I'd recently returned from active duty in he Middle East. Seven years in that part of the world gives one a definite positive slant on what we Americans have here in the United States. At twenty-five I was looking forward to what politicians like to call "The American Dream", and my dream included a girl I'd known since high school. Well, to make sad story short, Rachel gave me my walking papers on my first night home. I was pretty shook up and spent a week licking my wounds and feeling sorry for myself. Then one morning I woke up, said "To Hell with it!" and decided my seven year old Mustang needed to go for a long drive. The car was completely paid for now and had barely been broken-in.
When I headed down Interstate 5 toward California, I had no specific destination in mind, but late afternoon found me in central Oregon. I'd been driving since ten o'clock that morning and was pretty bushed, so I checked-in at a Holiday Inn just north of Eugene. By the time I finished showering, it was nearly six p.m., and before hitting the sack, I drove down the street a few blocks for something to eat. As I pulled into the restaurant parking lot I noticed an expensive car with the hood up and an attractive woman peering disgustedly at the engine. I parked nearby and walked over, saying, "Problems, huh!"
She glanced up, smiled and said, "Good guess! Know anything about cars?"
"Not much," I said. "Just enough to point 'em down the road and steer." Matching her posture, I leaned my elbows on the car and looked at her across the engine. She was one of those women who use no discernible make-up, yet manage to look feminine, soft and extremely sexy. She wore a sky blue blouse made of a satin-like material. Her large, wide set eyes were of an almost identical hue as the blouse. There was a smudge of engine grease on her cheek. This and the fact that her long black hair was secured in a make-shift pony tail combined to give her an almost teenage appearance. Although she appeared to be young, something about her attitude made me think she was probably in her late twenties. Her gaze caught mine in such a way as to give me the feeling that she could see right into my mind and know my every thought.
I saw something erotic in her gaze. Of course that could have just been my thoughts reflecting back at me; I'm sure my attraction for her was written all over my face. "What happened?" I asked.
As she answered, she moved around to my side and leaned on the car, her shoulder touching my arm as we peered down at the dead engine. "I was headed home and the engine began to sputter, so I pulled in here and shut it off." It was then that I became aware of her fragrance. It wasn't a perfume, exactly, at least not one I was familiar with, but a scent you couldn't quite get enough of. She stood and said, "I've been trying to start it, and now I think I've run the battery down."
"Wish I could help, but I really don't know anything about cars." I turned toward her. As she stood beside me, the top of her head came just to my eyes. I inhaled her scent deeply. There was something about her smell that really turned me on. I judged her to be two or three years my senior, and I wondered if she would consider me too young for her. But I figured what the hell. "Can I take you anywhere, help you find a mechanic or something?" I offered.
She turned to face me and gave me another of those penetrating looks. By her expression, I could tell that she knew I was inhaling her scent; that she knew I wanted to touch her, taste her, devour her. After a moment, without breaking eye contact, she said, "No, the car's new. I'll call the dealer tomorrow and let them take care of it."
Not wanting to give up, I suggested, "I could drive you home."
She studied my face a moment. "I don't want to impose. Besides, I live all the way on the other side of town. I can call a taxi."
"It wouldn't be an imposition," I really did need to get some rest, but I was hooked on her scent. Usually, when I come across an attractive woman, it's something about how she looks or walks that gets under my skin; that makes me say to myself: ^I want some of that.^ But this time it was her scent. Not that she wasn't a beautiful woman. She was stunning, but her scent was like an addiction I just couldn't get enough of it. A slight breeze, rustled my shirt against my skin, and I realized my nipples were erect and super-sensitive. "I was just going to get something to eat here and then spend a boring evening watching television. How about you join me for dinner, and I'll drive you home?"
She took a moment to look me up and down as though undressing me with her eyes. Finally, she stepped forward and laid her hand on my chest. It just so happened that my erect nipple was underneath her hand and her long fingers did a slight caress, sending a ripple through me, and now my nipples were not the only part becoming erect. Thank goodness for my tight Jockey shorts and loose pleated trousers. "I have a better idea," she said. "Drive me home and I'll make dinner." Then, as an added incentive, as if I needed one, "I also have a bottle of Petite Syrah, just waiting to be appreciated."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously!"
"You've got a deal!" Then I thought, ^That was too easy! I don't know this woman. What am I getting myself into? Maybe I should chuck it all and just go.^ But, instead, I held out my hand and said, "I'm David Farrell, by the way."
She took my hand and gave it a sensual squeeze, kind of caressing my palm, "Hi David. Evelyn Larkin. Eve to my friends."
Eve got a bag and a briefcase from her car and we headed across town. It was a complicated route to her house, but she told me when to change lanes and where to turn. In between Eve's directions, I found out that she worked as a psychologist and held a teaching position at the University. She also mentioned that she was performing some experiments about which she was writing a book. She didn't give any details about the project, but I got the feeling she was very much into it.
We had crossed town and driven a couple miles into the wooded countryside where large fir and cedar lined both sides of the road. Finally, Eve had me turn off the main road onto a steep, brick-paved driveway. We drove a few hundred feet before breaking into a clearing containing an enormous split-level house built of brick and some kind of dark natural stone.
"Impressive! You can afford this on a teacher's salary?" The question came out automatically.
"Not exactly!" Eve gave a quick laugh. "I had a little help inherited some money." Eve had taken something from her purse and when she pointed it at the house, one of the four garage doors opened. "You can park in there."
"That's okay. It'll be fine out here."
"No! Park in the garage!" It was definitely an order. Then she softened her voice. "Please!"
I pulled into the open garage and the door rolled down and clicked with a finality that somehow gave me a sense of being trapped. But that trepidation didn't last long, for soon we were in her study; the walls of which were covered with ceiling-high bookshelves. After fixing me a drink from the well stocked bar and turning on some soft music, Eve excused herself to take a shower.
I browsed the bookshelves, noticing that the books were organized by topic. There was a large section on psychology and psychiatry, a section on religion and the occult, another on history, quite an extensive section on sexuality, and a fiction section mostly mystery and suspense.
A few minutes later Eve was back, hair hanging loose and wearing jeans and a man's loose fitting white dress shirt. She opened the bottle of wine she'd promised and prepared a dinner of Lasagna which she took from a large freezer and now re-baked. I offered to help, but Eve was quick and sure, so I stayed out of the way and watched her movements, wondering if she made love with the same focus and determination, as she did everything else. The wine was great and I'd finished two glasses by the time we sat down to eat. The Lasagna was delicious.