A Compromising Affair

“Hi, Scott. You want Denise’s number?”

“Yes, please. I didn’t ask her for it after our date.” She gave him the telephone number. “Thanks, Pamela. I’ll be in touch.”

He hung up, dialed Denise’s number, and when she answered, he got straight to the point. “Good morning, Denise. I hope you slept well. No wonder I didn’t remember where we met. You made me mad as hell!” Scott said, barely taking a breath.

“Would you mind explaining to me why you attacked me at that dinner party? Do you remember being a smart-ass and taking me to task, someone you didn’t know anything about? You embarrassed me. For days, I fumed over your indictment of me. What do you have to say about this?”

“Scott, I’m stunned,” said Denise. “I had forgotten all about that. I suppose at the time I didn’t think I was out of line. Two years ago, I was deeply involved in programs to improve our environment. I’m certain that I wouldn’t do the same thing today.”

“But why on earth did you attack me?”

“I don’t know. For one thing, you seemed to ignore me when I tried to start a conversation with you about the environment, effectively dismissing me, and I was hurt. I guess I went for the jugular. Am I forgiven?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

“If you’re not sure, why did you kiss me last night?”

“That certainly wasn’t what I call a kiss. At the time, Denise, I hadn’t figured out why I had reservations about you. And I also hadn’t made up my mind.”

“Not only are you brash, you’re brutally honest, as well. Have you made up your mind yet?”

“Try not to ask me a question if you don’t want the answer. I want a lot more, but I believe in being cautious.”

“Are you planning on dropping things right now? I mean, are you still so angry with me—the me you went out to dinner with last night—now that you know me?”

“You really turned me off that night. The woman I met recently is so different that I really don’t know what to make of it. Suppose we leave things as they are for the time being. Have a wonderful weekend. Goodbye.”

Denise stared at the receiver in her hand. He’d hung up without waiting for her to say goodbye, and that meant he was still angry. She’d barely remembered her criticism of him, or that she’d done it because he’d ignored her. Why, he’d barely spared her a glance.

Suddenly, she started to giggle, and then she was consumed with laughter. Two years before, she was passionate about the environment. She’d believed that since men had gotten the world into its current predicament, they should step aside and allow women to correct their mistakes. That was then.

Scott probably had little patience with aggressive women, but he seemed to like women who were soft and smart.

She sat down at the kitchen table to eat her breakfast. Priscilla served the coffee and joined her. “Ma’am, how was your date with Ambassador Galloway? He’s a great catch, and he knows how to treat a woman.”

“I know, Priscilla. But if he isn’t interested in me, nothing will happen. I may genuflect to my father, but not to any other man.”

Priscilla looked at her. “You expect me to believe he didn’t ask you out again? I thought it was him that called you this morning.”

“It was.” She related to Priscilla what had happened with Scott two years earlier. “He’s still mad at me,” she said. “He didn’t remember what I said to him until after our date.”

“What a pity! He likes you a lot.”

“Or rather, he did. But I am not planning to get any gray hairs over it.”

“Well, what you gon’ do?”

“God didn’t make just one of him. There’s gotta be at least one more,” said Denise.

“Well, I guess you know what you’re doing,” Priscilla said.

Denise finished breakfast, brushed her teeth and went to her home office, which was at the top of the stairs overlooking a small brook that fed downstream into the Monocacy River. The phone rang before she could begin recording notes that she made for her secretary, who came in twice a week.

She checked the caller ID. “Hi, Pamela.”

“Hi. Can you come over Friday for the weekend? We’re entertaining a client Friday evening. The brothers handed him the key to a new apartment complex a few days ago. Whenever they finish a building, they usually entertain the client. Please come. We want you to be here.”

“I suppose it’s a dressy affair.”

“Why, yes. We’ll start with cocktails at about five-thirty.”

“Is Scott Galloway going to be there, too?”

“Well, I don’t know whether he’ll be over here for the weekend. But if he is, he is certainly welcome.”

“It’s not important, Pamela. Things didn’t go so well with us. I thought our date was wonderful, and I think he did, too, until he remembered what I said to him at that reception.”

“Yes, I know about that. But honey, if he was angry with you for two long years, then he must have been attracted to you. No man stays mad that long with a woman who means nothing to him. Trust me.”

“If you say so, Pamela. But you know I don’t have a lot of patience. The problem is I like Scott a heck of a lot.”

“Not to worry. Drake made a date with me for the express purpose of telling me that he wanted to move on. We’ve been married going on two years.”

“I’m very attracted to Scott, but I’m not going to prostrate myself. No way!”

“And that’s a good thing, because it would probably turn him off. See you Friday afternoon. Bye”

“Right. I’ll be there around four. Bye.” She hung up and propped her elbow on her desk. She knew Pamela wouldn’t lie to her. But Denise also knew that the minute Pamela hung up, she’d called Heather and tell her that if Scott was spending the weekend with them, have him phone her. Just the move she needed. She wasn’t going to chase him, but she damn sure was not going to avoid him.

Denise knew her friend well. At that moment, Pamela was talking to Heather. “They’re not getting along so well, but I’ve known Denise practically all of my life, and she likes Scott. But her pride won’t allow her to concede to him. Will he be here this weekend?”

“He’s here every weekend for as long as he’s staying at the Willard. I’d better tell him about the reception and—”

“Let me call him,” Pamela said. “I want to invite him personally. That way, I’ll be sure he’s coming.” Heather gave her Scott’s office number, and she dialed it.

“Hello, Scott, this is Pamela Harrington. We’re having a reception for one of the Harringtons’ clients this Friday at five-thirty, and we’d love you to come.”

“Thanks. I’ll be out there anyway. What kind of client is he…or she?” She told him. “Is the party business casual or black tie?”

“Black tie, but it’s summer, so—”

“Not to worry, Pamela. I’ll put together a comfortable summer monkey suit. Will Denise be there?”

Of course she’d known that he’d ask, and she had her answer ready. “She’s our houseguest. Scott, Denise is like my sister. Our families are very close, so we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“Interesting. Thanks for the invitation. I’ll see you Friday. Give Drake my regards.”

“Will do. Bye.”