YGM~~ The Adventure Continues

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“Good work on selling those computers to the school board yesterday, Michael” Scott said nodding his head as he looked over the invoices. “This is the biggest sale we've had in ages. You'll have one heck of a commission this month.” Scott smiled at the eager college student. Hiring Michael to work at his store was the best decision he'd ever made.

“Thank you sir” Michael beamed. “The best part is, they want to buy their software from us as well. Mr. Timmons said he'll be in touch as soon as he has the completed list.”

“I'll make sure that sale is yours as well” Scott assured him.

“Thank you” he said, the proud smile still etched into his thin face. Michael turned to leave and realized he was still holding papers in his hands. “Oh! I almost forgot. I printed up these emails for you. I took care of most of them, but I thought you should see these.” Michael handed Scott the stack of papers.

“Thanks, Michael” Scott said. Michael turned and left, while Scott quickly sifted through the papers in his hands to see if there was anything important. “Nothing that needs my attention” he muttered to himself, placing the letters down. Just as he put the papers on his desk, something caused him to pick them up again. He searched through the papers trying to discover what it was that caught his eye, until he found it.

A smile crept onto Scott's face when he read the email.

I was browsing your online catalogue and am amazed at the number of CD burners you carry at your store. Since I don't have much time to shop during the day, I thought I might find what I am looking for in your catalogue, but I have no idea which one will fit my computer. I will list the make and model of my computer below.

Thanks for any help you can give me. I must say I am very impressed with your store and the array of products you sell. I regret that I haven't the time to visit the store again in person, but your business hours make it nearly impossible for me to purchase this product in person.

“J. Jordan” Scott said, staring at the email. “I think I should handle this one myself.”

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

“I can't believe you're leaving for New York tomorrow afternoon” Luis said with a pouty voice, as he pulled Sheridan close to him.

“I'll be back Sunday night” Sheridan smiled, snuggling into his warm embrace. “You won't even miss me. You're working double shifts Saturday and Sunday.”

“Don't kid yourself. I'll miss you every second you're gone. I only agreed to work extra because you won't be here” Luis said, his bottom lip now sticking out.

Sheridan couldn't help but laugh. She brought her hand up to Luis' cheek and gently stroked it. “I'm going to miss you too, Luis” she soothed. “Remember the reason I'm going. I want to get the perfect dress to wear for our wedding. I want to knock your socks off when you see me walk down that aisle.”

“Well, I'm glad Marianna agreed to meet you in New York” he said. “I feel better knowing you won't be alone in that city.”

“It's always wonderful to see her” Sheridan replied. “I'm amazed that she's flying all the way here just to help me pick out a dress.”

“Isn't that why Jay declined being your maid of honor?” Luis asked.

“Yes, it is” Sheridan sighed. “I really was disappointed that Jay couldn't be my maid of honor. Jay seemed pretty disappointed herself, but her boss simply wouldn't let her have any time off. As it is, I think she has to work right up until the 23rd if she wants to be here for the wedding on Christmas Eve. She'll grab a flight as soon as she gets out of work and won't get into Harmony until after midnight.”

“Man, that's cutting it close” Luis said. “That's one of the reasons I love Harmony. People look out for one another here. It's not like the big cities.”

“Not to mention your boss is in the wedding party” Sheridan said slyly.

Luis shook his head and laughed. “I know what you're thinking Sheridan, but Sam didn't have to give me all the time off I requested.”

“I know Luis” she said. “I'm a fan of small towns, remember?”

“I know” Luis smiled. “I'm glad Marianna is willing to be your matron of honor. She was an excellent choice. I'm sure Jay will approve her replacement. She's still going to be in the wedding isn't she?”

“She sure is” Sheridan grinned. “She said wild horses wouldn't keep her from it. She just doesn't have the time to devote right now to the duties that go along with being a maid of honor. Marianna does. As a matter of fact, she's staying in the states until the wedding. She'll fly back to Spain with us when we go on our honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon! Sheridan, we forgot to put that on our list last night!” Luis said in a near panic.

