Chapter 3

Steffi was still asleep when I rose and headed to Dennis's office. I had left a note with her, giving my email and other contact information.

Later that day I checked my messages and saw one from her. She agreed to the terms of my proposal, and she gave me her cell number and email. We traded messages that afternoon. I told her I had made reservations for dinner on Friday at a nice place -- I didn't tell her where.

Friday evening I waited for her at the apartment. The intercom buzzed. "Yes, Ralph."

"Steffi's on her way up Mr S."

"Thank you, Ralph. By the way -- we'll need a cab."

"Right away?"

"We have dinner reservations at eight."

"Where can I tell the driver you're going?"

"The Algonquin."

"Are you going to the round-table room?"

"No -- the Oak room."

"Excellent choice, Mr S. I'll have the cab for you."

The doorbell rang and I let Steffi in. She slipped out of her coat and I hung it on the tree. "You're looking beautiful tonight," I said. She was wearing a white suit with a white satin and lace blouse. She had some gloss on her lips and a trace of iridescent color on her eyelids. "Have I ever told you how terrific you look in white?"

"More than once." She opened her bag and handed me an envelope. It was from a medical laboratory.

"What's this?"

"The results from my six-month STD screening. I'm scared to open it."

"Steffi -- you're careful."

"I know I am, but accidents still happen. Open it for me."

I tore the envelope, flipped open the contents and scanned it. "Hmm ... You need to look at this."

"What does it say?"

I showed it to her. "All negative."

"Oh, I'm so relieved." She took the results, scanned the sheet carefully, then folded it and stuffed it into her bag. "Do you ever go in for screening?"

"Steffi -- the only other woman I've been with was Gwendolyn. We were together for eight years, and she only ran around with other women."

"Stranger things have happened."

"If I had some disease I think I'd know about it by now."

"I suppose you're right."

"Let's go to dinner. Ralph has a cab for us."

We placed our dinner orders and the waiter removed the menus...

"This table's right next to the stage," Steffi remarked.

"I had to pull some strings and grease some palms to get this."

"Are we staying for the show?"

"Certainly."

"I would never do something like this on my own."

"Do you like music?"

"I love it."

"Then you should enjoy the show..."

"I'm having a real good time already." She grabbed my hand and squeezed it. I took her hand, turned it over and caressed her palm with my fingertips. "What's that for?" she asked.

I turned my hand over and placed it beside hers. "Our palms are almost the same color."

"All Black folks are like that," she replied.

"I know. For some reason it just struck me right now." She squeezed my hand and gave me a smile that wrinkled her nose. "Steffi we have to figure out what we're doing for the party tomorrow."

"How should I dress?"

"I'm wearing a Tux."

She nodded. "Okay ... I have something appropriate."

"We need to figure out what you do."

"What do you mean, what I do?"

"You're coming to this as my date. You and I ought to agree on how we met, what's your career ... That sort of thing."

She nodded. "I'm with you. You don't want to introduce me by saying, 'This is Steffi. She's a call girl I found in the Yellow Pages.'"

"I don't think either of us want that."

"What sort of a girl am I?"

"You're intelligent and well-educated. We might as well exploit that."

"Okay ... Do you want me extroverted and out-going or shy and retiring?"

"On the shy side. You play your cards close, but once you get comfortable with someone you start opening up."

"Yeah ... I got it."

"You need a career. I know -- this is your chance to be a photographer."

"Just for a night."

"Hmm ... Maybe photographer wouldn't be the best. Someone might want to know where he could see your pictures." I thought for a moment. "What are good careers in this town? Finance?"

"I don't have a head for money. You pointed that out to me already."

"How about advertising? You could be a copy-writer for an ad agency."

"A free-lance copy-writer..."

" ... between assignments..."

" ... taking a break, but with some prospects lined up."

"When we get back to the apartment, we'll look up some names of ad agencies for us to drop. It should work."

"How did we meet?" she asked.

"I've only been in town three weeks. We have to come up with some sort of a Meet Cute ... How about I tripped and spilled coffee on you?"

She laughed. "These days that wouldn't get you a date -- it'd get you a lawsuit!"

"Hmm..." I cradled my head in my hand. "How about ... You were walking down the street reading your Pére Goriot. You stopped at a crosswalk and waited for the light to change; then started across not noticing a Yellow Cab was running the red light. I lunged for you, grabbed you and pulled you back onto the sidewalk..."

" ... just as the cab whizzed past." She nodded. "At first I thought you were accosting me so I slapped you across your face. Then I realized what you had done and I was so apologetic."

"You were pretty shaken up, so I invited you into a cafe on the corner and bought you a brandy to settle your nerves. We started talking and one thing let to another..."

She smiled and nodded. "It's a story I can live with."

"I think it's important we're on the same page with this stuff. One other thing Steffi -- what's your last name?"

"Parker."

"Steffi Parker?" I laughed. "I can't imagine a more White Anglo-Saxon Protestant name."

"I know. It's a hoot isn't it? Look -- the show's about to start."

A singer and pianist took the stage in the center of the room. Steffi took my hand, laced her fingers with mine and embraced my arm.

"This is so special," she whispered. "Thank you."

"I told you I'd make up for that Chinese dinner."

"You didn't have to. I had a wonderful time that evening, also."

The cab dropped us off outside my building and we approached the front door.

"Ralph -- are you still on duty?"

"I knock off in ten minutes, Mr S. Did you stay for the show?"

"We certainly did," Steffi replied.

"Steffi -- how did you like it?"

"It was wonderful."

"Have a good night, you two."

I escorted Steffi to the elevator. "Ralph certainly has his nose in everyone's business," I remarked.

"I think he's sweet," she replied. "He takes his job seriously and watches out for the tenants."

