BOMAW 1-3 (102 page)

"Shawn purchased the property across from mine."

"Oooh! You live in that house across the road from him?"

"Yes."

"I see, so how much are they renting that property for? That's a beautiful piece of land, and the house is just gorgeous." Diane commented.

"Ummm, I'm not renting it... I own it."

"Oh... wow... the mortgage must be quite the stretch."

"I wouldn't know... I paid cash for it." Sylvia replied battling with her need to correct their stereotypical assumption of her, feeling Shawn's hands on the back of her neck, his fingers caressing and squeezing, touching her as if he couldn't resist. Sylvia wasn't used to such public displays of affection and wanted to tell him to stop... but endured it just for the satisfaction of the other two women who looked on. Especially after Diane's assumption that she was a renter instead of a home owner.

"Ca - cash? Wow... so what do you do for a living?"

"Right now, I'm not doing anything... just having his baby..."

Shawn spit out his water and barked out laughing, almost choking - it stunned him to hear her being so blunt and daring. The others around the table were just as stunned, as the women's gasps attested to.

"You okay?" Sylvia asked looking at him as he coughed and cleared his throat a few times to recover.

"Yeah... I'm fine... having my baby..." He recovered with the shake of his head; turning to his friends, he went on to explain, "...besides having my baby, Sylvia is also a writer. However, having met me, and then having me sweep her off her feet, has interrupted it a bit... but as soon as things calm down, and we're married..." He turned to look at her, "... she'll return to completing that best seller... won't you dear?"

"That's the plan." She responded.

"Ummm, have you anything published?" Diane asked.

"Not yet I don't."

"So... is this your first?" Jessica asked.

"No... it will be my third. I have two older children, both adults. A 21 year old daughter, and a 18 year old son. Two grandsons as well."

"Grandsons... as well?"

"Yes... 3 and a half years old and the other is 18 months old, both by my daughter."

"Oooh, okay... well Shawn, I guess you should be happy. What does Angela think about this? That's his daughter by the way." Diane pointed out to Sylvia as if she didn't know.

Shawn and Sylvia looked at each other and smiled, Sylvia decided to let him speak to that.

"She knows... that Angela is my daughter Diane, no big secret, especially considering that she lives with us... here in Wisconsin, where she will remain."

"What's that? Since when?" Paul asked, stunned.

"Since Deidre and I both decided that she would be better off with me. As you all know, I practically raised her alone the first six years of her life anyway... so now, I have her. She lives with Sylvia and I, and she's perfectly happy. She's looking forward to the baby, and she loves having an older brother and sister."

"Ah... well, excuse me... I didn't know so much had happened in such a short period of time. I mean, the last we heard, you were dating the stewardess... what's her name?"

"Doesn't matter now - does it? This is the woman I'm marrying, and her name is Sylvia Martin Payne... soon to be Sylvia Martin McPherson... right baby?"

"Sho'yah right." Sylvia answered in her smooth black dialect, winking at him, flirting a bit.

"Now if you all will excuse us a moment... we're starving, haven't had dinner. Gotta keep the baby fed... come on sweetheart, lets check out this salad bar." Shawn moved his chair back and stood, removing his jacket to hang over the back of the chair; reaching to pull Sylvia's chair out as they made their way to the salad bar.

"Oh - my - God! I cannot believe it!" Jessica was the first to speak with her hand to her chest.

"Oh I know... he did that on purpose! Shawn can be such an asshole! I've never been so embarrassed, I must have been red as a beet."

"Well what about me with my mouth open... David did you know?"

"No... not a clue, this is the first that I knew."

"Good grief, what's the big deal? One thing is certain, she's a knock out! Lucky sonofabitch. Shawn could always pull... I can't really say that I'm shocked. I mean look at her, you gotta admit, they do look good together." Paul imparted.

"Well one things for certain, he'll save a bundle from going to KFC - getting all his
fried chicken
at home." David joked, Jessica giggled, Paul and Diane sighed shaking their heads. "David, you're playing with fire. Make a comment like that in front of him, and he will dislocate your jaw. Don't be an idiot, you know how he is-..."

"It was just a joke... lighten up." David defended.

"I'm telling you now, you start with the racist jokes, you're going to end up flat on your back. I'm telling you, I know him, he'll be on you before you can blink. Matter of fact, I'm gonna give Eric and Pete a call, because one of them will get to drinking and say the wrong thing, they're better off staying away."

"I don't understand why people can't just stick to their own kind, makes life difficult for the normal people, so now we have to walk around on egg shells and be cautious with what we say... bullshit-..."

"Shut up their coming!" Diane warned and smiled as they approached the table with their plates, setting them down. Shawn pulled Sylvia's chair out, and then pushed it up behind her and took his seat.

"You all get it all out...what you had to say about us? If we weren't so hungry, we would have given you five more minutes... but I thought, screw them, I'm eating! This sure looks good don't it baby?" Shawn shocked them again, as well Sylvia. They hadn't discussed any such thing at the salad bar, although Sylvia thought they might be talking about them, but she hadn't discussed it with Shawn. With her elbow on the table and her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head. She had a feeling, even after 20 years of marriage to this man, he would still shock her with the way he was, thought and things he said.

Dinner went well, they recovered from Shawn's comment, although Diane glared at him and rolled her eyes at him. Shawn was however unfazed and after everyone's food arrived, they were able to ease into a variety of discussions, including their plans for the bed and breakfast. Shawn's friends thought it was a sensational idea and would be glad to spread the word to other friends, family and neighbors in Minnesota; California as well when there were members coming east to visit and vacation. Sylvia was happy with the way it ended. On the ride back home they were in a good mood highlighting various observations, which prompted Sylvia to enquire about what she noticed concerning Diane.

