Fool's Reward Ch. 02

"And here we go," he proudly declared, bringing the pasta dish to the table. Grabbing a bottle of wine, he quickly set the table and they started eating.

"Oh my gosh," Janie said. "This is amazing!"

Terry nodded appreciatively. "This is wonderful Michael. Thank you." He looked carefully at her, realizing that she stressed her statement too much for it not to be a message about more than just dinner.

"You're very welcome," he replied, being careful to use a similar overly-expressive tone. He knew she understood by the secret smile she gave him. It was the most peaceful she had looked since waking up, and he enjoyed the eye-contact, allowing himself the opportunity to study her at length. He still marveled at the way she expressed so much with just a look. It made him wonder what she would be like if he could ever get through the wall she had so carefully constructed.

Careful, Michael warned himself. She's really fragile and doesn't need you adding to the things she's dealing with right now.

Forcing himself to continue eating, he settled for enjoying the playful banter the girls were engaging in. The day had gone better than he had dared to hope for after the frightening start. Terry seemed to have bounced back in a way that was remarkable. Now he needed to find a way to make sure she would stop hurting herself.

"Ok, that's it. I surrender." Janie said, pushing herself away from the table. "I can't eat another bite."

"Absolutely," Terry concurred. "Michael, it was wonderful, but I need to get my car and go home."

Noticing his concerned expression, Janie quickly added, "Why don't I take you? That way you can show me the house? My husband promised he'd watch the kids, so I can stay late." She nodded in an unspoken signal to Michael, he returned the gesture.

"Ok, if you two insist on leaving me here all by myself," he whined pitifully.

"Oh, poor baby," Janie joked.

The girls rose and Terry gave her friend a pointed stare.

"All right, I can tell when I'm not wanted," she said. "Michael, dinner was wonderful." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek, whispering in his ear, "Missy was right. You are a really good guy."

She walked through the door to the living room. Terry watched until the door closed behind her, then approached him.

"I mean it," she said sincerely. "Thank you for everything." She also kissed his cheek, then leaned heavily against him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and refusing to let go. "I don't know how I would have made it through the day without you."

"I'm just glad you're ok," he replied, savoring the feel of her body against his. Shaking himself from the delicious sensation he pulled back slightly to peer into her eyes. "But you owe me a favor."

"What favor?" she asked suspiciously.

"Lunch. Tomorrow. One o'clock. Right here."

She smiled gratefully. "Are you cooking again?"

Michael laughed. "Sorry, you've had the only thing I can cook by myself. I'm going to have to pick something up."

"I'll be here," she said, pulling him back into the embrace, allowing her head to rest against his chest. "I promise."

A few minutes later, Michael watched them both walk to Janie's car. He closed the door and leaned his forehead against it, emotionally exhausted.