We rode the elevator, walked together to the apartment and I unlocked the door. I helped Steffi out of her overcoat, and then we very nearly tore each other's clothes off.

I carried her, nude, into the bedroom. I wanted to kiss, lick, caress, stroke and fondle every square inch of what seemed an acre of her beautiful, dark brown skin. We had a long session of me worshipping her breasts. This time she didn't permit me to go down on her -- she insisted on it -- and she must've come non-stop for half an hour.

Then she took me bareback. Since we were in an exclusive arrangement; since she just got her test results back, negative; since she felt I was safe and since she was on the pill she decided we could dispense with the condom.

She mounted me astride, which gave me an excellent frontal view of her gorgeous breasts. Going into her without benefit of condom made me feel like a wild man. I was in her so deep I could feel my glans bumping against the firm knob of her cervix. With her sitting astride she could work my breasts with her fingers. I put my hand on her thigh, extended my thumb and worked it into her slit.

Steffi's eyes rolled upward and she drew in a breath. I watched the muscles in her abdomen heave as she moaned and panted. I was trying to make myself last, so I could savor ... but she was more than I could handle that night. I grabbed her waist with both hands, pushed against her and grunted.

"Oh, Phil," she gasped.

"You felt it, too?"

"Of course I did. It felt so much better without the condom. I hate to admit it, but it's true."

Afterwards we cuddled, with I on my back and she beside me, pressing her mons into my hip as aftershock after aftershock gripped her.

"Mmm," she said as I held her. "You enjoy sex like you enjoyed tonight's dinner ... leisurely. I really like that."

I caressed her arm and the side of her breast. She rolled to her side to expose her nipple. I began fondling it ... which signaled the start of Round Two.

Then ensued more breast worshipping, more oral action and another half-hour of non-stop climaxing. The second time I dove into her on her back while she was still coming, held her tight and we rolled over so she was on top. I held her around her back and buttocks and slipped a finger into her anus.

She began some vigorous humping, and since I was still a bit spent from the first time it took me a while to work up to another climax. I think this was okay in her book -- she must've come a couple more times before I did.

By the time we were done her back was damp from perspiration and she was panting. I grabbed her bottom with both hands, pushed in deep and pumped my juices into her. It felt so good it hurt. Then, Steffi collapsed onto me. As was beginning to form into a pattern, she fell asleep atop me -- this I took as the ultimate compliment to my lovemaking abilities.

Because this time I didn't have a condom to retrieve, I let her sleep, with me slowly deflating inside her. Feeling her body relax and the little twitches of her legs against mine as her slumber deepened was a moving experience for me. I felt her in all her vulnerability, and I was going to take care of this woman.

I pulled the covers over us and caressed her back. She stirred for a moment, then snuggled against me. I kissed the top of her head and inhaled the fragrance of her hair; then I switched off the light and closed my eyes.

Morning light woke me. Sometime during the night Steffi must've rolled off me, or I slid out from under her. I rolled over to face her. She was already awake and gazing at me.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning."

"Been wake for long?"

"Not very long."

"How did you sleep?"

"Mmm ... Wonderfully well. I fell asleep on top of you again, didn't I?"

"Yes you did."

"It never happens with anyone else."

"Are you hungry? I can make some pancakes."

"I'd love it." I started to get out of bed. "Phil..."

"What, Steffi?"

"I think I had the best time of my entire life last night."

"I'm pleased to hear that."

"It was like a real date. Dinner was delicious, the show was wonderful and afterward..." She touched my face. " ... you were phenomonal."

"I didn't do it by myself, Steffi. You were phenomonal, too."

"I really liked how you paid so much attention to my face."

"You have a beautiful face, Steffi."

"That's not it ... It felt like ... I can't describe it..." She gazed into my eyes for a moment. "It felt like you were putting my needs ahead of yours. It's unbelievably sexy for a woman when a guy does that. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated it." She kissed my cheek.

"I'll make pancakes now. Come -- you can help me."

"Okay..."

We ate breakfast nude and then returned to bed for more sex. Steffi slept atop me 'til around eleven.

She stretched and sat up. "Phil," she said, "I'm going to need some time to get ready for the party."

"It's more than six hours away."

"I have a hair appointment. I'm going to have to go."

"Be here at five. Denny's coming by with the limo."

"I can't wait to be with you again." We kissed. She dug a pair of jeans and a turtleneck from her duffel, headed for the door and blew me a kiss.

The intercom buzzed and I answered it. "Steffi's on her way up, Mr S," Ralph said, "and she looks like a million bucks."

I waited for the doorbell and opened it. She stepped in and slipped off a short black jacket. We hugged and kissed and then I stepped back to admire her.

She was dressed in a red halter-top evening gown that exposed her gorgeous back. She had dusted her shoulders with the finest of glitter and it sparkled against her dark skin. Her skirt was long but slit practically to her hip. Her hair was up, in a twist and fixed with an iridescent comb. A bejewelled bracelet adorned her right wrist and a dressy watch was on her left.

"You're beautiful," I said. "Ralph said you look like a million bucks. I think it's at least a million- and-one."

"You look handsome, too," she replied.

"In the monkey suit?"

"Very snazzy."

"Who says snazzy these days?"

She smiled and wrinkled her nose. "I do."

"I like your bracelet ... Diamonds?"

"Lord, no -- cubic zirconium."

I handed her a box. "Here, Steffi ... Merry Christmas, a few weeks early."

She opened it and picked out a pair of diamond pendant earrings. "Oh, Phil! They're beautiful." Steffi went to a mirror, removed the large hoops she was wearing and put on the pendants. "These are much better ... Thank you."

The intercom buzzed again. "Mr S," Ralph said through the speaker, "your limo is here."

"We'll be right down."