back in his office and Anne shook her head and went back to work.
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The rest of the day had gone without incident; Betty had only seen Henry again once in the staff meeting with Daniel. She had arrived early to get Daniel's comments about her outfit over with before everyone else got there and she had been glad she did.
As the meeting went on, Daniel noted with much amusement that while Betty's appearance had clearly been unsettling Henry all week, as he watched Henry give his presentation on some new media possibilities for Meade, Betty was also clearly affected. But then again, he knew that new ideas were her passion so this shouldn't be a surprise. What was a surprise was that once the presentation was over and Betty poured herself a glass of water, Daniel noticed Henry watching her with a slight smile. The scoundrel had known it would get to her. One point for Henry.
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Betty was sitting cross-legged on her couch later that night, pouring over Henry's presentation and researching on her laptop. She wanted to be part of his team for new media at Meade and she was determined to find out as much on the subject as possible so she could be an asset.
She jumped when her phone rang, looked at the caller id and smiled.
"Betty Suarez."
"Hi."
She sat the papers to the side and leaned back on the couch.
"Hi, yourself. What's up ?"
"Are you busy ?"
No way was she going to admit to him what she had been doing. She'd just leave that part out.
"No, not really, just waiting for Christina to bring me my dress for the wedding and eating some tamales dad gave me the other night when I was over there. How has your week been, settling in ?"
Henry also settled back on his couch.
"It has been fine. Well, except for this one thing. There is this extremely sexy brunette that keeps distracting me."
She grinned.
"Really ? Should I be jealous ?"
"Nah, so far she is all flirt and no action."
Betty laughed.
"I see."
"So, what is the plan for tomorrow night ?"
"Well, I am taking a half day off to help Hilda with last minute stuff and so we can do all that girly stuff, hair, nails, etc. The official wedding time is eleven-thirty. The family is meeting for a late dinner at nine. You, of course, are invited and expected by me, to come to that. You can come to the house any time after seven, we'll be there. Is that okay ?"
"Yes, sounds good to me. I'll come over around seven, then. I, uh, ….. I've …. nevermind."
She smiled.
"What ? You can tell me."
"I'll tell you tomorrow night."
She frowned. She had missed him too.
"Henry….."
"Yeah."
"I missed you this week."
She heard him sigh.
"I missed you too. A lot."
She smiled and then heard a knock at her door.
"Christina's here, I gotta go. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, sweet dreams."
"You too."
She hung up the phone smiling and then another knock.
"Coming !"
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The next morning at work went quickly, Betty barely had time to get everything she needed done before Ava was pushing her out of the office with a car waiting for her downstairs. Once in the car, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes for the drive to Queens. Once she arrived, she sat with Ignacio and Hilda for a quick lunch Ignacio had made them. Julio and Justin were doing "guy things" all afternoon and would see them at seven. After lunch, it was one thing after another to get ready.
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Henry was in his office when Anne walked in.
"This was just delivered for you."
Henry looked up as Anne brought a box into the office. He looked at her, perplexed and opened it. Inside was a note from Justin.
"I thought you might want to match Aunt Betty tonight. See you at dinner. -Justin"
He pulled a smaller box from the box and opened it. It was a tie in a very unique, deep purple color. He was planning on wearing his best black suit to the wedding with a white shirt and this would look perfect. And, if it matched Betty, all the better.
He held it up so Anne could see.
"For the wedding, to match Betty, apparently."
"Very nice."
He smiled.
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Betty looked at her watch. It was just a little after seven. She was expecting Henry at any time now. He had called earlier and said he would bring a Meade car to take them all to dinner and then the wedding. Justin and Julio were on their own.
Betty yelled upstairs.
"Dad, Hilda, are you ready ? Henry will be here any minute."
Ignacio came down a few minutes later and then Hilda followed. Hilda looked lovely in a cream suit that was simple yet very feminine. She would change into her wedding dress and Betty into her dress at the church, after dinner.
Hilda had hers and Betty's dress in a hanging bag in the hallway along with a small suitcase with shoes, hair and make-up stuff. Betty was currently dressed in her usual layers of clothes, tonight in browns and purples.
The doorbell rang.
Betty opened the door and her mouth went dry. On the other side was Henry in the most amazing black suit she had ever seen and a gorgeous purple tie that she thought would perfectly match the dress she was wearing to the wedding.
Hilda was actually the first to speak.
"Wow. Henry, you look hot. And, I think that tie will match the dress Betty is wearing to the wedding."
Henry looked away from Betty's piercing glare long enough to smile at Hilda.
"Thank you, Justin had it sent to me today. He said it would match."
He looked back at Betty who was still speechless. He took her hands in his and pulled her close. She came out of her daze as his lips grazed hers in a sweet kiss hello.
"Hi."
She smiled.
"Hi, sorry. Hilda is right, you look great. Please, come in."
He kept one of her hands in his and entwined their fingers as he walked in to the house. Ignacio approached and Henry held his other hand out and the two men shook hands.
"Ignacio."
"Henry."
Henry looked around at everyone.
"So, are we ready ? I have the car outside."
After that there was just a bustling of activity and they made sure they had everything and headed out to the car. Betty and Henry sat next to each other in the car holding hands. Henry kept untwining and intertwining their fingers absentmindedly on the way to dinner.
Once they arrived at the restaurant, they were taken to a private room which was reserved for them for dinner. Henry watched Julio and Hilda interact as well as Julio and Justin and could tell they were already a family in every sense of the word. He could hardly wait to have that with Betty and Will. But, looking around and being included in this event already made him feel like a part of this family and he loved it.
Before long it was time to leave for the church. Julio and Justin stayed behind to take care of the bill and everyone else headed back to the Meade car waiting outside to take them to the church.
