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A Collaboration between Bron and Suzie
Chapter 42
Kevin
changed the game plan, giving Sheridan a little more time to
prepare. She wasn't going to take off like Marybeth thought
she would, at least he didn't think so. "Dammit, I have
never missed a flight because of a woman. I'll be listening
to Nick's shit for the next ten years over this." Kevin
waited in traffic as his anger had cooled from a rolling boil
to a slow simmer. The anger that he was experiencing had brought
questions to the forefront of his mind. He had done many things
to protect Sheridan and couldn't explain why except that he
really wanted to have a relationship with her. He lusted after
her. He wanted her for himself. Dealing with Tom was plain ruthless
and not normally his style. Any other time, he would have just
moved on to the next woman that caught his fascination. Chasing
off Patrick as best he could and then sending Marybeth out to
keep an eye on Sheridan wasn't the nicest thing either. The
trouble was nobody seemed to have a problem. Everyone, including
himself, felt that he and Sheridan should give it a try but
she was just too scared to try.
"Forty-seven
fifty," he heard barked in his face.
Kevin shook his head,
"Huh?"
"Forty-seven
fifty for the meal," the hostess looked at him. She knew
who he was and he definitely was not with her right now, 'Probably
stoned,' she heard that little voice in her head speak, 'Most
of them are.'
"Oh yeah, here,
keep the change," Kevin grabbed the bags and headed out
the door. One more stop and he would head over to Sheridan's
place. Cruising down the street, he quickly pulled into a parking
spot, much to the dismay of the driver behind him, since he
hadn't signaled. The driver cursed and Kevin shot him the finger.
Jumping out, he ran back two storefronts to a flower shop and
began searching for the perfect flowers.
"Can I help
you?" an old woman wearing glasses and a friendly smile
asked as she touched his hand. Her floppy, straw hat hid most
of her face. A blue smock covered her shirt and green polka-dot
pants. "You look a little lost."
Kevin shrugged as
his cheeks began to burn red; he was out of sorts to begin with
and this just added to it. It had been a long time since he
had bought flowers for any woman except his mom. "I need
some flowers for a lady."
"Hmmmm, your
lady love?" the woman questioned as she grabbed his arm
and steered him toward the roses.
"Not yet, but
I would like her to be," Kevin chuckled and grinned.
The old woman nodded
at him, "I see, a new romance about to bud," the woman
grabbed three small pink rose buds.
Kevin didn't know
what it was but he felt very comfortable around this woman;
she reminded him of his grandmother. "We sort of had an
argument. Ummm, she's a little pissed… ah, mad at me."
The woman patted
his arm, "That could be a problem, but it has happened
to all of us. So, you need to say you're sorry? Maybe start
over?"
"Yes,"
Kevin eagerly nodded as he watched her pull him around the table.
Deftly the old fingers
picked three yellow roses, "Yellow means I'm sorry."
She winked at him.
Kevin smiled as he
touched one, "Really?"
"Umhmm,"
the woman looked at the sparse bouquet, it didn't seem adequate,
but her customer needed to decide that. "They all have
meanings."
"I need a few
more," Kevin's nose squished as he glanced at the six flowers
she held, "Any ideas?"
"Let's see…,"
The woman pulled a few peach roses. "Peach expresses anticipation
and desire."
"I need more
of those," Kevin's cheeks turned even redder since he had
opened his mouth and inserted his foot.
The woman elbowed
him slightly, "Don't we all." She watched the young
man become edgy. So far, he had yellow, peach, and pink. "You
need some of these," her weathered hands reached for some
Baby's Breath.
Kevin reached for
the red and the woman shook her head at him. "Why?"
he was puzzled now as she pulled his hand away.
She began to point
him in another direction but wasn't succeeding. "Red is
for romantic love and passion. You usually save that for after
the first time."
"After what
first time?" Kevin stared at her blankly and then became
horrified when he finally put two and two together. "Oh,
that first time." The woman's laughter rang through the
shop, much to Kevin's embarrassment.
