What If

                                                                         Chapter 16

He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her as she sat across the table from him. She smiled as she took a sip of her iced tea and said, “You really need to quit staring at me, Oded. It’s hard to eat.”

Oded felt heat rise up in his cheeks. “Sorry,” he apologized as he glanced down at his plateful of food briefly, then back at her. He hadn’t kissed her yet today. He focused on her lips as he began to think of how he would get that done before he dropped her back off at her work. God, he needed to kiss her something fierce, and not just a little peck, he wanted to pull her hard against him and lose himself in the taste . . .

“Oded!”

“Hmmm?” His eyes moved up to meet hers.

“How was your trip?” She had to get him talking; if he talked maybe he wouldn’t stare. He was making her nervous with the staring. He looked at her as if he might climb right over the table and devour her.

“It was fine,” he answered and went back to staring at her lips. Her tongue came out to wet them and he nearly groaned out loud.

Raegan rolled her eyes and put her fork down. She couldn’t take this anymore. He’d not taken his eyes off her practically from the moment he picked her up. She felt nervous and klutzy. She knew what he wanted and Lord help her, so did she. But they had no privacy at this moment and she wasn’t going to kiss him like she wanted in the middle of a restaurant. “Oded.” She tried again.

Oded tore his eyes away from her lips and looked up again. He blinked several times before arching a dark eyebrow in question. “What?”

Raegan leaned forward, her hair falling around her face and brushing the tabletop. “STOP! STARING!” She punctuated each word separately and rather loudly.

Suddenly Oded picked up the napkin from his lap and tossed it on the table. “Come on,” he commanded softly as he pulled out his billfold and tossed some money on the table.

“Where are we going?” Raegan asked in surprise. They still had at least a half hour of her lunchtime left. Good Lord, had she upset him with that last bit? Oded didn’t answer her; he merely took her hand and led her from the restaurant. “Oded?” Raegan called after him as he practically dragged her through the large courtyard of the small shopping center.

He glanced around, agitated. “Damn it, Rae, where is there a place where we can have a few minutes of privacy?” Raegan blinked in surprise, then giggled. Oded looked at her with curiosity. “What? You think it’s amusing that you are driving me to distraction?”

“No.” Raegan’s giggling stopped as she tried to keep a straight face. “It’s just that you’re looking for privacy, yet we are standing not five feet from a hotel.”

Oded turned and looked at the tall building they had stopped next to and let out a string of Hebrew curses. Raegan had no idea what they meant, but they made her flinch. Then he turned and looked back down at her. “I can’t take you in there. If I do, it won’t stop at kissing.”

Raegan blushed at his meaning. Her whole body reacted to his meaning. He stood there holding her hand, looking better than her lunch had. Oh my god, what I would love to do to this man, she thought to herself. You could always say yes. Reagan mentally chided herself. She had never been one to jump into bed so quickly with any guy; Oded should not be any different. “Maybe we should just head back,” Raegan suggested.

Oded took a step toward her, crowding into her space. “Not till after I kiss you,” he answered. “Thoroughly,” he added for good measure.

Raegan suddenly found it hard to breath as he towered over her. She could practically feel the heat of his body burning through to hers, he was so close. Her head fell back as she craned her neck to look up at him. “Oded,” she whispered, unable to say anything else. The thought of him kissing her as he suggested was turning her mind to mush. She shivered. “I’ll get us in a conference room again,” she finally managed to get out.

A smile played around his lips as he closed the short distance between them and gave her a hard, quick kiss. “Let’s go then.”

The restaurant that they had gone to was only a block from her building. A quick five minute jaunt, but it was the slowest walk back to the federal building Raegan had ever completed in her life. Waiting for an elevator to take them up to the 7th floor was the longest wait of her life. By the time she got the conference room door unlocked and they stepped inside, she felt an eternity had passed them by. Anticipation churned in her stomach as Oded shut the door behind him and locked it. Catching Raegan’s hand, he turned her back around and tugged, pulling her into his arms. Their eyes locked on each other. Then Oded lowered his head and he pressed his lips to hers.

