Author's Note: In reviewing the earlier episodes for the purposes of writing this tale, I noticed that Amanda seemed to be following the old tradition of widowed and divorced ladies to wear the wedding set on the right hand to indicate their singlehood. I saw this in several episodes up until this one in which it was replaced by what looked like a class ring before she removed it to put on the "friendship" ring. So my evil little mind came up with a plan to use that for this chapter.
Chapter 17-Is That Why You're Busy Tonight?
"The Artful Dodger"
Amanda was beginning to get flustered by the debate in Billy's office about her ring and finally said, "It was given to me by a friend and therefore it is simply...a friendship ring."
"Okay, Sure. Friendship," Francine said with salacious grin as she exited the room.
Amanda shook her head and turned to Billy. "Sir, I could rearrange my schedule and change my plans, if you need me."
Billy nodded, but before he could say anything, Lee interjected, "No, no, no, Hey, if you've got a heavy date tonight, forget it."
Amanda's voice overlapped with Lee's as she said, "I don't have a heavy date tonight."
"No, really."
"I don't have a heavy date," Amanda repeated.
"Who gave you that ring," Lee said in a demanding tone, jealousy flaring. More than jealousy, fiercely protective of Amanda, he wanted to know who the guy was who thought he could give her a concubine ring. Did the guy think she was some easy lay? Did he think that she was some common whore? That thought infuriated him more than he liked. Their voices continued to overlap as the debate continued.
"Oh, I don't think you should ask me a persona question like that,"
"Personal. I wasn't being personal," Lee argued, but he couldn't deny the anger he felt at the idea that Amanda had some hot date with some random guy that he knew nothing about, a guy who'd given her some cheesy line about that ring being a friendship ring. He found himself not just angry at the mystery guy, but at her complete naiveté at buying into it.
"...especially here at work," Amanda said thinking of all the times that his jealousy of other men in her life had led to them being locked in each other's arms. "This is not the time."
Soon Billy's voice joined the overlapping din, "Amanda, Scarecrow," when he got nowhere, he repeated, "Scarecrow, Amanda, Listen!" He'd watched their verbal ping-pong with some amusement for a moment but now he was getting annoyed.
They both turned to him, their voices, once again overlapping, as Lee said, "What?" while Amanda replied, "Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir."
Now that he had their full attention, Billy turned to Lee and said, Scarecrow I've got just two words for you, Fred...Fielder."
Lee then turned to Amanda and said, "How about 7:30?"
Amanda turned to Lee and replied, "I'll help you."
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"Thanks for the family history," Lee snapped irritated by Amanda's ramble about her ex-father-in-law. However, if he were truly honest with himself, he'd admit that it wasn't the ramble that was getting to him. It was the fact that she'd slipped and nearly referred to him as her father-in-law before correcting herself, making him wonder if she still thought of herself as married. That thought filled him with a flurry of questions. Was she still pining for her ex-husband? Was that why she'd turned down the weatherman's marriage proposal and eventually ended things with him? He thought about all the times that he'd snuck into her back yard and had seen her interacting with her sons and wondered why she was always doing it alone. Where was her ex and why didn't he ever come around to visit his children? What was the reason for their divorce? Had it been ugly? Had he hurt her? No, he couldn't imagine Amanda putting up with any man abusing her, not as fiery as she was. Had he cheated on her? Knowing Amanda the way that he did, he imagined that she'd never put up with infidelity. He knew how seriously she took commitment, but then that left him to wonder why she didn't seem to be open to a committed relationship now.
He reflected back on how angry she'd been with him about the wisecrack he'd made about David Benson being divorced and how she'd reminded him very bluntly that she too, was divorced and had sensed not only anger, but sadness when she'd said it. That led him back to the idea that maybe she was still in love with her ex-husband. That thought made him angrier than he could stand, not only at the idea that she was hanging on to a man who'd obviously caused her pain, but seemed to have basically abandoned his children. His children, Lee thought, a sick feeling lodging in the pit of his stomach as he thought of how babies were made, his mind wandering where he definitely didn't want it to go. She'd mentioned that she'd started the pill shortly after Jamie's birth and he recalled vividly her conversation with Penny about how she used to wear sexy nightgowns for her ex-husband when things weren't going so well. In his mind, he had built up this image of her as the wholesome mother of two and would like to think of her only having had sex with her ex twice.
Now, who's being naive, Stetson," he scolded himself. He knew logically that it wasn't true. A woman as passionate and vibrant as Amanda, who wore sexy nightgowns to entice her husband when things were bad between them would definitely not have been celibate during her marriage. Besides, why else would she have needed to be on the pill after giving birth to her younger son if she weren't sexually active? He felt a pang of sadness for her if she felt that wearing sexy nightgowns was the only way to keep her marriage alive. He wondered just how long things had been bad between them before they finally ended it. His emotions whirled as all these thoughts hit him at once; sorrow for her and whatever pain her divorce had caused her, sadness for her children growing up without their father, as he knew all too well what it was like to be parentless. He also felt anger toward the faceless ex-husband who'd been stupid enough to let her go and bitter envy of the man who'd once shared her bed on a regular basis. He was utterly confused by that one. How could any man in his right mind walk away from her? Lucky bastard, Lee thought bitterly. If he were fortunate enough to have Amanda in his bed every night, he'd...
