Kate Pt. 01

"I'll tell you what," I warmly smiled, opening my door wider, "Why don't you call me Mark, Miss Meyers?"

"Alright, Mark," she smiled, ostensibly relieved, "But only if you call me Kate."

"Hello, Kate," I grinned, "Please, come in and make yourself at home."

"Thank you," she softly spoke, walking into my house, "I came here to apologize to you for being such a bitch to you earlier today."

I walked her into my den where I asked her to take a seat on the couch, and then I smiled and told her, "There's nothing to forgive. Would you care for something to drink?"

"Water will be fine," she shyly replied, "Thank you."

After making her a glass of ice water, I poured my self a cup of coffee and joined her in the den, taking a seat on the other end of my couch.

"I'm really sorry for running into you," I told her, "It was an honest to God accident, I swear."

"I know it was," she softly replied, "I was having a bad morning this morning; and I asked Mom for the afternoon off so that I could come apologize to you. I hope its okay with you that I came to your house."

"Of course it is," I smiled, "But how did you know where to find me?"

"I called Mike Dodge after you left Mom's office and asked him," she timidly said, "So, after I went home and changed clothes, I came to see you."

It wasn't until she'd mentioned that she'd changed cloths that I looked at what she was wearing, and to say that I was pleased with what I saw would be an enormous understatement.

Kate Meyers wore a pair of tight blue jeans, with tennis shoes on her feet, but what got my attention was the shirt that she had on that accentuated her rather plump breasts. However, so as not to look like I was checking her out, I simply smiled and told her, "You look nice, and I'm glad that you came over."

"Thank you, Mark," she smiled, beginning to blush, "But even though you were furious with me earlier, I still thought you were very handsome, as well as very kind, even though I'd treated you the way I had. I'm so sorry, Mark."

"You don't have to keep apologizing to me," I gently told her, "Everyone has a bad day every now and then. Besides, we're only human, right?"

"Thank you," she quietly smiled, "My ex-boyfriend called to harass me this morning, and I'm having a hard time getting him to leave me alone."

"Why don't you get a restraining order against him?" I asked her, "The next time he calls you he'll go to jail."

"You don't understand," Kate sadly replied, "This guy is a psychopathic idiot and won't take "No" for an answer."

"I've got an idea," I suddenly grinned, "I've got to go out to Opryland and get some measurements today. Would you like to go with me?"

"I don't know," she frowned, "I'm kind of worried about how it might look, the two us together at Opryland."

"How what might look?" I replied, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you a member of your mother's law firm, the same law firm that represents the company I work for?"

"Yeah," she quickly smiled, with a look of understanding shining in her beautiful brown eyes, "You're right."

"Alright then," I chuckled, "Besides, I just moved to Nashville not too long ago, and I could sure use some help learning how to get around in this town."

"I'd be happy to show you around," she now grinned, "But just as long as we don't use my car."

"Not a problem," I told her, "I'll back mine out of the garage, and you can pull yours in while we're gone. How does that sound, Miss Kate?"

"Perfect," she smiled, her face lighting up beautifully because of her smile, "But you can call me just plain old Kate, okay?"

"Okay," I began to tease, "But you look neither plain nor old to me."

"You're silly," she giggled, "But it's a refreshing change, especially after being around that asshole I was talking about a couple of minutes ago."

"Thanks for the compliment," I quizzically grinned, "I guess it was a compliment."

"Of course it was, silly," she smiled, playfully punching my arm. Then she looked into my eyes and told me, "Mike and David both told me that you were a very nice person, Mark, and so far, I haven't seen anything about you that tells me otherwise...and I really appreciate it...thank you," and then she did something that totally surprised me. She leaned over and gently kissed me on the cheek.

"Because you just said that you talked to Mark and David about me, that shows me that you, yourself, took the initiative to come over here and apologize to me," I softly replied, gently taking her hand and shaking it, "And I really appreciate that more than you know, Kate."

"Yes, I did," she said, looking at the floor, "I was a real bitch to you for something that was a total accident, Mark, and again; I'm really sorry."

"I want you to forget about that," I smiled, "I already have."

"You're not just a nice guy," she smiled, her cheeks blushing, "You're a real sweetie, Mark."

