"Do we really want to let go of another opportunity?" Tim asked, following her.
The magnetism he was exuding was becoming more than she thought she could resist. The problem was, she really did want to go with him. But did she dare? It was just dinner with an old friend. And it
was
Tim Lawrence. How many more times could she use
that
justification? Did she really even need to be justifying anything? Wendy had said they still had to have their own lives.
Still, there was this indescribable feeling inside of her that caused her to finally ask, "Can we at least wait until the bride and groom leave? I feel like I should at least stay to the end."
"Absolutely," Tim responded happily, breathing his relief.
And so they did. While waiting, they danced more, and not just slow dances. Although the more slow dances they shared, the more of them Samantha wanted. And not just because it was Tim Lawrence. Strangely, as the minutes wore on, she found herself really enjoying being with . . .
a man
.
When Samantha and Tim finally departed, it was in his vehicle. Her car was at home because they had all ridden in a limousine. So, she asked, "You mind if we stop at my apartment so I can change into something less formal? It's more or less on the way."
"Doesn't matter where it is. That will be our first stop." As he drove, Tim asked, "So, you didn't get the house?"
"Didn't want itโor the memories. Couldn't have afforded to keep it up, anyway. You?"
"She got it. I didn't need anything that big."
Samantha caught him stealing glances at her as they rode. She caught him because she was stealing glances at
him
. But in the back of her mind, she was also thinking about Wendy. She couldn't shake the feeling that what she was doing was somehow wrong. And if that wasn't bad enough, she was beginning to have fears that people at the restaurant would recognize her and maybe even ask where Wendy was. However, she was also reminded that Wendy was constantly telling her that she needed to be happy because for so long she had not been. Right now, she
was
happy; very,
very
happy.
"By the way, you never told me what you do for a living?" Samantha finally thought to ask.
"I own a small computer consulting company. We set up networks, handle hardware, and do repairs. I have five other guys and a couple of girls who work for me."
"Oh, that's impressive." It really was. "Maybe you can take a look at mine while I change. It's gotten miserably slow."
"My pleasure."
By then, they had arrived and she led him in. "It's not much, but for now, it's home." Samantha had never had the interest to decorate her apartment with pictures and knick-knacks that women usually like to adorn their homes with; like Wendy had done with her condo. But Samantha didn't intend to live here forever, and so, she didn't want to spend much time, money and effort on it. In addition, she seldom had visitors. Even Wendy had only been here a couple of times. The two women generally preferred the comfort of the condo.
"As long as you're comfortable. Mine is pretty much the same."
"Well, I don't plan to be here forever. The computer is in the spare bedroom." She led him down the short hallway where they parted, him to the computer, her to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her.
Now, what to wear, Samantha wondered. Tim was still nicely dressed in a suit, so she couldn't get too casual. Rooting through her closet, she found a nice sweater-type shirt that buttoned up the front and a light-colored, short skirt. It wasn't fancy, somewhat casual, but not out of place with his suit. And best of all, she had never worn it with Wendy.
Samantha found him intently staring at the computer monitor. "Bad?" She pulled another chair next to him and sat fairly close.
"I don't think so," he said, giving her a quick glance, but doing a double-take after glimpsing her cleavage and legs all in one look. "
Wow!
You look
fantastic
!"
"Thank you," she beamed. "So, what does it look like?"
"How long have you had this computer?"
"A couple of years," Samantha answered with a shrug.
"Have you ever done a defrag?"
"What's that?"
Tim smiled over her common response to that question. "Information on your hard drive gets separated for a variety of reasons. It gets fragmented. So, periodically, you need to run software that defragments your files and puts them back together. If you've never done it or had it done, over time, your computer can slow down. So, we'll try to defrag it and see if that solves your problem." Throughout his explanation, Tim had been devouring her with his eyes. She had grown into an incredibly beautiful woman. He couldn't believe any man would let her go. He couldn't help peaking at her cleavage and all the leg exposed by her short skirt.
Samantha could see him checking her out and was glad he was interested. Without thinking, she leaned closer and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you so much. How long will it take?"
Surprised by her show of gratitude, he faced her. "It'll take hours, but we don't have to wait. It can run until it finishes."
"Oh," Samantha said almost disappointedly, gazing dreamily into his eyes.