His hands slid around her waist, holding her gently to him. Raegan thought she would die right then and there. She had expected impatience from him. She had expected him to grab her and kiss her fiercely, but his gentleness was nearly her undoing. His lips moved on hers, nibbling, tugging, sucking her lower lip briefly between his teeth, then releasing it. Raegan moaned as she melted against him, her hands sliding up to his broad shoulders. She parted her lips for him, but still he did not seek the inside of her mouth. Oded traced her bottom lip with his tongue, teasing the corners of her mouth. He seemed intent on learning everything about the outside of her mouth before exploring the inside. His tongue moved up along her upper lip, learning the feel and different textures. Raegan clutched at his shoulders, her hands balled into fists as she clung to him. Her knees no longer functioned to hold her up; only the strength in Oded’s arms wrapped around her waist kept her from sinking to the carpeted floor.

He was making love to her, she realized. Oded was making love to her mouth and right now, this very moment, he was preparing her for his entry. He was teasing her, touching her, tasting her, exciting her all with his mouth. Not once did his hands move from around her. Not once did he crush her against him; she rested lightly against his chest, just barely pressed there. Never in Raegan’s limited experiences with men had one kissed her in such a way. Raegan sensed that Oded was branding her in some way. Branding her with his kiss. It was intoxicating and Raegan was quickly becoming drunk on it, and on him. “Please,” she whimpered when he still made no move to enter her mouth with his tongue.

Oded nibbled at the section of skin just between her lower lip and her chin. He had been quite content for the moment with just exploring her lips, but hearing her whimpered plea shattered his resolve. With a muttered curse Oded raised his hands to take her face between his palms, tilted his head to one side and thrust his tongue between her parted lips. Raegan sagged against him with a groan. Her arms dropped to wrap around his waist, her hands flat against his lower back. His tongue swept through her mouth, brushing along her teeth, the roof of her mouth, swirling around her own tongue, while his thumbs stroked across her jaw, her cheeks, her chin. He felt, he tasted, and he drank from her intoxicating sweetness. He thought it would be enough. To just be able to kiss her, he thought that would be enough, but Oded was quickly finding out that the more he kissed, the more he tasted, the more he felt the warmth of her body pressed against his, he found the more he wanted her. The ache to kiss her was now a persistent ache to be inside her. It was a need that was as necessary as breathing.

“Oded,” she breathed heavily against his mouth. The reality of where they were came crashing down into Raegan’s muddled thoughts. The kiss was spiraling out of control and if she didn’t put a stop to it now, she knew she would not have the strength to do so later. “We can’t . . .” His lips cut off her protest. Raegan was quickly losing the battle to stop him. Her own body was ready for him. She was tingling all over and she knew she was wet between her legs. All he had to do was lower her to the floor or lay her across the long conference room table behind her and she would not protest.

Then suddenly Oded tore his mouth from hers with a deep groan, releasing his hands from her face. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her against him. “Raegan,” he gasped as he tried to catch his breath and still his racing heart. He struggled with his desire to take her down to the carpet right then. Closing his eyes, he laid his cheek against the top of her head. “Ah hell!” he finally whispered when he could talk again.

“So,” Raegan muttered. “Is this what I can look forward to every time you go away for a few days?”

Oded’s husky laughter brought a smile to Raegan’s face. His arms tightened around her as he nuzzled his face into the softness of her hair. “Could be,” he teased.

“If this is what happens when you go away for a few days, what will you do to me if you are gone filming a movie for weeks or months?” Raegan asked playfully. It was a rather large assumption on her part to even contemplate the fact that they could still be dating in that event, but she couldn’t resist.

Oded groaned. “God help me, I hope we never have to find out.” Raegan pulled her head back and smiled up at him. His eyes twinkled down at her as he planted a very chaste kiss on her lips before releasing her. “Actually, when filming starts next year for the sequel to the Mummy, I will either take you with me or I’ll just fly you out for periodic visits.” Oded had turned away from her to tuck his shirt back into his pants and missed the surprised look on Raegan’s face.

“You would?” she asked in wonderment. His statement had taken her completely by surprise. No, ‘if we are still dating,’ or ‘depending on what’s going on with us,’ just ‘I will take you.’ It suddenly occurred to Raegan that Oded was more than just interested in her for a few dates; he was looking for a relationship with her and was expecting it to go for the long haul. Suddenly she felt very giddy.

“Yeah,” Oded answered still distracted. “Of course, that is, if they ask me to reprise my roll as Ardeth Bay.” Oded glanced up at her with a smile. “But Stephen Sommers assured me they wanted Ardeth Bay in the sequel, so. . .” He broke off with a curious look on his face. “You okay, sweetness?”

