Stock Ch. 01-18

Sean shushed her and just held her tightly, cradling her precious heart in his arms. They stayed like that for the next ten minutes until she managed to calm herself and simply sat there silently letting her grief seep out. "God, what did that monster do to you," Sean managed to whisper.

Just then the door boomed with heavy pounding. "Speak of the devil." Sean tried to get up but Elizabeth just clutched him all the tighter. "Look, you run up to your room and hide. I'll see what I can do to Charley boy out there to deter him." His voice spoke the last sentence portending darkly of what he had in mind.

"No," she said, light flashing in her eyes. "This is my fight, not yours. I'll talk to him, I'll have to sooner or later and it would be better on my own terms than on his." She stood up and gave him a mock scowl. "But if it starts getting rough you had better be there or I'll give you a few lumps for not taking mine." Her grin became a smile and Sean beamed one right back at her. That was the woman he fell for last week. "Go hide behind the door and listen. If things start to get hairy just do your karate thingy or whatever that is." Sean was a little miffed by that. His ‘karate thingy'? He was going to have to talk to her about that. The door pounded again and Sean sprung up and hid behind the door as Elizabeth opened it.

"Hello again, Charles," she answered the door frostily, her hand still holding it open.

"Whose car is that in the driveway?"

"If you really must know it belongs to that young chap that made a poor show of you twice now. I happen to be thanking him in the bedroom. Now, what is it you want?"

"Lying bitch," Sean could just imagine the sneer on the man's face. "I know for a fact that he isn't here. I have a few friends keeping him company right now. You remember Albert and the gang, don't you?" Sean's breath froze at that. "I see that you do," he continued, "And seeing as your little toy is probably broken now let's see if we can finish our last conversation." Sean saw Charles' arm rise from between the space in between the door and jamb. Immediately he put his shoulder to the door and slammed it in the man's face. He heard a yelp of surprise and pain along with some groaning. Apparently Charles was leaning in a bit and took some of the door right on the nose. Elizabeth had a neutral look on her face, still on edge. They heard a cell phone ring through the door and a lot of cussing on Charles' part. "What do you mean he got away? And what do you mean Fred's in the hospital?" Another string of purple words.

Sean tapped Elizabeth lightly on the shoulder to get her attention then winked at her with a mischievous grin. He flung the door open, "Hey, what the fuck is the meaning of all this? Oh, it's you again. Elizabeth, I thought I told you to let me deal with this little prick." He easily shoved Charles down the walkway, most of the fight taken out of him from the broken nose and surprise phone call. "I see your messengers didn't arrive in time to tell you that I just kicked their collective asses and to tell you that I want you to leave me and Elizabeth alone." Another shove. "Now get out of my sight before I give you a taste of what I gave your buddies!" And just like that, Charles ran for his car and sped off like the devil was chasing him.

Sean bent over laughing as soon as the car turned the corner. "That was perfect! I couldn't have planned that phone call better myself." He turned around and wrapped an arm around Elizabeth's shoulder. "Now that that's out of the way I do believe you were in the process of apologizing."

Elizabeth looked up at him and grinned, placing her index finger on the tip of his nose and laughed. "No apologies."

A moment later the two sat facing each other in the living room, sipping tea. "Are you sure you can't stay for the night?"

"Yes, ‘Liz," Sean said regretfully, "I really would love to be with you right now but I do have class early tomorrow, and I have the distinct feeling that if I stayed for the night you would find a way for me to stay up past my bedtime. But how about I see you Saturday night?"

She smiled at him and nodded.

"Great," he beamed a smile back, "How does five sound? Oh, and nothing fancy. I was planning on just a dinner and a movie or something like that." He stepped up to her and wrapped his arms about her waist. "You know, if I have to keep saving you simply to get a date with you I'd almost be afraid of what it would take to ask you to marry me." Elizabeth's look of startlement was too much for Sean and he found it impossible to hold back his laughter. He gave her a peck on the nose, which she crinkled in mild annoyance. "So, five okay?"

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, "And let's hope Charles doesn't decide to crash the party again."

"Yeah, well, we shouldn't have to worry about him or those goons of his for a while. I think I scared them a bit."

