Peter took a long drink from his lukewarm coffee. He momentarily swirled the liquid around the inside of his mouth and then tried to swallow it, but found that the lump in his throat was making the job very difficult. He finally managed to swallow the coffee and then once again looked into Shona’s tear engorged eyes. “Shona, I will tell you what Vicky confessed to me that night on the field, but let’s not talk here. Let’s go somewhere more private, okay?”

Shona dabbed at her eyes with a tissue and said, “Peter, I can tell that this is very difficult for you, but I’ve got to know. I haven’t slept well since that night and I…I…just can’t continue feeling this way. I’ll be able to handle the truth, but I can’t go on not knowing.” As Peter turned away from her gaze, she said, “But I understand that you don’t want to talk about it here, so let’s go to my home.”

“Yes, yes that sounds good, Shona. I won’t stay too long…well, I’ll stay as long as you need me to. Okay, let me get the check and then we can go.” Peter hailed his server, collected the check and then escorted Shona to the front of the restaurant where he paid the bill. “Shona, I still remember how to get to your house from here, so I’ll meet you at your home in about 15 minutes. Drive safely, okay?”

“I’m all right, Peter, but I’m glad I’ve got a bottle of wine in the refrigerator. I think it will probably come in handy. Peter, thank you for helping me through this…this…situation. You’ve been so kind to me and I….”

Peter held the restaurant door open for Shona and then slipped his arm around her shoulders as he responded, “It’s okay, sweetie. You’ve always been a good friend to me and…well, I think the world of you.”

Upon arriving at her car, Peter watched as Shona reached into her purse and retrieved her keys. As she opened the door and then slipped very gracefully onto the gleaming burgundy leather of her car seat, he bent down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “We’ll talk this thing through, dear.”

Shona grasped Peter’s hand and with a sigh of weariness and yet a voice enriched with a honeyed warmth, she said, “Thanks, Peter. You are very sweet. I’m so glad that you are my friend. You are a good person, Peter Sinclair.”

Within 25 minutes, Peter was sitting on a teal upholstered couch located in Shona’s pleasantly furnished living room. While waiting for Shona to return from the kitchen with a bottle of wine and glasses, he glanced around the cozy room. Her furniture and few paintings were appealing, but they hardly matched the quality of items Peter had noticed in Vicky’s apartment. On that night, he had been certain that Vicky’s lavish furnishings would be impossible to afford on a concierge’s salary.

Following her confession, he knew precisely how she had come up with the money. Vicky had enjoyed the company of a very generous benefactor and Shona was about to discover his identity as well. It would be a name painfully familiar to her. It would be a name that Peter wished could remain secret.

In the dimly lit atmosphere of Chicago’s Excelsior Bar, Cynthia made certain that her left thigh was in occasional contact with Rory’s body. She unabashedly wanted to make certain that he was still interested in her. Through years of knowing precisely how to cause his hormones to become extremely active, she was sublimely aware that her motions were currently having the desired affect on her one-time lover’s body and senses. The color of his cheeks and quickness of breath indicated that she was enjoying great success.

On this night, she was glad she’d decided to wear such a slinky dress. Prior to coming to this lounge, she had enjoyed an evening at the theater with one of her friends. Normally, she never would worn such an outfit when going out with a girlfriend, but for some reason, she had gone against character and slipped into something very alluring. Now, sitting beside Rory, she realized that her intuition hadn’t been off-kilter.

As she re-crossed her silky legs, Cynthia allowed the hem of her dress to climb even higher up her thighs. She heard Rory struggle to catch his breath while his eyes took in all that she presented before him. Cynthia snuggled ever closer to Rory, parted her scarlet tainted lips and cooed, “So, we do have things to catch up on, Rory, don’t we.”

It had been over a year since Cynthia had walked out on Rory and she had commenced a relationship with another man, but it had been short lived, even though they had considered marriage at one point.