You'd what? He asked himself cursing his own stupidity for not having the balls to man up and tell her how he really felt about her. That's right. You'd nothing, Stupid, he chided himself. He couldn't even summon up the courage to take her to his bed. All of the times they'd made love and it had still never been in a bed, they'd still never spent a full night together or woken up together, had never been on a real date. No, she reserved the real dates for guys she could take home to meet her mother. Guys who didn't have to hide in the shadows and lurk around her house like some pathetic peeping Tom. As much as the thought disturbed him, he wondered if she wasn't just using him for sex. He knew that she considered them friends, but when the need struck both of them, she became, for a moment, much more than his friend, but it was fleeting. Once it was over, they both pretended that nothing ever happened and went back to their separate routines, neither acknowledging that something kept pulling them together. He wondered what would happen if he would ever ask her out on a real date.
All these thoughts plagued him throughout their conversation about Granger, through his phone call to find that the guy hadn't shown up to work. He found himself growing more and more agitated. He wanted nothing more right now that to get the hell away from her and be left alone with his thoughts. Damn Billy and his insistence on him having Amanda help him with this assignment. "Come on, come on," Lee huffed impatiently as he felt she was taking far longer than she should to pull an address for Granger.
"Lee," she said in a warning voice.
"What?" he snapped.
"Rushing me will make me nervous," she said giving him a cool glare thoroughly annoyed by his behavior today in Billy's office and the way that he'd acted as if he had a right to know everything about her personal life when he'd shown no interest in pursuing a real relationship with her. In fact, there were times that he'd acted downright callous about their many sexual encounters as if they were nothing more than a filling of a mutual need. Why would he begrudge her the opportunity to have a social life? It's not as if she was sleeping around, not that it was any of his business if she were. He wasn't her boyfriend. He'd made it clear on many occasions that the two of them were "not involved."
Lee shook his head, trying to shake off the feeling of dread that came over him as the staredown she was giving him, turned his head and began whistling, trying to be nonchalant about it as if he didn't care. He looked back at her at hearing her say, "Whistling is rushing," to find that she was still staring at him icily. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to wipe that glare off her face.
Finally having had enough, Lee leaned over her and said impatiently, "Then let me do it!" Bad move, Lee, he said to himself as the movement had brought him into closer contact with her than he was comfortable with, his face inches from her partially exposed neck as she had her thick hair piled atop her head. He swallowed hard and fought the urge to clamp his mouth down on that very spot that he knew would make her crazy with raw need as it had in the past.
"I can do it," Amanda snapped shrinking away from him.
"Then do it already," he snapped back as he leaned in again, "Either that or get out of the way so I can do it!"
Amanda's ire flared and she said, "Fine! If you think you can get the job done so much faster, then go for it!" She then rose from her seat angrily, which was the wrong move to make, his close proximity to her causing her to slam right into his solid frame nearly losing her balance, only to be caught by his steadying hands as she braced her own hands against his chest for support.
They stared at each other for a long moment. Both were breathing heavily from a combination of their argument and the underlying desire between them simmering just beneath the surface. They made a move to close the gap between them simultaneously, the simmering rising to a rapid boil as they kissed and groped, tugging at the multiple layers of clothing between them, tongues dueling, hands working buttons and zippers, clutching at each other in a frenzied race to see how could get the other one naked first. They moaned against each other as the heat of their passion ignited both of them.
"Oh," Amanda gasped as Lee's mouth descended on her newly bared breast. How had that happened, was her fleeting thought her desire for him building as she felt him tugging at her jeans.
Lee pulled back slightly and growled in frustration, "Damn you and these jeans," as he struggled to remove them from her lithe form. "What happened to skirts?'
"You told me to wear something that I was comfortable in and that I could move in," Amanda reminded him. "A skirt wouldn't have fit that request."
"Great," Lee said as he finally accomplished his task of getting her jeans open, pushed them down and slipped his hand inside her panties. "What a great time for you to listen to me for once."
"It's not as if I thought we'd be doing this ton- Oh!" her argument was cut short by Lee's very talented hand stroking her, one finger inside her while her caressed her center with his thumb while he pushed her panties down with the other hand.
Lee lowered his lips to her neck, giving up all pretense of hiding his passion for her, groaning against her skin as he felt her tugging at his jeans with one hand while she caressed him through the denim with the other. "God," he muttered into her neck. "You're already wet,' he whispered as he nipped at her skin while he continued to stroke her inside and out.
