Seth and Jessica traveled to Portland to dine at a new restaurant on the coast one Saturday night. It was one that had been written about throughout New England news outlets, as the head chef had relocated from a well-known restaurant in Boston, to open his own place. They decided to wait until it had been open for three months to try it out, as reservations were initially impossible to obtain.

This was not a date exactly, but it was a special occasion nonetheless. It was Seth's birthday and Jessica wanted to treat him to something special. More of late, they had been skirting the topic of what their relationship really meant, beginning to hint that perhaps it could become more than friendship. Neither of them was courageous enough to say exactly what they wanted yet, but it appeared to be moving in that direction.

Seth had driven them late that Saturday afternoon to Portland. They had opted to get a hotel room across the street from the restaurant, so that they did not have to drive home afterwards. The restaurant had an extensive whiskey list and Seth wanted to imbibe a bit.

Checking into the hotel before their reservation, they had booked adjoining rooms. Jessica had been considering how to move their relationship forward, but was not sure how to do that. Adjoining rooms at least helped her feel more connected to him. She was hoping that maybe when they returned from the restaurant, they could keep the doors open between them and maybe have a nightcap before bed. Maybe, just maybe, she would ask for a goodnight kiss.

With the doors between their rooms closed, Jessica prepared for dinner. She had already bathed and done her makeup before leaving Cabot Cove, so other than touching up her hair and makeup and applying a red apple lipstick, she only had to dress.

Jessica knew for their relationship to evolve, it would help if she felt desirable. She needed to feel desirable. It had been too long since she had been intimate and she felt intimidated at how to begin. What if she had forgotten how to make love or was not good at it anymore? She knew men in New York desired her when she attended writer events with them as her escorts, but it never felt authentic. She was not desired as a woman or even as Jessica, but rather for her position in the publishing world, as though she was a possession to be obtained and possibly even controlled. As a result, it was never difficult to turn those men down at whatever overtures they made towards her.

However, Seth had never treated her that way.

She had tried to flirt with him for a long time, but he seemed to not notice. She certainly hoped that was the case and not that he was not interested and tried to pretend he didn't notice. Still, she often felt that he treated her as a porcelain doll and she wanted him to view her romantically. Perhaps even lust after her, if she was honest.

She had opted for a black cocktail dress tonight that had a deep neckline. She was already wearing a matching black bra and underwear. In preparing for this night away, she had decided a way to help her feel sexy, would be to wear a garter belt and thigh high stockings. It had been years since she had worn either, but she remembered feeling sexy and attractive when she wore them in years past, even if Seth never did find out she was wearing them tonight. She would know. When she was in New York a month ago, she had found exactly what she needed and hidden them away for tonight.

Instead of putting her leg up on a chair, she sat on the edge of the bed, to stabilize herself better, as she rolled the black thigh highs up her legs, careful not to run them. No sense in losing her balance. She wasn't twenty anymore. It took her several minutes to remember the knack of how to attach the straps, but once she did, she stood up and then stepped into the dress, putting her arms through the three-quarter length sleeves.

Standing in front of the closet mirror, she was satisfied with how she looked. She knew from prior times of wearing this dress, that she could do the zip herself, but where was the fun in that?

Next, she slipped a long necklace over her head, settling the blue topaz pendant in the center of her chest, and then putting in matching earrings in her earlobes.

Walking back to the bed, she sat down again to put her black slingback heels on and wait until Seth was ready.

At the knock on the adjoining door five minutes later, she stood and opened it. Seth was wearing his black suit and a black bow tie with white polka dots.

"You look handsome, Seth."

"Jess, you are beautiful."

She smiled, before turning her back to him, "Do you mind, Seth?"

She stifled a laugh, when she heard him clear his throat, trying to cover what sounded like a groan. She stood without speaking, waiting for him to raise the zipper. After another long pause, she felt him reach out timidly to touch it, tugging it upwards, and leaving his warm hand to linger on her upper back.

"Jess?"

"Hmm?"

"Nothing."

Turning around, she tilted her head and looked at him.

"Why don't I believe you?"

Clearly uncomfortable, he muttered, "I think you look really elegant tonight. That's all."

"It's a little black dress, Seth. Nothing fancy."

"You can say that woman, but I know you know that I also don't believe you."

"Hmm," she murmured before she picked up a black velvet jeweler's box with a bow on it from her purse. "Happy Birthday, Seth," she whispered, handing it to him.

