Senior Prom 3

"Get a load of Stanley's package," Grandma muttered sotto voce, holding my arm again as we walked into the dining room for dinner. "It looks to me like he could give that bounty hunter a run for his money."

"Grandma, hush," I hissed. "He'll hear you."

Of course my eyes immediately flew to the aforementioned package. Can you say holy cannoli? It was hugged by perfectly tailored gray dress slacks and I dragged my gaze upward by sheer force of will, taking in a form-fitting white dress shirt and a tasteful tie in a small red print over a flat stomach and what looked to be a well-muscled chest. Wow, Skeeter had really filled out since high school.

I finally got up to his face and blushed to see the small, satisfied smile he was giving me as he held my chair.

"So, uh, Skeeter," I babbled, doing a quick drool check and trying desperately to get my mind off that body. Where the hell did the creepy sleaze go? "What are you doing these days?"

"You know, Steph, nobody's called me Skeeter in years, since I got out of high school. It's Stan now."

"Okay, Stan, what are you doing these days?" I sank into my chair and he pushed me in toward the table and took the seat next to me, turning to give me a look of surprising intelligence. I guess Skeeter isn't so skeevy anymore.

"I'm a senior research scientist for the bionics division of Virilux Industries in Princeton."

"Huh? Did you say bionics?" Brilliant, Steph, just dazzle him with your scintillating wit.

"Bionics is the medical application of technology to mimic biological functions in the human body, or even surpass them."

"Uh-huh." I nodded knowingly and took a big gulp of wine as soon as my mom finished pouring. If I have to be baffled with bullshit here, the least I can do is get a bit of a buzz on. "Like Steve Austin, the bionic man? Darth Vadar? Robo-Cop?"

Stanley nodded. "Exactly. They're all examples of applications of bionics, and the type of research my department does. It's a rapidly progressing field, and there are endless possibilities for extending human life and improving its quality."

He looked around the table at the open mouths, the glazed eyes, and changed the subject, smiling. "So Steph, I know a little bit about you from what I've read in the newspaper. You're a bounty hunter, right?"

At my nod he began to ask questions, surprisingly perceptive ones, about my job. As I told him about some of my skips, Stan laughed in all the right places and for some reason I felt bright and witty

"I worry about Stephanie all the time," my mother interjected. "I'm so afraid one of those criminals she tries to bring in is going to hurt her. Is your company hiring?"

"It sounds to me like Steph has mastered the art of bounty hunting. You know, Mrs. Plum, Lao Tzu said mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself makes you fearless," Stan replied with an enigmatic smile.

Wow. Not only was Stan smart, he was defending my career choice to my mother. I was dazzled. Of course the wine wasn't doing any harm, either.

I found out Stan was recently divorced, although he'd been separated for several years. He'd married his college sweetheart from Princeton and had a six-year-old son that visited him every other weekend. His face glowed as he talked about him.

"Zach just finished kindergarten, but the way he talks sometimes you'd swear he's about to graduate high school," Stan told me, beaming with pride. "He played T-ball this spring and I helped coach his team. He puts his whole heart into everything he does."

"Sounds like a great kid," I answered, responding to Stan's affectionate smile with a smile of my own. I should have been panicking and sneaking out the back door, but I just reached for my wine and finished off the third glass.

When my mom served the pineapple upside down cake, I watched Stan take a bite, and his eyes closed. "Mmm," he almost moaned, savoring the taste. "Mrs. Plum," he said when he'd swallowed, "this is the best pineapple upside down cake I've ever had. And one of the best dinners, too. Thank you so much for inviting me."

Omigod, a man who moans over dessert! I think I've met my soulmate! But that could be the wine talking, too.

As I stood up from the table after dinner, a bout of lightheadedness struck me, making me sway.

"Whoa," I said, finding myself against a solid, muscled chest, two carved-granite arms holding me upright. "Sorry, Stan. I'm not very good at holding my wine."

"Steph, sweetie," Stan said, "I'm not sure you should be driving home. Let me take you, and if you need a ride in the morning I can pick you up before work and drop you off here to get your car."

Wow, what a thoughtful guy. But wait, I promised my mom I'd help her choose her accessories for the prom. "That's really nice of you, Stan, but I need to stay and help Mom with her prom stuff."

"No, Stephanie," my mom butted in. "You don't need to stay after all. I tried everything on this afternoon after I talked to you and I'm all set."

So that's how I ended up in the passenger seat of Stan's black Aston Martin DB9 convertible. After helping me in he put the top down, and I felt like I was going for a ride with Bond, James Bond.

I studied Stan out of the corner of my eye. Dark wavy hair, well cut and neatly combed. Check. Dark blueberry eyes, nicely crinkled at the corners. Check. Slight smile putting an apostrophe at the corner of his mouth. Check.

We pulled away from the curb and I was glad my hair was in a ponytail as the breeze caught it and made it dance. I leaned back, closed my eyes and drifted away in the balmy spring evening.

TBC