Saturday afternoon
“I can’t believe we’re still here! It’s three o’clock in the afternoon.” Lee looked up from his watch and scowled at the embassy blueprint spread out on his desk in the Q Bureau. “So much for spending the day with your family. I should have known that Fielder would do something like come down with chicken pox and stick us with checking the security arrangements for the reception.”
“I know, sweetheart, but there isn’t much we can do about it.” Amanda looked up from her computer monitor and gave him a rueful smile. “I’m almost done running background checks on the staff, so we should be able to leave soon.” When the phone on her desk rang, she reached for it. “IFF. This is Amanda King. . . . Oh, hello.”
Lee rested his chin on his hand while he listened to Amanda’s half of the conversation. When she silently mouthed, “It’s Mother,” he nodded.
“No, Mother, we’ve been stuck here all day. . . . No, I haven’t looked outside.” With those words, she craned her neck in the direction of the window behind Lee’s desk. Her eyes widened, and, catching his eye again, she pointed behind him.
Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Lee swiveled his chair and glanced out the window. The view of the Georgetown street was completely obscured by a thick veil of snowflakes pouring down from a dark sky. Apparently the snow flurries that had accompanied their drive to the Agency that morning had become a blizzard. Lee gave a disgusted snort. So much for the “light snow showers” forecast by Channel 12’s idiotic weatherman, Dan . . . Dino . . . whatchamacallit McGuire. With an irritated shake of his head, he turned his attention back to Amanda.
“Really? You have over a foot and a half of snow at home?” Amanda paused for a moment, obviously listening to the other speaker. “They’ve closed the highways? Oh my gosh!” With a deep sigh, she nodded. “Yes, Mother, I guess we might be stuck at work. . . . Yes, Mother. . . . No, Mother. . . . Mo-ther!”
Lee rose from his seat and headed over to Amanda’s desk. Perching on the edge, he watched, facing her, while she impatiently drummed her fingers.
“Yes, Mother, I’ll call you later tonight and check in. . . . Yes, we’ll be fine. We have some food here, and I’m sure we can rustle up a couple of blankets if we have to stay the night. . . .” Amanda looked up at him and gave him a faint smile. “Don’t worry, Mother. Tell the boys I love them. . . . Yes, I love you, too. Bye.”
When she hung up the phone, Lee shrugged. “I guess we can stop worrying about arrangements for the reception. With this weather, it’s sure to be cancelled. It really looks bad outside.” He placed his hand on her arm, leaned closer, and winked. “This wasn’t the solution I had in mind when I complained about not spending the night together, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“Oh, you!” Amanda playfully swatted his arm. “Before you get your hopes up, let’s see how much privacy we can count on. We’d better check with Billy and see who else is snowed in here.”
Saturday evening
Lee and Amanda joined Billy, Francine, Beaman, and Leatherneck in the bullpen as they scrounged for something to eat. Amanda had brought down sandwich fixings and Dotty’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies from the Q Bureau. Francine had chocolates in her desk. Beaman had a box of granola bars. Leatherneck donated pudding cups and a bottle of wine that he had stashed away in his office. A supply of junk food from the vending machines in the Agency break room provided additional courses, albeit little nutritional value. Billy rounded off their supper with the assortment from the liquor cabinet in his office.
After the six stranded agents finished eating, they entertained themselves with a game of cards around the table in Billy’s office, while they waited to be dug out. Lee was a bit of a card shark, and it didn’t take very long before he held a majority of the pretzel sticks that doubled as chips, especially most of Amanda’s. She had only played poker only a few times, back when she and Joe were dating.
Amanda looked at the five cards that she now held in her hand. Trying desperately to keep a poker face, she locked eyes with Lee, who was the dealer for this round. “One card, please.”
Lee raised his eyebrow. “Only one?”
“Yes, Lee, only one. Thank you.”
“If that’s what the lady wants, that’s what the lady gets.” Lee continued to hold her gaze as he dealt one card.
Billy cleared his throat. “Hey, dealer, I’d like three cards, please.”
“Sure thing, Billy.” Lee quickly complied. “Beaman, what’ll you have?”
