Chapter 9

As these thought were running through AJ's mind, Vicky replaced his wallet and quietly climbed back into bed. AJ pretended to stir as she did, wondering if maybe what she had been looking for was more condoms. He had put them in the other pocket, so she might not have seen them. "Hey you," he murmured as he drew her into his arms.

"Oh, hi. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I don't mind that you did," he assured her.

"So are you up to another round?" she asked with a lecherous grin.

'Ah! So she was checking for another condom,' he thought, as he replied, "You can be sure that I am," and kissed her. Glad to have the matter resolved in his own mind, AJ got up to retrieve one of the remaining condoms.

It was nearly dawn by the time he left Vicky's house, but on the drive home he pleasantly reassured himself that he skip his usual run. He'd already gotten a great work out.

When AJ called her later that afternoon to invite her to his home for lunch the next day, she readily agreed.

Vicky was purposely running thirty minutes late when she arrived at AJ's on Sunday, she wanted to see how by-the-book strict military man dealt with such an infraction. AJ, however, was gracious when he greeted her at the door with a kiss on her cheek, he didn't even mention it! She was stunned.

AJ was glad that he'd made lasagna so it was easy to keep warm, he would have hated to have their meal ruined. Pouring a glass of wine for Vicky, he asked if she'd ever found her friends' house that she'd been looking for the night they met.

For a moment she looked at him blankly and then laughed and admitted that she hadn't. Telling him that she had talked to them on the phone and she would go over there one evening soon, Vicky hoped she'd covered her blunder. Since he didn't question her further, she assumed she had.

They ate lunch, chatting about this and that. Vicky asked where he'd learned to cook and he told her his mother had insisted that he learn enough to keep himself alive. When he found, as a young man, that girls were impressed that he could cook, he just kept adding to the things his mother taught him to make. AJ told her about being married to an Italian woman when he was in his twenties and that he'd picked up many Italian dishes then.

He wondered why that made her go oddly quiet, but then thought that no woman likes to hear about other women the men they were dating had known. Changing the subject he asked if she had any leads on finding work yet.

Vicky told him that she hadn't but because of the settlement she got from her mother she wasn't concerned. She did add that the temp agency she'd signed up with had been sure she would have something this coming week. She suggested that if she were in town maybe they could have lunch together.

Smiling at the idea, AJ told her he would add her name to the visitor's list so the guards at the gate would let her in. With a grin she offered to do the dishes since he had cooked, all the while hoping he would refuse her offer.

He did, AJ told her he had a dishwasher and even if he hadn't, he wouldn't allow a guest to do the dishes.

"So you don't consider that 'women's work'?" Vicky asked.

"My mother was very much a proponent of equal rights which was my earliest training and even though women are a much larger part of the military than when I joined up, that life only reinforced my mother's teachings. Over the years I've come to think that the role's in a relationship are defined by the two individuals involved rather than by traditional standards."

"That's a good and diplomatic answer AJ, but if I were to talk to the people under your command would I find that the women get as many dangerous assignments as the men do?"

"Well since I only command lawyers these days, I don't know how dangerous you would consider their assignments," he replied, even though several very dangerous situations flashed through his head, those were also for the most part top secret, so he continued, "but if or when you come into the office you can feel free to question the staff."

To be continued…..