Chapter 5:
They arrived at Rossmore after a very silent trip. Laura was sitting on the couch reading the contract, and Mr. Steele was in the kitchen fixing a light dinner. Salad and some toasts with cheese looked like the better option.
He put the dishes on the coffee table and went to the kitchen to choose a bottle of wine. When he came back with it, Laura raised her eyes from the papers and closed the file. She stood up and went in silence to the kitchen. After a while, returned glass of water in hand. He remembered then that she was still going under her medical prescription, and alcohol was not allowed in the meantime. "Sorry." He apologized.
"It's ok. No wine for me tonight."
He began to eat the salad, and thinking about changing the subject into a less dangerous one, asked "Is everything ok with the contract? We should have it signed tomorrow, and we could start with your plan immediately."
"I think we could do that," she answered tiredly.
He put the fork down and without looking at her face, took her hand in his and kissed the back of it. He wasn't going to ask the same question again, but he wanted her to know that he was concerned.
"I am ok. Sorry again about what happened at the office. I don't know what crossed my mind to put us in such a risky situation. I feel things are getting out of control, and I hate the sensation.
She sighed, "The last time I allowed myself to play a game like that, I finished hurt and alone. And the only place that was a shelter at that moment it was work. I felt safe there, and I took care to keep the agency out of my wild sides. But now, I don't know what's happening to me…"
"Nothing is happening to you, Laura. Something is happening to us. We are playing a new game, both of us, and we are discovering new sides of our relationship that obviously are still to be explored. Tonight at the office, it wasn't only you the one playing out of the limits. I was there too, and I agreed to play with you. The office was a safe place for you because the romantic side of your persona was not allowed there back then. But things are different now. We work together, and we take the romance with us everywhere we go. We can choose to live it or not, according to the circumstances. But it will still be there, waiting for us."
"But I love to do that kind of things! You know I love adventures. The problem is, I measure the implications but right after I act. And that's not a wise way to live."
"And who says that we have to live wisely, Laura? We have to live our lives in our own way. And I think our own way includes excitement, emotion, sensuality, and romance. We can't keep that apart from our day-to-day. We live with that at the office, and we live with that outside the office, and it is ok because that's how we are."
"Maybe we can try to detect when our choices are turning into dangerous ones and correct them before acting, to decrease the negative impact?"
"Maybe that could be a start. I think making public our relationship to the people we care about would be another option. Once we do that, some of the risks will disappear instantly."
"Are you talking about Mildred and my family?" she asked knowing the answer in advance.
"I think that would be a wise start. Contrary to your thoughts, they could turn out very well into allies, instead of enemies. "
"Ok. Let me think about it. I'd have to be used to the idea."
They resumed their eating, and after they finished taking care of the dishes in the kitchen; he stood by her back, put his arms around her, and started to kiss her neck.
"Was anything else, aside from the wine, forbidden because of your medicine, Laura?"
"Hmm, I can't think about anything else forbidden at the moment," she answered in a whisper, delighted with his caresses.
"In that case, I think I have a special treatment for you tonight, Miss Holt."
"I can't wait to be under your capable hands, Mr. Steele."
"Who says you have to wait, Miss Holt?