Aimee

CHAPTER 2

A chance meeting on a busy street between Aimee and Don has created something akin to a father/daughter like relationship as Don helped Aimee deal with some of the issues that had resulted in her tearful distress at their first meeting. In spite of the subtle signs of her vulnerability, and Don's natural inclinations, he steadfastly resisted such urges while the two became good friends. It is now four months after their first meeting.

= = =

Winter had set in with a vengeance bringing bitterly frigid days. The wind tore through the streets making wind tunnels confined by blocks of tall office buildings. Aimee had become a permanent employee of Laffitte's and fully enjoyed the door it provided into a world of relationships she had never imagined possible. In a few short months, she had truly come into her own.

Don and Aimee got together for coffee, or a meal on a regular basis. At first it was once every other week but had soon developed into a weekly "date." They enjoyed one another's company and Aimee had come to look forward to each meeting with a level of yearning that was unfamiliar to her. He told her of his failed marriage and the divorce, now ten years ago, after 12 childless years of marriage and her multiple affairs.

"The pain is still there.," he told her, "And I have issues with trust now."

Aimee provided an oasis of relief after days on end that were filled with stress and pressures of his work. He enjoyed hearing of the experiences she had and the things she was learning from day to day. She was, in many ways, like a flower opening to the warmth of the sun as she developed from an insecure, spoiled, rich girl into a confident, resourceful, intelligent woman.

The conversation they had on the first step of her brownstone the night he walked her home still hung on a hook in their memory. It was like an unused tool, hung on a pegboard. It was there, they were aware of it and noticed it from time to time; but still unused. Dormant, but still flickering from time to time.

On this particular day I had worked late, and we arranged to meet for coffee and dessert at Lafitte's.

I sat at the table that we had dubbed as "our table" waiting for Aimee to arrive. She came through the door, stomping her feet on the mat to rid them of debris picked up from the wintery sidewalks. I watched as she removed her calf length woolen coat and hung it on the rack by the door. As she put her arms back to allow the coat to slip off her shoulders, I noted the shape and size of her breasts as they stretched the fabric of the sweater vest she wore over a blue cotton shirt with long sleeves. She wore black trousers that revealed the curve of her hips, belly and buttocks but hung more loosely around her thighs and legs down to her ankles. Her tinted lips curved upward in an impish smile and her eyes sparkled as she sat across from me and flung her hair back from her shoulders. "Hi, Don.," she said as she reached across the table and patted my arm.

Her touch was evidence of just how far she had come over the months. My body's response to her touch was evidence of just how much, in that same amount of time, she had been transformed into a desirable woman in my eyes. I struggled against the want ... the need. I forced myself to observe what was appropriate and proper.

We ordered caramel lattes and decided to split a slice of New York style cheesecake with strawberries. She ate the strawberries, and I ate the cheesecake.

As we sipped our second lattes, Aimee's face grew serious, and a shadow of uncertainty and hesitation passed over her. "What's up hon?" I don't remember when I started using that pet name, it just seemed to pop out at some point and had been used ever since.

She toyed with her napkin as she lowered her eyes. She looked back up at me with those gorgeous gray eyes. "I need some help," she said. I quickly asked what I could do to help, and she said, "I don't know if you can. I mean, I don't know if you would, or even if it's right for me to ask."

She had my curiosity piqued now and I told her, "Hon, you can ask me anything, I hope you have learned that by now. What's bothering you?"

In the glow of the candle flame I could see the struggle that played out in her facial expressions. She pushed the stray lock of hair from her face and her eyes met mine.

"You know I've met some guys and have developed some friendships with some of them."

I waited, working to keep a neutral expression as I braced myself for what I thought was coming next.

"She continued, "They are nice guys, and I enjoy being with them but ..."

"But....?"

"I don't know," she said, "it's just that I think some of them would like to connect with me, but something is missing. I don't have similar feelings, and I think it would be wrong to lead them on in thinking we could be more than friends.

"Perhaps it is too soon to make that kind of decision." I said.

"No," she responded, "the problem is I have been having feelings that I've never had before, for a different man ... and I don't know what they are for sure or what to do with them."

I noted that her breathing had become shallow, and her face was a shade of crimson as she picked up the napkin and began twisting it around her fingers.

She was no longer looking at me and her eyes were lowered toward the table.

"Aimee," I said as I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers, preventing her from twisting the napkin. "

She looked up and told me that some of the girls who had become her friends had told her that her feelings were a sign that she was 'in love.'

"Does this other man know?," I asked.

She looked down again and shook her head, "I don't think so. But he's the only man who ever really cared for me."

