Something Wild(23)

"We didn't do it in the foyer," Penny cut in, but she had to laugh at  her own defensiveness as she added, "It was in the bathtub."

Patti joined in the giggling. "See what I mean? It's like you're a new woman."

"I think I am," Penny confessed. "I've stumbled across a side of myself I  never knew before." Even if it's a side I'm still struggling to get  comfortable with. "A side that'll let me cut loose a little, let me have  a full-blown fling for once in my life."

"You lie," Patti accused, her tone shifting.

"What?"

"You keep using that word, fling, but new woman or not, I don't believe  for a minute that's all this is. You as much as admitted that to me  yesterday."

Penny sighed, but stood strong. "Be that as it may, a fling is all it can be, and I'm prepared to deal with that." I think.

"Oh, I get it," Patti replied. "You're really digging him, but he's still got this job hang-up going on."

"It's not a hang-up. Martin would probably fire Ryan if he found out. At the very least, it would strain their relationship."

"Maybe he could get a new job," Patti suggested.

"Yeah, he could quit a job he relocated for, so he can date a girl he barely knows. That makes a lot of sense."

"He had sex with you."

Twice, in fact, although Patti didn't know that. "It's the twenty-first  century. It happens. I don't think he feels obligated to me just because  I invited him into my bathtub."

Penny hated the look that formed on Patti's face. She could see the pity  and concern, not to mention the fear that Penny would get her heart  broken.

"Don't worry," Penny insisted, "I can handle this." Besides, she had no  other choice. She'd let herself go wild with him, and she hadn't asked  for promises. "For all I know, it won't even happen again. And if so  …   I'll live." Even if I'm miserable for a while.

When the phone rang, Penny flinched, thinking it was Martin, and raced  to snatch up the receiver. "Two Sisters Pub. This is Penny."

"Hi Penny, it's Grace."

She suppressed a groan-still no Martin. "Hi, Grace. What's up?"

"I want to place a breakfast order."

"Breakfast, huh?" She tried to sound lighthearted. "That's different."  Schuster Systems ordered five to ten lunches from them every day, but  never breakfast.

"I know," Grace laughed, "but Eve, Ryan and I were standing here saying  how hungry we are, and we decided some Danishes sounded good. We want  two apple, two cheese and one cherry."

Penny scribbled the order, but was stuck on hearing Ryan's name, on  envisioning him standing at Grace's desk this very second, listening to  their phone call. "Got it. Anything else?"

"No, that's it. I'll be down in five to get them."

"I can bring them up," Penny offered.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not busy, so why not?"

After she got off the phone, she packed the order and told Patti where  she was headed. Patti simply shook her head. "Fling, my butt."

"I'm not going up there just to see him. I'm going  …  to be nice." And  that was partially true. She and Grace were casual friends and she knew  Grace was busy this time of day, answering phones and dealing with  early-morning office duties. In fact, that's how the daily sandwich  delivery ritual had originally begun. Grace had been unable to leave the  phones for several days in a row at lunchtime, and Penny had offered to  start bringing them up.

When she stepped off the elevator a few minutes later at Schuster  Systems, everything felt normal. The lobby's chrome trim shone beneath  recessed lighting and fresh flower arrangements adorned the tables in  the small waiting area. Grace resided behind her circular desk, her hair  swept back in its usual bun, and she looked buried in mail-sorting.  Penny approached with a smile. "Two apple, two cheese, one cherry," she  said, handing over the white bag.

Grace pushed up her tiny glasses. "That was quick."

Penny shrugged. "Five Danishes are easier than five sandwiches."                       
       
           



       

Just then, Ryan passed through the rear of the lobby behind Grace's  desk, a handful of diskettes clutched in his fist. He glanced up, saw  Penny, then stopped short. "Uh, hi."

Suddenly nothing felt very normal anymore. Her heart nearly stopped at  the sight of his smile on this official "morning after," and she almost  smiled back, but then remembered that Grace was sitting right there.  "Hi," she said, trying to sound completely casual. "I  …  brought your  Danish."

He seemed to catch on then, his eyes flashing just a hint of alarm. "Great. Thanks."

"I'll bring it back in a minute," Grace told him over her shoulder.

"Thanks," he said again, then gave Penny a quick wink before heading on his way.

"So," Grace said when he was gone, "I bet you're looking forward to Martin's return in a few days."

Penny winced inside, and drew her gaze down to Grace's friendly eyes.  "Uh, yeah." For more reasons than you know. Then she tilted her head,  and took the opportunity to ask the question that had been plaguing her.  "Grace, have you heard from Martin since he's been away?"

Grace shook her head. "No, but that's not uncommon. He's such a  workaholic, he tends to get so mired in whatever he's doing that he  forgets to check in. And he trusts me to keep things moving smoothly  while he's away." A hint of pride echoed in her voice.

"Then you don't think it's a little weird that I haven't heard from him, either?"

"Not really. He's probably backing off, trying to give you some space, time to think."

Penny knew Martin had told Grace about his proposal before he'd left.  Grace had been with him since Schuster Systems' inception and he tended  to share certain personal issues with her as a matter of course.

"That would make sense," Penny said, "except that I've left messages at his hotel."

Grace gave her an encouraging look. "I wouldn't worry, Penny. It's like I  said. He's probably completely immersed in conference activities and  hasn't even checked his messages. Those events can be really hectic and  tiring."

Penny nodded, reassured if not consoled. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

"But I'm sure you're on his mind every second." Grace smiled. "I'm sure  he's hoping to slip a ring on your finger as soon as he gets back."

That's the part that's eating me alive, she thought. "Thanks, Grace," was all she said.

* * *

Ryan felt great as he moved up Penny's front walk. He shouldn't feel  great, he knew that. He should feel awful. And it wasn't that he'd quit  worrying about Martin and his job, but yesterday with Penny had been  incredible! A dart of pleasure arced through him just remembering.

When Ryan looked back on his life, he couldn't remember ever knowing  anyone like Penny. He'd dated mostly sophisticated girls, or at least  girls who thought they were sophisticated-cheerleaders in high school,  sorority girls in college, and since then, executive-type women. But  something in those relationships had always lacked …  What was the word he  was searching for? Heart? Substance?

He'd probably talked more with Penny in the short time he'd known her  than he ever had with any other woman. It had happened again after  they'd made love yesterday. They'd just talked. About everything and  nothing. It had been nice. So nice that leaving hadn't come as easy as  he would have liked, but he'd done it anyway because it had seemed the  prudent thing to do. If he could call anything about yesterday afternoon  prudent.

So for now, he had no answers; he just had to go with the flow. The good  news was that after he'd gone yesterday, he'd gotten a tremendous  amount of work done on her system. Relieving his sexual frustrations  with her must have been good for him on more than one level.

When Penny opened the door, she wore brief denim shorts that hugged her  slender hips and a bright-red tank top that conformed to her curves, as  well. Her sandy-blond hair cascaded over her shoulders. "Hi," she said.

The very sight of her left him speechless. After all, this morning at  the office she'd been wearing her Two Sisters T-shirt and baseball cap,  which was cute, of course, but now she looked plain sexy. "Uh, hi," he  finally sputtered, then realized he was staring. "Sorry. But you look  good."

She gave him a bashful smile. "Thanks."

Ah yes, the simpler Penny. But he knew what lay underneath that innocent  veneer, and the mere knowledge drove him crazy. He moved closer and  slid his arms around her waist, then lowered a kiss to her lips that  heated his blood. As she lifted her hands to his chest, he whispered in  her ear, "So tell me, what kind of bra are you wearing today?"