Amanda didn’t even hear what the rest of the players asked for when she saw her card. She knew she had a good hand. Looking down at her very small pile of pretzel chips, she sighed, wondering if she could hold out long enough to play it through.
As the bidding continued, Leatherneck and Beaman folded. On the next round, Francine also threw in her hand, leaving Lee, Amanda, and Billy still in the game. One more time around, and it was down to Lee and Amanda.
By the time the bidding reached Amanda again, the ante had been raised further. Unfortunately, she was now out of pretzel chips. She pursed her lips thoughtfully and played with the chain of her heart necklace. She really didn’t want to fold, since she had a good chance of winning this hand.
“Lee, I don’t have any more chips.” Amanda looked with appeal into the hazel eyes of her husband.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to fold. I win the hand.” Lee started to reach for the pot.
Amanda reached out and touched his arm. “Isn’t there something else I could do? Maybe an IOU?” When she saw him hesitate, she kicked off her shoes. Keeping her expression deadpan, she slowly lifted her foot and ran it suggestively up his calf, then continued up his leg. Leaning back in her chair, she rubbed her foot along his thigh. “I’m sure we can work out something.”
Lee swallowed, put down his cards, and held her gaze. His voice husky, he responded, “Yeah, maybe we can.”
Amanda bit her lower lip, wondering what Lee would want in return for this IOU. Suddenly it seemed as if they were the only two in the room.
Amanda broke the long silence as she made an offer. “Well, there weren’t enough cots for everyone, and you were going to have to sleep on the floor. How about I offer up my cot?”
“Amanda, I can’t make you sleep on the floor.”
“You’re pretty confident that you’ll win, aren’t you, Scarecrow?” Amanda cocked her head and smiled at him mischievously.
Lee stared at her, obviously trying to gauge whether she was bluffing. After a moment, he shook his head. “No, Amanda, I’m not going to let you sleep on the floor. You’ll have to come up with something else.”
Amanda pondered for a moment and then an idea struck her. She pushed her chair back, stood, and headed over to Billy’s desk. Grabbing a phone message slip, she started writing. Folding the slip in half, she returned to her seat and silently handed the paper to Lee.
Lee’s eyes widened as he read what she had written. Looking back at her, he grinned. “I think this will do.” Refolding the paper, he placed it in the middle of the table.
Amanda grinned back at him. “Okay, then, I call. Scarecrow, what have you got?”
Lee laid out his cards, a straight. His voice low and sexy, he challenged, “Now show me what you’ve got.”
With a flourish, Amanda started slowly laying out her cards, one at a time. She chuckled when Lee’s jaw dropped at the sight of her royal flush. Reaching out both arms, she scooped up her winnings, including the folded piece of paper. “Sorry, Scarecrow. Better luck next time.”
Looking around the table, Amanda realized that Lee wasn’t the only one left open-mouthed. Gaping, Francine was looking between the two of them, her eyes wide.
Leaning forward, the blond agent pointed toward Amanda’s winnings. “So, Amanda, what was on that paper?”
Lee answered for her. “Since Amanda won, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Francine was obviously still not satisfied. “Well, whatever’s on the paper, Amanda wins. So what was it? Come on, tell me.”
“Sorry, Francine. This is a need-to-know situation, and you don’t need to know. Get used to disappointment.” Lee laughed as Francine tossed her cards into the middle of the table and went to refill her glass of Scotch.
When Billy, Leatherneck, and Beaman got up to freshen their drinks as well, Lee stood and came over to Amanda’s side. He watched while she placed the slip of paper in her pocket. Leaning close, he whispered in her ear, “Can I still keep the coupon? I think I might enjoy that.”
“Sorry, handsome. It’s mine to cash in whenever I want. I won the hand, remember?” Amanda whispered back seductively.
“That might not be too bad either.” After glancing over at the other players, he gave Amanda a quick peck on her cheek.
Amanda smiled at him and then gave a small gasp. Francine was watching them intently from across the room. Based on the blond agent’s determined expression, Amanda would have bet most of her winnings that Francine was determined to learn what was written on that IOU.
