"You didn't say anything about the roses," Richard murmured as he stroked her hair.
They were lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling, wrapped in each other's arms. Initially, she had been looking forward to that weekend, counting the days to see him again. However, since what had happened in the office a couple of days before, she hadn't been able to relax.
She was so distracted during the meeting that even Richard's charming side smiles and his hand occasionally touching her knee under the table were not having the effect they usually had. All she could think of was the pain in Kurt's eyes when he realized she was with someone else.
After the meeting was over and before she said goodbye to him and his team, Richard had offered to pick her up later at home for the long weekend at his lake house. She quickly accepted.
Diane returned to her office only to see the new bouquet already in display. Marissa had skilfully put the roses inside a crystal vase on top of her drawer, matching the other flowers.
Diane shook her head, after absently staring at them for a few moments. Those red roses were clearly not helping the overall situation.
She was not going to live with the guilt of hurting a person she cared about. If she wanted to move on with her life she had to stop thinking about the past, enjoy the present and start planning the future. However, giving up the past was turning out to be much harder than she thought it would at the beginning.
Later that evening, Richard picked her up from home as planned and they made their way to his lake house. They stayed in and enjoyed each other's company on Saturday. For some reason, he made her feel even guiltier when he was so attentive and devoted to their lovemaking.
On Sunday morning, she had reluctantly allowed him to take her to the nearest town on his bike, which turned out to be the scariest 30 minutes of her life.
That short, adventurous trip had once again reminded her of how much people liked him. Everybody, from the staff who worked at his property, fixing the boats or taking care of the garden, to the small grocery shop owners, who he eventually visited and was a regular customer when he was in town, they all knew and adored him.
How wouldn't she fall in love with such fascinating man? She knew it was just a matter of time.
"Diane," he insisted, "The roses?"
"They are beautiful," she whispered when she turned her attention to him and looked in his eyes.
Richard raised his eyebrows, "That was not the kind of reaction I was hoping for."
She adjusted her head that laid on top of his arm and took a deep slow breath, "What to say, Richard?"
He frowned and stopped his fingers from running through her hair, "The other day, during our last conversation, you seemed..."
"I did miss you. Terribly," her voice softened as she interrupted him. He looked in her eyes for a few moments and kissed her head, snuggling closer.
"I love being with you, I always enjoy the time we spend together. But it's just..." she trailed off, searching for the right words, "It's too early."
"Not for me," he said softly interrupting her, a warmth in his voice.
"Please be patient," her voice trembled when she spoke. She needed to say those words out loud, not only to him, but to herself.
He nodded, "I'm sorry. I clearly read too much into something," he murmured against her skin, "I shouldn't have sent you the roses."
"No, don't say that," she shook her head, before looking deep into his eyes, "I loved them. And don't feel sorry either. You were simply following your heart."
"Yes, you're right," Richard chuckled, "I am following my heart. I should have followed my head instead and stopped at Tiffany & Co on my way to your office."
She smiled, "No, you shouldn't. It would have been much more difficult to say no."
"My point exactly," he said, with a wry smile playing on his lips. Diane laughed and shoved him playfully, "I will convince you, you'll see."
They shared a brief smile, but she knew it was not going to be easy. He caressed her cheek and leaned over to kiss her. It started slowly, but soon his hands were moving all over her body, as the kisses got more intense.
"Richard," she laughed softly, as he trailed small kisses along her collarbone and squeezed one of her breasts gently, "I need to pack."
"Why don't you take the day off?" He murmured against her skin, "Two days were not enough."
"You know I can't," she said and heard him sighing loudly.
"I hate this," he raised himself back up on one arm, looking down at her, "I hate that you barely have time for us."
She saw the disappointment reflected in his eyes, "You've always known that about me. My work, the things I fight for, is part of who I am," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, "I've been very busy these last few weeks and it looks like the following won't be any different."
He groaned, lowering his head to her bared neck, as she continued, "My days consist in leaving home at seven-thirty, getting to court at eight sharp, coming back to the office for meetings, only to arrive at home around nine."
"God," he started and raised himself to look at her again, "I will have a few meetings myself this week. I need to give Dan and Jason a full update on the Hydroelectric investment. I know it will be painful and take longer than I can possibly imagine."
At least his trip to Nevada hasn't been a waste of time after all. He had successfully closed the deal with the investors, who had agreed to fully support the construction. Richard used that as an excuse to bring a couple of Don Perignon bottles in their luggage to celebrate.
