Chapter 61-One Level Higher
"The Eyes Have It"
Lee and Amanda walked through the front gate on Maplewood Drive returning from her reunion laughing and smiling about the time they'd had.
"I can't believe it! I just can't! Even at my own reunion, women won't stop flirting with you right in front of me as if I'm invisible," Amanda choked out between fits of giggles.
"Oh, no, no, no," he argued good-naturedly, "You, my friend, were the one being flirted with all night. What was that guy's name, the one who was so full of himself?"
"Which one?" Amanda teased as they reached the front porch.
Lee rolled his eyes. "You know which one, the guy who kept talking about how he was brave enough to face down headhunters in New Guinea and how dangerous it was. Neil-something."
"Drexler," Amanda supplied for him.
"Right, right," Lee shook his head as he edged closer to her. "If he only knew what WE do for a living, then he'd know what real danger is. I bet he'd have backed off of his flirting then, huh?"
"Don't tell me you're jealous," she chided him.
His slid his hands to her waist. "Should I be?" he asked earnestly.
"You know, Mother did ask me to invite him to dinner as soon as she read all about his adventures," Amanda couldn't resist goading him as she rested her hands on the solid wall of his chest.
"Ahh, but you introduced me to all your friends as your boyfriend," Lee pointed out.
"Well, you know how those things go." She told him with a wicked gleam in her eye as she wrapped her arms around his neck to urge him closer.
Following her lead, he tightened his grasp on her, pulling their bodies together. "No. Why don't you tell me?"
"Oh, well, at reunions, you know that people always exaggerate the stories of their lives, how successful they, how great their kids are doing in school, their relationshi..." Her voice trailed off as Lee's mouth descended toward hers, the fiery look in his eyes halting the flirty banter in its tracks.
The foyer light snapped on just then jolting both of them and Lee backed off as if scalded. "Amanda? Is that you?" Dotty's voice called as the front door was opened.
Amanda let out a sigh of frustration. "Yes, Mother, it is."
"What are you doing out here?"Her mother inquired.
"We were just saying goodnight," Amanda answered as she turned to indicate Lee only to find that he was gone. I hate it when he does that, she thought morosely. Here she was, introducing him to her friends as her boyfriend and fully prepared to do the same with her mother... She sighed again.
"We who?"
She shook her head. "Doesn't matter," she responded as she entered the house, closing the door behind her.
"It doesn't?" Dotty questioned as she moved into the kitchen and began filling the teakettle just as Amanda caught up with her. "So, I suppose this has nothing to do with the fact that earlier, you were dead set against going to your reunion, but then just as I was trying to hustle the boys upstairs, I hear what sounds suspiciously like a knock at the back door and not ten minutes later, you're all gung-ho about going." She turned on the front burner of the stove and slammed the teakettle down onto its surface then whipped around to face her daughter. "In fact, you suddenly seemed to even love the dress that you hated just moments before," she gave an exaggerated gesture to Amanda's attire. "Then as usual, you were off...without your car, I might add."
"M-m-my car," Amanda gulped.
"Yes, your car, Amanda. It sat in the driveway all night while you were off, supposedly at your reunion."
"I was at my reunion," Amanda confirmed.
"With whom? I mean, someone had to have driven you there since your car has never left the driveway tonight."
"I-I-I-" Amanda sputtered. "Well, obviously, someone did drive me-"
"Who?" Dotty cut in. When her daughter was silent. "Does this have anything to do with the fact that before I came downstairs just now, that silver sports car was parked at the curb again?"
"Mother..."
"Okay, you know what? It's none of my business." She threw her hands up in the air dramatically as she turned to the cupboard to extract teacups. "It is your life, after all and you are an adult." As she turned back toward the island to add teabags to the cups, she continued, "But I really had hoped that when Joe returned, your fascination with this man you've been running around with would lose its appeal, once you had a stable man back in your life."
"Stable? Pfft!" Amand scoffed. "Are you forgetting all the reasons that Joe and I split up in the first place?"
"No, I'm not, Amanda, but he's here now. Shouldn't that count for something?" When Amanda glowered at her, she nodded. "Okay, okay, maybe it's too late to rebuild that bridge. You're probably right, but Amanda, My Darling, there are so many other men out there; Men who aren't afraid to make a real commitment to a woman. You know that I'm only trying to look out for your well-being."
Both women silently stared at one another, neither willing to budge until the shrill whistle of the teakettle ended their standoff. Amanda, to escape the intense scrutiny of her mother's gaze, busied herself with turning off the stove and pouring the hot water over the teabags, then gripped the counter for a moment for support before turning back around. "Okay, Mother, you win. If you wanna' talk about this, let's talk about it." She gestured to the den. "But in there where we can be more comfortable."
