History

After a leisurely breakfast, they went back out onto the lake, tubing this time. Steve had brought a very large oversized inner tube made for towing behind a ski boat. It easily accommodated two people. They took turns swapping out partners and having a blast on the tube, but Evelyn and Dwight were never allowed to have any other partner other than themselves. They knew what their friends were doing and didn't care. They had a most wonderful laughable time bouncing around over the many wakes and bumps in the water that Greg intentionally sought out to expel the riders from their perch atop the tube. It was basically a show of armpits and elbows and flying feet all morning long. They all laughed until their sides hurt.

After they broke camp and packed everything up for the return trip home, Dwight and Evelyn both thanked the two couples profusely for thinking enough of them to include them on this trip. Although they both admitted it could have been a disastrous weekend for them both, as it turned out, Sonya's matchmaking skills were lauded as exemplary and she took a bow.

Of course, that was the start of intense love between Evelyn and Dwight who remained in constant contact via their phones and dated as often as they could both arrange it, which was only on weekends due to his residing in Durham for the duration of his education and her apartment in Charlotte. Her roommate, Adrian, ignored the sounds and smells of sex that constantly emanated from Evelyn's bedroom nearly every weekend as they fulfilled all of their lustful desires. Dwight did indeed discover that she was a natural redhead because her carpet matched the drapes. Adrian even offered to jump in on a threesome with them owing to Dwight's resemblance to Maluma but Evelyn abruptly turned her down. There was no way in hell she would ever share her man with another woman, EVER!

Evelyn had recently become employed as a staff accountant at Creed, Fitch and Associates, CPA in Charlotte, NC with a modest starting salary of $16 per hour $33,280 per year. It was enough for her to live comfortably sharing living expenses with her roommate but she was unable to sock away anything for the future. Adrian eventually became involved in a relationship with another woman. Apparently, she was bi. Evelyn was relieved that Adrian had never come on to her. Evelyn confessed and made it crystal clear to Dwight about her susceptibility to alcohol. She swore that she would have to avoid it altogether unless Dwight was around to make sure she was always safe. She had fallen into that trap too many times in the past, before meeting him, and she never wanted to allow anything to accidentally interfere with her treasured relationship with the new love of her life.

Owing to her winning personality, Evelyn also made many friends everywhere she went. Her coworkers thought the world of her and would go to bat for her in an instant. There were about a dozen or so regulars she would often hang out with during the week after work for dinner or drinks. She was always popular with the regulars at any eating establishment she frequented. And of course, Sonya was her first cousin, so she was in tightly with all of Dwight's friends as well via Steve and Greg who looked upon her as an adopted little sister. She was regularly hit on if she went out to a club with friends or out for a night of dancing but each and every single time, she rebuffed all comers. She'd dance with her girlfriends in a heartbeat, but never with a member of the opposite sex. She was true blue to her love and Dwight was constantly reminded of her loyalty whenever he spoke with any of their common friends.

Dwight continued living in the dorm at Duke until he finally graduated with honors. His and Evelyn's parents were present as he walked across the podium to receive his Ph.D. Evelyn could not contain her enthusiasm during the ceremony. She had arranged for a huge graduation party back in Charlotte which was attended by all of her/their friends and associates. If you were a friend of Evelyn's, then you were required by default to be a friend of Dwight's as well. And everyone was happy to oblige the cheeriest couple they had ever known. There must have been a hundred people joining in their celebration. Several times, Dwight's friends had asked him when he planned to pop the question but he just told them, first things first. He'd already been bit once in a long-distance relationship. But this with Evelyn seemed to be on another level above what he'd had with Patricia, who had long since vanished from his mind. Arnold likewise was banished from Evelyn's memory. Dwight did everything he could to achieve that.

Dwight submitted his application for a professorship of history at UNC-Charlotte, his old stomping ground. His timing couldn't have been better. The senior History Chair was retiring to do some traveling with his wife while they were still healthy and his number two humbly accepted the appointment to take his place. That left an opening for a Professor of History that he hoped might work in his favor, having attended there for six years before transferring to Duke. He knew everyone in the department and because of his enthusiasm for history, he had a lot of support and endorsements. After four interviews over the course of the summer, he was finally offered a Professorship at a base salary of $62,400 annually or $30 per hour.

