Free Now Wouldn't You Like to Know by Curtis Bennett Page A

revisited them. The exotic fragrance of her body and hair seemed to cast a spell over me as well.
    Leaning over, she rested her head gently against my shoulder, and then said, “We can always watch a movie on HBO or something.”
    “Yes, we could,” I said feeling my nervous heart pound wildly, a primal response brought on by her close proximity and contact with my body.
    “Or we could sit here on the floor like we are doing now and fall asleep against one another.”
    “Yes, we could do that as well,” I said inhaling her sweet and intoxicating fragrance.
    “Or we could just sit here and talk for the next couple of hours.”
    “Yes, we could do that as well,” I repeated.
    “So, what do you want to do Sheldon?”
    “To be honest, I’m hungry. Why don’t we go and get something to eat,” I said wanting to distance myself, not from her, but the feelings I was beginning to feel inside for her. I could not deny that Diana was growing on me. Seeing her sitting there with Dwight sparked something inside of me I hadn’t felt for a woman in a long time…a ting of jealousy. This was not a feeling I want to manifest. I needed to clear my head, I told myself. Going out and getting something to eat appeared to be my escape clause.
    “That’s right, you haven’t eaten dinner.”
    “No, I haven’t.”
    “So, where do you what to go?” she asked, placing her hand on top of mine and rubbed it. “The cafeteria closes in a few minutes.”
    Good I thought. Since I didn’t want to eat there and end up back in this room with her, not the way I was feeling, which was conflicted, I patted her on the thigh and said, “There has to be restaurant establishments somewhere close by. I say we head out and find one.”
    “Sounds like a plan,” she said as we stood up.
    Placing the contact lens in the solution holder, I grabbed my jacket and we headed out to the Navigator in search of dinner for one, since she had already eaten. We came upon a Denny’s Restaurant less than two miles away and decided to dine there. I was beyond starving. So I started my meal off with a small salad bowl of Cole slaw with raisins and followed that with a charbroiled New York strip steak, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, seasoned vegetables, and a slice of New York cheesecake for dessert. It was a New York meal in her honor, I teased Diana. She was content to order strawberry shortcake and a hot cup of coffee.
    In order to kill time, I drove across the boulevard to a super Wal-Mart store to browse around, and for the most part, that was my plan. Diana had other ideas. She had shopping in mind. An hour later, it took quite an effort to peel her away from the clothing section but it was time to leave. When we returned to the Navigator she had two large shopping bags full of clothing items and some lingerie.
    “Who’s that for?’ I asked looking at the package of lingerie at the top of the bag.
    “Now wouldn’t you like to know,” she smiled.
    “I think I’ll leave that one alone,” I quipped.
    “Boy, it’s gotten colder since we arrived here,” she said, changing the subject.
    “It’s going to get even colder as we near our destination,” I proclaimed.
    “God, I’m not looking forward to that part of the trip,” she replied entering the SUV.
    “Neither am I,” I said.
    Turning the ignition key I backed out of the parking space.
    Glancing over at the florescent green clock on the dashboard it read 11:12PM. Within minutes we were back at the Knights Inn and in our separate suites. My original plan was to load up the SUV and get back on the road right away but because it was late and Diana had grown tired, we decided to sleep over. After all, the rooms were already paid for. After a good night’s sleep, we’d head out around 6:00 in the morning.
     

Chapter 7
     
     
     
    D iana smiled and batted her eyelashes when she greeted me at the door. Though dressed, she still appeared tired. But once her eyes met my gaze, she perked up a