Raegan nodded her head quickly. Oded took a step toward her and reached out his hand to caress her cheek with his fingers. “I ah-” She swallowed hard and tried again. “I guess I was just surprised to hear you speak of us in a future tense.”

Oded frowned dropping his hand. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Raegan shrugged. “I guess it’s just that we haven’t even had a real date yet and you’re talking about taking me with you to a movie set next year. I guess it just seems a bit strange to me. I mean, who knows if we will even being seeing each other next year?”

Oded smiled. “We will.”

Raegan returned his smile. “You seem pretty sure of yourself, there, handsome.”

Oded laughed. “Call me optimistic.” He reached his hand up, curled his long fingers around her chin and leaned down until they were eye level. His expression grew serious, his eyes intense as he gazed into her eyes. “This is no game for me, Raegan. I don’t date women for fun. I’m very picky and very selective. I know that sounds pretty conceited, but that is just the way I am. I’ve never been a casual dater. I’m either seriously involved or I’m not involved at all. And I never, ever date more than one woman at a time. You are the only woman in my life right now.” He leaned closer till their noses barely touched. “You are the only woman I want, period.”

“Oh,” was all Raegan could get out. The look he was giving her was making her knees shake and she couldn’t think of anything more intelligent to say.

Oded straightened up, releasing her chin. He smiled, changing the atmosphere he’d created with his seriousness. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to say all of that right now.”

Raegan nodded, but didn’t respond. She glanced up at the clock on the wall and saw that it was time for her to get back. “I need to get back,” was all she could get out.

Oded looked at her for a long moment before he finally nodded. He cursed himself silently. He’d been too direct with her, revealing too much of how he felt. He hoped he didn’t scare her off. “Alright, um, I’m gonna be tied up the next two days. I won’t be able to take you to lunch again until Thursday.”

Raegan nodded. “Would you mind if Nancy joined us? She’s been just dying to spend some time with you.”

Oded smiled. “Sure, sweetness, that would be fine with me.” He seemed to sense that having Nancy with them would ease some of the tension that was sure to be there on Thursday. Damn his mouth! He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes.

Oded walked Raegan back to her office. As they walked down the long hallway, he laced his fingers through hers. Stopping just before the reception room, he pulled closer. Leaning over he gave her a sweet lingering kiss. “I’ll call you tonight,” he said straightening up.

“Alright,” Raegan answered, looking up at him. Her mind was still numb from all that he’d revealed to her and her lips still tingled from the kiss he’d given her. She was going to be totally worthless the rest of the afternoon. She prayed no one would need anything.

Oded gave her fingers a squeeze, then released them. He turned and walked away, wondering if he’d just made the biggest mistake by telling her so soon how he felt about her. He hadn’t come right out and told her he was in love with her, because he wasn’t so sure about that himself. But he did have strong feelings for her and he had every intention of pursuing this relationship. He sighed as he hit the elevator button. Well, he thought, I’ll see how the next few days go. Hopefully I didn’t blow it!

Nancy was waiting for Raegan when she got back to her desk. Nancy watched her sink into her chair and sigh. “Helloooo? Anybody home in there?”

Raegan focused her gaze on Nancy. “You’re having lunch with us on Thursday,” she said quietly.

Nancy grinned. “Hot damn!” She twirled herself around in her chair, laughing. When she’d finished with her little dance, she turned back to face Raegan. “Okay, so now what’s the problem?”

Raegan lifted an eyebrow. “Problem?”

“Don’t pull that shit with me, Rae. Something happened, what was it?” Nancy demanded. “I know you too well,” she added for good measure.

“Before or after he kissed me senseless?” Raegan asked.

“Oh boy.” Nancy leaned forward in her chair. Just then Nancy’s beeper went off. “Damn it all to hell!” Nancy cursed loudly. She looked down at the number and muttered under her breath. “Damn it! It’s the boss, so I gotta go.” She stood and glanced down at Raegan. “But I want to here all about this kiss on the way home tonight, got it?” Raegan nodded and watched as Nancy disappeared around the corner.

Raegan answered the phone on the third ring. She knew that it was Oded. He had told her he would call. It was almost 9 o’clock and she had just gotten out of the tub where she’d taken a nice relaxing bubble bath while reliving the events of the day. She had told Nancy all about the kiss on the way home from work and Nancy had been completely speechless. For all of ten seconds. Then after bombarding Raegan with every question imaginable about the details of that kiss, Raegan proceeded to tell Nancy about what Oded had said to her. Nancy’s only words to her had been, “You lucky bitch!”

