A Jaded Gift

Autumn Writer

Author's note: the following work is one that I wrote under another pen name, Forest Hunter. For six months it was posted on Ruthie's Club, an excellent, illustrated, commercial e-zine. My thanks go to the publishers of Ruthie's; it was a pleasure to post the story on their site. Now, I would like to present it to readers here.

************

“Ah! The Windy City, it never changes,” Mike said aloud as a cold blast hit him. In early November the chilly winds gust off Lake Michigan and all that one can do is turn a collar up against them. Mike would have liked to have had his Melton winter coat on such a day. There had been no room in the suitcase for that, and where he had just been there wouldn’t have been a need for it. Earlier that day he had landed at O’Hare from Shanghai, almost at the end of a lengthy trip at the behest of his employer. He did his best with the navy pinstriped suit coat that he wore.

Mike could have stayed at an inn out near the airport. He decided to treat himself. There were newer hotels than the Drake, to be sure, but none more elegant. Having taken the trouble, he wasn’t going to let a breeze from the lake stop him from roaming his favorite city. He thought that he would take a walk down Oak St., find a place to eat, perhaps some music and drinks after that. Of course, he couldn’t let himself forget that anniversary present. If there was any place to find one, Oak St. would be it.

“A man with a bonus, an anniversary coming up, strolling down Oak St.,” he mused to himself. “It’s a dangerous combination.” He was surprised at his facetious tone; maybe the plane ride had been more tiring than he thought. He thought that the shower in the hotel had refreshed him. At forty-two, he still felt young enough to howl every now and then.

Mike had been away from home for a long time. Weeks rolling into a month and more sharpen edges in a man in places that had been rounded and smooth. A kind of independence seeps into the subconscious, born of the need to do for oneself. Love and companionship slip temporarily into the background, to be saved for later. As the end of the absence approached, Mike needed to relax and allow tenderness to seep its way back to the front.

Mike wasn’t thinking about all this, he just wanted to enjoy himself in his favorite city. The trip had been tough on him and his family, but it was the final push that earned him the big bonus and promotion. He had already apportioned a large chunk of the money to the 401k, safe from the clutches of the tax man. There was still enough left to buy something nice.

“Dues paid—membership secure,” he told himself as he crossed Michigan Avenue.

On the opposite corner, and two store fronts down, he spotted a jewelry store. It looked expensive. They were all expensive in this part of town. He looked for a place to cross the street.

***************

Mike walked into the store and stopped in the doorway to survey the scene. Whatever might be found there, at least it was good to get out of the late autumn chill. The store wasn’t big, but its appointments were nicer than those in Mike’s living room. It was brightly lit. The middle of the floor was open, framed by glass cases. As the hour approached five, the store was empty of other customers. Mike could hear activity in the back, but no sales person rushed to approach him. He decided to just do some looking.

There were a lot of nice pieces in the cases. Of course, the price tags were turned over. Mike didn’t know jewelry, but it didn’t stop him from perusing the baubles under the glass countertops. He passed by the cocktail rings—not what he had in mind. There were some brooches that looked very elegant with fine detail, but he passed them by, as well—too old-looking for his wife. He said ’no’ to the watches. There were some pendants and necklaces in an area. It looked like a place to start.

As he was peering through the glass, he became aware of a pair of eyes watching him. It was a woman, a sales associate, most likely, standing in the doorway to the back room. To Mike, it appeared as if she was sizing him up to see if her entry was worthwhile. When she saw that Mike had discovered her she emerged and slowly approached him.

“Can I help you, sir?” she called as she walked over.

“I’m just looking right now,” he answered, not looking up. “I’m looking for a present for my wife.”

“Very nice!” she answered in an uninterested voice. “Birthday?”

“No—anniversary, actually; fifteen years,” Mike volunteered. “I really don’t have anything in mind; just browsing,” he said.

“I have some work to do at the window display,” she said, excusing herself. “Call me if I can help you.”

“Alright, thanks,” Mike grumbled. He had no idea what he was doing or looking for in the posh store. In the corner of his eye, he saw the woman mount a step ladder to hang up some fabric to drape over the merchandise in the front window. Mike decided to watch her. Although it wouldn’t help him with his shopping chores, at least he could put his mind on something he knew more about.

As he watched the woman on the ladder, Mike wished that he had paid more attention to her when she was up close to him. He pegged her age at late thirties. She was of medium height. She wore her hair long. It parted in the middle and cascaded in waves to her shoulders where it sat like a mantle on a gold-toned satin blouse. She had on a leather skirt that hugged her form—her form looked good. The leather was dark brown, matching her hair. The skirt was long, mid-calf, and had a provocative slit on the right side that reached to mid-thigh. She was wearing black hose. As she moved about on the ladder the slit would open momentarily to expose her shapely legs. Below the hem of the skirt her legs gracefully ended in narrow feet fit into black heels. Mike couldn’t make out he facial features; she had turned away from him.

Mike craned his neck to get the best view of the toned limbs, black-clad camouflaged against the dark brown skirt. They cruelly peeked out, and then disappeared in the side slit of the skirt. Mike thought that she lacked that ‘housewife look’. She was just a little too shapely, too worldly to fill that role, he thought. In his business travels he met many such women. He could always tell at a glance which of them had half their mind on business and the other half on hearth and home. To him, this woman had the look of a divorcee.