When they arrived, Henry pulled Betty aside and into the church sanctuary. There were people there finishing with lighting candles, the whole ceremony was to be candle lit and it already looked fantastic.
He pulled her along the last row of pews and behind a pillar in the corner of the church. He turned her around to face him and she was smiling and breathless.
"Henry…."
She didn't finish as he moved closer and captured her mouth in a delightful and soon heated kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck letting one hand stray into his hair as the kiss deepened. After a few minutes, he reluctantly pulled away.
"Mmm, I have been wanting to do that all week."
She smiled and smoothed his hair back in place.
"So, why haven't you ?"
"Because I am the one that said we would take a break while I settled in this week. And trust me, it wasn't easy. I could swear you were doing everything to break my willpower."
She blinked her eyes and looked at him in feigned innocence.
"And yet, it didn't work ?"
He frowned.
"You were trying to get to me, weren't you ?"
She let her hands drop to her sides.
"You figured me out. But, apparently I didn't do a very good job."
"Oh, you did a good job, I was a bear to be around all week, ask Anne."
Betty smiled.
"I guess I will have to go to more extreme measures."
He raised his eyebrows.
"Such as ?"
She put her arms loosely around his waist and leaned up to kiss his neck and run her tongue along his jaw line, humming as she went.
"Hmmmmmm…..I don't know maybe this will better reveal my plans for you this weekend."
He was surprised and a little turned on by her boldness as he felt her mouth on his ear and then she blew a soft breath across the moist trail she had left and he shivered.
"Betty….."
She pulled back.
"No ?"
He nodded.
"Oh, yes……but don't we, don't you……the wedding."
Betty pulled back quickly.
"Oh my, yes, I have to go get ready. I'll see you after, at the reception. I'm sorry."
She pulled away and then ran back to him and kissed him quickly again then turned and walked away again but just as he should have let go of her hand he pulled her back again and wrapped her up in his arms for a deep sensual kiss that once again left her breathless. She looked up at him dazed and he laughed.
"Go. I'll see you after."
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The wedding went smoothly, Betty looked radiant in her purple dress and Henry smiled at her when she came down the aisle. He knew it wouldn't be long until she was walking down an aisle to him and he couldn't wait.
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At the reception the first few minutes were spent getting everyone moved from the church to the community center behind the church in time to welcome in the New Year. Just as the clock was about to strike midnight, Betty felt a hand in hers and she spun around into Henry's arms.
"5….4….3…..2…1……Happy New Year."
Henry drew her to him and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. After a few minutes, they drew apart slightly, smiling.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
Music started playing and they began to dance slowly. Henry leaned down and buried his nose in the crook of Betty's neck and then lifted up slightly to whisper in her ear.
"So, how long do we have to stay here before I can whisk you home ? I want to be alone with you tonight. All night."
She gasped and sucked in her breath, tightening her grip around him in order to keep her footing. She pulled back and looked into his now smoldering eyes. Apparently he had gotten the message this week and now it was her turn to make good on it.
"We have to stay for the cake, the garter and the flowers and then we can go. Justin will take dad home and Julio and Hilda have a car that will take them to their hotel tonight before they fly out tomorrow."
Henry pulled her closer and growled into her ear.
"Alright."
She ran her hands up his back and into the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Why don't I go check on Hilda and see how those things are going ?"
He grudgingly let her go but not before a slight nibble at her collar bone that she thought might actually leave a mark. His mark. She shivered. She walked away taking deep calming breaths.
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They had been somewhat restrained for the drive back to Betty's apartment because to be honest, Betty wasn't sure with their current course in mind, either one of them could have held back for long.
Betty fumbled with her keys at the door as Henry stood right behind her nibbling on her neck and running his hands over whatever part of her he could get to through her coat and clothes.
Finally with every ounce of concentration she could muster, they were inside and immediately, coats and clothes were falling off as they made their way to the bedroom. Henry's jacket and tie were tossed on the couch as was Betty's coat, his shirt was unbuttoned and abandoned in the hallway along with Betty dress. As Henry backed her into the bedroom he was stepping out of his shoes and pants so that when they finally both fell back onto the bed, there were mere slips of material separating them.
Betty's hands were everywhere and Henry's mouth was all over her. They were both breathing as if they had just run a marathon and neither wanted to stop the pace.
"Betty…..I can't….it's been a long time and I ….. I want you, I need you."
Betty reached for the waistband of his boxers and tugged urgently.
"We can talk later, I want you now too. Please, Henry……"
That was his undoing. He moved them both up the bed until they were a tangled mess of arms and legs frantically removing all remaining barriers between them.
"I don't want to hurt you. I need to slow down."
"No ! Henry, I have waited for this day for thirteen years, don't slow down, don't stop, I want to be with you, please."
Her eyes were dark with desire and he could sense that this time for them there would be no holding back and later they could reminisce and explore. They had all weekend. He looked down at her beneath him, a slight sheen covering her from head to toe as she trembled with desire. He could every part of his body react in anticipation of this moment between them.
As he moved over her, he put his hands on either side of her face and looked deeply into her eyes.
"I love you."
She wanted to reply but at that precise moment, he pressed his body into hers and they were one once again and it was the most blissfully exquisite moment she had ever experienced.
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It was a little bit later when he collapsed next to her on the bed and pulled her close to him that she was able to begin to breath again and she turned and looked at him.
"I love you, too. How did I ever let you go ?"
He pushed the damp hair from her forehead and smiled still breathless.
"I don't know how either of us did, but I guarantee you, I am never going anywhere again, ever."
He pulled her closer and she fit her body perfectly to him as they drifted off to sleep with arms and legs wrapped around each other in glowing contentment.
- - to be continued - -