“Hello?” Raegan answered.

“Hey beautiful.” His deep voice warmed her. It always warmed her, filling her with anticipation.

“Hi,” she greeted softly.

“What have you been up to this evening?”

Raegan stretched out across her bed, her soft purple robe wrapped tightly around her. “Not much. Nancy is out with Rick and I just got out of the tub.”

Oded froze a moment, memories of a dream racing through his mind. “The tub?”

“Mmm hmmm. I enjoy bubble baths at night. They help me to relax,” Raegan answered. “Especially after I’ve had a stressful day.”

“Sweet Jesus,” Oded breathed. How could he have possibly dreamed about her taking a bubble bath, not knowing she enjoyed them so?

“Oded? Is something wrong?” Raegan asked, concerned.

“No. I, uh. . .” He hesitated, debating whether he should say anything, then thought what the hell, he’d already opened his mouth once today, why not finish it off with a bang. “Remember I told you that I was having dreams about you?”

“Yes.” Raegan shivered at the memory of her own dreams.

“There was one of you in a tub,” he said. “You were taking a bubble bath and I joined you.”

Raegan gasped. “No.”

The sound of her voice frightened him. He knew he had pushed her too far this time with his straightforwardness. “Raegan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that.”

“No, no, I mean, I think I had the same dream,” Raegan answered, stunned. “I was in the tub, and you were kneeling beside it. You were leaning over kissing me. The look in your eyes said you wanted to join me, so I said yes.” Raegan took a deep breath before continuing. She was remembering the dream as if it had just happened. “You smiled and stood. You were wearing a light blue button up shirt and faded blue jeans. You took off your clothes and joined me.”

At her hesitation, Oded picked up the narration. “I slid in behind you and you leaned back against me. We kissed and then. . .” Oded paused a moment. “And then I pleasured you.”

“Yes,” Reagan answered softly as a shiver run up her spine. She had to take several deep breaths before she could continue. “And then I woke up, still in the tub.”

Oded was too stunned to answer at first. Then he said, “I was on the couch. I had fallen asleep when I dreamed that. I woke up as I fell off and hit the floor.”

Raegan laughed softly, then she grew serious. “Is that possible, Ded? For two people to have the same dream at the same time?”

“It must be, because we did.” Oded paused a moment. He knew he needed to address what had happened that afternoon. He hadn’t planned on it, but in light of them both sharing the same dream, he felt he should. “Raegan, about this afternoon…”

“It’s alright, Oded,” Raegan interrupted him. “I know you’re concerned about what you said.”

“It upset you,” he pointed out.

“It did at first,” Raegan answered. “But not because I’m not happy about it,” she clarified. “It thrills me that you care. I guess everything is just happening so fast that I haven’t even had time to digest it all yet. I’m still trying to grasp the fact that you find me attractive and then you’re talking about your feelings for me and future events that involve us. It was just a bit overwhelming at the time.”

“But you are okay with it now?” he asked, still concerned.

“Still a bit overwhelmed, but yes, I’m okay with it.” She chuckled. “I do appreciate your honesty though. I prefer it straightforward like that, to tell the truth. As much as I hate to admit this, I’m afraid who you are is playing a role in my ability to handle all of this.”

“You are not afraid of me, are you?” he asked.

“Goodness no.” Raegan laughed. “It’s that ‘It could never happen to me’ syndrome I think. I look at you and I think ‘how could Oded Fehr be interested in me?’”

“And I look at you and wonder how you could possibly be interested in me. You are a beautiful woman, Raegan, inside and out. You could have any guy you want; yet it’s me you look at, it’s me you desire. You have no idea what that does to me,” Oded replied gruffly.

Raegan’s heart skipped a beat at his words. She was quickly learning that Oded was very outspoken and very honest. She wasn’t used to men like that and she was going to have to get used to that if she continued to see him. “Something else concerns me,” Raegan stated. If Oded could be straightforward about their relationship, so could she.

“What is that, sweetness?” he asked.

“I really do care for you too, Oded, so I feel I should be totally honest with you about my feelings,” Raegan began. “I just want to make sure that my feelings for you are for Oded, the man and not Oded Fehr, the actor. Do you understand?” she asked.

