Okay, folks, I must take this opportunity to warn you: this is a red ball story…and it is not borderline like the others I've written before this. Although I feel that this is a tactfully written story, and there is no actual "relations" here, it certainly earns its rating. So, please, consider yourself forewarned! Any comments welcome to my e-mail address or on the message board. Thanks!
* * *
Long after Lara had gone, Sam stood staring down the empty hallway in shock. He couldn't believe that after five years, Lara Patton was finally out of his life for good.
A doorway down the hall opened, and a gentleman in his 50s, with gray hair thinning on top and merry blue eyes, leaned down to pick his newspaper up off the stoop. Glancing up at Sam, he called softly, "Saw you on the TV the other night, Sam…"
Sam turned and smiled at the familiar voice, "Oh, hello Mr. Crowley… Yes, I'm sure you did… I don't know if there was anyone in Chicago that didn't see me."
"She seemed like a very sweet girl. What's her name again? Josie?" Mr. Crowley asked.
"Yes, Josie Geller…and she is a very sweet girl."
Suddenly, the events of the past hour came rushing back so quickly that Sam had to put his hand against the wall to steady himself. 'Yeah,' he thought, 'a very sweet girl who's going to be devastated when I tell her what I've done…'
Mr. Crowley smiled in reply and unfolded the paper; only to have his eyes riveted to the bottom half of the front page. He stared at it for a moment and then looked up at Sam, shocked and confused. "What's this? Suspended? But why?"
Sam shook his head sadly. "Apparently the school board thinks something inappropriate happened between Josie and I before she revealed herself to me as an adult."
"But I take it that nothing did," Mr. Crowley said, as if it were a forgone conclusion. There was no way that the polite, kind, honorable young man standing before him would do such a thing. It just wasn't possible.
"No, it didn't. I mean, I had fallen in love with her…but I never told Josie how I felt and I certainly didn't let those feelings affect the teacher/student relationship. I take my job as a teacher very seriously, Mr. Crowley, and that's a line I would not cross," Sam explained.
"I believe you, son. You don't have to convince me of your good character. I know it well. Gosh, that is such a shame," he continued, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well, thanks for your concern, Mr. Crowley. I really appreciate it." Sam gave the man a grateful smile.
"No problem, Sam. And hey, if there is anything I can do to help, you just let me know, okay?"
"Sure thing. Thanks a lot."
Mr. Crowley nodded and turned back toward his doorway. As he started to enter his apartment, Sam called out, "Oh, and say hello to Mrs. Crowley for me!"
Mr. Crowley poked his head back out the door and smiled. "Sure thing, Sam. See you around." And with that, he closed the door behind him.
Sam looked back toward his own open doorway and sighed heavily. 'Well,' he thought to himself, 'I better go call the super and get this lock changed…' And, dragging himself through the door, he crossed the living room and picked up the phone to call maintenance.
* * *
It was almost 1 o'clock before Josie came up for air. She had already finished the majority of her stack of stories to edit: a fact that sort of surprised her. She had thought for sure she was going to be working all day, but for some reason, her head was surprisingly clear and she was able to really focus on her work.
But now she found that once she had lifted her head, the intense concentration she had held for the last few hours was gone. Quickly, her thoughts traveled back to Sam. Sam…the most incredible, wonderful man she had ever met: a man who understood and loved her for who she was. Josie sighed. Looking at her wristwatch, she thought, 'He should be calling me soon…'
Josie plopped her pencil back into her pencil cup and propped both elbows onto her desk blotter, placing her head in her hands. Closing her eyes, she imagined Sam's incredible green eyes and sexy crooked smile. Her mind traveled back to the night before…when they had had their pillow fight and she ended up pinned beneath him. Even now, her breath caught at just the memory of how incredible he looked then: dressed all in black with his shirt gaping open, the flickering of the fire casting yellow and orange across him, the dark desire for her glittering in his eyes…
And then later on, when they were in bed together…she blushed when she thought of herself brazenly sitting on top of him and pressing herself against him. But then, Sam had invoked this part of her that she hadn't even known existed. The energy humming through her body from his touch was incredible, unlike anything she had ever known or could explain. She could feel his magical lips and hands on her, heating her more than she'd ever thought possible…beyond thinking, beyond words, until all that was left was the emotions, the sensations…and Sam.
