CHOCOLATE AND RED WINE
He watched her work on the icing. The cake itself was finished. A birthday for her favorite nephew. He liked to watch her work; smooth, flowing motion... easy grace in her movements. An athlete, even in the kitchen.
Music came from the system, a real mix of styles: acoustic banjo, early--early rock and roll, jazz vocals... mostly females... Billie Holiday... Diana Krall... Nina Simon, Guy Clark folk songs, classic Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Reed blues... a CD she had put together.
The controls were in an antique French wardrobe, its doors open, full mirrors on the insides of the doors. He was reading A Painted House, the newest Grisham book. He looked up from time to time, into the mirrors, watched the smooth motion of her working.
She put the tip of a finger into the icing, put the finger to her mouth, checking the taste, the consistency. "I'll have some of that," he said.
"Some of what?" She looked at him in the glass, put the finger back to her mouth.
"Why; chocolate icing, of course. What did you think?"
"With you, one never knows."
"Ah," he said, taking a sip of red wine, putting Grisham down. "You wouldn't be being mischievous now would you?"
"Want some icing?" she watched him In the mirror. His back was to her.
"Some icing would be good."
He felt the tightness come into his lower stomach; felt the heat flow to his crotch.
She undid the top two buttons of her blouse. She did not wear a bra. He watched her reach the finger into the mixing bowl, come out covered with chocolate. She dabbed the icing onto her uncovered nipple; she stared into his eyes, did not look away.
"Want some icing?"
"Some icing would be good."
"Well, what the hell are you doing way over there?"
He circled the room, came to her. She licked the remaining chocolate from her finger. He bent to her breast, took the nipple between his teeth, worked his tongue, licking the sweetness from her. He sipped the red wine, put his thumb into the glass, put it into her mouth, felt her suck his thumb.
"Bring the bowl," he said.
"Where are we going?"
"Away."
He put his arm around her shoulder, the other under her hips, lifted her and started across the room. She grabbed the mixing bowl.
With his foot he swept away the magazines, books, photographs from the long, low coffee table. He lowered her to the smooth, cool marble tabletop.
"My, my," she said, "whatever does this mean?"
"Some of your other parts need a little chocolate, maybe a little red wine."
"My, my," she said, started to unbutton more buttons.
He stopped her. "I'll do that part. I like to do that part. You just watch."
"I know."
He ran his hand, his thumb, into the legs of her shorts; the fingers and thumb meeting at the top, clutching the entire crotch of her shorts. He hooked the forefinger into the waistband, holding the whole front of her shorts tight.
Her eyes wide, she looked at him; shifted her eyes, found herself, him, in the mirror. She watched him lift her ass off the table.
"Ah," he said, "a little red wine."