"Over the Limit"...the Dinner

Amanda glanced around Emilio's dining room. She never quite pictured Lee in a place like this. It was very ordinary. She always pictured Lee surrounded by exotic women in sensual surroundings; certainly never sharing a steak with someone like her. Oh sure, she'd fantasized about being with Lee. But this wasn't quite what she pictured then either. She blushed as if Lee could read her thoughts.

Lee watched as Amanda looked around the room. God, she was beautiful. How come he'd never noticed that before? Lee loved that way her dark eyes expressed her feelings long before she did. And when she smiled like she was right now it made him want to forget dinner and take her home and.... Lee grinned. Whoa boy, not so fast, this is Amanda you're thinking about here.

"Are you ready order?" Lee and Amanda jumped at the sound of the waiter's voice.

After a quick glance at Amanda, Lee ordered for both of them. "Two filet mignon, medium, baked potatoes and Caesar salads." He closed the menu and reached for the wine list. "A burgundy I think with dinner."

The waiter smiled, "We have a fine Picard vintage sir, 1960." He picked up the menus.

Lee nodded, "Sounds fine." As the waiter walked away, Lee turned to Amanda.

"You'll really like the Picard wine, it’s one of the finest vineyards in France."

"I don't know much about wines." Amanda toyed with her flatware. "I usually pick a bottle at the market." She smiled at the look of horror on Lee's face. "Not a good thing?"

Lee shuddered. "Wine at the supermarket! I can see that I have my work cut out for me." He paused as the waiter reappeared and they went through the ritual of opening the bottle and tasting the wine.

Amanda watched fascinated. Joe had never been one for fancy restaurants or wine. She watched as Lee sniffed the wine and took a small swallow. The mellow light was reflecting the golden highlights in his hair. She had never noticed them before. Nor had she noticed how elegant his hands were. His fingers were beautifully shaped. Amanda smiled, only she would be at dinner with a gorgeous man and pay attention to his hands.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Lee handed Amanda a glass of wine. "Or has inflation raised that too?"

"For you it's still a penny." Amanda's eyes twinkled over the rim of her wineglass. "Actually I was thinking how, um, interesting the whole wine thing is." She took a tentative sip of the burgundy. "It’s very, um, pungent."

Lee grinned. "Robust is the word the vintners prefer, but pungent works." He took a sip of his. "Very pungent." He set his glass down. 'Do you like it?" Lee watched as Amanda took another sip. A drop of the ruby liquid glistened on her lower lip. Lee took a deep breath. He wanted to lean over and kiss her so badly he could almost taste that drop of wine mingled with the sweetness of her lips. The few times he'd kissed her in the line of the duty, Lee had found it a heady experience. He could imagine all too well what it would be like to kiss Amanda when the weren't playacting. He would crush her against his chest and bury his face in her silky hair and then...

Amanda knew Lee was watching her closely. Did he notice her hand shaking as she brought the wineglass to her mouth? She hoped not. "Yes, I do like it." God, he had beautiful eyes. And hands, she was fast becoming obsessed with Lee's hands and what it would feel like to be caressed by those long tapering fingers. She could almost feel them against her shoulders, moving slowly down towards her...

"Thank you," Lee smiled as the waiter set down his salad. He picked up his fork. "I hope you like the Caesar salad, I never thought to ask." Spearing a piece of lettuce, he smiled at his dinner partner, "Sorry."

"Don't be, I love Caesar salad." Amanda took a bite, savoring it. "Philip and Jamie hate any kind salad so I don't get it often enough." She glanced around Emilo's. "It's a treat just to eat a meal without the phone ringing or the boys fighting." Smiling she raised her wine glass, 'Thanks"

Lee returned the gesture. It was hard to believe Amanda was the mother of teenagers. "It's my pleasure." Arrgh! Had he really said that! Well he meant it; time spent with Amanda was always a pleasure. The thought surprised him, but it was true. In the last couple of years, he had found he looked forward to seeing her. Like the song said, he'd grown accustomed to her face. And what a face it was. He remembered when he'd scoffed at Billy for describing her as exotic and mysterious. But she was. There were secrets in her big brown eyes, secrets he'd love to uncover.

Amanda watched Lee. He thought he was a such a mystery man. Secretive maybe, but no mystery. Amanda had been around enough to recognize the glint in his eyes, and it scared her. It was one thing to fantasize about Lee, but quite another to...well, actually participate. She'd seen the woman in Lee's life, she was no centerfold like Francine, or smart like Leslie. She was just an ordinary housewife with a house in the suburbs, two kids, a station wagon and a nosy mother. Maybe her mother was right, maybe it was time to start a new life.

As the waiter bustled around them clearing the salad plates and serving their entrees, Lee studied his partner. Partner. He'd swore he'd never have another partner. Somehow this beautiful, exotic woman was slowly become his partner. Amanda was a breath of fresh air. There was no pretense, no carefully groomed facade. She was who she was and Lee found that very appealing. It’s time to face it, this lady with her station wagon, house in the suburbs, common sense and sense of humor had won him over. Maybe the Colonel was right, maybe it was time to settle down.

Lee smiled across the table and lifted his glass. "To partners" he touched his glass to Amanda's who smiled and echoed him. "To partners."

THE END