Chapter 18

When they arrived at the apartment, Bill was surprised as they went up the walk to the entrance. Being very tall, he was used to shortening his stride when walking with a woman, but with Nita he realized she had very long legs and easily maintained his normal pace. After exchanging a cheery greeting with the receptionist, she walked towards a private elevator.

When they entered the cherry-wood paneled penthouse elevator, Bill's heart sank even lower. Clearly, Nita's lover was incredibly rich and was taking very good care of her. What if she really likes it? he wondered.

When the elevator doors slid smoothly open, he found himself face-to-face with the most beautiful black woman he had ever seen. She was wearing an incredibly sexy white maid's uniform and was holding open the apartment door.

"Good evening, Miss Anita," she said in the softest, most musical voice he had ever heard. "I hope you had a good day."

"Thank you, Ellie," Nita replied with a wink Bill couldn't see. "It was very good." Turning to Bill she said, "Bill, this is Ellen Duncan, our maid. Ellie, this is Bill Johnson."

Bill was surprised at the firmness of the woman's grip. She took his coat and Nita's, and then Anita led the way into the most incredible apartment he had ever seen. He had seen nothing remotely comparable in even the finest decorating magazines.

As she led the way into the library, it was all Nita could do to control a grin. When they entered, her mother and Kelly both rose from their chairs. As she knew they would be, they were perfect in their roles. Both were exquisitely dressed and looked even more beautiful than usual. "Mom and Sis," Nita said, "This is Bill Johnson. Bill, this is my mother, Andy Taylor, and my baby sister, Kelly."

Bill was so utterly stunned he almost fell down. His jaw dropped and he just stood there dumbstruck.

"Wouldn't you feel better with your mouth closed?" Kelly asked innocently. Her hand and Andy's were still outstretched.

Closing his mouth with a snap he stammered, "How ... How do you do?" Then he remembered his hand at his side and took Andy's in a firm grip, then Kelly's. Then he looked at Nita who was grinning from ear to ear. "But ... but I ... but I thought you were..." He couldn't continue.

"You thought I was a rich man's mistress?" Nita finished. Well, Mom and Dad are pretty rich, and I live here at home so I guess you were pretty close." Then turning to Kelly she said, "How about a quick workout and a swim?"

"Great!" Kelly replied.

Bill was dumfounded to see the elegantly-attired Nita scamper off with the beautiful young woman she referred to as her baby sister.

As amused as Andy was by the situation — she knew exactly what had happened — she took pity on Bill. Taking him by the elbow, she led him, as if in a trance, to an easy chair and sat him down. When Sam appeared a moment later, she asked for a scotch on the rocks for Bill and a club soda with a lime for herself.

When Sam left to make the drinks, she smiled the warmest smile Bill had ever seen and said, "Please accept my apologies, Bill. That was a dirty trick my daughter, Nita, just played on you."

"But ... but ... but I don't understand," he protested. "She can't be your daughter. I mean..."

"Why, William Johnson," Andy protested with a wide grin, "what's the matter with you? I gave birth to Anita at the age of five and Kelly when I was ten. What's so wrong with that?"

Bill began to recover his wits and his sense of humor at the same time. Rising from his chair he bent over and pointed to his ass saying, "Mrs. Taylor, would you please give me a good hard kick? Right here!" Then he sat down again and said, "I really can't believe that there could be three women as beautiful as you three. Today, I thought Nita was the most beautiful girl in the world. Now, I'm afraid I'll have to modify it and say she's the most beautiful brown-haired girl ... And you are the most beautiful blonde and Kelly is the most beautiful brunette." Then he shook his head and added, "But you are so incredibly alike! It's unbelievable."

"Bill, let's get off on the right foot, shall we?" Andy asked. "First, please call me Andy. You might be older than I am. In fact, I'm twenty-eight."

"Andy," Bill replied, "You're right. I'm twenty-nine." By this time he had received his drink and had taken a sip. Doing a double-take he said, "Good heavens! What is this? It is utter ambrosia — the finest scotch I've ever tasted!"

"I don't know for sure," Andy replied, "but it's probably Cardhu. It is pretty good, isn't it?"

Changing the subject she said, "Bill, I would consider it a personal favor if you would agree to stay for dinner. And from the look on Nita's face, she has plans for you to take her out afterwards. Do you mind?"

"Mind?" he exclaimed. "My God! How could I possibly?"

Then he told Andy how much he had admired Nita — loved her — from the first instant he saw her and had finally screwed up his courage to ask her for a date. Then, over the last few months, every time he saw her she looked even more beautiful than the time before. Since he heard that she had become a rich man's mistress just when he was going to ask her out, he was waiting for her to get tired of the arrangement, but it had never happened. "In fact," he said, "today was the all-time record. I have never seen a girl look as beautiful as Nita did today."

Hearing what sounded like a big splash, Bill turned in his chair and was in time to see the flash of Nita's nude body as she dove into the water. Although the surface of the pool was below his sight-line he could see the swimmers' progress by the water being kicked up. He turned back to Andy and said incredulously, "Good heavens! You have a full-sized pool? Way up here!?"

"Sure do," Andy replied casually. Then she asked, "Would you like to do a few laps before dinner? I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind your company."

Bill quickly declined.

