Chapter 28-Taking a Ride
"Charity Begins At Home"
Shortly after Lee had left Billy's office after trying to come up with a game plan to get into the car show, he was accosted by Francine who roughly grabbed his arm and dragged him into the corridor outside the bullpen. "Francine, what the hell are you doing? he said as he wriggled out of her grasp. He wondered what she was up to as she'd been shooting daggers at him with her eyes since Amanda had walked into Billy's office and had continued it long after she'd left.
"That's exactly what I want to know. Just what the hell are you doing?" she demanded.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lee said as he tried to push past her back into the bullpen.
"Oh, I think you do," Francine said pushing both hands against his chest to stop him from bolting. She then lowered her voice to a barely audible whisper, "You slept with Amanda."
"What?"Lee said a little too loudly causing a passerby to stare. "Nothing to see here, Pal," he grumbled. He then grabbed Francine firmly by the arm to the alcove across from the elevator away from prying eyes and ears. "Look, Francine, I don't know where you get your information-"
"Don't even try to deny it," Francine said sharply, cutting him off poking him hard in the chest with one well-manicured finger. "I saw the looks that were passing between the two of you when she walked in. She was looking at you with that shy schoolgirl smile, the slight blush in her cheeks, plus she made a point of saying hello to you specifically."
"Francine-" Lee began but was once again cut off by Francine.
"Then there was you when she left. I saw the way you watched her walk away with that smug, smarmy, revolting, "I got me a piece of that" look on your face."
Lee fidgeted nervously and said, "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I? Come on, Lee, I know that look all too well. I don't know what you think you're doing, but you'd better watch yourself. Amanda's not the kind of woman you can just play house with and then buy off with a bouquet. She takes playing house a whole lot more seriously than the other women in your life."
"Look, Francine, none of this is any of your damn business. My private life is just that, private!"
"So, you admit it," She said hotly.
"No," Lee replied. "All I'm saying is that if I had slept with her, and I'm not saying that I did, but if I had, that's nobody's business but mine and hers."
"Not until you break her poor, fragile little spirit and it gets all over the office that the simple housewife has become just another notch on your bedpost."
"Okay, first of all. Amanda's not fragile, far from it. She's one of the strongest people that I know and second, she is a hell of a lot more than a simple housewife," Lee said feeling the need to defend Amanda against Francine's sharply pointed barbs. "In fact, she's the most complicated damn woman that I've ever met. If you'd ever stop looking down your nose at her long enough to get to know her, she just might surprise you." He walked away, not giving her a chance to get another dig in.
Amanda sat on the couch reviewing her notes and receipts from the fundraiser while her mother rambled on about the arrest of Jerry Perrine as she tried to stay nonchalant about it.
"Mrs. Coleman must have been beside herself," Dotty said gleefully.
Amanda chuckled as she recalled how the drunken woman passed out at the bar and said, "Oh, yes, Mother, Mrs. Coleman was definitely beside herself."
"Well, tell me all about it," Dotty gushed.
"Well, there's not really that much I can tell you," Amanda hedged, knowing she couldn't betray the agency's secrets. She wondered what her mother's reaction would be if she knew that her own daughter had been one of the agents involved in the arrests as she smiled quietly.
"Amanda, you're not much for details, are you?" She thought about how her daughter adamantly refused to divulge any personal details about her mystery relationship and the man involved. She thought for a moment of asking about him again, but knew she'd just be shot down again. Amanda was very tight-lipped when it came to her lover. She knew from her behavior that the love affair was still ongoing, but she couldn't understand why she was so reluctant to talk about it. She decided to focus on the new mystery instead, saying, "I am going to go upstairs and watch it all on the eleven o'clock news." She then stepped into the den, kissed her daughter and said, "Wish you could tell me more," in a tone that clearly indicated she was talking about more than just Jerry Perrine's arrest.
"Me too, Mother," Amanda said as she longed for the day that her secrets would all be out in the open.