Sheridan laughed. “Not to worry darling. When I told Marianna we wanted to honeymoon in Spain, she was absolutely thrilled. She told me not to worry about anything. Our honeymoon is her wedding gift to us.”

“Really?” Luis asked, his eyes lighting up. “I knew she was a wonderful friend to you, but this…”

“Don't forget she's your Aunt, Luis. I've never seen her this happy. She has the family back she thought she'd lost.”

“True” Luis smiled. “I couldn't have picked a more wonderful aunt if I tried. Mama's had so much loss in her life; this really has been a Godsend to her. Maybe it's a sign of the future. Fate can be cruel sometimes, as it has with her, but maybe it's starting to reverse itself.”

“I hope you're right Luis. If anyone deserves happiness it's Pilar.”

“She sure does” Luis smiled. “But you know Angel, we deserve happiness too and it looks like we're going to have it.”

“I think you're right, Luis” Sheridan smiled. “I can't believe how much we accomplished today.”

“We really did get a lot done. Where's that list of yours?”

“Right here” Sheridan replied, leaning over and picking up her notebook from the coffee table in front of her. Sheridan opened the book and glanced at her list. It had grown considerable since she and Luis started it the night before.

“Okay, we have the church at 11:00” Sheridan began.

“And I've already talked to the director of the Youth Center” Luis said slyly. “We're all set for the reception immediately following.”

Sheridan grinned. “Funny” she said. “I talked to my friend Barry and he'd love to cater the wedding. He has something for that night, but he said he'll put on the best luncheon reception Harmony has ever seen.”

“Good” Luis smiled. “I know you'd probably prefer to have the reception later, but since it's Christmas Eve…”

“Don't be silly, Luis” Sheridan soothed. “This is going to be perfect. This way the reception will be over with by evening and we can spend our first Christmas together as husband and wife.”

“I like the sound of that” Luis said with a sexy smile. He leaned in and kissed his fiancée gingerly on the lips.

“This is going to be the best Christmas ever” Sheridan sighed in contentment, as she rested her head on Luis' broad shoulder.

“Absolutely” Luis grinned. “Did you talk to your friends online?”

“I did” Sheridan smiled. “Let me tell you, they were thrilled. BabyShuis and Godis can't wait.”

Luis shook his head and laughed. “I can't wait to meet those two,” he said. “They certainly have been good friends to you.”

“Yes they have” Sheridan agreed. “Even though I haven't met them or the other girls, I feel closer to them than most friends I've had in my life.”

“I'm all for Internet friendships” Luis smiled. “I met the woman of my dreams online.”

“As did I my love” Sheridan said blissfully. Sheridan was so content right now, she felt she could stay in Luis' arms right there forever, but she knew she couldn't. They still had some things to discuss and then she needed to pack for her weekend excursion to New York.

Sheridan and Luis spent the next hour going over what they'd accomplished for the wedding thus far. They'd already secured the church and Youth center for the wedding and reception, as well as Barry to cater the affair. Marianna and Miguel had readily agreed to stand up for them as their honor attendants, as had Theresa, Sam, Marty, Cal and Sheridan's two internet buddies Baby Shuis and Godis. Theresa was so excited about the wedding she was volunteering to coordinate the entire event for them. Luis and Sheridan appreciated her enthusiasm, but weren't sure they were ready for a wedding a la Theresa. Luis solved the problem when he asked his sister if she'd handwrite all the invitations in calligraphy. Theresa had completed a summer course and received an “A” in it. Pilar couldn't help but smile when she saw how diplomatically Luis handled his sister and solved the problem of invitations at the same time.

