They met in a bookstore. He had been in the erotica section when she came around the end of the aisle and stood at the opposite end. Glancing up to look at her he saw how she quickly looked down when he met her eyes.
"Hmmmmm," He thought to himself. "This could be interesting."
He continued staring at her. Roving his eyes over her figure as he measured her up and down. Taking in her petite figure and sandy blonde hair. The way she continued looking down at the shelves of books while trying to glance at him without letting him see her do it.
He put the book he had been browsing through back on the shelf. Walking over to her he stopped just short of entering into her space. Obviously expecting her to look up at him standing there this close to her.
"Hello." He said quietly.
She glanced up at him then, looking into his eyes for the first time.
"Hello." She said back. Her accent giving away that she was from somewhere in the southern hemisphere. She continued looking into his dark brown eyes.
"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked here.
"No I'm not," She said. "I'm on holidays here from Australia."
"An Aussie? Well that is rare in this part of the world. What brings you to this part of the states?" He asked her. It never crossed his mind that she might not answer him.
"I have friends from Australia that relocated here a few years ago. I've been visiting them for the last week."
His eyes mesmerized her and the way he was calmly interrogating her. Asking her questions that were really none of his business. But she felt compelled to answer them.
"You get tired of them then or are they in here too?"
"No. They're back at work this week and I am just exploring the town now."
"What's your name?"
"Tess."
"Lovely name." He did not offer his name to her.
"Like what you've seen so far?" He asked her then. The double meaning of his question hanging out there obvious to both of them.
"Yes I do. Very much so." She said as she continued to gaze at him
"Good." He stated simply "I would hate to think our town wasn't meeting your expectations."
"Quite the contrary. I like what I have seen quite a bit. I especially like how big everything seems here."
He stood at 6' - 2" and 220 pounds. She was just under 5' - 6" and around 125 pounds. Her body slim and curvy under the clothing she wore. She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
"You don't say?' He slowly grinned at her then. "You like big things then do you?"
"Very much so." She said so sweetly he had to mentally calm himself before speaking again.
"While maybe if you have some free time you might care to visit me and look at my collection of erotic works?"
She suddenly blushed a deep red. Forgetting what she had been looking at when he first saw her. Standing there in front of the erotic fiction.
"Ummm, well really, I'm not sure that is such a good..." She started to stammer, looking down at her feet. Her embarrassment making it impossible to finish the sentence.
"Take this." He said, holding out a business card towards her.
She looked up him again, not moving to take the card.
"Take it Tess." He said again with authority in his voice.
She reached up and took the card. Glancing at the name and address on the card.
"If you do decide you want to see my collection, I will expect to see you at 6:00 p.m. today. Do you understand me Tess?"
She glanced down again and nodded her head.
"Good."
He turned then and strode away from her. Not looking back to get her reaction. Knowing it was out of his hands at this point. Knowing she would either show up or she wouldn't, but also knowing there was nothing else he could now to influence her decision.
He had met many women like her before. Sometimes they were defiant and rebuked his efforts. Other times too scared to even respond to his basic questions. Sometimes they would agree to meet him and not show. Other times they would show up but there would not be a connection.
He thought tonight might be different though. He sensed a longing in Tess he had never seen before. Something made him think she would show up at exactly 6:00 pm sharp.
The doorbell rang at 6:00 pm sharp.
A smile played across his face as he waited for a few moments before walking towards the front door. Pulling it open he caught her in mid-reach to ring the bell again.
"Hello Tess. Impatient are you?"
She was caught off balance when the door opened. His eyes gazing at her again when she looked up.
"No. I just thought maybe you hadn't heard the first time."
"Please come in." And he stood back pulling the door open in front of her.
Tess hesitated then. Suddenly losing her nerve as she realized the implications of walking through the door. The thoughts and possibilities playing through her mind.
He just continued to stand there watching her. Waiting for her to decide what to do. Not saying anything to convince her or help her decide. Just waiting.
Taking a deep breath, Tess stepped through the entry. She stopped just inside the front door. Taking in the room. Seeing the shelves lined with books and the deep brown leather lounge chair in the middle of the room.
She was surprised when she heard the door close behind her.
"You look lovely tonight Tess." He said softly as walked past her headed for the chair.
She blushed at his compliment.
"Thank you."
She had worn a mid length print skirt with dark red flowers on a light red background. Her blouse was white and sheer. Letting the lace work on her bra show through the material. She had on black shoes with a small heel. Just enough to lift her buttocks but not overly so.
She watched as he walked over and sat himself in the chair. Adjusting his pants before he sat.
He was wearing faded blue jeans and a loose, white button up shirt. The cowboy boots on his feet evoking images of the western movies she had watched as a child. Making her think all American men must be like cowboys.
"Please have a seat Tess." He said softly.