As if on cue, there was a knock on the door at the front of the suite, and a man's voice saying, "Room service, Mr. Wayne!"
John Wayne did not want to let go of Diana Maitland right at that moment, but he knew had to, so he sighed and released her. Then he stepped toward the bedroom door leading out to the front room and said loudly, "I'll be right there!" Then he looked back at her standing in the bathroom doorway fully wrapped in a large terrycloth robe and said, "Stay here, I'll be right back," then he turned and went out the bedroom door, closing it behind him.
Wayne checked his robe to be sure he was fully covered, and then opened the front door and stood back so the waiter could bring in a large covered platter, and he indicated to the waiter to place it on the table near the window. Then the waiter returned to his cart for the bottles of wine and tequila and took them to the table as well. Wayne took care of signing for the room service bill and tipped the waiter telling him that would be all he needed. As he closed the door, he placed the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the outer knob since he'd forgotten to do it when they first arrived (he'd had other things on his mind at that moment!).
Then Wayne went to the bedroom door to open it and let Diana know it was safe to come out. She was standing in front of the dresser mirror toweling her damp hair and running her fingers through it to try and get out some of the tangles. She looked at him and said, "My hair is such a mess now that it's gotten wet, and I don't have a brush or comb with me!"
He smiled at her as he moved toward her and said, "You look beautiful with your hair tousled like that, and I like knowing how it got all messed up! Please leave it that way...for me?" He looked at her with a hot, pleading gaze as he took the towel from her hand and put her hand in his to lead her out to where the food was.
She smiled at him and said, "OK, but you don't realize what you're asking of me. It will take me forever to get the knots out if I let it stay this way for long!"
Then he said, "All right, after we've eaten I'll find you a comb and I'll help you get the tangles out. But right now, I'm starving so let's eat!"
He led her to the table and sat her in one of the chairs, then lifted the lid on the platter to show her what he'd ordered. She saw the plates of sandwiches with potato salad, and her mouth watered slightly; she hadn't realized how hungry she was as well. Then she saw the strawberries and cream, and she smiled, wondering if he'd had the same idea that just popped into her mind when he ordered them. She looked up at him and saw that he had the same smile and look in his eyes as she, and she realized that they really did think a lot alike!
She widened her smile and said softly, "Boy, I can't wait for dessert!"
"Neither can I," he said in his sexy, gravelly voice, with his eyes smoldering. Then he took a quick, deep breath and said, "But first, let's take care of the hunger in our stomachs. Dig in!"
He took the bottle of red wine and opened it with the corkscrew that the waiter had also thoughtfully brought with it, and poured them each a glass. As he opened the wine and poured it, she took the sandwich plates off the platter and placed them on the table with the napkins and utensils that were also on the tray, then set the bowl of strawberries and cream to the side of the table and moved the platter out of the way.
As he sat down opposite her and handed her a glass of wine, he held his glass up as if to make a toast and waited for her to do the same. Then he said, "To the most enjoyable couple of hours I have ever spent, with hopes of many more to come..." looking at her with his smoldering eyes again.
"Here, here," she replied, her eyes mirroring his as they clinked their glasses and then each took a drink of wine.
As they started to eat, she noticed the bottle of tequila also sitting on the table and she remembered she had read somewhere that it was reportedly his favorite drink, so she commented, "Ah, I see the reports were true about tequila being your favorite drink."
He glanced at her as he was getting ready to take a bite of potato salad, and asked, "What reports?" then put the bite in his mouth and chewed as he waited for her reply.
"Oh, you know, all the Entertainment papers always write whatever little personal tidbits they can find out about big celebrities. And, of course, I always read everything I can about you. But don't worry; I don't believe everything I read! I can usually tell what's believable and what's not." She picked up a section of her Club sandwich and took a bite, noting that he had a thoughtful look on his face as she had answered him.
He was thinking that it wasn't fair that she already had a complete background on him and seemed to know him so well when he didn't really know anything about her. So he said softly, "Diana, you know so much about me, but I know nothing about you, and I really would like to know more than just the fact that you've fantasized about me your whole adult life and that your body responds to me like no other woman I've ever known!"
She almost choked on a sip of wine when he said that last part. As she wiped her mouth with her napkin and looked at him, she asked, "Just how much do you really want to know about me?"
"Whatever you want to tell me," he said honestly.
As they continued their meal, she started to give him as brief a summary of her life's story as she could. She told him that she was originally from the east coast, the youngest of 5 children, and moved to California when she was 20 with dreams of becoming a movie star herself. But, after she'd gotten here and started reading about all the problems with being famous and not being able to lead a "normal life," she'd decided that it wasn't what she wanted to do. So, she opted for a job that would keep her in the background of the movie industry, which suited her just fine. She'd been working for the studio for almost 8 years now, and for her current boss about 2 years, working her way up from a lowly props mistress to various other jobs, finally to her current position as administrative assistant to an executive producer. "And that's about it," she stated.
He sat back in his chair with his glass of wine for a moment and looked at her, wondering why she hadn't really given him very many personal details and his curiosity was piqued, so he would just have to ask her himself. He took a drink, then sat forward and put his glass down to continue eating.
He asked about her family first. Her mother and father were still living in Virginia, as were all her siblings and their children; three brothers, one sister, three nieces and one nephew; and a slew of aunts, uncles and cousins all scattered around eastern Virginia and North Carolina. Now he realized where her slight southern accent came from.
Then he asked about her education. She graduated from high school but did not seek any further education since she had planned to be a movie star and didn't feel it was necessary. She had taken drama and was in the drama club and choir in high school, which was how she got bitten by the "acting bug." She had done mostly musicals, but liked dramatic plays as well. He was surprised when she said she'd been in the choir and had done musicals; he would have to remember to ask her if she would sing for him later.
Then he asked the question that had really been burning in his mind, "What about boyfriends? I remember you said you've dated, but has there ever been anyone serious?"
She picked up her wine glass and brought it to her mouth as she glanced at him and said, "Yes," just before she took a sip. She lowered her eyes for a moment contemplating what to tell him, and then decided she should probably be honest with him. What could she possibly tell him at this point that would shock him? Well, maybe she wouldn't tell him everything...
As she looked back at his face, she could see he had a questioning look in his eyes hoping she would elaborate on that last statement. She smiled slightly, set her glass on the table and leaned back in her chair. She inhaled deeply, and stared into his eyes as she slowly exhaled, then said, "Once. About 5 years ago, I met a man who, though he didn't quite resemble you physically, seemed to have the same qualities that have always struck me most deeply about you—the commanding presence, the piercing eyes, the low, sexy voice. He was several years older than me, and reasonably handsome, and when he asked me out, I jumped at the chance hoping that, since I could never have 'the real thing,' that maybe he would turn out to be close enough for me." She saw his eyebrows raise and heard his slight chuckle in amusement when she had said she could never have "the real thing."