A Dangerous Affair Chapter 73

A Chapter by Repgreece

Stephanie and Tom slow dance

Brick led Stephanie over to the table that Tom had claimed for their poker game. Most of the other reporters were now also showing an interest in the poker challenge and they had gathered around the table. Tom was in the middle of transferring the drinks from the bar to the table when Brick reached him and handed Stephanie’s arm over to him.

“I feel like I’m giving her away. Here, she’s your responsibility now,” he grinned.

Tom looked proud of the fact and took her arm possessively.

“Hey, wait a minute, I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself thank you very much!” Stephanie said, keeping her arm in Tom’s nonetheless.

Simon chuckled by her side and she glared at him. “Hey! Stop laughing, you’d better be careful or my partner here will be onto you, he’s my protector!” she warned, holding onto his arm more tightly.

At that point Bob suddenly appeared from nowhere and stood up on a chair to see them through the crowd.

“I’ll challenge Tom to a duel for Stephanie!” he shouted out. All the other reporters laughed but Bob looked pleased with all the attention until Barker spotted him from the other side of the bar.

“Bob!” he yelled. “I want a word with you!”

“Oops,” Bob said, ducking off the chair and running for cover with a whiskey bottle sticking out from under his denim jacket.

“Come on partner, you’ve got to help me win this poker game,” Tom said, moving over to the bench sofa at the other side of the table and taking a seat opposite Brick. Stephanie amazed herself and everyone else by walking around the table unaided and Tom held out his hand to her, helping her pick her way across the feet of the reporters who had swiftly taken up seats around the table. When she eventually reached him he tapped his lap with his other hand and she looked at it with surprise.

“Oh, okay,” she said as he pulled her onto his lap.

He looked like the cat who’d got the cream and put his arm around her waist, announcing, “Stephie’s my lady luck, aren’t you partner?”

“Definitely,” she said, whispering something into his ear. All the other officers’ mouths dropped open as they watched them. Tom chuckled and she whispered to him again. He chuckled again; he was enjoying this. Then he noticed everyone’s eyes on them.

“Just discussing strategy,” he grinned.

Stephanie looked up. “Oh yes, strategy,” she said nodding.

Tom spotted Simon and Pippa then from behind the crowd and he gestured them over.

“Make way, make way,” he said, pushing the other reporters aside. Simon sat down and held out his arms for Pippa. She shrugged and sat on his lap, taking her cue from Stephanie.

“Right boss, what’s the ante?” Tom asked.

Brick reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of pound coins. “Two pounds?”

Tom nodded. “Sounds fair to me. I’ll throw in the keys to my Lamborghini later eh,” he winked at Stephanie. She giggled.

The cards were dealt and Tom and Brick picked up their hands.

“Oh before we start, pass Stephie’s drink over from the bar will you?” Tom said to one of the reporters opposite him. All the reporters grimaced and the reporter he’d spoken to looked at him as if he was making a big mistake but Tom glared at him so he got up and reached for the wine, placing it in front of Stephanie. She picked it up and took a sip. Everyone watched but she shooed their attention away with her hand and looked at Tom’s cards.

“What does that mean then?” she asked him.

He whispered something into her ear.

“Oh,” she replied, and then looked at the cards again. “Ooooooh,” she said, her face lighting up.

“Shhh.” Tom put a finger to his lips.

“Ooops, sorry,” she said.

The game was played and there was a lot of glaring between Tom and Brick, with both scrutinising each other’s eyes to see if they could guess the other’s hand. Tom raised the bet and, considering Stephanie’s drunken comments at the start of the game, Brick folded and Tom won the pot. Stephanie jumped up and down on his lap cheering loudly. Then Brick revealed that he had a flush and picked up Tom’s cards from off the table, turning them over to look at them.

“Two pair!” he exclaimed in disbelief, throwing them back on the table. Tom and Stephanie did a high five and then looked a little sheepishly at Brick.

“You two,” he pointed at them angrily and then clenched a fist, growling. “Bloody bluffers!”

Stephanie picked up her wine glass, took another sip but frowned at it, handing it back to the reporter. “Put that back on the bar for me will you and pass me a water,” she hiccupped. “I think I need it!”

After being well and truly caught out by Stephanie and Tom’s trickery, Brick insisted on playing again so that he had a chance of winning his money back. The bar owner approached them then and announced that the pub was closing but one look at Brick’s face and the owner agreed to let them stay on a little longer. Brick won the next game to Tom’s relief, he’d had enough of playing poker and had another plan in his head. Standing up, he took Stephanie’s hand and went back to the bar, beckoning the barman over and whispering for him to do something. The barman looked uncertain and brought the owner over to Tom. Eventually after much persuading, Tom achieved what he had wanted.

“How about a dance before we go Stephie?” he asked with a hopeful expression.

“But no one else is dancing,” she fretted.

“They are all busy over there, it’ll just be you and me alone. Come on, what do you say?”

She couldn’t possibly refuse considering the look on his face, so she took his hand and he led her over to an empty space at the other end of the pub as the music began. Tom had been quite wrong about nobody noticing however, and when he saw that everyone’s eyes were on them, he turned Stephanie so that her back was to them and blocked them out of his mind. He wanted to savour this moment with Stephanie.

Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her gently to him and she placed her hands on his shoulders, sliding them up his neck and into his hair. He closed his eyes and placed his head next to hers as they swayed to the music and he began to hum.

“You like Springsteen Stephie?” he asked.

“Err, I’m not sure I know this one.”

When the music started however she did recognise the song and he began to sing quietly into her ear.

I’m driving in my car

I turn on the radio

I’m pulling you close

You just say no

You say you don’t like it

But girl I know you’re a liar

‘cause when we kiss, oooh, fire!

She smiled and her heart did a huge leap in her chest. She moved her head and looked up at him, her eyes misty and full of emotion. She had some words in her head to tell him and her eyes told him everything but the words got caught in her throat and she had to swallow to stop tears from forming.

Tom’s whole being was reaching out to Stephanie. He’d never expected in his life to meet anyone he felt so much for, anyone half as wonderful as the woman in his arms. He wished that he could put into words and tell her how much he felt at that moment but he had no idea how to do so.

He began to sing again to the song.

When we kiss, oooh, fire!

“Kiss me Stephie,” he asked.

She looked unsure and went to turn her head to see if anyone was watching but he caught her by the chin and turned her head back.

“Don’t look at them, look at me and kiss me Stephie,” he asked again, stroking her cheek and cupping it with his hand. He didn’t attempt to pull her head towards him, but before long his other hand had cupped the other side of her face. Her heart was pounding and her face glowing red as his eyes drew her in, making it impossible for her to resist and her lips fell onto his. The kiss was tender but also passionate and heated at the same time. Tom bent his head to one side and deepened the kiss just before they heard cheers and shouts from behind them. Then someone started singing loudly and the whole room was filled with the loud sound of the reporters voices as they stood on the chairs and sang at the top of their voices.

Romeo and Juliet

Samson and Delilah

Baby you can bet

Their love they didn’t deny

Your words say split

But your words they lie

‘cause when you kiss, oooooooooh, Fire!

Stephanie laughed and buried her head into Tom’s chest in embarrassment as they began to chant.

Stephie and Tom, oooooh, fire! They’re burning up with fire!!! Fire!!!! Fire!!!!!