Chapter 27

Denise sat in her living room, trying to collect herself.

Tom. He'd made love to her — no, he'd fucked her, skilfully, but it wasn't making love. So he'd fucked her and then he'd left.

Denise walked slowly, a little carefully, up the stairs to her room. She put on her bathrobe, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Denise began to cry, softly at first, then with increasingly loud and violent sobs, as she threw herself onto her bed, grabbing a pillow and howling into it. Her mother hadn't raised an idiot. Denise knew without the need for further proof that Tom had played her beautifully. He must have been overjoyed when she'd thrown herself at him like that.

He'd made her feel good, she'd been willing and had taken her full part, she reflected once the crying jag had finished. She actually felt a tingle in her belly when she thought back to the physical act, but Denise knew there was no relationship there. 'At least he'd used a condom, ' she thought.

Denise sat up, wiped her eyes and considered. 'Maybe after a bath, I'll feel better.'

So, she ran a bath, put in some bath oil as the last of the water was entering and lit a scented candle by the side. Denise eased in and sighed, luxuriating in the hot water. For a while she simply lay there, not thinking, just feeling the tension run out of her body as she lay in the water.

Finally she refocused her mind. Tom. What to do about him?

'He's skilful, he got me off fine, ' she thought, one hand idly playing with her pubic hair under the water. 'What was it he said? I can do more than just casual. Then he just about made me explode, and ran off... what do I do now?'

'Why'd he run off? Just some sorta I don't do after sex cuddles reaction?' she wondered. 'Could there be more to it? Was it just I've had what I wanted, now I'm outta here!' the thought continued.

Well. In theory, she had another date with him, she remembered. She could keep the date, and see how it went from there.

But in her heart, unacknowledged but there, she knew. Tom was a mistake. Now, she had to get to the stage of admitting it to herself.

The following morning Anne drove Stan to work, and they walked through into reception together. Elaine was there, as usual, and she smiled when she saw the couple walk in together.

"Hi you two! Seems like you're really over your troubles!"

Anne glanced at her hand, fingers entwined in Stan's, and then looked up and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I decided that he was wrong, he agreed with me, now we're okay!" she told the blonde receptionist with a smile. Elaine giggled and told her "Well, he's a slow learner, but I'm sure you'll have him trained soon!"

"Humph! I've got better places to go to be insulted than here..." grinned Stan. "You lot gang up on a poor fellow like that, he doesn't stand a chance!"

"You better believe it, buddy!" called Elaine as Stan left for his office after giving Anne a final peck on the cheek.

Once in the office he was a little surprised not to see Elizabeth, but was reassured by the fact that her PC was switched on. Stan turned on his own machine and went to get coffee.

On his return he found Elizabeth just coming back into the office from the test area with a sample of devices. She saw Stan, took in his bright, sunny expression — so different from last week — and exclaimed "Oh! You and Anne?"

Stan couldn't help but smile. "Yes, we're over that patch. We each know we love the other, and that's the main thing, all else fades in comparison."

Stan sat and thought for a moment, smiling a little. Elizabeth watched and waited for him to continue, a slight smile on her own lips.

"Have you ever danced the Tango, Elizabeth?"

"No. Remember? I told you before, my Mum & Dad did, but I never learned ballroom."

"Well," he said, his smile widening, "let's just say that, knowing you, you'd have enjoyed it. It gets the juices flowing..." he said with a wink.

"Oh, I can believe it — but I do believe that some good Rock'n'Roll can have the same effect, Stan!"

"Now," she went on in a more serious voice, "about these test results..."

The two got on with their work.

At lunchtime, Elizabeth and Denise once again ate together. Denise had been looking forward to being able to talk to her older friend. She felt she needed to talk through her situation.

At first however, she was somehow reluctant to start. Elizabeth, sensing that there was something on the younger woman's mind, waited while the remaining salad disappeared from their plates, as she obviously thought through what to say.

Finally, Elizabeth's patience ran out.

