Mistakes Galore

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Chapter 4

So Dean's family was going to participate in a Murder Mystery Game. And the so-called 'murder' of Eunice the maid would take place sometime the following morning. In the meantime, everyone stayed and chatted a bit as the late afternoon changed to early evening.

At last, Olivia suggested to Amanda, "Well, dear, dinner will be served soon and I'm sure you'll want to change out of your traveling clothes into something better suited for the dining room."

Amanda looked down at her clothes, which included a button down top, a vest and dress pants, "Change for dinner?" she asked, panicking a bit since she considered what she was wearing nice clothes.

Dean quickly intercepted, "Is it really necessary for Amanda to change, Mother? I think she looks fine."

"Oh! I'm not saying otherwise, Dean, dear!" Olivia claimed, "I'm just wondering if 'fine' is the standard that you want."

"Mother is correct, everyone dresses up for dinner," Daniel concurred, "it shows respect."

Liz then piped in, "Amanda, if you're lacking something appropriate, you're more than welcome to one of my dresses. I have quite a few tasteful selections for you to choose from so that you don't have to wear that."

By now, Amanda's cheeks had turned scarlet.

"Oh, um, thank you, Liz, that's so nice of you," Amanda stated, remembering her manners. Then she stood up, "but I think I can find something from my suitcase that might be appropriate for dinner."

"Good decision, Amanda," Dean supportively stated, "and I think Isabella has already brought up our suitcases, so why don't I show you to your room upstairs?"

Amanda was relieved to leave the room.

"That would be nice. Thank you, Dean."

They both left the awkward situation.

And as Lee watched them leave, his heart went out to Amanda. And it was the first time he really took a disliking to Olivia Wellington.

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Dean and Amanda walked up the polished mahogany staircase to the bedrooms on the second floor. It still awed Amanda how massive and elaborate the mansion was.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this house," Amanda stated, her voice echoing while walking up the winding stairs, "I can't believe it was your childhood home."

"For only half a year, remember," Dean stated, "luckily I didn't have to stay here all the time with Daniel and Deidre, who lived with Mother year-round."

"Did you like that arrangement?" Amanda asked.

"It's nothing to complain about," Dean philosophized, "With my mother, I learned the mannered way, and with my father, I learned fun skills, like how to fish and hunt. It was all good."

"It does sound like a good balance, Dean. My mother was wonderful, but even as a child, I used to dream about being rich like my uncle," Amanda sighed.

"Oh? You had a rich uncle?"

"No, when I said I used to dream about being rich like my uncle, I meant he dreamed of being rich, too!" she joked, a wide smile on her face with her play-on-words.

"Oh, I see," he said, but clearly he did not.

Okay, so maybe Dean didn't have the greatest of humor, Amanda internalized, but he was kind and respectful to her and that was what mattered the most.

They had reached the top of the stairs and was now walking down the hallway until they reached a closed door.

"This will be your room, Amanda."

He opened the door to her room and she peeked inside. The interior of the room was breathtaking. It was spacious, done up in a gold motif with a walk in closet, a cathedral ceiling with a chandelier for lights, and an elaborate canopy bed, complete with matching luminous golden-rich fabrics that draped around the four-post bed.

"I'll be staying in this big fancy room by myself?" Amanda blinked, as she continued standing at the doorway and peeking in.

"Yes and that door straight-away leads to the bathroom, with my bedroom on the other side," Dean added, "In other words, our two rooms are connected by the bathroom."

A male voice behind them then added, "I believe that's called a Jack and Jill bathroom."

Dean and Amanda turned to see Lee standing behind them.

And Amanda's heart did a flip flop.

"Stetson," Dean greeted him, obviously not pleased with the interruption, " making another Good Housekeeping reference, perhaps?"

It was obviously a put-down.

Lee shrugged, "Not really. It's called being an all-around well-informed person."

That didn't sit well with Dean.

"So you know the term 'Jack and Jill' design room?" he challenged, "I should have known you would know a 'girly' term like that. Are you a closet interior designer as well?"

"Not at all. In fact, there's only one other thing I know about interior design."

"Really now," Dean looked bored, "And what's that?"

"That 9 out of 10 people have good taste," Lee stated, "and the tenth person has the bad taste to look down on people who know design terms!"

He ended his statement with a quick wink at Amanda, who blushed and shyly looked down.

And that small gesture wasn't lost on Dean, who glowered at Lee.

"What are you doing up here, anyway?" he brusquely asked Lee, "Shouldn't you be downstairs with your employer?"

Lee held up a contraption that looked like a Geiger-counter.

"I'm here to sweep the room for listening devices. Just doing my job, as they say! So, if you'll excuse me..." and after a slight nod, Lee went into Amanda's room first.

With Lee gone, Dean complained, "I have to tell you, Amanda, there's something about that guy I just don't like."

But Amanda hadn't been listening; she was busy watching Lee from the doorway.

"Amanda?" Dean stated.

"Oh!" Amanda came out of her trance and slowly turned her head to Dean, "Sorry! Umm..." she then whispered to Dean, "I don't think he's not that bad Dean. And your mother seems to trust him so he must be very competent in his job."

"I don't knowww..." Dean sounded hesitant, "if I didn't know better, I'd say he has a thing for you."

Amanda could feel her cheeks getting warm.

"What!? No!" she vehemently denied it, "I hadn't noticed any additional attention he's given me. Besides, I'd say Deidre is more Agent Stetson's type!"