One of the perks that came with the position was a secretary/personal assistant/girl-Friday in the person of Jeanette Williams who had recently been hired for the job. When Dwight was first introduced to her, he thought the stunning raven-haired beauty closely resembled singer/actress/model Selena Gomez. He was lost for a moment as he scanned her from head to toe.

When she caught him gawking at her, as so many before him had done, she perilously rolled her eyes and machine-gunned out, "No, I am NOT Selena Gomez's sister. I'm 5 feet 5 inches (165 cm, 1.65 m) tall, weigh 130 pounds (59 kg), 36-28-35 (91.5-71-89 cm), 34-B, dress size 6, and Yes, they're real. I'm single and divorced. My husband left me for another man; talk about an ego buster! Now tell me, are you really Maluma's long-lost brother?"

Dwight's eyes shot open as he recoiled from her obvious reading of his mind. Then it hit him, he couldn't help it. He laughed. He laughed out loud. He laughed so hard and for so long she joined him in unrestrained glee until both of their eyes were wet with tears and their sides hurt.

"You got me, Jeanette. Thank you for putting me in my place. I deserved it. You and I are going to get along just fine, I can tell right away that we're going to be good friends. I promise to always treat you with the respect you deserve and hope that I don't prove myself to be as much of a bumbling fool after today." They shook hands and went over the protocols and procedures he'd like her to follow when working with him. She admired his honesty and candor right from the start and she worked diligently to prove her worth to him each and every day.

The very day he was offered and accepted the position, he took Evelyn out to one of their favorite restaurants that night where, unknown to her, he had invited all of their friends. She was surprised to see nearly everyone there as one of their special friends. She was even more surprised when right after dessert was served, he dropped to one knee and proposed. She enthusiastically said yes. They found a nice three-bedroom home for rent and moved in together just as soon as they signed the papers.

They were married three months later. Dwight's father, Earl served as his best man. Of course, Steve and Greg were groomsmen and happy to share the honor. Two other close buddies from Duke also served as groomsmen. Evelyn asked her cousin Sonya to be her matron of honor for obvious reasons. Greg's wife Debbie was a bridesmaid along with other of her friends. The November wedding was a big hit and well attended. Because of Evelyn, they were counted among the most popular couples around. Everyone everywhere seemed to know them. Dwight's parents Earl and Harriet insisted on giving them a weeklong honeymoon in Maui as a wedding present. They had the most wonderful time of their lives.

They had the world by the tail. He was now 26 and she was 23. Their combined income was $95,680.00, which put them solidly in the center of middle-class income for a two-person family. Of course, they both wanted children in time, but she really pushed him to wait several years before trying, until they had better established themselves in their respective careers to grow their incomes sufficiently so their children would be better provided for. Dwight's perspective was that finances would always work themselves out, but he acquiesced to her wishes.

Another milestone that she wanted for them to achieve was to build their own large luxurious home with their own personal designs in mind. Dwight knew that she had come from a very well-to-do family, but her parents had a hands-off approach to their children once they became adults. They insisted that their children make it on their own without their financial support to enable them to better appreciate the value of a dollar. Whenever they died, their estate would then be evenly divided among the four siblings. Dwight respected her parents' logic, but the only problem was that until she became an adult, Evelyn had been spoiled rotten by the wealth and opulence that surrounded her and the status symbols that accompanied it. She worked diligently for her and Dwight to always live within their means but she frequently tried to purchase the very best of everything that they spent their hard-earned money on.

Over the next two years, the power couple often went out with their numerous friends. They always had a great time and stayed close with everyone. There were shows, movies, art galleries, athletic events, and Broadway productions among many other activities they participated in. Theirs was a full life, filled with friends everywhere they went. If anything, marriage made her even more outgoing than before and Dwight loved his wife with everything in him.

