You Never Know

As the elevator door opened on the ground floor of the hotel, I almost ran outside to the cab stand and hailed a taxi. Once I was in the cab and on the way, I began to relax. As I passed different sites along the way, I almost felt like my body had been gently lifted as my mind wandered to thoughts of Jennifer. I remembered looking at her for the first time, and how I could feel my blood racing through my veins with each beat of my heart. However, my reverie came to an end when the cabbie said, "Here we are, Sir," and then I felt the taxi come to complete stop. I paid my fare and got out. I stood in front of what looked like one of the many brownstones along the street until I saw the sign that read "Two Quails Restaurant".

I walked up the steps, went in, and as soon as I got inside the door; a young woman, dressed in a white lace blouse and a knee length black skirt, approached me and asked, "Mister Peters?"

"Yes," I replied.

She smiled and said, "Please follow me. Ms. Pierce is waiting for you."

"Damn, I'm late," I said quietly under my breath.

Apparently I wasn't quiet enough, because the young woman turned around grinning and whispered, "No, you're not late. She just got here about two minutes before you did." Before I could reply, we turned a corner and there was Jennifer sitting at a table and looking even more beautiful than she did when I first saw her earlier that morning. As we neared, she stood and took my hand then leaned in and said, "Good evening, Handsome."

"Hi," I replied nervously.

Before we sat down; I noticed that Jennifer was wearing a skirt that came just below mid thigh level, beautifully displaying her long legs. I thought that my glances had been discreet, but as I looked back up; she was staring into my eyes grinning and said, "Well, it's good to know that the money I spent on this skirt wasn't wasted." I blushed and was about to apologize when she held up her hand, and still smiling, said, "Why don't we sit down and eat, Doug?"

"Okay," I sheepishly replied, "But I'm sorry for staring at you."

Once we were seated, she reached across the table, and taking my hand and looking intently into my eyes, said, "Don't be, I'd be upset if you didn't stare," and then she laughed, totally catching me off guard. I began to relax, and noticing this, she pointedly asked, "I've always been fascinated with undersea exploration, and I was wondering if you'd be willing to tell me about your salvage and diving operation down in the Florida Keys?"

"What do you wanna know?" I asked.

She smiled and said, "What are you planning to do with the findings of Dr. Cousteau?"

"I was planning on exploring the aqueduct and seeing it first hand," I replied. She looked at me like I had two heads and I said, "What?"

Jennifer laughed and asked, "Isn't that really dangerous?"

"Well, it depends on how you look at it. I mean, simply walking outside these days can be just as dangerous," I explained, "But it's all a matter of being aware of not only your surroundings, but being prepared for any obstacles you might have to overcome,"

She laughed again and said, "I guess it's true what I've heard about you then."

"And what was that?" I asked, uneasily.

She stopped laughing, and gently took my hand in hers, and then leaned over toward me and softly replied, "I've heard that you're fearless"

"Nah," I said, brushing it off, "There must be some mistake."

However, her grip on my hand, while still gentle, slightly tightened, and looking me directly in the eyes, she said, "I was told that under combat conditions, you were not only a formidable giant, but that your enemies would run in terror" Then she let go of my hand and sat up straight.

"I don't know who told you that," I laughed, "But whoever it was, greatly exaggerated."

"It was Admiral Mike Nelson," Jennifer laughed

"That explains a whole lot then," I smiled, shaking my head, "While I love Mike Nelson like family, he tends to stretch the truth a bit."

Jennifer leaned back in her seat and began to giggle like a school girl and replied, "Ya know, he told me you'd say that too" This elicited laughter from us both and I began to feel more relaxed around Jennifer, and her around me.

As the evening progressed, she got me to open up to her about my past, my naval career, and before I knew it; I began to feel like I was being drawn to this woman like a moth to a flame. Jennifer seemed to hang on my every word and I on hers, and as the time began to grow late; we both realized that we had not yet discussed my grant situation. It seemed that we talked about everything but that. Looking at her watch, Jennifer smiled and said, "I'll tell you what; I get off at noon tomorrow. Why don't I pick you up in front of your hotel around twelve-thirty, and we'll continue this from there. Okay?"

