Six - Lexus Nexus

Diane and Bob jumped into Bob’s cream-colored Lexus and made their way over to the courthouse. Bob opened the door for Diane, saw to her comfort, then closed the door gently, but firmly. Before he mounted the vehicle himself, he gently laid his jacket across the back seats. En route, Bob called his Legal Assistant and dictated the motion that he would use in court that afternoon.

Diane noticed his bulging, well-defined muscles inside the sleeves of his shirt. There were no wrinkles anywhere on this dapper man. She also noticed the slightest hint of Kouros lingered on his clothing, just enough to spice up the air around them. She studied his physique as appreciatively as he had studied hers back at the hospital. Bob was an extraordinarily handsome man, and he seemed well put-together emotionally. A nice change. Diane’s eyes flitted over to his left hand, which was on the steering wheel while he held the mobile phone in his right hand. The ring finger was bare, and there was no telltale tan line or indentation. She looked up at Bob, who was just finishing up the call with his Legal Assistant, and noticed he had been watching her. Feigning disinterest with as much aplomb as a cat that had just bungled a landing, Diane looked casually outside the car and examined a long, gray brick wall with great interest.

At the courthouse, Diane wanted to freshen up a bit after her hospital adventure, so she and Bob agreed to meet outside Judge Sencilla’s office in fifteen minutes. When she rounded the corner, she saw Bob pacing in the hallway just outside the judge’s office, involved in a tense conversation on his mobile phone. The muscles in his jaw were rippling, and his eyes looked angry. He turned his head, noticed Diane, and the warmth returned to his features immediately. He hand-signed “one second” to her, then turned away to finish the conversation. Diane wandered away to give him some privacy, but the marble floors and walls provided an echo chamber that carried his voice to her anyway.

“Estamos a punto de librarlo. Estará en el aire dentro de una hora …Vale … Ciao.”

Diane regretted that she didn’t speak Italian, but she thought that language sounded very sexy with Bob’s deep baritone voice. She made a mental note to ask him later what he was talking about. The only part she understood was “Ciao.”

An hour later, Diane and Bob were back on their way to the hospital to retrieve Denby, release order in hand. Diane was powerfully attracted to Bob. Tall, dark and handsome, he seemed to have it all together. He was confident, funny, caring, considerate, healthy, and he smelled good. And he was probably the sexiest man she had seen since Bobby. She hoped this investigation continued long enough for her to get to know Bob better. She noticed, just then, that his name was the same as her own lost love. It’s spooky what mysteries life throws in your path, she thought.