Oded was quiet for a moment, then he answered, “Yes, I do understand.” He paused a moment before continuing. “I appreciate that, Raegan. Most women I’ve been around would not think twice about something like that. I think that the fact that it concerns you so much should tell you that your feelings for me are real and not just an infatuation with an actor.”

Raegan had to smile. “You are probably right.”

“So when are we going to have a real date, Rae?” Oded asked.

Raegan laughed at the abrupt change of subject. “A real date? You mean to tell me that our lunch dates together are not real?”

Oded chuckled. “Yes, they are real. Unfortunately after a lunch date though, I can’t bring you back here and make love to you.”

Raegan stopped laughing and felt her heart slam in her chest as her body reacted to his words. “Oh my.”

“Ah hell, Rae, I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to keep my mouth shut around you,” Oded apologized.

Raegan laughed softly. “Hmm, yes well. At least I know what’s on your mind.”

Oded laughed. “Yes, you do at that. So, can we plan a date for Saturday?”

“I think that would be great.”

“Good. Well, I’ll let you go then. I’ll call you tomorrow,” Oded replied.

“Okay,” Raegan answered softly.

“Goodnight, sweetness.”

“Goodnight, Oded.” Raegan hung up the phone and sighed. She could hardly believe that Oded Fehr was nuts about her. Saturday night. A real date with him. She rolled over and a shiver raced up her spine. Would he take her back to his place? Would they make love? “Oh boy!” Raegan whispered and got up to get her nightgown on and go to bed.

                                                           ********************

                                                                     Chapter 17

Tuesday and Wednesday flew by for Raegan. Things picked up at work and she was busy from the time she got there until her and Nancy left. It was just as well that Oded hadn’t been able to take her to lunch because she probably would not have been able to break away for it. As it was, she had Nancy go pick up lunch for her and she ate while continuing to work. Her attorney, Lisa was preparing for trial in the next few weeks, so preparations were beginning to take place. Each night, though, Oded would call her and they would talk for an hour or so. They were becoming more and more comfortable with each other, talking about their lives and past experiences. Oded told her about growing up in Israel and the time he spent in the Israel Navy and in Germany. She loved listening to him talk. He had such a deep sexy phone voice. She closed her eyes and listened to his voice as he told her about attending the Old Vic Bristol School Of Acting in London, how he had discovered a love for photography and his enjoyment of swimming and scuba diving.

Then when it was Raegan’s turn, she told him about growing up in Southern California. How her and Nancy had been best friends since elementary school. She told him of her own love for photography and how she discovered it in high school and was a school photographer, taking pictures of different events for the high school’s yearbook. Oded, ever the inquisitive one asked Raegan a million questions about her childhood, learning everything he could about this woman who was quickly stealing his heart. For the most part they tried to keep their conversations light, but inevitably it would turn sexual in nature and both of them would hang up frustrated.

By the time Thursday arrived, Raegan was missing Oded badly. She almost asked Nancy if it would be okay to wait on their lunch date together with him so that she could be alone with him, but Nancy was so excited about it and had talked of nothing else for the past two days that Raegan didn’t have the heart to do it. She knew from her phone conversation with Oded the night before that he was missing her just as badly. Her cheeks grew warm remembering his words just before they had hung up. As usual it had started out simply enough. They talked mostly about her, then they talked about their lunch date the next day. Raegan reminded Oded that Nancy was joining them and he said that he remembered. Then out of the clear blue, Oded floored her.

“Do you know how badly I want to make love to you right this minute?”

Raegan had been speechless. Her nipples had hardened and she felt herself grow wet between her legs. When she had finally found her voice, the only thing she could manage to say was, “Oh.” It wasn’t the most intelligent or the wittiest thing she had ever said, but it made Oded laugh. It was a deep husky laugh that about curled her toes and melted her right there on the bed.

And now here she sat at her desk, waiting for Nancy. It was just a few minutes before 1 o’clock and Oded would be there any minute. Her phone rang, startling her out of her thoughts.   It was her intercom line. She reached for the handset and noticed her hand was shaking slightly. God, this man had such an effect on her! “Raegan,” she answered.

“Sexy is here.”

Raegan laughed, her tension easing at Tina’s words. “Thanks, T. Tell him Nancy and I will be right there.”

“Okay,” Tina answered and she heard Tina’s voice saying to Oded, “She and Nancy will be . . .” and the line went dead.

Raegan hung up and started to pick up the phone again to call Nancy. “I’m here, I’m here,” Nancy called out as she approached Raegan’s desk.