"Come with me, pretty lady," I smiled, taking her hand and leading her to the garage from off of the kitchen,, "As soon as I open the garage door, I want you to go out into the driveway and pull your car in. Then we'll get in mine and leave, okay?"

~~~~~~

"Oh, wow," she smiled, the moment she saw my car, "I love Corvettes; I always have, and yours is so pretty."

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," I proudly smiled. "It was a gift from my family when I graduated college," and then I opened the garage door, watching Kate as she went to get into her car.

"Holt shit," I silently said, once I got a look at her from behind, "Damn, she's got a gorgeous ass, especially in those tight jeans."

For a moment I thought that she might've heard my thoughts, because only a couple of seconds had passed after that before she turned around and smiled while looking into my eyes at the same time, and then she turned and opened her car door, still smiling as she started her car, a new silver colored BMW, 325i, and then pulled it up into the garage next to mine.

~~~~~~

Chapter Four

We pulled off of Briley Parkway into the executive parking area of Opryland, at the time, a world famous Amusement Park in Nashville. I'd called Mike Dodge right before we left my house, and got him to arrange two, all access passes, which would be waiting for us the moment we reached the gates.

"I'm Mark Powers and this is Kate Meyers," I said to the attendant at the ticket window that I'd been told to go to, "And I believe you have two full access passes waiting for us to pick them up."

After producing our driver's licenses for the purposes of identification, the girl behind the window politely gave us our passes and then allowed us to walk through the gates undisturbed.

~~~~~~

Granted, I looked at the property blueprints in the main offices within the park, which only took me about forty-five minutes to do, also taking notes while I did so; but once that was complete, Kate and I decided to indulge ourselves and enjoy the rides and attractions within the park itself.

It was a special treat that day, because none other than Dolly Parton herself was there performing at The Music Mill Theater, and because of the passes we had, we were allowed backstage to meet her.

Her schedule was rather hectic and full, but she graciously took a few minutes to take pictures with us, and sign two Promo pics (head shots), and then personalized them by autographing them with not only her name, but our names on them as well. She was a very nice lady who I'm glad I got to meet, which made the day with Kate even more special.

~~~~~~

We spent the afternoon riding the rides and playing a few games, where I won a big green stuffed Dragon, which I gave to Kate, who, by this time hadn't stopped smiling since we got there.

And when the time came for us to leave, Kate took hold of my arm as we walked back to my car; after having enjoyed spending the day together, as well as getting the opportunity to learn more about one another, too.

~~~~~~

Kate and I had eaten a couple of light snacks at the park, but when we got back to my house, the smell of the roast that I'd placed in oven earlier, permeated the whole inside of the house, making the both of us hungry.

"Oh, yummy," Kate giggled, "I don't know what you've got in the oven, but it smells absolutely delicious."

"It's a roast, a London Broil," I proudly smiled, "Does that mean you're going to stay and have dinner with me, pretty girl?"

"How could I not, Mark?" she softly asked smiling, "You've been so wonderful to me today. I haven't had this much fun n a very long time so; yes, I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Great," I grinned, "You can open the wine," as I handed her a bottle of Rothschild, Chateau Lafitte, vintage 1965.

"Damn," she knowingly grinned, "This is a very rare, as well as very expensive bottle of wine, Mark. Are you sure that you want to share this with me?"

"You know your wine, I'm impressed, to say the least," I smiled, "And yes, I'm positive that I want to share this with you. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," she quietly replied, "I would think that maybe you would want to share it with someone you love or something like that...but I guess I'm just being silly, huh?"

"Not at all," I warmly replied, gently caressing her pretty cheek with the back of my hand, "Besides, who says that I'm not sharing it with someone I care about?"

"Really," she wistfully smiled, gently taking my hand into hers, "I like you, too, Mark...I mean...I've only known you for a day, but I really like what I've seen so far."

"I'm glad to hear that," I told her, "And I'm not trying to be forward, or too assuming in what I'm about to say, but I hope that maybe we can see each other again after tonight."

"I don't know," she teasingly giggled, "I'd better wait until after I've eaten your cooking before I answer that question."

"Has anyone ever told you what a brat you are?" I teased back, making her giggle that much harder, "Because you sure as hell are one, that's for damn certain."

"As a matter of fact, they have," she replied, "My Dad used to call me that before he died."

"Aw, Kate," I sadly replied, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you, Mark, that's very sweet of you," she tenderly smiled, "My father was killed in Vietnam when I was a little girl."

Suddenly I turned and looked into her beautiful dark eyes and gently told her, "My father was killed over there, too, when I was young. It looks like we've got something in common, pretty lady."

Nothing was said between us; however, Kate slowly leaned into me and gave me a soft, tender kiss right on the lips. We didn't open our mouths, mind you; but I felt something which began to stir somewhere deep within me, none-the-less. And when she slowly pulled back, she looked deeply into my eyes again and told me, "I've wanted to do that all day, Mark. Please don't think badly of me for kissing you just now, I couldn't bear the thought of it if you did."

"Never," I softly answered her, gently but quickly kissing her back, "I could never think badly of you, Kate; never."

"I'm glad," she smiled; slowly taking her arms from around my neck, and then began to open the bottle of wine with the corkscrew I'd given her earlier.