The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes ... long minutes as I digested her words and waited. Then she looked up and locked her gaze with mine and in a small voice, as tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes she said, "I think I have feelings for you, Don." And then her words came out like a torrent, "I understand if you don't want me, really, I do. You are so much older than me. You have difficulty trusting people. You have bent over backwards to avoid getting too close. You have your own life. I understand, and I don't want to ruin or lose our friendship, but I don't know what to do with these feelings."

She dropped her gaze again as the tears were about ready to drop and I hastily handed her the handkerchief from my pocket. She took it with a crooked smile and said, "And now you are confronted with a crying woman again ... I'm so sorry."

People who were seated close to us were beginning to look over now. I squeezed her hand and said, "Aimee ... look at me." She did, and with tears starting to blur my own vision I said, "Aimee, I must confess that I've had growing feelings for you as well."

As my words registered, she began to shed tears even more freely and squeezed my hand. I suggested we leave since we were making quite a scene, and she agreed. We quickly retrieved our coats and stepped out into the wintry night.

"Can I walk you home?" I asked. She nodded and I put my arm around her, holding her close as we walked together.

"Do you really think that you could love me?" she asked shyly. "Of course I could," I said.

With a deep sigh and her voice shaking she said, "I don't really know much about love, and I have absolutely no experience. Can you teach me?"

I swallowed hard, "Teach you?"

She then explained that she had never even kissed a man before. "I don't know how things work between a man and a woman, or what I should do or how. Oh god, I'm so stupid about those things."

Squeezing her shoulder to my side, as we arrived at her brownstone, I assured her that we would take it slowly, and I would teach her whatever she wanted to know. "But for tonight, young lady, you should go up and get some rest. Later this week we will have a night to ourselves ... just the two of us ... and I will teach you what I know .... Deal?"

She stepped up on the first step of the stoop and faced me as she shivered slightly from the cold. As she leaned forward her arms slipped around my neck and as our noses touched, I pressed my lips to hers and felt her tremble as I wrapped my arms around her. I slipped the tip of my tongue between my lips and licked her lips, sucking her lower one into my mouth as she let loose a gentle whimper. Mustering every ounce of willpower available to me I released her and said, "Good night, Aimee." Soon we'll do this properly ... I'll call you.

The smile on her tear-stained face was beautiful to behold as I turned and walked to my car.

The next day, Aimee received the delivery of a single red rose while at work. Attached to the rose was an envelope with a key card enclosed. The black keycard had the word AEGIS printed on it in gold letters. Included was a note: 'Security will escort you. 7pm D'. The delivery raised a few curious eyebrows among her co-workers, but she kept the details to herself, her heart fluttering in her chest for the remainder of the day.

She practically ran home at the end of the day, threw off her clothing and hopped in the shower enjoying the cascade of hot water as it caressed her body from head to toe. As she toweled off, she assessed her naked body in the mirror. Her breasts were the size of grapefruits or small melons capped with chocolate areolas and nipples that were presently erect. Her belly was flat except for a slight rounding and her hips flared pleasingly from her narrow-tapered waist. As she ran the towel between her legs, she noted the well-defined gap between her thighs where they joined her torso. The smoothly shaven lips of her vulva were slightly swollen below a thin patch of neatly trimmed dark hair. She turned and with satisfaction noted that her buttocks were well proportioned with the rest of her body. She imagined what it would be like to have him look at her ... to have him touch her. She recalled the moment he ran his tongue across her lower lip and sucked it into his mouth. It made her shiver and gave her a queer and queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Would he find her desirable?

The next two hours were spent doing her makeup, fixing her hair, and getting dressed. The whole time her excitement surged as her imagination fueled her growing anticipation of the evening ahead. At 6:40 she left her apartment and began the 15-minute walk to the AEGIS Tower building.

Aimee arrived just five minutes before 7pm and found the glass doors to the building locked. She could see two men in uniform at the security desk and one of them looked her way and began to walk toward her. He unlocked the door and pushed it open, "Good evening, Miss Franklin, Mr. Edwards is expecting you, please come in." Once the security guard had locked the door again, he said, "Please follow me."

Amy had never been to the AEGIS building before. As the staccato tapping of her high heels on the polished black marble floor echoed through the lobby she took in the lavishly decorated room with its vaulted ceiling and enormous crystal chandeliers. The walnut reception desk sat on an island of plush carpet in the middle of the room and the walls were adorned with gold brocade draperies alternating around the room with floor to ceiling windows.

