Chapter 1: Genesis

The last sixteen months have been fantastic for me. I met Elaine and we fell for each other. She was only 27 and had been widowed when her husband had been killed in a car accident. I was 33 when we met and single, I'm not the handsomest of men but I just never met a woman I felt comfortable with. That ended when I met Elaine, we seemed to get on so well together.

She drank real coffee, smoked (lightly) and laughed at my jokes and funny observations. I liked her taste in clothes (not expensive but good quality), her CD collection was better than mine (in quality and quantity) and she was a modern woman but loved to be feminine as well.

I lived in a three bedroomed apartment which I had recently redecorated and had fitted a new kitchen. Being single I was able to do the work myself at a leisurely pace. All that was left to do was sort out some curtains for the third bedroom and get some bed covers. I found Elaine's advert in the local newspaper, she made curtians and soft furnishings. She agreed to call the day after I rang, as I still had six days holiday to go it seemed the best thing to do.

Elaine arrived at about nine thirty. I was looking out of my third floor window and saw a tall, slim woman wearing a light coat walking down the road. Moments later the entry intercom buzzed and I let her in. As she exitted the lift opposite my apartment door I did a quick appraisal of her. 5' 8", slim, dark brown hair with eyes to match - pretty. She smiled and held her hand out as she approached my door. A perfect set of teeth appeared from between her full lips.

We shook hands and I showed her around my flat before inviting her into the kitchen for a coffee. As we drank I commented about her arriving on foot. She couldn't afford a car and was getting about on buses if required. Later I was to find out that her husband had been a bit of a gambler and they didn't have much of a home life together.

She loved my place and told me it was her dream to get a commission to decorate and furnish a nice apartment. Since she had finished her course in Interior Design all she had done was make curtains. With a quick apology for being rude she said that I had done a lovely job and it was tastefully decorated. I thanked her and we got down to discussing what I should do with my last bedroom. She asked me lots of questions about who was likely to use it, what colours did I really like, and most importantly, how much was I willing to spend.

The first question really had me thinking. I had friends, quite a lot in fact. But non of them had ever been to my place. In fact I treated my home as a bit of

a sanctuary from the hectic life I led. Why should I furnish a bedroom to pander to someone elses tastes? How could I make it somewhere I would like to rest and sleep in if I wanted a change from my bedroom? Could I really let myself go and do what I fancied rather than just have a room that no-one would use and would likely remain closed until the next time I decided to decorate.

I asked Elaine what my options were. She said I could turn it into a copy of some Venetian palace, a sixties hippy commune or a dungeon if I wanted. Just make somewhere where I could indulge myself a little and perhaps fantasise for a few hours. That was when I decided to go for it. Nobody but Elaine would know what was behind the door and apart from her telling someone about it there would be the knowledge that I was able to do what I wanted without anyone else knowing or interfering.

Elaine was a bit surprised when I told her what I wanted. She blushed a bit and I thought she might decline to help me but eventually she made a few suggestions and we got down to the business of designing my "dream room".

We had to get some professional assistance with some of the work and I got quite a lot of things from sites on the internet (don't you just love the anonymity of the web), but eventually it was just how I wanted it. Elaine was intrigued by it all and some times when we were working together I detected a flush of excitement from her. She would go quiet for a moment as if she were thinking deeply about something, then she would shudder a little bit and shake her head as if to clear the thought. It wasn't something blatantly obvious and not being used to the company of women an awful lot, it was something which perplexed me.

The last few weeks of work had been exciting for me. Whilst I was at work, Elaine would let herself in and do some work during the day and I would rush home from work to see what had been done and decide whether I liked it or not. Sometimes I would phone her and ask her to change something or to tell I approved of what she had done. It was all done on a friendly client-supplier basis but I was seeing a lot of Elaine and my thoughts were becoming a bit more serious with regards to asking her out socially.

Late one Friday evening, Elaine had been there when I got home from work and had stayed for a couple of hours to finish some painting. I had made some coffee and we were having a little chat when I asked her what she was doing that evening, specifically what she was going to eat. She replied that it would probably be fish and chips picked up on the way home then an early night. I suggested that we could order a Chinese and have a meal together. This was sticky ground for me. I had really come to like Elaine but there could be a bit of embarrasment for both of us if things went a bit awry between us. Of course Elaine now knew some things about me that nobody else did and they could be embarrasing for her, likewise I knew that she knew etc etc etc...

Silence She thought carefully for about half a minute and agreed with a big smile. We got our heads together over the menu for the local Chinese and within a few minutes had phoned in our order and now came the pregnant pause as we waited for meal to be delivered. Shall we eat at the table or off our laps, which wine should we open, chopsticks or knife and fork. As we were discussing our options, Elaine asked if she could use my bathroom to freshen up and to get off some of the paint on her hands and the bits in her hair. I told her to go ahead, why not have a shower and I should have everything ready when she was done. Again, that silence while she thought. Again, that big smile and agreement. Off she went while I got down to laying the table and opening the wine (red). A mans work is never done (except by a woman). By the time Elaine emerged the table was set, the food was on the hotplate and the wine was at room temperature. I had also lowered the lights and put some "lurve songs" in the CD player.

The next 2 hours were memorable for me. Lovely food, sparkling conversation and the company of a beautiful woman. Yes, I now thought Elaine was beautiful. I am not a shallow person and look further than the projected image of someone I know. Elaine was pretty on the outside by all means, but inside she had a quality that cannot be defined. She was graceful, coy and had the ability to make me feel special myself when she flashed me that smile.

Now came the hardest part, in the words (almost) of that immortal song - Should I stay or should I go? I offered Elaine a lift home. Yes, you've got it. Silence Thirty seconds later she dipped her head slightly and softly asked if she could stay the night. This was a bit different, I knew she was serious but her demeanour was almost servile. Of course I offered to prepare the spare room, that would not be neccessary she informed me, giving me a brief smile.