Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 The Pianist

   Like every night I sat at the piano and played.  Depending on my mood I
would play evergreens or some improvisations, or even some Bach now and
then, but most of the time I stuck to evergreens.  That's what the owner
paid me for: light entertainment for the customers of his bar.  Most of the
time nobody would really listen to what I played but what did I care? 
Playing piano was the best I could do for a living and the only thing I had
ever done, except for the odd job during college.  Even back then, I ended
playing the piano in bars and one day I realized I wasn't made for a career
as a teacher or an engineer or some other white collar job.  Playing piano
was all I wanted to do. That night Evelyn showed up.  She was a friend of
the owner's.  Most of the other employees assumed she was his lover, but no
one really knew.  She used to show up once or twice a week, come to my
piano, nod to me and then sing away to the tune of some old sappy songs
from musicals or movies.  Of course as soon as Charlie the owner, had
warned me she would drop in and want to sing to my music, I was always
prepared to change into a tune of which I knew she would know the lyrics.
Over the weeks I had found she knew the lyrics to most if not all of the
tunes in my repertoire.  Somehow we made a good pair.  The audience enjoyed
it too.  She always got claps and cheers.  Pity was, she wasn't showing up
on a regular schedule and never sang more then three songs.  Evelyn jumped
up on the piano as she often did and started to sing.  Apart from a rare
casual greeting when she happened to hang around while I left home, she
never spoke a word to me.  Somehow I noticed a difference in her style that
day.  She had a deep husky voice that always sent shivers down my spine. 
Besides, she was quite a sight.  Tall, slender, but not bony, with dark
blonde hair and some incredible green eyes, she had the looks to kill for.
In other words she was out of my league entirely.  But then I had no league
to play in.  For more than a decade I had lived like a monk.  After a very
disappointing affair with a girl in college, I decided I wasn't meant for
girls.  I could live a perfectly unhappy sad but quiet life as a bachelor.
Lisa, my first and last long-term relationship, long-term meaning five
month, had hurt me real bad.  Not that five-month would be a long enough
period to develop a true fixation on a partner, but I had loved her.  She
was not only cute, but had at least pretended to love me too.  All went
well till we started to do more than just kissing.  It turned out I was a
poor lover.  It took us several futile attempts till I finally managed to
make love to her and even then it wasn't very good for her.  We had been
both totally inexperienced and had to work it out somehow.  At first she
played it all down and was very sympathetic, but after a couple of sexual
disasters, her attitude changed.  The night came when she delivered the
fatal blow to my ego.  After I had once more tried in vain to bring her to
an orgasm, she said simply that Mark, one of my hated beaming super-boy
colleagues, did it better than me.  I was shocked and she realized it. 
Under tears she tried to explain that she had just wanted to find out if
she was frigid or so and that it had been her intention to help our
relationship.  I knew or thought I knew better.  Once again I had lost
against the league of the athletic handsome brilliant masters of the
universe.  I, a slob, simply had no chance against them, with my curbed
down shoulders, with upper arms thinner than my forearms, a slightly curbed
spine and an average face.  She became Mark's girlfriend for a brief period
of time, but afterwards they split.  She tried to talk to me once, but I
refused.  Shortly after I left college without a degree, but set on
becoming a professional bar pianist and a monk too.  The farther Evelyn
advanced into the song the more it became evident she was not her usual
self.  I heard undertones of sadness in her voice and she was slightly
unsteady.  Wanting to test her, I played one of my favourite sad songs. 
All my favourite songs are of the sad type, but this one was a true
heartbreaker.  She gave me a rather annoyed look, but sang it nevertheless.
Somehow I felt a bit ashamed towards the end of the song.  She clearly had
troubles finishing it and I saw she had watery eyes.  She disappeared
without a third song.  Well, I shrugged inwardly.  People in bars rarely
are there for the music, even thou Evelyn got her share of admiration, but
the buzz continued in full strength the moment she sang her last note and
the clasps subsided. After two more hours, I could finally rest my tired
fingers.  After three hours of hacking into the keys I sometimes wished I
had chosen another profession, but most of the time I felt quite
comfortable.  To my surprise Evelyn waited for me back stage.  'You did
that on purpose!' she shouted at me, but with more resigned sadness then
anger.  Her voice sounded slurred.  She must have been drinking. 'Oh, I'm
sorry if I did something wrong, but I assure you I had no intention to. 
Don't shoot me, I'm only the pianist.' That made her smile involuntarily.