"Jess, you didn't have to get me anything."

"I don't know why you say that when you know I will."

He huffed, but he did lift the lid. Nestled inside were onyx and pearl cufflinks in white gold, the onyx encircling the pearl.

"Jessica, they are lovely…like you."

"Would you like me to put them on?"

He nodded and she exchanged his plain silver ones for the new ones. She said, "They reminded me of us somehow. You are the onyx and I'm the pearl…I always feel safe and protected when I'm with you."

"Thank you…I don't know what to say, Jess. It's a lovely sentiment and I hope you always feel safe with me…I don't know that I have ever owned anything so beautiful."

After finishing with the cufflinks, she reached to straighten his bow tie to keep him in place, even though it was already straight. But by holding the edges, it allowed her the perfect opportunity to lean forward and kiss him softly on the lips.

She smiled at him, before she asked, "Ready to go?"

As she pulled away, he appeared dazed. Smirking, she stepped over to grab her bag and walked to the door.

"Are you coming, Seth?"

"Ayuh," was all he could think to say.

The ambience in the restaurant was romantic, with low lighting, candles on all the tables, starched white tablecloths, and two massive fireplaces that looked as though they were in a castle or old European manor home. The tables were spread apart with plenty of space to allow for quiet conversations and privacy.

As soon as they were seated, Seth ordered a whiskey neat that he saw on the list that tickled his fancy, while Jessica ordered a glass of white wine. They were silent as they read over the menu. The waiter came to tell them the evening specials and they listened politely, even as Jessica began to feel overwhelmed. She was hungry, as she had skipped lunch, knowing this meal would be special.

While the waiter did not hover, he appeared at the table far quicker than she would have liked, even as she knew he had given them a reasonable amount of time to decide.

Seth ordered a traditional shore dinner, while Jessica requested the sea bass. They also ordered salads, but opted to forgo an appetizer in the hopes they would save room for dessert. It was Seth's birthday after all.

Their meal was outstanding as they knew it would be. Seth ordered a second whiskey and Jessica had a second glass of wine when their entrees came. By the time they were ready for dessert, they celebrated with Irish coffees and tiramisu. When Seth's dessert arrived, 'Happy Birthday' was written in chocolate on the corner of his plate in a fancy script.

"Happy Birthday, darling," Jessica whispered, leaning over as she squeezed his hand and kissed him on the cheek.

Seth became red in the face, which made Jessica grin.

After eating a little of her own tiramisu, she admitted shyly, "Oh, Seth, this is delicious, but I don't think I can eat anymore. Everything has been wonderful, but the company has been the best part."

Seth startled, but responded, "Woman, you were the best part of tonight for me, too."

They were in no hurry for the night to end and were content to enjoy their coffee, while Seth ate his last few bites of dessert. The dining room had been busy all evening, but from their corner of the seating area, they had privacy to talk quietly and it had been a lovely celebratory meal.

As the hostess led two middle-aged women in pantsuits to a table close by at the end of their dessert though, one of the women exclaimed, "Well, Seth Hazlitt, you handsome devil!"

Before either of them knew what was happening, the woman moved into Seth's personal space, leaning over him and grabbing him in a tight embrace, before kissing him on the mouth.

Jessica sat in shock, watching this all happen, as though she was outside her body viewing a train wreck that she could not look away from as it happened right in front of her.

When the woman stood upright again, Jessica took in her appearance. She was petite and slender, perhaps not even five feet tall. She was younger than them both, maybe fifty-five, blonde with dark eyes. She was not pretty, but she was striking. The woman standing behind her made no move to speak or move away.

The woman who had kissed Seth glanced at Jessica once, but then kept her back towards her, ignoring her presence, as she continued trying to engage Seth, who had also stayed silent.

"Seth, don't you remember me?" she asked, trying to flirt.

"Of course, I do, Diane," he answered in a strained voice.

Jessica could hear the smile in this woman's voice, imagining she felt triumphant as she got him to admit he knew her, even as she watched her reach out and stroke his arm. Jessica abhorred violence, which people usually found funny considering her profession, yet all she could think about at this moment was smashing her tiramisu in the woman's face. She was too angry and upset to feel ashamed about her reaction though.

The woman behind Diane spoke finally, saying that she would go to their table, as it was clear that Diane wanted to continue talking.

"Seth, how are you?"