Twinkling crystal-clear
blue eyes that were rimmed with laugh lines looked back at him.
"With red, the rosebuds reflect the beauty of a young lover.
The full bloom is to say, I love you still, afterwards."
Kevin shuffled his
feet slightly, "I'll be saving those for later I think."
"Good idea,"
she patted his hand. She liked this young one. He was sweet
and actually taking the time to listen to her. He was minding
his manners and behaving like a young man should.
"What does white
represent?" Kevin touched the stem of a gorgeous white
rose.
The woman raised
her brows, "Innocence and purity."
"I need a shit
load of those…" Kevin stopped and closed his eyes. "Sorry."
The woman laughed
as she grabbed the best white rose in the bunch and a few more
to go with it. Going to her worktable, she found a soft white
ribbon, and tied all the flowers together. Wrapping some floral
paper around the bouquet to protect it, she fluffed the Baby's
Breath.
Kevin reached for
his wallet after being handed the bouquet. "How much for
this? It's so beautiful; I know Sheridan will love this."
The woman began pushing
him out the door, "Go on now. Go kiss make up. Stop back
and tell me how it went."
"Wait!"
Kevin stopped; he wasn't going to leave without paying. The
last thing he needed was to be accused of stealing and have
it hit the tabloids. Turning around, he looked at the old woman.
She was still smiling. "Seriously, what do I owe you?"
"Nothing, nothing
at all. Thank you for coming into my shop and not trying to
mug me or steal from us. You listened to an old woman prattle
for a while. Now go."
Kevin shook his head;
he didn't know what to do. A voice from across the shop caught
his attention. Kevin turned sideways to look.
"Take it, she
won't take your money. I know the wife after fifty years of
marriage." A gnarled elderly man spoke in a baritone voice
from a display of flowers he was working on.
"Wow fifty years,"
Kevin turned to the woman and kissed her cheek. "Thanks
for the help. What's your name?"
The woman clapped
her hands together in delight, a kiss from a sweet, young man,
"Rose!"
Kevin nodded wisely
and shook his head, "Of course. I'll be back Rose."
Kevin took two steps and then turned back around.
"Yes?"
she smiled.
"I don't feel
right about this," Kevin was positive that no trouble would
become of it but he still they looked like they worked hard
for what they had.
After slipping on
garden gloves, she picked up a pair of shears. "If you
get to marry her, we get the wedding," she winked.
"You got it!"
Kevin's head quickly bobbed up and down. Turning on his heel,
he walked out the door, much happier than when he walked in.
The words 'marry' and 'wedding' didn't shock him as much as
he thought it would. A little unnerving, but not frightening.
Driving further down
the street, Kevin pulled into a liquor store. Standing in the
aisle, he debated as he studied two wine bottles. He finally
settled on a nice Chardonnay to go with dinner. He smiled, all
he needed was a checkered tablecloth, and they could have a
picnic in her living room, a romantic one. When Kevin chose
the dinner, he was feeling a need for comfort, so comfort food
is what he ordered. After purchasing his wine, he finally was
on his way. As he drove to Sheridan's, the aroma of fried chicken
filled the air. His stomach grumbled in response to the smell.
When Kevin glanced at the flowers on the seat next to him, he
smiled and another part of his body responded just as loudly
as his stomach.
Sheridan stared at
the three suitcases she had managed to repack. Now she was fretting
over what to take out of the third suitcase. Her eyes continuously
glanced towards the clock. At least Kevin was no longer yelling
into her answering machine. She was beginning to fidget and
get nervous knowing he was coming and there was nobody around
but her. This shouldn't bother her. There were plenty of times
when she was alone with Kevin, but tonight, it was different
because she hadn't done what she was supposed to do. Doing research
on the man for her stories, she felt she had nailed his personality
and temper. Both of which could be highly unpredictable and
volatile.
