Caught In the Act

Richie, Toni, Miss Peeg and Ben Wade

Toni had been shopping at Barrett’s of Australia, with all that had been going on with her lately she missed the grand opening but made up for it with several new outfits. She’d parked down in front of Millie’s and loaded down with her packages she walked down the street and decided to stop in and see Richie.

Richie was in a mood, he didn’t know where it came from or how he got there but there it was. He hadn’t been able to get anybody on the phone he needed to talk to and had reached a dead end with the work he’d hope to accomplish that morning. Miss Peeg was off to lunch with her sister who was in town and Richie had the office to himself.

Toni bundled herself through the door and dropped her bags on the sofa in Miss Peeg’s office, “anybody home?” she called out.

“Toni, what are you doing here?” Richie asked coming to the door of his office.

“Spending your money, hope you’re making some more this morning you’re gonna need it when the credit card bills come in.”

“What did you buy?” he asked leaning against his doorway.

“I got three great new outfits,” Toni said, “wanna see?”

“Hmm, why don’t you model them for me?”

“Here, now? I will tonight."

“There’s nobody else here but us, I’d like to see what you’ve bought.”

Flush with shopping, Toni missed the gleam in his eyes, “oh well okay, I can change in your office.” She picked up her new things and took them into his office and began pulling off her clothes. She slipped a full skirted sundress over her head and turned around; Richie had closed the door into his office.

“Would you do me up?” she asked turning her back to him and holding her hair up for him to zip her up.

“I’ll do you up all right,” he said and kissed her bare neck.

“Richie,” she giggled, “what are you doing?”

He was unbuckling his belt.

“Richie! We can’t…what if…oh my gosh,” whatever else she might have been going to say was cut off when Richie’s lips found hers. Papers flew off the desk, pens, paperclips, and a thud when the phone hit the floor.

Miss Peeg left her sister Bess at the boarding house finishing up her lunch with Amanda and hurried back to the office. If she worked fast this afternoon she thought she might get off a bit early and be able to accompany Amanda and Bess on a short sightseeing tour around the area.

As she rounded the corner coming up to the office she saw Mr. Ben Wade heading in her direction.

“Mr. Wade how good to see you, I’ve heard your honeymoon was wonderful.” She smiled genuinely glad to see him.

"Afternoon, Miss Peeg." Ben took off his hat and nodded to her. "Oh, the honeymoon was wonderful, all right," he continued with a grin. He was thinking about the baby Liana was expecting, but he wasn't ready to say anything just yet.

As Miss Peeg unlocked the office door, Ben opened it and held it for her, following her into her office. "Just thought I'd drop by today. See if any legal paperwork had accumulated while I was gone."

“I do believe Mr. Roberts has something on his desk he’s been holding,” Miss Peeg said putting her purse down she noticed Richie’s line blinking. “Mr. Roberts must be on the phone, I’ll just pop in and pick up the papers for you.” She walked over to Richie’s office door and opened it.

“OH, OH,” she shrieked, “Oh I am sorry.” Her hand went to her mouth and then to hear heart as she quickly shut the door and backed away but not before Ben got a quick glimpse of Richie’s desk.

Ben Wade couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at the horrified look on Miss Peeg's face, and at the way she had shrieked. Why the hell was it that some people were so shocked over what was a purely natural act, he wondered. And, from the glimpse he'd gotten, at least Roberts was with his own wife!

"From the looks of things in there, the honeymoon's still goin' for them two," he said, still amused.

Then, he took pity on Miss Peeg. "Now, ma'am," he told her quietly, taking her arm and leading her to her chair. "You just sit down and let me get you some water." Ben was getting a glass and filling it, as he spoke.

Miss Peeg’s face was as red as the flowers on her desk, she fanned herself with her hand, of course it was ridiculous but it had been a shock. She’d never expected such from Mr. and Mrs. Roberts.

“Oh thank you Mr. Wade,” she said accepting the glass of water, “silly of me, it was rather unexpected.”

Behind the closed door of Richie’s office Toni was mortified. “Richie how could you do this to me?” she whispered trying to locate her clothes.

“I thought it was fun,” he said zipping up his pants with a half grin on his face.