“An independent woman of independent means,” he thought to himself as he admired her.

Mike took his time to partake of the visual feast to his satisfaction. She stretched out an arm to catch a corner of the non-cooperative fabric above her. As she did so, her blouse was pulled tightly against her, defining the outline of a perfect breast. She raised her right foot a step higher on the ladder; the slit caused the bottom half of the skirt to fall away. Mike got his first glimpse of her thigh, covered part way in the black hose. It was worth waiting for. The upper leg was a perfect match for the sculpted calf below it. At the midway point, the black hose abruptly ended. Smooth flesh shouted out at him. It screamed ‘Place your hand here and feel the firmness underneath the skin and the creamy softness on top!’ If he could do so, Mike thought, his practiced hand would switch on her senses, strip away her reserve, and make her hope for more. He could quench her thirst, and beyond, given the chance.

If the slit had been only a few inches longer, he could have seen the panties, too, if there were any. Isolated on the ladder in the front window, she was on display for the scores of passersby. Mike saw them all move on, no one noticing.

“A private show, just for me!” he thought, indulging a sudden, improvised fantasy.

He assumed that she was distracted by the stubborn drape in her hands, so he was careless in his surreptitious inspection.

“Would you like me to show you something, sir?” she called out loudly to him, but not in an angry way. It seemed to Mike that she wanted him to know that a man viewing her body didn’t fluster her.

Mike had been busy observing her display and hadn’t noticed her head swivel toward him. He assumed a momentary sheepish grin, embarrassed at having been caught in his over-tasting. The woman descended from the ladder and started walking behind the counter to where he was standing.

She didn’t walk like she was just moving from one place to another. There was purpose in her sway and swing of her hips, allowing the soft leather of the skirt to fully work with her contours. She thrust her knee forward through that teasing slit with each alternate step.

“She saw me ogling her and she liked it,” Mike congratulated himself. “Let’s see where this leads.”

Mike’s sheepish grin faded to a confident smile, to show her that he felt no shame at being discovered. He was, in fact, glad that she had seen him stealing the view. He wanted to see her face. He was less interested in how pretty, classic, exotic or erotic it looked than the answers to his questions. Was she confident and self assured; or would she turn away at eye contact, like a shy maiden? Was she worldly and sophisticated; or would her expression have that ‘housewife look’ that betrayed preoccupation with report cards, ironing shirts and getting dinner ready?

“Sinner or saint, she’s definitely a lady,” Mike thought, as he waited for his answers. He observed her dress and manner and judged it to belong to a woman who was aware of her allure. She would let a man peruse her package, perhaps reach out to try to pull the ribbon. Only those of her choosing, however, would be allowed to untie the bow to commence the unwrapping.

She would not offer herself cheaply, for any taker who might cast a lot for her favor. To earn her a man would prove deserving by besting—not only other men—and also her disdainful assumption of the mediocrity of all but a few. She challenged men to win her. For those few who won, she would reveal her secrets one at a time, drain a man of his own, and create new ones with him. Mike sized her up this way in the moments that it took her to approach him.

She stood facing him. Mike read her name tag: ‘Rita’. His gaze landed on her face, to see if reality matched fantasy. The almond eyes looked at him from the curled frame of her hair. They were dark, almost black, encircled by blacker eyelashes. They did not yet give away her thoughts. Her cheekbones rode high, with olive skin stretched tightly over them. She used make-up sparingly, except for her lips, which she painted crimson. Her final feature, the long, narrow nose, bent slightly near the bridge; it ensured that she had a look of interesting beauty without looking pretty. In another time and place she might have been the wife of a Roman Emperor; or better yet, the Emperor’s courtesan.

Her lips were full, especially her lower one. They were parted slightly. The perfume hit Mike by surprise. It encircled him like a vapor, erasing awareness of all except the temptress and his estimation of what might be smoldering in her. From between her parted lips, out snaked her tongue to wet them, passing slowly from corner to corner.

“Tell me about your wife,” she said. “Perhaps I can help you choose something for her.”

“Not much to tell,” Mike answered. “A typical housewife, I guess.”

“You don’t make that sound very exciting. Are you sure that you’re in the right store? There’s a nice, quaint little book store around the corner; perhaps a nice romance novel would suit her better,” she said, with a hint of disdain. “I could direct you to the Williams-Sonoma Store. Maybe she would like a saucepan … or a blender.”

She leaned forward as she said the final words. Her lower lip pouted out as she said saucepan; her tongue lingered on her teeth on blender. Her manner betrayed a passive contempt for the mundane realities of ‘housewifery’. Hair stood on the back of Mike’s neck as he detected his conversion from hunter to prey. He had to reassert his cool, show interest, but reserve. She challenged him to sharpen tools not used in a long time. He sensed that he would need them.

“Maybe that’s where I’ll end up,” he said. “I’ll see what you have here first.”

She placed a board, covered by a gray, felt cloth on the counter. She bent and reached into the glass case, emerging with a pearl choker.

“This might be nice. Four strands of cultured pearls. Gold clasps. A good value: six hundred dollars,” she said, testing him.

As he hesitated, she held it up to her own throat, and Mike enjoyed the contrast of the white pearls with her olive skin.

“It’s nice, but not exactly what I had in mind. She’d never wear it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry; I imagine she’s a little chubby around the neck; then this would never do.” She feigned a pout; Mike recognized the implied comparison.