"You always make me that way," she whispered back as she moved her hands to his shoulders for support, his touch was on the verge of making her knees buckle as she neared her climax. "Oh, Lee," she cried as she felt it begin, but before it could continue, that contact was gone and she felt herself being turned around as Lee braced her hands on the back of the chair. "Come on, come on," she snapped impatiently mimicking his earlier words.
Leaning over her, Lee whispered in her ear in a mocking tone, "Rushing me will make me nervous." He quickly freed himself from his jeans and plunged into her hard from behind, gratified by hearing her crying out his name again. He clamped his lips down on her neck, as he'd wanted to before, one hand gripping her hip as he pushed into her reputedly and the other stroking her center. "So wet," He murmured against her skin, "so good," he added as he felt her clenching around him as her release hit her and heard her crying out his name. Wanting to make it last, but also driven by his intense need to possess her to make her forget about any other man, he couldn't stop himself from slamming into her as hard as he could until it was too late to hold back any longer. He let out a long, loud, groan as the simmering desire finally boiled over and he emptied himself into her, crying out her name uncontrollably. He cradled her against him until his shaking subsided and his breathing became normal again.
"Oh," Amanda whimpered as she felt Lee pull out of her, mourning the loss of him inside her. She heard the hiss of his zipper behind her, indicating that he was righting his clothing. She glanced down at her hands still gripping the back of the chair, knuckles white with the pressure she'd exerted during their frenzied coupling, sighed, released the chair and began tugging at her own clothing. "Wow," she said softly.
"Well, I know it's not why you planned to be busy toni-" Lee broke off at the thought that she'd planned to go out with the guy who'd given her the ring and snatched her hand to stare at it. "Or is it? What were you planning on doing with him tonight anyway?" he demanded.
"What?"Amanda said startled. "That is none of your damn business!"
"No?"
"No," Amanda said snatching her hand from his grasp.
"Well, I noticed that you're no longer wearing your old rings like you used to. Instead, you're wearing...that," He said with an angry gesture to the garish ring still on her finger. "Does that mean that this guy is the one you're thinking of replacing your ex-husband with?'
"What does my ex-husband have to do with this? I haven't seen him in over three years except for the ten minutes we were in the same room to sign the final divorce papers! As for this guy, I already told you that it's none of your business!'
"How is it none of my business?" I think I have a right to know if you're sleeping with both of us like you were with that guy, Dan, the one who bought you the shiny diamond that you turned down."
"Dean!" Amanda yelled shaking her head in disbelief at Lee and his raging jealousy. She jabbed a finger into his chest and said, "And that was also none of your business."
"Oh, come on, Amanda, you let this new guy give you a damn concubine ring, so he must think there's something there if he even had the balls to do something like that! That means you must have given him a reason to think it was okay!"
"Well, I don't notice you putting any rings on my finger!"
"Well, if that's what you expect, you can just forget it!" Lee said.
Amanda's voice overlapped his, "In fact, I haven't ever heard you ever ask me out on a real date! How do you know that Dean bought me a ring anyway? Were you spying on him just like you've been spying on me?"
"I wasn't spying on him, but as your partner, I have a right to know that the people you socialize with aren't a risk to national security!"
"Oh, isn't it interesting that every time I have a date with another man, I'm suddenly your partner, but any other time, you're this big loner who doesn't need a partner?"
"I don't need a partner!" Lee shouted.
"Good, then since you don't need me, I'll just go home!" she said and stormed toward the door then stopped suddenly trying desperately to calm down and catch her breath.
"Fine! Who needs you anyway?" he said turning around finding himself staring at her back. You do, he told himself. When he noticed that she wasn't moving. "What? I thought you were leaving."
Amanda sighed and turned back to face him, saying softly, "You drove me here."
"Oh, right," Lee said. He also sighed, running a hand through his hair, then said, "Well, since you're still here, we might as well finish the job we started," as he indicated the microfilm machine.
"Right, the job," Amanda said with a nod as she settled in again in the chair. She glanced briefly at the ring and thought of Alan's words when he'd given it to her that he wanted her to look at it and think of him. She shook her head as she thought that when Lee had been making her crazy with need, she most definitely had not been thinking of Alan.
"Right," Lee said.
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Amanda babbled nervously as she fiddled with her knife and fork, feeling tremendously guilty that her trust of Alan had led to Lee's injuries, as she tried to figure out if this dinner invitation from Lee was his attempt to ask her out on a real date. She wondered if it hadn't been prompted by their fight in the PWAC microfilm room. She felt like she was back in high school trying to determine if the boy that she liked, liked her in return.
"An apology?" Lee sighed as her heard Amanda ramble on as he struggled to sip at his soup through his swollen lips. The pain in his mouth, though was taking second place to the pain in his heart that she had failed to realize that this had been an attempt to ask her out on a real date as he thought she wanted after their shouting match the other day. He quickly covered his hurt by saying that he ate there all the time and to finally, just shut her up, told her that it was an apology.
Amanda, hearing Lee say that their dinner together was an attempt to apologize for his prior anger, quickly changed the subject to hide her disappointment. "Would you like your jell-o now?"