Chapter 13

John put away the last of the beakers and stood back to admire the day's work. He had finished moving into the new next-door facility. The newly delivered PCR machines and electrophoresis scanners were set in their respective stations, the autoclave was humming away on a set of dishes and pipettes, and the CRAY computer in his lab was humming by the far wall. Samantha had spared very little expense in giving him what he needed to run his experiments by himself. There would be no lab assistants, understandable considering the delicacy of the research.

Done with the days work, John's mind was now free to wander. Naturally, he thought of Samantha and their time together the night before last. The sex was intense, more that he had ever experienced. She was a force of nature in bed. Even now, the thought of it made his heart hammer. But there were two things that he took away from that night that stuck to him besides the experience. First, the effect she had on him was different from anything that he had ever counted with other women. It almost seemed like she was using his own abilities in her favor, a sort of feedback loop. Where the other women that he bedded gave themselves generously Samantha took. She took until he was drained and couldn't help falling asleep for an hour before he left. He wasn't sure about what she did to him. That was a scientific observation that he would have to study. Perhaps it was linked to the reason why she wouldn't let him run any tests on her.

It was the second point that disappointed him. It was great sex, but that was all it seemed to be. John had had plenty of sex in the past couple of years. And for a while he thought it was the best thing in the world, to have access to women at his fingertips. But then he met Cassandra and everything changed. Love was so much more. John saw the potential for that with Samantha. She was a strong and brilliant woman. She was witty, smart, and sexy. She had a hidden untapped sensuality about her that she kept closely guarded. Granted, that made getting close to her more difficult but it certainly made being with her more worthwhile. He'd planned on their first time in bed as something intimate and romantic but instead she made it clear that night that that wasn't what she was looking for. Even afterwards, when he tried holding her and cuddling, she shuffled away from him under the sheets.

John didn't know what to make of the situation. Perhaps he should talk to her about it.

Speaking of whom, the door opened and Samantha strode in. She looked at the laboratory, inspecting the placement of equipment and the streamlined design of the room. Her eyes finally rested on John himself and the corners of her mouth curled up. "Hello, John. Enjoying your new toys?"

"You flatter me with the facilities you've granted me."

"Does it get me anywhere?"

John returned her smile. "Maybe."

Samantha stepped boldly up to him and teased his lips with her own. John moved his hands along her ribs until they gently cupped the sides of her breasts. He felt her murmur in approval before he pulled away. There was a time and place for courtship and the worksite definitely shouldn't be one of them. Samantha's eyes silently agreed in his tact and he sensed that he had earned another nugget of her respect.

"So, any idea when we can go out again?" he asked. "You owe me, after all."

"How about tomorrow evening?" she offered. "We could go out for dinner then come back to my place, put Brianna to bed early, and..." Her sentence trailed off but the sensual twinkle in her eyes spoke volumes of what they could do to conclude the evening.

"I have a better idea," John counter-offered. "How about I pick you up tomorrow night and surprise you with whatever I've cooked up."

Samantha's eyes sparkled in curiosity as she circled him, measuring him. "Surprises, John? Very well. Pick me up tomorrow night at seven."

John watched her statuesque figure as she exited and his mind whirled with possibilities. He had come to the conclusion that a woman as proud as her would not appreciate direct criticism about their previous tryst. He would just have to show her what their first time should have been like. He went home and planned for the next evening.

John showed up on Samantha's front doorstep promptly at six. He smiled at the bewildered look on her face when she opened the door. "John. What are you doing here?"

"Why, to take you out tonight."

"I said seven; you're an hour early. The babysitter isn't even here."

"Cancel," John stated simply.

"What?"

"Cancel," John reiterated. "Brianna's coming with us."

"But..."

"No 'buts'. I told you I'd surprise you so, 'Surprise!'"

Samantha stepped back as a bouquet of handpicked carnations attacked her face. A single bloom bent over as a stem broke from the violent introduction and she couldn't help but laugh at the charming simplicity of it all. "All right. Come in and you can explain yourself."

John entered her home and gave her a friendly peck on the lips. So far so good, he thought. She seemed to be off balance, and he planned on keeping it that way tonight. He followed her into the kitchen as he explained himself. "I heard that a circus and carnival was in town so I thought it would be nice to take you and Brianna."

"I don't know..."

"Come on, it'll be fun. When was the last time you took Brianna out? You know she'll enjoy herself. I'll buy you cotton candy."

"Alright. Fine," she huffed. "But I'm only in it for the cotton candy." The wings of her lips tilted upwards in a gentle smile.

"Great. Go get dressed and I'll break the news to Brianna."

Samantha sprinted for the stairs and John couldn't help but smile. He had done the impossible. He was able to touch a part of her that wasn't as serious as the rest of her. Tonight she was going to have fun.

John found Brianna in her room coloring a book. "Hey there."

Brianna looked up and stepped into a hug. John pulled back and looked at her as he handed her another carnation he had tucked away. Her smile was the very image of her mothers. "Tonight you and I have a mission. It's very important so listen up." Brianna's eyes sharpened in attention. John was beginning to wonder just how precocious the little girl was. "Your mom doesn't have all that much fun, does she?" Brianna shook her head. "Well, I'm sure she used to know but she's forgotten. So tonight we are going to the carnival and the circus to see if we can jog her memory. How does that sound?"

Brianna's eyes said it all as her cupid's mouth broadened into a grin. "That's what I though," he said. "So, tonight I want you to have as much fun as you can so you can show her how it's done. Think you can do that?"

Brianna's grin turned sly, a peculiar thing to see on a five year old. She winked.

"That's what I thought. I'll go get your mom to help you get dressed." He mussed her hair on his way out, earning him a scowl.

John slipped into Samantha's bedroom without knocking and took his gloves off as he went in. The sight that greeted him took his breath away. Her back was turned to him so she didn't notice his admiring gaze as she slipped into a comfortable pair of jeans that hugged her hips deliciously. Her graceful neck was tantalizingly exposed with her hair pinned up and John could just make out the firm swell of the sides of her breasts cradled in a black bra. Quietly, he crept up to her until he could feel the heat of her body on his face. He noticed her stiffen in shock as he inhaled the womanly scent of jasmine shampoo and apricot lotion. He raised his hands and left them poised inches from her skin. They hovered down her bare shoulders and arms, the electric heat tantalizing them both.

"What are you doing?" she asked, hints of curiosity and nervousness threaded her voice.

John hummed in approval. "Admiring a work of art. You've probably heard it a million times but you are a beautiful woman." He noticed how the back of her neck flushed and wondered if it reached the front. He caught another delicious whiff of her and stepped back, the creases in his palms regretting the departure. John took a seat on the edge of her bed and waited.

Samantha stood still for another moment before fishing into her large closet for a shirt and sweater. She made her way to her make-up table and began to touch-up her face.

John sat and watched her during her feminine ritual. "Wait," he called out as she reached for a slender bottle of perfume. "There's no need for that. I like the way you smell." He saw her eyebrow arch in intrigue in the mirror before she set the bottle down.