They said their good-nights and Dotty chuckled softly as she heard a familiar tapping on the window as she made her way upstairs that she'd come to learn signaled the arrival of her daughter's paramour. She thought about doing an about-face to try to get a sneak peek at him again, but thought better of it. Every time, she'd tried that in the past, he'd just disappeared, as if into thin air.
Amanda stepped out through the French doors to find Lee with a bright smile, holding up a kay, "Oh," she said with a smile.
Lee beamed and said, "I picked it up today. "Oh, it pulls the road right up and corners like a track racer." He clasped her hands very briefly in his excitement.
"You got a new car," Amanda said with a nod as she smiled back at him, his giddy smile filing her with usual heady sensation that his smile always did.
"Yeah, and it's great," he said excitedly. He then chuckled awkwardly, now thinking that his trip over here had been a bad idea. He'd been so excited about his new ride and his first thought was to share it with the woman he loved, but now he wasn't so sure. "Anyway, I was testing it out and I...sort of...um...wound up over here," he said nervously.
"Oh," Amanda said with another nod, amused by his sudden bout of nerves.
Lee tried to backpedal as fast as he could in order to keep his intense feelings for her under wraps, suddenly having lost his courage now that he was face to face with her. "And...uh...Well, I mean...uh...you know...you were...you were there when I lost the other one and I thought maybe...uh..." Stupid, he scolded himself. Why can't you just come right out and ask her to go for a ride with you?
"Oh, well, you know, I'm really glad you came over and told me about it and maybe sometime, I'll get to take a ride in it," she hinted to ease his nerves, knowing that that was exactly what he was trying to ask her.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, count on it," Lee said, his smile a little too enthusiastic for his liking. "I mean...uh...we will be working on another assignment."
"Right," Amanda said, hoping that wasn't the end of it. When Lee was quiet, she smiled at him and hinted again. "I'll count on it," pleased when Lee smiled back and didn't seem ready to move from his spot. They locked eyes, beaming at each other, both wary of making the next move. Amanda finally decided she was going to have to be the one to end their standoff. "You know...um...we don't have to wait until the next time that we work an assignment together."
"No?" Lee said hopefully.
"No. I mean...um...I'm sure you need to properly break it in, right? Get a feel for it?"
"Yeah, right," Lee said thinking that that wasn't the only thing that he wanted to get a feel for. He'd been thinking about it ever since her attempts to warm him up after she'd rescued him from the freezer. He'd tried to push those thoughts to the back of his mind, but the more he did, the more he thought how much simply being in her presence warmed him from head to toe. "So...uh...does that mean...you're...uh...up for it?" He glanced toward the driveway.
"Sure...Um...I mean, if you are. It's not like anybody here needs me right now. The boys are in bed and my mother's upstairs watching the news, so I'm...um...free."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," Amanda answered as she linked her arm with his. "Come on."
Lee willingly took her arm and they walked down the driveway together toward the shiny new, silver Corvette parked at the curb. "What do you think? Isn't she a beauty?" He said with smile, thinking more about the beauty beside him.
"Yes, she certainly is," Amanda agreed as he opened the door for her.
Lee helped her into the car, closed the door firmly behind her, then quickly made his way to the driver's side to climb in beside her. He smiled at her warmly before starting the car and putting in gear, peeling away from the curb slowly so as not to attract the attention of her neighbors.
As Amanda sat back, enjoying the ride as Lee expertly navigated her neighborhood streets, she couldn't help noticing that he had both hands on the wheel. "This one's an automatic," she commented in surprise.
"Yes, it is," Lee confirmed.
"Huh," she said, "Why the switch?"
"An automatic will be a little more convenient for chasing bad guys," Lee answered, then added with a teasing grin, "...especially with a partner who doesn't know how to drive a stick shift."
Amanda laughed and said, "Yeah, I never was very good at driving stick."
