Her house was everything he'd expected it to be. There was that lovely light scent of coconut in the air that only women can leave behind when they just get out of the shower. The interior of the house was exactly what you would expect from a woman who knows what she wants. No excessive amount of frills but a beautifully furnished place, small personal items and beautiful lighting.
Soft jazz music sounded through the room and his eyes stopped for a moment at the small bench that seemed to be where it belonged but was actually just a little too far from the wall than usual, which also made it clearly visible that there were two small crosses, made out of tape, on the wall. one about 30 cm from the floor and the other one about 80 cm from the floor.
The bench reminded him of one of those prayer stools they had in church when he was younger and a kind of sadness came over him for a short moment. Yes of course he now reached a point in his life where he could do the things he wanted to do but that bench also reminded him of the arguments he had had with his parents because he did not feel at home in the religion they belonged to and participated in.
Growing up in a small town where everyone goes to school and sports together while you are the only one travelling quite a distance to another school does not make you many friends. And being in a school where you are the only one from a small, far-away village does not make it any easier there either.
Not that he didn't have a loving upbringing, but it always felt like something was missing. When he was at friends' houses he often saw a father who talked to them, played sports with them and spent time with them. He didn't really have that. He loved his father but didn't spent much time with him as he was always working, so he wasn't really there.
For a moment he was overcome by the feeling of loneliness and 'not belonging' that he thought he had left behind after all those years.
But he did left that behind and once his parents moved to the other side of the country he stayed in the west, moved to a bigger city and started his studies and career. And now, 15 years later, he was the one and only Alex, right? He had everything a man could wish for, looks, successful job, a nice car and the apartment in the building he'd always wanted to live in. Hell, he even looked at LinkedIn every now and then to see how far the popular kids of the past had gotten and had to conclude time and again that he had really become the most successful and currently in the process of becoming a partner this year at the private equity firm where he once started as a junior employee so the sky is the limit.
The sound of her heels as she walks in from the kitchen breaks him from his thoughts. For a moment his breath caught as if it were the first time he had seen her. Her red hair matched perfectly with her emerald green pantsuit and around her neck an elegant gold chain with the ring she inherited from her grandmother. Just under her pant leg he can still see a bit of the small tattoo on her right ankle.
It's hard to believe that it's only been a few months since they first met. One of his best friends invited him to a housewarming party and that night she came along with a friend who had been invited as well. Kim, the friend she came along with, needed to get something from the car and suddenly she says, "Alex, this is Jade. I have to get something from the car so I'm leaving her with you for a moment. Don't do anything crazy!"
After a bit of chitchat, she told him that she lives nearby and works in a small art gallery. His two best friends, Tom and Mark, join in and it doesn't take long before the conversation turns to the women they've been with recently.
He's known Tom and Mark for 10 years and, for the past few years, they've been out and about at the clubs from Thursday to Sunday with the sole purpose of hooking up with as many women as possible. They even have lists, shared between friends and in the office, with ratings of all the women. In which descriptions like "easy slut", "a bit fat, but gives a really good blowjob" and "dirty deepthroat skills" are not uncommon.
The conversation goes on like this for a few minutes until Jade suddenly says: "Why do you talk about all these girls with so little respect? Just because you have a little money doesn't mean it's suddenly okay to talk about them like that."
After a moment of silence Tom says, "Who is she? I don't know her at all, but she's not really a party animal, is she? I talk about everyone the way I like, and those sluts really do whatever I say for a few drinks, right?"
At that moment Kim comes back from the car and Jade says, "Come on Kim, let's go. I don't feel like dealing with these cavemen. And they're so stupid that they don't even understand that with those girls they're not really the ones pulling the strings."
He was a little surprised and maybe even a little angry that someone would say things like this to him but the days after he couldn't help but think about that last thing she said. What did she mean by "...they're not really the ones pulling the strings."?
Besides that, he was also kind of impressed by someone who, in a company she didn't know, just dared to stand up for her own values. The fact that she looked incredible that night might be part of that thought, but still. So after a few days of thinking about it he'd asked Kim for Jade's phone number and sent her a short message telling her they maybe they got off on the wrong foot but he would really like to have a glass of wine together.
Within a few hours she responded, "Didn't expect to hear from you. But I am open to it, as long as you don't bring that horrible friend of yours. One of the new exhibitions at my gallery opens next Tuesday, so if you come over we can have a drink afterwards."
A few days later he parked his car on the opposite side of the street, right across the gallery. When he walked in she was busy with some other guests and he was offered a glass of champagne. Because he was not really used to this environment he walked around a bit awkwardly and after looking around for about 20 minutes he saw her walking towards him.
He got that feeling of his breath catching again for a moment, and he didn't quite understand where it was coming from. She walked towards him in a way that you only see when people are really comfortable with themselves and have a certain maturity within them. She looked straight into his eyes and for a brief moment her eyes seemed to say, "I bet you're not used to waiting for a woman."
