Ali was a 19-year-old who had gotten to her time in life with her virginity intact. Now though she had met the man of her dreams. As she stood in front of the mirror in her room, completely naked, she questioned how she could have overlooked what to wear. Slowly, it dawned on her that being naked was perfect for this situation. It would help them both relax and remove any inhibitions. 'I'll lay the food out on the floor on a tablecloth in front of the fire,' she thought.
Once everything was in place, she made her way up to wake Ted. Entering the bedroom coquettishly, she walked over to the bed and kissed him gently on the forehead. "Ted, it's time to wake up. Go and get a shower before you come down," she whispered.
"I've had a bath already. Anyway, what time is it?" he asked.
"8:00 p.m. Come on; just do this for me please! Anyway, a shower will freshen you up after your sleep," she ushered, as she gently pulled him up by the hand.
Ted was reluctant at first, but the sight and smell of Ali seemed to waken his senses. He could feel her soft, gentle hand in his, and the thought of what might lie ahead was starting to spur him on. The temptation to grab her and pull her down onto the bed was strong, but he knew that everything must follow a slow and gentle sequence of events tonight.
Ted showered thoroughly, leaving no part of his body unwashed. He used a subtle amount of deodorant and aftershave before reaching for his dressing gown. "No," he said aloud, while stopping himself. "Ali's naked, and I'm comfortable being naked in her company." It suddenly became apparent to Ted that he didn't need to have this conversation with himself out loud! 'Anyway it will set the mood,' he thought, before leaving the bathroom and heading downstairs.
Ted inhaled deeply as he entered the lounge, soaking up the aroma and atmosphere of the room. It was intoxicating and slightly mystic, like entering a fantasy world. Ali had created an extremely romantic aura in the room. Ted felt that he wanted, and needed, to explore this part of her personality in depth. She definitely had an artistic side to her. Ali wasn't in the lounge at the moment, but he could certainly feel her presence. He started to imagine sharing his life with such a mysterious, sensual, livewire of a partner, and he felt a buzz of excitement.
The separation and divorce needed to be hurried along, so that he and Ali could be more open about their relationship. This would also allow them to make some solid plans for the future. 'Enough of that for tonight,' he thought. 'I must concentrate on making this the most memorable night of Ali's life, and probably mine too.'
Ted started to take in the details of the room more carefully. Gentle flickering light caressed his eyes. It was being emitted by at least thirty candles. There was a scent of something mysterious and exotic present in the air. Peer Gynt Suite No. 2 was quietly playing in the background. An awesome spread of food was laid beautifully out on the floor. The room was encompassed in gentle warmth. Everything had an extremely relaxed and comfortable feel to it. 'Surely she must have had outside help? If so, the caterers must have cost a fortune!' he thought.
Ali walked in through the door holding an ice bucket. It contained a bottle of Champagne. She set it down to one side. "What do you think?" she asked.
"I think that you're beautiful, and I'm a very lucky man," he said.
"No, silly, what about our love nest?" she enquired.
"I'm amazed; this lot must have cost a fortune."
"No, it was very reasonable actually."
"I've never heard of reasonable caterers," he said. "Anyway it doesn't matter, let's enjoy ourselves."
"Caterers! You cheeky pig, I prepared all this," she protested, as Ted grinned. "If you don't believe me, check the bin in the kitchen, you'll find all the shopping receipts in there!"
"Oysters, lobster, what appear to be black garlic mushrooms, baked Alaska, and this fine looking pate?" he enquired.
"Yes!"
"What is it?"
"It's made from the lobster tail that was left over," she snapped back.
Ted saw that she was hurt. "I'm sorry. My goodness, you must be some cook," he said, looking at her in surprise.
"Not as good as I am a painter."
Eventually Ted managed to close his mouth. "There really is a lot more to you than I dared to imagine," he said.
"You mean I'm not an American slip of a girl that can't cook?" she retorted. "Anyway if things turn out as I intend them to, you'll have all the time in the world to learn everything about me."
"Things will work out, I promise. I have the feeling that you'll always be able to shock me."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asked, as she knelt down by his side.
"It's fantastic. It means that I can never get bored with you, not that I would anyway," he re-assured her.