"Oh, I don't know," Lee said with a mirthful grin at her, feeling a lot more relaxed now that he had her beside him. "I suppose that depends on your meaning."
"Eyes on the road, Scarecrow," Amanda said as a warm flush spread across her cheeks, suddenly feeling very glad that it was dark and he wouldn't be able to clearly see her blushing.
Lee laughed, and then feeling bolder, said, "There is another advantage to having an automatic."
"Oh? And what's that?"
"I can do this," He answered as he removed his right hand from the wheel to clasp her left and brought it to his lips.
"Oh," Amanda sighed at the contact. "That's definitely an advantage." She linked her fingers with his as they continued their ride.
"I'm glad you think so," Lee said, his smile widening at the gentle pressure of her hand in his.
They rode along in a companionable silence, just enjoying one another's company until they were out of the city where Lee stepped on the gas, once they were traveling along the same two-lane roads that had led to the demise of his beloved Porsche. Lee pulled the 'vette to stop in front of the same embankment it had fallen from.
"What are we doing here?" Amanda asked recognizing the spot as he released her hand to put the car in park.
"Two things," Lee said as he got out of the car, hastily making his way to her door to open it for her, helped her out and then proceeded to the trunk.
Amanda watched as he pulled a blanket and a small ice chest out of the trunk. "What is that and what two things are you talking about?" she asked curiously.
Lee took her hand with his free one and led her to the precipice where they stood earlier and watched the Porsche erupt into a ball of flames, both of them looking down for a moment. "The first is to say good-bye, he said with a nod over the edge. He released her hand, spread the blanket out of the ground in front of his new car, and then opened the ice chest, pulling out a chilled bottle of champagne and two glasses. "The second is to celebrate," he said with a nod to the 'vette. He popped the cork, poured them each a glass, handing one to her, before parking on the blanket and tugging on her hand to get her to join him.
"So, what should we drink to?" she said as they leaned against the front of the 'vette looking out over the chasm below.
"As cliché' as it sounds, how about, out with the old, in with the new," Lee suggested with a warm smile. That perfectly described how he'd felt since meeting her. The more time he spent in her company, the more he felt his old life slipping away and something new taking hold.
"I don't think that sounds cliché at all. In fact, I think it's very fitting," Amanda replied mirroring his smile, knowing without him saying anything that he was talking about more that changing cars. "I'll drink to that," she added as she clinked her glass with his and they both sipped at their champagne.
Lee draped his right arm across her shoulder and felt exhilaration sweep over him as she leaned her head against his shoulder in response, her left hand patting his leg. He was grinning like a fool and knew he must look completely stupid to an outside observer, but he felt happier than he could have ever imagined in just sharing this with her. Being able to sit there with her in a comfortable silence filled him with a sense of peace that he'd never known before.
Lee sipped at his champagne thoughtfully as he thought about his words to her, that you don't love a car. He'd never imagined he'd ever say that. The Porsche had been the love of his life for a long time, but since meeting Amanda and learning what it felt like to truly love, he realized he'd been thinking all wrong about it. His love for her consumed his whole being. He then reflected on his words to Francine about surprising her and thought about he was continually surprised by her. When he'd driven to her house tonight, he'd fully intended to ask her to take this ride with him, had prepared for it with the blanket and the champagne, but then had chickened out. Almost, as if reading his mind, she'd invited herself along for a ride linking her arm with his to urge him toward the car, giving no thought to the fact that she was dressed for bed. He glanced at her for a moment, her cotton nightgown peeking out through the opening of her blue terry cloth robe and chuckled softly.
"What?" she said.
"Oh, I was just thinking, we left your place so fast and I...uh...I should have let you take the time to get dressed." Not that he minded. Even in the plain bathrobe, she still looked ravishing in blue.
"I don't mind," Amanda said. "If I did, I would have said something. Besides, it's not as if you haven't seen me in this before...and even less," she added with a mischievous grin as she ran her hand along the inside of his thigh.