She pulled out a pendant on a gold chain, but it wasn’t right.

“Where are you staying?” she asked, making small talk with him.

“At the Drake,” Mike replied. “How did you know that I was from out of town?”

“I can always tell. You’ve been on a long trip, haven’t you? You have that—lonely look.”

“Just in from six weeks in the Orient; mostly in China. I’ll be home tomorrow.”

She reached into the glass case and produced a pearl bracelet. She fastened it to her own wrist to model it.

“Four nice strands, a gold clasp with a safety closure. This is a good value.”

Mike took a look at the bracelet, but his eye stuck on the wedding band she wore. Disappointment and curiosity filled him at the same time.

“I don’t think so,” Mike said. “It’s nice, but just not the right thing.”

“You’re very difficult to please!” she chided, unclasping the bracelet. “What could I ever do to make you happy?”

“I didn’t mean to be difficult. You’re making me feel bad,” Mike countered. “I see that you’re married, too – I saw your ring. You know how hard it is to buy a gift for a spouse. What would you want him to buy you?”

“How would I have a chance to tell him? He’s gone away on business again, just like you, leaving me here all alone,” she pouted.

“I’m sorry, Rita, I didn’t mean to upset you. You’ve been very nice. Show me something else. Do you mind if I call you ‘Rita’? I saw it on your name tag.”

Rita’s eyes brightened and her tongue rewet her lips. She bent down into the case again. When she stood up, she held three strands of white pearls, which she placed on the grey-felt board.

“These are sure to do the trick,” she said. “All of the strands are AAA grade, 8 mm diameters. I’ll try them on to show you the different lengths. Here is the sixteen inch.”

She brought the shortest strand around her neck and reached around back to clasp it. Mike noticed that the top button of her blouse had become unfastened, opening the collared blouse to just above the point that Mike could see the top crest of her bra.. She must have done it when she had bent behind the counter.

The pearls dipped to her collarbone, which Mike strained to see past the undone button.

“Don’t say anything,” she said. “Let me put on the next strand to compare.”

Rita fastened the eighteen inch strand around her neck. As they hung, the final pearl dipped just under the topmost fabric of her gold blouse. Mike imagined that it must be barely diving into the cleavage that lay beneath the fabric. It reminded Mike of the outline displayed on the ladder. He was convinced that perfect breasts lay waiting.

She stood motionless, showing the pearls. Then, realizing the obstruction of the gold fabric of her blouse, she pushed it gently aside, just enough to show the final curve of the strand. The move bared more flesh, and Mike could see the black lacy top strands of her bra. The contrast in color with the blouse surprised him. It more matched her skirt and hose. He wondered if she had selected it for that purpose. Mike was aroused, but sensed that that the ritual of the last strand would be the best.

After a few seconds, she lowered her hands and the blouse fabric resumed its former place.

“Here is the longest strand. It’s twenty-four inches,” she announced. She fastened it behind her.

The latest string eclipsed the others and lay glowing against the gold satin midway between her collar and belt. She let him view it for a few seconds, and then delicately took hold of the end of the strand. With her other hand, she pulled the blouse away from her skin to make a space and promptly dropped the pearls into the opening. They disappeared behind the fabric, descending below, to play among her breasts.

Rita let Mike watch her hide the pearls, and let a few more seconds tick. She reached a hand up to the next button of her blouse. With two delicate fingers she slowly undid it.

“What do you think of these?” she gushed, leaning forward on her elbows onto the counter top.

The three strands of pearls dangled from her in concentric circles. The shorter two strands swung freely, the longest was lodged where Mike had pictured it, reposing in her cleavage. The blouse, unsecured, fell away. Mike looked through the frame to the bare skin, the black bra, the perfect breasts. The half globes were hanging like twin melons on a vine. They were olive-tan, framed in the black bra.

There could be no mistaking the display for other than the offer that it was. At first, Mike took little sips from the visual cup of nectar. Staring would have been too crude, but more importantly, he wanted to savor the taste. Gulping would have cut short the pleasure of discovery. If he could, he would have reached in to test the ripeness of the melons. His discerning eye would have to suffice. He burned them into his memory, and the unrevealed totality of them into his imagination. Just as Mike was only a few seconds from drinking his fill, she stood, buttoned her blouse and removed the strands of pearls, placing them on the grey felt.

The border between memory and imagination is often undefined, taking a form to please the user. In the same way, loneliness and desire blend together; shades of grey bridge black and white.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked. “Did you see anything that you want to take with you?” She let her eye contact remain a second longer, her raised eyebrows in query.

“They’re not exactly what I was looking for … the pearls, I meant,” Mike answered, flustered by his poor choice of words.

“Of course, what else could you have meant?” she lilted provocatively.

****************

“Maybe you have something else. Pearls just don’t seem to be doing it for me,” Mike said. “I would consider something a little more upscale.”

Rita’s eyes danced with pleasure and expectation. She paused for a moment, allowing Mike’s statement to fully resonate. In such a store as he was in, it had great meaning.

“I think,” she said with a coy smile, “that you have been away a long time, or you have been very bad, or maybe you have been very bad while you were away for a long time.”

“I have been away a long time,” he answered. “I haven’t been bad …but I’m not home yet.” Mike chuckled a little at the end.

“I have something in the back that you might like,” she purred. “Wait just a second.”