So far so good.

~~~~~

Michael hurried around the kitchen, desperately trying to get everything in place in time. Seriously, I can't fuck this up, he reminded himself.

The doorbell rang, startling him from his chores. Shit, she's early! he thought frantically.

He quickly scanned the dinning room and decided it was close enough. Hurrying toward the door, he nervously ran his hand through his hair, then smoothed out his shirt. He stopped before opening it, forcing himself to take a deep breath to calm down.

"Hey you," Terry said cheerfully, her face showing little evidence of the stress from the day before.

"Hey yourself," he answered, unable to disguise his open admiration for how beautiful she looked.

"Well thank you," she replied to the unspoken compliment, walking past him, tenderly touching his cheek with her hand. She walked to the living room and set down her purse.

"Michael, I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"Oh?" he responded with a quick glance at his watch, wondering how to steer the conversation away from more talk about the events of Friday or Saturday morning.

"Not that," she said, seeing his expression. "It's about Janie."

"Oh, that." He shuffled nervously. He had assumed that part of his plan had been fine as far as she was concerned. If she was upset about that, today would be ruined.

"I wanted to say thank you," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders and staring into his eyes. "She and I have been close, but I never really let her in. We talked while you were gone, then most of the night. I told her pretty much everything about what's been going on and she...well she accepted me without judgment. It really meant a lot to me and I have you to thank for it." She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.

"I'm just glad it helped," he replied modestly. "Seriously, when we talked at work, I could tell how fond of you she was. She was also really fierce about protecting you. You don't really know me and I knew you needed someone to talk to, so she was the obvious choice. You just have to believe me, I only told her about the pills because I was extremely worried about you. I didn't tell her anything else, and wouldn't discuss anything we talk about with anyone. That's a promise."

She nodded her understanding and put her arms around him, immediately confirming her feeling of safety in his embrace. Michael hoped she would remember his words. It was important that she believed him.

"So what's for lunch?"

"Right this way, M'lady," he gestured toward the kitchen.

Terry stopped as she walked through the door. "Wow. Everything looks great!"

The table was meticulously set with a beautiful tablecloth, fancy silverware, and several courses of Italian food still steaming in glass dishes. There was also a bottle of wine and desert.

He smiled, pleased his efforts had been appreciated. Stepping over to the table, he slid out her chair and waited. She sat, touching him on the arm in appreciation of the courtesy. They ate quietly, enjoying each other's company.

After putting it off for most of the meal, Michael decided he couldn't wait any longer.

"Terry, can I ask you something?"

She looked at him pleasantly. "Sure."

"What are you going to do about your parents?"

Her expression darkened and she set her fork down. "I honestly don't know, Michael."

"Look, I don't want to pry, but you know I lost both my parents very young. You can't just keep waiting to fix this situation. I know from what you've told me how much they mean to you."

"Yes, which is why this is so difficult. I let them down. Not just a little bit, but I betrayed everything they believe in. I destroyed my marriage, and had to explain why to them in humiliating detail. You have no idea how terrible it was. Excuse me," she said, covering her eyes and rising.

"Wait," he softly scolded, taking her by the shoulders. He stared at her, waiting patiently until she returned his gaze. "Terry, you staying away from them is obviously a big part of the reason that you've felt so alone and vulnerable. If you really want to change your life, you're going to have to face them and try to fix it."

"I don't know where to start," she admitted, trying to move toward her seat.

Not knowing what to say, he settled for pulling her against him and holding her. They stood wordlessly, Terry clinging to him for strength. Suddenly the doorbell rang. "Excuse me," Michael apologized, heading to the front door. Terry sat down and jabbed at the delicious pie, now finding her appetite gone. When he walked back through the door, he appeared to be agitated.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Come with me for a second," he replied. "I need you to see something."

Curiously, she rose and walked with him into the living room. As she stepped through the door, she froze, stunned by the sight that greeted her.

"Mom, Dad?" she said. "I don't understand."

Her father answered. "Your friend Michael invited us. He said you would be here and that we could talk."

Terry looked at Michael suspiciously, "What did he..." her voice cut off suddenly as he squeezed her hand. He gave her a subtle shake of the head.

"I thought that today would be ideal for having a talk and getting things back to normal," he said earnestly. "After all the wonderful things you've told me about them, I knew how important it was for you to try to work things out." She gave him a bewildered look, unable to process the surprise or how he had pulled it off.

He leaned close to her and whispered, "Stop being afraid."

She stared, her lower lip trembling as she searched for the words that could explain her feelings to her parents, obviously both in pain at the schism in their family. "I don't know what to say," she said, her fragile voice cracking. "I am so ashamed."

"Honey," her mother said, stepping forward and pulling her daughter into a deep embrace. Terry stiffened slightly at the contact. "Nothing matters as long as you are all right. You mean everything to me."

"That goes double for me," her father added. "I love you sweetheart." He stepped forward and kissed her on the forehead, wrapping his arms around them both.

Michael watched her, hoping looking for a sign that she was at peace with his plan. He was sure it was what she really wanted, but whether she would cooperate or resist was anyone's guess. Seconds seemed like minutes as he watched for her reaction, knowing that a negative one would be an enormous setback for her, and effectively end any chance he had to be with her.

Terry finally opened her eyes, her tears freely falling. "I'm so sorry," she pleaded. "I couldn't bear to face you. I let you down."

"Never," her father replied. "Not for one second of your life."

He watched as her chest heaved from her sobbing, and she squeezed tighter against her parents. She seemed to be trying to lose herself in the embrace, hoping to block out the world that had beaten her down over the last few years.

Michael breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his own tears coming. He silently slipped into the kitchen, not wanting to disturb the tender moment. One last glance at her face confirmed the lines of stress had disappeared completely and she finally looked contented. He hurried through the door, resisting the urge to cheer.