Evelyn came home after work one Friday afternoon and over Chinese take-out she had picked up on her way home, she said, "You know how we have to take those boring continuing education classes every year to keep our accounting credentials active?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, normally Tia, my supervisor, usually signs several of us up for classes here in Charlotte, or Greensboro or Winston-Salem depending on when they are available and what our current schedules are at the time. Apparently, there aren't any classes available locally right now nor close by, and since there is a sort of lull in our workload lately, she's signed six of us to take a two-day course being offered in Wilmington, NC which is at least a good 3-1/2 hour drive from here. It's next Thursday and Friday. I'm pissed about it and she knows it, but they pay all the expenses and since it's their dime, I either go when they say or pay for it out of my own pocket some other time when I might be too busy to take the time away from work."

"Next week? Thursday and Friday?" Dwight asked between bites.

"That's right. We'll leave Wednesday from work, right after quitting time, and drive straight there and get checked in so we'll be ready to start the course early Thursday morning. As much as I don't want to go, I thought it would be great if you took off a couple of days and went with me. You could goof off during the day while I'm in class, then we can see the sights in the evenings and over the weekend." She suggested.

"Hang on, let me check right quick" he requested as he pulled out his cellphone and looked at his calendar.

"Sorry honey, no can do. Next weekend is the Renaissance Fair on campus. If you recall, Jeanette campaigned ruthlessly for me to spearhead the upcoming event. I'll be the youngest professor to ever chair the carnival. There's no way that I could ever get out of being there, especially since I'm heading up the whole thing. Remember? It runs Friday through Sunday and I'm sure I've mentioned it to you before. You went last year and we had a great time of it."

"Oh crap. That's right. You did tell me, I just forgot. I was sure hoping to salvage something of the weekend with you there to share it with. I've always wanted to visit the Battleship North Carolina with you."

"Is there any way to switch your classes with someone else for a different time? I'm sure we'd have a blast at this year's event. There will be many suits of armor brought in from a movie studio prop center. I've always wanted to try one on and see how it feels to wield a sword under battle conditions. I'd hate for you to miss seeing me make a proper fool of myself" he added with a chuckle.

"I guarantee you that I'd MUCH rather go to your Renaissance Fair than to those old stuffy accounting lectures. You'd think they'd find some way to make them interesting. But I don't have much of a choice. If I don't go when they sign me up to go, then when I take time off later to go on my own, I'll have to use vacation time to do it, and I don't want to waste a minute of vacation time being bored to death." She declared.

"Are you still planning on staying the weekend there then since I won't be able to join you?"

"I don't think so. It just wouldn't be the same to go sightseeing without you there. I'll probably just drive separately so I can leave right after class Friday evening and drive straight back into bed with you." She implied with gusto.

"Don't you worry, I'll keep it warm for you babe. That'll still leave me with a cold bed Wednesday and Thursday nights. I'll not like that."

Chapter 6

"Don't you worry sweetheart. I'll rev your engine up to full speed as soon as I get home Friday and you'll forget I was even gone." She giggled as she rubbed her foot up and down his leg under the table.

"I can hardly wait" he added.

They went out dancing and partying Saturday and Sunday nights with their many varied friends. Greg and Steve with their wives usually were always wherever they were. They remained a very close-knit group.

On Monday afternoon, Evelyn called Dwight's cellphone when she knew he would be between classes.

"Hi, babe. It's good to hear your sweet voice. To what do I owe the honor?" he asked.

"Hey, sweetheart. I love you too. But I have a strange question to ask."

"Alright. Sometimes strange can be good. What's your question?"

"Honey, have you ever heard of Daniel Creighton?"

"The billionaire?"

"Yes, that's the one. He's a very interesting man." She advanced.

"Oh? Did you actually meet him?"

"Yes, I sure did, today as a matter of fact. Right out of the blue."

"How on earth did that happen? You didn't run into his car or anything did you?"

"No silly. I haven't driven anywhere today since I got to work. He came in this morning, right here in our CPA office in downtown Charlotte. Can you believe it?" She enthused.

"Then how did you meet him?"

"Well, he has several large holdings in North Carolina and since Charlotte is the financial center of the state, he had our office perform a financial audit of a business enterprise he was considering. It was just a fluke really that he even noticed me. He said he happened to be in Charlotte today for other reasons and had stopped by personally to pick up the audit report."