But also, she remembered the feelings of desirability, of power, when she was touching Sam. He seemed to be as affected by her as she was by him. A part of her still wished that Sam hadn't left her bedroom last night, even though she now understood why he did.
Josie's heart skipped over the memory of the feel of Sam's skin against her palms as she had slid her hands under his shirt. Even now, her palms itched to feel it again…
Josie, caught up in her thoughts about Sam, slipped into a daydream.
* * *
Sam watched from his leather armchair as Mr. Langston from the maintenance department, a man with dark brown hair just graying at the temples and was about the same age as Sam's own father, unscrewed the last bolt from the existing lockset.
"You know, Sam…" the man said as he grunted and then pushed the lockset out into his other hand, "I'm sure you know this is for the best… That Lara of yours was some nasty girl. You're way better off without her…"
Sam studied the tall, lanky man, now crouched in front of his open door, smiled mirthlessly, and replied, "Don't I know it…"
Mr. Langston smiled as he dumped the old lockset into his work pouch and pulled out a new one. "Well, I'm glad you're taking it so well. But then, with that new girl of yours, it's not such a wonder. The consensus around town is that you are one lucky guy, no matter what those idiots at the school board say…" He reached up with the side of his hand and slid his glasses back up to sit more firmly on his nose.
"I'm starting to think I'm luckier than I deserve," Sam replied, and he sunk his head into his hand morosely.
Mr. Langston looked up and studied Sam for a long moment with his steel gray eyes, magnified by the glasses. Finally he said, "I'd advise you to get it out in the open as soon as possible. Tell her."
Sam's head snapped up, startled, "What…? What do you mean?" he stuttered.
Mr. Langston leveled him with a knowing look. "I don't know, Sam…but you do. Something's got you pretty darn jumpy, and I'd guess it has something to do with the ex-girlfriend, who left here in quite a huff, if Grace the mail carrier has got it right…"
Sam flinched, thinking, 'My God, am I that transparent?'
"Sam, I may not be all that much older than you…" then Mr. Langston chuckled and said, "at least I hope I'm not… Anyway, I've been through some rough times, and had to watch friend after friend lose a good thing because they were too scared to do what they needed to do while they still could. Now I don't know what it is that's got you so upset, but you need to tell her about it before it's too late."
Sam sat thinking for a long moment, as he watched Mr. Langston place the new lockset into the door and proficiently attach it. Then he asked, "Do you really think so? That I should tell her, I mean? What if its something that would hurt her?"
Mr. Langston looked up again and gave Sam a fatherly smile. "I'm sure it must be hard, knowing that you will hurt her…but don't you think it would hurt more later if she finds out whatever it is and she didn't hear it from you? Honesty is the best policy, I always say…"
Sam thought about earlier that morning…kissing Lara, telling her he loved her…and shook his head sadly. "I just don't know… It's not exactly something she could just 'find out' anyway…"
"Sam…" Mr. Langston said firmly, forcing Sam to make eye contact with him, "Let me ask you this…If you don't tell her, do you think you could live with it? Because whatever it is you're hiding, you'd have to hide it every day for the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"
Sam closed his eyes briefly in denial, but he knew that Mr. Langston was right. Letting out a long sigh, he admitted, "No, it's not. I…just don't want to lose her."
"If she loves you enough, you won't. And if she doesn't…well, then all I can say about that is that it probably isn't meant to be, Sam." Finished with his work, Mr. Langston picked up his tools and put them back in his hip belt, and then pushed himself to a stand with a little groan. Turning back toward Sam, he said, "But, maybe you're just underestimating her, eh? I'm sure a fella like you couldn't have done anything that horrible…"
'Oh, no,' Sam thought to himself wryly, 'only betrayed the love and trust of the most incredible, wonderful woman in the world…Not that horrible at all…"
But Sam kept those thoughts to himself. Instead, he crossed the room to shake the older man's hand. "Thanks, Mr. Langston, for fixing the door…and for the good advice."
"Not a problem at all, Sam," he said nonchalantly.
"How much do I owe you for the lock?" Sam asked, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket.
Mr. Langston chuckled and said, "It's on the house, Sam. Consider it a gift. Anything to keep that awful woman out of here…"
"But…" Sam began.
