Chapter 7: Getting Out and Getting Interested

I had bought a corsage that afternoon at our local florist shop. I had no idea what Rita was going to wear, so I chose a white rose, hoping she wouldn't be wearing a white dress. From my memory of Helen's dress code, pale skinned people tended not to wear white formal dresses. I hoped my memory was accurate.

When Rita opened the door to her apartment, I felt myself suck my breath in. She looked nothing like the woman I knew at the office. She was transformed. Her lovely red hair, which she usually wore in a ponytail, cascaded about her shoulders. It changed her appearance dramatically. She was wearing light makeup, not unusual, but its most effective use was to highlight her lovely blue eyes. Dark red lip gloss contrasted with her perfect white teeth.

I saw her smile at my reaction. She stepped back and welcomed me into her living room. My attention was drawn to a dark green dress that fitted her perfectly, and snugly. It nicely featured her cleavage, not terribly daring, but not overly modest. The sheath of the dress came to the tops of her knees and there didn't seem to be a wrinkle anywhere in the material from chest to knee. She looked gorgeous.

"Oh my," I finally managed. "You look lovely, Rita."

She smiled. "Thank you, Gerry. You look very handsome yourself."

I finally collected my wits and handed her the corsage box. "For you," I stammered, wondering just where I could pin it.

"It's lovely. Thank you again. Would you like to pin it for me?" she asked with what I thought might be a devilish grin.

"Uhhm ... well ... I'm of two minds on that," I said. "I wouldn't want to make a mistake and stick you with the pin. On the other hand, if you're willing to take the chance... ," I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows.

She took the hint. "Why don't I save you the embarrassment? I'll look after it." Once again I saw that sly, naughty smile. This could turn out to be a very interesting evening.

I helped Rita into her coat and we left the apartment. It was only a five minute drive to the hotel where the dinner would be held. The weather was cool, but dry. I parked and escorted Rita into the hotel and toward the ballroom. As we entered, I felt almost every male eye was on Rita. It took me a moment to find Al and Marion, and I directed Rita to our table.

"Oh, Rita, you look lovely," Marion gushed.

"Thank you, Marion," she replied, carefully hugging her cousin.

I seated Rita at the table beside Al as Helen had long ago taught me. You know ... boy, girl, boy, girl. I asked if anyone would like anything from the bar and Rita asked for a white wine. Both Marion and Al had what appeared to be fresh drinks. I made my way to the bar and ordered the two glasses of wine. Mine was red.

I was hoping, in a way, that we would be at a larger table with more guests. The four of us were very familiar with each other, so assuming we all agreed to avoid business talk, I wondered what topics were open. I didn't sit as I set Rita's wine down. I was looking around the room and saw a number of people I knew. That gave me an idea.

"Rita, would you like to come with me? I want to introduce you to some people I know."

She looked surprised, but quickly agreed. I held her chair as she rose and I took her arm and led her to one of the tables. We spent most of the next half hour circulating as I introduced her to a number of acquaintances, making sure they also knew I was now representing Granite Giant. It was a great opportunity to touch base with these people, but I wanted Rita to meet them as well. I thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room and I was showing her off.

As we started back toward our table, Rita pulled me closely to her.

"That was very nice, Gerry," she smiled warmly. "Thank you. I was wondering just what the four of us were going to talk about and you solved the problem."

"I was thinking the exact same thing. I'm just glad I found some people I knew and had a chance to say hello. I doubt they'll forget you, either."

"You're full of compliments tonight. I might start to think you're trying to seduce me," she said with her now familiar sly look.

"Well, I'm full of something, that's for sure. If I'm going to be with the prettiest woman in the room, I want to share the feeling. I have to tell you, Rita, I haven't felt this energized or happy in a long time. You are a real boost to my ego and my spirits."

We had stopped and were facing each other, several tables away from our base. Rita was looking at me intently, possibly trying to read me. "Was I just flattering her, or was it genuine?" she must be thinking. I could almost read her mind.

"I can feel the energy. It's good for both of us, Gerry. We both need something to revive our spirits. I can feel it when you're at the office working. It's contagious. You make us feel your success. We get to be part of it. That's something new for me. Thank you."

"We better get back to the table soon. I can see the waiters are getting ready to serve the dinner. I'm glad you were with me to visit with my friends."

"My pleasure," she smiled, stood on her toes, and kissed my cheek.

The little kiss had an electric effect on me. Perhaps it was the good mood I had been in for the past few weeks. Perhaps it was the company of a very beautiful and warm woman. Whatever it was, I took her hand and led her back to Al and Marion.

"I wondered if you'd forgotten about us," Al said with a chuckle.

"No," I assured him with a smile. "I thought a little schmoozing in the company of this lovely woman wouldn't do us any harm."

I felt Rita squeeze my hand as I pulled out her chair and helped her seat herself. I took a quick glance at Marion and saw a knowing smile. She must be feeling very clever about now, I thought.

The dinner was a predictable roast beef and Yorkshire pudding entrée. The appetizer was a green salad and the dessert was a small chocolate cake. Not too imaginative, but in all honesty, I wasn't paying that much attention. There was some byplay going on between Marion and Rita and I was pretending not to pay attention. I got the gist of it, however. It would appear that Rita had been a willing co-conspirator in this evening's arrangement. I watched Al and I couldn't detect that he had any idea what was going on.

The byplay wasn't all verbal. Some of it was visual signaling. These women were forgetting that I had been married for twenty years and I'd seen all this kind of communication before. Was I upset? Not a bit. I was enjoying the game and the company. I was a willing dupe, but if I knew what was going on then I couldn't be taken advantage of, could I?

The speeches were mercifully short. The president named the new members in the past year and we were asked to stand as our name was called. Never miss an opportunity to promote your business, I thought. I asked Rita to stand as well, but she was reluctant. I reminded her she was one of us. She stood.

They moved the tables to make room for a generous sized dance floor and the five piece band arrived to complete their set up. A few minutes later, they began playing and I could tell they were going to be aiming their music at my age group or older. That didn't bother me a bit. I turned to Rita and asked her if she would like to dance and she was up and ready to go before I finished the question.

Years ago, Helen had signed us up for dance lessons at the community center and I've been grateful ever since. I could hold my own on the dance floor with any of the women I might come in contact with. Rita was like a feather in my arms. As the mid-tempo number continued, I found my partner getting closer and closer in my arms. I wasn't long before she was in full body contact. Despite my predictable reaction which she couldn't help but notice, she stayed right where she was. I had no intention of pushing her away. I was feeling too good about tonight to do that.