1 A Little Push
by matahari2
Summary / Disclaimer, Etc.: See Chapter One.
Chapter Six - Lee's Dilemma
Lee Stetson stood in the shower, letting the hot water wash over him, as he anticipated what the evening would bring. He was looking forward to being with Leslie, but he did feel a little guilty. He'd said that the three dates they'd missed had all been work-related, but he knew that, technically, that wasn't quite true. The first one, last Friday, when they didn't get to share the surprise dinner Leslie had prepared in his apartment...that one had been work-related, true. And Monday's meetings and having to interrogate Franco Necci again...that qualified, as well. But Saturday night, he'd been mending fences and bonding with his partner and friend. Amanda had seemed really upset with him, and he'd guessed that it was all because he'd tried to keep her out of harm's way, when, as it turned out, she was quite capable of taking care of herself. So, okay, he could let himself 'off the hook' for that occasion, too, right?
At precisely 6:45 p.m., Lee arrived at Leslie's hotel, looking better in his dark blue suit and French blue shirt than anyone had a right to. He had just enough time to stop in at the little flower and gift shop just off of the lobby, before heading upstairs to room 705.
As Leslie opened the door, she exclaimed, "Lee! How wonderful to see you, and what a beautiful, romantic gesture...one perfect red rose!"
In response, Lee kissed her hand, and continued the thought, "...for a very lovely lady." Seeing her coquettish smile, Lee asked, "Are we ready?"
"Certainly," she said, as she spun around for him. "Look all right?"
"You look terrific," he answered. "Shall we?" he offered, as they ventured forth, arm in arm.
She was wearing what Lee would forever consider 'the dress', low-cut, black, spaghetti straps. He didn't know when he'd get over the guilt associated with that fiasco. But he smiled to himself, shook his head and tried to put it out of his mind. At least for tonight.
Spencer's was a restaurant that had what some travel guidebooks call 'casual elegance.' The main dining room was beautifully appointed, the lighting was just low enough to offer a romantic setting, and the service was beyond excellent. And the waiters didn't look down their noses at you if you didn't come in wearing black tie and tails, which made it just about right for this evening.
Lee and Leslie's dinner conversation was pleasant enough.
Leslie remarked, "Lee, I still can't thank you enough for this beautiful dress...it was so sweet that you saw it in a store window, and right away, you thought of me."
"Yes, well, I thought you'd look wonderful in it, and you certainly do," Lee said graciously. 'If she only knew,' he thought. He couldn't help remembering another lovely brunette, who'd worn a very similar dress. And looked fantastic in it. But he pulled his focus back to the present moment, and continued, "Leslie, I'm really glad we finally had another chance to go out together, after all my work-related 'snafus'."
"I know, Lee, I'm glad, too. I know these things happen...that's not to say I was happy about it at the time, but I do understand. All is forgiven, " Leslie said with a bright smile. The next thing she said threw him off just a bit. "How is Amanda?"
For a second, Lee looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, but he recovered, and said, "Oh, she's just fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Lee dear, it was obvious to me that she's much more than a 'secretary' to you, " Leslie began.
Lee cut her off, saying, "more than a..."
And Leslie interrupted, continuing her thought, "she's a friend, right, a very good friend?"
Lee gave a relieved smile, and said "Yes, that's right. She is a...very good...friend."
They passed a little more pleasant conversation, and left the restaurant to go back to Leslie's hotel. Her hotel room had a fairly large sitting-room area, and just after they arrived, Lee and Leslie exchanged knowing smiles, and eased down onto the sofa. They embraced and shared a few gentle kisses. Leslie stroked the hair at Lee's collar as their kissing intensified. As Lee planted soft kisses across Leslie's cheek and moved toward her ear, he whispered, "Amanda..." and Leslie stiffened in his embrace. She carefully removed her hands from around his neck, and gently pushed him away.
"Lee Stetson, you have some serious thinking to do before I'll ever agree to see you again." She'd spoken quietly, she hadn't shouted. That made it even more ominous.
"Leslie, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..." he tried to say.
But Leslie wasn't going to fall for the 'oops, I didn't mean it' excuse. Not again. "Lee. Just leave. It's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that there is someone who means much more to you than you're willing to admit, and that someone is Amanda, not me. So just go. Please."
As she closed the door to his retreating back, Lee shook his head and shouted to the elevator door, "I don't believe this!"
Somehow he found his way to the silver Corvette, and soon found himself in front of the Jefferson Hotel. It was only a little after 9:00, maybe Emily would still be up. He asked the desk clerk to phone her room to see if she was in and would agree to see him. The desk clerk made the call and "Yes, Lady Farnsworth is in, and she would be glad to have you come up to her room for a visit, Mr. Stetson."