For the next 30 minutes Jade gave him a tour around the gallery and talked about all the (local) artists they were trying to support through offering them a place to exhibit and sell their art. He loved the way she talked so passionately about the works of art but also felt a bit of confusion. She occasionally showed him some attention by touching his arm while she was talking but didn't seem to want anything from him, which wasn't how he was used to women treating him and it confused him a little bit.
After the last guests left she said that she was going to close up but there were still a few bottles of wine in the back so if he would like it he was welcome to help closing up and have a glass of wine right after.
After a few minutes of tidying the place up a bit she told him to take a seat on a small couch near the window and went to the back to get a bottle of wine and some glasses. After they sat down she told him she was quite surprised he had reached out considering the way she left the last time they had seen each other.
That's what he was still puzzled about as well, why did he contact her after she clearly said she didn't like the way they talked about all the girls they fucked and more importantly why did she say yes to seeing him again?
"I`m still wondering what you meant when you said that we are not the ones pulling the strings? Somehow I kept thinking about you and this statement, so I`m really curious to understand what you mean by that," he said.
She smiled a little, as if to say I knew all along that this is what's it about, and said, "What is this all about for those girls? They want the parties, the cars, the drinks and the presents, don't they? And their currency is their body and sex. But do you really think they do things they wouldn't do otherwise? Of course not, they do exactly what they would do otherwise, only now they get what they want in return. So who has the real power then? But you having the idea that they do whatever you want them to do doesn't give you the right to talk about them so disrespectfully."
"Having said that it is time for me to go home, Alex. I like you being so mature to ask me what I meant and hopefully you understand where I`m coming from and maybe one day you'll see what I really mean. So if you'd be so kind to take the bottle and glasses back and clean them for me? I need to get my stuff upstairs and will wait for you outside," she said.
After cleaning the glasses he walked to the door, she was already waiting for him and closed the door behind him. She kissed him on the cheek and, with a small smirk on her lips whispered in his ear, "I didn't expect you to do my dishes tonight, such a good boy. Have a good night!" and walked away.
He was so surprised that he didn't really know how to respond for a moment. But by the time he really realized what just happened, she was already gone. Such a good boy? What? Like he is a toddler who just finished his task and needs a pat on the back for it? He felt a little bit of annoyance but confusingly enough also a different feeling as if he had indeed just done something very well.
What happened? Why did he accept this from her whilst he would never accept this from anyone? And why does that make him feel so strange?
When he got home he felt the strong need for a little drink, he poured himself a whisky and sat himself down in the Eames chair he'd wanted for years and was finally able to get himself after his most recent promotion. Still a bit annoyed he was thinking about what just happened and then, all of a sudden, an old memory popped up. It must have been about twenty years ago in the first year of high school. Somewhere in the first few weeks of the year in the classroom of miss Turner, the English teacher. By that time she must have been somewhere in her twenties and, for an average 13 year old boy, she was the most beautiful woman they'd ever seen. At that time he was still a diligent student and obviously prepared his homework for miss Turner's class. But apparently that day he was the only one who did. Miss Turner was a bit annoyed by this, stating, "So only Alex over here did his homework like I asked? As he is such as good boy he gets the hour off whilst everyone else stays here to catch up on their homework!"
Even thinking about it now, 20 years later, still makes him blush a bit. Him being teased about it for months by his classmates didn't bother him at all at the time. And now, so many years later, he actually felt the same about what Jade said to him earlier this evening. Did she just light a fire that had been out for a while?
In the weeks after they met several times. Sometimes for a drink, sometimes for dinner and every now and then she asked him to come by the gallery because a beautiful new painting had been delivered and she was curious what he would think of it.
Almost every time she would send him a short message with requests like, "Wear a blue jacket today", "Dress code: smart casual", "Wear that nice watch with the green dial".
And every time she made a little comment saying how much she enjoyed he had done what she asked and how well it looked. To the point where he could hardly wait to see if there would be a new message with another small request and he was already hoping to hear from her that she was pleased with him again. He never had this feeling before, and somehow it made him a little uncomfortable, but at the same time it also gave him such a nice feeling that it didn't matter that much anymore.
One day she invited him again to her gallery and after spending a few hours talking to the guests and artists they found themselves on the same couch near the window again as a few weeks before and this time he was the one getting a bottle of wine and two glasses. He walked back to the couch but as he tries to put the bottle down, it slips from his hands and shatters on the floor right in front of her. She is a little startled and he starts picking up the largest pieces of glass from the ground.
While he is on the floor, out of the corner of his eyes, he sees her crossing her legs. For a moment her skirt slides up a bit. Just enough to see the strap of her suspenders. Was he really staring? Because even though it felt like he only looked for a second, she says, "Seen enough? I thought you were cleaning up?"
He feels himself starting to blush, again, and quickly continues cleaning up. She stands up and stands right in front of him. Suddenly she grabs his face and says, "Well? I asked you something, didn't I? Have you seen enough?"
A little awkwardly he says, "I wasn't looking at all." She looks at him, "I think I've had enough for today. You clean this up and then we'll go home."
Once he gets home, he still has a bit of an awkward feeling about it. He picks up his phone and sends a message.