"Alright... so tell me, what's the deal with you and Diane?"

"What makes you think there's a deal?" Shawn asked with a mischievous look on his face.

"The way she cut you certain looks when she thought no one was looking, the things she said to you... very indicative of a woman who is intimate with someone or has been."

"Nope... never been intimate with her, although she's wanted me to be."

"Ah ha, I knew there was something... and you never have?"

"Sylvia... I would never go to bed with a friend's wife or girlfriend."

"So how do you know she's after you then?"

"She's your typical cock chaser, she knows how big I am and that's what she wants... that's all."

"How does she know your size?"

"She saw it."

"How - when?"

"I was tanning in the back yard at the house Deidre and I owned. I fell asleep on my back, she came over... knocked - I didn't hear her. She came around to the back and saw me laying out in the altogether, I must have been dreaming something erotic, because I was semi-erect. You ever lay sleeping and just know when someone is watching you?"

Sylvia gulped, and shrugged it off... yeah... she did know, but she wasn't going to admit it.

"Where was Angela?" She responded instead.

"At school, she was in the first grade at the time. Anyway, I woke up and there she is, staring down at me... well, not me, but what was laying in full view. I grabbed the towel laying next to me and covered myself."

"I know you told her off!"

"Yep... I did. But ever since then, she's been flirting with me, coping a quick feel now and then, and even asked me to do her just one time."

"WHAT?!"

"Yep... she did."

"How... what... how do you ask somebody that?"

Shawn laughed, "She said, and I quote, "Just fuck me one good time, and that will be it, no one will ever know... and I'll leave you alone." - I said no of course."

"WHAT?! She said that to you?! Brazen hussy! And you had me invite this person to our wedding?!"

"I wanted you to invite Paul... he just happens to be married to her. Besides, she hasn't tried it again in some time; I humiliated her and she's just now speaking to me again, well - when I moved into the house across from you, she started speaking to me again. She won't be a problem. Do you see how lucky you are... women just laying at my feet... begging for it, willing to pay for it... and what do I do? I give it to you for free... any time you want it... and half the time, I gotta beg for it."

Sylvia was laughing at him. "You aught to stop lying, you have never had to beg me!"

"Ah... excuse me... I think so! Don't make me remind you woman!"

"Shawn, anyway, that's your problem, you too dag-blasted arrogant! Too many women for too long been falling at your feet. Hmph, you just a man, baby, with faults and all!"

"Who me? Faults... where? When... no such thing!" He grinned teasing. "Come on ... you mean to tell me when you first saw me... you didn't want me?"

"No!"

"Yes you did."

"I did not."

"Yeah right, say what you want, but when you stepped out of that post office that first day we saw each other, I watched you walk away and baby, that walk was loaded! Your ass was saying, look right here... right here damny you - don't look away... don't look away... and - I didn't!"

Sylvia was laughing, because she knew it was true. "You crazy Shawn, my butt wasn't saying nothin'! It was all in your mind!"

"I had a Homer Simpson moment, "Oot duh!" and followed you into that store."

Sylvia was cracking up, he sounded just like the cartoon Homer Simpson.

"You need to stop... that wasn't nothing but you lusting."

"Lusting hell I was in love... love at first sight."

"Yeah right, love at first sight... no such thing. Maybe attraction at first sight, but not love."

"So you weren't in love with me from the first moment you saw me?"

"No... see, that's the problem with you and Jake ... you both think someone is suppose to fall for you on sight."

Suddenly in a blink of an eye, Sylvia could feel all the air sucked right out of the SUV. She could feel the change in the air, it was so potent, it was like a living, breathing, being, roaring to life between them, her heart raced because she couldn't take it back. Shawn was suddenly quiet. She felt she needed to say something, but it would have been akward at best, besides, her mind was jammed and spinning, so she remained still and quiet, praying the moment would pass. All of a sudden he jerked the vehicle over to the side of the road, threw it into park and turned to her from his seat.

"What made you say that?!"

'Shit!'
Her mind screamed, "Say what? Why'd you pull over that way?!" She asked, her words almost a stammer; trying to remain calm and nonchalant.

"We were discussing love at first site... and you said...
'that's the problem with you and Jake...'
- Jake... what - what has he to do with any of this?"

"Nothing... why are you bringing it up?" Sylvia's mind was racing desperately for the right words to steer them away from her gross error of mentioning Jake, she couldn't believe she'd made such a major slip up.

"I didn't bring Jake up... you brought Jake up - and what I'd like to know is - why?!" Shawn demanded.

Sylvia could see by his stiff persona and tone, he was instantly on the alert and not at all happy. "Excuse me... I didn't know that he was an off topic?"

"Don't bullshit me Sylvia! We were discussing our relationship! We were discussing physical attraction! We were discussing love at first sight! How in the hell - did you figure Jake into this? Jake on your mind or something?!"

"No! Oh my God Shawn, don't be rediculous!"

"Then why did you bring him up?! What do you know about Jake? You've only seen him one time! Or rather, that weekend at my parents! Not since, yet... he's on your mind?!"

"He is
not
on my mind Shawn! I can't believe you're acting this way! What is wrong with you?!"

"What is wrong with me is that my fuckin' future wife... is sitting here with my brother on her mind! After
one
meeting! Did you not say, that our problem was that we think someone is supposed to fall for us on sight?! Did you not say that?!"