They'd been toying with one another all evening. Charles hadn't been able to keep his eyes off the woman. He didn’t recall ever meeting such a woman like her around the art gallery or any of the other circles of friends who made up the party that night. She was of an average height, but carried herself with an easy blend of elegance and mischieviousness such that she stood out. Poise and playfulness, Charles thought. Curiosity won out, and Charles found himself asking different friends about her.
He found out her name was Helen, and she was an old friend of their hostess. Tracking Mary down, Charles tapped her lightly on the shoulder and asked, “What can you tell me about your friend Helen?”
Mary grinned at him and sipped her champagne. “Which Helen would that be?” she asked in return. “I know several, after all.”
Charles narrowed his gaze. “I think you know. The black lady wearing the velour shirt-dress, and the high heels that make you just want to rub her ankles and calves for hours, ring a bell?”
"Would you like an introduction?" Mary asked.
"No, well, not yet...let me see if I need one first," Charles answered.
"Funny, that's what she said when she asked about you," Mary remarked with a laugh and another grin. She then disappeared back into the crowd of the party. Mary did parties well. The apartment complex’ clubhouse had been transformed into a miniature casino. Bars had been set up in most of the major rooms, and each area also sported two or three tables where gaming was taking place.
After Mary’s comment, Charles had turned to regard Helen and found her looking him over. He straightened his posture just a bit, and smoothed out his shirt and tie. He brushed a hand through the shadow of beard already forming on his chin, and wondered if he still looked okay. A little late to do anything about it, he thought.
The party was a nice mix of casualness and nightclub dress, more casual than he'd thought it would be, but at least he was in a sport jacket and not a tux. Tuxedos always made him feel out of place, no matter how well he knew the people around him. Charles shifted his position and took a fresh drink from a passing server. He used the mirrored surface of a nearby wall to check Helen out.
Helen appeared to be around five and a half feet tall, not quite a foot shorter than him, and had a nicely padded body. She wasn't the so-called pear shape, but she was more voluptuous than was the current style for her height. Charles liked how her breasts looked, but his eyes kept dropping to the curves of her hips and thighs where the fabric of her dress clung. He wished he had an excuse to walk around behind her.
Charles then realized there was an appetizer tray on the table just behind Helen and to the side. Perfect, he thought. Charles slipped over to fix himself a small paper plate of cheese-laden crackers, and turned to check Helen out from this new angle.
Naturally, she caught him looking.
Since that point, Charles and Helen had slowly been finding ways to pass close by or stand where they could watch one another mostly unimpeded by the other party guests. He would be chatting with this friend or that and letting his eyes lose their focus to see beyond his current company to where Helen was engaged in the same sort of activity across the room. He would stop at the bar for a new drink and turn around just as Helen was doing the same at the other end. They would meet eyes and laugh softly.
Mary, as might be expected, watched the whole thing over the course of a couple of hours. Finally, with a shake of her head, she took Helen by the hand and led her out into the middle of one of the main gaming areas. She stopped at Charles' side as he watched the craps game before him and occasionally placed a bet. Mary tapped his shoulder, gave him a little nudge, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "It was cute for the first thirty minutes. Now it's just silly,” she said. “Helen, this is Charles. Charles...Helen. Now, say hello or something."
Helen flashed a pageant winner's smile at him. "Hello..."
"Or something," finished Charles with a wink. He took Helen's hand. "A pleasure...hi there." He then leaned in and gently kissed her cheek, then handed her the dice.
"Is it my turn, then?"
"It is if you want."
"Fine, but keep talking, I'd hate for Mary to have gone through that trouble for nothing." She shook the dice and tossed them to the table's end. The croupier gave them back and told her nine was the point.
"Yeah, me too. I'm not going to be distracting you, am I?"