She slowly turned and made her way to the door of the back room. Her walk was a repeat of her earlier display. This time, Mike was treated to the view from the opposite side. The leather of the skirt allowed her to move comfortably while grinding her hips in a way that each flexing of the tight buttock cheeks was test and proof of Mike’s assumptions.

She promptly returned carrying an oblong box that she kept closed.

“We have been keeping this in the safe. It‘s special—one of a kind. A man like you might appreciate it.”

Rita lifted the lid of the box. Laid out was a necklace composed of perfectly round green stones, mounted in a row on a gold chain. The stones were a deep green with darker green flecks, like the shamrocks of Ireland, and had a translucent quality.

“Imperial Jade, the finest. Each is perfectly round, one-half inch diameter. The chain is eighteen-carat, sixteen inches. It’s a beautiful piece, don’t you agree?” Rita was suddenly direct and all business. “It’s an investment.”

“It truly is,” Mike agreed. “How many stones?”

“At least a dozen. I’m not sure. We can count them,” she answered.

Mike was rubbing the stones in his fingers. They felt like greasy glass. He tried the clasp. The luster of the stones against the richness of the gold brought a pleasure to the skin and the eye.

There was no price tag. Mike asked what it was and she whispered it to him. Mike puffed out his cheeks and let the air out slowly as he digested the amount.

“Remember, you’re not home yet and this would cover a lot of being bad,” Rita reminded him. “Actually, there are fifteen pieces of jade on the necklace,” she said as she counted. “How about it?”

“Alright, sold!” Mike cried. “Wrap it up before I change mind.” He lowered his voice and looked at Rita, “This is really going to hurt, but you talked me into it.”

“Guilt is something I don’t do,” she said, in her sultry voice. “But if you feel like a bad boy, I might be able to give you a spanking. It’s part of the service.”

“Interesting!” exclaimed Mike. “Are there any other parts of the service that I don’t know about yet?”

“It depends on your needs,” answered Rita, with eyebrows raised.

“I’m going back to the hotel to have a drink,” declared Mike. “If you think of any services I might need, you’ll find me in the bar.”

After a few business details were concluded Mike was walking up Oak St., back to the Drake with his package tucked neatly in his jacket pocket.

******************

Mike sat alone at the end of the bar at the Drake nursing a Dry Manhattan. A likely crowd filtered in and out, not too many or too few. They were mostly hotel guests having a cocktail before venturing out to dine, or people waiting for their reservation in the dining room. In the corner of the lounge a piano painted a backdrop of standards.

He was thinking about the jade necklace planted safely in his jacket pocket, and the encounter with the siren disguised as saleswoman at the jewelry store. His offer to join him at the bar had been plain enough. Perhaps the scene had been staged, to inflame him to abandon caution and facilitate the sale. He decided to wait at the end of the bar for the time required to drink a cocktail, or maybe two. Even if he had been led to the purchase by Rita’s charms, he was happy with the necklace, and the exchange had enlivened him.

He was close to finishing the drink. He thought that he would deposit the necklace into the hotel safe and then head out for some dinner. He decided that another round wouldn’t hurt, so he signaled the barman. He was watching the lemon peel float in the amber liquid of his fresh drink when he heard a familiar voice next to him.

“A penny for your thoughts,” came the sultry voice.

He looked up and found Rita, already removing her overcoat and mounting the raised bar chair next to Mike.

“Hello, Rita! You surprised me. I admit that I had given up on seeing you,” Mike greeted her in a subdued voice, now that he was in public with people milling about.

Rita had no such reticence. She turned her stool to face him, sitting with her legs crossed.

“Were you trying to get away from me?” she challenged him.

“No,” Mike countered. “It’s a pleasant surprise.”

“I had to get the store closed,” she declared. “…Whiskey Sour, please…” she turned to address the barman as he approached her. “I would never give up an invitation for cocktails at the Drake,” she said. “I don’t get to come here very often.”

“After your commission on that jade necklace, you should be the one buying drinks,” Mike joked.

“Maybe I’ll buy the next one,” she replied. “…if there is a next one; I don’t want to drive home if I’ve had too much to drink.”

“Do you have to drive tonight?” Mike was surprised, and disappointed.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Rita returned to her seductive tone and raised her eyebrows. Then she fell silent and gazed at him for several seconds without turning away or casting her eyes down.

With the raised eyebrows, Mike knew that Rita had deftly passed the burden of initiative to him. It is the way it should be in these matters, when the time arrives for the deal to be closed. Still, in a way, he was sorry because he enjoyed the aggressive style of this sexy woman. He rose to the challenge to continue the action.

“I see that you managed to get those two buttons fastened again,” he said.

Rita responded with a low, throaty laugh, filled with a confession of naughtiness and pleasure at the same time.

“Just part of the service,” she answered, and the two laughed at the joke and the double meaning. “This is a blouse that has buttons that are easy to manage. I can unbutton a few, and button them back up just like that,” she said as she snapped her fingers.

She leaned forward, eyes looking straight into his. She had uncrossed her legs and flipped the slit half of her leather skirt to show her leg to him. She slid closer, into his space, and reached her legs out to rest her feet on the rungs of Mike’s barstool, so that her legs were spread outside of his. Rita flexed her knees slightly so that her calves would rub against Mike’s. He held still, enjoying the sensation. Her lips were almost touching his; they were so tantalizingly close. She whispered so that Mike could feel her breath on his face, “…and I can unbutton them all over again—if I want to.”

Mike felt his heart racing. He let his eyes slip down to the uncovered thigh that imprisoned his own. Then, he looked back up to her. It was the moment of decision. He was confident and excited by this sexy and sexual seductress.

“What do you feel like doing now?” he asked, seeking to bring closure to the dance of seduction.

“I think that I would like another drink,” she answered coyly, but accepted the closing of the deal.

Mike raised his arm to call the barman, but she stopped him gently by placing her arm on top of his.

“I think that I’d like it … from room service.”

Mike signed the bar tab and the two of them headed for the elevators.

“Would you like me to order dinner-for-two up to the room?” Mike offered.

“Breakfast might be better, I’m hungry for something else right now.”

*******************

Mike slid his card into the door lock and the green light flashed. Rita entered the hotel room first; Mike right behind her. She was carrying her overcoat and tossed it aside. Rita promptly spun around, landing in Mike’s arms. She threw her arms around his neck and he held her around the waist.

He lowered his head to kiss her. Rita parted her lips to receive him and she rubbed her body against him. Two tongues met and danced together. Rita pressed into Mike closer, searching for his erection. It was starting to grow. In his mind’s eye, Mike saw her every movement as he felt it: her breasts crushing into his torso, her fingers playing in the hair on the back of his head, her crotch through the leather skirt perched on his thigh running up an down it, her belly pressing in against his manhood.

They held the kiss for about a minute. Mike tasted the remnants of her earlier cocktail, and a hint of peppermint. He pictured her tongue, flicking in rapid-fire over his own, his lips and every corner of his mouth that it could reach. As the pace of her probing quickened, so did her breathing and the pressure of her juncture against his thigh.

Finally, her energy temporarily spent, she broke the kiss, but kept her hold around his neck.

“Hmmm!” she moaned approvingly, as their lips slowly broke apart.

“You’re an exciting woman, Rita,” Mike told her, but it appeared to him that she already knew it.

“That was just a warm-up,” she answered, accepting the compliment and declaring her high standards at the same time.

“I think that I want my drink now,” she cooed. When she saw Mike’s consternation at the unexpected delay, she added, “We’ve got all night; let’s not get done too early.”

While Mike ordered the drinks on the phone, Rita shed her high heeled pumps.

“I hope that you don’t mind my taking these off,” she said. “I’ve been on my feet all day.”

Mike smirked and shook his head. Her surrender of the shoes was a tiny start and made him think of the complete disrobing waiting for later. He wondered how it would all take place. It struck him that he should press the action, but Rita seemed to have a script written that worked so well at every turn.

“I think that I’ll just freshen up while we wait for our drinks to arrive,” she announced. It gave Mike an idea.

“Wait a second before you do that,” he said. “I want to show you something.”

Rita watched as Mike produced a rectangular, gift-wrapped box, about eight inches square and an inch-and-a-half deep.

“This is something that I picked up for my wife in China, before I knew about the jade necklace. If we take the paper off carefully, we can tape it back up later and she’ll never know.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that; I wonder if that would be right,” Rita stated. “What’s in it, anyway?”

“Well, take a look and find out,” Mike countered. “I just want to know what your think of it.”

Rita carefully lifted the tape and slid the box out of the sheath of paper. She lifted the lid and parted the tissue paper covering the object in the box. It was a garment. She grasped it gently by the shoulders and held it up high.’

“Ohhh! She’s going to like this, Mike,” she exclaimed.

It was a negligee, of a rich green jade color. On the front were finely painted outlines of orchids in magenta, pale yellow and black.

“It feels like silk. Is it?” Rita asked.

“Sure is!” Mike attested. “Hand painted.”

“Very nice!” Rita purred as she stroked her hand over the rich fabric.

“When you go in to freshen up, why don’t you try it on?” Mike offered.

“Oh, I couldn’t do that … I just couldn’t!” Rita protested.

“Go ahead, try it! I just want to see what you look like in it. You won’t hurt it,” Mike insisted.

“Aren’t you afraid that it will get … wrinkled … and who knows what else?” pleaded Rita.

“You may not have it on that long. Go ahead! I really want you to.”

“You’re going to need that spanking later,” she warned him in a sultry, laughing voice that signified her partnership in the evil act.

Rita disappeared with the negligee into the bathroom. Mike took the time to shed his clothes. From his suitcase he brought out a pair of cotton pajama bottoms. He skipped the tops. He was tenting the fabric, but pretenses seemed out of place in the situation. He dimmed the light to about half. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It was room service bringing the drinks. Mike set them on the coffee table. Finally, he turned on some mood music in the piped in system provided by the hotel, turned down the covers on the double bed, and took a seat in the easy chair near the bed.

Mike reviewed his situation. He was in a plush room in a luxury hotel in his favorite city. A beautiful woman was in the bathroom changing into a sexy negligee. The lights were dimmed and fresh cocktails were waiting. He should have felt nervous or guilty. Perhaps he should have been apprehensive that he could satisfy this obviously experienced, sexual woman. He felt none of it. It was a way to refresh his senses after his long journey. The pressure and isolation had tested him time and again. It had been six weeks without close human contact or pleasure. It was a way to balance the equation. He was needful; he felt deserving.

Rita emerged from the bathroom and into the half-lit bedroom. Behind her, the glowing light from the bathroom created a glow that allowed Mike to appreciate her, at long last. Rita quickly made a ballet pirouette to display the negligee.

“Not so fast!” Mike protested. “Let me see the whole package. Turn again more slowly.”

The nightie was perfect for Rita. It had a full length to her ankles. There were slits about halfway up each thigh. It hung from her shoulders from thin straps. The bodice collapsed in a deep ‘vee’. Rita’s breasts were encased in its thin material that held them high and accented their feminine form. Her hardened nipples pressed against the fabric, giving Mike the urge to suck them later.

Rita obeyed Mike’s request and slowly rotated in place. The show was a command performance. The gown tapered at the waist, allowing Rita’s features to press against it. The points of her hipbones pressed out in definition; the fabric clung to her skin, recessing to show a faint outline of her vulva, and even a slight indentation at her navel. As she turned, the firm cheeks of her buttocks were highlighted in silhouette, and then, face-on as she turned more. The silk settled just slightly between them into her crevice, reminding Mike how inviting they were. Rita completed the turn, arms outstretched, and stood still for Mike to inspect her. She showed no shyness or embarrassment in displaying herself.

“How do you like the negligee?” she whispered. She must have known the answer in advance.

“I like the whole package. Rita, you look stunning in it,” Mike said, still seated.

“You already told me that I’m exciting; now stunning,” she reminded him in her husky teasing whisper. “Which shall it be?”

“You are exciting.” Mike insisted. “And you have a lot to back it up.”

Rita picked up her cocktail and alit on the bed near the chair that Mike was sitting in. She picked her feet off the floor, bending her knees and feet under her. As she sipped her drink, she made no effort to hide her form or turn away. The sight of her in the jade gown was a feast, better than nudity. The clinging silk defined her features, disguised nothing; it only enhanced what lay underneath. Her tight, compact body kept all the promises made in her provocative displays. It made a man want to savor and taste, little nibbles and licks at first, then bigger and bigger gulps. Mike liked Rita. Her ardor drew him into her, made him want to talk to her and know her. She understood his wants and had her own similar desires; he felt comfortable being with her.

“I didn’t want to put the negligee on at first,” she breathed with her eyes half-closed. “Now, I’m glad that you made me do it. The silk feels so good on my skin. It’s caressing me. When I move, it teases me and makes me want to be teased again. My breasts feel like gentle hands are cupping them. It is the most sensuous thing that I have ever worn. I could make love to myself just by wearing it and letting the silk touch me in all the right places.”

She drank a little more, tossing her head back to make the whiskey flow down her throat. Mike watched her close her eyes, inviting pleasure to descend on her.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to take it off,” she continued. Then opening her eyes wide and sparkling at Mike, she teased, “…but I think that soon I’ll have to.”

At that, Mike stood. His erection was in full bloom and straining against the cotton of his pajamas. He produced the long narrow box with the jade necklace and opened it.

“Let’s complete the picture,” he commanded. “Women loan each other jewelry all the time.”

“I know that I shouldn’t,” Rita breathed, “but I have no resistance left. I am so hot!”

Mike stepped to her. Rita didn’t move as Mike clasped it in back of her neck. The green jade globes framed Rita’s delicate collarbone. The gold of the chain shone on her smooth olive skin.

Rita sat still, except her fingers caressing the stones. Her eyes closed again; exhaled loudly, then started breathing deeper and faster. After a few seconds she stood and embraced Mike as she had before. Mike looked at her, eyes half closed, lips parted, panting ever faster. He held the sides of her face gently in his own two hands. He thrust his tongue between her full lips, wanting to taste her. She waited for him to explore her, and then thrust her tongue back at him. He slowly and lightly licked the surface of her lips and she moaned at the pleasure of it.

Mike released her and moved back one step. With his thumbs and forefingers he gently took hold of the thin straps holding up each side of the negligee, as Rita stood motionless. He lifted the straps slightly, and then pulled them to the sides. He released the straps and allowed them to fall down the sides of Rita’s arms. Rita’s eyes widened; her lips parted. The thin garment did not fall, but was held in place by its contact with the wearer.

Mike took hold of the straps again. Rita raised her arms slightly to help. Mike tugged down gently, and then released the straps. The nightgown fell down the length of Rita’s body, pooling at her feet. Rita let out a little gasp as Mike’s eyes drank in the sight. Finally, she was nude.

There were her breasts that had, short minutes ago, been cradled lovingly in the silk negligee. They were ample and round, topped by hard nipples of chocolate brown, encircled by brown pigment. Below lay her slender waist, once caressed by the silk, centered by her tiny navel, skin in smooth olive. Still lower lay the soft patch of dark brown hair, moisture betraying her below. Her legs, which had been impressive and alluring behind the black hose, were even more so in the flesh.

Rita allowed Mike to gaze until he had a chance to see it all. She reached out a hand and tugged the drawstring on Mike’s pajamas. She deftly pulled the waistband out over his erection, then released the garment and let it tumble to the floor.

Rita reached out again and took Mikes rigid penis in the palm of her hand. She gently wrapped her fingers around it. Mike groaned with the warmth and pleasure of her touch. She stretched out her other hand to cup his scrotum. Mike groaned again. He reached his hands out, each capturing a breast, and it was Rita’s turn to moan her approval. Mike rubbed his thumbs over the nipples. She moaned again. They came closer together to kiss, which they did with passion that communicated desire.