“Oh my God, that’s Ben Wade out there, I’ll never be able to look him in the face again.” Toni cried stepping into her skirt.

“Ah he’s a guy he understands these things,” Richie offered, “are you decent?” his hand was on the door knob.

“I’ll never be decent again Richie, it will be all over town, I’ll be the laughing stock….”

“Toni…chill.” Richie said catching her eye.

“Chill! You just wait until I get you home Richie Roberts! You probably gave Miss Peeg a heart attack!”

Miss Peeg smoothed her hair and tried to compose herself, she’d nearly come unglued for a moment. Mr. Wade was patting her on the back and she looked up at him, he still had that grin on his face. “Not a word of this Mr. Wade,” she said pleadingly.

"Now, Miss Peeg- Just who would I tell?" Ben asked, grinning.... Actually, he'd already thought of at least half a dozen people. " 'Cept Liana, and I'm sure she wouldn't be interested anyway."

The door to Richie's office opened and Ben grinned broadly at Richie as he came through it.

“Hello Wade,” Richie said still wearing that half grin on his face. He’d stuffed his shirt tails into his pants and straightened his tie but he still had a disheveled look about him.

Miss Peeg couldn’t look at him.

Toni brushed by him wearing her sunglasses and carrying her shopping bags, “Afternoon Miss Peeg, Ben.” She said not looking at anybody and passing through the office and out the door as fast as she could.

"Roberts." Ben nodded at him, amused by this attitude everyone seemed to have that nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He watched Toni hurry by, not even giving anyone time to acknowledge her.

Ben couldn't help himself. He had to comment. "You know, Roberts," he said, with a chuckle. "She seems a little in a hurry to get out of here. You do somethin' wrong in there?"

Richie’s grin broadened, “Women come up with some of the strangest ideas in the middle of the day. So what brings you in town?”

"Well, I'm tryin' to catch up on what's been happenin' with my businesses while I was gone," Ben drawled, still grinning. "So I was gonna see if you had any paperwork for me."

With a glance over at the look on Miss Peeg's face, he went on. "After seein' you and the missus, though, it puts me in a mood to go home and find out if Liana'd like to give my desk a thorough goin' over."

Richie chuckled, “Yeah the desk, um I had some papers,” he walked back in his office picked up his phone from the floor and set it right and began looking for the papers he had for Ben, there were things all over the floor and he randomly picked up pens, pencils and scattered papers. He kicked Toni’s panties under his desk.

“Heh, well tell you what Ben, I’ll get Miss Peeg to run you some copies, things got a little um scattered around in here. Have you had lunch yet? I’m buying. I, uh, seem to have worked up an appetite,” he grinned broadly again.

Miss Peeg had her face under control for the moment and got up from her desk, walking over to her file cabinet, ‘I’ll see to it right away,” she said in her high pitched voice.

"Lunch sounds like a pretty good idea." Ben was still eyeing Miss Peeg, his face full of amusement... She looked more scattered than the papers from Roberts' desk. He winked over at Richie.

"You shouldn't work so hard in the mornin', Roberts. Oughta pace yourself a little. Save some energy for the afternoon."

Richie looked at Miss Peeg and suppressed a smile; she still wouldn’t look him in the face. “Yeah,” he said stretching slightly, “I probably won’t be worth a damn for the rest of the day.”

He knew he would hear about it from her, in her own way she could set him straight in a minute.. “Ah, Miss Peeg, could you copy those papers for Wade and um keep them here on your desk please, we’re heading over to the Tavern for lunch”

“Yes sir Mr. Roberts,” she said already busy pulling out the papers from the file. She turned and seeing Ben grinning in her direction she bit her lip and sat down at her desk turning to her screen. Why wouldn’t they just go? She thought.

On the way out the door, Ben looked back at Miss Peeg a final time. "Don't work too hard, ma'am," he said, with a perfectly straight face. "I'd hate to see your desk in the same shape as Roberts' is when we get back." He winked at her.

Miss Peeg kept a straight face until they were out of the door, then it began bubbling deep in her chest and worked its way up to her mouth where it burst out in outrageous laughter. She laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Oh dearie me,” she said wiping her eyes;th ere was never a dull moment in The Glen.