"Sean," she asked, "What did you do to Albert and his friends?"

"Oh, nothing really happened," Sean said evasively, "We just had a little discussion is all."

"A discussion that landed one of them in the hospital."

It could have been the morgue, Sean thought. "I'll see you Saturday night," he said instead and headed for the door.

"Sean?"

He turned around to find Elizabeth in his arms again. "Thank you." Elizabeth pulled away. "Now get going before I figure out a way to chain you here."

"You make that sound as if that were a bad thing."

"Go!"

"Yes, dear."

Chapter 4

"So tell me," Elizabeth said over a glass of cabernet sauvignon, "What is a millionaire doing driving a beat up old Corolla? I mean you could afford a Mercedes or a BMW. Hell you could afford three of each."

Sean laughed at that. "Yea, I suppose I could. But what would be the point if I already have a car that serves its purposes. Besides, I earned this car. I wouldn't sell it for any reason unless it broke down on me. Yes, a Mercedes would be nice but I consider myself ‘down to earth'."

Elizabeth looked at him quizzically as she took another bite of her steak. Sean was glad she wasn't the type that counted the calories and worried about it. She ate what she liked but exercised daily because she enjoyed it. He respected her for that. "Before I came into my money I was your typical high school student that scrounged every penny he got working part time to buy things. I saved and bought that car with my own money. Money that I truly earned. I was raised in a pretty rich neighborhood and saw a lot of other kids whose parents bought them expensive cars they crashed within a month. The kids were careless because their parents would just buy them a new one. I hated them; spoiled little snots that have never held a real job that paid dirt and rode you hard. They didn't value a single cent because they never had to sacrifice for it."

"My, aren't you a bitter one?" Elizabeth said playfully.

"I suppose you could say that," Sean replied then continued. "But the thing that gets me the most is that they grow up expecting the world to be handed to them on a silver platter. And somehow they pull it off through the connections their parents have. In other words, they don't have a single copper to their name. Don't get me wrong though, I had friends that were well off but they worked their asses off before their parents gave them anything. I respect my friends and their parents because they value the dollar. As for me, well, the money I earned from the stock market I never really consider mine. My grandmother passed away when I was ten and left me an inheritance of two hundred thousand when I came of age. So I never really consider it mine. I do take the money seriously though. So everything I have is through my own earnings, mostly work at the laboratory where I help research a few things under a professor. Whenever I get stuck in a jam I sell a few shares of stock but only as a last resort. I haven't had to do that too often since I live simply anyways."

Elizabeth mulled this over as she nibbled on a leaf of lettuce. "Then what do you plan on doing with all the money you're making from your investments?"

"I'm not sure yet," Sean said as he bit off another piece of the steak and chewed. "I always wanted to retire early. Maybe when I'm forty or so I'll just sit back and reap my rewards. I think I'll buy an island. I hear the Fiji Islands are nice this time of year. You like the Fiji Islands?"

Elizabeth laughed. "You're horrible. Are you ever serious?"

"Sometimes always," Sean replied.

"You know. I think I almost understand that oxymoron."

"Really? You'd be the first."

"It's perfectly logical nonsense."

It was Sean's turn to blink and think. "I think I like you," he said finally.

"I think so, too."

Sean heard the band play a slow jazz piece and stood up. "Care to dance?"

"I thought you would never ask."

Once again Sean swept Elizabeth off her feat and floated her across the dance floor like the night they met only two weeks ago. Had it only been two weeks? Sean found it hard to believe considering how much he cared for her. Her eyes sparkled as he led her across the dance floor. There were a few other couples on the floor but Sean only saw Elizabeth smiling at him as they glided back and forth. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was just something about her that drew him in like a moth to a flame. Time slipped by as he held her close and lost himself in those soft brown eyes, absently minding the steps as she floated in his arms. Before he knew it, the music was over and the two of them were the only ones left on the dance floor. He leaned down and kissed her. Her lips tasted like wine; her breath like a warm spring breeze. The touch of her lips to his sent a jolt of electricity down his spine, almost making him lose his balance. Sean lifted his hands and caressed her face.

