Lee's hand had just touched the key where it waited for him to pull it from the ignition when his cell chirped from its cradle. He glanced at the number displayed and sighed. He didn't recognize it, but it was local. No doubt, it was someone to whom he'd given his card the last time he was out people-watching. He debated for a moment about just letting the call ring to his voice mail. But, he suspected the person on the other end would be like most of the others and just keep calling until he either returned their messages or picked up the phone.

He paused a moment to prepare himself for what he expected to be a chore then finally pulled the cell from its cradle, hit send and pressed it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Is this Lee Rorrison?"

It was a low female voice with that burr that he found incredibly sexy and, as he had expected, completely unfamiliar. Lee clenched his jaw. Here we go again, his mind taunted. But, his voice remained neutral as he answered, "Speaking."

If it was actually possible, the burr became more pronounced, the voice more husky, as the woman on the other end of the line drawled, "Hello."

Lee huffed a long sigh as he waited for her to make her pitch. And, it seemed to him it was always just like that: a woman would call him and begin a line of seduction very similar to the method any other salesperson might use on the phone to sell their product. Only, here, the product seemed to be him and the caller was ready to buy.

He switched the headlights off and pulled the key free from the ignition. By the time he had opened the door to his truck, the woman still hadn't spoken. In exasperation, he spoke a bit more forcefully than usual, "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh, I most certainly hope so," the woman cooed.

Lee rolled his eyes skyward as he slid down out of the truck, slamming the door behind him. "And how might I do that?"

Gods, Lee sent the silent, unformed plea skyward as his patience swiftly headed for the breaking point. He wished, just once, that a woman who held his business card would call him and initiate a regular conversation that didn't involve work or seduction. And, sometimes, he wished he could ignore that little voice in the back of his mind that reminded him time and again that he would never meet Her if he didn't put himself out there, that he could just hide away and ignore the games and the disappointment it always seemed to bring.

"Well," she drawled, drawing the word out to nearly three syllables, "There's an orchestra playing Saturday night. I thought dinner, a show, and then a little intimate cocktail..." She trailed off, obviously intending to suggest that the cocktail would turn to something even more intimate.

Lee snorted in incredulity as he pushed through the front door of the small house he and Cass had turned into a studio and offices. "That's what you thought, huh?" he asked as he nodded to the receptionist who waved at him and pointed down the hallway to the converted conference room. Well, that talkative part of his mind commented, she's certainly got her plan laid out.

"Mmhmmmm."

He paused at the door to Cass' office, waiting for her to come around the desk and join him as he asked, "And what exactly made you think that I would be interested in such a proposition?"

Cass lifted her chin towards his phone, quirking a brow in silent query. Lee rolled his eyes upwards in reply. Cass grinned, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and she shook her head at him. Lee responded with a glare as he waited for the woman on the line to speak up.

"Well, a single guy like you can't want to spend his time all alone," she explained slyly, that sexy burr sending involuntary shivers down his spine. Now, that's just not fair, his mind complained. You might as well just give me a buy-one-get-two-free coupon for the computer store!

"And," she drew the word out, her voice rising as she did. "You gave me your card. So, you must think so, too."

"I see." Lee kept pace with Cass as the two of them walked the rest of the way down the hall to the conference room. "And, you'd like to be the one to rescue me from my single-ness, huh?"

"Of course."

"What if I say that's not what I want?"

There was a pause. "Can you honestly tell me you'd rather be alone Saturday night?" she challenged in that silky voice.

Go on, his mind taunted him, tell her. It's at least partly the truth. Lee sighed in defeat. "Well, no." Lee's eyes scanned across the storyboards Cass had mounted and hung in a long line around the walls of the conference room. He smiled at her and gave a thumbs-up sign.

"Then," she purred, obviously sensing a victory, "why not spend it with me?"

Lee gave a pleading look to Cass, who responded with a lift of her brows. With a slump of his shoulders, he answered the woman, "Okay."

"Excellent," the woman drawled.

Lee dropped into a chair at the head of the conference table, kicking his booted feet up onto the table's surface and staring sightlessly out a window. "Just send me an email with the details so I can get tickets and reservations set up," he told her. "Don't forget to give me directions to where you wanted to be picked up," he directed. He paused, trying to come up with a polite way to give his last request. When no inspiration struck, he just asked, "And, could you include a name? So I know who to ask for." Cass snorted a stifled laugh beside him to which he flicked his eyes in her direction, frowning.

There was a silence as the caller digested Lee's instructions. Then, "Okay. I, uh, guess I'll talk to you later." And, here, finally, Lee caught what he suspected was the real voice behind the seduction.

"Right," Lee agreed. "I'll talk to you later." He waited to the count of thirty to see if she would say anything else, then closed his phone and tossed it on the table. He leaned back in his chair and tilted his head so that he could look at the ceiling.

"I guess you'll be needing a dire production emergency Saturday night, huh?"

Lee rolled his head to the side so he could see Cass. "Yeah, probably. I'll let you know what time would be good as soon as I know what the heck is going on."

"You know," Cass tsked, "You are the biggest wuss I know when it comes to women."

"I know," he sighed, rolling his head back to center so he could see the ceiling again. There was a long silence, where Lee thought of nothing at all.

"Umm, you know it is possible to say 'no,' don't you?"

"Yeah."

"So, why don't you?"

"Because." Lee took a deep breath and clenched his jaw. He slowly released both before continuing. "Because it's perfectly possible that one of them is the person I'm supposed to be with, and I'll miss out if I avoid them."

Cass let out a bark of laughter causing Lee to look over at her again. "That is the most incredibly stupid thing I've ever heard!" She shook her head at him, dark curls bouncing around the edges of her face. "Romantic, but incredibly stupid."

Lee simply shrugged and hunched deeper into his chair.

 

                                                                       

 

~Continued in Part Five~

©March 2005
Dreams2Fly