Lee thanked the desk clerk and made his way to Emily's room. Emily opened the door, a look of deep concern written all over her face. She inquired, "Oh dear me, Lee, what have you done now?"
Lee Stetson studied the pattern of the carpet for a moment, then looked straight into Emily's eyes with a rueful smile, and said, "I guess you know me pretty well, don't you? Yeah...you're right, I've done it again. At the most 'inappropriate' moment, I called Leslie by Amanda's name. Again. And Leslie's pretty smart. She didn't buy the 'I didn't mean it' defense. Like I said before, when I screw up...well, let's just say, I'm a trained professional...don't try this at home!"
Emily smiled and shook her head, "Lee, dear, there's no need to be so hard on yourself."
"Not be so hard on myself? What else is there to do? But you know what, Emily, the strange thing is, I'm angry with myself for what happened, but for some reason I don't feel 'sad' about it. Shouldn't I?"
"Well now, Lee, let's take a step back for just a moment. Remember our conversation, wasn't it just last night? Something about...similarity of appearance, and so forth, between two very lovely brunettes?"
"Yeah...and?"
"Think about it, Lee. Have you and Amanda ever been on a 'date'?"
"No, not really," Lee said, noncommittally. "I mean, we've spent a little time together away from work. I took her to the opera once. And we've been out for a drink after work, and a few dinners, one just last week."
"And you didn't consider those 'dates'," Emily prompted. "Let me just ask you a few questions, just to clarify the matter. On any of those occasions, did you pick her up at her home?"
"Okay, yes, the night we went to the Verdi Festival at the Kennedy Center, and again last Friday night."
"And what, may I ask, prompted you to ask her out on at least those two occasions?"
"Madame Interrogator! You're a tough one!" he said in mock indignation. Then he grinned and went on. "Oh, all right, I'll try and answer. The week that Pavarotti was in town for the Verdi Festival was the same week that we worked on the Alan Chamberlain case. Amanda was assigned to follow the guy around DC as part of a security check, and as usual, things got a little out of hand and she actually met the guy by accident. He asked her out one night, and I told her to go ahead and go, and she could give us any information she picked up. Then I found out that someone the guy had met in the park could put her in danger, so I went to her house in the middle of the night to warn her. She'd already set up a 'breakfast' date with this Chamberlain fellow, and I didn't want her to go, but she insisted on going, and said she'd leave right away as soon as we got the information we needed. We shook hands to seal our agreement. Anyway, to make a long story even longer...we solved the case together, and then of course, Amanda felt she had to apologize to the guy for deceiving him. I left them alone to say goodbye. I don't think Amanda was aware of it...that I saw him kissing her. Anyway..."
Emily couldn't hold back her outburst, "Aha! So you were jealous! And you thought, 'I'll one-up this fellow, and take her out for an unforgettable evening,' right?"
"Well...I don't know as I'd put it exactly like that, but...I guess you have me cornered on that one," Lee had to confess.
Emily wouldn't be put off. She prodded once more, "And on the most recent occasion, last week, I believe you said..."
"Oh, yeah. Well, as I told you last night, I knew I'd made Amanda pretty upset, and I wasn't sure exactly why. I mean, at the time, I thought it was because I'd asked what seemed to me to be an ordinary question, 'you're going straight home, right?', when Amanda took off on a tirade like I've never heard from her before. At the time, all I was trying to do was to consider her safety, but she very definitely didn't see it that way. At any rate, she did her part to save the day, as usual, and I even managed to give her a hard time about the way she managed it. Anyway...whoa! I'm even sounding a little like her as I ramble on! Anyway, I knew I had a lot of fence mending to do, and, I do consider her a really good friend, and..."
"And you didn't want to lose her," Emily finished. "As a friend. Is that what you're so afraid of?"
"Afraid of?!? What do you mean by that, Emily?" Lee asked.
"The friendship, Lee. It's one of the best you've ever had, and you're afraid of losing it, if you should move the relationship to a new level." Emily continued, "And one more question, Lee. Do you enjoy Amanda's company?"
"Well, sure...I mean, she's a terrific friend, you know. And she's pretty, and has a great sense of humor, and a great smile, and those sparkling, chocolate-colored eyes, and...oh...my...gosh!!" , Lee uttered, and slapped his hand over his mouth, not quite believing what all he'd revealed.
Emily replied with a smile, "Oh my gosh, indeed! "
"But Emily, what can I do, I mean, after all the times I've made it 'perfectly clear' to Amanda that we are NOT involved, how can I suddenly change direction and tell her the opposite, that I do care about her, very much?" Lee implored, wanting Emily to solve his dilemma.
But all she would volunteer was, "Lee, dear, I'm afraid the next step is up to you."
