Chapter 23

Best Friends

It was fun getting to know Wilson. He was kind, literate, funny and not bad to look at. I kept hoping he would ask me out, but I understood how awkward he must have felt. Greg was being a nuisance, calling and leaving me messages, showing up at awkward moments. My assistant wasn't happy and wanted me to talk to him. I knew it wouldn't do any good. I was Greg's current social project and until he moved on to something else, he would be buzzing around me like a mosquito, making my life more bumpy than it already was.

We were in the hall when Wilson gave me the file. He asked me out for Saturday night and I said yes. We were going to go to dinner, but secretly I was hoping that maybe he could end my dry spell. I hadn't been out with someone for at least eight months and hadn't gotten laid for nine. Of course, having Greg walk up in the middle of making plans was weird. It's like he has radar and knows when something is up. I didn't want Greg seeing the file in my hand. It would have been awkward, I wasn't supposed to have it and I doubt that he would let me hear the last of it.

Wilson picked me up at 7:00 p.m. and we went to a rather busy restaurant where the pasty face waiter told us that we had a 45 minute wait. We found a table in the bar and ordered drinks to pass the time. "Where are you from?" James asked.

"Bright, Indiana. My parents own a dairy farm."

"Dairy Farm? That's hard work. Did you work the farm?"

"Every day. What about you, where did you go to school?"

"McGill."

"Canada?"

"Yeah. I wanted to go somewhere different and McGill had a great program."

"They certainly do. I practiced in London and we had a lot of Canadians in our research labs."

"How did you manage to get two doctorates, become a doctor, neurosurgeon and neuroengineer so young?"

"I started college when I was 14. I was a child prodigy...actually I was a sheltered child prodigy. My parents were incredibly strict. If I wasn't doing schoolwork, then I was working on the farm. I had no real friends...they couldn't relate to me or me to them. Academia became my life. I was so pathetic. At least I was pathetic until I met Greg. He brought me into the real world."

"More like blast you into the real world. What was he like back then?"

"Oh, he was an ass a lot of the time, but when we were together, alone, he was funny, loving and really a cheesy romantic. But let's not talk about him. Seeing what he has become is heartbreaking."

"I know, I see him slipping into his misery more and more each year. But, you're right! Let's not talk about him. Do you like beef? I did bring you to a steak house. I didn't think to ask if you were a vegetarian."

"Oh James, I'm a farmgirl...steak is mother's milk!"We laughed and had a great time at dinner. He was so witty and sweet. He would slip in little compliments, nothing blatant where you feel like you're being set up, but the kind that made you feel appreciated. He was good at dating. When I date, I either get really bored or want to jump the guy within twenty minutes. I wanted to jump James. After dinner we ordered cheesecake and asked for two forks. He walked me out to his car.

"I like a girl who orders the big filet mignon, French fries and goes for dessert! Usually, I take out women who feel guilty eating a salad."

"I've been rowing in the mornings before coming in and I have a very healthy appetite. Thanks for dinner. James, I'd invite you back to my place for a drink but to be honest, I haven't had time to go out and buy booze and my apartment is, to put it bluntly, still in a state of chaos from the move."

"You've been here for two months!"

"Unpacking has never been a priority with me. Not much goes on at my apartment." I saw his look. "Oh, things went on, just not at my apartment."

He said very softly, "I own a loft and I do have some alcohol. Would you like to go there for a drink?"

I must have sounded too enthusiastic because he laughed when I said, "Yes! I'd love it."

We arrived at his loft which was both beautiful architecturally and nicely decorated. It was male but not overwhelmingly male. A woman could still feel at home in his place. It had a great view of Princeton from the north side. We sat on the couch talking about our lives when he put his glass down and moved in for a kiss. I gave him the Greg House French kiss, still my favorite. He seemed to like it too because he reciprocated. After some massive French kissing, he made his move and the hand came up my top. It was a little hesitant and in my head I was screaming, "Grab the breast, let's get this going"...but it was no use, he took his time.

He grabbed my hand and led me back to his bedroom. It was large and had been decorated in taupes and chocolates, very sleek and sophisticated. We stood at the end of the bed and he took my blouse off, I undid his shirt and belt. He took his shoes off and I did the same. I dropped my skirt and stood in my bra and panties. He stepped in and reached around to unlatch my bra. His breath and tongue smelled and tasted like cognac. I took the bra off and we fell back onto the top of the bed kissing and rubbing our bodies together. I felt his hand reach down for the edge of the elastic holding my panties up and as he started to pull them off my hip when I caught a glimpse of someone in the doorway. I screamed and James pulled back from me and followed my glaze. I couldn't make out the face at first because the light was coming from behind the figure, but the silhouette of the cane told me it was Greg. When my eyes adjusted, I could see that he had a funny smile on his face. Snorting, he looked at my body before turning around and walking off into the living room.

"Are you ok?" James seemed really worried about me, that scream had to have been heard all over the building. I shook my head as he said under his breath, "That bastard."

"Is he still here?" I was shaking as I grabbed James's shirt off the floor and put it over me.

"I'm not sure, let me put on my pants and see." James grabbed his trousers off the floor, put them on and walked out to the living. I heard him start yelling, "What the hell are you doing here and why didn't you ring the doorbell?"

"I need to borrow a cup of sugar and I tried knocking, but obviously you were doing the real knocking."

I got up and went out, dressed just in my panties and James's shirt. I looked at Greg and he gave me the once over. He had poured himself a drink and was sipping it and giving us both a very solemn, contemplative look. "I see you still have a thing for my friends. Still haven't learned have you?"

"Greg, is this about us? If it is then you need to deal with it, because there is no "us."'

"Well, some habits are hard to break, like wearing little pink cotton panties." He said it with a bittersweet smile.

I closed my eyes. How many times had he teased me about my cotton bikini panties? And I just happened to have a pair of pink ones on tonight. I hadn't expected that, it made me feel incredibly sad and nostalgic. I opened my eyes to find both of them staring at me.

"I'm sorry, this is too much. James, I'm going to grab a cab home. You two do what you have to do." I went back to the bedroom, called a cab and started to get dressed.

James came in rather agitated."This is what he wants. He wants you to leave so that we don't sleep together."

"Well tonight Greg House gets what he wants."

James was bewildered by my actions. "What, did he say something? Was it the comment about sleeping with his friends?"

"No. It's the situation." I didn't want to tell him I didn't care about the friend remark; it had been the remark about the panties. It made me feel 22 and special all over again. We often laughed about my cotton panties and he would hug me and tell me how sensible I was. I felt like I might cry and I don't cry over men. Needing distance, I walked through the living room and looked scathingly at him. His eyes followed me as I opened the door and left. In the hall I took a deep breath. That son of a bitch, he knew what to say to me to get me to leave. How could he know that after all these years?