Settling her hands
on her hips, she looked at the suitcase. "I'm a grown woman
and I need to act like one. I can earn a living and enjoy what
I'm doing. I certainly can pack a suit case for a couple of
days." Flipping the lid open, she began tossing items out
of the suitcase onto the floor. Bath shoes, sandals, three pairs
of sweatpants were the items that landed first. Next, she held
up the lace bottoms in pink and a camisole to match, that her
mother had sent to her. "What was I thinking? It's not
like I'm going to meet anyone. It's not like I want to…"
Kevin yelling at her front door made her drop the ensemble and
run for the door.
"Sheridan, you
know I remove doors when I'm pissed off! Now open the door!"
Kevin pounded on the door with his closed fist. It wasn't easy
as he balanced flowers, a wine bottle, and food in the other.
"I swear Sheridan!" His head swung towards the stairs
to see if anyone had heard him. Knowing he needed to calm down,
he closed his eyes as he heard the lock click and the chain
slide across the door. Reaching for the knob, he turned it slowly.
Pushing the door open with his foot, he stood watching Sheridan.
Oh, he had screwed this up royally.
Sheridan froze; she
didn't know what to say or what to do. Closing her eyes tightly,
she gritted her teeth and waited for what was to come next,
although she wasn't sure exactly what that would be.
Kevin saw that she
was pale; she almost looked translucent. Sheridan's entire body
was as rigid as a board. Her arms at her sides and her fists
balled up. Taking three steps to get to her, he stopped directly
in front of her.
Sheridan shook; she
smelled the distinguishable cologne that she smelled every day
since she had began working for Kevin. Then she was surprised
as she felt whiskers on her face and soft lips pressed to hers,
they were warm and sweet. She kissed back, once the shock of
what he was doing hit her, her eyes flew open. She stared back
at a man who had his eyes wide open and returned her stare.
Jumping back, she wrapped her arms around herself to stop the
goose bumps. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she covered
her mouth and began to back up.
"I'm going to
shut the door now." Kevin heard people behind him. After
setting everything down on the coffee table, he walked back
to the door. Smiling when he saw Patrick on the other side,
he gave the door a sharp slap to close it, "Nighty-night."
Turning back around, he looked at Sheridan as he pulled his
coat off and tossed it on the beanbag. "You, young lady,
made me miss my flight. That is a first for me; I've missed
flights before but not because of a woman."
Sheridan was still
dazed over the kiss and was having a hard time dealing with
Kevin being in her space. "You could have gone without
me."
Kevin was doing a
party dance in his head over the kiss. He walked into the kitchen
with amazing thoughts It was perfect and he had succeeded in
erasing his crime of yelling at her for half the day. "I
told you when you took the job that we would be traveling together."
"Yes but…"
Sheridan meekly replied.
Kevin came back into
the living room and grabbed the food. Carrying the food to the
kitchen he talked to her, "There are no buts and you knew
this was going to happen." Setting things down, he began
to search through the drawer for the bottle opener. Shoving
utensils around with his hand, he couldn't find it. "Where
did that thing go? It was in here last time."
"Let me look
in her room," Sheridan backed out of the kitchen still
not sure of what to say or how to act. Kevin had caught her
completely off guard. The kiss swept her off her feet and made
her do a doubletake. Opening Angel's door, she peeked in slowly,
never really sure what she would find on the other side. Inquisitively
she looked around the room; she spotted the bottle opener on
Angel's nightstand next to an empty wine bottle. Cautiously
she stepped over a pile of men's clothes that she presumed would
have to be Nick's. "I never thought Nick Carter's pants
would be in our apartment." Two shirts, some socks, and
a dress shoe were cast in the corner. Wrapping her fingers around
the corkscrew, she jumped when Kevin's voice at the door asked
her if she had found it. Turning, she looked at him.
"Well, well,
it looks like Nick has made this place home. No wonder he can't
find those ugly camo pants, he doesn't know he left them here."
A titter came out
of Sheridan, "My room isn't much better." She walked
to the door and closed it.
"Really?"
Kevin grabbed the doorknob to Sheridan's bedroom and began to
turn.