"I'm fine," he said, not wanting to engage further, but his manners kicked in when after a long pause showed she was not going to walk away, he asked, "Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yes, I am, but as a doctor, not as a nurse. I went back to medical school and I work primarily in the emergency room. You know I was always an adrenaline junkie."

"Yes, I remember," Seth said, appearing slightly nauseated.

"Well, you look great. You were always a handsome rascal." She moved to leave, but glanced back at Jessica, sizing her up, before looking back at Seth.

Lowering her voice, she said huskily, but still loud enough for Seth and Jessica to both hear, "I guess I better join my sister. But, if you ever come to Portland on your own, look me up. I missed you when you left." With that, she bent over and kissed him once more, as though she was staking a claim on him by leaving a trace of her lipstick on his mouth, while making no effort to wipe it off.

Without looking back, Diane walked off and sat at the table with her sister, turning her back to them.

Jessica was uncomfortable. She knew that Seth had relationships after Ruthie. In fact, he had told her that only recently, as they had been tiptoeing around a relationship over the last few months and he felt the need to tell her about his past 'immoral behavior' as he termed it. While tonight had not been called a date, up to this point, it had felt like one.

"Seth?" Jessica asked.

"Yes?"

She motioned for him to use his napkin to wipe his mouth. He did and grimaced at the lipstick that he saw when he finished.

"I'm sorry, Jess."

"You didn't do anything wrong, and I know you still haven't finished your coffee, but would you mind terribly if we left now?"

Seth nodded, his poor face working to control his emotions. Jessica discreetly got the waiter's attention to ask for the check. She settled it and they left without looking again in Diane's direction, even as Jessica felt her eyes on them.

As they crossed the street to return to the hotel, Seth grasped Jessica's elbow to lead her.

When they entered Jessica's room, Seth made to go through to his own room, but Jessica pulled on his arm to stop him.

"Don't leave, Seth. I know you are embarrassed, but can we talk about what happened?"

"I didn't think you would want to, but if you do…of course we will. I will tell you whatever you want to know."

"Let's have a drink on the couch, alright?"

He nodded.

"Coffee or something from the mini-fridge?"

"Coffee, please."

Jessica moved around the kitchenette, preparing coffee for both of them, before joining him on the couch.

When she sat down, she set the mugs on the table in front of them, and despite being uncomfortable, she sat close to him and grasped his hand, looking down at it for a few minutes. Neither of them could speak at first, but they knew that both their brains were in turmoil.

"Say something, Jess."

Looking up to meet his eyes, she was shocked to see the fear and self-recrimination there.

"Seth, I love you. It doesn't matter what happened years ago when you lived here."

"Of course, it does, Jess. I'm not the man you think I am."

"Don't be absurd. You told me you had relationships after Ruthie. I'm not judging. I'm just surprised to come face-to-face with one of them. It's unsettling, but I'm not upset with you."

"I didn't say I had relationships after Ruthie, Jess. I'm fairly confident that I used the word "flings" and there were many. I used women for what they would give me and the less emotion involved, the better," he muttered, judging himself even if she would not.

"It doesn't sound like the women weren't willing, so I don't know why you continue to beat yourself up over it."

"Stop trying to sugar-coat things, Jess! After Ruthie died, I had a number of women that I had sex with on a regular basis. There was no dating or relationship involved. Hell, most of the time, there was not even a bed and certainly not any sleep afterwards, because it often happened in the break area of the hospital when I was working a twenty-four-hour shift. The doctors would sometimes sleep on a few cots in there if things got too hectic in the emergency room, but more often than not, the room was used to have a quick interlude with a nurse or other doctor. And if the cots were in use, there was always a table or even up against the wall in the room next to it. There is no excuse for any of it. I was old enough to know better and I did it with no regard for myself or the women I got involved with there."

His face was beet red and he could not believe he had admitted all this to Jessica. The embarrassment and shame now overwhelming him was astronomical. How will she ever want to have a relationship with him now? He was terrified that she would lose all respect for him, but he had to make sure she understood just how low he went. She deserved to know who he was, as he has never forgiven himself for his past, so how could she?

"Diane was one of them?"

"Yes, she was the last one. A nurse in the emergency room. Just like you heard her say, she was an adrenaline junkie. She was always willing and I was lonely and grieving. It went on for a long time. Far longer than with anyone else."

"Did you love her?"

"Love her? I didn't even like her! You saw what kind of woman she still is. She was…willing and…there. I had no moral code then. None whatsoever."