"That sounds like a plan to me," I replied, grinning. We only had about thirty minutes before the kitchen closed so Jennifer ordered the Chicken Scaloppini and I had the Filet Mignon. The food was fantastic and I didn't hesitate to tell the waitress that I wanted to let the restaurant owner know how much we enjoyed it. Unbeknownst to me, the owner, a woman named Michelle Sullivan, and Jennifer, were good friends. So, when the waitress called her over to our table, I rose from my seat, and extending a handshake, said "Hi, my name is Doug Peters, and this is Jennifer Pierce. I wanted to let you know how much we've thoroughly enjoyed, not only the cuisine but, the atmosphere here."

Returning the hand shake she smiled at me and said, "Well, thank you Doug. Just so you know, Jennifer and I are very good friends, but she didn't tell me how handsome you were." My face immediately turned a bright crimson, and before I could say anything; she continued and said, "Oh look Jen, he's blushing. Oh my God, how adorable is that?" For some reason, I've always become embarrassed whenever a woman would comment on my looks or such, to the point that I still do it to this day. This night was no exception either as my face remained the bright crimson color brought on earlier by the woman's comments. So in an attempt to put me at ease; she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "My name is Michelle Sullivan, and it's nice to meet you, Doug."

After an invitation from Jennifer to join us, Michelle sat down and had an after dinner liqueur with us. She and Jennifer had Amaretto while I enjoyed some brandy. As we sipped our drinks Michelle turned to me and said, "Jennifer and I went to college and were sorority sisters at Georgetown together, and that's how we know each other, and....she's been bouncing off the walls ever since you got here."

This time it was Jennifer's turn to blush, and having such a fair complexion, her face turned deep red and she said, "You talk too much, Michelle." This caused the three of us to laugh heartily. But all too soon, the night was coming to an end, and as Michelle excused herself to return to work; Jennifer turned to me and said, "If it's alright with you, I'll drive you back to your hotel, okay?"

"Thank you," I replied, "That's very nice of you"

After the bill, which I insisted that she let me pay, was covered, Jennifer and I stood outside waiting for the valet to bring her car. She stood close to me, and taking my arm, said, "Doug, can I ask you a rather personal question?"

"I don't see why not."

Jennifer smiled and said, "Now, you can tell me this is none of my business if you want to, but is there a reason you've never been married?" Before I could answer, the valet arrived with the car, and laughing, Jennifer said, "Just in time, I guess."

"Just in time for what?" I asked.

She grinned and replied, "Just in time to save you from answering my question."

As we got into the car, I looked at her and said, "I don't mind answering you. The reason I've never been married is, because, number one; when I was in the Navy, I was subject to be called away at any given time to go do my job, and that almost always meant going into harms way. Had I been married, I wouldn't have been able to tell my wife where I was going or when I was coming back, or even if I was going to be coming back at all. I don't think it's fair to a woman to put her through that kind of stress, and, not to mention; the divorce rate in the Teams is about ninety-seven percent. Number Two, the kind of work I do now is not very conducive to a healthy relationship, either."

"What do you mean by, the kind of work you do now?" she asked.

"Well, I'm gone for three to four weeks at a time, and you said so yourself, the work isn't exactly safe," I replied, "Besides; I doubt there any women out there that would even consider living on a boat, floating on the ocean, for eight months out of the year as opposed to living in a house on dry land."

As I finished saying this, Jennifer was pulling up to my hotel. Before I got out of the car and said good night, Jennifer turned her head and said, "Don't be so sure about some women, because you never know, do you?"

"Huh?" I asked stupidly.

She just smiled and said, "I'll pick you up right here at twelve-thirty tomorrow afternoon, okay?"

"Okay! I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night, Jennifer, and thank you."

She patted my arm and replied "Good night, Doug. I had fun; and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow."

~~~~~~

The next morning, I woke up at 4:00 am, hopped out of bed and went to the bathroom. Once my morning rituals had all been done, I gathered my thoughts and engaged my brain in preparation for an early morning run. I donned my shorts, tee shirt and running shoes, and then headed for the elevator. Once the elevator doors opened on the ground floor, I went out the front door of the hotel and took off. Being so early in the morning; I ran the almost empty streets, and found that I rather enjoyed viewing Washington's historical landmarks by night. I decided to run straight down Pennsylvania Avenue all the way around the capitol building and back to the hotel. Overall it ended up being about five miles round trip and a little bit more than I normally ran, but still, it was just a good stretch of the legs. I took my time and ran a steady pace and did it in just under an hour. Like I said, I took my time but kept my heart rate up enough that I still got a good work out.