Pilar offered her help in any way she could and Sheridan was grateful. Sheridan would be coming for dinner next week so they could work on the guest list. Theresa would have to be there of course since she was making the invitations. When the reality hit her that the wedding was only two months away, she ran right out of the house to get the needed supplies to start writing out invitations.

Pilar also told Luis and Sheridan of a florist she knew that made fabulous arrangements. She agreed to contact her friend and set up a time for all of them to meet after Sheridan got back from New York.

“Music?” Sheridan questioned. “Luis, we didn't discuss the music!”

“That's easy Sheridan” Luis said. “I figured Chad could do the music. He really has a gift for it you know. Unless you had someone else in mind?”

“No, Chad will be perfect” Sheridan said with relief.

“Good, I'll ask him tomorrow” Luis said.

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

Jay flopped on her couch the minute she walked through the door. Today had been the busiest she could remember. She glanced at her watch and saw it was already 9:00. She groaned when she realized her days were getting longer. At the rate she was going, she was going to end up working more than med school residents.

Knowing she couldn't sit there forever, she slowly got up and went to her kitchen to make a light dinner. She was too tired to cook much, never mind she didn't feel much like eating. One of the benefits of living alone was being able to eat what and when you wanted. Jay was eternally grateful tonight that was the case.

After she'd cleared her dinner dishes, she decided to check her email. All she really wanted to do was shower and go to bed, but she needed to find out if she received an answer to her query about the CD burner. Unlike Sam, her boss frowned upon personal emails at work and she'd been dying to check hers since early morning. She was grateful that at least she was busy enough that she didn't have time to dwell on it.

After signing onto her computer, Jay checked her mail and saw she did indeed have an email. She froze in place when she saw the return address. [email protected]. That was not the address she'd sent her note to. Quickly she opened the note.

I see you are still interested in purchasing the CD burner you stopped by the other day to get and never had the chance to even look at. I have no doubt that I can set you up with something that will meet your needs. You did a good job sending the information on your computer, but there is still one item I need from you in order to make a precise match. Just let me know what the serial number of your computer is and I'll have what you want.

You can send any inquiries to the store email or if you'd like my personal attention you can use the address below. This is my personal email account and no one has access to it but me. I'd be more than happy to answer any and all of your questions.

Jay sat there and reread the email several times, smiling to herself all the while. “He remembered who I was” Jay said. She then chuckled, realizing how ridiculous she would sound if anyone was listening to her. “Of course he'd remember you, you idiot. You helped stop a burglary in progress. Of course he'd remember you.”

Jay read the note again. “Well, he did give you his private email address. And he offered you his personal assistance in buying your CD burner.” Again Jay laughed at how idiotic this was. “He's just being nice. You are a nice person Jay and he probably is too. Of course he'd offer you assistance.”

Jay shook her head. “Either way, you have to thank him for those flowers now don't you? And you want to make sure the email goes to him…” Jay had quite the debate going on in her mind and finally decided she had to use Scott's personal email address to send him a proper thank you for the roses. She then began to type her response to the incredibly gorgeous man who now had her talking to herself.

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

“Well, now that we've gone over what we've accomplished for the day in the way of wedding preparations, how about a cup of hot chocolate as a nightcap?” Sheridan chuckled standing up from the couch.

“A nightcap, huh?” Luis smiled.

“Well” Sheridan replied with a sly grin, “I could offer you something stronger, but then you'd have to spend the night here. As a responsible person I couldn't let you drink and drive.”

Luis fought to keep the grin off his face as all sorts of wicked ideas ran through his head. “Sheridan, does the word temptress mean anything to you?” He asked.

“Would I do something like that to you?” Sheridan asked, feigning innocence. She shot him a seductive smile and disappeared through the kitchen door. Luis just sat there shaking his head. Sheridan was sure to kill him before this wedding.

Luis busied himself glancing over the pages in Sheridan's notebook while she prepared the hot chocolate. He was leaving her a note on one of the blank pages he was sure she'd find in the next few days as a surprise when he heard glass breaking followed by Sheridan screaming in the kitchen, Like a shot, Luis was off the couch and across the room opening the kitchen door to find out what happened.

