It was later that same night, about ten o'clock and Steve was just arriving back home from the library. He was a little tired, but he felt good, all the same. He had just completed some research crucial to a major paper he was working on. He closed and locked the front door of the house behind him. The downstairs was pretty much dark. Everyone must be studying or gone to bed, he thought, climbing the stairs up to the second floor.
Steve's bedroom was the first on the right as he arrived on the second floor landing. He opened his door and entered. As a general rule, Steve kept his room very neat. His clothes were picked up and his bed was made. That was why he noticed the note on his bed right away. He picked it up and unfolded it. Inside, in Louise's handwriting, was a brief message. It read: "Steve, please come alone to my room as soon as the house quiets down. I need to talk to you. Louise."
Puzzled, Steve put the note down, undressed down to his underwear, grabbed soap and towel, and went across the hall to take a shower. The hot shower both relaxed and invigorated him. He went back across to his room, and put on an old set of hospital scrubs he often slept in. Just as a precaution, he brushed his teeth. Sensing the need for quiet from the tone of the letter, Steve was careful as he walked down the hall to Louise's room. He saw light under Mark's door only. Steve smiled wryly: Mark was a typical math major. He was probably working on some esoteric formula on his computer.
He reached Louise's door, and knocked softly. From inside Louise's voice quietly asked, "Who is it?"
"It's Steve."
"Come on in."
Steve opened the door and stepped inside. Louise's large bedroom was dark except for a shaded lamp in one corner, and a couple of candles burning on the coffee table. Louise was standing by the window. The scent of her perfume wafted over to him. It was something slightly musky and sweet. She was wearing just the right amount of it. Louise herself was wearing an expensive mint green satin dressing gown. Her strawberry blonde hair was loose and flowing over her shoulders.
Now, Steve was not a stupid man. He knew that something, probably a seduction, was in the works. And he was basically okay with it. He had admired Louise Blaisdell for quite a while. But he had been reluctant to make a move, for fear of being rebuffed.
But here, tonight, it looked for all the world like she was not only ready, but even willing to make the first move. She turned to him smiling, "Hello Steve. How are you tonight?"
"I'm just fine, Louise."
"How is school going? I don't seem to see you as much as I do the others. Is everything going well?"
"As a matter of fact, it is," Steve replied. "I just finished some rather tough research on a paper I'm doing. It is quite a relief to have it finished."
Louise sat down on a large comfortable overstuffed chair and said, "Please sit with me for a while. Would you like something to drink? I have a little brandy, and I have a little cold dry white wine."
"How about a little wine? I'm not much of a hard liquor drinker," said Steve.
"Two white wines it is."