~~~~~~

When I returned to my hotel room, I decided to take a long hot bath instead of a shower. As I eased into the tub, I felt my entire body relax in the loving hug of the steaming water. I layed back and let my mind wander to the previous night with Jennifer. I remembered her asking me all kinds of questions, everything from where I went to kindergarten, to all the overseas ports I saw in the Navy. Then it struck me. She hadn't asked me about my personal life until right before the night ended, and then she was very mysterious in her replies. I wonder what she meant when she said, 'you never know'. That set me to wondering about her even more. I could tell she liked me as much as I did her. Hell, that was obvious by the note yesterday afternoon, as well as the way she acted last night, but I still wasn't sure. I decided to talk to Mike Nelson. I'd always trusted Admiral Nelson and I knew he would give me sound advice.

As the water encompassed and soothed my body, my mind began to drift. I was back in the Florida Keys aboard Andromeda. It was a sunny day and I was relaxing on the stern when I felt someone rubbing my shoulders. I looked up and there was Jennifer standing next to me. The last thing I remembered was her leaning down to kiss me, and right before our lips touched; I was suddenly freezing. I immediately awoke and realized I'd fallen asleep, still in the bath tub and the water had long since cooled off. I looked at my watch and it read 7:48 a.m. I drained the water, took a quick and warm shower and then afterwards, dried off and began getting dressed. By this time it was almost 8:30 a.m. so, I decided to go downstairs to the hotel restaurant and eat breakfast.

As I walked into the restaurant, a hostess was there to greet me and led me to a table. After the waitress came and brought me coffee, she took my order and was soon on her way. The table where I sat was right by the big front window of the hotel so, it was no wonder when I saw Admiral Mike Nelson step out of a black limousine at the front of the hotel steps. I tapped on the window to get his attention and was acknowledged by that infectious smile when he saw me.

"Hey Mike! What're you doing here?" I asked, once he was inside and had come to my table.

He sat down, and smiling, replied, "I came looking for you. Your girlfriend called me this morning."

"Girlfriend, what the hell are you talking about, Mike?" I asked cautiously.

He picked up on my apprehension immediately, then laughed and said, "Come on Doug, we've known each other too long to try and bull shit one another."

Still not willing to admit to anything, like I was trained...lol; I crossed my arms and replied, "Mike, I still don't know what you mean!"

Then he laughed again and shook his head and replied, "Okay Doug, have it your way, but if you don't snatch this beauty up quick; someone else will. She's a real keeper and she's crazy about you old buddy."

"How can that be? I've only known her for a couple of days" I replied.

About that time the waitress came with more coffee for us both, and after she left; Mike leaned back in his chair and said, "I've dealt with the same office you're dealing with now, for over two years and in that time; I've gotten to know Jennifer Pierce very well, and I'm of the opinion that she's a good person just like you, Doug. She may be younger than you are by ten years, but she's got a brilliant mind. It's like nothing I've ever seen, man."

I looked at Mike, and scratching my head to relieve my puzzled brain; I asked, "What's this got to do with my grant?"

Mike laughed and said, "Do you remember when I told you about having some favors owed to me by certain politicians here in Washington?"

"Yes," I replied, "So?"

Then he leaned in, and chuckling quietly, informed me, "Well, I was appointed Head of Naval Special Research late last night."

"That's an executive appointment that only the president can make," I whispered cautiously.

Mike just grinned, then laughing, nodded his head and replied, "That's right old buddy. The stipulations of your grant that involves the Navy will be dealt with through my office, so, now you're covered on that end."

"What was all that crap about having all my specs (specifications) analyzed for defects?" I asked, trying not to sound too indignant.

Again, Mike laughed and told me, "Relax Doug. It just so happens that I know someone with a double Ph.D. in engineering and hydro physics. I trust them implicitly, and I strongly urge you to trust me on this one, too, Doug."

"I've always trusted you Mike, and I always will."

