John put away the last of the beakers and stood back to admire the day's work. He had finished moving into the new next-door facility. The newly delivered PCR machines and electrophoresis scanners were set in their respective stations, the autoclave was humming away on a set of dishes and pipettes, and the CRAY computer in his lab was humming by the far wall. Samantha had spared very little expense in giving him what he needed to run his experiments by himself. There would be no lab assistants, understandable considering the delicacy of the research.
Done with the days work, John's mind was now free to wander. Naturally, he thought of Samantha and their time together the night before last. The sex was intense, more that he had ever experienced. She was a force of nature in bed. Even now, the thought of it made his heart hammer. But there were two things that he took away from that night that stuck to him besides the experience. First, the effect she had on him was different from anything that he had ever counted with other women. It almost seemed like she was using his own abilities in her favor, a sort of feedback loop. Where the other women that he bedded gave themselves generously Samantha took. She took until he was drained and couldn't help falling asleep for an hour before he left. He wasn't sure about what she did to him. That was a scientific observation that he would have to study. Perhaps it was linked to the reason why she wouldn't let him run any tests on her.
It was the second point that disappointed him. It was great sex, but that was all it seemed to be. John had had plenty of sex in the past couple of years. And for a while he thought it was the best thing in the world, to have access to women at his fingertips. But then he met Cassandra and everything changed. Love was so much more. John saw the potential for that with Samantha. She was a strong and brilliant woman. She was witty, smart, and sexy. She had a hidden untapped sensuality about her that she kept closely guarded. Granted, that made getting close to her more difficult but it certainly made being with her more worthwhile. He'd planned on their first time in bed as something intimate and romantic but instead she made it clear that night that that wasn't what she was looking for. Even afterwards, when he tried holding her and cuddling, she shuffled away from him under the sheets.
John didn't know what to make of the situation. Perhaps he should talk to her about it.
Speaking of whom, the door opened and Samantha strode in. She looked at the laboratory, inspecting the placement of equipment and the streamlined design of the room. Her eyes finally rested on John himself and the corners of her mouth curled up. "Hello, John. Enjoying your new toys?"
"You flatter me with the facilities you've granted me."
"Does it get me anywhere?"
John returned her smile. "Maybe."
Samantha stepped boldly up to him and teased his lips with her own. John moved his hands along her ribs until they gently cupped the sides of her breasts. He felt her murmur in approval before he pulled away. There was a time and place for courtship and the worksite definitely shouldn't be one of them. Samantha's eyes silently agreed in his tact and he sensed that he had earned another nugget of her respect.
"So, any idea when we can go out again?" he asked. "You owe me, after all."
"How about tomorrow evening?" she offered. "We could go out for dinner then come back to my place, put Brianna to bed early, and..." Her sentence trailed off but the sensual twinkle in her eyes spoke volumes of what they could do to conclude the evening.
"I have a better idea," John counter-offered. "How about I pick you up tomorrow night and surprise you with whatever I've cooked up."
Samantha's eyes sparkled in curiosity as she circled him, measuring him. "Surprises, John? Very well. Pick me up tomorrow night at seven."
John watched her statuesque figure as she exited and his mind whirled with possibilities. He had come to the conclusion that a woman as proud as her would not appreciate direct criticism about their previous tryst. He would just have to show her what their first time should have been like. He went home and planned for the next evening.
***
John showed up on Samantha's front doorstep promptly at six. He smiled at the bewildered look on her face when she opened the door. "John. What are you doing here?"
"Why, to take you out tonight."
"I said seven; you're an hour early. The babysitter isn't even here."
"Cancel," John stated simply.
"What?"
"Cancel," John reiterated. "Brianna's coming with us."
"But..."
"No 'buts'. I told you I'd surprise you so, 'Surprise!'"
Samantha stepped back as a bouquet of handpicked carnations attacked her face. A single bloom bent over as a stem broke from the violent introduction and she couldn't help but laugh at the charming simplicity of it all. "All right. Come in and you can explain yourself."
John entered her home and gave her a friendly peck on the lips. So far so good, he thought. She seemed to be off balance, and he planned on keeping it that way tonight. He followed her into the kitchen as he explained himself. "I heard that a circus and carnival was in town so I thought it would be nice to take you and Brianna."
"I don't know..."
"Come on, it'll be fun. When was the last time you took Brianna out? You know she'll enjoy herself. I'll buy you cotton candy."