In the beginning, she had convinced herself that she was no longer affected by Rory’s charms, but in time realized that she still loved him. It was true that Rory had many serious mistakes during their time together, but she had begun to believe that perhaps he had learned a lesson after she left him.

Three months ago, Cynthia severed her union with her new lover and then moved into a condominium complex located along Chicago’s lakefront. Her position as an extremely successful account executive with one of the country’s most prestigious advertising agencies generated the financial means to permit her to live wherever she wished. Lakepoint Towers was her residence of choice.

Even though, over the last long while, she had often dreamt about being in Rory’s arms, Cynthia had steeled herself against picking up the phone and contacting him. She had to give Rory time to believe that she would not return. The longer she stayed away, the more he would realize the error of his ways and emerge as the mate she had always wanted him to be and knew he was capable of being on a permanent basis.

Cynthia had always considered Rory to be the most handsome man she’d ever encountered. That was quite a mantle considering the plethora of highly attractive and very successful men she met through her work. Rory, however, had always been able to cast a spell of rapture over Cynthia and she had reveled in it for a very long time.

Even so, when she finally walked out of their relationship, his remarkable masculine charms had seemingly lost their edge and she was able to gain her emotional release. Over the past few months, however, memories of what had been blazed their return to her heart, soul, and body.

A few days ago, she had finally convinced herself that she must see Rory again. Now she believed that enough time had gone by and he had fully learned his lesson. “Yes, he has been alone long enough,” thought Cynthia. The time was right to contact Rory and start a new, much stronger chapter in what would, she believed, lead to a permanent relationship. She would place a call to him this very weekend.

Yesterday afternoon, Carol Martin, a long time friend of Cynthia’s asked her to please join her at the theater this evening. Carol’s boyfriend had unexpectedly been called out of town and would be unable to accompany her to the theater. Cynthia graciously accepted her friend’s invitation to attend a showing of the renowned play, “Rent.”

Following an outstanding presentation of the play, Carol had begged off of joining Cynthia for a drink at a local bar on Rush Street. She explained that she was due to fly to Houston in the morning and wanted to turn in as early as possible this evening. “But, my dear, “ said Carol as she hailed a cab, the way you’re dressed this evening, I can’t imagine that you won’t be hitting a bar or two before the night is done!”

“Yes, well, you caught me on such short notice that this is all I had to wear,” responded Cynthia with a somewhat embarrassed grin.

As she watched her friend get into a cab, Cynthia’s thoughts returned to Rory. A sensation of caressing warmth began to flow through her body as she hailed a taxi and asked to be driven to The John Hancock Building.

The Excelsior Bar was perched high atop this work of architectural glory. It was there that she and Rory had spent some of their most romantic evenings, just prior to experiencing the delights to be enjoyed in their bedroom. With any luck, he might have had the same idea this evening.

By the time she arrived at her destination, a few of those memories had already been tantalizing her to a very intriguing degree. As she walked into the lounge, her eyes almost immediately settled on the vision of her former mate sitting at a table and staring out of the smoke-glass windows of the bar.

During the first few minutes of their encounter, Cynthia had tried to will her body to cease presenting itself in such a seductive manner, but she had dreamed far too long of having Rory hold her in his powerful arms once again. Even so, a voice in her head kept saying, “I’m not like this. Hold back, Cynthia, hold back. Make certain that he’s learned his lesson. Make certain, make certain.”

As she heard herself saying in a far too silken and smoky voice, “So, we do have things to catch up on, Rory, don’t we,” she desperately summoned up a shred of inner-strength and nudged her body away from the love of her life, but ever so slightly.

Cynthia’s stunning sensuality had transfixed Rory from the first moment she had settled in beside him at his table. Thoughts of Shona, and Brigadoon for that matter, had dissolved as soon as the woman he had loved and lusted after for so many years allowed her thigh to rest against his leg.

