Dallas, Texas

Feeling Sue Ellen grazing her foot against his leg as they spoke, JR smiled slyly as he returned her gesture; innocent, flirty fun was not only nice in the present, but it also signposted that good things were likely to happen later and even after being married for years, the idea of an eventful evening with her thrilled him. "You've got me interested now, so tell me, apart from these secret squash skills of yours, what else don't I know about you?" appearing relaxed and happy, Sue Ellen playfully questioned him and waited expectantly for an answer. There were certain things she didn't know about him, things he wasn't proud of or would cause more strife being out in the open now than if they just stayed buried in the past, luckily though, there were also things about him that were just facts or quirks, things she didn't know but not because he was hiding them. She would be hurt to find out he had been far more involved in her modelling work after graduation than just offering her a shoulder to cry on, or that he had downplayed his first confession to infidelity far before they were married, in contrast though, she would probably be amused by the good parts of his younger self.

"It wasn't a secret, it's just never come up before, probably because I haven't played in years. It's not really something you forget though, is it? I remembered how to play tennis on our honeymoon and I hadn't played that in years…" Responding to her comment about his squash skills, he fondly reminded her of how much fun they had had together in the days following their wedding, the bedroom of their resort villa was not the only place they had gotten to know each other better.

"As for things you don't know about me, let me see", taking a moment to consider her question, he finally settled on a time in his life they hadn't discussed much, at least in comparison to his childhood and post-graduate adult life. "You know a lot about the way things were for me growing up, I don't think I've ever shared much about my college years though, have I?" With eight years between them they had met at a time in their lives where things had just fit; any earlier, he wouldn't have been in any fit mental state to make a commitment to a relationship, let alone marriage, any later though and Sue Ellen might have already made the commitment of a lifetime to another man. The circumstances they had met in were serendipitous, because there had been a lot of chance involved, he had been an invited judge at the Miss Texas pageant and she had been a contestant, neither of those things were connected though. There had been thirty-one other women on the stage with Sue Ellen and four judges next to JR, one another man, yet somehow, the two of them had mutually connected, having eyes only for each other. Sue Ellen hadn't been single at the time of her Miss Texas victory, he'd discovered that immediately upon heading backstage after the pageant, not that it had stopped him from pursuing her anyway. Somewhat mysteriously, by the time they had their first date Clint, the college boy, seemed to have disappeared from Sue Ellen's life, which he couldn't complain about, he never did get a proper explanation about why they had broken up though, not that it really mattered now.

"Only that I would have hated you had we gone to college together", laughing as she answered him, JR had to laugh too, she remembered his response from years back when she'd wished she'd known him when he was younger. It was still true, he couldn't change who he had been and how they wouldn't have fit together well at all if they had known each other then, it just amused him that that's what Sue Ellen remembered when he mentioned his college years. He couldn't really blame her though, they were talking about his college years now specifically because she wanted to know things about him that she didn't already know, and college was a time in his life he really hadn't shared much about.

"It's true darlin', we met at just the right time in our lives for you to love me rather than hate me", grinning to himself as he proudly and fondly remembered the many women he'd taken to bed in college and beyond, it took him a second to get his thoughts back on track. Sue Ellen had far too much self-control and was far too controlled by her mother to have given in to his physical wants and needs prior to marriage and considering the man he was before they had met had not been marriage minded at all, they probably never would have worked out. Of course, he couldn't be completely sure of that, because before her he'd never felt such an emotional attraction to any woman, so who knows really whether he would have wanted to woo her and date her longer than it took for her to make her positon on premarital sex clear. It was probably fair to say though that she would not have warmed to him as he was back then, because with the lack of protest the other girls seemed to make to his behaviour, despite all being from 'good homes', there was little that would have changed his attitude toward women and sex at that time.

"I bet I never told you I was on the debate team, did I?" breaking away from what he knew she knew of him in college, he brought the conversation back to their earlier topic, 'secret' skills, something Sue Ellen seemed to find fascinating. "No, you didn't, but I can imagine it, arguing seems to be something you take pride and find pleasure in. I'm only privy to a small part of your work life, but I've seen you tear ideas, and people, to shreds to get your own way. I've also seen you play the game of making it appear that you're listening and being swayed before jumping into a complete counterargument". Raising an eyebrow in surprise at the gleeful way his wife described his powers of persuasion, JR replied with genuine surprise, "I didn't think it was so obvious, but you're right, I didn't just learn my how to do business from daddy". Enjoying the way she seemed to be listening intently to him speaking, he leaned closer to her before continuing, "tell me darlin', how do you feel about that?" Pushing her for her feelings, he expected she would respond with a certain answer, because he knew that while she was a good, nice person and she liked when he was also a decent man, somewhere deep inside her she also secretly loved when he showed everyone just how much power and control he had.

Leaning in to him as he was to her, Sue Ellen's reply came in a whispered tone, "well, I'm surprised you were on a team, but that plays into my deeper feelings for you. I think you are the most fascinating man I have ever met; I love that about you, and I love you". Holding his gaze as she whispered her reply, it was obvious to him that she meant it. "I'm a leader, I lead that team…" smirking as he responded, he looked satisfied with himself, though he quickly turned serious again as he continued. "Fascinating you say? That's a real compliment, thank you darlin'", taking hold of her hand as he spoke, he leaned forward to give her a brief, soft kiss, aware of their public location, and as they came apart, he whispered his love for her in return. Silently holding each other's gaze for a few moments longer, the arrival of their appetizers broke their trance, though not the mood, and before she could dig further into his past, he decided to ask her about hers, "my turn now, tell me something I don't know about you".

To be continued…