As he headed to the highway he was vaguely aware of a small silver car in his rear window, turning when he turned, stopping when he stopped. Now’s not the time to be paranoid, he thought. After a few miles, right before he approached the bridge, the same silver car lagged behind. He slowed, hoping the car would pass him, but the car directly in back passed him instead and the silver car was at his tail. He didn’t say anything to Diana; it would ruin the mood. He intermittently checked his rear view mirror. Sometimes the car slipped back, then it would catch up.
Why would anyone want to tail him? Thugs hired by ALLPower? Stalinsky? Catching him with Diana could be fodder for all sorts of blackmail, for both of them.
A school administrator with a guy at a sex house? A guy who’s a newspaper reporter?
It could jeopardize their jobs, their credibility. The works. If I have any sense I should just turn around now and stop thinking with my gonads. He saw a sign for a rest stop.
“Hey honey. Let’s stop for a quick cup of coffee, okay? I need a little hit of caffeine.”
“Sure. We’re in no rush. Right?”
They pulled off at the rest stop, and the silver car pulled in also, but it kept a safe distance behind. Lou pulled around the far side of the parking lot and backed in a parking space facing out. Where the hell was he?
“Lou? We getting out?”
“You know, Diana, let’s skip it. The coffee can wait. Just got a second wind.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Lou pretended to look for a bottle of water in the back seat, stalling for time. He surveyed the parking lot again. The driver might be waiting at the entrance ramp where he won’t miss us. He coasted toward the ramp but didn’t see the car. He hit the gas like he was kickboxing, and the car lurched forward.
“Hey—where’s the race?”
“Just want to get where we’re going, Sweetie Pie. Hold on.”
He cut out onto the highway and swerved into the fast lane. No car. He lost them. Whoever it was…
Chrissy never planned to follow Lou very far, but once she started it was hard to turn back. Her curiosity got the better of her. Wasn’t being a journalist like a detective? Spying on another reporter wasn’t quite the same, and her sense of ethics was gaining, but not enough to make her quit the pursuit.
When she followed Lou to the rest stop, she debated her next move. She pulled around to the gas station and parked to the side with the exit ramp in view. Suddenly she caught the glinty orange car racing past her onto the highway. Leaving her scruples in the dust, she started her car, lurched around a slow moving van and sped onto the highway. For a while she was sure she had lost him and was about to give up. It was dark and harder to see the shiny SUV. Harder, but not impossible. I’ve come this far….
Lou and Diana were just about a mile from the exit for the Bearded Iris.
“I really wish you would slow down, Lou.” Diana thought his urgency was about her ambiguity and because he feared she might change her mind about a new sexual encounter.
“Sorry, Babe. I’m a little anxious. Didn’t mean to drive with a heavy foot.”
“I’m anxious, too. You know that, right? But let’s get wherever we are going in one piece. The way you’re driving, you’d think we were being followed.”
The lady had a sixth sense about her. Or she has eyes in the back of her head.
Keeping her distance, Chrissy followed them and saw the car pull into a driveway of a large house perched on a small hill with a line of shrubs in the front. An old stone wall ran around the yard, and there was a wrought iron gate that opened to a few stone stairs. A small illuminated sign was next to the front door in the center of a wraparound porch.
Chrissy could see Lou and Diana walk up to the front door. Well, well. What do you know, Ms. Diana Chase, schoolmarm, shacking up in a bed-and-breakfast with Lou Padera.
When the two had been in the house for a few minutes, Chrissy walked slowly up to the front door to read the name of the hotel. In elegantly cursive letters the small sign said “The Bearded Iris.”
Chapter 29
The first thing Diana saw was a long, curved wooden bar with fancy cushioned stools that swirled around. Some R&B music played from a dance floor to the right of the bar, and a few couples moved to the beat. Diana smiled. It all felt vaguely familiar.
“So this is a real place,” she glanced sideways at Lou. “You’ve been scheming a bit?”
A man was leaning with his back against the bar, sipping a drink. He was medium height with light brown hair. Lou walked over to him.
“David? Nice to see you again. I’d like you to meet Diana.”
The man smiled. “Nice to see you, Lou.”
His soft brown eyes settled on Diana. “And this is the lovely Diana?”
The two briefly shook hands. Then, looking in her eyes, he brought her hand to his lips. She stiffened slightly, realizing David was a key character in their jointly written erotic story.
“What are you drinking? You like white wine, don’t you Diana?”
She laughed nervously. “White wine is perfect.”
In the story, David and Lou each dance with Diana, have dinner and find their way to a large bedroom upstairs. Recalling the scenario, Diana took a long, full sip of wine and tried to relax. Lou slid his hand around her waist. “Dance?”
As they swayed to the music, he put his lips to her ear.
“Look, Diana. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. David is cool, and neither one of us will be disappointed if you opt out. Well, maybe I’ll be a little sad. But it’s not worth it if you can’t enjoy yourself. Okay?”
“You mean we could have dinner and go home?”
“Yup. If that’s what you want.”
Like a kid who was just told she didn’t have to do her homework, Diana became giddy and relaxed. Then she thought, But what about the story? Hadn’t it become a script for the evening? Wasn’t it meant to be followed?
“I’m not sure what I want yet, Lou. Can we get to know him a bit more before I decide?”
“Sure thing.”
They returned to the bar and sat down next to David.
“You two look good on the dance floor. When you’re ready, and if you want to, Diana, would you dance with me?”
She emptied her glass and said, “Sure. Let’s give it a try.”
They danced and he took cues from her on how close she wanted him to be. He was light on his feet and she was beginning to feel comfortable with him.
From the bar, Lou ordered more wine and watched them. His stomach gurgled.
Their dinner together was a long, relaxed meal where she knew she was dinking far too much. But she wanted to loosen up. She sat between the two men in a round booth and at one point David slipped his arm around her while Lou stroked her inner thigh under the table. It made her giggle. Suddenly there was a bottle of champagne on the table.
“My favorite,” she said, realizing her inhibitions were about to slip away. Fingers swept the back of her neck, played with her hair. She melted.
When the champagne was half gone, Lou felt the time was right.
“Do we want to check out our room?” he suggested in a low voice. She looked at them both, laughed softly and nodded. Why not?
With bottle and glasses in hand they found their room and opened the door. It was a softly lit bedroom with what seemed to be a swing at the far end. The three looked in.
“After you, Diana,” Lou said and nodded at David.