Charles and Diana

When she was able to stand, Diana Maitland Richards got up from the bed and went into the bathroom of their honeymoon suite in Vegas to clean herself up and try to fix her hair. It wasn't too bad; not quite as full as it had been when she left the beauty salon earlier—but still nice and smooth and curly where it should be. She brushed her teeth again quickly, reapplied a little of her make-up, put her panties and evening gown back on, and she looked as beautiful as before—even more so with the deep love and passion shining in her eyes as she looked at her sexy new husband, Charles Richards. Charles just had to wash his hands and rinse his face a little so that the smell of her pussy wouldn't be quite so obvious on him.

They had finished dinner in The Riviera Resort hotel's nightclub restaurant, but it had been several hours since the last time they'd made love; they were both horny as hell and needed a quick release. So, they'd popped back up to their room and Diana had sucked Charles' cock and given him a quick, intense orgasm, and then he'd returned the favor doubly by devouring her pussy and giving her a long, intense orgasm. They still had a couple hours or so until Diana was scheduled to do her guest performance for the nightclub, but they wanted to go back down so they could enjoy the music and dancing until then.

So, they headed out the door and down the hall to the elevators, Diana leaning against Charles' left arm as she walked beside him hanging onto his forearm, both of them staring at each other and grinning sexily as they thought about the last 20 minutes. They managed to behave themselves on the elevator; Charles just leaned down and kissed her softly a couple times, as he couldn't resist the look of love shining in her eyes. As they made their way through the lobby, people stared at the striking couple strolling together, so totally wrapped up in each other.

When they returned to the nightclub, the host informed Diana that some friends of hers had stopped to see if they could get into the nightclub, and had been disappointed when they were told that the nightclub was already booked to capacity for the evening, except for their table. Diana frowned wondering who on earth it could possibly be; she glanced at Charles and he was looking at her questioningly. She asked the host who these friends were and she almost fell over when he said it was Ward Bond and his wife.

She immediately looked at Charles again and he was frowning like he was trying to think of why he knew that name; she saw it on his face as soon as he figured it out. He looked at her in total shock and she said, "I told you I knew John Wayne! Ward is one of his best friends! I met Ward at the movie studio because my boss was a producer on one of the big man's movies—that's how I met the big man!" Diana looked back at the host who was standing there with an impressed look on his face because she said she knew John Wayne; so she told the host to please let Mr. and Mrs. Bond know that they were welcome to come join them at their table.

Diana's mind was spinning; she had to talk to Ward alone before she allowed Charles to ask him any questions. She had to tell Ward to act like he had no idea what the actual relationship between her and the big man was since she knew Charles still did not believe that she had had an intimate relationship with Wayne...and she wanted it to stay that way. When they returned to their table, the waiter appeared almost immediately and asked them if there was anything they needed. Charles asked for another couple fingers of Chivas and Diana asked for the same...she had a feeling she was going to need it!

Charles was studying Diana again as they sipped on their drinks; he already knew that she was crazy about John Wayne as a fan, and now she had told him that her boss had produced one of Wayne's movies, so it was true that she had actually met him, and obviously, Ward Bond as well. But that still didn't mean that she'd had an intimate relationship with the "big man" as she has claimed. That could still just be an elaborate fantasy she concocted for herself to fulfill a need to feel loved by someone she admired.

After about 15 minutes, Diana saw Ward and his wife Mary Lou appear at the nightclub entrance and she waved to them as the host pointed her and Charles out to them. When they arrived at the table, Diana immediately stood up and exclaimed, "Ward! So lovely to see you again!" Then she hugged him and said quickly and quietly at his ear, "Ask me to dance right away...I'll explain!" Then she leaned back and looked at Ward's wife and said, "Mary Lou! I'm so happy to see you again, too!" As she hugged Ward's wife, she said quickly and quietly, "Don't answer any of my husband's questions about Duke and me, just play dumb...please!" When she leaned back, Mary Lou smiled and nodded her head.