"No! I was just
kidding you," Sheridan placed her hand on his to stop him
from going in. She had thrown clothes all over the room. Her
sleepwear was still lying on the floor where she had dropped
when he had knocked on the door.
Kevin withdrew his
hand, "We'll check it out when we re-pack your suitcases
later." He strode down the hall. He didn't look back, he
knew she was going to have a heart attack over this and there
was nobody here to prop her up or act as a buffer. Once she
joined him in the kitchen, she froze as he went to the cabinet
and pulled out dinner plates and handed them to her. "I
brought dinner, you set the table."
Another little exasperated
sigh flew from her before she turned her back on him. He stared
at the silverware in the drawer before he began plucking out
forks, spoons, and knives. Turning he handed them to her, she
was definitely flustered, but he would wait for her to speak.
Sheridan placed herself
in front of him as he grabbed for the wine glasses. Having Kevin
sort through her drawers for things was slightly annoying. He
knew where things were that she didn't. "How do you know
where everything is in my kitchen? Are you spying on me? I wouldn't
put it beyond you since you already pulled the background check
and then you did that to Tom."
Kevin stopped as
the blonde head move as fast as her mouth. His arm poised above
her reaching for the glasses. Looking directly down at her,
he stared into her greens eyes for a moment. They were such
an unusual green. They were like sparkling emerald jewels; they
were unnaturally beautiful. Her eyes had always captivated him,
"Umm….no. I've watched Angel a few times." Trapping
her between his body and the counter he reached behind her to
grab the bouquet he had bought for her. Kevin made a point of
pressing his body into hers; he wanted her to stay off kilter.
"These are for you."
"Oh how beautiful,"
she spoke. Burying her nose in the roses, she inhaled. They
were stunning and smelled so sweet.
Kevin felt her bump
into his hip and her hip brushed regions that were more than
ready for contact, but that wouldn't take place tonight. He
proceeded to uncork the wine as she balanced on a chair to grab
a vase on top of the refrigerator. Oh he looked. He looked until
it hurt and it was really beginning to hurt down south. Sheridan
stretching and bending, she was wearing a pair of jeans that
hugged her butt and the rest of her curves.
"Yeah,"
he shook his head and went to set the glasses on the table making
an adjustment on the way.
Sheridan filled the
vase with water and tied the ribbon around the base. Carrying
them to the table, she set them in the middle. "If we had
candles, this would feel like a date," she smiled as her
eyes grew round, she couldn't believe she had said that. 'It's
the kiss, it has my mind traveling down the wrong path,' she
grumbled in her head.
"I thought maybe
a picnic but no dates tonight," Kevin grabbed her plate
and over filled it. He always felt she could stand to gain a
little weight. Handing it to her, he smiled, "After we
eat, you and I are going to have a little talk."
"We are?"
Sheridan's plate balanced in mid-air as she cocked her head
to the side and looked at him.
Kevin was a little
apprehensive, he had been hit by a plate once before, and the
results weren't pretty. He grabbed for his plate. "After
we eat, I'm starving. I paced that damn airport waiting for
you."
Sheridan cleared
her throat, "Sorry."
"Enough of the
word sorry, okay?" Kevin raised one eyebrow at her as his
hands were busily loading his plate.
Sheridan focused
on the flowers in front of her as her wheels began to spin.
'What could all this mean? Would he buy me flowers and then
fire me? Why did he bring dinner? Why did he have to kiss me?
I think he brushed up against me or at least tried to. He is
supposed to be mad at me because we missed the flight. She ate
with gusto trying to calm herself and her thoughts wishing Angel
were here to help her sort everything out.
"I take it you
approve, since you haven't stopped eating?" Kevin laughed.
He knew very well she was thinking and not paying attention
to eating, she was just eating. He had confused her and she
didn't really know what was going on.
She raised her shoulders
and ducked her head down, as she swallowed the peas that filled
her spoon. "It's delicious. It tastes like home."
"That is what
I wanted, home cooking, nothing fancy, meat and potatoes. I'm
a meat and potatoes kind of guy." Kevin took another bite
and then wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Does your Mom
cook?"
