THE DARE (G!P Freenbecky)

Chapter 25

Definitely not the reaction Freen had hoped for.

"Yes, me," Freen said brightly, standing up and pulling out a chair for her. She hesitated, then glanced back, and Freen saw her make eye contact with her grandfather. The silver-haired gentleman was smiling, fairly beaming. Though Freen hated for her to be so uncomfortable, she was glad she wasn't going to run away from her as she had at the end of Lookkaew's wedding.

"Sit down," Freen whispered. "Stay a spell."

Becky sat, and Freen followed suit.

Becky turned toward her, about to say something, when her eye caught the small furry animal sitting calmly in the chair next to her.

"What," she said, pointing to the creature in question, "is that!"

"I should think the answer to that should be obvious," Freen said, picking up the small bundle of striking black-and-white fur and placing it in her lap.

"A skunk?"

"The one and only. I haven't seen another one here, and I really do think they should be represented at this extravaganza."

"Is he—"

"Fully de-scented. He's just a baby, but very well socialized. This little guy is not a bomb ready to blow."

She opened her mouth, seemed to consider the words that were about to burst out, and snapped it shut again.

Freen smiled. They were in sync again; it was if she could tell what she'd been about to say.

"Thank you for not making the obvious smart remark."

That set her off. "You mean, a skunk for a skunk?"

Freen lowered her voice as she petted the small creature's head. "What exactly do you mean by that? I seem to remember that you were a pretty willing partner to everything we did that night. And remembering further, and in great detail, we did quite a lot—"

"Would you please lower your voice?" Becky hissed, glancing around at the nearby tables nervously. "You are not a gentleman!"

"And you're no lady, but that's a compliment, coming from me."

"Ohhhh!" Becky turned in her seat just in time to see a waiter, clad in black pants and a white jacket, come up to their table and place two salads in front of them.

The skunk perked up at the sight and smell of food. The black-and-white animal had riverted Coco's attention since she'd first set eyes on him, and now she wriggled and wagged her plumed tail, wanting to get closer and check out this new and interesting friend.

"Could I get some avocado for my friend here?" Freen said to the waiter. "I don't think he'll like drenched in dressing."

Dead silence reigned as the waiter scurried away.

"Oh, come on, Becky, let's at least try to be civil to each other," Freen held the baby skunk a few inches off her lap and waved one of its tiny paws at Becky. "Mr. LePew, this is Becky Armstrong. Becky, meet—"

"You're not funny."

"I'm not trying to be. I'm trying to salvage what, up until now, has been a very pleasant evening."

"What are you doing here in London?"

"Business brought me here," Freen said, improvising madly. "Heng and I— you remember Heng, the guy you talked on the phone with that night—well, we're looking to open an office on the West Coast. We're getting awfully tired of all that informal weather outside Chicago."

"Just when did you decide this?"

Freen almost laughed out loud; those glorious brown eyes were so darn suspicious. Freen couldn't get anything past her. And Freen decided a little truth was in order.

"Oh, about five minutes after you ditched me at the wedding," Freen picked up her fork and speared a few of the baby greens on her plate. "By the way, I have a blue velvet wrap that I want to return to you."

"Throw it away."

"Becky," Freen set her fork down. "Can't we behave like normal adults? Must we keep going round and round like this?"

"You weren't supposed to come back into my life!" Becky said desperately. "You were supposed to be a moment out of time!" Becky lowered her voice and leaned towards her.

"A one-night stand, a, a—a moment of total insanity."

Freen considered this. "I'm fluttered. I think."

"But that was to be the end of it."

Becky started to rise, and Freen reacted on impulse, grabbing her wrist and making her sit back down. All around them, elegantly dressed people were eating, and here they were, fighting like two kids who each wanted the same toy in the communal sandbox.

"It can't be the end of it, Becky. You know it as well as I do. Not when I found out you were a virgin—"

Freen stopped talking when the waiter set down a small plate of avocado, the thin, perfectly cut slices fanned out in a stunning presentation.

"For your skunk, Miss," he said, then glided away.

"Here you go, Pepe," Freen said, placing the plate on the chair next to her, and the baby skunk set to work on the food with gusto.

When she glanced back up at Becky, her face was flamming with embarrassment.

"If you were a gentlewoman, you wouldn't even be talking about such a subject—"

"If I were a gentlewoman, I'd be boring the pants off you, just like all those other suitable men your grandfather has been parading by you for the past five years."

"How did you find out about that?" Now Becky seemed truly shocked.

"I have my ways. Now, are we going to enjoy dinner together or not? Do we have to hold hands the entire evening to ensure that you'll stay right here with me? I want you to know that I'm fully prepared to eat my entire dinner with my left hand, or even my fingers if necessary. I'm ambidextrous, if you remember correctly."

Becky seemed to be counting to ten, ready to blow. Then she hesitated, seemed to calm down. Her final answer surprised her.

"No. No, Ms. Chankimha, I'll have dinner with you and your Mr. LePew, but only because by doing so, I'll make my grandfather very happy," She glanced pointedly at her hand holding her wrist. "You can let go of me now."

"Very well."

Each of them picked up their forks and began to eat their salads. Freen was impressed with this first course, a mix of baby greens, thinly sliced fennel bulb, white mushrooms, a few choice pieces of avocado, and some shaved Parmesan cheese, all lightly coated in a shallot vinaigrette.

Phillip Armstrong certainly knew his food.

After a few minutes Freen said, "Would it be too much to hope for a little dinner conversation?"

"I have an idea," Becky said, setting down her salad fork. 

"How about if we pretend we're total strangers and we've just met?"

Freen perked up at this. "You mean like that sexual fantasy where a husband and wife meet at a bar and—"

"Does everything have to ultimately be sexual with you?"

Freen sobered up instantly. "Actually, no. Actually, Heng has an idea I'm considering opening a West Coast office, because I just thought of it today. And the only reason I'm out here is that I wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened, for the way I treated you. If I'd known you weren't that experienced—"

"No," Becky said quickly, interrupting her. "It was a—a change, a really refreshing change, from the way most of the men in my life treated me. It's like they put me up on this pedestal, and I can't quite breathe...."

Becky seemed to remember exactly who she was talking to and fell silent, but Freen filed this crucial bit of information away for future references. Freen decided to make nice and not push her any further.

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