"No buts, Sam…it's okay…Put your wallet away. We don't really have to charge for these locks, we just usually do so that people don't take the service for granted." Mr. Langston turned and started to close the door behind him, but then stopped just long enough to say, "And Sam…think about what I said, huh?"
"I will, Mr. Langston…I promise," Sam replied.
* * *
For the past hour, it seemed all he could think about was whether or not to tell Josie about his run-in with Lara and what she had manipulated him into. He knew that whatever angle he took, the situation was not going to sound good. He would sound like he was at fault, and in truth, he was.
Finally, he got up the nerve and picked up the telephone, dialing the main number to the Sun-Times. "Good afternoon, Chicago Sun-Times. How may I direct your call?" said the cheery voice on the other end.
Clearing the nervousness out of his throat, he said, "Um…Josie Geller, please?"
"And who may I say is calling?"
"Sam," he replied. The woman did not respond, so finally he clarified, "Um…Sam Coulson…Josie's boyfriend?"
"Oh," said the woman dumbly before exclaiming, "Oh! Oh, okay…sorry. Hold on a moment…"
The woman put Sam on hold, and he was mortified to hear that the song on the radio on the phone was Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker". "Great…" he muttered, "That was just what I needed to hear right now…"
Then there was a click of the line being answered, but instead of Josie, it was the same receptionist that had answered his call. "I'm sorry, Mr. Coulson, but it appears her line is not fully hooked up yet. I can't seem to get any outside lines through. Can I take a message?"
"Just let her know that I called, I guess," Sam replied. "I'll probably just stop by later."
"All right, sir. I'll give her the message the next time I see her."
"Thanks," he replied and then hung up.
Sighing, he rested his head on the back of his leather chair and stared at the ceiling.
* * *
Josie sighed deeply, her eyes closed as she sat with her elbows propped on her desk and her head between her hands. Despite all her best intentions, once she had started to relax, she just could not keep herself from catching a little shuteye. After all, she had slept poorly the night before, and had a hangover besides. With all the stress regarding Sam's future the last few days, Josie was just plain worn out. So, in spite of herself, Josie let the sleep overcome her and carry her away…
She imagined herself as she stood in her kitchen, dressed in one of her long, flowing, white, cotton nightgowns. Sam had just gone to take a shower before bed.
As she went to work gathering up their forgotten dinner dishes, she heard Sam's clear voice singing faintly. Placing the plates and silverware down on the counter, she tiptoed through her bedroom to the bathroom door. She listened silently as Sam's voice had hushed down to a hum almost under his breath while he undressed.
She could hear the rustle of his shirt being pulled over his head and plopped onto the floor. She imagined Sam with his hair slightly askew and his incredible chest bared and bit her lip. Then she heard Sam unbuckling the belt on his pants and the soft thump they made as they slid down off his hips and landed at his feet against the fuzzy yellow carpet in front of the vanity.
Josie felt her breathing become shallow as she imagined Sam in nothing but his boxer shorts: his long, lean, toned legs a compliment to his well-formed torso. Unconsciously, she reached out and braced herself against the door because her knees suddenly felt a little weak.
And then she heard the heard another rustle and the floor creaking slightly as Sam balanced his weight on one foot, and then the other. Josie knew what that meant: there went the boxer shorts.
'Oh, God,' Josie thought, 'I shouldn't be doing this; eavesdropping on him like this…' But Josie couldn't pull herself away from the door. She heard the rustle of her shower curtain being pulled aside, heard the shower knob being turned and the momentary squeal as the water pushed up through the pipes and out the showerhead. Josie heard Sam's feet one by one as they stepped over the side of the tub and into it, and then the shower curtain swishing closed.
The sound of the water droplets tapping against the wall of the enclosure changed to a muted pattering as Sam had obviously stepped into the stream's path. Josie's uncooperative mind started to create images of Sam's gleaming bare skin as the water rolled in rivulets down his back.
Josie's heart was pounding so hard that she was sure that she would be able to see it right through her clothing. She looked down to verify her theory and was shocked to see that she was no longer wearing her long cotton nightgown, but instead was wearing a man's blue denim shirt. She knew without a doubt that this shirt belonged to Sam. Indeed, it was the one he had worn the day he had told his Gordie Howe story in class.
Josie was shocked, and yet somehow not shocked at her abrupt change of attire. Actually, she was too busy noticing how soft and warm the shirt was around her body…almost as if Sam himself had wrapped his arms around her. Josie shifted her weight impatiently and gasped as the soft denim grazed the sensitive skin just below her hips on the sides of her legs. And as she closed her eyes to fend off the wave of desire, again the picture of Sam in her shower surfaced.
Realizing that she was torturing herself, Josie pushed away from the door, intending to let Sam have the remainder of his shower in privacy, but something stopped her: the rich baritone sound of Sam's voice. Straining to listen, she could hear him singing again… And not just any song, either. Sam, with his soulful voice, was softly crooning the lyrics to "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye.
Entranced, Josie closed her eyes, letting Sam's seductive voice rain over her, caressing her all over just as the water must have been caressing him at that moment. Suddenly, beyond all reason, nothing else mattered to Josie but that she had to see Sam, to touch him, to show him just how much he affected her.
Silently, she turned the doorknob to the bathroom, tiptoed into the steamy room and shut the door behind her. She looked up to study her reflection in the mirror over her vanity, but it was already too steamed up to see into. Either that, or else she had melted and become the steam around her…she wasn't sure. She certainly felt as if she were floating. Dazedly, she looked down and on the floor were Sam's discarded clothes; the proof that indeed he was inside her shower without a stitch of clothing on…not that she had ever doubted it. But seeing the clothing lying at her feet only seemed to heighten all of her senses.
Sam had not heard the door open, nor had he sensed her presence in the room, that much was evident. He hadn't stopped his serenade, and Josie saw just the tips of his fingers stick out from under the edge of the curtain as he reached over to the bathtub rail to grab a bar of soap that had been sitting in a ceramic holder there.
Not realizing quite what she meant to do, Josie walked over to the edge of the bathtub, along the wall where the showerhead protruded. As she pressed herself against the door, she could just see through the gap between the wall and the closed shower curtain.
Sam stood, his back to her, leisurely soaping his chest while he sang. Josie watched, rapt, forgetting to breathe. Then he lifted one leg to brace it on the side of the tub and slid his bubbly hands down it.
Josie leaned her weight heavily against the door behind her. She thought that at any moment she might swoon from the sight. The muscles of Sam's back rippled as his arms and hands moved, and as he bent to reach his ankle and foot, Sam's sculpted, athletic bottom was in prominent view. 'My God,' Josie thought, 'he's like Michelangelo's David come to life…and in my shower!'
Josie didn't know if it was the steam or the view that caused her to suddenly feel so hot, but she felt like she was burning up. She unbuttoned the top two buttons on Sam's shirt, but that didn't seem to help. Then she grabbed the front of the shirt itself, pulling it in and out to get a draft going underneath it. Nothing seemed to quell the intensifying heat Josie felt all around her, inside and out. And still she could not pull her eyes away from Sam.
After lathering his other leg, Sam stepped forward a step, out of the stream of the showerhead. He then reached around and tried to soap his back, but just could not reach the middle of it. He switched the soap from hand to hand, trying in vain to reach that elusive spot. Finally, he lowered his arms and sighed, breaking his song.
Josie knew that what she was about to do was completely crazy, but she just couldn't stop herself. It was like she had no will of her own. Yanking Sam's denim shirt up and over her head and hastily kicking her cotton underwear down her legs and onto the floor, she pulled open the curtain.
Sam turned his head toward the sound of the shower curtain moving and stared in silent shock at the sight of Josie standing naked before him. Her skin glistened with miniature droplets of water from the steamy air and made her seem almost as if she were glowing. Sam's mouth hung open in complete awe, because he'd never seen Josie completely nude before…except in his dreams, and this far surpassed anything he could have imagined.
It took him three tries trying to speak before any sound actually came out. "Josie…" he practically whispered at last, "What…? What are you doing here?"
Josie smiled mysteriously in response. For some reason, she could actually hear everything Sam was thinking. But yet, her sudden ESP didn't seem strange, either. It was as if she had always had that talent; she took it for granted.
Knowing that Sam was profoundly affected by her presence gave her a sudden sense of power over him. Putting one leg over the side, and then the other, she turned to slowly close the curtain before she turned back and answered demurely, "I thought that maybe you could use a little help…"
Sam continued to stare at Josie, frozen in place. Josie slowly reached out and retrieved the bar of soap from Sam's almost completely slack fingers. Turning to the side a little so that the water would stream onto her hands, Josie said softly, "I noticed you were having trouble washing your back and thought that maybe I could do it for you…"
Sam's gaze traveled slowly from her eyes down her body and back up again. When he reached her eyes once again, he stared into them for a long moment. Finally, he abruptly shut his mouth (which had been hanging open) and swallowed hard enough for Josie to see his Adam's apple bob. Then, as if in a dream, he slowly nodded and then turned his head back to the front again, waiting.
Josie stepped forward and placed both hands on Sam's wet back. Tantalizingly slowly, she began to rub small circles on his back with her right hand, which held the bar of soap. Then she followed her right hand with her left, spreading the slick soap across his shoulders and down the center of his back.
Sam hissed in a harsh breath at the first feel of Josie's sensual touch on his back. The way her fingers slightly kneaded his muscles as they slipped along his spine and along his shoulders was both heavenly and sinful.
'I shouldn't be letting Josie do this…' Sam thought to himself, even as a low moan of pleasure escaped from his lips. 'It would be too easy for me to lose control, here,' he thought. 'I should turn around right now and stop her…"
But Sam knew it was already too late. His traitorous body was already under Josie's seductive spell. He could not have moved away from Josie's ministrations if his life had depended on it. Sam closed his eyes and tilted his head back, his breath slightly shallow. After another moment, he thought dreamily, 'Well, at least I'd die happy…'
Josie could both feel and hear Sam's surrender to her and felt a shiver of excitement shoot through her. Her fingers itched to touch more of him than just his back and, like Sam, she couldn't seem to control what her body wanted to do. Turning for a moment to place the bar of soap back in its holder, Josie rubbed her hands together to work up lather. Then, she splayed both hands at the middle of his back and slowly slid them forward until her fingers curled around his sides. Her fingers traced a path downward to settle at his hips. Then she glided her palms down to the sides of his thighs and then back around the curves of his buttocks. Josie looked down and watched her fingers as they moved, transfixed.
Once Josie had moved her hands to his sides, Sam knew that things were about to escalate. But again, he could not seem to find the will to stop her. Everything she was doing felt so incredibly good, incredibly sensual. He couldn't remember any other moment in his life quite as erotic as this one. "Josie…" Sam half-whispered, half-sighed, "maybe we shouldn't…"
Josie smiled to herself, hearing Sam's train of thought and how what he said went completely against what he really wanted. She acted on his unspoken wants and took that moment to slide her hands back up his sides and around his front to his chest. She took a step in and pressed herself against him, hugging him from behind.
Sam sucked in a breath and stopped talking entirely in response.
The sensation of pressing her body against Sam's without the impediment of their clothes was a new and incredible sensation for her. It made every nerve ending come alive.
Feeling bolder, Josie started moving her hands aimlessly up and down his chest and dropping small kisses onto his shoulder blades. Tentatively, she edged her hands lower so that they slid over the washboard of his stomach, feeling his muscles jump as she did. She slid her hands down to the side to graze her palms over Sam's protruding hip bones. She stood on tiptoe, letting her body brush his as she did so, asked huskily, "What was that you were saying?" and then dropped a scattering of kisses along his shoulder from behind. Slowly, she began to allow her hands to slide forward, downward…
Sam reached down and covered both of Josie's hands with his own, stilling their tantalizing movements and dragging them back up to a safe spot on his chest. At that moment, he was so aroused he couldn't think straight, let alone put two words together in a sentence to answer her.
He glanced down at their entangled hands, and then further down, swallowing hard when he spied the evidence of just how much Josie was affecting him. She had never actually seen him that way (at least, not unclothed), and he had no idea how she might react when she encountered it. And a moment ago, they'd been darn close to finding out.
But it didn't seem as if his predicament would be getting better anytime soon, because even though he had stopped Josie's hands, it did not stop her lips from trailing along his shoulder and up along the sensitive curve of his neck. Finally, he croaked, "I…don't remember…" ending the last word in a shudder when Josie touched a particularly sensitive spot where his neck and collarbone met with the tip of her tongue.
Josie stood up on tiptoe once again, making sure that their bodies were touching as she did so that Sam would feel her sliding up his back again. Smiling to herself, she could again hear Sam's thoughts as he mentally battled for control, and he was losing…badly. "Sam…" she spoke softly into his ear, her voice a caress. "Why don't you let go of my hands, Sam?"