Saturday Night
After a few hours and noticeable shrinkage in the supply of wine and scotch, the group in Billy’s office was quite relaxed. Lee glanced over at Amanda, seated beside him on the couch. He’d never seen her drink more than a couple of glasses of wine before, and she’d had considerably more alcohol than that tonight. He couldn’t imagine her agreeing to participate in a game of truth or dare unless she was at least a little drunk.
“Okay, this is for Amanda.” Francine smiled smugly and took a sip of her scotch. “Truth or dare?”
Amanda remained silent, obviously pondering her decision. Lee could understand her hesitation. She could be facing an embarrassing moment either way. Who knew what Francine would ask her if she picked truth, or what she would have to do if she chose dare?
“Come on, Amanda,” Francine coaxed. “It’s not that hard a decision. Truth or dare?”
“Truth, I guess.” Amanda looked nervously at Francine.
“Okay, Amanda, now you have to tell the truth.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “Francine, I know the rules.”
“Truth. Amanda, are you and Lee still dating?” Francine stared at her quarry, her expression challenging.
“Dating?” A flush of embarrassment crept up Amanda’s neck and spread to her cheeks.
“Yes, Amanda, dating.” Francine nodded and leaned further forward. “And you have to tell the truth.”
Lee wondered what her answer would be. Technically they weren’t dating; they were married. He knew, though, that Francine would accuse Amanda of lying if she said answered “no.” Catching his wife’s eye, he tried to communicate that whatever she said was fine with him.
Amanda let out a deep breath. “Yes, Francine, we are dating.”
“I knew it!” Francine smiled triumphantly. “I think I like this game.”
Well, two could play at this. Lee covertly gave Amanda’s hand a slight squeeze and turned his attention to Francine. “Let’s see how you like it now. Truth or dare, Francine?”
“Truth, I think. I don’t know if can trust a dare from you right now.” Francine maintained her catty smile.
“Okay, Francine. What’s your natural hair color?”
“What?” Francine gasped audibly.
“You heard me.” Lee chuckled. “What’s your natural hair color?”
Francine’s petulant expression showed that she knew she was caught. “Okay, okay, it’s brown. I admit it; I dye my hair. Are you satisfied, Scarecrow?”
“For the time being, Goldilocks.” Lee grinned broadly, flashing both dimples.
“OHHHHHH, you!”
The group stopped laughing long enough to make a toast to Francine’s hair. After they had all refilled their drinks, it was Leatherneck’s turn.
The quartermaster raised his glass of scotch in Lee’s direction. In a Louisiana drawl as slow as trickling tupelo honey, he questioned, “Lee, my man, truth or dare?”
Lee cleared his throat nervously and took a long swallow from his drink. “I’ll take truth this time.”
“Okay, Scarecrow, this is a question that every man in the Agency has wondered about. How many women have you slept with?”
Lee choked on his scotch. “How many women? Total?”
“Yes, man, how many women total? Or is it too many to count?” Leatherneck raised an eyebrow, obviously savoring the experience of having the infamous Scarecrow over a barrel. “Okay, let’s make this a little easier on you. We’ll do it year by year. It’s December, so from last December till now, how many women have you had sex with?”
Lee knew that he wasn’t going to get out of this easily. He hoped that Amanda wouldn’t be angry when she heard how many women he had slept with. Well, she knew about his four little black books from the case involving Dorothy, so this wouldn’t come as a surprise. Finally he answered the question quietly. “Over the last year I have slept with one woman.”
Jaws dropped around the room at Lee’s admission. Billy merely smiled.
Leatherneck blinked and continued with his questioning. “Okay, we have one for the last year. The year before that, how many women?”
“No one during that year.”
The jaws dropped even lower at his admission. Glancing around at the others, Lee saw that Beaman, Francine, and Leatherneck couldn’t believe that Scarecrow had been celibate for a year.
“Okay, Lee, let’s move back even farther. The year before that, three years ago?”
“I’m not sure, a handful, and before you ask, the years before probably even more. I don’t know the exact number of women I unfortunately shared my bed with. Are you satisfied?” Lee was both frustrated and embarrassed that he had to answer that question. Frustrated that Leatherneck would even ask, and embarrassed that Amanda had to hear that the women who had graced his bed in his past were too many to count.