"All the time,"
Sheridan laughed. "She made me bring leftovers on the plane
after Thanksgiving."
"Sounds like
my Mom. I'm waiting for her to try and Fed-Ex me a turkey, stuffed,
and cooked." Kevin laughed right along with her.
"Moms are great,"
Sheridan smiled. "I love my Mom."
"Me too."
Kevin listened as she went on to tell him about her childhood
and parents. She talked about her Mom being involved in school.
PTA, the school paper, the play, and everything she was involved
in or with. Kevin's mind went back to his high school days and
all the things that involved his Mom as he talked to Sheridan.
His Dad stepped up to the plate to do whatever was needed when
it came to sports.
Sheridan licked her
spoon, "Mom even chaperoned our senior trip; forty kids
and four adults."
"Whoa, brave
woman, ten teenagers each," Kevin smiled. He had finished
his meal by now, but Sheridan was still eating her dessert and
on her second glass of wine. He thought about pouring her a
third but he wanted her sober for this talk. Getting up he grabbed
two more glasses and filled them with water. He kept one in
his hand and set one in front of her.
"She has to
be, she married my Daddy. He was a semi-famous wrestler and
fighter."
Kevin had recalled
Nick mentioning that to him. "Very cool, he must be a big
guy." The use of the word Daddy was a little humorous;
Sheridan was definitely a Daddy's' little girl.
"He's huge,"
Sheridan took a gulp of water. "He looks funny next to
my Mom, the giant and the fairy is how they used to refer to
them when they were dating."
"You must take
after your Mom," Kevin thought the fairy description was
right on, since he had always thought of Sheridan that way.
A picture of Sheridan as a little wood nymph running naked through
his woods snaked into his mind. He stopped that thought dead
flat. Kevin made a mental note to ask Nick how big 'huge' was,
just in case. "I hear he fishes."
"He's always
fishing with Angel's dad. Dad goes for the company; Seamus goes
to fish. Maybe someday you'll get to meet him," Sheridan
began to clear the table. She stopped and smelled the roses
and then glanced at Kevin. "They are very beautiful."
"So are you,"
Kevin began to pick up the dishes. As they washed the dishes,
Sheridan began to chatter on about flowers and gardens. "I
love gardening. Did you know that each rose has a meaning?"
Kevin smiled; yes,
he knew this because of Rose. "Yes I do. Yellow means I'm
sorry."
Sheridan smiled at
him as he handed him the plate to dry. "I'm sorry too,
I won't let it happen again."
"Oh I know you
won't because when we're done here, we're going to have a little
talk."
Sheridan swallowed
hard as she began to wash the glasses. She was not looking forward
to the talk, she would change the subject, "White means
purity."
"Uh-huh,"
Kevin nodded as he was on one side of her, but reached around
to open the silverware drawer instead of walking over to it.
"Rosebuds usually
mean something new or a new beginning but I'm not sure what
the pink signifies, young love? I can't remember what the peach
stands for at all, can you?"
Kevin knew but he
wasn't going to tell her, no the anticipation and desire factor
wouldn't be brought up for a few more minutes. After placing
everything back where it came from, Kevin grabbed the glasses
that they were using, the wine bottle, and headed to the living
room. Sheridan took her time cleaning the sink; she was evading
him and his talk.
"We can't avoid
this conversation all night," Kevin sat on the couch.
"I would like
too, since I'm not sure what we are talking about," Sheridan
walked into the room. She wasn't going to let him intimidate
her, or at least she was trying not to. For the first time since
he had arrived, she actually took in the full sight of him sitting
on the couch. Kevin was wearing a fitted blue sweater and a
pair of jeans. His hair slicked back, his goatee and mustache
looked straight and well groomed for a change, she smiled, and
he returned one. Slightly flustered, she settled on the other
end of the couch, on the very edge of the seat cushion.
Kevin caught the
perch she was in, as if she would fly away from him if he said
the wrong thing. "I think we need to get a few things clear."