All too soon the kiss was over and he stood there, losing himself in her eyes. They just stood there, his heart pounding in his ears, as he continued to look at her.

"Sean. People are staring."

"Then their parents never taught them that it was rude," Sean replied, still looking in her eyes. He just couldn't pull his eyes away. Somehow they got back to their table and Sean noticed that she was blushing about as furiously as he thought he was.

"You know…"

"I think…"

They spoke at the same time and blushed again, silence filling the gap. Finally, Sean worked up the nerve to finish what he meant to say. "You know, I don't think I've ever had this much fun." He reached across the table and held her hands in his. "And you know what else?"

"What?"

"No Charles to screw things up this time." They both laughed at that until the silence settled in again.

They didn't say anything for the rest of the dinner. Something significant had happened on that dance floor. Sean didn't exactly know what was going on; or rather he knew exactly what was happening but was too afraid to admit to himself. He had never felt this way before, not even with his high school sweetheart, Janice. The picture of Alice falling down the rabbit hole sprang to mind.

"Like Alice," she said.

"What?"

"I feel like Alice floating down the rabbit hole right now," she smiled, her eyes sparkling in the dim light.

"You know? I was thinking the same exact thing," Sean said.

"Great minds think alike."

"I think you just complimented yourself."

"Only if you think you're that great of a mind."

"Well, I don't think I have a big enough of an ego to admit that. I am the humblest man in the world."

Elizabeth laughed and the room seemed to brighten at the sound. Just then the waiter informed them that the restaurant was closing and then handed them their check. Sean didn't even bother to look at it and slipped a one hundred dollar bill in the fold. They made their way out the door as Sean gallantly held the door for her and did so again when they reached his car. He drove onto the freeway and headed for their next destination.

"So where to next?"

"How about a moonlit stroll through a park to walk off that heavy dinner?"

"Sounds perfect."

Sean pulled into a parking space ten minutes later by a park he knew featuring a large duck pond. The moon was out in full and not a cloud in the sky. The stars shined brightly above. They didn't say anything as they walked along dirt paths while holding hands in the warm summer night. Sean found them a bench by the pond's edge and steered Elizabeth towards it. She sat by him and cuddled in the crook of his right arm like it was the most natural thing in the world and let out a contented sigh.

"Thank you, Sean," Elizabeth spoke in to the moonlight. "This has probably been the best time I've ever had. If you keep this up I just might never want to leave you."

"I just might never want to let you go." Sean touched her chin and tilted her head up and kissed her. He had never felt such longing before for anything, but the touch of her lips on his was like an opiate and it was all he could do to not devour her on the spot. She may be older than him but there was a sweet innocence about her hidden behind the bold façade that she wore all the time. And that she would leave behind that mask when with him spoke volumes about her trust in him. The fact did not go unnoticed by him and he promised that he would do whatever it took to care for her. "My God! Am I falling in love with her?" he thought. And then the thought was lost in the softness of her lips.

The kiss broke and they sat there staring at each other in the whitewashed moonlight. Elizabeth looked at him and smiled her special smile at him that made his heart stick in his throat and curled up again in his arms. He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that but quite a while later he heard Elizabeth try to stifle a yawn.

"Tired?"

Sean felt Elizabeth's head nod in reply.

"Okey-dokey. Time to take you home," Sean said as he stood up. Elizabeth stood up with him and placed her arm around his waist, forcing him to wrap his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to his car. The drive back was quiet and Elizabeth had nodded off to sleep in his car by the time they pulled up to her driveway. Sean didn't have the heart to wake her up so he fished in her purse and found her house keys and then picked her up in his arms. He carried her into her house, climbed the stairs and placed her gently in her bed, tucking her in as he did so. He located her office and found some stationary then wrote a letter, which he placed on the pillow next to her. Sean quietly saw himself out and drove back to his place and thought of Elizabeth before he too fell asleep.

Chapter 5

Elizabeth woke up to the sun shining brightly on her face. She patted the empty space next to her and frowned, hoping to find Sean there when she woke up. She looked at the clock, wiping away sleep dust from her eyes as she did so. Nine o'clock. Well, at least she didn't sleep in too late. Staring at the ceiling for a moment before she dragged herself out of bed, Elizabeth found a note next to her when she sat up.

