As Christmas neared, Alicia and I decided to give a small dinner party. Alicia had a friend named Kathy Stone, a nurse on the surgical unit, whom she invited, along with Kathy's female companion.
I had not really developed any close friends during my time at the hospital. I had working acquaintances, but no one that I spent any time with away from work. If I had not met Alicia, I might have cultivated a friend or two, but once Alicia came into the picture, she was all I really wanted. Alicia, on the other hand, craved the company of other people occasionally.
Kathy was in her middle thirties, with short black hair, red lips and fingernails, and intense blue-black eyes under thick dark eyebrows. She was a petite woman with strong, muscular arms, thighs and buttocks that she got from lifting weights at the gym. She had a small tattoo of a red rose on her left bicep. Her breasts looked small and hard like the rest of her body. Her complexion was pale, her nose small and upturned. When she laughed her rather loud, brassy laugh, she showed large white teeth. She smoked, and could be seen outside in the employee smoking area on even the coldest, rainiest days with a cigarette between her lips.
If opposites could be said to attract, then Alicia and I were living proof. But Alicia and Kathy were not opposites. Both had strong personalities. Alicia could be rather humorless at times, but Kathy had a lively, if crude, sense of humor. She was often the only one who could get Alicia laughing, most of the time with dirty jokes.
On the other hand, despite her outgoing personality, Kathy was always respectful of Alicia at work. Alicia was the physician, and a good one, after all. But Kathy was a very good nurse, and didn't hesitate to express her opinion. That may have been one of the reasons why Alicia liked her. She could take Kathy at face value without feeling threatened by her.
For my part, I kept pretty quiet while Kathy was around. It wasn't that I didn't like her; I did. It was that I didn't feel that I had that much to say around two such strong personalities.
We decided to have Kathy and her friend over on a Saturday night two weeks before Christmas. Alicia wanted roast, baked potatoes with all the fixings, asparagus with cheese sauce, and hot rolls. For dessert, she wanted a chocolate cake. We would have a nice red wine with dinner, and a special blend of coffee afterward. I was told to get a bottle of expensive Russian vodka and half a gallon of fresh orange juice: Screwdrivers were Kathy's drink.
I could tell that Alicia was looking forward to the party by the interest she took in everything. She insisted that we go shopping together. She lingered over the meat counter, choosing just the right cut. Then, she spent a good while in the coffee section, picking out beans, and grinding them special. It was a little strange, because she usually left such matters to me.
Kathy and her friend were due at seven that Saturday evening. Alicia wanted to have drinks and conversation before dinner. We got home with the groceries at about three. She immediately got out the vacuum cleaner and began cleaning.
"I'll be glad to do that, if you'll just let me get the groceries put away," I said.
"No, Phillip. I want you to concentrate on the dinner. I want everything to go well tonight."
I stopped putting groceries away, suddenly puzzled. "Why are you so, I don't know, nervous about tonight?" I asked.
"I'm not nervous," Alicia replied. "I just like Kathy and I want her to have a good time."
We had a little time, so I put the roast up to marinate, and began preparing the other food. I like cooking and I have a certain way of doing things. I set everything up so that dinner was mainly putting things together and cooking. Then, I helped Alicia with cleaning up.
"What are you going to wear?" she asked for the second time that day, the fourth time that week.
"I'm going to wear that nice plaid shirt and the khakis you got me," I explained patiently.
"Are you going to shower?" she asked.
"No, I'm going to subject them to my natural body odor. Of course I am!" I said, slightly exasperated. "Listen, we have plenty of time before I even have to put dinner on. Why don't I give you your body care now. It will help relax you."
"Okay," she said.
I stripped down to tee shirt and jockeys, and ran a tub for Alicia. Then I helped her get undressed. As always, I was a bit overwhelmed by her physical presence. Even with having gained a little weight, she looked magnificent. Her skin was as smooth as silk. There was a nice blush on her cheeks. She looked rested most of the time. I made sure that she was always well-groomed. I took care of her clothes and accessories, and made sure that her nails were almost always painted. I am proud to say that, under my care, Alicia blossomed. Offers for dates, mostly from other doctors who hadn't paid any attention before, began to come in. She refused them all.
"Mistress, I want to do your breast exam," I said, once she was naked. "Go sit on the bed."
I became very "officious," as she called it, when I was doing her breast exam. As a result, she followed my instructions without complaint. She sat on the side of the bed.
"Let your arms hang naturally," I said. She did so, and I looked carefully at her nipples for symmetry, inversion, discharge or crusting. I also looked carefully at her skin for dimpling. Nothing unusual. Good. "Okay," I said, "Raise your arms, please." I repeated the observation. Everything looked fine. Alicia's right breast was slightly larger than her left, but this was normal.
"Now lie down," I said.
"Yes, Phillip," she said meekly, smiling up at me.
Alicia lay down. I had her bring her right arm up and put it behind her head. Then, using the pads of my fingers, I palpated her entire breast, quadrant by quadrant, including under her arm. I used gentle but firm pressure, checking for any masses or lumps. When I finished palpating, I squeezed her nipple gently, checking for a discharge. "Okay," I said, "now lift your left arm up." I repeated the process for her left breast. Everything felt fine.
She watched me closely while I examined her.
"Do you like doing all these things for me?" she asked.
"Yes, I do," I said.
"Why?" she asked.
I didn't look up. I was concentrating on the exam. "Because, Mistress, I love you, and your welfare and happiness are my main concerns."