When she introduced them to him, Charles shook Ward's hand and told him what an honor it was to meet him and that he was a big fan of John Wayne, like his wife, and that he'd always enjoyed watching Ward's movies as well. Then Ward looked at Charles and said, "Mr. Richards, I hope you won't mind if I steal your beautiful, sexy wife for a dance with an old man, will you?" as he turned and started to lead Diana down onto the stage that, for the moment, was also used as a dance floor.

As Ward started to dance with her, Diana explained to him about how she'd told Charles everything about her past, including her affair and relationship with the big man, but that she was certain Charles didn't believe her. She said she knew in Charles' mind that he was convinced it was a fantasy or dream she had invented because of her need to feel loved by someone important to her as a result of her confusing childhood and painful adolescence—and she wanted Charles to keep believing that. Ward asked her why, and she looked at him with her eyebrows raised and said, "Would you want to know that Mary Lou still loved some man, especially a very famous and important man, with whom she'd had a brief but torrid love affair, and that the man still loved her, too? How do you think that would affect your ability to build any intimacy in your relationship with her?"

Ward frowned as he thought about that and said, "I see your point. OK, I'll play it your way. But I'm going to have to get to know your husband, because you know Duke is going grill me about him and your relationship when he finds out! So, tell me, Diana. How did you meet this man and how did you know he was the one who could make you forget the Duke?"

"Ward, you know I'll never forget him...but I love Charles as much as I love him. Let's go back to the table now and we'll tell you our story." Ward escorted Diana from the dance floor/stage area back to their table and seated her next to her husband, and then Ward sat down next to his wife. The waiter appeared again and took drink orders for Ward and Mary Lou, and then Diana looked at Charles and Mary Lou and asked, "So, did you two get acquainted?"

Charles explained that they had chatted about how long Mary Lou and Ward had been married, which was less than 2 years so they were practically still newlyweds themselves! Charles said he had asked Mary Lou if she knew Mr. Wayne very well, and she'd said that she's only met him a few times at some parties and movie premieres, and that she'd met Diana briefly at the last movie premiere. Then Charles said that he'd asked Mary Lou if she knew anything about a relationship between Mr. Wayne and Diana, and Mary Lou had said she didn't know anything other than that they knew each other and she had seen them talking at that last premiere.

Diana smiled kindly at Mary Lou and said, "Well, of course she wouldn't know anything about that—the big man wouldn't have told anyone about our relationship! I made him promise not to because the last thing I wanted was to be exposed to public scrutiny by having a relationship with someone as famous as him—and you should know why, Charles! If you won't take my word for it, then I don't know how else to convince you! But, I assure you, Ward and Mary Lou have no idea what happened between the big man and me, so it'll do you no good to question them."

Ward piped up then with a look of curiosity on his face, "What's this about a relationship between you and the Duke, Diana? When did this happen? Duke never mentioned anything like that!"

Diana looked embarrassed and said, "That's good to know, Ward, since, as I said, I made him promise NOT to tell anyone! Now, can we please drop this? It's past history and I would like to get on with our new life together...please, Charles?" as she took his hand and looked pleadingly at him. Charles smiled softly at her as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers and said OK. Just then, the waiter appeared with Ward and Mary Lou's drinks.

Charles had confirmation now that she was acquainted with Wayne and at least one of his friends and colleagues, who knew nothing about her having an affair with "the big man." He was still quite certain that her encounters with John Wayne were dreams and fantasies that she had created to build her self-esteem and confidence so she would be able to believe she deserved to find someone to love her, and whom she could love as much as she loved "the big man."

Diana told Charles that Ward had asked her when and how she and Charles had met and that she'd brought him back to the table so they could tell Ward and Mary Lou the whole story! Ward and Mary Lou looked flabbergasted when Diana asked Ward what time it was and he told her it was almost 9:00, and she said that she and Charles had known each other for about 24 hours! Charles jumped in to say that he'd been studying her for a couple hours before they met to figure out if she was the type of woman he'd been looking for, and he'd definitely decided she was.