That line of questioning made its way all the way around the circle of friends. Leatherneck had slept with four women, Francine with nine men, Billy with only his wife, and Beaman with no one.
Finally the question was asked of Amanda. Her answer: “Two.”
Francine raised her eyebrow at the answer. She remembered conversations she’d had with Lee at the beginning of Amanda’s association with the Agency. In their eyes, at the time, Amanda was viewed as a prude. Francine knew that one of the men that Amanda had slept with would have been her ex-husband, Joe. She wondered if the second was the man she had just admitted to dating. It made some suburban kind of sense -- especially since Lee had admitted to sleeping with only one person in the past year, and no one the year before. Had the housewife finally tamed the Scarecrow? Francine glanced at Lee and Amanda, sitting on the couch in Billy’s office. Lee’s arm was draped across her shoulder, and Amanda’s hand was resting lightly on Lee’s leg. Francine decided that a little more questioning might be in order, to figure things out for sure.
It was Beaman’s turn again. His cheeks flushed and his voice slightly slurred, he pointed to Francine. “Okay, Francine, I dare you to kiss me. A real kiss, not just a peck on the cheek.”
“Not on your life!” Francine vigorously shook her head and quickly stood up.
“Come on, Francine.” Amanda grinned. “You know the rules; you have to do it. We’ll judge whether it’s a full enough kiss.”
“And we want to see some tongue,” Lee added with a wicked smile.
Francine glared at them. Then, with a resigned shrug, she headed over to Beaman. “Okay, here goes.” When Effraim stood, she cupped his face in her hands and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
To the surprise of the on-lookers, Francine didn’t return to her seat immediately. Instead, she blinked and leaned in for another kiss, this one displaying more passion. She ran her tongue across Beaman’s lower lip, asking for entrance, which he quickly granted. When she finally pulled back, the dazed look on Francine’s face suggested that the need for air was all that had forced her to stop. “Wow,” she mouthed silently, a sentiment that Beaman echoed audibly. After slowly running her hands down Beaman’s arms, Francine took a seat beside him.
Billy chuckled and murmured, “Maybe I should start putting the two of them together more.”
Lee leaned toward Amanda and muttered, “I think Francine might be too distracted to give us any more trouble tonight.”
“I heard that, and don’t get your hopes up.” Francine threw him an arch look. “It’s your turn, Scarecrow. Truth or dare?”
Lee shrugged. “Okay, I’ll go with dare.”
“Okay, Scarecrow. Let’s see if you can do a better job.” Francine raised a plucked eyebrow. “Billy and Leatherneck can be the judges. Let’s see how you kiss your partner.”
Lee looked at Amanda, deciding he might like this dare. “If you say so, Francine,” he answered, never breaking eye contact with his wife.
After the couple stood up from the couch, Lee placed one arm around Amanda’s waist as the other moved up her arm and around the back of her head. Amanda snaked an arm up and around his neck, putting her free hand on his back. Holding her gaze, he moved in slowly and grazed her lips with his own. Then he pulled her tightly to his body, so that no space was between them, and captured her soft lips again. Lee’s tongue brushed her lips as he begged for entrance into her warm, moist mouth. When she allowed him inside, their tongues danced in a way that they both knew so well. He groaned softly as her nails raked through the hair that touched the collar of his shirt. His fingers worked their way into her hair, pulling her even closer. With his eyes closed, lost in Amanda’s scent and touch, Lee soon forget the presence of their audience.
The sound of Billy clearing his throat, Leatherneck’s wolf whistle, and Beaman’s clapping dragged Lee unwillingly back to the present. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and loosened his hold on his wife.
“Sorry, Francine,” Leatherneck chortled. “You and Beaman are going to need some practice if you want to beat that kiss. Now that was steamy.”
Resuming his seat on the couch, Lee noticed that Amanda’s complexion had taken on a rosy flush, evident from the top of her blouse to the roots of her hair. For a moment, he closed his eyes, imagining the view of where that flush had started.
Billy yawned widely. “It’s pretty late. I’m going to hit the sack. Since my couch is my bed for the night, I’m evicting all of you. See you in the morning. Sweet dreams.”