TO BE CONTINUED
by matahari2
Summary / Disclaimer, Etc.: See Chapter One.
Chapter Six - Lee's Dilemma
Lee Stetson stood in the shower, letting the hot water wash over him, as he anticipated what the evening would bring. He was looking forward to being with Leslie, but he did feel a little guilty. He'd said that the three dates they'd missed had all been work-related, but he knew that, technically, that wasn't quite true. The first one, last Friday, when they didn't get to share the surprise dinner Leslie had prepared in his apartment...that one had been work-related, true. And Monday's meetings and having to interrogate Franco Necci again...that qualified, as well. But Saturday night, he'd been mending fences and bonding with his partner and friend. Amanda had seemed really upset with him, and he'd guessed that it was all because he'd tried to keep her out of harm's way, when, as it turned out, she was quite capable of taking care of herself. So, okay, he could let himself 'off the hook' for that occasion, too, right?
At precisely 6:45 p.m., Lee arrived at Leslie's hotel, looking better in his dark blue suit and French blue shirt than anyone had a right to. He had just enough time to stop in at the little flower and gift shop just off of the lobby, before heading upstairs to room 705.
As Leslie opened the door, she exclaimed, "Lee! How wonderful to see you, and what a beautiful, romantic gesture...one perfect red rose!"
In response, Lee kissed her hand, and continued the thought, "...for a very lovely lady." Seeing her coquettish smile, Lee asked, "Are we ready?"
"Certainly," she said, as she spun around for him. "Look all right?"
"You look terrific," he answered. "Shall we?" he offered, as they ventured forth, arm in arm.
She was wearing what Lee would forever consider 'the dress', low-cut, black, spaghetti straps. He didn't know when he'd get over the guilt associated with that fiasco. But he smiled to himself, shook his head and tried to put it out of his mind. At least for tonight.
Spencer's was a restaurant that had what some travel guidebooks call 'casual elegance.' The main dining room was beautifully appointed, the lighting was just low enough to offer a romantic setting, and the service was beyond excellent. And the waiters didn't look down their noses at you if you didn't come in wearing black tie and tails, which made it just about right for this evening.
Lee and Leslie's dinner conversation was pleasant enough.
Leslie remarked, "Lee, I still can't thank you enough for this beautiful dress...it was so sweet that you saw it in a store window, and right away, you thought of me."
"Yes, well, I thought you'd look wonderful in it, and you certainly do," Lee said graciously. 'If she only knew,' he thought. He couldn't help remembering another lovely brunette, who'd worn a very similar dress. And looked fantastic in it. But he pulled his focus back to the present moment, and continued, "Leslie, I'm really glad we finally had another chance to go out together, after all my work-related 'snafus'."
"I know, Lee, I'm glad, too. I know these things happen...that's not to say I was happy about it at the time, but I do understand. All is forgiven, " Leslie said with a bright smile. The next thing she said threw him off just a bit. "How is Amanda?"
For a second, Lee looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car, but he recovered, and said, "Oh, she's just fine. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Lee dear, it was obvious to me that she's much more than a 'secretary' to you, " Leslie began.
Lee cut her off, saying, "more than a..."
And Leslie interrupted, continuing her thought, "she's a friend, right, a very good friend?"
Lee gave a relieved smile, and said "Yes, that's right. She is a...very good...friend."
They passed a little more pleasant conversation, and left the restaurant to go back to Leslie's hotel. Her hotel room had a fairly large sitting-room area, and just after they arrived, Lee and Leslie exchanged knowing smiles, and eased down onto the sofa. They embraced and shared a few gentle kisses. Leslie stroked the hair at Lee's collar as their kissing intensified. As Lee planted soft kisses across Leslie's cheek and moved toward her ear, he whispered, "Amanda..." and Leslie stiffened in his embrace. She carefully removed her hands from around his neck, and gently pushed him away.
"Lee Stetson, you have some serious thinking to do before I'll ever agree to see you again." She'd spoken quietly, she hadn't shouted. That made it even more ominous.
"Leslie, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean..." he tried to say.
But Leslie wasn't going to fall for the 'oops, I didn't mean it' excuse. Not again. "Lee. Just leave. It's obvious to anyone with eyes and ears that there is someone who means much more to you than you're willing to admit, and that someone is Amanda, not me. So just go. Please."
As she closed the door to his retreating back, Lee shook his head and shouted to the elevator door, "I don't believe this!"
Somehow he found his way to the silver Corvette, and soon found himself in front of the Jefferson Hotel. It was only a little after 9:00, maybe Emily would still be up. He asked the desk clerk to phone her room to see if she was in and would agree to see him. The desk clerk made the call and "Yes, Lady Farnsworth is in, and she would be glad to have you come up to her room for a visit, Mr. Stetson."