Dotty nodded in agreement. The two picked up their cups and once settled on the sofa, she began, "Lee again? That is his name, isn't it?"
"Yes, Mother, it is and yes, he was my date to my reunion tonight." She let out a little chuckle as she took a sip of her tea. "He even dressed the part."
Dotty snorted and shook her head. "So, he was able to convince you to go when I couldn't?"
"Well, he can be very persuasive," Amanda pointed out.
"That's apparent, Amanda, when you've been having a secret love affair with him for three years," Dotty replied pointedly.
"Oh, Mother, really! Not this again! It's n-n-not a l-love affair."
"Then what are you so nervous about?" She couldn't help noticing that Amanda had suddenly become extremely interested in the contents of her teacup.
"N-nervous? Me? Mm-mm. I'm not nervous."
"Uh-huh," Dotty responded disbelievingly.
"Oh, would you look at the time? I didn't realize how late it was!"
"Funny how that'll happen when you're having a clandestine rendezvous," Dotty retorted dryly.
"How clandestine could it be if I'm talking to you about it? Besides, it wasn't exactly a rendezvous. He just took me to my reunion so I wouldn't have to go alone. That's all there was to it." Amanda rose from the sofa to take her now-emptied cup to the kitchen sink.
"So, it was a pity date," Dotty sniped. "I thought that maybe he was finally starting to get more serious about you, if he was finally taking you out in public."
"Good-night, Mother," Amanda fired back as she hurried up the stairs.
As she began to get ready for bed though, her mother's 'pity date' kept haunting her. Was that really what it was? After their conversation a few days ago regarding his insistence on keeping their relationship a secret around the office, she just wasn't so sure. Yes, she'd been the one to halt that discussion and she desperately wanted to believe him when he'd told her that his motivations were all about protecting her reputation, but was that really all there was to it? She climbed into her bed, those nagging thoughts weighing on her mind as she tried to sleep.
What happened the next day at the office did nothing to alleviate her worries as she soon learned that not long after disappearing from her house, he'd boarded a plane and all that she was told was that he was out of the country on assignment. As she sat at her desk, trying to work, her conversation with her mother replayed in her mind. Men who aren't afraid to make a real commitment to a woman...Pity date...Are you forgetting all the reasons that Joe and I split up in the first place...
She frowned as she began to wonder if becoming this involved with Lee wasn't just leading her down the same path that she'd already travelled with Joe. Was she just letting history repeat itself in attaching herself to a man who lived for adventure and travel and... She shook her head and scolded herself, "Stop it, Amanda."
She tried to focus on the positive. Lee had said, "Come on! We'll make the perfect couple!" when trying to coax her into attending her reunion. She'd thought that meant that he already thought of them as a couple. Why else would he have put himself out there like that, offering to take her to her reunion and be forced to be the "window dressing" that she'd so often been at his side? "I'm just being silly," she muttered as she tried to convince herself of that.
However, when another day went by, then another with no word from him and no buzzing around the office that she was able to pick up on about where he was, those positive thoughts soon began to fade and be overtaken by doubt again. Had he taken this mystery assignment to get away from her as one more attempt to backpedal as he'd been prone to do every time that they got especially close, like that night in the swamp, their "wedding," and after Joe's return with the brother and sister cover?
She finally decided to just come right out and ask. She strode to Billy's office determinedly and in a rush of words, explained to him what she was thinking, reassured on one hand that he was safe because he'd made his check-ins; on the other hand, also disturbed because he'd taken the time to call the office, but not her. When Francine entered and began to speak to Billy in something of a vague wording, but Billy had given her the go-ahead to speak freely in front of her, she couldn't help casting Francine a bit of a gloating grin and immediately jumped to volunteer to pick Lee up from the airport.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
A few days later after leaving the agency once Brody had been caught, Amanda faced yet another inquisition from her mother as she packed an overnight bag and tried to explain to her that she had a new job assignment from IFF that would keep her busy for a few days. Boy, would it ever. If there was one thing that she knew about Lee Stetson, it was that he was a very difficult patient, especially once he was on the road to recovery.
"Amanda, we've hardly seen you all week because you've been caring for Mr. Simpson and now, you're leaving?"