“Sheridan!” he cried as he found her sitting on the floor in the middle of broken glass, her face contorted in pain. “Are you all right? What happened?” He rushed to her side and gathered her in his arms.

“I was trying to get the mugs from the top cabinet and when I reached for them, the stool went out from underneath me. I landed on my knee and it's killing me” Sheridan explained, trying to hold back the tears.

Without another word, Luis picked Sheridan up effortlessly and carried her back to the couch. “I need to see your knee, Sheridan” Luis said with authority. Sheridan was wearing a tight pair of jeans and there was no way she was going to be able to roll up the pants leg above her knee. “Start taking your pants off Sheridan.” Luis said staring right at her. For a moment Sheridan was left speechless. Slowly she obeyed and found herself almost disappointed when Luis left the room. After all, what was the big deal? He'd already seen her naked and they were engaged to be married.

Luis returned a moment later with a pair of shorts from her room and handed them to her. He took a quick glance at her knee and saw it was already swollen to twice its normal size. “I'm going to get some ice. Put these on while I'm gone.”

Sheridan once again did as Luis requested and put the shorts on, giving Luis complete access to her knee. Luis returned a few minutes later with an icepack, glass of water and a bottle of ibuprofen. He sat down on the couch next to her and gently placed the icepack on her knee. Sheridan jumped slightly when the cold settled into her throbbing knee.

“Boy that's cold!” Sheridan said, trying to make light of the situation.

Luis smiled at her. “That's the idea Angel. The ice will help bring the swelling down and so won't these. He handed her two tablets from the bottle and a glass of water. “They're an anti-inflammatory as well as a pain killer.”

Sheridan took the pills, placed them in her mouth and downed them with a long sip of water. “I didn't get you that coffee mug for nothing” she smiled. “You would have made a great doctor Luis.”

“Thanks” Luis grinned, slightly embarrassed.

“I mean it Luis” Sheridan said. You know exactly what to do.”

“How's the knee feeling?” Luis asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

“It still hurts a little, but no where near as much as before” Sheridan admitted. “My whole leg is frozen though.” She chuckled a little as she pointed to her thigh above the icepack. “See, my leg is turning blue.”

Luis pulled the icepack off Sheridan's knee and inspected it. The swelling had gone down considerably, but was by no means normal again. “We'll leave the ice off it for a few minutes” he said. “It's only supposed to be on in twenty minute increments anyway. In the meantime, how about I warm up your leg a little?”

“That would be great, Luis” Sheridan shivered.

Dutifully, Luis began massaging the area above Sheridan's knee, taking care not to touch the area she'd bruised. The massage was brisk at first to get the circulation going again and he then slowed it, gently rubbing his hands up and down her thigh.

The coldness in Sheridan's leg quickly disappeared and she nearly groaned out loud at the sensation she was now feeling. She stared at Luis who seemed completely oblivious to what he was doing to her. She took a deep breath, trying to control her feelings, but it was no good. With each stroke of his hand, Sheridan's heart raced faster. Her mind flashed back to another time when Luis had a similar effect on her. The time when Eve asked Luis to change her bandage after she's nearly been killed by the mugger.

Eve nodded and quickly filled out the prescriptions and handed them to Buzzy who sprinted out of the Book Cafe. Eve started to settle down to clean Sheridan's wound when her beeper went off. She glanced at it and frowned. “It's the hospital” she said. “I have to take this.”

“Take your time Dr. Russell” Sheridan said, feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of this attention.

Eve hated leaving Sheridan like this. “Luis?” she said as an idea occurred to her, “Would you mind starting to clean Sheridan's wound?”

“Not at all” Luis assured her.

Eve explained exactly what she wanted him to do and then quickly left to find a payphone.

