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"And you did not take him up on it?" He tutted. "Was it the Russian?"
She laughed at his intuitiveness. "The same. He was trying to extort more money from the company when he was not trying to persuade me to go to bed with him. I had to put him in his place." She leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes briefly. "It was quite a day."
"At least you still have a job." He pointed out. She had called and told him a little about the meeting and the gist of it.
"I saw our esteemed boss -" She shook her head. "I don't quite know what to call him. Anyway, I saw him coming into the restaurant with Sandra Myles."
"The actress."
"Yes. It looks like they are a thing."
"That guy does not stay with one woman for a week." David reminded her dryly. "He is a slut."
Delores laughed at that. "I can't say I blame him, honey. He has no reason to trust the opposite sex and every reason to be bitter towards us."
"At some point, we must get over what's bugging us."
"I have done the relationship thing and have been disappointed so often that I am staying clear. Guys are intimidated by women who not only have a job but who are in positions of power.
The ones I have gone out with either want me to bankroll them or give up my job and become 'the little woman' who is content to stay at home and wait by the damn stove while they go out and bring in the bacon."
David grinned at her. "It's a time-honored tradition. Men were created to rule and run things while the weaker- fairer sex-" He corrected as she glowered at him. "The fairer sex stays home and makes babies. We are still trying to adjust to the status quo."
"You would hate a woman like that."
"True." He agreed. "But I am unique in my perspective." He eyed her for a minute. She had removed the jacket and pulled the pins from her neat chignon, allowing her thick hair to fall in artless curls around her shoulders.
"Men are going to be drawn to you. Until you open your mouth and they realize that you are not just beautiful but have a great mind.” He had finished massaging her feet and was leaning back against the cushions. “It will take a powerful man to interest you and keep that interest.”
She considered that and shrugged. “I am not looking for a relationship. I am fine the way I am.”
“It will come a day when work will not be enough. Take it from me.” He told her dryly. “I love my job, love being a cop, but at the end of it, I love going home to Lori even more.”
“And that’s you.” She argued. “I enjoy getting to work early if I want to and not worrying about offending anyone. I travel and get to go to all these exotic and cultural locations. I love books – I adore them. I bring work home with me.
Right now, in my briefcase, there is a manuscript I did not get to read while I was in the office, and I brought it home. If I had a man, I would be tormented by the fact that I am not paying him any attention.”
“Or the guy would be someone who is also busy and respects your need to work. Not to mention that when it is time to cut work off, you would both agree. I take home work too, cases that I am trying to solve and so does Lori, but we strike a balance.”
Putting his glass away on the delicate antique table, he reached over to touch the tip of her pert nose. “When you find the right one, you will know.”
“I am not looking.” She insisted.
“When you least expect it - it will happen."
*****
Bundled up in a blue silk robe with her hair piled on top of her head, Delores walked into her home office with the manuscript in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. After extracting a promise that she would stop by his house for supper on Sunday, David had left half an hour ago.
She had tickets to the ballet with her girlfriends on Friday night, which meant rushing home to shower and change before meeting them. Saturday would be her lazy day, where she just stayed in bed for most of it and got up later to do housework. She had a woman who came in twice a week but preferred to be alone whenever she was home.
Sliding around the desk, she put the manuscript down and took her seat. Lifting the wine to her lips, she studied the small but neat room she had transformed into an office as soon as she bought the place several years ago.
Their parents' death had given them financial freedom, and she had used the insurance money to buy the place. Her salary was excellent, so she could indulge in shopping sprees and travel to places like the South of France. She liked nice things, and shopping was a weakness she often indulged in.
She loved antique shopping; everything in her three-bedroom house had been bought at various antique stores. She had bought a house instead of an apartment because she did not like running into people.
Her neighbor was an old couple who had been in the theater and are now retired. Their house was not very close to hers, and that was perfect. She lived in a suburban neighborhood with security and a park where she would take her daily runs.
