The Ladies Who Lunch Part 3
The Barbara Halloran Story, Episode 3
This is the third and final episode of Barbara Halloran's story which she relates to the assembled 'ladies who lunch':
I had set the alarm on my cell phone for 6:00 am. The conference was due to start at nine so, I'd have plenty of time to get ready, have breakfast with Alex and get to the venue in good time. So as not to wake Mai, I had set a tinkling tone on a medium volume, with vibration, hoping that it would suffice to stir me from my slumber, after my raunchy session with Mai.
Well, the alarm woke me, as planned, and I gently extricated my body from Mai's embrace.
I went to the bathroom, where I recoiled at the reflection in the mirror. My face was tired and drawn, which wasn't surprising, considering my antics the previous night.
I popped into the shower, hoping that a torrent of hot water, followed by some strategically placed make-up would improve my appearance. The result wasn't a total makeover but, at least, I looked passably normal and none the worse for wear.
Mai was still fast asleep when I crept out of the room to make my way to the dining room. Alex was already at breakfast and tucking into an English breakfast. I sat down opposite him at the table. A server was bustling from table to table, pouring tea or coffee, depending on your preference. I needed to clear the cobwebs so, I asked for coffee and took a couple of sips of it, black, no sugar and made for the buffet spread where I collected a bowl and two scoops of cereal, topped off with Greek yogurt and honey.
The talk at the breakfast table was banal, mostly about the previous day's proceedings and the conference programme of that day. Alex told me that they were short-staffed and asked if I'd do him a great favour and help with the registration of the delegates as they came in and distribute the copies of the papers of the day's speakers.
Of course, I agreed, whilst improper thoughts flashed through my mind about the other favours, I'd have gladly extended to him.
"Oh Alex, my darling boy, where were you last night"
I sighed to myself.
As the day unfolded, I found myself drawn into the conference atmosphere, my mind often wandering back to the evening's encounter with Mai. The day's sessions were a blur of presentations and conversations, but my thoughts remained fixated on Alex.
At breakfast, Alex had asked me if I'd like to join him and Mai for dinner that evening, but late that afternoon, I received a message from Alex informing me that Mai had been unexpectedly called away to London for a concert and wouldn't be joining us for dinner. So, it was just the two of us for dinner, in the dimly lit ambiance of the hotel restaurant.
The air was charged with a mix of familiarity and unspoken tension between Alex and me, as I felt his gaze lingering on me as we exchanged pleasantries, his eyes betraying a longing that resonated with my own desire.
Then, suddenly, out of the blue, came:
"Barbara, you truly are a very remarkable woman and, that's not say, an attractive and desirable woman, too!"
Alex's voice was low and intimate.
Then, with a nervous chuckle, he plunged straight into a confession about his school years that caught me off guard.
"When I was in your class at Sedgwick High, I had the hots for you. Many's the time I used to... well, fantasize about you."
At this juncture, I felt emboldened, empowered, and I almost blurted out: