Thanks for all the encouragement this week...It was hard, but I wanted to make sure I got this done by the weekend. As usual, feedback is greatly appreciated at either [email protected] or on the NBK message board. Hold on to your hats, folks. The next story will get a bit warm! (Definitely at least a PG-13 rating for this one...grin) Thanks again to all for your continued support. = )
* * *
Sam walked around to let Josie out of the car. She put her hand on his arm as she climbed out. Sam closed the door behind her. They waited for a car to pass on the street, and then they crossed to the other side. Sam gallantly pulled open the door to the restaurant and let Josie enter in front of him.
Josie was pleasantly surprised at what she found. Inside, it was rustic and homey, with hand-painted murals of old Italy all over the walls. Red-checkered tablecloths (cloth ones, not the cheap plastic coated ones) covered all the tables and over each hung an antique stained glass light fixture. The jumble of smells spilling out from the kitchen made her mouth water. Even though it was only a Monday night, the place was almost filled with diners.
They stood expectantly in the doorway for a moment, waiting to be seated. Then, a robust Italian woman came toward them. Her round, friendly face was topped by a mass of black hair streaked with gray. As she approached them, she held her hands up and out and exclaimed, "Ah, Sam, my boy�it has been too long." She placed a hand on each side of his face and gave him a kiss.
He smiled in response. "Hello, Maria." He wrapped his arms around the woman, giving her a friendly hug. "How is Luigi?"
"As crotchety as ever," she responded, laughing. Pulling away from Sam, she studied Josie. Then she asked him, "And who is this beautiful woman you have brought to see me?" Josie blushed from the woman's compliment.
Sam put his arm around Josie and made the introductions. "Maria, I'd like you to meet Josie Geller. Josie, this is Maria Valieri. She and her husband Luigi own this restaurant."
"You are the one we saw on TV last night, no?" When Josie nodded, Maria smiled warmly and pulled Josie toward her, kissing her cheek. "Good for you!" She pointed a thumb at Sam and continued conspiratorially, "About time he found someone to set him on his ear. Too much thinking, he does�and not enough taking chances. I kept telling him that the zest in life is all in the uncertainty. If everything happens as planned, then where is the fun? Where is the passion?"
It was Sam's turn to be embarrassed. He said chastised gently, smiling, "All right, Maria, enough of your preaching." Then, "We'd like your best table. We're celebrating tonight."
"Ah yes," Maria said with a gleam in her eye, "love should always be celebrated� Come this way." She turned and headed toward the back of the restaurant. Sam held Josie's hand and together they followed her. In a back corner, secluded from the rest of the tables, was a tall-backed booth. "Here you are," Maria said, gesturing toward the seats. She placed a menu on each place setting. Then she rested a staying hand on Sam's arm. "If you don't go in and say hello to Luigi, he will have a fit, you know."
Sam smiled an apology at Josie and said, "Be right back."
Maria watched as Josie got settled in the booth and then confided, "Such a sweet boy, he is. I'm glad to see him so happy. I'll bet he didn't know what hit him when he met you."
Josie could not help but like this woman. "I love him very much," she confessed.
"I know," Maria replied. "I can see it in your eyes. It is good. I have known Sam for almost three years, and have never seen the glow he has now that he is with you."
Josie just had to know. "How do you know Sam?"
Maria explained, "My Luigi, he didn't speak English too good and could not read or write in English. For years, I tried to get him to seek help. But he is a proud man. He would not go to night school to learn. So one summer evening about three years ago, this young man comes into the restaurant and sits down at a table."
Smiling at the memory, she continued, "It was obvious to me that he was a man that lived alone. They always look like they don't eat enough�" she confided to Josie, "�that they are always hungry. He had that look about him. Anyway, I come to wait on him. He looked up at me and gave me such a sweet smile and spoke so quietly and politely. Reminded me of my boy Antonio so much that I felt I already knew him. We started to talk. He told me he had just moved to Chicago for a new job teaching high school English that started in the fall. I told him about my Luigi and his secret wish to learn English, but that he was too stubborn to ask for help. Sam agreed to work with him. All that summer he came, five nights a week, sometimes more, working late into the night with my husband right here at this very table. Never would take a dime of pay."
Sam walked up behind Maria and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Now, that's not exactly true," he protested. Speaking to Josie, he explained, "Maria fed me every night I came, and always sent me home with more food for the next day. And she taught me everything I know about cooking. I'd have to say that it was a fair trade, overall. I must have gained 15 pounds that summer." Sam grinned as he slid into the booth bench opposite Josie.
"No, it could never be enough for what you did for my Luigi." She looked at Josie again and concluded her story. "By the end of the summer, not only could Luigi speak English, but he could read and write some as well. It was a miracle."
Sam reached out and patted Maria's hand. "Now that's a bit of an exaggeration, Maria. Give most of the credit to Luigi. He was a hardworking pupil and hungry to learn once he got past his fear."
Maria shook her head, but did not protest further. Turning back to Josie, she explained, "Ever since then, we have considered Sam part of the family. He comes to visit us often, although not often enough�" She smiled. "Well, I'll let you two decide what you want and I'll be back in a few minutes." She turned to wait on other customers.
Josie smiled softly at Sam. "I like her a lot. She seems very nice."
"She is; they both are." Sam reached across the table and captured Josie's hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss her fingers. Josie's skin tingled where his lips had touched it. The intense look in his eyes gave her butterflies in her stomach. "So," he said, never taking his eyes off her, "what do you want?"
Josie knew he was talking about the food, but her mind was suddenly not on eating. It was wandering dangerously toward what she'd be doing to him right now if they were alone. She looked down at the tablecloth, blushing furiously. She was embarrassed by the audacity of some of the ideas Sam's presence was giving her. She peeked up from under her lashes and noticed that Sam was looking at her curiously. She realized she had not answered his question. She cleared her throat self-consciously and asked, "Um�what do you think is good?"
If he had read her thoughts, he didn't let on. "Well, I happen to think the Chicken Parmesan is superb, and Maria's Lasagna is the best."
His grin was contagious. "Okay," she responded. "I'll try the Chicken Parmesan, then."
"And I'll have the Lasagna. That way you can try both." He signaled for Maria, and she came and took their order.
Then he let go of Josie's hand to sit back in the booth. "So, tell me, how did you end up working for the Sun-Times, and what did you do before this last assignment? The article said it was your first as a reporter," he reminded her.
"Well, I was hired by the Times as a copy editor right out of college," Josie began.
Sam smiled, "Now why doesn't it surprise me that you were a copy editor?"
"Yeah, I know," Josie agreed. "But I was rather surprised that I had even been chosen for an interview, considering my age and the prestigious reputation of the paper. I wasn't even going to apply, but my Journalism professor insisted and even wrote a recommendation for me to send with my resume."
"I would think that graduating first in your class certainly helped matters as well," Sam added.
Josie looked at him, mystified. "Did I tell you about that?"
"No, actually, I think Aldys mentioned it to me this morning when she told me that you were writing a reference letter for her Northwestern application," he answered. "I was very impressed."
Josie blushed. "It's not as impressive as going to Yale."
"I don't know about that�Northwestern is a pretty impressive school in its own right," he added.
Josie went on, "When I first started at the Times, I was afraid I wouldn't fit in, just as I hadn't fit in at high school. It was then that I found out that what goes on at school is not was happens in the real world. I made friends quickly, even if no one understood my fascination with the written word. Anita was the first -- and best-- friend that I made. She works in Classifieds."
"My first day on the job she stalked right into my office, perched herself on the edge of my desk, and proceeded to ask me if I was any relation to Princess Leia. You'd have to imagine me with very long brown hair that I had done up in a huge bun on my head to get the joke. And I thought it had looked so professional and grown up." Both she and Sam laughed at the picture she had described.
"Anyway, as I soon found out, that is pure Anita: irreverent and straight- shooting. I couldn't help but laugh. She's been making me laugh ever since. I think that if you can get past her flirtatiousness, you will like her."
"She sounds like a lot of fun," Sam answered.
"That's what a lot of men in the office say about her�" Josie commented dryly. "She is not exactly known for being a monk."
"Ah, now that explains a lot," Sam said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "The day I caught her outside the classroom, she was doing some heavy duty flirting with me. Made me glad we were in a public place, if you know what I mean. Otherwise, I would have had to run for cover!"
Josie rolled her eyes. "I'm not surprised. But you're safe now. She'd never do anything now that she knows you're 'taken', especially by her best friend." Josie leaned forward in the seat as if to tell a secret. "Plus, I think she will be changing her wandering ways soon. She has just discovered that she's attracted to my boss Gus. And I think he likes her back. It will be interesting situation to watch played out. They have always been adversaries of sorts, so this will be a big change for both of them."
"What is Gus like? Is he a tough taskmaster like I've always heard that head editors are?" Sam inquired.
"Yes and no. Yes, he plays the part of the gruff, edgy boss to the hilt. But he has a soft spot that he thinks no one else knows about. He's actually a pretty good guy, overall."
"Yeah, a great guy who had no problem trying to ruin my life."
"Now, Sam, that's not entirely fair. Granted, what he was planning was pretty awful, but you have to take into account that he was very concerned about both he and I losing our jobs. I'd like to think he's learned a bit of a lesson over this."
"All right, I'll cut him some slack. After all, things aren't much better now than they would have been if he had gone ahead and written that story," Sam said, thinking of his work situation for the first time in hours.
"Yeah, except the difference is that you didn't do anything to deserve it," Josie defended.
Sam sighed loudly, sadly. "Oh, Josie, let's not get started on that again. There's nothing I can do about it anyway."
Josie's eyes glittered with anger. "I cannot believe that you are just giving up like this! This doesn't seem like the Sam I know�"
"It's not that I don't want to fight it, Josie; I just don't know how�" Sam trailed off helplessly.
"Well," Josie started, taking a deep breath, "I thought of something today, but I'm not sure if you're going to like it."
Sam sat up straighter, interested. "What did you come up with?"
Josie paused and then blurted, "A story about what happened to you today is going to run in tomorrow's paper � an exclusive to the Times�"
"What!?" Sam flinched as if Josie had just struck him. "How could you do that to me? God knows I was convinced you weren't capable of using me that way, but now�"
Ouch. That hurt. Josie defended herself, "Now, hold on Sam, and let me finish before you make up your mind, huh? The point of this story is to show the utter unfairness of your situation and garner public support for you, not to tear you down or accuse you."
"You saw how people flocked to be with me last night �to pull for me? Well, why wouldn't those same people want to help you? Help us? The article will include the names and contact information for both the Superintendent and the head of the school board. Personally, I hope they are up to their eyeballs in mail by the end of the week." She looked up from her lap to gauge Sam's reaction to the remainder of the tale.
He sighed. "Okay. I understand what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it. But I just wish you had told me about it beforehand. Don't you think I would have been more than a little surprised to see that on the front page tomorrow?"
"I know. I guess I didn't think it through too well� But I was just so upset and angry that I latched onto the first idea I got and ran with it. Can you forgive me?" she asked hopefully.
Sam leaned forward in the booth and grasped Josie's hands. "Of course I can forgive you." He smiled at her kindly and then continued, "I just think that all the unwelcome publicity will not be conducive to the school board listening to our side of things."
"On the contrary," Josie said, "this may be the only way to get them to treat you fairly. All they really wanted here was to sweep this under the rug and make it go away. Now that they are going to have to contend with the media following their every move, they will have to justify their actions or else be portrayed as the villain, which they don't want. I think it evens up the playing field a little, don't you?"
"You know, I hadn't really thought of it that way, but I suppose you're right. It does put some of the pressure back on them and gives us a little more leverage�I like it," Sam concluded.
At that moment, Maria approached, carrying an open bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She placed the bottle in the center of the table and set a glass in front of each of them. "With Luigi's compliments," she said. She continued, explaining to Josie, "His brother owns a vineyard in Italy and sends us a couple of cases of each type they produce every season. Enjoy! Your dinner will be ready soon."
As she turned to leave, Sam poured the wine and enthused, "Their family's wines are much better than anything you can find in the stores�" He trailed off as he finished pouring wine into Josie's glass. "How rude of me," he apologized immediately. "I didn't think to even ask you if you liked wine, or for that matter, if you even drink."
Josie smiled and assured him, "The answer is 'yes' to both questions, although I must admit I am no connoisseur of wine."
"You won't need to be to appreciate this stuff, I assure you."
Josie swirled the claret liquid around in her glass for a moment before taking a sip. Sam was right; it was wonderful: full-bodied and rich with more than a hint of sweetness. She closed her eyes to more fully savor the flavor.
Sam watched with growing awareness as Josie sighed contentedly and licked traces of wine from her lips. He was grateful there was a table separating them at that moment, because otherwise he would not have been able to stop from pulling her into his lap and finishing the job himself. He could just envision the heady taste of wine and Josie intermingled in that imaginary kiss. He realized he was staring unabashedly as the tip of her tongue darted out again to touch a spot she'd missed. Sam hastily bent his head to study the linen tablecloth as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet. Then, to calm his nerves, he lifted his wine glass to swallow a healthy mouthful.
Sam looked up again at the sound of Josie's voice, "You were right, this is great wine. Have you had it before?"
Sam smiled warmly at her and tried very hard not to think of how unconsciously sexy she was. "Not this particular type, no. But, I've sampled plenty of Roberto's wares over the years and have yet to meet one of his wines I didn't like."
With that, they each took another sip, their eyes locked over the rims of their glasses.
The moment was interrupted by Maria bringing their food. "Okay, now you ordered the Chicken Parmesan�"she said, placing an enormous plate in front of Josie, "�and you had the Lasagna," placing the other in front of Sam. Next came a basket filled with steaming rolls and a small bowl of butter, and then two heaping bowls of Caesar salad. "Ah, I see you have tried the wine. What do you think?" She centered her gaze on Josie.
Smiling back, Josie replied, "I think it's the best burgundy I've ever tasted."
"Now you wouldn't say that just to humor an old woman, would you?" Maria asked, eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Of course not," Josie vowed. "I love it."
"Good, good. Well, I'll leave you both to your own company. Just call me if you need anything."
Sam said appreciatively, "Thanks. We certainly will." As he prepared to cut into his huge piece of lasagna, Sam noticed Josie had drained her glass. He gave her a refill and topped off his own as well.
Josie stared in horror at the gigantic portion on her plate. "My God, I'll never be able to finish all of that. I doubt that anyone could."
"That's okay," Sam returned, "her food makes just as good leftovers." He took a bite of his food and smiled. "Wow, I'd almost forgotten just how delicious this is."
Josie had to agree. Her food was also marvelous. "I know that at first I had my doubts, but you are most definitely right about this being the best Italian food in the city. I've never tasted any this good!"
Sam grinned impishly and replied, "See, I told you so."
As Josie ate her chicken, she realized that she was drinking a little more liberally than she normally would. However, she and Sam were supposed to be celebrating�not to mention that it seemed to calm her nerves somewhat. Besides, she was having such a good time that for one night she decided to let loose a little. She held out her glass to Sam for another refill.
Sam obliged Josie's silent request. She was so very beautiful, he thought, studying her. Her eyes were glowing with happiness�and some other emotion that he could swear was desire�but he didn't want to jump to conclusions where that was concerned. Lord only knew he was having enough problems controlling his own desire without imagining them in Josie as well.
Sam cut a bite-sized piece of lasagna and held out his fork to Josie. "Here, would you like to try this?"
A smile lit up her face and she nodded. "Yeah, I would, thanks."
She leaned across the table to place her lips around the fork and slide the food into her mouth. Sam's breath caught in his throat. The simple action set his senses reeling. There was something inherently erotic about it, although he couldn't put his finger on what it was. It certainly helped (or didn't help) that he got a more provocative view down the front of her blouse when she leaned over. Instantly, he was reminded of the low-cut prom dress she had worn, and the way it had clung to her form. He had barely been able to keep his eyes off her as he had placed the queen's tiara on her head. But then, every other set of eyes in the place was staring at her, too.
As she finished her mouthful of food, Josie reached out and held Sam's hand, drawing lazy circles in his palm with her fingers. "Wow, that is really good, too. Although, I think I still like the chicken a little better�" she decided.
He felt the heat from her sensual touch travel up his arm and settle in the pit of his stomach. He was suddenly ravenous, but not for his food. He looked into Josie's eyes and was pierced by her seductive gaze. He felt his heart stop�and then start again, beating wildly. His breathing started to accelerate, but still he could not look away. Without realizing it, he started to lean across the table, intent on kissing her soundly. But at that moment, she sat back and lowered her eyes demurely to her lap.
God, she was driving him crazy.
A soft blush crept slowly up Josie's cheeks. What was wrong with her? She wondered. Had she actually just blatantly flirted with Sam, touching his hand and staring at him when she knew her longing must have shown in her eyes? Her? The sensible, dependable Josie, who never did things like this? And from his reaction, Sam had certainly been affected by it. She closed her eyes for a moment against the powerful feeling flowing through her veins. "Josie Grossie" actually had the ability to attract a man as wonderful and handsome as Sam. It still amazed her.
Deciding to clear the air, she cleared her throat and asked Sam, "I noticed that beautiful desk you have in your office. Where did you get it?"
To Josie's relief, Sam relaxed against the back of the booth and smiled. His eyes twinkled as if he were eager to tell the story. "It was a gift from my father."
"You see, my father has been a History professor at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside for years and years. That was the main reason that we lived in Racine, because it was so close to where he worked. Anyway, back when he was still an associate professor, the head of the department had taken a liking to my dad. The department head was the original owner of the desk. When he retired, he gave my father the desk because he had always admired it."
"My father used it as his work desk right up until the time he gave it to me. He presented it to me when I was hired at South Glen and he told me this story�Now, mind you, I don't remember any of this�"
Sam paused for a moment to take a sip from his wine glass and then continued. "The year that I turned 5, my dad taught during the summer semester. He used to take me along quite a bit, because he would teach all morning classes and then we would go off and do things in the afternoons. Anyway, I spent many a morning sitting at his desk while he gave his lectures or graded papers. So, one day, I was sitting in his desk chair spinning myself around and around while he sat at a nearby table correcting exams."
"The story goes that I stopped spinning and looked at him and asked very seriously, 'Daddy, can I have your desk?' He told me that he pretended to think very hard about it and then asked, 'Now what would a little boy, such as yourself, do with such a big desk?' And I answered him, 'Well, someday, I'm going to be a teacher just like you and I will need it to grade MY papers on.'"
Josie's heart swelled at the thought of the sweet, earnest, serious little boy that Sam once was.
"My dad was very touched, although he still took my words with a grain of salt. As you can imagine, little boys fancy they want to be all kinds of things and change their minds about every other day. But, he said that he made a promise to me that day; that if I really, truly decided to become a teacher, he would give me the desk when I got my first job. And he did."
Josie knew instantly that she would like Sam's father. Any man who would make, and keep, such a wonderful promise to a young boy must be really special. As was the boy he made that promise to� "It must mean an awful lot to you, then," she replied.
"Yes, it certainly does," Sam replied. "I always hoped that I would one day be as good a teacher as he is."
"Well, I cannot speak for your father, obviously, since I have never met him, but I think that you are a darn good teacher now," Josie complimented.
"Yeah, a soon-to-be ex-teacher, though." Sam sighed. "I haven't told anyone about what happened to me today yet. I'm a little afraid to tell them, my parents, I mean."
"First of all, we don't know that you are going to be an ex-teacher. Secondly, I can't imagine your parents not understanding and supporting you," Josie replied.
Sam continued his train of thought, almost as if he didn't hear what Josie had said. "Josh will be all over this one�I'll never hear the end of it if I do lose my job. He always thought that being a teacher was such a waste. He'll tell me that now I can get along with my life and 'do something useful' with it."
Josie rolled her eyes. Josh sounded like he belonged in the Dark Ages. "Such as?"
"I don't know�like a Financial Analyst or something, I suppose. Unless it has to do with money, it's not worthwhile to him."
Josie rolled her eyes. "Maybe you should set him up with Lara. They sound like a much better match than you two were�"
Sam smiled. "I wouldn't wish Josh on anybody; even ex-girlfriends. Actually, Lara wasn't really a bad person, we just didn't have the right things in common."
Josie returned, "That is very gallant of you, not to badmouth your old girlfriend and all, but I cannot agree. It was more than not having things in common; it was that she tried to force you to want the things she did instead of appreciating you for who you were."
"Maybe, but I don't think she did it on purpose," Sam defended.
Josie knew better. She had seen Lara's type in action. But she wasn't going to argue. Better to let him believe the best of her, since it no longer mattered anyway.
Maria took that moment to check in on them. "And how is everything?"
Josie looked up at her and smiled. "Everything is absolutely wonderful, really. It's just that there is so much of it�"
"That's okay," Maria replied. "I'll just take that and package it up for you." She looked at Sam and asked, "And what about you? Are you finished, too?"
Sam returned, "Yes, I think I'm pretty full." As she grabbed his plate, he said, "Thanks, Maria."
Balancing both plates on one arm, she grabbed the half-full roll basket, the empty wine bottle, and glasses with her other hand to clear off the table. Then, looking back over her shoulder, Maria called out, "I'll be right back with your packages."
Sam smiled and grabbed Josie's hand. "Where to now?" he asked.
"Unless you had something specific in mind, I just figured we could go back to my place," Josie answered, blushing.
"That's fine with me," Sam said. He loved it when Josie blushed.
Maria came bustling back with two packages in a brown paper bag as well as a glass bottle with a bow tied to it. "Here you are," she said, placing the items on the table. "And this is from Luigi and I," she continued, handing the bottle to Sam. When Sam looked as if he would protest, she put up a quelling hand. "No, don't even try to say no; we insist. We're just so happy for you both."
Sam turned the bottle in his hands. It was another of Roberto's vintage wines, but this one was a sparkling white. "Champagne?" he asked Maria. "I didn't know Roberto made that." He handed the bottle to Josie for inspection.
"You cannot truly celebrate without champagne," Maria insisted. Josie handed the bottle back to Sam.
"Thank you, but you really shouldn't have," Sam said gratefully.
Maria looked at Josie with a huge grin. "You see," she said, "so polite. Such a sweet boy." She patted Sam's cheek softly with the palm of her hand.
Sam rolled his eyes just enough for Josie to noticed and blushed slightly. He cleared his throat self-consciously and slid himself out of the booth to stand up, putting out his hand for Josie's to help her out as well. They both turned to stand in front of Maria.
Without even glancing at the bill, Sam pulled out his wallet and pressed a small roll of money into Maria's hand. She opened her hand and immediately protested, "Oh, no, I cannot take this� Here�" she said, trying to hand some of it back to him.
He placed both of his hands over hers, closing them around the bills. "You will," he said gently but forcefully, letting her know that he would brook no arguments this time.
Maria shook her head smiling for a moment before opening her arms to enclose him in a huge hug. She placed a kiss upon his cheek. "Don't be a stranger," she warned. "I expect to see you for Luigi's birthday next month, if not before then, eh?"
"Of course. I'll see you soon," he promised. "Be right back," he promised, heading toward the kitchen to say goodbye to Luigi as well.
Maria then turned to Josie to enclose her in a hug. Maria whispered into Josie's ear, "I expect an invitation to the wedding."
Josie pulled back to look at her, shocked. Maria smiled a mother's knowing smile. She patted Josie's now-shaking hands. "Don't look so surprised, my dear." She continued softly, "I have a feeling about these things. I am always right. But with you two, it's not hard to see that you belong together." Seeing Sam returning, Maria continued in a voice loud enough for him to overhear, "Now you make sure you're not a stranger; you're part of the family now, too." Maria and Josie shared a secret smile.
Sam gathered up the packages and the bottle and ushered Josie in front of him toward the door. As Josie stood in the doorway, he turned back to Maria and said, "Thanks again, Maria. Everything was great, as usual." After a pause, he concluded, "I'll see you again soon, I promise."
"Make sure you do," she responded with a scolding tone, and then laughed heartily. "Goodbye!" Maria called as she held the front door open to watch Sam and Josie as they crossed the sidewalk out to the street. Then she waved and went back inside the restaurant.
Sam balanced the package and bottle in one arm so that he could place a protective arm around Josie. He pulled her close as they crossed the street and gave her a quick hug. She felt so soft and warm in his embrace that he didn't want to let her go. Too soon they were around the side of the car and in front of the passenger side door. He reluctantly dropped his arm so that he could pull his keys out of his pocket and unlock the door. Then, leaning past Josie, he reached down and opened the door, holding it open for her to enter.
Josie's heart was pounding furiously as she climbed into the car and Sam closed the door behind her. She was still shaking from her reaction to his arm having been around her, not to mention the faint hint of his aftershave that now lingered on her clothes. She had never felt like this before in her entire life. She didn't know how much longer she could take the torture of Sam's closeness without succumbing to the feelings of love and desire that were swirling inside of her. It was frightening; and it was exhilarating. She was sinking and she felt as if there were no way to stop it. She didn't know if she even wanted to.
Sam crossed back into the street to unlock the driver's side door. Once he had propped open the door, he pushed the front seat forward to rest his cargo on the back seat. Then, he slid the seat back into position and sat down, swinging his legs in gracefully and shutting the door behind him. He put the key in the ignition and turned to Josie. With a winning smile he began, "So, are you ready to�"
Sam didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. As he turned toward Josie to speak, she leaned forward suddenly, placed both hands on his chest and pushed him backward, pinning him against the driver's side door. Then, sliding her hands up to bury them in Sam's hair, she pulled him toward her for a soul- searing kiss.
* * *