From that instant on, it was all he could do not to forget about public decorum and begin caressing her scintillating and extraordinarily sensual 33-year-old body. “But, wait, wait, Rory,” he silently demanded of himself. “Don’t frighten her off, don’t do it or you’ll never have another chance, ever.”

For the next two hours, as he ordered 2 and then 3 more glasses of Scotch, Rory presented himself as a perfect gentleman and one who could now be trusted in every possible way. Even he convinced himself that he had changed and was a paragon of stability who only had eyes and heart for Cynthia.

During the second hour, Cynthia had come to believe that Rory was true to his word and had learned the lesson her absence had forced him to heed. She found it impossible not to trust his words, especially when tears seemed to form in his eyes when telling her of his remorse regarding what he’d done to her in the past.

She was thoroughly shocked when he stated with as much conviction as she’d ever heard another human deliver that he’d spent the time since their breakup only thinking about her and had not been with another woman. She found the news extremely hard to believe, but his overwhelming sincerity helped to cloud her doubts.

As she sipped her one Brandy Alexander of the evening, she realized that her heart was now in synch with her body and every ounce of her spirit needed to have Rory back in her life, their new life together.

Finally, Rory cautiously decided to make an offer that he hoped she would accept. “Cyn, let’s get out of here and go to my place. We’ll just talk, that’s all. I’d really like to do that, okay?” Talk would be a good place to start, but Rory’s intentions would not be satiated solely with a round of conversation.

“Rory, I do want to be with you, but all we’ll do is TALK! Do you understand me? That is all we’ll do. And, in addition, you’ve had a few too many drinks and I won’t let you drive your car. We’ll leave it in the garage and take a taxi to my place, but you won’t be spending the night. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Cyn, I agree with you. All I want to do is talk, I promise. If I’m to have another chance, I want to do this right. Thank you, Cyn. Come on, let’s go.”

Within 35 minutes, Rory was in the process of downing yet another glass of Scotch while waiting for Cynthia to emerge from her bedroom where she had gone to change into “something less restrictive.” When he had asked for the drink, Cynthia had voiced her objections. She finally, however, relented upon being deluged with Rory’s promises that he was doing just fine and would only have one or two more drinks.

As he drained the glass and then set it down on a highly polished ebony coffee table, he took note of the lush interior of Cynthia’s living room. There was no question that she had done very well for herself and must have earned a great deal of commission since breaking up with him. When she was living with him, her financial means were quite good, but undoubtedly nowhere near what she was currently earning.

Aside from wanting to sample her physical delights once again, Rory was in the process of convincing himself that Cynthia’s newfound wealth and his impressive income would make for a very comfortable living. As the effects of his latest glass of Scotch began taking a powerful and anesthetizing toll on his senses, he mused that a certain veterinarian in Nova Scotia would never earn the level of wealth that Cynthia was obviously capable of generating. In addition, Shona was there and Cynthia was most assuredly here.

“There! That’s much more comfortable,” said Cynthia as she padded into the room and then set down a glass of Chardonnay on the coffee table. She sat down beside Rory on a love seat and then curled her legs under her body.

Rory noted with an air of resignation that Cynthia’s choice of clothing was indeed “less restrictive,” but hardly what he would have chosen for her. Even so, her bulky pink knit sweater and sweat pants did little to hide her magnificent curves. In fact, her attire did nothing at all to lessen the rampant sexual desire that had once again taken control of his body. With a little patience and a successful convincing of her heart that he had truly changed, she would soon be free of her “less restrictive” clothing.

Over the next two hours, Cynthia found herself coming precipitously close to inviting Rory into her bedchambers. Each time, however, that the fire roaring in her torrid body reached sexual proportions of unparalleled desire, a flickering beacon of reason gained strength and she willed herself to douse the flames of passion as much as possible. No, she would not bed Rory this night. This wasn’t going to be a quick, “Yes, I forgive you and now let’s make love” situation.