Ward asked him how he was able to figure that out just by studying her for a couple hours, so Charles told them about his job with the FBI and Ward was somewhat impressed, though confused as to how a man with his background in studying human behavior couldn't tell that Diana was telling the truth about her relationship with the Duke. He figured that maybe it was because Charles didn't WANT to believe it. As Diana had said—what man in his right mind would want to believe that his wife was in love with a big movie star who also loved her and with whom she'd had a brief but torrid affair, but they didn't marry because they knew it wouldn't work! That could only mean one thing; the relationship had blossomed out of a powerful mutual attraction and that the sex must have been incredible—much like what Charles' relationship with her must be thus far!

Ward sympathized with Charles' position in this matter—Charles needed to do whatever was necessary for him to be able to build a more intimate relationship with Diana, even if that meant not believing everything she told him as being the absolute truth. Ward could see that Charles loved Diana very much, and Diana had said that she loved Charles as much as she did the Duke, but, to Ward, that remained to be seen; he watched them closely as they continued their story.

When they told Ward and Mary Lou that they had acted out that scene from "The Quiet Man" between Sean and Mary Kate when she slapped him for kissing her because Charles had done the same thing when he first approached Diana, Ward laughed and said in his best Father Lonergan brogue, "Sha! Sure'n doesn't this lass have a temper just like a redhead?!! At least now if she throws a punch at ya, as her husband yer entitled to hit 'er back!" Then he sobered and in his normal, gruff voice said, "But you don't want to make her that mad! She can throw a punch like a man!" Charles rubbed his right upper arm and told Ward he already knew that, and Ward burst out laughing!

Diana broke in with her Mary Kate imitation and said, "I am sorry. I have a fearful temper. You might as well know about it now instead of finding out about it later! We Richards are a fighting people!"

Then Charles replied, "I can think of a lot of things I'd rather do to you...Mrs. Richards!" as they stared at each other with their eyes smoldering.

Ward saw the looks passing between them; they were the same looks he'd seen Diana share with the Duke, and he knew—Diana was in love with Charles and it looked as though she desired him every bit as much as she had Duke. Ward didn't think the Duke would want to know that, so he decided he wasn't going to tell him; he would just tell Duke that Diana had chosen a decent man who loved her and would treat her well. Ward wondered how the Duke would take it if he told him that Charles and Diana were drawn to each other in part because of their mutual admiration for the Duke and his movies? He'd see how Duke reacted to the news that she'd married first and then decide whether to tell him that.

When Diana told Ward that it was her idea to come to Vegas and get married because Charles had told her he wasn't going to have sex with her until she was his wife, Ward busted out laughing again and almost slipped and said something about how it hadn't taken her long to get the Duke to have sex with her, either! Then she told them about how Charles had arranged to have the FBI plane fly them here last night, and how excited she had been to fly for the first time and join the Mile High club!

Ward choked on his sip of whiskey, and just stared at the straight look on Diana's face as he coughed and tried to figure out if she meant what he thought she meant! Ward glanced at Charles and saw that Charles looked like he couldn't decide whether to laugh at how Ward had reacted or be embarrassed that Diana had said that. Ward looked at Diana again and said, "Are you talking about the same Mile High club I've heard about?"

Diana asked with a straight face, "Is there another Mile High club? What have you heard about it?"

Ward leaned closer to her and said, "The one I've heard about is that, in order to join the club, you have to have sex in an airplane over a mile off the ground...are we talking about the same club?" Diana just grinned and said yep! Then Ward frowned and looked at Charles and said, "I thought you told this little girl that you wouldn't have sex with her until she was your wife! Not much of one for sticking to your word, are you son?"

Charles leaned back in his chair and looked Ward straight in the eyes and folded his arms on his chest; his eyes narrowed as he stared seriously at Ward and said slowly and deliberately, "Look at her. Does she look like the type of woman that ANY man could refuse when she wants him badly? Besides, we were on our way to get married and what man would refuse an opportunity to do something like joining the Mile High club—especially with a woman like Diana? It's a memory we'll never forget and something she's never experienced with ANY other man...I may seem naïve, but I'm not stupid or crazy, and I wasn't about to disappoint her—because I love her!"