"What caused it to stop?"

"Turns out she was married. That was the only code I did have, was not to get involved with anyone married. But I didn't know she was until I heard a couple of nurses talking about her. It was nothing malicious. They were just talking about being friends and going out together and her husband joining them. I felt sick and went to the restroom and threw up. It woke me up to what I was doing though. I haven't engaged in that behavior since and I moved back to Cabot Cove shortly after that experience."

Seth appeared to be done speaking and she knew it had cost him a lot to tell her. Was it possible to love him more now, knowing more of his faults and his own self-imposed guilt?

"Thank you for telling me, Seth."

"I'm so ashamed, Jessica."

Jessica scooted closer to him, reaching to hold his face in the palms of her hands.

"Seth, you were grieving. While it was not a healthy coping mechanism, you were trying to survive. Sex makes people feel alive. I don't judge you."

"I bet you didn't do anything that dangerous or foolish when you were first grieving Frank," he murmured.

"Have you forgotten that the first man who piqued my interest after Frank died, turned out to have murdered two people?"

"Preston Giles."

She nodded, before she confessed, "It was humiliating."

Stroking his face, she paused to gather her thoughts. Did she want to declare her feelings? She told him that she loved him when they first sat down, but she knew that he had not believed her. Yet, she needed to first soothe her own insecurity.

"What is it, woman?"

"Seth, you won't see her again, will you?"

"Jess, of course not. You have to know that," he said as he grasped both of her arms in his hands and squeezed her, searching her eyes with his own, willing her to believe him.

"Well, yes, I felt as though that was the case, but I want you to know that…I am claiming you. I don't want there to be any more women in your life, Seth. Only me. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine."

"Are you jealous?" he asked, surprised.

"I wanted to smash my tiramisu in her face," she whispered.

Seth belly-laughed. He couldn't help it. He could see Jessica holding her dessert plate in hand and it was glorious. She smiled, but did not say anything further.

He relaxed, before he said, "There is no contest. She is part of the past and I hope I never see her again. I don't know why you want to claim me, but I wouldn't want to be claimed by anyone else, Jess."

"I love you so much, Seth."

"I love you, Jess. I always have and I always will."

Jessica wanted to be in his arms and did not want him to have any doubt of what she wanted, so she all but launched herself into his lap, straddling his body, and kissing him.

Seth groaned in her mouth, but settled her body on his lap, grasping her hips, as she kissed him as though it was their last night on earth. Running her hands through his hair and around his neck, and playing with his ears, she could not get enough of him.

Realizing that she was not going to stop and it was becoming a sure thing that he did not have to worry about calming back down, Seth began to explore with his hands. He moved them down to her legs, loving the feel of her hosiery and after gathering his courage, he moved his hands under the hem of her dress.

Seth reacted immediately, pushing her away, so he could see if his senses were deceiving him. She was confused at first, but then followed his eyes to her thighs, and the garters from the garter belt that were now visible. She felt him shift and knew he was becoming aroused, before looking back at his eyes. They were dark and hooded and his breathing had gotten heavy.

Staring at him without blinking, she turned around, inclining her neck to have him unzip her. He complied and she stood up and slipped the dress off her body, letting it pool on the floor before turning back to him. Holding his gaze, she watched him as he looked at her from head to toe, lingering on her stockings and garter belt.

The lingerie had certainly worked in making her feel desirable in more ways than one.

"Jess," was all he could say.

There was no more talking. He stood up to kiss her, pushing her gently backwards towards her bed. Their hands caressed each other and their mouths kissed lips, necks, and shoulders, as they showed by their actions how deeply they loved and felt for one another.

There was no taking, but only giving to one another, sharing their bodies and committing to a future together. Giving the gift of making love and trusting each other to hold their souls safely as once they joined their bodies, they were as close as any two people could be who loved each other.

While it was their first time together, it did not take them long to become comfortable, as they knew each other so well and now that there was a physical component, their relationship had finally become complete. As they guided their hands and used their eyes and allowed moans to communicate their desires, they took their time to enjoy and sense, before they both reached their climax in each other's arms.

Before they fell asleep, Jessica whispered, "You are mine, Seth. I'm never letting you go."

"Woman, I'm never going anywhere." Patting her arm that was resting on his chest, he added, "And you won't have to throw any tiramisu at anyone either."

She giggled before she said, "I'm not making any promises."