"Well, I suppose that gives you bragging rights over me. The highest uppity people I ever hobnob with around here is maybe a few state dignitaries who visit occasionally. Certainly no billionaires."

"Well, that's why I'm calling you honey. He and I talked for a short while and he told me he wants to meet you, you and I together I mean, for dinner tonight. You don't have any other plans do you?"

"Daniel Creighton, the billionaire wants to me ME? I mean US? But why? What does he want with peons like us?" Dwight inquired.

"He said he would let us know tonight, at Steak-48 at 8 pm. That's a very nice upscale restaurant that we've always wanted to visit. I hear they have awesome steaks and the best freshest seafood anywhere. He asked that we be his guests tonight, won't cost us a dime."

"Far be it for me to turn down a chance to meet one of the super-rich. Did you know that there are only something over 700 billionaires in the United States? He's in a pretty elite club, that one. Sure, why not? Let's go see what the man could possibly want with us."

"He gave me his card today. I'll let him know we'll be there tonight. I'll see you at home after work babe. I love you." She bubbled.

"Love you too" he rejoined.

After they had cleaned up and were dressing for the night, "Now be sure and wear your most expensive suit, honey. We want to make a good impression." She urged.

"I'll say" he quipped. "With that little black dress and heels you're wearing, I could wear a gold plated suit and he'd never notice me. Isn't that dress a little revealing for such a high-falutin' place?"

"Nervously she replied, "I just want us both to look our best. It's not every day we meet a man worth north of sixty-seven billion."

"Sixty-seven? I can't even imagine. Well, if you're going like that, let me go see if I can find my baseball bat, so I can fend off all the guys who'll be trying to take you away from me."

"You silly man. You know I love you and nobody else. I'm afraid you're stuck with little old me."

"And I'd like to stick you with something right now, you sex kitten." He said seductively.

"Cool your jets, big boy. Wait until we get back home and then I'll ring your bell for sure."

They walked into the restaurant together at 7:55 pm and were immediately shown to their table where the billionaire awaited them. As he stood to greet his guests, Dwight noticed that he was quite the debonair man in his early forties, rather young to have acquired so much wealth.

"Ahhhhh, Mrs. Underwood, so nice to see you again."

"Please call me Evelyn."

"Of course, Evelyn, and may I say you look lovely tonight. And this charming young man must be your illustrious history professor husband. May I call you Dwight?"

"Of course, sir. Thank you for having us."

"Let's dispense with the formalities if you please. Just call me Daniel. All my friends do."

"Thank you for your congeniality and hospitality, Daniel. Evelyn and I are honored to be your guests tonight."

"Please have a seat. I took the liberty to preorder for us. Evelyn informed me earlier today that you are undecided whether lobster or king crab is your favorite delicacy. I am told the seafood here is quite tasty, so I ordered them both for you to indulge. And Evelyn, your filet mignon is hopefully cooked to perfection. If not, let me know and they will prepare it however you wish."

"Well, you two must have quite the chat earlier today, for you to know our favorite foods." Dwight supposed.

"Not really, Dwight. But since tonight was my treat, I asked your lovely wife what your favorite foods were to save time." Evelyn blushed at the compliment.

"Let's dig in before it gets cold, shall we?" Offered their wealthy friend.

Throughout the meal, Daniel was the consummate host, asking probing but not overly personal questions of his guests, just to get to know them better. The affable man could tell a joke as well as anyone and kept them chuckling at his constant humorous anecdotes. When everyone was well fed and the wine was flowing, Daniel decided it was time to reveal his proposal.

"Again, you two have made my evening and it has been my pleasure to get to know the two of you a little better. It makes it easier for me to make an offer to you both. As you can imagine, I am a man who, when I see something I want, I go after it and nearly always get it. I don't want to mince words or take up more of your time than necessary, so please forgive my candor. Dwight, your lovely wife captivated my attention and interest the moment I first laid eyes on her, and tonight she maintains her hold over my fascination with beautiful creatures." Daniel stated.