Then they talked about Bill's background from Indiana, through Yale, the Army and then the Harvard Business School. He was talking to the most fascinating woman he had ever met when he heard the sound of the door opening and Jack's cry that he was home. Andy called to him and he came into the library to greet Bill wearing his usual work shirt and jeans.

Being introduced by Andy, he took Bill's hand in a powerful grip and said, "I'm delighted to meet you, Bill. I'm Jack Taylor, Nita's father."

Then he took Andy into his arms and they melted their lips into each other's in the most passionate kiss Bill had ever seen. When they eased away from each other, Bill excused himself to shower and change while Andy's eyes were still glassy from the kiss.

"You love him very much, don't you?" Bill said softly.

Shaking her head to clear it Andy replied, "You sure got that right. I love Jack Taylor more than life itself!"

Hearing the words after seeing them together, Bill believed that it was the literal truth. He was continuing to tell her about himself when he stopped in mid-sentence and said, "Andy Taylor, you are an incredible woman. Do you know that?"

"That's a very nice thing for you to say even if it's not true," she responded. "But why did you say it when you did?"

"Because it is true. I suddenly realized that I was telling you my entire life story with just a little prompting from you. I have just told you things I have never told to a living soul," he replied. He paused for a moment and added, "And I think I know why, too. For some reason — and I'm damned if I know what it is — I am convinced that you are genuinely interested. You are, Andy, but why are you?"

"Because," she replied simply, "I think I have a responsibility to Nita to get to know the man she intends to marry."

This time Bill was truly struck dumb. He had heard the words, but moreover, he heard them as a simple statement of fact. His jaw dropped and his mouth was still open when Nita returned to the room.

In slightly less than one hour she had had a full gym workout, swum 1,000 meters, took a shower, soaked in a bathtub loaded with musk oil, been massaged by Kelly with even more of the precious oil and dressed. She was wearing a dress that Kathy Carlson and her mother referred to as "Clifford & Jamison standard": It's neckline plunged between her firm tits down to her navel, it's back dropped to the crack between her ass cheeks and it had a full short silk chiffon skirt that would flare out straight in a spin. It's color was a very pale gray that complemented her beautiful eyes.

Looking at Bill she said softly, "Hi! I'm back. I hope I didn't take too long."

Spinning in his chair, Bill closed his mouth only to have it drop open again. He had never realized the degree to which Nita had worked to conceal her beauty in the past whenever they might be together.

Tonight was the exact reverse. With Kelly's help, she was trying to look as good as it was possible for her ever to look. With Anita, that was very beautiful, indeed. As if in a trance Bill rose to his feet looking at the apparition standing in front of him. As soon as he was on his feet Nita reached out, put her hands around his neck and kissed him.

Their first kiss was even better than she had hoped. She could hear the bells and feel a jolt of electricity through her body that almost knocked her down. It caused her to hold on to his neck even tighter. By this time his hands had come up from his sides and wrapped around her back pulling her tightly against his body. Now Nita concentrated on working her lips on his. When her tongue darted like a small snake into his mouth and contacted his, there was another jolt of electricity.

Andy smiled warmly. It looked like things were working out for her beloved daughter.

At the same time Bill realized that his hands were on Nita's bare back. Moving his right hand over the golden tanned surface he realized how perfect this girl really was. Finally they eased out of the kiss but continued to hold on to each other.

When she could finally speak, Nita said, "Thank you so much, Bill. That kiss was utterly delicious!"

For his part Bill didn't know what to say.

Taking his hand, she led him to the sofa and they sat down together. Turning to her mother she asked, "Have you learned Bill's entire life story yet? Is there anything I should know?"

"One thing, darling," Andy replied. "He's from Indiana and went to Yale on a full scholarship. Does that make you feel better?"

"As a matter of fact, no," Nita replied. "How do you think Bill would feel with a wife who only graduated from high school? He already has two degrees to my none!"

Then she explained her background to Bill omitting nothing. There were tears in her eyes when she finished. By this time Jack had joined the group along with Kelly. They had listened to the end of Nita's story and watched Bill's reaction with interest. Jack knew that Nita's self-appraisal was wrong.

But she finished by saying, "Bill, I know this is the first and only time you will ever see me, but ... but ... could you take me out for a while after dinner? Please? I'll pay."

"The hell you will!" Bill exclaimed. "If you think for one minute I'm going to allow my wife to tell all our children that she paid for our first date, you've got another think coming!"

"Wife? Children?" Nita exclaimed. "What children?"

"All the children you're going to bear for me in that magnificent body of yours." Then his face fell and he added, "I'm sorry, Nita. Do you want children? As the prospective mother, of course, it's your decision."

"Darling," she replied, "all I can say is what a wonderful friend was told. Her fiancé has a gorgeous nude painting of her and told her it was going to hang over their bed. He turned down an offer of twenty thousand dollars for it, too. When she asked him why, he told her it was to show the kids what their mother looked like when she wasn't pregnant. 'After all, ' he said, 'the oldest might be fifteen before you're out of maternity clothes.'"

With the warmest look Bill had ever seen, she added, "When I heard what he said, my only thought for myself was that the oldest would be over twenty-one! Darling, I want dozens!" Then he saw the most incredible love he could imagine in her eyes as she said, "My darling, will you give me another kiss?" She grinned and added, "Since we're sitting down now, we won't even fall over." To the quiet applause of the others she melted her lips to his.