Luis gently dabbed the gauze with alcohol and approached Sheridan. “I'll be as gentle as possible Sheridan” Luis told her. He tried to smile but he knew from personal experience how much alcohol hurt when used to clean cuts.

“It's ok Luis” Sheridan smiled back bravely. “I know you won't hurt me.”

Luis gingerly placed the alcohol soaked gauze on Sheridan's neck and her initial reaction was to flinch. Luis pulled back his hand immediately fearing he'd hurt her.

“I'm ok, the cold just surprised me.”

Luis nodded and hesitantly started again. Slowly he cleansed the wound in outward circles. Sheridan closed her eyes and held back the grimace that threatened. The alcohol stung, but she didn't want to let on how much it truly did hurt.

Luis could sense that Sheridan was being as brave as she could be. It killed him to inflict more pain on her, but he knew he had to get rid of any germs that might be lingering there before it was rebandaged. He worked as quickly as he could and still remain thorough and was relieved when he finished. As he was pulling the gauze off her neck, he caught her flinching again and saw the facial grimace she'd been trying to fight.

Not knowing what else to do, Luis gently began to blow on the area, hoping to dry it as quickly as possible.

Sheridan felt Luis' warm breath tickle her neck and felt tiny shock waves flow through her. Her eyes flew open and her grimace turned to a slow burning smile. “What are you doing?” She asked giggled softly.

“I was just blowing on it trying to stop the pain. Mama used to do it to me whenever she had to clean a cut or scrape I got as a kid. I remember it always seemed to help” Luis explained innocently. “If it's bothering you, I'll stop.”

“No, it's not bothering me” Sheridan chuckled. “I was just surprised that's all. And Pilar was right. Once you started blowing on it, the last thing I was thinking about was the pain.”

“Luis?” Sheridan called, her entire body now in overdrive.

“What is it Angel?” Luis asked looking up from his leg massing duties. Luis felt his heart catch in his throat when he saw the look on Sheridan's face.

“Just a minute!” Pilar yelled as she hurried towards the front door to answer it. “I wonder who could be calling so late?”

Pilar opened the door and her mouth dropped in surprise. “Marianna!” She cried happily, embracing her aunt.

“Pilar! It's good to see you!” Marianna smiled.

“What a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to see you until after your trip to New York with Sheridan.”

“Well, I caught the next flight out after I talked to Sheridan this morning. I was thrilled when she asked me to be her matron of honor. I know she doesn't have much family support and I want to be here for her as much as I can. This wedding isn't very far away!”

“No, it isn't” Pilar smiled, inviting Marianna into her home. “There is so much to do. Luis is at Sheridan's right now going over wedding plans with her.”

“How wonderful for both of them that they can work together on this. Most men take no interest in such things.”

Pilar laughed. “As Luis put it, he's only getting married once and wants it to be perfect.”

“And so it shall be Pilar. I am here to make sure of it.”

“Sheridan will be thrilled. Have you seen her yet?”

“No, I came right here from the airport. I haven't even stopped at my hotel yet.”

“Hotel? Nonsense, Marianna. You must stay with us.”

“Pilar, I wouldn't dream of imposing…”

“Imposing? You would never be imposing.”

“Thank you Pilar” Marianna smiled.

“Now, let me get you something to drink. You've had a long day traveling all the way from Spain.”

“I certainly did” Marianna laughed. “Tomas must think I am a bit crazy. Neither of us had been to the States in years until this past summer and now I plan to stay here through the holidays.”

“Tomas will be coming for the wedding, no?” Pilar asked.

“Si” Marianna nodded. A mischievous grin appeared on her face. “Right now he is working on a special project. He's remodeling a beachfront cottage we own for Sheridan and Luis' honeymoon.”

Pilar was touched beyond words. “My family and I can never repay your kindness” she said simply.

“No Pilar, it is I who am grateful to finally have my family back. And Sheridan has been a very dear friend to me for many years.”