"Let's hope so," Dean stated as he possessively grabbed Amanda by the waist.

Amanda showed surprise, "Dean! What are you doing?"

She hoped Lee didn't see the gesture and glancing into her bedroom, she noticed that Lee had already gone to check the bathroom.

"Amanda?"

Dean was calling her again.

She had to stop thinking about Lee, especially when Dean was right in front of her!

She gave him her full attention, "Hmm?" she asked, allowing him to hold her in an embrace.

Dean commented, "I really enjoy holding you like this...you're so soft and your waist is so tiny!"

"Oh, uh, thank you, I guess. But, you know, Dean, perhaps we shouldn't be showing such affection inside your mother's home."

"Nonsense, Amanda. Can't I just hold my very special girl in my arms?" he innocently asked.

But before Amanda could answer, the door to Dean's bedroom opened and Lee walked out and back into the hallway. He paused slightly when he saw Dean's arms around Amanda's waist, but he quickly recovered.

"All done," Lee announced, and then he quickly strode by them while mumbling, "See you two at dinner."

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Nothing majorly wrong happened at dinnertime, much to Amanda's relief. However, it did was reinforce for her that matriarch Olivia was controlling, son Daniel was snobbish, wife Liz was pessimistic, daughter Deidre was spoiled, and maid Eunice was cold. The only awkward time was trying to avoid looking at Lee. Lee was having just as hard a time as her. It made the dinner seem longer than it was.

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Much later….

It was well into the night and Lee was tossing and turning in his bed.

He was having a restless sleep.

Somewhere from the back of his mind, he heard his door open and shut and then felt some weight on his bed.

"Lee," a feminine voice whispered.

With his eyes still shut, Lee smiled.

Amanda.

He was still in that twilight haze between awake and asleep.

"Heyyyyy..." he sleepily mumbled back.

He felt her body inch closer to him.

"Relax," she whispered.

Her inviting words caused goosebumps to rise on his flesh as blood pulsated throughout his body.

To his delight, he felt her run her hand sensually through his hair. He grabbed her arm to pull her closer to him. And that's when he inhaled her musky scent.

Musky scent?

That would NEVER be Amanda!

He immediately opened his eyes, sat up, and scooted away from her.

"Deidre!"

She gave a low, sensual laugh and Lee had to admit that it was an enticing sound.

"Of course it's me!" she verified, "Were you expecting someone else?"

He was fully awake now, his eyes wide, "No, no one! W-What are you doing here, anyway?"

Her smile was self-satisfied as she reached out to touch his cheek.

"Just giving you want you want, Inspector Sherlock Hunk! I know the kind of man you are," she purred as she expertly used the other hand to unwrap her bathrobe, which revealed a laced negligee, "and that's exactly the kind of man I want..."

"Now hold on, right there, Deidre..." Lee stated, purposely keeping his distance, "You shouldn't be in here, and we shouldn't be together like this in your mother's house!"

"Oh come on, Lee!" Deidre cajoled him, "You don't need to play hard-to-get with me!"

"I'm not playing and there's no need right now, as well," he claimed.

She looked doubtful, "You sure weren't acting all-demur and indignant-like when I first came in!"

Lee was insistent, "This isn't the right time and place for this, Deidre."

She attractively tilted her head, "That's not exactly a 'no', is it, Lee?"

"It is for tonight," he responded back.

His words weren't exactly a rejection, so Deidre stood, "Another time, then. You can't deny there's something between us!"

Lee ignored the last remark as he dismissed her, "Good night, Deidre. Sleep tight."

She was now re-tying her bathrobe.

"I hope you're going to be worth it," she stated, holding her head up high.

Then she was gone and the room was quiet once again.

After she left, Lee laid in the darkness for a time, thinking about what had just occurred.

It wasn't a shock that Deidre had made a move on him; the shock was that he was more than willing to engage with her when he thought it was Amanda in the bedroom.

Amanda!

How the hell had he become attracted to her?

Well, he'll never be able to sleep now!

So instead, he got up, put on his bathrobe and went downstairs.

The mansion felt quiet and still.

He went into the kitchen and saw a small bag of dark roast Italian decaf coffee on the counter. It was an expensive brand. He then felt the half-filled coffeepot. Surprisingly it was slightly warm. The Wellington's over-warmed coffee was infinitely better than the freshly brewed coffee at the Agency any day, he thought, as he poured some of it in a mug.

He took a sip. As expected, the taste was exquisite and soothing. Just what he needed. Then walking to the window, he peered up towards the heavens. The twinkling choir of stars was in sharp contrast to the black tranquility of the sky. The loveliness of the night seemed to be beckoning him outside.

Taking his coffee mug, he opened the back door and walked outside.

The night air was a cool balm to his cluttered thoughts as he looked around the darkened greenery outside. After dealing earlier with Dean's family, Lee welcomed the quietness and solitude of their backyard.

He remembered when he had made a round of the grounds earlier, that there had been a charming white bench shelved underneath a tall tree with low-hanging branches against the back fence, so he headed in that direction.

Approaching his destination, he saw that the entire area was shrouded in darkness due to the thick tree limbs. Even the moonlight was unable to penetrate through.

He walked into the pool of moonlight and was aware of a dark shadow on the bench that he originally thought was part of the tree. As he walked closer towards tree, however, he noted a sliver of moonbeam had cast a light on the shadow and Lee took a deep breath in.

The shadow was a female, who was now staring directly at him.

"A-man-da," he stated in a hushed tone, amid the dimness of the night.

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