Mike released his hands from Rita’s breasts. He took her hand gently in his and led her to the bed. Rita climbed on and settled in the middle of it. In a moment he was alongside her. They renewed their embrace, their hands probing and touching everywhere. Mike clasped a breast and dipped his head to suck in the nipple. Rita gasped, and pressed his head into her to increase the contact. Mike kept sucking; he took her bottom in his hands to pull her center into him. Rita rubbed her vulva against him. In the next minutes they continued that way, exciting each other.

Rita pushed Mike to his back, and then straddled him.

Mike wondered what her next move might be as she gazed down at him. Slowly, a wry smile appeared on her face. She slid down his body, lower, until she faced his erection. She licked the crown a few times, and then swallowed it. When she had it firmly implanted in her mouth, she began rotating her head on a plane, so that the penis inside her mouth was moving around like a gearshift in a sports car. Mike felt her breasts crushed against his upper thighs. Rita wrapped her arms around him. He flexed his pelvis to push himself in further. Rita started humming as she swirled him around every corner of her mouth. The vibrations created a pleasure for Mike that was nearly unbearable.

Mike reached down and took hold of Rita’s arm, tugging it upward. She kept him in her mouth and pivoted around so that her sex was presented to him. Mike parted her lips and stroked them with his tongue. They tasted salty and the smell was musky. He could see the moisture dripping from her vagina. The bulb of Rita’s clitoris peeked out from its hood. Mike danced his tongue lightly over it. Rita reacted with vigor to the pleasure. She moved her hips about to deepen the contact. Mike kept it up. Rita pressed her head down harder and Mike felt the crown of his penis pop into Rita’s throat. She started a gulping motion. The sensation was indescribable. Mike did his best to absorb the pleasure and keep up the tonguing on Rita’s clitoris at the same time. Finally, he could not do both. He felt his semen boiling and let it come to the surface. The torrent burst forth, which Rita swallowed. Mike was powerless to do anything, except to allow the pleasure to engulf him.

Mike laid gasping in recovery and contemplating his release of moments ago. Rita continued to hold his deflating member in her mouth, gently squeezing out the last drops of his flood with her tongue.

Mike returned to his earlier task. He reinserted his tongue into Rita and swirled it around until he found her swollen clitoris. He rubbed it with his moistened tongue. Rita was freed to concentrate on her own pleasures. Mike reached his hands up and spread her cheeks. He felt her excitement deepen. With his fingers, he stroked the insides of them, then ran his thumb down and caressed her anal ring. Rita spun out of control. With the new sensation, and Mike’s tongue at her bulb, she soon climaxed mightily, heaving a loud sigh as she tensed and relaxed each muscle. She collapsed as she lay upon him, his flaccid organ still encased in her mouth and her wet sex on Mike’s face. It was her turn to gasp as she slowly descended from her high.

*****************

In the afterglow Rita lay on her side, her head on Mike’s shoulder, her top leg outstretched over his two. Mike could feel the hardness of the necklace in contrast to the soft skin of her breasts resting against him. Her fingers played lazily in the hair of his chest. Mike’s arm encased her and he stroked her bare shoulder with his hand. With the other he caressed her forehead.

“Rita, you are incredible.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” she returned the compliment. “I can see that you’ve been without for a long time … from the volume.” She laughed as she said it, not in girlish high tones, but a womanly alto voice that reminded him of her sultriness.

She straddled him anew and kissed him, thrusting her tongue against his. Mike tasted the remnants of himself on her lips and tongue, as he supposed that she tasted herself at the same time. She bounded off of him and the bed, retrieving their half-consumed cocktails.

Rita set the two drinks on the night stand and then jumped back atop him. She handed him the Manhattan, and took her own Whiskey Sour in hand. She ground her wet labia on Mike’s still soft member, entrapping it within the folds, and put the drink to her lips.

“Do you feel like sleeping?” she teased. “You look so comfortable down there. I know that some men just like to have a nice long nap afterward.” She raised up and stretched her shoulders and arms such that Mike could see the perfect roundness of her breasts and pointed hardness of her nipples playing below the balls of green jade and gold chain. She tossed down the rest of her drink and set the empty on the nightstand. She shifted backwards and forwards slightly, and Mike felt his softened manhood resting with pleasure in the warmth of her labia.

“You didn’t wear me out, although you tried to,” he teased back. “I don’t really need a nap right now.” Mike took a good swallow of the whiskey.

“Good!” she exclaimed, and took the cocktail glass from him and set it alongside her own, making sure that the movement did not allow him to slip out of the soft grip of her nether lips. “So,” she continued, “you like to do it with the lights on!”

“I do if I get to look at you.”

“Not very romantic,” she suggested.

“Is this romance?”

Rita said nothing, but pursed out her lower lip and nodded in a ‘good point’ expression.

“If the lights weren’t on,” she said, in a playful, facetious tone, “I wouldn’t see this wet, sticky mess all over your face. Did I really do that to you? I’ll have to clean you up!”

Rita’s tongue snaked out from her lips and she stiffened it to form a wet point. She bent lower and licked at Mike’s face, painting his mouth and lips, his cheekbones and throat as she cleaned her essence off him.