In any case, even if she had wanted to indulge in his physical talents, numerous glasses of Scotch had undoubtedly put a damper on any chance of Rory being able to perform tonight.

At some point during the past ½ hour, Rory’s besotted brain had come to the conclusion that Cynthia would not consent to allowing him to ravage her body this evening. Even though he sensed that she was engulfed in a raging inferno of desire for him, she was remaining in control of her body and, more frustratingly, her mind. There was now no question that she would not submit to him tonight. “Well, to hell with her, “ his alcohol drenched brain mused, “maybe I don’t need her anyway. After all, I know that Shona still wants me and I…”

“Shon…um, Cyn, I…I’m really tired and, ah…ah…need to go home, “ Rory mumbled. He unsteadily raised his body off the couch and then put his right hand on the coffee table as he tried to regain his balance. “Let’s get together tomorrow…ah…evening and then we can….”

Cynthia was well aware that Rory had now lapsed into a state of almost total inebriation and was slurring his words. At times, she couldn’t make out what he was mumbling, but that was of no consequence to her at this moment. He did need rest, but she wasn’t about to deposit him in a taxi. “No, Rory, I think it is best that you stay here for the night, but in my guest bedroom. Do you understand?”

“Ah…okay, um…Cyn. That’s a g…g…good idea. I appreciate you doing this. Maybe tomorrow, we can…um…um….do something together.”

“Yes, well, we’ll figure that out in the morning.” Cynthia helped Rory steady himself and then guided him into a charming and very cozy guestroom decorated in appealing tones of burgundy and rose. “You can use the bathroom first, Rory. I’m afraid I don’t have a robe that will suit you, so you’ll have to sleep in the buff tonight. Now, wash up and I’ll see you in the morning.”

Within 40 minutes, Cynthia was dressed in a comfortable pale-blue cotton nightgown and nestled beneath the covers of her queen size, 4-poster bed. For the past 10 minutes, she had been trying to push thoughts of Rory’s athletic, naked body from her mind, but realized that sleep would not be easily granted to her this night.

After an hour of tossing and turning as her body refused to release its grip on her need for passion, she turned on her nightlight and sat up in bed. She reached for the glass of water that was sitting on the nightstand. She took a sip of the liquid, rubbed her eyes and began to wonder if Rory and she would make love in the morning, just as they’d done so many times over the years.

As her body continued to be encapsulated in an aura of extraordinarily welcome sensations, Cynthia told herself that Rory had indeed changed and all would be well. Perhaps tonight’s encounter was the first step towards the rest of their lives together. She turned off her nightlight as yet another wave of passion enticed her body into a realm of pleasure.

Suddenly, Cynthia’s ears picked up loud sounds coming from the guestroom. As she bolted up in bed, she realized that Rory was yelling something out in his sleep. She threw off her covers and then pulled on her robe. She quickly traversed the distance between her room and Rory’s. As she raced to his side, Rory screamed out, “Shona, please, please I need you!” His words viciously bore straight into Cynthia’s shattered heart.

“Shona, what I’m about to tell you will hurt more than you could possibly imagine, but I….” Peter’s hands were shaking as he clasped them together and looked into the well of tears that were filling Shona’s eyes. “I know how dearly you cared for Vicky, but….”

Shona reached out and stroked the top of Peter’s hands. She was surprised at how soft his skin felt and how the warmth of his spirit seemed to pass through to her own. She took a deep breath, entwined her fingers with his and whispered in a voice caressed with sweet tenderness, “Peter, please tell me now. Please.”

Peter took an even deeper, but somehow labored breath. He felt a momentary painful tightness in his chest, but quickly decided that he had probably pulled a muscle while working out at the health club earlier in the evening. He took another breath and said, “Shona, I’ve dreaded this moment and have tried to put off telling you what I know for a long time, but you deserve to hear the truth.”

“Yes, Peter. I do. Please go on.”

