- Steele Vows Part 4
Date: Monday, March 27, 2000
Sue Hantak <hantaks@mtco.com>
Sorry this took so long.... I ended up scrapping most of part
4 and rewriting it..I think I have the two of them back on track...
(Part 4)
Things in San Diego did not go well. She went down there to check
on some naval records relating to their current case. It was
a bureaucratic governmental nightmare. She got nowhere on the
background research she set out to get. The extra time alone,
however did afford her some solitude to think about the whole
mess of this *marriage*. Normally, there is nothing more therapeutic
than a convertible on a freeway. A million thoughts went through
her mind. It was just so confusing. Unfortunately, after several
hours of driving, she came to no definitive conclusions. Talking
to herself wasn't going to solve anything, she had to talk to
him. Although she promised him and herself they would talk when
she got back, it was very late by the time she arrived at his
apartment. She quietly let herself in thinking Remington would
be asleep by now. He was however still up waiting for her. "Good
Lord, Laura where have you been?"
"I told you this morning, I had business in San Diego"
Laura replied, slightly annoyed that she had to explain her whereabouts.
She made her way to the bathroom with Remington close behind.
She tried to close the door, "Do you mind?... It's late,
I'd like to soak for a while and go to bed"
He was about to go on a tirade when he realized that Laura came
back to his apartment was going to soak in his tub and go to
sleep in his bed. He stepped back from the door and simply said,
"Sure, take your time"
Again she wore the sweatpants-tee shirt combination. Although
it wasn't his first choice of sleepwear for Laura, the white
tee shirt was somewhat transparent. *Is that intentional?...
Is she teasing me?* he wondered. He was carrying a tray into
the bedroom as she was exiting the bath.. The tray was supporting
an assortment of fresh fruit and sparkling water. "I didn't
know if you had a chance to eat." He placed the tray in
the middle of the bed. "I thought we could have a picnic".
The word "picnic" instantly reminded Laura of their
fateful date in McCullum Park that got them involved with the
Auburn. A smile betrayed her thoughts, which didn't go unnoticed
by Remington either. She climbed on the bed and sat in the middle
Indian style to participate in the picnic. Remington reclined
opposite of Laura on the bed. He grabbed a strawberry every now
and then, but for the most part, he just enjoyed Laura being
there. For the first time in a long time, they laughed and carried
on just like they did on their first picnic. At one point, Remington
mischievously Laura threw a grape at Laura which prompted her
to retaliate by climbing over the tray to tackle him. They were
involved in a good-natured wrestling match when Remington discover
that Laura was ticklish. She was laughing wildly. What was left
of the fruit and the tray was pushed to the edge of the bed when
Remington rolled over Laura and pinned her. Laura squirmed underneath
him. In the fracas, her hair was tousled and her shirt crept
up to slightly reveal her breasts. . Her heavy breathing brought
Remington's attention to her exposed body. She was too preoccupied
with devising a plan to escape his grasp to notice his wandering
eyes and admiring smirk. The tray teetering on the edge finally
went crashing to the floor. That was just enough of a distraction
for Laura to escape. She tried to push him aside and scramble
out from underneath him, but he caught her by the arm. When she
pulled her arm away, he lost his grip and Laura, like the tray,
went tumbling to the floor. A frightening "thud" followed
by Laura moaning "Damn it" made Remington scurry to
aid Laura on the carpet.
"Laura..... my God....Laura... Are you alright?"
Laura eased into a sitting position on the floor. She was holding
the side of her head just above the left ear, uttering a string
of profanities.
"Let me get you some ice." Remington made a quick trip
to the kitchen. He returned shortly with icebag in hand. Laura
was now looking in the bathroom mirror gingerly surveying her
injury. Remington stood behind her. He too carefully examined
the damage. Remington recalled Laura doing the same to him on
numerous occasions over the past few years. He found the bump,
tenderly kissed the contusion and placed the icebag there.
Looking at her reflection, their eyes met, "Good thing you
have a hard head, eh?" Remington cajoled Laura into a smile
"I knew it would come in handy some day"
"I'm so sorry, Laura"
"No, it's my own fault. I guess I started it." Laura
returned to the bedroom. She started to smooth out the covers
as Remington cleaned up the remnants of the picnic. When he came
back to the bedroom Laura was already in bed. He climbed in next
to her, again checked the bump on her head. His arm moved from
her scalp and came to rest atop the covers across her body. When
Laura moved her right arm, he first thought she was going to
remove his. However, he was pleased to discover her arm covering
his own, languidly stroking him with a reassuring touch.
Laura and Remington both drifted into a serene slumber. At some
point, Laura rolled to her right. Remington remained spooned
behind her with his arm still encircling her. The conscious Laura
would shy away from the intimacy, but the sleeping Laura welcomed
the closeness. She settled deeply into his embrace. Like two
pieces of a puzzle, her body molded into his. Remington, too,
welcomed the contact. The conscious Remington would never admit
to the loneliness in his life. He always told himself that "he
liked it like that". Truth be told, he craved a close, loving
relationship. More specifically, a close, loving relationship
with Laura. With the early morning sun peeking through the curtains,
Laura woke from her contentment. She shifted slightly. Remington,
still asleep, desired to keep her close. He tightened his hold
and pulled her back against his body. Laura then felt the unmistakable
presence of Remington's aroused anatomy pressing against her
hip. Her first instinct was to bolt from the bed. However, she
found herself mildly amused and excited by it. Her insecurities
reasoned that he probably was dreaming about some well-endowed
model. She glanced at the clock and reluctantly extracted herself
from his grasp. The sound of the shower interrupted his erotic
dream. Baffled that the bath door was open, he cast the covers
aside to investigate. Remington quickly re-covered his lap unnerved
by his involuntary erection. He decided to remain in bed taking
deep breaths. For every time he repeated "icy calm"
to himself, his mind automatically drifted to thoughts of Laura
in the shower, followed by thoughts of him joining her in the
shower. Consequently, this compounded his problem. The few minutes
he lay there seemed like an eternity. Remington finally said
the "hell with it" and got up, regardless. He decided
there was nothing to be embarrassed about. It was about time
that she realized how she affected him. He stood against the
jamb, his arms folded, and admired the view. Although obscured
by the frosted glass of the shower door, Laura's naked form slowly
turned in the shower. He felt secure in watching, knowing that
she wasn't tall enough to see him over the door. She turned off
the water and reached over the door for the towel. Moments later
she stepped out of the shower startled to see him in the doorway.
She instinctively clutched the towel closer to her chest .
"How long have you been standing there?" Laura tried
to keep her eyes level, but the noticeable tautness in his pajama
bottom below his waist caught her attention. His eyes followed
hers as he looked down at himself and he joked, "Too long,
I guess."
"You .....ah....left the door open..., "Remington attempted
an explanation.
Laura fumbled her response still flustered, "I didn't know
if you would need to get in here...to shave...or whatever"
Remington was still enjoying Laura standing there draped only
in a towel. She hurriedly grabbed her undergarments from the
vanity. "I'll be out of your way in a minute." In her
haste, she knocked her overnight case from the counter and the
contents went skating across the tile floor. They both kneeled
down. Remington retrieved a flat plastic hinged case that contained
the instantly recognizable circle of twenty-one white and seven
pastel pills. Several of the pills were already missing. He stared
at them for a moment too long, "I don't think you have a
use for those.". Laura grabbed them out of his hand.
"Do you?"
"Look.... I'm going to be late..."
"Not if you take these..."
Laura of course, was talking about getting to work on time. She
walked over to the door. Grabbing the knob with one hand, she
motioned with the other for him to get out.
End of Part 4
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