Happy Valentine's Day - Final Verse

After Perry and Della closed the office they drove up the coast to Point Mugu. Perry had picked up a picnic lunch from Clay's before they had headed out. Della carried the basket while Perry carried a blanket, beach chairs and an umbrella down the the soft sand.

They enjoyed an excellent lunch of Cabernet Sauvignon and Aged Cheddar, warm sourdough bread, grapes and strawberries and a delicious lemon tart to finish.

Perry lay back in the beach chair watching while Della packed up the basket. Seeing that there were a few grapes left he gave a loud exaggerated sigh.

"If I said I loved you, would you feed me a grape?"

From her place on the blanket, Della looked at him over the top of her sunglasses. "Are you serious?"

Perry chuckled. "In ancient times, slave girls used to fight to serve the emperor."

Della stood and sat beside him on the chair. "I am not a slave girl, and you Mr. Mason are not the emperor. But…"

Perry's blue eyes rivaled the ocean as he smiled at her. "But?"

Her return smile was sultry and sensual. "A grape for a kiss."

"Agreed."

Della took a grape from the bunch and placed it between her teeth, being careful not to bite into it. Leaning forward, Perry took the grape from her, then claimed his kiss. Not surprisingly, the rest of the grapes were forgotten.

When they had returned from their afternoon at the beach, Della had prepared Perry's favorite meal of steak, lyonnaise potatoes, asparagus and another Cabernet.

When they finished, she settled him on the couch in front of the fire with a glass of his favorite scotch, telling him she was going to prepare his dessert.

Perry sat staring into the fire thinking just how wonderful things were now that he had Della in his life. He felt that before she had come into his office and his life, he had been drifting between work and a succession of meaningless dates.

Now he had found his true north and he was never going to lose her.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low bluesy number on the stereo. The object of his thoughts walked slowly toward him. His eyes raked her from head to toe. The red satin teddy accentuated every curve and the red high heels made her shapely legs seem even longer. She wore the ruby heart necklace and had pulled her hair back to reveal the matching ruby earrings he had given her at dinner.

When he just sat admiring her without moving, she stepped closer to him.

"I believe I promised you dessert."

Perry set his drink down, never taking his eyes from her. "Well, it's not cherries jubilee or baked Alaska…"

"WHAT?!"

But before she could move, Perry jumped from the couch and swept her up in his arms. Heading for the bedroom, he nuzzled her neck.

"But I do believe Della-a-la-mode will be just a good."

Her shrieks of laughter were drowned out as he shoved the door closed with his foot.