He sat in front of her with a small smile on his face, teasing her stomach lightly with the thin strap of leather he held. She was standing, eyes closed beneath a blindfold, with headphones filling her ears with classical music. Every few minutes, he would lean forward and brush it across her chest, down her stomach, over her hips, and then slide it away, leaving her shaking in anticipation. It was a test of her resolve, her determination, and her desire to please him, no matter what the cost to her personal pleasure and needs.
It mattered little to her, for her mind was wandering back to the days when things all began. It all started that first moment on the subway, and went from there…
…
It had been four hours since she’d left the coffee shop and told him goodbye, but her eyes wouldn’t close and her brain refused to shut down. She’d learned so much from their hours-long conversation, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more, needed to know more. Instead of satisfying her curiosity, the time they had shared only multiplied it.
A smile passed over her face as she relished the thought that she was not the only one to feel that way. Evidently, he had reasons of his own for wanting to see her again. He was to call her in the morning; that is, if she ever managed to fall asleep.
She lay in bed, remembering their conversation and his gentlemanly behavior. Smiling to herself, she replayed the last few minutes of their time together. She hadn’t known what to expect when the evening eventually came to a close. But when he took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips lightly, her knees went weak and only her reflexes kept her standing. He had laughed softly, and his words still seemed cryptic. “I only take what is freely given.”
Curling up against her pillow, she closed her eyes and willed herself to sleep. Her last thoughts as she drifted off were of the strange man she’d met, and the fact that she somehow still didn’t know his name.
…
He’d called the next morning, as he said he would, proving to Alex that not *all* men abide by the three day rule when calling after a date. The conversation was brief, and it sounded like he was in the middle of work, but she thought that she heard in his voice how pleased he was to speak with her. They made plans to meet that night, and Alex was especially excited because she was going to meet one of his good friends.
Before the call ended, she had asked in an embarrassed voice, “I feel silly for not thinking to ask before now, but what is your name?”
Chuckling, he’d replied, “Robert. My name is Robert Thompson. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to ask.”
They were both smiling when they finished the call, with plans to meet at seven. Only after she’d gotten ready to go to the university, and was walking out the door, did Alex remember that she’d already made plans for the night with Emily. She spent the subway ride attempting to explain to her friend over the telephone why she was going to miss going to the theatre.
“What do you mean you can’t go, Alex?”
Alex sighed and tried to think of a proper explanation. “Em, there’s a man I met who I’m supposed to meet tonight. When I accepted, I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that you and I had made plans to go see the show.”
“I don’t understand. You express no interest in men in how long? And tonight, the night of the one play that I’ve ever actually wanted to see, you flake on me?” She was silent for a moment, and then continued. “Is this the same man you ditched me the other day to meet?”
Her friend’s harsh words caused Alex to wince, and she knew she’d never survive the guilt if she didn’t go to the show with Em. “I’m sorry, Em. I’ll call him and tell him I won’t be able to make it tonight.” To herself, she thought, how am I going to explain this?
Stepping off of the subway car and walking up the street to the university, she dialed the number he’d given her for his office. A woman with a brusque voice answered the phone. “Parker, Stevens and Thompson, this is Christina. How may I direct your call?”
“Robert Thompson, please.”
“He’s in a meeting. Is there something that I can help you with instead?” To Alex’s ears, the offer was as fake as a box of platinum hair color.
“I’d just like to leave a message, please.” Alex forced herself to remain polite despite the woman’s insincere tones. The connection was quiet for a moment, and Alex waited patiently. ‘The blonde’, as Alex had labeled her mentally, interrupted the silence with a harsh “Well??”
“You did have a message, correct?”
Swallowing a rude response, Alex replied. “Yes thanks, I do. I just wanted to make sure that you were ready to take it down.” To herself, Alex thought that even grandmother couldn’t find fault with those manners.
The woman was silent, and Alex took that as her cue. “Please tell Robert to call Alex St—”
“Miss Stone??” The woman’s voice had risen at least an octave.
Alex couldn’t help but be curious about the blonde’s sudden change of inflection. “Yes, this is Alex Stone. Alex is fine; there’s no need to worry with ‘Miss Stone’.”
“My sincere apologies for making you wait, Alex. If I’d known, I would have patched you right through.” Mind whirling, Alex wondered what Robert had said to this woman to make her respond in such a bizarre fashion.
“It’s no trouble, and there’s no need for you to get him out of a meeting. If you’d just tell him that I called, I’d appreciate it.”
A note of relief was evident in the woman’s voice. “Thank you, Alex. Does he have the number?”
“He does, yes. And thank you, for your help. I’m sure you have to deal with more phone calls in one day that I could ever imagine.”
They both ended the call smiling; Alex, pleased to discover that the woman wasn’t in fact evil, and Christina, pleased that she wouldn’t be in trouble with her boss.
…