~~~~~~

I made mashed potatoes, using a hand mixer to whip them up, and then made roast gravy to go with them. I also cooked some green beans, with a little fatback in them, as well as black eyed peas.

I had all the ingredients, and because Kate wanted to pitch in and help out, she made a nice salad for us, hand slicing the mushrooms, black olives, cucumbers, and tomatoes, as well. Once everything was ready and on the table, the wine had had plenty of time to breathe so; I poured us each as glass, and then we sat down to eat.

We talked about the day and how much fun we'd had together, promising ourselves that we would definitely have to do something like that again very soon. As Kate sat next to me while we ate, I noticed little things about her, like how pretty I thought she was, as well as how strong I knew she could be, too.

Now that she and I had something in common, even though it was a something very traumatic, we still felt a bond grow between us that night. However, if the truth were known, that was also the night that she stole my heart; forever holding me captive within her own heart.

Still though, I couldn't let her know that. I mean, come on, I'd only known her for one day. However, one of the good things that came out of my first experience with Kate Meyers was the fact that I now believed in love at first sight. But I just couldn't let her know how I was now feeling, at least not yet, anyway.

~~~~~~

That night after dinner was finished, and after I'd backed her car out of the garage for her, we were standing huddled together on my front porch.

"I had an amazing day with you today," Kate softly, almost tenderly smiled, "And dinner was wonderful, too, Mark."

"I've really enjoyed spending time with you, too, Kate," I gently replied, gently placing my arm around her waist, "I can't wait to do it again."

"Me either," she sweetly told me, "But we'll get to see each other again in the morning when you come back to get your license."

"Oh yeah, that's right," I grinned, "I was so caught up in meeting you that I almost forgot."

"You're a very sweet man," she smiled, then quickly kissed my lips, "And we'll do this again very soon, I promise," and then she slowly stepped away from me, holding my hand as she walked away, letting go only at the very last second before she had to walk down the front steps to get into her car. And after blowing me a kiss, she backed out of my driveway, and disappeared into the night.