Lee swallowed hard, her hand on his leg stirring the fire he felt for her and replied in a hoarse whisper, "That's true." He chugged the rest of his champagne, feeling as if he could use a little liquid courage right about now with what she was doing to him, setting the empty glass aside.
"In fact..." she said as she put her own glass down, then moved into his lap, planting one leg on each side of his, "...you've taken this nightgown off of me a couple of times now.' She then reached for the leather jacket he wore, to push it from his shoulders, but was stopped by his back against the car.
Lee leaned forward to assist in her efforts allowing her to remove his jacket. He let her take the lead, dying to see how she would surprise him tonight. He then felt her hands sliding under his tee, tugging on the bottom of it. He obligingly raised his arms so that she could pull it over his head and toss it aside. She followed this by trailing her hands from his shoulders to his chest, lightly nipping at his neck with her teeth and her fingernails grazed his nipples, teasing him as she rocked her hips against his. He was aching to touch her, but held back wanting to see where she would take this. He'd never enjoyed letting a woman take charge the way that he did with her. He's always wanted to the the one in control, but the way he felt about her made him feel so out of control that it felt completely comfortable to let her lead. "Amanda," he whispered softly as she took one of his nipples into her mouth, alternating between laving it with her tongue and rolling it between her teeth. He gasped in surprise when out of nowhere, she bit down harder that he would have expected her to.
She raised her head, smiled at him sweetly and said, "Too much?"
"No,. Just the opposite," He said suggestively. "I don't think I could ever get too much of you." He then gripped her hips tightly pulling her roughly against him wanting her to feel what she'd done to him, to know how painfully erect she'd made him.
It was Amanda's turn to gasp as his movement, her desire for him only escalated at feeling how hard he was, longing to feel that hardness inside her. "Lee," she hissed as he reached for the tie on her robe and pushed it from her shoulders, and then tugged at the bottom of her nightgown to yank it over her head. She locker her arms behind his head and kissed him feverishly, pressing her bare breasts against the solidity of his chest, reveling in the feel of his bare skin next to hers.
Lee groaned against her as her tongue darted into his mouth, relishing how it felt to be so close to her. They kissed for a long moment as their hands roamed and she pushed her pelvis against him while he pushed his up against her. They broke apart, both gasping for breath at the intensity of their kisses. Lee looked into her eyes seeing the passion burning there for him that he knew his own eyes reflected back at her. Needing more, he grasped her hands to urge her to her feet, picked up her discarded robe, laid it across the hood of his new car, the swept her around to lay her atop it. He then reached for the sides of her panties, yanking them down her legs.
"Not again," Amanda moaned as she heard the tearing of fabric. "Lee, you've got to stop-" Her words were cut off by her own moans as Lee's mouth descended between her legs, suckling hard on the sensitive nub there. "Lee!" she cried as he dove in, lapping and sucking at her, leaving her trembling under his onslaught. Before she'd had time to recover from her fierce orgasm, she heard the rasp of his zipper and then he was inside her, his wet mouth on her neck suckling at the tender pulse point as he pushed into her repeatedly. She could do nothing but hang on for dear life, clutching at him, digging her nails into his back. "Oh, Lee," she whispered.
"Amanda," he growled against her as he plunged into her as deep as he could, the elation of getting his new car paling in comparison to the elation he felt at making love to her, feeling her beneath him, her muscles clenching around him and hearing her calling out his name repeatedly. He wanted that feeling to last forever, but all too soon, he was screaming her name, engulfed in flames hotter and brighter than those that had destroyed his Porsche. He braced himself with his hands on the hood of the "vette to prevent himself from falling on top of her as the last vestiges of his climax hit him.
"Wow," Amanda said softly.
"Yeah," he replied as he tried to get control of his heavy breathing and his pounding heart.
Amanda gave him a wicked grin and quipped, "Talk about properly breaking in your new car."