~~~~~

"Thanks again, Michael. I can't tell you what this means to us," Ben said, clasping his hand.

"Bless you," added Stacy.

Michael tried to reply, but the words eluded him. Their gratitude was simply overwhelming. They turned and left with Terry following them to their car for one last hug. He watched as their embrace lingered, none of them seeming to want to let the moment go. Finally she stepped away and waved with promises of coming over very soon as they backed out of the driveway and headed off.

She watched until they were out of sight, then turned and strode purposefully toward the door. Michael watched her, unable to gauge her expression, a little concerned about what she might say. She walked up to him without a word and threw herself into his arms, kissing him firmly.

Surprised, he stumbled back into the door before regaining his balance. They stayed locked together, Michael still reeling from the unexpected reaction. Terry was the aggressor; turning her head from side to side, opening her mouth and making small nibbling movements across his lips before her tongue slipped into his mouth, her hands pulling his face against hers.

The feel of her unbridled passion snapped him out of his momentary confusion. He returned her kiss just as fervently. Her body melted against his making him aware of the swell of her breasts, and the crush of her pelvis against his. His hands dropped to her waist, running up and down her sides. He stumbled back through the door and shut it behind him, pinning her against the inside and placing his hand on the back of her neck, holding it still while his lips trailed across her cheek to her earlobe, then to her throat.

He moved a hand to her breast, his thumb tracing circles around the nipple. Her throaty moan was all the encouragement he needed to let his other hand roam to her hip, his fingers working their way further back to caress her buttocks. Michael's passion was close to overriding his ability to reason. Suddenly he pulled back.

"Wait," he protested. "I can't."

"Huh," came the confused reply.

"Terry, this isn't right."

Her expression faded to one of hurt and embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just..." she stopped, turning away to hide.

"No, no," he said, gently turning her face back to his. "I just wouldn't feel right because of what happened yesterday. I wouldn't want you jumping into something because of all you've been through. If we take this further, I want to make sure it's because it's what we both want."

She gave him a sly look. "So you're saying this isn't what you want," stroking his erection through his slacks.

He hesitated, teetering dangerously close to losing his nerve. He wanted her so much.

"No," he said reluctantly. "It's not. Not right now, at least," he added returning her grin. Michael gently removed her hand. "We'll revisit the subject again sometime soon."

"Okay," she conceded. "You're probably right. This hasn't been a banner week for me making decisions. But I want you to know that the offer is sincere, and it will be repeated when things are a bit more stable." She kissed him again, appreciative that he continued to put her welfare above everything.

"I should probably go home and take a cold shower," she said laughing. Her expression suddenly darkened, as a troubling thought leapt to her mind. "I need to prepare myself for tomorrow. It's going to be a really tough day."

Michael stroked her hair. "I wouldn't bet on that." She stared at him, confused.

"I ran a couple of errands yesterday. Trust me, nothing is going to be said about Friday night." Terry still looked unconvinced, so Michael filled her in on the details of his visit to James's and what was still to come.

"Do you think it will work?" she said hopefully. "I really love it there. If things get worse for me, I don't know if I can deal with it. I want to move on with my life, and that's going to be impossible with everyone knowing the things I did."

"I have no doubt," he replied confidently. "But, since you are going early to go take that cold shower, I have time to run one more errand tonight, just to be sure." She was about to ask what he meant, but he cut her off.

