Tango for Four

Wick smiled at his reflection in the mirror. He had been looking so forward to his date tonight, it had been the longest two day wait of his life. He ran a comb through his hair and donned his brown leather jacket, then grabbed his keys and headed out.

Bell looked up from the book he was reading. "Where are you going?"

"Got a date, man."

"I guess I'll see you later then." He narrowed his eyes. "Or will I?"

Wick looked sheepish. "Naw, man, you will."

Michael watched as he left the apartment. He looked at the phone thoughtfully for a few moments. Finally making up his mind, he tossed the book aside then picked up the receiver and dialed a familiar number.

She answered on the third ring. "Hello?" "Hey, Ryan."

"Hey yourself. What's up?"

"Well, Wick has a date tonight, so I thought you could come over and we could order pizza and rent a movie or something. Unless you're busy, Imean-"

"No, it sounds great. I'll be over in about twenty minutes, I can pick up a movie on the way." "Sounds like a plan."

"Anything particular you wanna see?" "Not really. I'll leave it up to you."

"Okay, well I'll head out right now and I'll see you in a bit."

"Great. See you soon." "Bye."

He replaced the receiver in its cradle and started to tidy up a bit.

He knocked on her door, straightening the bouquet of irises he held. The door opened to reveal Joanne, dressed in jeans and a white tee shirt. She smiled at him, inviting him inside.

"These are for you" he said, handing her the flowers.

"They're beautiful," she said. "Let me put them in some water and then we can go." Wick followed her into the kitchen. "Nice place you've got."

"Thanks. I'm glad you like it." She finished cutting the stems then arranged the flowers in the vase she'd filled with water. She set the vase on the table then turned to him. "Ready?" he asked. She nodded.

"Then let's go," he said opening the door and gesturing to the 4Runner. "Your chariot awaits."

Twenty minutes later, they pulled up outside Sloan's bar. Wick went around to Joanne's side and opened the door for her then offered her his hand. Smiling at him, she slipped hers into his and they headed inside.

"Evening, Wick," Sloan said from behind the bar.

"Evenin', Sloan. Can we get a booth in the back?"

"Sure thing, I just got one cleared." "Thanks."

"So who's the pretty little thing you got with you tonight?" Sloan asked as he led them to the booth.

. Joanne Caufield, meet Davey Sloan, the proprietor of this fine establishment," Wick said with a grin. "Nice to meet you," Joanne replied.

Likewise." *So this is the one,* he thought, watching the way they acted toward each other. There was definitely something there. He decided that of all the girls Wick had brought in, he liked this one the best. "Here you are," Sloan said as they arrived at the booth. "You both enjoy your dinner." He left with a discreet wink in Wick'sdirection.

Joanne sat back and looked at Wick as their waitress, who had come and taken their order, walked away. "It's a nice place," she said. "Do you always eat here?"

He smiled. "Yeah. It's kind of a firemen's bar. Well, firemen andmedics."

"I like it."

"I'm glad. I was kinda worried you wouldn't. I mean, the food's way better than the cafeteria at the hospital," he laughed nervously, "but it's nothin' special or anythin'."

She reached over and covered his hand with hers. "You don't have to impress me, Wick. I agreed to go out with you because I like being with you. The real you. There's so much there that people don't see. So make me a promise, okay? Don't spend the night trying to think of ways to impress me. You can do that by being yourself."

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "Deal."

"So can you give me a little hint about what we're doing tonight?"

He just grinned at her. "You'll find out soon enough."

"". . .because I love you.""

""Just remember who said it first.""

"Good movie," Michael said as the end credits began to roll.

"You're just saying that. Go on, you can say you hated it, I won'tmind."

"No, I really liked it. It was good. Got me thinking." "About?" she prompted.

"About things. Look how much time they spent being lonely when the person they needed was right in front of them the whole time."

Kathleen looked at him closely, not quite sure how to interpret his words. Was he trying to tell her needed her? That he loved her? She didn't know. She wasn't even sure of her own feelings. She knew she needed him, that she felt good when she was with him, that she missed him like crazy when they were apart, but she wasn't sure what that added up to. Love wasn't something she'd had a lot of experience with.

Michael watched Kathleen. She looked absolutely beautiful, sitting on the couch in her faded blue jeans and her gray cami top. He was suddenly hit with the overwhelming urge to kiss her. Before he could stop himself, he was leaning over and pulling her to him. She seemed surprised by his advance, but didn't pull away. Quite the contrary, she had absolutely no trouble responding to it.

The kiss was slow and tender at first, but quickly turned passionate as their tongues found each other and began a sensual dance, hinting at things to come. She twined her fingers in his hair, relishing the feeling, as his hands slipped underneath her thin camisole top to cup her breasts. She moaned into his mouth, her head beginning to spin from the sensations he was causing. He turned his attention to her neck, nibbling and licking at the creamy skin. Their lips met again as they began to remove each other's shirts, wanting to feel skin against skin.

