Della's Dream Job

Perry stood staring out into the dark, trying to calm his mind and body down. He hadn't meant to kiss Della, and he couldn't understand what had possessed him. But dancing with her had felt different from anything that he had experienced. It was exciting, yet soothing. Having her in his arms was intoxicating, yet he had been keenly aware of every detail – the scent of her perfume, every point where her fingers and body touched his. Although they had really only spent ten minutes together, Della felt like the perfect companion. In fact, in Perry's mind, she was everything in a woman that Laura was not, and unlike any other woman that he had met.

Perry knew he couldn't go back to join the others. He turned and stood at the entrance to the ballroom. Della was now dancing with Hamilton. She was laughing at something he said and he laughed in return. It seemed that even dour Hamilton Burger was enchanted by the beautiful Della Street.

Perry reentered the cavernous room, skirting the dance floor and heading out of the hotel. Driving back to his apartment, he put the convertible top down, letting the cool night air ruffle his hair as he attempted to clear his befuddled mind. But try as he might, Della kept floating into his thoughts.

When he opened the door to his apartment, the first thing he saw was Laura's fur stole draped over a chair. He ran his hands through his tousled hair. Another scene was the last thing he needed tonight. Knowing exactly where he would find her, he straightened his posture and slowly walked into his bedroom.

Laura was lying naked on his bed, her body glowing in the light from several candles she had scattered around the room. When he entered, she stretched like a lazy cat, holding her arms out to him and purring, "There you are, Perry darling. I was beginning to think you weren't coming home."

Perry walked around, blowing out the candles, and switched on the bedside lamp. "Get up and get dressed, Laura."

"But Perry..." Her voice trailed off as he tossed her undergarments and dress on the bed.

"I'll wait outside while you dress." And then he turned and walked out the door, pulling it shut behind him. Heading back into his living room, he walked to the bar and poured a full glass of scotch, downing it in one long gulp. He ignored the sound of crying coming from the bedroom. He knew the tears weren't real.

Finally after several minutes, Laura emerged, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, but thankfully, fully dressed. When she approached him, putting a hand on his shoulder, he shrugged her off coldly. "Goodbye, Laura."

"Oh Perry. I'm so, so sorry. I was just so jealous. I mean, after all, you were ignoring me for that little nothing of a secretary. And when we get out of this horrible city..."

Perry spun on his heel to face her and looked directly into her eyes so that she would not misunderstand what he was about to say. "I am not going anywhere with you, Laura. My practice is here; my friends - at least the ones you haven't alienated - are here, and I have no intention of following you to Denver just to be a lapdog."

"But Perry..." She tried to step into his arms, which he folded across his chest as he looked at her with a mixture of sadness and pity. "No Laura. We're done. Please just take whatever dignity you have left and go."

The look in her eyes should have scared him. But it didn't. She shrieked, "I'll ruin you! I'll smear your name in every paper in the country. I'll..."

He took hold of her then, gripping her arms so tightly she cried out. "No Laura, you will not! Not if you want to hold on to your reputation. I'm sure 'daddy' wouldn't appreciate his daughter at the center of a slander suit. Now get out!"

The tears were real now. She tried a different tactic. "I love you, Perry. And you love me, I know you do."

Perry actually laughed at her. "You don't know the meaning of the word. I doubt you ever did, or ever will." He picked up her fur, dropping it across her shoulders. "Enjoy Denver." He opened the door and gave her a gentle push, closing it behind her and slamming the lock home.

He had started toward the bedroom when the strong scent of her perfume caused a wave of nausea to roll over him. He knew he couldn't sleep in the bed where Laura had been lying. Turning around, he stripped off his jacket, tie and shirt as he crossed the room, then collapsed onto his couch. His last conscious thought was of kissing Della.

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Della sat curled on her couch, an open book on her lap and a glass of wine on the table nearby. But she wasn't reading and the wine remained untouched. Her thoughts kept going back to a single moment - the kiss. She had never been kissed like that. Not by the adolescent high school boys she dated, nor by her ex-fiancé.

She wondered for at least the tenth time why Perry had just disappeared. She had been flustered when she had come back inside, but she was soon genuinely enjoying herself again. Although she had made several furtive scans of the room and didn't spot Perry, she assumed that he was simply engaged in conversation with some of his colleagues. And it wasn't until Hamilton had suggested they leave that she realized Perry had actually left the gathering. Had he changed his mind and gone after Laura after all? Della felt confused, because she was very aware of Perry's physical attraction to her, as she had felt the evidence of it during their close embrace. She wondered whether his body had betrayed his better judgement, and that perhaps he now regretted the moment that they had shared.

When Hamilton had escorted her to her apartment door, she had thanked him for a wonderful evening and had even given him a chaste goodbye kiss on the cheek. He again expressed his appreciation for her company, but she thought she detected an awkward distance in his manner, different from the obvious nervousness he had shown at the start of the evening. Her boss was smart and intuitive, and she wouldn't be surprised if he suspected that something besides small-talk had transpired between Perry and her on the terrace.

Perry had put her in a very difficult position, to be sure. Despite the chemistry she felt with him, he was still "the enemy" professionally. And she did love her job. She hoped she could continue working for Hamilton for a long time, and she knew that meant that his courtroom adversary was off-limits personally. As much as she hated to admit it, it was probably for the best that Perry had left the party without any explanation. Now all she had to do was forget that kiss. It should be easy, she reassured herself.