“Good, he just got here.” Raegan stood, grabbing her purse.

Nancy started doing a small dance. “I’m having lunch with Oded Fehr!” she said happily.

Raegan laughed, shaking her head. “Come on, duffus.” And she headed off towards the front of the office.

Oh boy! Raegan thought as she opened the door to the reception room and saw Oded standing there waiting for them. He was wearing a pair of tight black jeans and a black tee shirt that literally stretched across his torso. He looked dangerous and incredibly gorgeous and it didn’t help that the look he was giving her was a predatory one. He looked like he wanted to have her for lunch rather than take her to lunch. She stopped abruptly, causing Nancy to bump into her from behind.

“Ooff!” Nancy grunted, shoving Raegan forward. “Damn it, Rae, put your brake lights on.”

But Raegan didn’t hear a word; she stumbled forward as Oded moved across the small reception area, his eyes on her alone as he caught her and then bent his head to kiss her. The moment their lips met, they forgot everyone around them. Raegan lifted her hand to touch his cheek as Oded deepened the kiss, his arms pulling her closer to him. When he released her a few moments later, he lifted his head to find both Nancy and Tina staring at them wide eyed and mouths hanging open. Oded cheeks turned bright red under his olive complexion.

He cleared his throat and flashed Nancy his megawatt smile. “Sorry,” he muttered then he stepped toward Nancy, his long fingers slipping around her upper arm as he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, giving her arm a gentle squeeze as he did so. Stepping back, he gave Tina an embarrassed smile and took Raegan’s hand in his. “You two ready to go?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Raegan answered, recovering first and walked out. Nancy, who for the first time in her life had been rendered completely speechless, could only nod her head and follow, still reeling from Oded’s unexpected kiss on the cheek.

“So where are you two lovely ladies taking me today?” Oded asked as they left the building.

“Chinese,” Raegan answered, taking the initiative and slipping her hand back into Oded’s. Oded looked down at her and smiled, his fingers lacing through hers.

“Chin’s Restaurant?” Oded asked as he raised Raegan’s hand up to press his lips to the back of it.

Nancy, who had since recovered, whipped her head around. “How do you know about Chin’s?”

“Oops,” Raegan said.

“Oops?” Nancy glared over at Raegan. “Is this another one of your ‘I forgot to mention’ things?”

“Uh-huh,” Raegan answered with a grimace.

Oded chuckled. “I take it you didn’t tell Nancy about me seeing you two at Chin’s when I was still posting on the message board, huh?”

Nancy turned her gaze back on Oded. “No, she failed to mention that little bit,” she said a bit sarcastically. “She seems to be doing that a lot lately.”

“Well, there was a lot going on when Oded told me about that. It was the last time we were there. He was there for a meeting with his publicist,” Raegan began.

Nancy glanced up at Oded. “Your publicist? You mean the blonde chick we were talking about that one time?”

“Yes, Trish Barnett,” Oded answered.

Nancy snorted. “Well hell, Oded, no wonder you were so knowledgeable about the whole thing.”

Oded blushed and looked away. “I still feel bad about all that,” he said softly.

Raegan squeezed his hand with hers, but Nancy spoke up before she could. “It’s forgiven and forgotten, Oded. Even the girls on the message board have forgiven you. In fact, they told me recently that they hope you’ll drop in ever so often to say hi.”

Oded smiled. “Thanks, Nance. I’ll do that.”

They reached the restaurant and were promptly seated at a booth. After going over the menu, they placed their orders and the waiter left.

“So, Oded. Do you have any more movies in the works?” Nancy asked.

Oded leaned back on the bench seat, his hand slipping under the table to rest on Raegan’s thigh. “Yes, as a matter of fact I just finished filming a new movie a week ago. It’s a comedy called ‘Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo.” Raegan squirmed a bit with his hand resting so high up on her thigh. She rested her own hand on top of his in way of saying, ‘behave.’ Oded gave her thigh a squeeze, telling her he read the message loud and clear.

“A comedy huh? I take it from the title it’s about a gigolo?” Nancy asked.

“Yes, sort of.” Oded laughed. “Rob Schneider plays the part of Deuce. He’s a nerdish fish tank cleaner who has the worst luck with women.” Oded paused as the waiter showed up with their food. After he left, Oded continued as they ate. “Anyway, Deuce gets a job at a luxurious Malibu apartment cleaning the fish pond and he meets up with this guy.”

