It had been a busy night. I looked at my watch β 10.35 p.m. I decided to pick up one more fare from the Savoy Grill, then call it a night. The wife and kids were down at the coast for the weekend β I'd be home by midnight, and I'd have a stiff whisky and watch the rerun of the Ladies Singles Final before turning in β¦β¦
The commissionaire beckoned as the cab glided to a halt at the front, indicating the side entrance. I steered the cab round the corner, where it was so much quieter, away from London's busy streets.
"Must be a VIP," I thought. "Dodging the paparazzi."
I leaned back and swung the back door open. A tall, dark figure in a long black coat hurried out of the shadows, and the commissionaire closed the cab door behind her, with a salute.
"Where to, Miss?" I asked, automatically, glancing in the mirror. My passenger was female β young, fairly tall, and black.
"Oh, can you just drive around for half an hour, please?" came the reply from the back. "I just need to get my head together." The accent was definitely American β I looked again in my mirror, as I pulled out into the West End traffic, heading for Hyde Park Corner.
"Wow!" I thought to myself. The blonde-tinted dreadlocks were unmistakeable, as was the smile, the gleaming white teeth.
"I'm sorry, Miss Williams," I said, automatically straightening my cap and sitting up. "I didn't recognise you, right away. And congratulations on this afternoon's result."
Her smile was unexpectedly shy, and warm.
"Oh, thanks," she said, then β "you're not a tennis umpire, are you?"
"No, Miss," I replied, puzzled.
"Then forget the 'Miss Williams' β call me Serena!"
I laughed.
"OK, Serena," I chuckled. "I'm Phil. And well done this afternoon, anyway β I managed to see most of the second set."
"First set was better," she remarked, laconically. "But, thanks β you know, this is the first time I've been able to sit down and just enjoy it!"
"Ah," I said. "Family?"
She nodded, slipping her coat open to reveal a sensational red satin dress underneath, the front straining to contain her magnificent breasts. I caught my breath. She was one hell of a woman!
"Yeah," she said. "Oh, don't get me wrong β I owe them everything β including Venus, but β well, when you win a big one, like that β and they don't come any bigger than Wimbledon β well, you want to kinda 'go mad' β¦β¦ But, well, we had a doubles to play later on, and then we had to go for a meal with Mom β Dad's at home in Florida β and how can you really celebrate when the girl you beat is sitting opposite you, and your Mom's as concerned about sympathising with her as she is about congratulating you?"
"Mmmmm," I said. "Difficult."
"Anyway," she went on. "Who wants to be with their parents on a night like this?"
"Well, you're not with your parents, now," I said. "You're with one of your biggest fans! Anyway, how come you left, anyway?"
She grimaced, guiltily.
"I β I said I was going to the washroom, but I just couldn't stand the thought of going back, so I asked the guy in the uniform to get me a cab β just to get me out of there for a while. In fact, I should call them β¦β¦"
I concentrated on my driving as she pulled a cellphone out of her pocket and spoke, softly, into it.
I couldn't ignore her presence, though. I hadn't been able to keep my eyes off her for the past fortnight. The gorgeous sway of her ass cheeks as she walked between points, in that miniscule white skirt. The glorious cleavage of her shiny black breasts as she stooped to receive her opponent's serve. I had had an almost permanent hard-on for two whole weeks β¦β¦
"So," came the voice from the back, as she slipped the cellphone back into her pocket. "You're a tennis fan, are you, Phil?"
"Well, no β not really," I confessed. "I'm like most Brits β I watch Wimbledon, then wait for the football season to start again."
"Oh," she sounded disappointed, and I felt a real heel. She didn't really need another disappointment β tonight, of all nights!
"But I always try to watch your games," I added, hastily β "and your sister's. And I like when you're playing together, in the doubles."
"Oh, really?" She sounded really interested. "And why is that, Phil?"
I began to stammer some nonsense about how she and her sister had revolutionised ladies' tennis with their power and athleticism, and my passenger listened quietly until I ran out of ideas.
"Well, that's good to hear, Phil," she commented when, at last, I finished. "You wouldn't believe how many guys watch us just because they like our cute asses. It's good to meet someone who appreciates us for the quality of our tennis β¦β¦"
I looked in the mirror. Her eyes were sparkling with amusement, meeting mine in the mirror. I grinned at her.
"Well, I won't say you're not easy on the eye, as well," I mumbled, half-embarrassed, and was rewarded with a deep chuckle.
Without thinking, I said β "Hey, Serena, would you like a drink β to celebrate? I'm finishing after this job β we could go to a pub, or β my house is only ten minutes away."