Mike leaned across the table and patted me on the shoulder, then smirking, added, "Oh, by the way, in your grant request, you asked for two million dollars. I managed to get them to give you ten. I hope that's okay with you Doug." He broke into a fit of laughter as my face turned white as a sheet. After I regained my composure and was able to take a drink of water to moisten my dry throat; Mike laughed and said, "Congratulations, young Doug!" He hadn't called me that since I was a young frog under his command, and it felt good remembering the past just then. Then Mike got serious and said, "This afternoon; the three of us are going to meet at my house and..."

"Sorry for interrupting you, but I was supposed to meet Jennifer this afternoon," I said.

Mike smiled, and reassuringly, said "I've already talked to her and she's going to bring you out to my house, okay?"

I thought nothing of it and replied, "Oh, okay, I guess it's no problem then, Mike."

He resumed what he was going to tell me and said, "Be sure to bring all your paperwork to my house. If you need a fax machine, I've got one. We need to have all the necessary documents in order by tomorrow."

"If that's the case, then I'll need to call my secretary immediately," I replied, "I'll get her to fax some stuff from my office." Mike gave me all the necessary numbers and I got on the phone to Sherry. Bless her little heart; she received a well deserved raise when I got back home. She had more than thirty files, collated and faxed to Mike's house in chronological, as well as alphabetical order, inside of two hours and twenty minutes. Damn, she was good.

~~~~~~

When Jennifer came to pick me up at my hotel, she arrived in a blue Alpha Romeo convertible with the top down, and her hair in a ball cap. She was wearing cut off blue jean shorts and a short sleeve tee shirt cut off at her midriff, exposing her flat stomach and navel. Had she not been wearing a sports bra, her breasts would've surely spilled out the bottom of the shirt. As soon as I got in the car, Jennifer smiled as she reached over and patted my hand, then said, "Hi sweetie, how are you?"

"I'm doing great!" I beamed.

I closed the door and was fastening my seat belt when Jennifer smiled and said, "Let's ride, handsome," and then she gave the car some gas and away we went.

As we headed to Admiral Nelson's house in Fairfax; I looked over at Jennifer and said, "I wanted to thank you for last night. I really enjoyed myself."

She smiled then put her hand on my knee and replied "That was fun wasn't it?" Then she got a really serious look on her face as if she'd done something wrong. She quickly snatched her hand off my knee, and with a look of embarrassment on her face, said "Doug I'm sorry for being so forward with you. It's just that I was brought up around affectionate people, and so, I have a tendency to be that way too. If I've made you feel uncomfortable, I'm really sorry."

Remembering what Mike had said about her, I took her hand and gently caressed the back of it. And then while still holding her hand, I softly kissed it and said, "I can live with it if you can." Her face lit up like a Christmas tree and her grip on my hand tightened. Neither of us said anything the rest of the way to Mike's house, but neither of us relinquished our grip on the other's hand. The only communication between us was a smile and a gentle squeeze every so often. Like I said before, when Jennifer would look at me, it felt like she was looking into my very soul, and I saw a light in her eyes that I'd never seen in any other woman's eyes before. Oddly enough, I felt something that I'd never felt before whenever I was around her. It didn't scare me, it merely took me by surprise, but then, I'm getting ahead of myself.

~~~~~~

We still had a ways to go so; Jennifer began to ask me more questions. However, this time it was about SCUBA diving. She smiled and said, "Tell me what it's like when you're underwater with all the animals that live in the ocean."

"It's like another world," I replied, smiling at the memory of past dives, "And, it's always different every dive."

"How is it always different?"

I kept smiling and said, "Well, in some places, it's dark and desolate, and in other places; it's like being in the middle of an underwater Mardi Gras with all different colors, shapes and sizes, all moving in different directions all at the same the time."

"Oh, I'll bet it's beautiful. I've never been SCUBA diving," she said, with a knowing smile, "Do you know anyone who could teach me if I ever came down to Key West?"

"Sure! Come on down some time," I grinned, "Hell, I'll teach you myself."

When we arrived at Mike Nelson's house, Jennifer stopped the car, then got out and came to the house with me. I didn't think any of this strange, as Mike had said that he knew and respected her. However, before we could knock on the front door, Mike opened it saying, "Ah...The rest of the team is here. Now we can get started."