The security guard led her to an elevator that slid open with a whisper. As she entered, the guard slid her keycard into the slot and the door closed behind her. There was no sense of movement as the elevator rose, the only indication being the flashing numbers as they passed each floor, until the display had a single letter ... the letter P. As the elevator door slid soundlessly open, the security guard said, "Have a good evening, Miss Franklin," and he handed her key card back to her.

She left the elevator, entering a small vestibule that was softly lit by wall sconces on either side of a door with a sign that said "Penthouse." She wondered, with surprise, if this was really where Don lived. She had expected to meet him in his office but never imagined that she would be escorted to the penthouse on the 48th floor!

Timidly, looking up into the security camera mounted on the wall, she pressed the button under the wall sconce and could hear the faint bell tones coming from inside. The door clicked and then swung open noiselessly.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she took in the sight that unfolded before her. He stood there in a crisp white shirt and blue tie with gray trousers, smiling at her while holding two glasses of wine. He was surrounded by the softly lit and opulently appointed living space, the sight of which took her breath away. "You ... you live here?"

I smiled as I handed her a glass of wine, "Yes, I am afraid I do. I haven't been entirely honest with you and it's time to confess." A shadow passed across her face at his words and a pang of fear gripped her heart. "I don't merely work in this building, Aimee, I own the place. AEGIS is mine. I have had growing feelings for you from the first day we met and hoped that one day you might feel the same. I brought you here tonight because I wanted you to know that my interest ... my feelings for you has nothing to do with your money. I don't need your money. My feelings for you are because I have come to know the real you and if we are going to explore a relationship together, I want you to be clear in understanding that my interest is not because of any financial hopes. My interest is because of you."

He waited as she took in his words and watched as she took a sip of her wine. She had absolutely no idea how to respond. His eyes traveled up and down her body. She was wearing a brown pleated skirt that came to her knees and a tan silk blouse with buttons down the front and full-length sleeves. There was a brown silk scarf around her neck and her dark tresses were swept up off her shoulders and secured on the back of her head. She was gorgeous!

Finally, she was able to respond as she suppressed a surge of disappointment, and a shade of panic. "You speak of your feelings, your interest ... I don't know what that means. Are you saying you love me? ... you don't love me? I don't know what this all means."

"That's a fair question.," I said, "I will be honest and tell you that I cannot say I love you today. I haven't fallen in love with you yet. I have tried to resist it but despite myself, I think...I am falling in love with you. I haven't felt like this about a woman in many years. But now, I WANT to love you, Aimee, if you will let me."

She took a deep sip from her glass and set it on the table, closing the distance between them she wrapped her arms around him and said, "Of course I will let you! I need you to love me. I want to know what it feels like to love and be loved in return."

I wrapped my arms around her, my hands making long slow strokes up and down her back. I buried my nose in the hair atop her head and breathed in her scent. Gently, taking her by the hand, I led her to the gold velvet covered couch and we sat together.

With a deep sigh, I asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

She thought for a moment and replied shyly, with faltering words, "I.. I...I don't really know ... anything about ... these things. I've never experienced these ... feelings ... before and I don't know how to respond to them."

"You have truly never kissed a boy?" I asked.

With color rising to her face she replied, "Just once and that was last night on my doorstep."

"How much do you know about intimate relations between a man and a woman?"

Her face, now crimson, she lowered her eyes and shook her head, "Nothing," she whispered. They taught us in biology class about a man and a woman's private parts but that's all. There were some line drawings in the textbook, and we looked at Greek or Roman statues but nothing more. I've seen boy babies when changing their diapers and so I know a man has something called a penis and that it somehow ... um ... somehow enters the woman and can make her pregnant."

Incredulously, I asked, "And you've never looked at porn magazines or videos?"

She wrung her hands in her lap and with downcast eyes shook her head and whispered, "No."

I took her hands from her lap and held them in mine. "Aimee," I said, "look at me." As she raised her eyes, they were wide, and I could not tell if it was anticipation, desire, or fear. Perhaps it was all three.

I stood as we held one another's gaze, and I pulled her up from the couch to face me. "Hon, what happens this evening from this point on is totally in your control. If you say slow down, I will slow down. If you say stop, I will stop. It will all be your choice. I want you to feel comfortable and safe. I will not cross the line of your comfort zone. Do you understand what I am saying?

Once again, her face flushed with crimson, she nodded and whispered, "Yes, Don. I understand and am ready."

I drew her into an embrace again, and after kissing the top of her head, I lifted her chin with my fingers and kissed her. As our lips met a moan rose from her throat and she pressed herself to me. I leaned to whisper in her ear and breathed in the scent of her perfume, "May I undress you, Aimee?"

I felt her body tremble as she inhaled sharply and responded, "Yessssss."