Sam's groan was in near agony, but he did not release Josie's hands. He whispered, "I can't…"
"Why can't you?" Josie asked, moving subtly against him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Josie realized that she was pushing Sam too far, but for some reason, she couldn't seem to stop herself. In fact, she wanted to see Sam lose control.
Sam tried to tune out the explosively erotic sensation of Josie's wet, soapy body pressed against his, but that was all but impossible. Desperately, he tried to reason to himself that he really shouldn't be this worked up. After all, this wasn't the first time he'd shared his shower with a woman…
'Nice try, Sam…' his body told him. 'You may have shared your shower before, but it was never anything like this…'
Instead, he tried to focus on the calming sound of the water pattering on Josie's back instead of the rushing of his heart, but that wasn't helping either. Lord, but he wanted Josie…right there, right then…
Bringing a quick halt to that train of thought, Sam finally was able to voice his concern. "Josie…you said you wanted to wait…and I respect that…" Sam had to pause for breath; he felt like he had just run a marathon because he couldn't seem to catch his breath. "I think we should wait…but…" Josie lightly nipped at his neck with her teeth and Sam broke off abruptly, exclaiming, "God, Josie!… You are going to kill me, do you know that!?"
Josie chuckled a little and asked coyly, "Am I?"
"Yes!" Sam replied a touch sharply, more than a little annoyed that he couldn't seem to control himself when he was around her. He sighed a little, and then turned head so that he could look Josie in the eye. "Josie…a man can only take so much of this…torture…without needing to have more. And I have to be honest, here… I am seriously close to that right now. I've had all the teasing I can take… So, please, please, Josie…let's stop this right now…okay?"
Josie heard Sam's words, even recognized the validity of all that he said. But, Josie could hear Sam's thoughts, and no matter what he was trying to tell her with his words, he wasn't thinking about stopping… He was thinking about the possibility of not stopping, and those images he had floating in his mind filled her head also and filled her heart with his longing as well. After a long moment, Josie whispered, "But what if I don't want to stop?"
Upon hearing this, Sam closed his eyes tightly, as if he were in a great amount of pain, and a shudder ran through him. Breathlessly he said, "Josie…you can't mean…"
"I can and I do, Sam… I want to be with you so badly I could cry from the yearning. Please, Sam…" Josie begged, meeting his green eyes unflinchingly, "Please make love to me…"
Josie could not believe she had actually said those words aloud at all, never mind to Sam. But she could not take them back, and she really didn't want to. She held her breath and waited to see what Sam would do.
Sam was also holding his breath. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring hearing Josie's voice say those words to him; words that he'd dreamed about her saying so many times, even though he had willingly agreed to wait for her to be ready. But this was a huge step they were making, and his protective instincts still ran deep, even at this moment where his hormones were running rampant. Opening his eyes again, Sam studied Josie's face for a long moment. Then he asked, softly, "Are you sure, Josie? Really sure?"
Josie took one look at Sam's smoldering green eyes, felt his heart beating like crazy and his shallow breaths under her hands and even felt his muscles quaking from the force of his self control and knew that she wanted to be with this man. She had no doubts whatsoever. "I'm sure, Sam…" she whispered back solemnly.
Sam stared at her, blinked twice, as if he was trying to assimilate what he had just heard, and what it meant. Then, he let go of her hands, and in slow motion, began to turn toward her. Josie could see his arms beginning to raise up, as if he was going to cradle her face in his hands. Fascinated, Josie looked down toward Sam's waist as his body began to turn toward her and…
Slam!
Josie was so startled by the sudden loud noise that her head slipped out of her hand, jolting her awake. Her first lucid thought, was, 'Oh, no…it was only a dream!' She groaned in utter disappointment.
Following quickly on the heels of her first thought, her second lucid thought was, 'Uh oh, who just caught me asleep at my desk?'
Whoever it was, it was clear to hear they were livid. The person had just slammed her door shut and was actually huffing with anger. Afraid to meet the glare of Gus, or worse, Mr. Rigfort, Josie began to stand on legs still wobbly from the force of her dream and braced her hands on the desk to help her. She slowly raised her head as she began to apologize, "I…I'm sorry, I…"
But she stopped abruptly when she found her office guest was neither Gus nor Mr. Rigfort. No, this was much, much worse.
It was Lara.
* * *