Chapter 4
Della dug the keys to her door out of her purse and laid them in Perry's outstretched hand. He'd insisted on accompanying her to her apartment, claiming that no gentleman would let a lady go without protection attired as she was, and she didn't protest. Because they both knew that there was so much more to it… that once Perry entered the apartment with her the odds of him leaving this night were extremely low.
Once inside, Della moved quickly to the small kitchen returning minutes later carrying a tray with ice, glasses and a bottle of scotch. Perry gratefully accepted the drink she offered and after touching the rim of his glass to hers, took a stiff swallow of liquid courage.
"When did you…" Della asked her implied meaning obvious.
Perry shook his head and chuckled. "I told you already. The first time I laid my eyes on you, I was lost. It just took me a while to figure that out. Now you tell me…"
"Hmmm…" Della began to wander slowly around her small apartment, fingers of one hand running across various surfaces. Perry recognized her nervousness and let her walk.
"If I'm completely honest the ground began to shift beneath my feet the first time I looked into those magnificent pools of indigo you call eyes. Piercing… Knowing… Mysterious… but I held on, well… I resisted until…"
"Until?" Perry prompted when Della's voice tapered off.
"The McConnell case."
Perry searched his memory. "Mrs. McConnell was in danger of losing her home because the insurance company didn't want to pay her husband's death benefits? Why during that one?"
"Why that one…Mrs. McConnell was a poor little old lady with no one in the world who cared about her… until she came into your office. That insurance company offered you more money than I could even fathom to represent them instead but you said no… you stood by her…"
"She was my client. Of course I stood by her."
"You fought tooth and nail for her and didn't accept a dime in payment. That's when I started freefalling."
"Just because I helped one little old lady?"
"Just because…" her voice was soft. "Your turn. "
" Like I said, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. " He took a sip, and looked at the scotch in the glass before continuing. "I have wanted to make love to you from the first time I saw you."
"Perry Mason!"
"I didn't say that I realized it then! It was several months before it hit me… You'd just stormed into my life, my work… my heart… and there you were. It hit me like a lightening bolt."
"As I recall, Counselor, you spent those 'several months' dating a certain attractive attorney named Laura… every night? Roses twice a week?" Perry was relieved that the tone of Della's voice indicated she was teasing more than mad… but still inquisitive. "Then… nothing…"
He swallowed hard. Laura would have been a difficult subject to discuss even if he hadn't been aware of the undercurrent of animosity between his former girlfriend and his secretary. "As you are very much aware, Laura was a…force of nature… She was beautiful and intelligent and in the beginning I enjoyed the time I spent with her…"
"She sounds perfect…" Della threw in with just a hint of sarcasm which Perry chose to ignore.
"Mmm… one would think… but one day an angel walked into my office…"
Della snorted into her scotch glass. "Angel?" She sniffed, one eyebrow raised.
"This lady… in every sense of the word, was… is an angel. You were everything that I initially thought Laura was… but so very much more, and having you there quickly opened my eyes to her true nature. You are genuinely kind, Della… gentle… loving, caring, friendly, open…"
"Perry," she protested.
"Laura was… she was a bitch to you from day one. But you… you were always polite… always refined in your responses while refusing to let her get away with her little cuts and digs."
"I couldn't exactly lose my temper with her, now could I?"
"The beauty that you possess in your heart and soul is what makes you infinitely more beautiful than ANY other woman I have ever known. It may have taken me a little while to realize that, but once I did… I didn't want shallow and superficial any more. I didn't want spiteful. I wanted the woman who knew who I was… not the one who was trying to make me into something I wasn't. I wanted you or no one. I just wasn't exactly sure how to go about getting you without scaring you off."
"So now that you have me?"
Perry turned away to stare at the fireplace as he took another large gulp of whiskey. "I guess that is the thing we need to discuss. Come here." He moved to the sofa, sat and patted the cushion next to him. As badly as he wanted to pull Della onto his lap and start kissing her again, he managed to let her sit beside him instead. He lifted her hand.
"This will change things." Della stated matter of factly.
"It doesn't have to…" Perry interjected.
"If you are going to delude yourself like this we don't stand a chance."
"Della Street! Look… I know it will change things somewhat… but we have already been working on keeping work separate from our personal lives, haven't we?" He gave her his best courtroom stare.
Knowing the times that she had stopped his kisses in the office from becoming too passionate… the embraces they had shared in dark corners of dance floors… she couldn't help but nod in agreement. They both knew that this was coming… that together they would eventually have to face their desires… And now there was a deep emotional connection to factor in as well. Should they wait until there was more time to consider the ramifications?
Perry continued, his voice almost a whisper. "But this… right now… you deserve so much more, baby. You are a true lady and I always want you to know I respect you just as much as I love you... You deserve dinner and dancing… moonlight and tropical breezes… roses and champagne… a church and vows… I want to give you all these things."
"So you don't want to make love to me now?" Della asked with a bluntness that surprised them both, astonished that Perry was the one who voiced reservations instead of her. "You want to wait?"
"Hell no, I don't want to wait!" Perry answered honestly and vehemently. "But even though I haven't really shown it to you tonight, I can be a patient man. I don't want you to have any regrets…" He paused but when Della didn't respond he went on, "What I'm trying to say, Della, is that if we continue this right now it is your decision. You are completely in charge. You decide what we do, how far we go. You can stop me at any time…"
Della arched her eyebrows at him and smiled… oh that sexy, naughty smile… "Anytime?" She laid a hand on his upper thigh, her nimble fingers resting dangerously close to parts of him she had never seen, but had felt all the more.
Perry exhaled slowly. "You aren't going to make this easy, are you, baby? You do realize that there is a point of no return for a man, don't you?" He wondered briefly about her experience.
"So I set the pace?" Della couldn't really believe the great Perry Mason, commander of the courtroom, was surrendering complete control to her.
"It's all in your hands, baby."
Della unconsciously tightened her grip on his thigh, the action rewarded with a low groan and his eyes rolling back as his lids closed. But otherwise Perry didn't move.
"We need more ice." Della stood and walked toward the hallway, an extra sway in her hips. Watching her retreating form with undisguised interest, Perry sighed and took another large gulp of scotch.
~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~ ~pd~