Lee laughed heartily, kissed her soundly and replied, "Well, it had to be done." With a low groan, he pulled back from her and stood. "You know, it's getting late. I should probably get you home."
"Yeah, you're right. If my mother notices that I'm gone, she'll start asking all kinds of questions that I'm not prepared to answer." She slid off the hood of the car, reached for her nightgown, and pulled it over her head while Lee put his own clothes back on.
"Why? You said she already knows about me, right?"
"Just vaguely," Amanda said. "I...um...can't tell her too much about you without talking about the job too and..."
"Amanda, you don't have to explain. I get it," Lee said with a pang of sadness. "I'm not exactly the guy you can bring home to meet your mother. I couldn't even come to the front door to pick you up for a date if I wanted to. It's too dangerous for your family."
"A date?" Amanda questioned. "Is that what this is? Are we dating?"
"I...um...I thought we agreed that we didn't have to have a name for this."
"Oh, no, you're right, we did. I...uh...just with..."
"With what?" Lee asked.
"Well, the blanket and the champagne, I...uh...thought maybe this...tonight...was...I don't know...a date. I mean, it seemed like you planned it."
"Oh, I did plan it. I...uh..." He paused for a moment as he tried to compose his thoughts. In his mind, it was a date, but to call it that out loud would mean admitting openly that they were dating and opening up the idea of more dates, setting Amanda's expectations way too high and he couldn't afford that. Francine's words about breaking her spirit haunted him, as he knew he could never be what Amanda needed. He couldn't openly date her the way he wanted to without potentially putting her family in danger. "I...um...I just...I wanted to celebrate and I wanted to celebrate with you."
"Oh," Amanda said in disappointment. "Because I was there when you lost the old car," she added with a glance to the cliff in front of her, recalling his words from earlier.
"No, Amanda, that's not it. I...Um..." He paused again, took both of her hands in his and said, "I was just happy and I wanted to share my happiness with my best friend."
"I'm your best friend?"Amanda said with a delighted smile.
"Of course, you are. You don't know that by now?"
"No, I...um...I didn't know that." She was deeply touched by the thought, but still irked that he seemed unable to put a more definite name to their relationship. She shook off that thought and decided that "best friend" was progress.
After watching the news and the late show, Dotty returned downstairs to rinse out her milk glass and wondered where her daughter was. She hadn't heard her come upstairs and she didn't appear to be downstairs anywhere. Just as she was putting her glass in the sink, she heard the roar of a car outside. She hurried through the den, into the living room and peered out the window, just in time to see her daughter being helped out of a beautiful silver sports car, by what appeared to be an equally beautiful man. She, of course, couldn't tell for sure what he looked like because it was so dark, but she was sure beyond any doubt that this was her daughter's lover because she'd barely been out of the care for a moment, when he pulled Amanda into a passionate embrace.
Lee and Amanda broke apart from their heated kiss and Amanda said with a mischievous grin, "Thanks for the ride."
Lee, giving her a dervish grin of his own, fired back, "Thanks for taking that ride with me."
They said their goodnights and Lee watched until Amanda was safely inside the house before returning to his new car to take him back to his own home.
As Amanda entered the house, she was startled by her mother saying, "Did you have a nice night?"
"Mother, don't sneak up on me like that," Amanda said her hand on her chest to catch her breath.
"I wasn't sneaking," Dotty said. "I believe sneaking is your thing these days, for example, sneaking out of the house tonight."
"I wasn't sneaking," Amanda argued, "And I was only gone for a little over an hour."
"Amanda, your life if your life, but don't you think it's time to stop these middle of the night escapades and insist that your man spend more than an hour of his time with you?"
"You're right, Mother," Amanda said. "My life is my life. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight." Without another word, she hurried up the stairs before her mother could hound her further.
Dotty shook her head and muttered, "An hour at a time. What kind of relationship is that?" She sighed as she realized she wasn't going to get through to her daughter. "I've got to find out who this man is and have a serious talk with him."