"It's just for a couple of days, Mother," Amanda assured her as she finished her packing and hurried down the stairs. "I will call you and check in, I promise." She picked up the note pad they kept by the phone on the kitchen counter. "Plus, I'm leaving you the number where I'll be in case you or the boys need anything." In truth, she was actually giving them a dummy number that Billy had had The Agency set up to route to Lee's home number and as soon as he was well again, it would be disabled. "Besides, Joe promised to come spend some time with the boys while I'm gone and it'll be good for them to spend some time together without having me around as a buffer."
"I guess," Dotty replied skeptically.
"I'm also leaving you the car for any errands you might need to run," Amanda told her.
"Well, then how are you getting to- Where is it that you said you're going again?"
"I didn't and I can't," Amanda answered. "You know that since IFF works for the government, there are just some things about my work that I simply can't talk about." She was saved from further explanation by a horn honking outside. "Ooh, there's my cab. I have to go. I love you and take good care of the boys for me." She planted a quick kiss to her mother's cheek, snatched up her bag and skittered out the front door before she could be peppered with more questions.
Dotty sighed. "Lee again," she mumbled.
Arriving at Lee's and letting herself in with the key he'd given her, arms laden with grocery bags, overnight bag slung over her shoulder, she wasn't surprised to find him up and around, his contact book in hand and on a phone call. She set her bag down and headed to the kitchen to put the groceries away, She returned to the living room, just in time to hear him wrapping up his call.
"Take care, Rhonda," he was saying as he hung up the phone.
"Rhonda?" Amanda looked at him with a questioning raised eyebrow.
"One of my family, Amanda," He explained. "In fact, she's the one who turned me on to the existence of The Barnstorm List in the first place."
"I see," she remarked in a clipped tone.
He grinned at her and echoed her words of a week ago. "Don't tell me you're jealous?"
"Should I be?" she fired back as she moved across the room to stand within inches of him.
"Oh, well, you know how those things go," Lee teased as he tossed his contact book aside and moved his hands to her waist as he had the night of their last date.
"No," she shook her head as she slid her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. "Why don't you tell me?"
"Oh, well, you know, working together, being thrown into one dangerous situation after another, emotions run high and..." As he talked, he soon realized that he was no longer talking about Rhonda, and leaned into capture her lips with his own, making the contact that had been thwarted by Dotty's untimely arrival at the front door.
They shared a sweet, lingering kiss before Amanda pulled back and scolded him. "You know, you really should be resting."
"I don't need to rest, Amanda. I feel just fine."
"Doesn't matter. Mr. Melrose charged me with making sure you rest and that's what I'm here to do, so come on!" She took him by the hand and steered him toward the bedroom.
"Amanda!" he protested, but his protests were cut off by her pushing him into a sitting position on the bed. He grinned wickedly at her. "Are you sure this isn't just an elaborate ploy to get me into bed?"
"As if I would need one," Amanda countered without missing a beat. "But seriously, you're recovering from a head injury and need to lie down." She then pushed on his shoulders to get him to do just that, but Lee grabbed her and pulled her down with him.
"You know what would make my head feel a whole lot better?" He ran his hand tantalizingly up her thigh that had now been exposed by her skirt hiking up when she'd toppled onto the bed. "Having you in bed with me."
"Lee..." she sighed as she felt the familiar goose bumps envelop her at his teasing touch. "That's not conducive to you getting your prescribed rest and relaxation."
"How is it not? I'd find that very relaxing," he crooned as she pulled her head down to his, tangling his fingers in her lush dark curls as he kissed her soundly.
Amanda gave into his kisses as she felt one of his hands traveling further up under her skirt while the other began to drift down her back sending shivers of delight all through her, but as much as she was enjoying it, she knew that he needed to heal. She pulled back again as she began to straighten her rumpled clothing. "Lee, really, you need to just rest."
"Who's the senior agent here?"
"I am, remember? Billy gave me a higher clearance just for this special assignment," she reminded him.
He sat up and gaped at her. "You're not actually taking that seriously, are you?"
"You bet I am," she answered with a firm nod. "Billy knew you wouldn't listen to me otherwise."
"What makes you think I'm listening now?"
"Well, I could always call him and tell him you're being uncooperative and have him send reinforcements..." Her lips twitched in amusement as she continued, "Francine maybe...I mean, she does have all those hand-to-hand skills. Now, we had decided on chicken noodle soup, right?"
As Amanda started to walk away, Lee clasped her hand to stop her. "I think you and I do just fine at hand-to-hand without her here." He then reached for her other hand and pulled her back down. "Don't we?"
She smiled warmly at him. "Yes, I guess we do." She kicked her shoes off and finally settled down next to him. "But I really think you should at least try to get some rest."