~~~~~~

After I locked my house up and climbed into bed, I said a silent prayer, thanking God for having given me the chance to meet this beautiful creature. I also asked him that if it were his will that Kate and I met, then would he please find a way for us to see one another as often as possible, truly blessing our union.

~~~~~~

True to her word, Kate was waiting for me at her mother's office the next morning when I arrived. After taking me to get my picture taken, as well as getting my license card printed and my picture laminated onto it, she and I went and had a cup of coffee in the cafeteria of the Federal Building.

"Mom asked me a thousand questions when I got home last night," she smiled, "I think she was pleased that I was out with you."

"I'm glad to hear that," I grinned, "I think your mother is a nice lady."

"That's good," Kate giggled, "Because she thinks you're hot."

"No way," I chuckled, my face turning beet red in embarrassment, "Not your Mom."

"I swear," Kate smiled, "Those were exact words. Well, she used a couple of other words, too, when she talked about you last night."

"You're teasing me," I laughed, "Your Mom is way too nice a lady for something like that."

"Scouts honor, Mark," Kate was now giggling, "She also said, and I quote 'that you were a good lookin little shit with a real nice ass'."

"Oh, my God," I gasped, Kate giggling like a school girl, "I'm going to be real embarrassed every time I see her from now on."

"You'd better not," Kate smiled, "I promised her that I wouldn't breathe a word of what she said about you, to you, or anyone else for that matter; come on now, Mark."

Okay," I grinned, "But it's going to be real hard for me not to be self conscious whenever I'm around her."

"Please, for me?" she smiled, looking at me and playfully pouting, which, to this day still makes me give her whatever she wants; but I'm getting ahead of myself...

"I'll think about it," I teased her, "But you're going to have to persuade me by having dinner with me this coming Friday night."

"I've got a better idea," she softly replied, "Can you get this Friday off?"

"I'm not real sure," I told her, looking at my watch, "I'll have to see. In the mean time, I need to get to the office. I promised Mike and David I'd be there as soon as I got my license."

"Come on, handsome," she cooed, taking my arm as we stood up from the table in the cafeteria, "I'll walk you to your car, okay?"

"That sounds good to me," I grinned, "Lead the way; M'lady."

~~~~~~

Kate and I walked to my car, and upon our arrival, she handed me her business card with a number hand-written on the back.

"I've got a busy day today," she said, "Will you call me this afternoon around two? Maybe we can get together for a little while after work, okay?"

"Okay, beautiful," I gently replied, lightly kissing her lips, "I'll talk to you later today then. Bye, bye."

Mmm," she purred, kissing my lips one last time before I got into my car, "I can't wait to talk to you this afternoon, bye."

I said nothing, but she smiled as I got into my car and waved to her as I backed out of my parking space, preparing to leave. However, I made completely certain that she was safely into the building before driving completely away. Little did either of us realize that a pair of, not only unwanted, but also dangerous eyes were watching every step we took before we even took them?"

~~~~~~

"Good morning, Sarah," I grinned, gently patting her on the hand as I walked by her desk, "How are you this doing morning, pretty girl?"

"I'm doing great," she knowingly grinned, "You sure are in a good mood today. What happened last night? Did you and Kate Meyers go out or something?"

"Yes we did," I cautiously replied, "But how could you have possibly known that, Sarah?"

"Carolyn Meyers called here yesterday afternoon looking for her daughter," Sarah non-chalantly replied, "Mike told her that the two of you were at Opryland together, probably having a blast. You did take Kate Meyers to Opryland, didn't you?"

"Dammit," I suddenly said, banging my fist down on my desk, "Does Mike have to tell everything he knows?"

"Relax, Mark; nobody around here is angry about it," Sarah gently told me, "As a matter of fact, Mike and David both were tickled to death that the two of you were together, especially after what that poor girl went through with the sonofabitch that her ex-boyfriend turned out to be."

The fact that my secretary, Sarah, had knowledge about this matter suddenly gave me an idea, making me ask her, "So; you know about him, huh?"

"That all depends," she cautiously replied, looking very suspiciously at me, "Why do you want to know, Mark? I want you to be totally honest with me before I tell you anything."

"Whoa, wait a minute here, why are you suddenly getting all defensive about this?" I asked her, "You work for me, remember?"

"I know that, but Kate is the person who helped me to get a job here," Sarah replied, her eyes suddenly filling with tears again, "And her ex-boyfriend is also the same asshole who raped me when I was in college, God dammit..." and then she couldn't continue before she began to cry again, making me take her back into my arms just like I did the day before, holding her until she felt better, poor girl.

"Alright, Sarah," I confessed, once she'd calmed down enough to speak with me, "I think I could very easily fall head over heels in love with Kate."

"Oh, Mark," she began to smile, brightening her pretty little face, "I think that you two would be so good for one another."

"Is that right?" I grinned, "Tell me, Sarah, what makes you say that?"

"God knows that she could certainly use a good guy in her life," Sarah now excitedly began, "And I know that you have so much love in your heart to give to the right woman, "Mark, you think that I can't see it, but I'm female, too, in case you've forgotten; and I can see it just as plain as the nose on my own face."

"No, I haven't forgotten that you're a girl," I chuckled, "But do you really think that she would consider being with me, even after what she's already been through with her ex?"