The sensual bath revived Mike’s hardness. He brought his hands to her legs and stroked the soft flesh of her inner thighs. As she leaned over him, he felt the jade balls of the necklace that he bought for his wife dangling from Rita’s neck onto his chest.

“Mmm, I can feel you getting harder,” Rita purred.

She started moving herself up and down his body, keeping Mike’s penis encased between her labia. Mike heard her moans and it made him harden more. Her breasts traversed his chest, with the jade balls harbingers of her hard nipples. It was an atmosphere that would intoxicate any man: the wet envelope of her labia, her crescendoing moans of pleasure in his ears, her breasts rolling over his chest like the waves of an ocean tide.

Mike held Rita by the waist and lifted her slightly. Rita sunk down on him, impaling herself to the hilt all at once. She placed her palms on Mike’s shoulders for support and commenced an up-and-down motion, riding him. Mike responded in kind, thrusting himself up at her to meet her at the nadir of her flight.

Rita turned her head toward the ceiling; her mouth open, not speaking. She only issued a quiet grunt of pleasure upon each full impalement. Mike grasped both her breasts, at first. He roughly grabbed her nipples. Rita’s exhaled moans grew louder. Mike moved his hands to her hips to force her down on him harder. Rita kept riding him, and squeezed him in her tunnel.

Rita swept her gaze off the ceiling and looked down at Mike. Her eyes were opened wide and she was breathing hard. Her expression told Mike to expect something special. She squeezed his penis tighter with the muscles inside her, and accentuated her up-and down stroking. It became less rhythmic-more urgent and with greater force. Mike sensed that she would be coming soon.

He felt that her onrushing climax was his own work of art—at least in part. He was determined to hold off his own ejaculation, lest he cut hers short of reaching its potential. Rita continued impaling herself on Mike as he thrust to meet her. Her motions became slower, but more forceful and pronounced, and she began to scrape her vulva on him at each down stroke. On her final two she shuddered, exhaling loudly, and then collapsed on top of him, gasping for breath. Mike grabbed the cheeks of her buttocks and thrust upward as hard as he could, to reach further inside her. After a half-dozen reaches into her limp body, he climaxed in his turn, with great pleasure and force.

They lay together, her on top of him, for some minutes, drained of energy. Mike, though now softened, remained cradled inside her. He stroked her shoulders and back, down to her cheeks. He did not do so to pleasure or arouse her, but to be reminded of all the features of this exquisite, tantalizing woman; of how he had won her, bedded her, and how they had satisfied each other.

After a while, Rita dismounted him, reached over to the control panel alongside the bed and turned out the lights. She pulled the covers over them and assumed her position lying on her side beside him, her head on his shoulder. Mike pulled her to him and she draped an arm across his chest.

That was wonderful!” she whispered. “It was the strongest climax that I’ve ever had.”

Mike said nothing, just stroked her forehead as they relaxed together. In a short time, they were asleep.

*************

In the morning Mike woke to the sound of water running in the shower. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand: six-thirty. He thought of joining Rita there, but decided to relax in the big bed and think about what had taken place the night before. It was hard to find anything to complain about, and he guessed Rita would say the same, when he asked her.

In a short time Rita emerged from the bathroom. She was nude, except for the towel wrapped around her head and the jade necklace posed above her breasts. Mike had almost forgotten what a great body she had, and that she was just old enough to know how to use it.

“Sometimes a man just gets lucky,” he said to himself.

“Good morning!” she called to him.

“Good morning, yourself,” he replied. “I’m just going to freshen up. I won’t be long.”

When Mike came out of the bathroom he saw her sitting in the bed waiting for him. The sheet was pulled up to her waist. She displayed her nude top half to him. Mike heard the coffee pot gurgling off to the side.

“You were a sleepy one last night,” she teased.

“Jet lag!” he joked. “What’s your excuse?”

“Well,” she said slowly, a smile emerging across her face, “I was flying high, too; just in a different way.”

“We have a lot of time before breakfast,” he told her.

Rita said nothing, just purred in approval as he stood alongside the bed.

She cast the sheet off her legs and feet, and the towel from her head. She slid down to a lying position with her arms outstretched.

“Do you have any energy left for me?” she asked.

Mike said nothing but climbed onto the bed, finding a niche between her spread legs. They leisurely kissed. Their lips parted a minute later.

“Did you know that the first Playboy Club in history was in a building just a few blocks from here?” Mike asked her.

“Every man needs a playmate sometimes,” she said softly. “Would you like me to be your playmate?’

“You certainly qualify; you’ve got the talent for it,” he told her. “Maybe I would like you to be, from time to time.”

“I can, if you promise to please me,” she answered, with a Mona Lisa smile.

Rita drew her knees up and Mike was hard. He felt her wetness and he eased himself into her. They held still, savoring the coupling.

“The necklace was a nice surprise when it arrived last week,” she said. “The leather skirt set you back a few hundred … and Larry from the jewelry store says you owe him tickets to the Bulls.”

“Did I tell you that I missed you?” he asked.

She said nothing; her eyes were glistening.

“…and I missed the kids,” he added. “Did your mother mind watching them? What did she think our little game?”

Mike’s sharp edges were once again round and smooth.

Rita wrapped her legs around Mike’s legs, and pushed up gently at him.

“Welcome home, my husband,” she whispered, “it’s good to have you back.”

THE END