Lee thanked the desk clerk and made his way to Emily's room. Emily opened the door, a look of deep concern written all over her face. She inquired, "Oh dear me, Lee, what have you done now?"
Lee Stetson studied the pattern of the carpet for a moment, then looked straight into Emily's eyes with a rueful smile, and said, "I guess you know me pretty well, don't you? Yeah...you're right, I've done it again. At the most 'inappropriate' moment, I called Leslie by Amanda's name. Again. And Leslie's pretty smart. She didn't buy the 'I didn't mean it' defense. Like I said before, when I screw up...well, let's just say, I'm a trained professional...don't try this at home!"
Emily smiled and shook her head, "Lee, dear, there's no need to be so hard on yourself."
"Not be so hard on myself? What else is there to do? But you know what, Emily, the strange thing is, I'm angry with myself for what happened, but for some reason I don't feel 'sad' about it. Shouldn't I?"
"Well now, Lee, let's take a step back for just a moment. Remember our conversation, wasn't it just last night? Something about...similarity of appearance, and so forth, between two very lovely brunettes?"
"Yeah...and?"
"Think about it, Lee. Have you and Amanda ever been on a 'date'?"
"No, not really," Lee said, noncommittally. "I mean, we've spent a little time together away from work. I took her to the opera once. And we've been out for a drink after work, and a few dinners, one just last week."
"And you didn't consider those 'dates'," Emily prompted. "Let me just ask you a few questions, just to clarify the matter. On any of those occasions, did you pick her up at her home?"
"Okay, yes, the night we went to the Verdi Festival at the Kennedy Center, and again last Friday night."
"And what, may I ask, prompted you to ask her out on at least those two occasions?"
"Madame Interrogator! You're a tough one!" he said in mock indignation. Then he grinned and went on. "Oh, all right, I'll try and answer. The week that Pavarotti was in town for the Verdi Festival was the same week that we worked on the Alan Chamberlain case. Amanda was assigned to follow the guy around DC as part of a security check, and as usual, things got a little out of hand and she actually met the guy by accident. He asked her out one night, and I told her to go ahead and go, and she could give us any information she picked up. Then I found out that someone the guy had met in the park could put her in danger, so I went to her house in the middle of the night to warn her. She'd already set up a 'breakfast' date with this Chamberlain fellow, and I didn't want her to go, but she insisted on going, and said she'd leave right away as soon as we got the information we needed. We shook hands to seal our agreement. Anyway, to make a long story even longer...we solved the case together, and then of course, Amanda felt she had to apologize to the guy for deceiving him. I left them alone to say goodbye. I don't think Amanda was aware of it...that I saw him kissing her. Anyway..."
Emily couldn't hold back her outburst, "Aha! So you were jealous! And you thought, 'I'll one-up this fellow, and take her out for an unforgettable evening,' right?"
"Well...I don't know as I'd put it exactly like that, but...I guess you have me cornered on that one," Lee had to confess.
Emily wouldn't be put off. She prodded once more, "And on the most recent occasion, last week, I believe you said..."
"Oh, yeah. Well, as I told you last night, I knew I'd made Amanda pretty upset, and I wasn't sure exactly why. I mean, at the time, I thought it was because I'd asked what seemed to me to be an ordinary question, 'you're going straight home, right?', when Amanda took off on a tirade like I've never heard from her before. At the time, all I was trying to do was to consider her safety, but she very definitely didn't see it that way. At any rate, she did her part to save the day, as usual, and I even managed to give her a hard time about the way she managed it. Anyway...whoa! I'm even sounding a little like her as I ramble on! Anyway, I knew I had a lot of fence mending to do, and, I do consider her a really good friend, and..."
"And you didn't want to lose her," Emily finished. "As a friend. Is that what you're so afraid of?"
"Afraid of?!? What do you mean by that, Emily?" Lee asked.
"The friendship, Lee. It's one of the best you've ever had, and you're afraid of losing it, if you should move the relationship to a new level." Emily continued, "And one more question, Lee. Do you enjoy Amanda's company?"
"Well, sure...I mean, she's a terrific friend, you know. And she's pretty, and has a great sense of humor, and a great smile, and those sparkling, chocolate-colored eyes, and...oh...my...gosh!!" , Lee uttered, and slapped his hand over his mouth, not quite believing what all he'd revealed.
Emily replied with a smile, "Oh my gosh, indeed! "
"But Emily, what can I do, I mean, after all the times I've made it 'perfectly clear' to Amanda that we are NOT involved, how can I suddenly change direction and tell her the opposite, that I do care about her, very much?" Lee implored, wanting Emily to solve his dilemma.
But all she would volunteer was, "Lee, dear, I'm afraid the next step is up to you."
TO BE CONTINUED