“Well, good night, all. I’m crashing in my office.” Leatherneck bowed slightly toward Lee and Amanda. “Keep up the good work, you two. As for you,” he nodded toward Francine and Beaman, “remember what they say about practice making perfect.”
“Humph.” Francine gave a haughty sniff and pulled her cot toward the corner by her desk. When Beaman followed close behind her, however, she made no move to shoo him away.
Lee snickered as he picked up Amanda’s cot and walked to the other side of the bullpen. Moving a few chairs out of Fielder’s cubicle, he began to set up Amanda’s bed for the night.
When he returned from the men’s room a few minutes later, Lee approached the cubicle that would be his bedroom for the night. Leaning against a nearby desk, he stared at his wife as she sat fluffing her pillow. ‘She is so beautiful.’ Unable to resist any longer, he stealthily approached and knelt beside her.
“What are you sneaking around for?” She smiled at him. “You’ll have to work on your technique, Scarecrow. I saw your reflection in the computer monitor.”
He laughed. ”Man, you’re getting good.”
Amanda shrugged. “Hey, I learned from the best, and I don’t mean Beaman. I saw you standing there staring at me.”
Lee reached up and caressed her cheek. “You are so beautiful. I don’t tell you that enough.”
Amanda leaned into his hand. Turning her head slightly, she kissed his palm.
Lee gently grazed his lips against hers. The shock that coursed through his veins every time that their lips touched still amazed him. He had never felt that way with any other woman. A low groan came from deep inside him as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Never letting his lips leave hers, he slowly laid her down on the cot and stretched out beside her.
“Lee, we can’t do this here. What about . . . mmph.”
He cut off her objections with another kiss. When they separated, he placed a gentle finger on her lips. “Billy is snoring away in his office. Leatherneck is down the hall. And Francine and Beaman are on the other side of the room, out of sight and very much distracted with each other. We’re over here all by ourselves, behind this partition, where no one can see us. We CAN do this here.” Lee pulled slightly away but held her gaze as he continued, “And I want to make love to my beautiful wife. Come on, Amanda. I don’t think I can survive without feeling you near me tonight. Please let me show you how much I love you.”
Amanda tenderly ran her finger down his cheek and traced the line of his mouth. “Okay,” she whispered. “Why don’t you show me?” Gazing into his eyes, she smiled at him. She gently pulled Lee’s head toward her and continued the kiss that had been broken moments ago. Bringing her hands down to his chest, she began to unbutton his shirt. She slowly ran her hands up and over his shoulders, letting the shirt fall to the floor next to the cot.
Lee reciprocated and unbuttoned the small white buttons on her blouse, gently kissing the soft skin underneath each one. Then he unhooked the front clasp on her white satin bra.
Amanda sat back up, and her blouse and bra fell to the floor. Her hands made swift work of the black belt that held Lee’s jeans close to his body. As soon as the belt thudded to the floor, she reached a finger underneath his waistband and undid the button on his jeans.
Lee took in a gasp of breath as she started to slide down the zipper. His penis came to attention as Amanda’s long fingers gently grazed his shaft.
Knowing the need for silence, Lee swallowed the groan that was fighting for release. He quickly divested Amanda of her khaki pants and satin underwear, as he looked appreciatively on her body.
Amanda’s fingers slid under the waistband of his boxers. She gently lowered boxers and jeans past his throbbing penis and down his muscular legs.
Lee’s mouth again found hers. Now the passion of their heated kisses surpassed that present during the “dare” kiss earlier that night. His large hands moved slowly down from Amanda’s face, along the column of her neck, and then gently caressed the skin of her chest. He heard her draw in a breath as his fingers brushed against her hardening nipples.
Amanda’s slender fingers inched their way down between them until she reached his penis. Deepening the kiss, she ran her fingernails along the base of his shaft, and Lee shivered in response.
The scotch Amanda had been drinking earlier was making her feel brave. She’d never made love in such a public place before, but the risk of getting caught added a fillip of fresh excitement to their lovemaking. She gasped as she felt Lee’s finger move down between her legs and barely brush against the wetness that was there.
She couldn’t wait any longer. “Lee, I need you now,” she moaned into his ear. Clamping her mouth closed, she held back the scream of pleasure that she felt rise in her throat, as she felt his tip against her opening. Raising her hips, she welcomed her lover as he entered into her warm, moist core.