“Don’t tell me. . .” Nancy quipped. “You?” Oded nodded as he took a bite of his food.

“I have a feeling that you play a gigolo in this movie,” Raegan replied.

“Yes, I do.” Oded smiled.

“Oh my god!” Nancy leaned forward. “Do we get to see you naked?”

Oded choked on the food he’d just swallowed and began coughing. “NANCY!” Raegan began laughing so hard that tears came to her eyes. She turned to Oded and pounded him on the back a couple of times. “You alright, honey?” She asked, still laughing.

Oded reached for his glass of water and took a couple of swallows. When he could speak again, he laughed. “Weeeell, as a matter of fact. . .”

Raegan, who had gone back to eating, nearly dropped her fork as her head snapped around. “You’re naked in the movie?”

Something about the tone of her voice caused Oded to turn his head and look down at her. Amusement danced in his dark eyes as he gazed at her shocked expression. “Just from behind.”

“Oooo, hot damn a butt shot!” Nancy laughed happily.

Oded never took his eyes off Raegan as he tried to gauge her reaction to this bit of information. “Does that bother you?” he asked softly.

Raegan stared back at him. “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully. “Actually, yes it does. The thought of a bunch of strange women seeing you naked bothers me.”

Nancy snorted. “Yeah, especially when she hasn’t seen you naked herself.”

Oded and Raegan turned and looked at Nancy. Nancy had the common sense to blush, “Well, I assume you haven’t seen him naked,” she began to babble nervously. “I mean, you haven’t, right?”

Oded began to laugh and Raegan just glared at Nancy. “No, she hasn’t seen me naked, Nancy.” He slipped his arm around Raegan’s shoulders and pulled her closer as he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “But I’m working on it.” He felt her shiver and he smiled as he pressed his lips to the bit of exposed skin just behind her ear.

“Would you two knock that shit off?” Nancy asked teasingly. Oded chuckled softly as he straightened up. “So tell us more about this movie? When does it come out?”

“Hmmm, not till the end of the year.” Oded answered, taking a drink of his water. “My role in this movie is similar to The Mummy as far as screen time. I’m in the beginning of it and then at the end of it. My character leaves on a business trip and Deuce apartment sits for him, eventually taking over the role of a gigolo to make some money to replace the expensive fish tank he breaks that belongs to my character.”

“Really? And it doesn’t come out till the end of the year, huh?” Nancy asked. At Oded’s nod, she replied, “Bummer, I got to wait six more months before I can see your naked ass.”

“NANCY!” Raegan scolded her as Oded started laughing again.

“What?” Nancy asked with an innocent look. “Look here, missy. The only way I’m ever gonna get to see this man with no clothes on is in this movie, so excuse me if I sound a bit disappointed!”

They both glared at each other as Oded looked back and forth between the two, quite amused. “Alright, ladies, no fighting.”

Nancy smiled at Oded. “She never used to be this sensitive, ya know. It’s all your fault. Just a few weeks ago, we were laughing and talking about this kind of stuff with no problem. Now all of a sudden she’s dating you and nobody can say shit.”

“Shut up, Nancy!” Raegan growled. Oded glanced down at Raegan, trying to keep a straight look on his face. Raegan was glaring at Nancy, who was looking innocently back at her.

Oded leaned his head down and whispered in her ear, “My god, I can’t wait to get you alone.”

Raegan’s eyes grew big as her face flushed a deep red. She elbowed Oded in the ribs, causing him to wince. “Behave yourself,” she answered softly.

He laughed. “Yes, ma’am,” he answered with a smile as he reached out and grabbed his glass of water. He winked at Nancy as he took a drink.

Nancy shook her head with a smile. “You two are disgusting.”

“Not any more disgusting as some of the displays I’ve seen you and Rick do,” Raegan quipped with a grin.

“Well, we aren’t talking about me and Rick, now are we?” Nancy answered a bit sarcastically.

“Do you two always talk like this, or do I just bring out the best in both of you?” Oded laughed.

Nancy and Raegan both grinned at Oded. “Rae and I have a love/hate kind of friendship,” Nancy answered. “We are always freaking people out with the way we talk to each other.”

“It’s just our way,” Raegan added. “We’ve been like this practically from the beginning, only it’s gotten worse as we’ve gotten older.”

“God, you two must have been a riot when you were kids.” Oded smiled.

