Her favorite wine was out of stock and, with just two stores in town, he felt the mounting tension. He had very little time left. The second store, mercifully, had two bottles.
With small towns, everybody knows everybody. Commerce is second to gossip. The shopkeeper was deep into her story and the person in front of him had lots of questions about so and so and who was on whose property line. His chances of being on time were slipping away with every syllable.
Another fact about small towns is that the local police have no sense of humor. 15 mph does not mean 16 mph. He was tempted to abandon the streets and run six blocks. The last 200 yards were about 75 too many.
He pulled into Her driveway one minute late. With a sense of dread, he rang the bell and let himself in, as was the protocol when presenting himself at Her home.
She was sitting in the great room with Her back to the door, never a good sign. He knew what was expected of him and got right to it.
Without a word, he opened the wine to let it breathe while he prepared himself for servitude.
First priority was to strip down and fold his clothes neatly before placing them out in the mudroom. Next order of business was unpacking the groceries.
He respectfully approached the Lady of the house. She reclined in Her favorite chair in front of the fire. With his head down, he kneeled in front of Her presenting Her wine. Without so much as a sideways glance, the Lady of the house took the offered wine and sampled it for proper vintage and vintner. She gazed at the dancing flame tips through the scorched window of Her vintage potbelly stove. The wine pleased Her sophisticated palate.
The stress and tension created by his tardiness began to ease as the minutes passed. Kneeling at Her feet was comforting.
Normally this was the time when the Lady of the house would collar him. She did not. Half a glass of wine later, he felt Her hand stroke the back of his head.
The Lady rose to Her feet and extended the wine glass. Knowing his place, he took the glass and followed Her. She made Her way across the room toward the hallway. She passed the bathroom and tapped Her nails on the door. He followed Her into Her bedroom and returned Her glass.
She stood in the middle of the room and waited for him to carefully exchange the vintage dress for Her favorite robe. He backed out of the room, never turning his back to Her as protocol dictated.
He drew Her bath. When the water reached perfect temperature, he added the appropriate oils and salts. He returned to the bedroom to find an empty glass waiting for him on the night stand. Once again, he backed out of her presence. He returned with a fresh glass and found that She had moved to the bathroom.
He knelt at Her feet and held up the second glass of red. She accepted the wine and he gave the faucet a twist as the water level reached its target.
The Lady turned away from him allowing him to remove Her luxurious robe. His shaky hands removed Her bra as gently as he could manage. He took his time gently worshipping Her body the way She had trained him. A light scratch here, a gentile kiss there. He breathed in Her intoxicating scent. Back on his knees, he reached around Her and slipped his thumbs under Her panties near Her sculpted hip bones. Slowly he slid the lace down Her silky thighs to the plush bath mat. He tenderly kissed the dimples above Her tailbone. She stepped out of Her silk panties and snapped Her fingers.
This was another reminder of his failure to arrive on time. He knew what She wanted and he handed her the silk panties. She dropped them immediately and snapped her fingers even louder.
With a sharpness in his stomach, he realized She wanted something else to teach him the importance of being on time. Resigned to his fate, he headed for the mud room.
He made it back to the bathroom quickly with his own underwear in hand.
She had slipped into the tub while he was gone. Kneeling beside the tub, he presented his underwear. Grabbing the back of his hand, She pushed his underwear deep into his mouth without touching the offending garment.