Lee buried his face in the pillow, muting his groan of pleasure. Soon he felt Amanda move with him in a rhythm that belonged only to them.
Amanda reached behind her head and pulled the pillow over her face. Taking the pillow into her mouth, she gagged herself so as not to disclose the activity in the cubicle.
Lee could hold back no longer as her body tightened and begged him to go with her over the edge. He felt Amanda shudder as he climaxed inside her. Collapsing on top of his wife, he tried to catch his breath. Then he slowly rolled off Amanda, pulling her over onto her side so that they faced each other on the small cot. Reaching down, he pulled up the blanket and covered them both, as she snuggled into his chest.
Sunday morning
The shrill ringing of a phone woke Lee from sleep. Groggily, he reached for the receiver on the adjoining desk. “Stetson.”
“Hi, Lee. Did you and Mom survive the blizzard?”
“Phillip?” Lee yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Man, Lee, you sound pretty out of it. Were you still sleeping? It’s almost 10 o’clock. You old men need your sleep, huh?”
“Hey, watch it!” Lee slipped naturally into the playful banter that had developed between him and his stepsons. “We were all up pretty late, so, yeah, we were still sleeping.”
“We’re still snowed in. They haven’t plowed our street yet.” Phillip’s voice halted for a moment, and a crunching sound came over the line. Lee grinned, imagining the boy steadily working his way through a bag of chips in a futile attempt to satisfy his insatiable teenage appetite.
“I don’t know what the situation is here. We’ll come home as soon as we can.” Lee yawned again. “So what can I do for you, Chief?”
Phillip’s voice and the crackling of a cellophane bag came over the line. “Jamie and I want to go around and shovel people’s yards, to earn some money for Christmas. Grandma said that we had to ask Mom first. Is she awake?”
“No, she’s still sleeping, and I don’t want to wake her yet. Why don’t you start on your driveway? By the time you finish that, your mom can tell you if you can do anyone else’s.”
“But, Lee, I need to earn some money for Christmas.” Phillip’s voice took on a pleading note. “Other people will pay us to shovel. I can’t afford to do ours out of the kindness of my heart.”
Lee chuckled, knowing that he was being had by Phillip. Amanda wouldn’t pay them much to do their own drive, but he enjoyed spoiling the boys. “Okay, how about the kindness of my wallet? I’ll give you guys twenty bucks to do your own driveway. After you get that done, you can do other driveways. If you mom doesn’t want you doing anyone else’s, I’ll have her call you back when she wakes up. Deal?”
“Deal! Thanks, Lee. You’re the man!”
Lee could hear a scuffling commotion in the background, and then his younger stepson got on the phone. “Lee, I got some great pictures of the snow this morning. It’s so cool. There’s this neat formation off the side of the garage; the snow just hangs over the edge. It looks like a space alien. I hope the pictures come out.”
Lee smiled at Jamie’s enthusiasm. “Hey, if you took ‘em, they’ll be great, Jamie.”
“Lee, is Mom there? I want to tell her about the snow formation.”
“She’s here, but she’s still sleeping. Can you wait and tell her later?”
“Sleeping? It’s almost ten. Mom never sleeps that late.” A worried note crept into Jamie’s voice. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, Jamie.” Lee made his voice as reassuring as possible. “We just all stayed up late talking and playing cards. Why don’t you guys get started on shoveling the driveway? Have your grandma give us a call whenever they get your street clear.”
“Sure thing, Lee.” Jamie’s sigh of relief was clearly audible. “Talk to you later. Bye.”
Lee looked back to his sleeping wife as he pulled on his boxer shorts and jeans under the blanket. Hearing the sounds of the coffee maker brewing, he frowned slightly. Someone else was obviously awake as well. He hated to disturb Amanda, but he knew that she wouldn’t want to get caught naked in her cot.
Kneeling next to his wife, Lee planted butterfly kisses on her closed eyelids. When she didn’t respond, he moved to her lips, kissing her a little more firmly. This time, he was rewarded by a soft moan from her.