Ward realized that Charles was not totally discounting the possibility that Diana had actually had an affair with the Duke—he was choosing to believe what he needed to for his own peace of mind. Ward smiled at Charles as he nodded his head and said, "I can see that. I can also see that you definitely are not stupid or crazy, either. You were smart enough not to let this little girl get away! Duke and I both have thought since the moment we met her that she deserved to find a man who would love her for the wonderful woman she is—I'm glad to see that she has. I'll tell Duke she's finally happily married to a decent man who's going to treat her well." Ward stood up and held his hand toward Charles in a friendly gesture, and Charles stood and shook his hand firmly.

When they sat back down, Mary Lou said that she had always wanted to believe in love at first sight and it was wonderful to see it had happened for them and asked them how they knew. Charles and Diana glanced at each other and then back at Mary Lou and Ward and Charles told them that he and Diana had been looking for each other since they were 13 years old.

Then he told them the story of how they'd spotted each other at a small town carnival in Virginia in 1939 and had looked at each other for only about 10 seconds before they were separated by the crowd. Neither one of them lived in that town—Diana had been there on a family vacation and Charles had been visiting his grandparents. But for years, both of them remembered that moment and looked for each other every time they went back to that area, to no avail. Mary Lou asked them how they'd figured that out so quickly, and Diana told her that it was because the memory had started coming back to her the moment she saw Charles smile.

She told Charles to smile and show Mary Lou the dimple in his cheek, which he did, and she said the memory of him at 13 years old smiling at her with that dimple in his cheek flashed in her memory as soon as he'd smiled at her in the pub. Then Charles told Mary Lou that Diana at 13 years old had always lingered in his memory as his "dream girl"—sunlit golden hair and sparkling gray blue eyes almost the same color as his, in a bright yellow dress with flowers on it and curves on her body in all the right places.

Charles explained that he had casually asked Diana where she used to go fishing when she told him she had grown up in Virginia and used to fish a lot. When she mentioned that she'd done most of it around the Rappahannock River because her parents used to take her to a friend's property in that area, Charles kept questioning her because his grandparents' property had been in that area as well. One thing led to another and the next thing he knew, Diana was telling him about a boy she'd spotted at a carnival one time who'd looked at her with more interest than she'd ever seen from a boy and never saw again while she was a teenager. And then Diana said that she knew it was Charles when he started describing exactly what she'd been wearing.

Ward and Mary Lou looked at them in surprise; then Ward said, "Kind of makes you believe in something like destiny or fate, doesn't it? Isn't it amazing that even after all those years and 3,000 miles...it's just kind of a shame that it took 17 years for you guys to find each other again. Why do you suppose that is?"

Charles explained it to Ward the same way he'd explained it to Diana when she'd questioned God's plan; that he and Diana had to experience the trials and pain they've suffered in their lives in order to truly appreciate what they have now. Charles and Diana looked at each other and smiled softly, and Charles saw Diana almost start to tear up, but she blinked her eyes a few times and took a deep breath and then smiled brightly and told her handsome, sexy new husband that it was time he took her on the dance floor. Charles grinned at her and said, "Well, I'd love to dance with you, pretty lady, but if I try to TAKE you on the dance floor, we'll get arrested!"

Ward barked a loud laugh and said, "I like the way you think, Charles! It looks like the little girl is going to have her hands full and have to watch what she says to you!"

Charles helped Diana stand up and then he moved behind her as he grinned wolfishly at Ward and said, "That goes both ways, Ward. She's quite a handful, too...and, according to her own admission, she's two handfuls!" as he ran his hands from her waist up to briefly cup the undersides of her breasts.

Ward busted out laughing, bending toward Charles to slap his hand on Charles' shoulder and said through his laughter, "Oh, God, Charles! You're a man after my own heart! You obviously know how to appreciate a sexy woman...I don't suppose you like to go to bars, get drunk and start fights just for fun?"

Charles chuckled and said, "Well, now...I've sometimes thought that would be a great way to get rid of my pent up frustration and anger in the past. But, the FBI tends to frown on that sort of behavior, and I'd kind of like to keep my job for a little while longer! Besides, I've got a much better way to relieve my frustration and anger now...don't you think?" he asked Ward as he crooked his eyebrow at him and grinned wolfishly again as he ran his hands firmly up and down the sides of Diana's body.