2. Anna and the 'essence'.
I had a quick cereal-toast and tea breakfast and left early to deliver the sample to mother. It will be three days until I get results. The rest of the day was taken up with joe-jobs and thoughts of the previous evening. Did I have Peter in my spider's web? Apart from the potential high-titre sample, did I want to have him in my life?
Monday morning came too soon. I got to school early and had time to set up before Grade 12 Personal Health and Hygiene. What a curriculum! Don't mothers teach their daughters anything these days?
The first days of the week were uneventful. I did rounds at the University Hospital on two occasions and checked in on all of my patients. There was one new patient from a religious community near Sacramento in for a case history: an interesting but hardly novel case. I taught six classes of high school biology and three of chemistry
In another part of the basic medical sciences building Peter was attending a seminar, sitting next to Alastair.
"Well," said Alastair, "I've figured out who your date was on Friday, which, incidentally, I thought went well. More rave reviews for the Pharma Group I would guess."
"What do you mean?" Peter replied. "Do you know Anna from somewhere? She told me she is a High School science teacher."
"She may well teach, Peter my old friend, but she also sat in on my Molecular Genetics 513 seminar last year when she got her fellowship in Internal Medicine. The other students called her 'The Ice Queen' because she never went out with her male colleagues," Alastair grinned.
"Strange; a complicated lady," Peter mused. "Must say I enjoyed her company and I'm hoping to see her again, but I haven't been able to call her yet."
"Well, if all else fails you could probably page her internally here," Alastair shrugged, knowing Peter would never again mix personal and professional interests.
"Squash in an hour?" Peter countered, wanting to change the subject. He had enough on his mind. He had tried to call Anna three times since Friday but the number was out of service.
They played before lunch, a close game, as usual. Nothing more was said about Friday, though Peter was sure Alastair had seen something on the far side of the dance floor.
Back at Roswell there was lots of data from the lab people and more to plan, but Peter needed down time. He took the next morning off and took the Morgan for a spin out to Half Moon Bay. Why could he not contact Anna? What was wrong with her cell phone?
He drove back home, determined to look for Anna. He drove to near where he picked her up on Friday, parked the Morgan and walked to the large plaza in front of the three high-rise apartments. He didn't know her family name or which of the three buildings to check: what chance of finding her?
Serendipity strikes again.
Peter looked up at the high-rises with his back to the road when a taxi drew up behind him. There was a bit of a scuffle as a passenger was unloaded bags and boxes, and offered the driver money to help carry the bags. The response was negative, the taxi drove off.
A voice from behind him asked "are you Anna's Peter?"
"You must be: tall, young, good-looking. Are you looking for Anna?"
"Actually, yes I am .... looking for Anna, as it happens," Peter replied to this apparition. She was tall, about 5'10", slim, incredibly beautiful, and dressed in long leather boots, stretch pants and a blouse with a long cotton wrap and a wide pink hat. Taken separately the clothes were an eclectic mixture; on her they looked carefully chosen. She had long platinum blond hair, light makeup and pale pink lipstick.
Peter thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He stood looking at her, remembering to close his mouth.
"Hi, I'm Katya, Anna's cousin. We share an apartment. If you give me a hand carrying my clothes I will see if she is in," said the apparition. "Follow me."
"Thank you," Peter said picking up two of the four clothes bags and one hat (?) box, aware of the perfume surrounding the collection. He hurried to catch up to the striding woman and followed her into the vestibule of the building.
"Can you press 23" asked the model, as they approached the elevator.
"Yes, Anna said she had a good time on Friday with a really handsome young man. I took a guess on you. Was I right? If you're not Peter we shall soon find out," and Katya laughed a tinkling laugh as the exited the elevator.
The woman dropped one armful at the door and knocked. There was no response so she used the key.
"Anna!" she spoke loudly, "Peter's here." Then to Peter "can you bring the clothes with you," walking through the apartment to a bedroom. "Oh, she must be at work!"
"Let me get you a drink, or something, to say thank you for your help."
Katya closed the door, shrugged off her wrap, threw the hat on the floor and sat on a chair.
"Will you be a darling and help me take my boots off?" she asked.
Peter knelt before her and pulled each one, still not knowing what to say to this whirlwind.
"Thank you darling" she said, standing up and close to Peter.
Then she smiled, reached a hand behind Peter's neck and kissed him, first gently, then with more pressure, opening her mouth to search for Peter's tongue.
"Yes, you must be Peter. Anna said you were a great kisser. Don't worry, we are very close. In fact we share almost everything," Katya whispered in his ear as Peter stood, completely dumbfounded.
Katya stood very close to Peter, their bodies touching, hip to hip, one of her legs gently pressing against Peter. She could feel she was getting a reaction from the tall man in front of her. Good, she was not losing her touch. She looked up at him again, smiled, closed her eyes and reached up, pursing her lips. Peter reacted and closed the gap. As he did so he could feel Katya's hand as it reached down to his crotch and felt his cock, stroking his trouser leg.
"No," said Peter, "this isn't right. I came looking for Anna. I must go."
"Please Peter," Katya looked sad, as she dropped to her knees in front of him, "please let me thank you properly. Anna doesn't need to know," she pleaded as she undid his trouser front and reached for his member.