“Oh we were.” Nancy laughed. “Hey Rae, remember when you got your head stuck between the railing of the stairs at my parents’ house?”

Oded raised an eyebrow and grinned as he looked down at Raegan. “Oh shut up, Nancy. I’m sure Oded doesn’t want to hear about that!”

“On the contrary, I would love to hear about that,” Oded teased. Raegan groaned, her face falling into her hands. Oded glanced up at Nancy, his eyebrows raised, indicating for her to continue with the story.

“Well, we were ten years old and we were playing on the stairs at my parents’ house and I dared Rae to stick her head between the posts. She did and got stuck. My mom could not get her head out.” Nancy was beginning to laugh as she told the story. “She tried everything except cutting the posts. She wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Mom finally had to call the fire department. They came, and after working for about half an hour declared that they’d have to cut the railing. It was a big production and Raegan was razzed about it at school for a long time afterwards,” Nancy finished, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Raegan was blushing through the whole retelling of the story. “Well, that is nothing compared to the time Nancy got caught writing a note during class and had to stand up and read it before the whole classroom.” Raegan grinned.

“OH my god!” Nancy clapped her hands over her face. “THAT was sooooo embarrassing!”

Oded was laughing; his sides were beginning to ache. “Was the note written to you?” he asked Raegan.

“Yes, but thankfully, she didn’t put my name on it and Nancy was a true friend and didn’t reveal to whom she’d written it,” Raegan answered. “The bad thing, though, was she was telling me about a boy she had a crush on and it was quite explicit.” Reagan laughed.

“No shit?” Oded grinned at Nancy, who was looking everywhere but at them.

“It was quite hysterical, especially since that boy was in the same class,” Raegan added.

Oded snorted his laughter. “It WAS NOT that funny,” Nancy stated, annoyed. Oded just laughed harder and Raegan grinned.

“Pay back’s a bitch, ain’t it, Nance?” Reagan said with a smile.

“You’ll get yours, bitch.” Nancy grinned back.

“Oh please, you two, stop!” Oded wiped tears from his eyes. “You are both killing me.”

“Well, it’s time for us to head back anyway,” Raegan announced. Oded signaled for the check and after paying, they got up and started the walk back to the federal building.

“Thanks for the treat, Oded.” Nancy smiled when they reached the office.

“It was my pleasure, Nancy.” Oded smiled and he leaned forward to kiss her cheek.

“Twice, he’s kissed this cheek.” Nancy smiled dreamily. “I’m never washing it again.”

“Oh god!” Raegan rolled her eyes. Oded laughed as Nancy walked away.

He turned to Raegan and his eyes darkened as he pulled her close. They didn’t have any privacy, so he kissed her sweetly and said, “I’ll call you tonight.”

“Okay,” Raegan answered breathlessly.

“Rae,” Oded began. “I want to ask you something.”

Raegan looked up at him warily. She never knew what he was going to say to her. “Okay.”

“I want you to think about letting me pick you up after work tomorrow and staying the weekend with me,” he stated.

“The whole weekend?” she nearly squeaked.

“Yes.” He laughed softly. “The whole weekend. Pack some clothes and whatever else you will need and bring it with you. I’ll consider driving you home Sunday night, but count on staying till Monday morning and I’ll just drop you off here at work.”

Raegan suddenly took a step back with a stony look on her face. “Are you asking or telling?”

Oded blinked at the abrupt change of mood between them. He was learning many things about Raegan and one of them was not to tell her anything. You asked. “Of course I’m asking, Rae. I would never presume to tell you that you had to stay the weekend with me.”

Raegan’s expression quickly changed. “I’m sorry, Oded. That was wrong of me. I knew you were asking.”

Oded raised his hand up to cup her chin. “I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to do, Rae. I’m not Billy.”

Raegan flinched at his mention of Billy. Once again, Oded had perceived right and hit the proverbial nail on the head. Raegan dropped her gaze, tears filling her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Damn it,” Oded breathed as he pulled Raegan into his arms. He was aggravated that they had no privacy for this, so he kissed her softly and stepped away. “Don’t be sorry, sweetness, just think about what I asked you, okay? I’ll call you tonight.”

Raegan wiped roughly at her eyes, embarrassed. She nodded her head as Oded leaned in for another brush of his lips across hers. He smiled, winked, then walked away.

                                            ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

                                                          What If - Chapters 18 - 19