Leaning back, he stretched one arm across the back of the couch
and haplessly dropped one leg over the other. Swirling his wine
in his glass, he sipped, and then pulled it away. "I am
your employer in more than one capacity."
Sheridan nodded at
him; he had her attention. "You are supposed to travel
for the film and as my assistant, right?" Kevin was looking
for an acknowledgement from her and wouldn't move forward until
he got it. He received another nod so he continued on. "Today
by you not being where you should have been and when you should
have been, you upset the entire schedule for all of us."
"Not for everyone…
Just…"
"No Sheridan,
you upset everyone's schedule. I was supposed to be at a party
with Nick tonight checking out some things for our new CD. Marybeth
was going to make some contacts at a seminar, and Angel was
going to try and work some outlets for a future movie with you.
Instead they are in Utah and we're sitting in your apartment."
Kevin sounded harsh and he meant to. Pulling his body forward
he placed his glass on the table. Lacing his fingers together,
he stared at the wine glass on the coffee table. If she was
going to bolt for hiding, he was ready to retrieve her back
to finish this. Turning his head towards her as he pushed up
the sleeves of his sweater, he waited for an answer.
Sheridan swallowed
air like a goldfish; her mouth formed a little O before she
spoke. "You're right and it will never happen again."
"It shouldn't
have happened in the first place," Kevin drove the point
home. He watched her close her eyes in shame.
"I know,"
she half whispered.
"Now I need
to know why this happened, since we now know it won't happen
again."
"Because… Because…."
She was trying to think of a lie, anything she could tell him
but not the truth. The truth was she was afraid to be around
him because her desire was growing more and more every day when
they were together. It was always worse in public when she would
catch him staring at her. Combine that with all the times he
had been unkind to her and what happened with Tom, she no longer
trusted her own instincts.
Kevin's mouth began
to slide into a smile. "I'll tell you what I think it is.
I think you are as attracted to me as I am to you."
Sheridan's face glowed
red as she stared back at him. Her mouth twitched from side
to side, how could she deny it now. 'Tell me I didn't hear him
say he's attracted to me. God, I need to talk to Angel.'
Back in Utah, Nick
and Angel attended a Karaoke bar. There were so many camera
flashes, Angel felt as if there was a strobe light, making her
almost dizzy. Leaning into Nick, Angel said, "I'm going
to go call Sheridan and see if she's alright."
Nick grabbed her
hand to stay. "No, you aren't. Kevin's there to talk to
her."
Giving Nick a 'duh'
face, Angel replied, "That's why I'm going to check on
her. She may need my help or something."
Dragging Angel onto
the dance floor, Nick whispered into her ear, "She's a
big girl. She'll be fine. Now come dance with me."
As Nick turned back
to see Angel's face, he looked at her from head to toe, "You
look so damn sexy in those boots. I want you to be with me."
Realizing Nick was
right, Angel blew out a sigh as she watched Nicks' eyes turn
to lust. "Sheridan who?"
Nick kissed her hard
with a smile, "Exactly. Besides, I want to see if we can
talk to Kevin and Kyra if there's an opportunity."
"Kevin and Kyra?
Who are you talking about?" Angel was quite perplexed,
she had sex on the brain and hearing another couple's name made
her tremble a bit. 'He's talking about meeting a couple, why?'
she thought.
"Kevin Bacon
and Kyra Sedgwick? Their movie "The Woodsman" is being
premiered this week. They are always looking for a challenging
project to work on. You and Sheridan definitely have interesting
ideas and projects unrelated to backstreet."
"How do you
know that?" Angel gave Nick a confused look.
"I just do.
Trust me, okay?"
She nodded her head
and mouthed the word, "okay." In her mind, she thanked
God he wasn't thinking of any hanky-panky business with another
couple.
Mail To Bronwyn
Mail To Suzie
This page © 2001 - 2007 Bronwyn
All Rights Reserved
This is a work
of fiction.
The characters and events portrayed are fictitious.
Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental.
Used with Permission
No part of this text may be copied or reprinted
without the author's permission.
Graphics by Bronwyn
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