“Shona, Vicky was a very troubled and confused woman. She was also, I think, extremely lonely. In the short while that I knew her, I came to understand that her life had not been a very happy one. She seemed to believe that the world was against her and that others were to blame for her problems.”

“Yes, I could tell she felt that way from time to time, Peter.” Shona continued holding Peter’s hands as her knees pressed up against his.

“When she told me why she was so angry with you, please understand that she’d been drinking all day and was very unstable in her thinking. That night on the field, she was beyond help. Her logic was….”

“Peter, I do understand. Please go on,” urged Shona in a most compassionate way.

“Shona, Vicky told me that you and your husband had temporarily separated a few years prior to the final breakup. I didn’t know you at the time, thus had no way of knowing what happened.”

Shona’s tears were now streaming down her face. “Yes, yes, it is true, Peter.”

“Sweet lady, I don’t….I…don’t know how to say this. I…I….”

“It’s okay, Peter. Go on, please go on,” said Shona as her head slumped down.

Peter took yet another huge breath and winced as a shot of pain raced through his arm. He immediately freed his hands from Shona’s grasp and sat back on the chair. He closed his eyes and sighed very deeply.

“Peter, are you all right? Peter, what is it?” exclaimed Shona as her head jerked up and her arms darted towards Peter.

“I’m okay, Shona. It’s just a muscle spasm. Don’t worry about me. Just give me a minute.”

“Peter, are you sure? You don’t look good and I….”

“No, Shona, I’m fine. It was nothing.” He wrapped his hands around Shona’s and said, “Okay, here it comes. Shona, when you and your husband were separated, he and…oh God, you poor lady. This will really hurt…but…but, I’ve got to, I’ve got to…Vicky and your husband had an affair. He was living with her during your….”

“Oh my God, Peter, my God. I knew that he had cheated on me a few times, but Vicky! No, no, she couldn’t have done that to me! And he knew that we were friends, he couldn’t have done that. But Vicky! No, no, no!” Shona bolted to her feet and tried to turn away, but she felt Peter reach out for her. She turned as Peter stood up and then held her as close as possible. She laid her head on his chest and her tears began to soak through his sweater.

“Shona, sweetheart, I know that Vicky was telling me the truth. I could see it in her eyes that night. They had an affair, Shona, and he supported her for a while. He told her that he would marry her as soon as he could, but then he left her and came back to you. Shona, she blamed you for his desertion, but it wasn’t your fault. You know that. She didn’t know what she was doing, Shona, she didn’t. Even so, she covered up her pain for a long time, but then….”

“Bu…but, Peter,” sobbed Shona as her head remained against Peter’s chest, “she never let on that she was…was angry with me. She never told me, Peter. That night, in the parking lot of my office, was the first time that she’d ever been so upset with me. I don’t understand, Peter, why she was so furious with me that night? My husband had obviously broken up with her a long time ago before that evening. I don’t…I…oh God, I do know, I do.”

Peter stroked Shona’s hair and whispered softly into her ear, “Yes, sweetheart, yes now you know. Vicky couldn’t handle that you and Rory were going to be together as well. She screamed out to me that she wasn’t going to lose another man to you, but Shona, she was out of her mind. Don’t you see that? Don’t you?”

“But, but…but Peter, I could have helped her if only she’d have told me. I could have helped her to understand. I could have…no, no, I can’t take this, I can’t! I should have known, I should have! She didn’t have to die, she didn’t have to!” Shona broke free of Peter, spun around and began running for the stairs leading to her bedroom.

“Shona! Shona! Shona!” yelled Peter as he raced after her. Just as he reached her, a violent stab of pain traversed the length of his arm and then blasted its way into his chest. He clutched his arm with a ferocious gesture as his other hand covered his heart. While Shona struggled to stop his fall, she screamed, Oh, oh no, no, no!” In an instant, Peter’s body lay crumpled at her feet.

(Gary loves to hear from his readers so please email him)

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THE FINAL CHAPTER