Pilar smiled at her aunt as she disappeared into the kitchen to get refreshments.

Not wasting a minute, Sheridan pulled Luis into a steamy kiss. Almost immediately she deepened the kiss, letting Luis know in no uncertain terms how much she wanted him.

Luis was surprised at first, but reveled in the sensation of her soft lips on his. He returned her kisses with equal fervor, not quite knowing what got into her, but at this moment, not caring either.

It didn't take long for Sheridan to realize she'd come on way to strong with Luis. Her entire body was alive with desire for the man she loved, the man she wanted desperately. All their talk of waiting until their wedding night was easy… unless they were in a situation much like the one she found herself in right now. She wanted him. She wanted to touch him, kiss him and caress him. Unwilling to break the spell, Sheridan moved her lips from his mouth to his neck and began trailing kissed towards his flawless chest.

“God, Sheridan, what are you doing?” Luis asked breathlessly. His body was as overheated as Sheridan's right now and if she kept this up, he didn't know what he was going to do.

“What does it feel like I'm doing Luis?” She asked in a very seductive tone. She smiled playfully at him before again crushing her lips against his. Luis groaned loudly, every nerve in his body suddenly alive and feeling the effects Sheridan's sudden burst of affection. Kissing him with fierce desire, she pushed Luis down on the couch with her body. Sheridan moved slightly in her zeal and twisted her swollen knee, sending a searing pain ripping through her body.

“Oooow!” She yelled, sitting bolt upright on the couch, forgetting all else except the pain that had replaced all those pleasurable sensations from a moment earlier.

“What? Oh. Sheridan, are you all right?” Luis asked, breathlessly as he tried to compose himself. Not having the same pain as Sheridan it took him longer to recoup from their kiss.

“I think I re-twisted my knee” Sheridan moaned, holding either side of the swollen joint.

“Here, let me put the ice back on it” Luis said, grabbing the icepack from the coffee table. He carefully picked up her leg and elevated it back on the couch, placing the icepack on her knee. “I think I'd better call Dr. Russell” Luis finally said, when he saw the look of excruciating pain on Sheridan's face.

“Luis, it's not broken” Sheridan insisted.

“I'm sure you're right, Sheridan” Luis agreed, but you're having an awful lot of pain. Eve can give you something to help with the pain at least.”

“Luis, I don't want to go to the hospital” Sheridan whined. As much as she protested, Sheridan was having an extreme amount of pain. So much so, she wasn't going to fight him anymore on the issue.

“Maybe you won't have to Sheridan” Luis said. “Let me call Eve and see what she has to say.”

Sheridan nodded and Luis disappeared to make a phone call. He returned a short time later, carrying two mugs of hot chocolate. Sheridan smiled when she saw the steaming mugs. “I thought you were going to call Eve?” Sheridan asked.

“I did call Eve” Luis said. “She told me to give you whatever you wanted to keep you calm and she'll be over as soon as she can. She's at the hospital right now tending to an emergency and will be here as soon as she can.”

“I see” Sheridan said, smiling slightly as Luis handed her the mug. “This really is exactly what the doctor ordered, Luis. Once again, I'm freezing.”

“Let's see that knee” Luis said, gently taking the ice off Sheridan's knee. It was still very swollen and extremely red from the cold. He touched it, noting her skin was indeed freezing and once again began massaging her thigh in an effort to warm her up.

Sheridan looked at Luis in horror at what he was doing. She knew exactly what was going to happen in just a few short minutes and didn't know if she could take another round of Luis' sweet innocent torture.

“Luis! NO! Please, don't do that!” Sheridan shouted.

Luis looked up in genuine surprise. Sheridan grinned sheepishly at him, knowing he had no idea why she yelled like that.

“Okay, I guess I owe you an explanation” Sheridan said.

Luis was definitely wondering what was going on in her pretty little head. “I'm all ears Angel” he smiled.