"Denise? You obviously want to say something, but not a word... ?"

"Mmm? Oh! Oh, yes. Um." Denise drew a deep breath.

"It's Tom. Last night we made love, well after the dance we were sort've fired up, you know?" Elizabeth nodded, thinking of Stan that morning, but letting Denise continue.

"Well, one thing lead to another last night, and it happened. He's pretty darn persuasive, and he certainly knows his way around a woman's body, but when we finished he... he just simply got up and left, after telling me we had a date on Friday.

"I mean, I really enjoyed myself with him, he's got plenty of skill, and is obviously experienced. No coercion or anything, we knew what we were doing, but that thing of just leaving... I just don't think he's in it for the long term."

"Well, it's not a good sign, Denise, is it? I suppose there could have been other reasons — did he say he had to be somewhere else, or anything?" Elizabeth answered.

"No. He just got dressed and left."

"He told you that you had a date on Friday?"

"Well," considered Denise, "it wasn't quite like that. He asked, but in a way that made it sound like I'd already agreed."

"Are you going to meet him, then"

"I don't honestly know, Elizabeth. I just don't honestly know."

Denise took a sip of her fruit juice, then continued, soberly, "But probably yes. If only physically, he made me feel good." She smiled at Elizabeth and finished with a saucy grin, "Tingly."

"Well, if he thinks he can use you, he may find that the tables are turned, then!" answered Elizabeth with a widening smile.

The two giggled and finished their meal.

After her lunch, Denise went to see Elaine in reception.

"Howdy!" she said to the younger blonde.

"Hello Denise — how are you getting on?" asked Elaine.

"Oh, I'm fine, fine. I'm just mulling over man problems."

"I don't have those!" grinned Elaine.

"No, but you have to put up with your own hormones and those of another woman!" giggled Denise. They both laughed — it had been a constant refrain between them while they'd been together, how it was either twice the fun or...

"So, what's the man problem then — aside from acute testosterone poisoning?" asked Elaine.

Denise outlined the night before to Elaine, in the same way that she had to Elizabeth.

"So, I've got a date on Friday. He's coming to pick me up — unless I cancel him," she finished.

Elaine was quiet for a moment or two. The she said "Well, you can use him to scratch your itch for the time being, but it seems to me that you've already made up your mind that he's not going to do for you in the longer term."

"You're right, of course."

"Actually, I think you need to be thinking hard about whether you want to see him at all. What do you know about him?"

"Only that he goes to the dance classes, he's funny, charming, experienced and skilful in bed — though we never actually got to bed! — and not that much else."

"Just be careful, Denise. That's all I'll say. I don't know him at all, but the impression you give is that you trust him as far as you can throw him. Make sure that if you're going to keep seeing him, it's on your terms."

"Oh, I will, Elaine, I will!"

Just then the phone rang, and Elaine had to answer it. Denise went back to her office and prepared to get back to work.

Denise had made good progress on the documentation project, and now needed to show Stan the early working prototype of the interface she'd developed. She noticed that Stan was less nervous around her than before, and also that she felt more at ease around him. She wasn't sure why, but perhaps it was to do with his protectiveness, and the way she now felt about Tom?

They'd been working quietly together for about half an hour when Denise heard a soft sound as someone coughed gently behind her. She looked back, to find Anne standing there, with a slight smile on her face.

"Don't mind me, I just wanted to check something with Stan," she told Denise. "Stan, d'you fancy some Sea Bass tonight? I thought it would make a change."

Stan had turned in his seat, and answered, "Yes, I'd like that. Round yours?"

Anne had tilted her head back a little and laughed, "Yes, Stan, unless you fancy cooking? Actually, strike that... I don't fancy your cooking!"

She'd looked back at Denise. "He's a really rotten cook you know. Hopeless in the kitchen!"

"Really? He seems so... competent. What other little faults have you been hiding, Stan?" Denise asked with raised eyebrows.

"Well, let's just say it's a good job you haven't asked me to maintain your car, shall we?" Stan grinned.