Dearest Elizabeth,

Didn't know if I was overstepping my boundaries if I stayed with you for the night, although I have to tell you that I am very tempted to press my luck. At any rate, I have some things to take care of at my place first, some studying and stuff. But I will definitely want to see you again tonight. I'll probably be busy until midafternoon but after that I'm all yours, darlin'. Call me.

Lovingly yours,

Sean

Elizabeth picked up her phone and dialed Sean's number. "Morning, Sean."

"Hey, morning to you too, ‘Liz."

"I missed you this morning."

"Then I take it I would have been invited to stay?"

"Most definitely. I did offer that first night didn't I?"

"I suppose so but you didn't this time. I don't think it quite right to impose on a sleeping host." Thank God he didn't mention she threw him out that night. She was still ashamed for doing that to him and it disturbed her to no small end how easily she snapped at him like that.

"Well consider this an open invitation to stay in my bed whenever you wish."

"Whoa. Could you say that again? I want to get this on tape. It's not every day a guy like me gets an invitation like that by a ravishing woman."

Elizabeth couldn't help smiling; it was good to know that he found her attractive. "I'd like to see you tonight. How about if I just hung out at your place today? I haven't seen it yet."

"With good reason. My place is a war zone! If you're coming over I better go get the shovel ASAP."

"Oh, I doubt it could be that bad."

"I do. Damn, how am going to take down those pinup posters off the ceiling? Oops, did I say that out loud?"

Elizabeth laughed out loud. Sean was definitely not the type to hang pinups in his room. "How does three sound?"

"Fine with me," he said. "I should have most of my studying done by lunch anyways."

Elizabeth hung up the phone. Just as well, she thought and sighed, she had some work to take care of on her own as well. Ever since Sean entered her life she could hardly keep her thoughts straight even when he wasn't there with her. She went about her morning routine, got dressed in jeans and light sweater, and had a light breakfast of toast and eggs then booted up the computer to see if there were any special reports coming in from her sources on the market. Nothing big was happening so she turned her computer off and went to take care of a couple of the accounting reports she had brought back with her. By noon she was done with what she had at home and decided to surprise Sean with an early visit. She swung by a sandwich shop and got them a couple of roast beef sandwiches and diet cokes. Sean said regular soda was too sweet for him. Twenty minutes later saw Elizabeth at Sean's front door. She knocked on the door and heard a voice shout out. Sean opened the door and the smile on his face was priceless.

"I couldn't help myself and decided to come by a little early," she held up the large paper bag, "And I brought lunch." Sean took a quick look at the bag, pushed her hand back down, and gave her a knee-buckling kiss.

"Thanks," he said and led her in. The place was nice. Spartan, but nice. No decorations whatsoever in the living room, all the furniture done in oak, a forty inch television with various cables running to a computer set up on the adjoining wall. The kitchen wasn't small as she thought it would have been but it wasn't large either, cozy. There was a toaster and a rice cooker sitting in the breakfast nook and a large wok on the gas rangetop. Of what she could see, he wasn't a slob and was glad he didn't fit the stereotypical college student mold in the messiness category. Just then a girl came out of the bathroom and Elizabeth felt her stomach clench.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a guest over. I'm sorry. I didn't know…" Elizabeth fumbled with the words and her feelings. The other girl was very cute with Korean features and short black hair tied back. Elizabeth felt a tinge of jealousy and hurt rising but suppressed as best she could and kept it from showing

Sean was still able to catch on to the situation when he saw her mask her face in indifference. He placed a finger on her lips. "You know the rules, ‘Liz. No apologies. ‘Liz, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Cheryl. Cheryl, this is my girlfriend, Elizabeth."

Cheryl raised her hand and smiled, "Hi! Pleased to meet you."

Elizabeth took the hand and forced a smile to her lips. "Nice to meet you, too. I didn't know Sean had a friend over otherwise I would have gotten you something, as well. Sorry."

"Sean. You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend. When did this happen?"

"We just met a couple of weeks ago," Elizabeth replied. She almost felt as if she were saying it like holding a shield.