Amanda slowly opened her eyes and smiled at him. Her expression changed to a look of dread when Francine’s voice floated across the bullpen, calling out their names.
Laughing, Lee quickly stood up, grabbed his shirt, and walked around the partition and across the room. He had to intercept Francine before she reached them, so that Amanda had a chance to quickly dress.
When he saw Francine heading his way, her appearance disheveled, he grinned. “So, Francine, did you and Beaman get any sleep last night?” He ducked his head in the direction of their sleeping area and winked. “Your cots were pretty close together over there in your cozy little cubicle.”
Francine folded her arms across her chest and looked him up and down. “I could ask you the same thing, Scarecrow. You don’t look too well rested, but you do look . . . satisfied. Are you sure that you slept on that hard floor, or was there room on Amanda’s cot for you both?”
Lee shrugged. “I’d say that also qualifies as need-to-know information, Francine, and you are definitely out of the loop.”
“Where is Amanda, anyway, still sleeping? You must have really worn her out last night.” Francine scanned the bullpen for any sign of his partner. Leaning closer, she whispered, “And, yes, Beaman and I stayed up talking for a while. Then I had trouble falling asleep. The bullpen was pretty quiet last night -- well, except for you and your partner.” With a feline smile, she turned on her heel and headed to the coffeemaker.
Lee jumped as Amanda came up behind him.
“It’s about time I scared you.” Lee turned as she put her arms around his waist. “What did Goldilocks want?”
Lee placed another good morning kiss on her lips. “Francine was just giving me a little trouble about the sleeping arrangements last night.”
When Amanda started to step away as Billy and Leatherneck approached, Lee pulled her back into his embrace. “Amanda, after last night, they know that we’re dating.”
“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that.” Amanda smiled up at him.
As Leatherneck stumbled past the pair on his way to the coffee machine, Billy stopped by their side. “Well, last night’s revelation gave me another reason to congratulate myself on putting you two together.” Looking at Amanda, he continued, “Amanda, thank you. You’ve brought out the best in this young man.” He turned back to Lee, the twinkle in his eye belying his serious expression. “Lee, if I ever hear that you’re not treating her well, you’ll have to answer to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir!” Lee grinned and threw him a mock salute. “Come on, Billy, I think I need a cup of coffee after last night.”
A yawning Beaman joined the group. “I just listened to the latest news and weather forecast on the radio. Most of the area within the city limits, including Georgetown, is passable.” Looking toward Amanda, he shrugged apologetically. “They’re still working on the suburbs, including Arlington. Sorry, Amanda. But the rest of us should be able to get home this morning.”
As the others left to gather their things together, Lee turned to Amanda. “At least we can get to the apartment. Surely we can get you home later today.”
She nodded. “I’d better call Mother. You know she’ll be worried.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you something.” Lee snapped his fingers as he recalled his earlier telephone conversation. “Phillip called earlier. He and Jamie are shoveling the driveway. I told them to have your mother call whenever your street is cleared.” He lowered his head and lightly kissed the tip of her nose. “I better ask Leatherneck about getting a loaner from the motor pool. I really don’t want to take the ‘Vette out in this.”
Lee snaked his arms around Amanda’s waist and pulled her close for a kiss. When they separated, he murmured, “It’s nice to be able to do this around our friends. I’m sorry that our relationship came out the way it did. But I am kind of glad that we don’t have to hide it. Of course, we will still have to be careful around here because of Dr. Smyth.” He chuckled. “I think after that kiss Francine gave Beaman, she won’t cause us any problems. I don’t think she’s ready to let the world know that she enjoyed kissing the resident nerd. And I know a few secrets about Leatherneck and Beaman that didn’t come out in the ‘truth or dare’ session last night. Maybe I’d better remind them of that, so we don’t become the hot topic around the water cooler on Monday.”
“Lee, I’m really glad that someone knows. I think Billy is pretty happy about the situation.” Amanda reached up and placed her arms around his neck, drawing him into another long kiss.
“Mmmmm, your kisses are intoxicating. Let’s get to the apartment and continue this discussion. Despite all that snow, I think we’ll manage to keep warm.”
“I like the way you think, Scarecrow. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mrs. Stetson.”
TBC in the IOU
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.