Funny, as she had always preferred wine herself. Lately, however, she was enjoying the effects the sparkling liquid had on her, especially when they were mixed with sensual kisses, nibbles on her neck and husky moans against her ear.
"Just promise me we'll find time for each other," he said before she nodded and kissed his cheek.
They fell quiet once again, his head resting on her chest, while his arm slid along her waist, "Josh invited us to have dinner at his house later this week."
"Richard," she started, "It will be difficult..."
"It's a simple family dinner, Diane," he interrupted her, propping his head up in one hand, "Both of us, Josh, Sarah and Grace. A foolish excuse to spend more time with you."
She placed a hand on his face, with a small pleasant smile, "I will try, ok?"
"How about Thursday?" he suggested, smiling back at her, "You should be less busy by then."
Diane opened her mouth, fixing a long look on him. She wasn't sure if she should tell him about Kurt's visit to her office. She had to be honest with him, but she didn't know how he would react. The last thing she wanted was to make him worry about something so unimportant.
There was no real harm in telling Richard that he had paid her a visit. Likewise, Kurt was not going to disappear from her life. They would eventually bump into each other. It was impossible to avoid the inevitable.
"What? Did you already make plans?" Richard insisted.
Diane sat up, with her back against the headboard, pulling the covers up around her chest, "I've received an invitation for a cocktail on Thursday. A book launch."
"Okay," he replied briefly.
"It's Kurt's new book," she told him and waited anxiously for his reaction.
He frowned at her suspiciously, but didn't say a word. She watched his expression changing from slightly worried to concerned, as the silence was slowly killing her, "It's about the right to bear arms. He started to write it when we were still married," she explained.
"Yes, I know. I've heard," he said, after a long while. At first, she was surprised that he knew anything about Kurt's book. Then again, she immediately reminded herself that they had a few friends in common. She even suspected that RD had something to do with it.
"I gave a few ideas, helped him with the first draft and the NRA sponsorship," she said, but hesitated for a brief minute. Diane curiously wanted to know his opinion about it, "I'm not sure if I will go anyway. It was only an invitation."
"You should go," he told her categorically, "As you helped him with the book, you should," his reply surprised her once again. After a silent moment, he continued with an unexpectedly disarming comment, "Now, if you ask me if I like this situation, that's a total different story."
She opened her mouth to argue, but found she couldn't. He had a blank expression on his face, as his eyes were fixed on hers.
"Look, I don't like the fact that you will be with him, if only for a few hours," he said, plainly. His face was slowly turning into a slight shade of red. She had only seen him like that the day he found out that Boseman had lied to him about her going to court.
After a brief moment, he shook his head, sighing deeply, "I hate feeling like this," he confessed, "Just go. You need to go, you need to be there," he said, using a decisive tone of voice, "Diane, we have to face the facts. He was part of your life and it's not like he will simply go away."
"Are you sure?" Diane lowered her voice.
"No, I'm not," he quickly replied, "But that's the right thing to do," she knew how kind and fair he was. After a short while, he continued, "At what time will it be?"
She nodded, accepting it with a look of gratitude, "It starts at eight, if I remember correctly. I will arrive later, say hello and then leave. I will probably be home before ten."
He nodded and looked away. She could only imagine what was running through his mind, "You can come if you want," she said, trying to ease the tension.
He laughed, shook his head and laid his temple on the top of her thighs, "That would be quite a surprise. It would certainly ruin his night."
"He knows about us," she said and watched the incredulous look on his face, after he turned his attention to her again.
"How?" he asked.
"He knows," she replied, "People talk. And it's not that we have been discreet either," she continued, but decided to spare a few details. The last thing she wanted was to hurt him, making him even more worried and confused.
Richard nodded and squeezed her hand gently, "Go and give me a call as soon as you arrive at home".
"It's a deal," she smiled and gave him a sweet but quick kiss. Before she knew it, he got hold of her legs and pulled her back to lie on the bed. She let out a sharp laugh, as he snaked his arm around her waist, lowering his lips to her bared neck.
He raised his head staring down at her, with a lopsided smile and looking a little lost in her eyes, "I love you," he whispered.
She placed a hand on his face, while her fingers caressed his cheek, "You are so wonderful, Richard," she said, voicing her thoughts.
"I know," he smiled mischievously, "And I'm doing everything in my power to make you fall for me."
She laughed gently, throwing her arms around his neck, "It's working."
He started to kiss the upturned corners of her mouth, before moving to other parts of her body. Soon, it started all over again.
Diane eventually found time to pack, but much later during the night.