"Sorry, I can't let you in on all my secrets," he teased. "How would I keep the mystery in our relationship?"

"So we have a relationship?" she asked coyly.

"I certainly hope so," he quickly responded. "Your mother already said she approves of me."

~~~~~

Michael approached the door to the conference room apprehensively. He had to play the situation just right, or everything could fall apart. The entire weekend had felt like a high-wire act, and he hoped that this could be the end of it so he could get to know Terry at a normal pace, to see if there was something real there to build on. He hoped so. She seemed too good to be true, assuming her commitment to addressing her trust issues and the chaos it had created in her life was sincere.

He knew he couldn't be too emotional. It would give the men inside power over him. Michael was certain that they would try to use that power because they would resent his actions Friday and what they were about to experience. He also knew that he couldn't overplay his hand, because if they chose to call his bluff, it would be extremely damaging to him to have to prove them wrong. There was no question that he was ready to cause that damage if necessary, but everything would be better if he could manipulate the situation correctly.

Pushing open the door, he saw all the men present. They had been talking, and turned toward him with an air of defiance. Ignoring their attitudes, he walked to the head of the table and began.

"Gentlemen, this meeting is not about what happened Friday night, or about any night before then." There were a few confused murmurs, so he pressed on. "This meeting is about loyalty; loyalty to this company."

"Andrew Stanton sees this company as a family. When he hired me, it's what he desperately tried to convince me of. A family doesn't treat its members the way you've been treating Ms. Davis, and it most certainly wouldn't then go around destroying them by spreading rumors about personal behavior." He looked directly at James. "Especially when that behavior happened away from work on your own time."

"My goal here is to make sure that what happened away from work stays between us, and never comes to light. This is for her benefit, but even more for yours."

"That's crap," James spoke out. "This is about you covering for some girl you have the hots for." There were more murmurs of support, but Michael noticed they were fading.

"You might think so," Michael continued," but you'd be wrong. If I fired all of you today," he paused while the men looked around in alarm, "this company would be worse off. My loyalty is to the company, and all of it's employees. It's my job to protect Ms. Davis from salacious gossip, and to protect you from forcing me to take action due to your behavior."

James challenged him. "You don't have the power to fire us. This is a bluff."

"Oh no," Michael countered. "That's where you're wrong. I can, and I will fire you if it's necessary. Not only that, I will make sure that any job you are hired at in the future will be without a reference from this company. Not only would that be an awkward conversation to have, but I make you this promise...if I ever hear one of you spoke ill of Terry, I will personally make sure that any company you work for in the future will somehow be made aware that your employment here was terminated after an incident involving the sexual assault of a co-worker."

The room broke into open bedlam. "You can't do that!" James bellowed. "That's illegal."

"Yes it is," Michael said calmly. "And I'd love to see you prove that rumors spread at your new company had anything to do with me. I'm sure all of you here are familiar enough with the concept that the harder you fight against a salacious rumor, the more attention you draw to yourself." The room grew quiet as the men considered his statement, and realized the truth in it.

"This is how it's going to be. Friday night never happened, gentlemen. It will never be spoken of outside of this room again. I would discourage you from talking about it with each other on the off chance that you could be overheard. If any rumors surface, I'll know they came from one of you. Also, Ms. Davis has indicated that she doesn't wish for anything like that to happen again, and I expect you to honor her wishes and show her the same respect inside these walls that you do for any other coworker. If any of you violate these terms, you will all be held equally responsible and face the same consequences."

James stood. "It's a good threat Michael. I'll grant you that. But you're forgetting one thing. You don't have the power to fire all of us. Maybe me, but that's it and I'd fight you tooth and nail. What's that going to do for your girlfriend and her privacy?"

They were all startled by the sound of the door opening. "Hello gentlemen," Andrew said, stepping inside. "What's this meeting about?"

Michael shrugged nonchalantly. "Just discussing loyalty and motivation."