He laid her back on the couch as he trailed hot kisses from her lips to the hollow between her breasts. He returned his attention to her neck and began to push her bra straps down her shoulders, trailing kisses where they had been. Finally frustrated with its limitations on their activities, he unhooked it and pushed it aside, freeing her breasts from their lacey prison. He kissed the hollow of her neck then moved to suckle her right nipple while he tweaked the left. She writhed beneath him as he switched to her other nipple.

His hands kneaded her breasts as he moved his mouth down the front of her body. She moaned loudly as she felt his tongue probe her navel. She reached down and tugged him back up for a long kiss. Not wanting to go any further out there on the couch, Michael took her hand and pulled her with him to the bedroom, never breaking contact with her mouth.

He paused only long enough to shut the door before leading her over to the bed. He sat down on the edge of it, pulling her to straddle his hips. They continued kissing as he laid back and it was her turn to drive him wild. She took her job seriously, kissing him from his jawline to his collar bone before turning her attention to his chest. She sought out his nipple with her tongue and he gasped as her mouth closed around it. She sucked at it gently, raking her teeth over it and enjoying his moans of pleasure. He fisted his hands in her hair and drove her back up to his mouth for another passionate kiss. Not wanting to waste anymore time, they quickly divested each other of their remaining articles of clothing.

"You are so beautiful," he breathed. "So beautiful."

She pulled him down to kiss her, their tongues once again starting their familiar duel. His hands trailed down her body, cupping her buttocks then sliding around to the front to caress her moist folds.

"God, Michael, I want you so much," she moaned.

He continued teasing her, feeling her sweetness on his fingers. She was writhing beneath him, moaning loudly now. "Please, Michael," she begged. "Please take me."

He straddled her and positioned himself, then he entered her in one swift thrust as she arched forward to take him deeper inside her. He began moving inside her and Kathleen's head spun with the feelings he was creating. She clung to him, rocking with him for all she was worth. He began thrusting deeper and harder as he felt himself getting closer to the edge. "Yes," she chanted, "God, yes."

Their mouths met again and she arched toward him in rhythym with his powerful thrusts. She was so close, she could feel the fire building within her. Her breath was coming in little gasps now, their bodies slick with sweat. He thrusted deeply into her and they tumbled over the edge together, their cries absorbed by each other's mouth. Spent, they cuddled together and drifted into a restful sleep.

"This was a terrific idea," Joanne said as she and Wick walked hand in hand down the Santa Monica Pier. "I haven't been to an musement park inages."

"Yeah, I haven't been to one since I was about twelve. Me and my brother were the ring toss champs. We used to win the big prize everyyear."

"Really?" she grinned. "Then I guess you're just going to have to put your money where your mouth is."

He smiled mischievously at her challenge. "What's in it for me?"

"If you win, you pick the next ride. If you don't, I pick it."

"You've got yourself a deal."

They headed over to the ring toss and true to his word, Wick won a giant stuffed tiger. He smiled triumphantly at Joanne. "Satisfied?"

She smiled in return. "Yes, actually, I am. A deal's a deal, so you pick the ride."

He lead her over to the Giant Wheel. There was no one else on the ride, so Wick slipped the attendant some cash to stop them on top for a while. The teenager winked at him and when they were in, the wheel began its ascent. "Wow," she breathed as she looked out over the city. "It's so beautiful from up here, like having your own little world."

"Not as beautiful as you are," he replied, turning to look at her.

She met his eyes and saw a range of emotions flicker across them. He was completely sincere. "Has anyone ever told you how sweet you are?"

He blushed and looked away. She reached out and turned his face toward her. "You are. You're the sweetest guy I've ever dated, and I could be falling very hard for you." He smiled nervously.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the feeling's mutual."

She leaned forward and kissed him softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Suddenly she jerked back. "We stopped."

"Yeah, I fixed it so we could enjoy the view uninterrupted for a few extra minutes."

"In that case," she said, twining her arms around his neck and settling closer to him, "where were we?"

He leaned in to kiss her. "I think we were right here."

"Yeah, that feels about right."

They stayed at the top for a few more minutes before beginning their descent. Once they had exited the ride, they retrieved the tiger from the attendant. It had been way too big to fit on the ride with them. Wick checked his watch. Almost nine-thirty. He hated to end the evening, but they both had to work tomorrow.

"I guess we should head out," she said, not bothering to mask her disappointment.

"I guess so. We could always come back next week," he suggested.

She grinned. "If you can get the guy running the Giant Wheel to let us have a few more moments like that, you've got yourself a deal."

"With an incentive like that, how could I refuse?"

They walked hand in hand back to the 4Runner, Wick carrying the tiger. He drove Joanne home, making sure to walk her to her door and give her a thorough kissing good night. Once he'd seen her inside, he walked back to the car and headed for his own home.