"I'll rest, but first..." He raised a hand to caress her face, brushing her hair back to get a better look at her features. "...Can you at least let me show you how much I missed you while I was gone?"
"You missed me?" Her heart began to flutter at his words as much as his tender caress was making her pulse race.
He looked at her questioningly. "Didn't you miss me?" He searched her eyes for the answer, hoping against hope that he hadn't put himself out there too much, making himself too vulnerable.
Unable to form words, she simply nodded as she leaned into him and their lips met again as they wrapped their arms around one another.
As things grew more heated, Lee sometimes still found it unbelievable how much he could be turned on by just her kisses. He supposed it was because she poured her entire heart into everything she did whether it was her dedication to the job, being a devoted mother, a dutiful daughter and then there was how she interacted with him. She kissed him like she'd never get enough of kissing him, like she wanted to devour him whole. Her passion with him when they made love was no different. The way that she touched him, the way she gazed longingly into his eyes when he held her, the words that she whispered in his ear, everything told him that she wasn't just after physical satisfaction as the majority of his previous lovers had been. He felt the same way, so why were they still playing this game of pretending they weren't in love?
Those thoughts were quickly tamped down when he felt Amanda's hands working the buttons of the dress shirt he'd worn to work that day and caressing the skin beneath. "Amanda," he hissed as her touch set him alight.
Lee groaned at the contact while he worked on stripping her of her blouse yanking it open and pulling it out of her skirt while she did the same with his shirt and lowered her lips to his chest. When both their shirts were on the floor, Amanda had started working on loosening his belt while he unzipped her skirt, shifting them enough to drop it to the floor as well, leaving her in just her lacy camisole and matching panties. Lee pulled her in tighter to him, rolled her beneath him while she pushed his pants and boxers over his hips. He raised his hips up for a moment to slide pants and underwear down his legs stripping off his socks before returning to her waiting embrace assaulting her mouth with his own again.
He had just lowered himself back to the bed with her, when Amanda broke their kiss to push him over onto his back lying herself atop him as she assaulted the tender skin at his neck while reaching between them to stroke him causing him to groan again and again at her touch. She lifted her head from his neck and kissed him firmly before moving to trail kisses down his chest and his stomach before taking his erection in her mouth. Lee cried out her name as she began to suckle him slowly, taking her time and reveling in pleasing him and hearing him express that pleasure. When she could tell by the tension in his body and the sounds he was making that he was close, she felt him tug at her head as if to stop her, but she didn't let him. Instead she only clamped down harder, took him deeper into her mouth and picked up the pace, bringing him higher and higher with her mouth, her tongue sliding along his shaft, her teeth grazing the tip of his manhood.
Lee couldn't believe what Amanda was doing to him, the way that she was making him feel. He had tried to stop her before it went too far because he wanted to make love to her as well, he wanted to be inside her again, but when she only began to work her mouth harder, he was lost. He tangled his fingers in her hair while she continued to drive him crazy with her ministrations until he exploded in her mouth. She didn't stop there, just swallowed and continued until she had sucked him dry while he called out her name over and over again. When she finally raised her head and looked at him, it was with a satisfied smirk. She then resumed her earlier position lying atop him.
He sputtered and gasped as he tried desperately to get his breathing back under control. "A-man-da," he panted out her name in broken syllables.
"Yes?" She smiled sweetly at him.
He looked up at her and rasped, "Th-that was..." He couldn't form the right words to say what he felt.
She flashed him a seductive grin. "Now, do you believe that I missed you?"
"Oh, yeah," he replied as he cradled her to him. "I-I...But I wanted to..."
"Shh..." She placed a finger to his lips to silence him. "There'll be other times, maybe even in the next few days while I'm here...IF you behave yourself and follow the doctor's orders. Besides, I owed you one after Birchwood."
"No," He shook his head. "I deserved that one."
"No," she argued back. "It was cruel."
"No, Amanda, I had it coming."
"Hey, senior agent still talking here," She stated pointedly while stifling his argument with a firm kiss to his lips, then in a gentler tone, asked, "NOW, will you get some rest?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm feeling much more relaxed now, but you should stay here with me...you know, just until I fall asleep," He insisted as he wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.
Amanda allowed herself to be enveloped in his warm embrace. As strange as it seemed to her, considering all the times they'd been physically intimate, for the first time she felt they'd reached a level of intimacy that left her comfortable enough to just relax with him. All the doubts of the prior week melted away as they drifted off to sleep together, wrapped in the comfort of each other's arms.