'Oh, I guess you're right.  You are only the pianist.  I shouldn't take it
out on you.' 'Well, my shoulders aren't that broad, but if you want to
unload something on them, go ahead.  I can take a lot.  Besides, I must
confess guilty.  I did play a particularly sad song for you, but I meant no
harm.  When I feel blue, I play only sad songs, like to console me.' This
time her smile broadened. 'I know you're a nice guy.  Everybody says that.'
'That's because they don't know me.' She actually laughed now.  Once in a
while it felt good to just flirt with a beautiful woman, even if there was
nothing in it for me. 'Thanks, man.  I needed that.  Tell you what.  It's
not very comfortable here in the hall.  Let's go to Charlie's office.  He's
not here anyway.  Left with that bitch for a good fuck the bastard!' We
entered Charlie's office.  It was a fairly big room with a big desk and a
swivel chair behind it.  In front of the desk was a big leather chair, the
one you almost drowned in.  Evelyn sat behind the desk, leaving me the
leather chair.  I sank into the chair, my knees almost at my chin.  She
began to rummage in Charlie's desk.  Finally, with a sigh, she found what
she was looking for and I saw her with something in her hand I first took
for a pen or pencil.  It was a long brown tube.  Only when she took it to
her lips did I realize it was a sort of cigarette.  It was brownish, with a
gold coloured mouthpiece and longer than then a cigarette.  She ignited a
lighter from Charlie's desk and puffed to get it going then she took a long
drag and inhaled hastily.  'Gosh, I needed that.  I've smoked up the ones I
had on me.  Thank God Charlie always has some in his desk.' She said
blowing wisps of smoke while talking.  She finished by releasing thin
stream thru her nose.  I was baffled, almost in shock.  Damn it, not only
was she a gorgeous looking woman.  She was also a smoker and judging by the
way she smoked, not a casual one either.  I had been attracted to her at
first sight, but now I knew she was a smoker, I was totally out of my
depths.  I felt an insurmountable urge to court her, yet I knew she was out
of reach.  For all I knew, she was Charlie's girl and even if she had made
that remark about Charlie being off with another woman, that didn't mean
she would take the slightest interest in me.  She must have noticed my
stare.  'Why do you look so shocked?  I smoke.  So what?  Or is it because
I dare smoke these?' She pointed up with her cigarette or whatever it was.
'I can smoke these any time I want.' I had to clear my throat and try to
suppress my deep emotion.  Women smoking had always intimidated me.  Maybe
that had been the reason for my disastrous love life.  When I saw a woman
smoke, I got aroused in a way no non-smoker no matter how beautiful could
arouse me.  Yet I had avoided smokers.  They intimidated me and I was
afraid to make an ass of me. 'Oh, no, nothing of the sort, I assure you.  I
don't mind it in the least.  It just came as a surprise.  I didn't know you
smoked.' I managed to say with minimum tremor in my voice.  'In fact, I
have always found smoking makes a woman look more glamorous, even sexy.' I
added as an afterthought.  She was so remote, I felt I had nothing to
loose. 'You must be the one exception then.  Nowadays smoking is about the
greatest sin a woman can commit.  Most men I've met, close up I mean, have
complained about my smoking, pestering me to cut down or quit.  Only poor
old Charlie never complained.  He even introduced me to these wonderful Nat
Shermans.  Before my romance with these beauties started, I was a pack a
day girl.  Now all I need is ten of these to keep me going.  Except today!
I've already finished off the pack I had on me, but I need more.' It seemed
to me she liked to exhale while talking as she always took a deep drag
before she started to speak.  I was a bit puzzled of the way she talked
about Charlie.  It didn't sound exactly like they were lovers.  Well, that
didn't really matter. 'Where the heck...  Oh, here it is.  Care to join
me?' while she said that she had again searched Charlie's desk and had
extracted a bottle of Bourbon and too tumblers from it.  'Guess there's no
harm in a little night cap.' 'That's the way I see it too.  I already had a
couple of them, but I could do with more.  I'm so pissed off, I could drown
the whole bottle.' A dark cloud had settled on her face.  'I hope you don't
mind, but I called you in here because I need someone to take care of me in
case I misbehave.  Is there anyone waiting for you?' 'Not a soul.' 'Good. I
counted on that.  By the way, I'm afraid I don't even know your name.  I'm
Evelyn.' She extended her hand.  'I know.  I'm the anonymous piano player,
but you may call me Robert or Rob.' I took her hand and shook it.  She had
a nice grip.  Not the weak boneless affair most women had, but the firm yet
not too strong pressure of a self-assured mature woman. 'Hi Rob.  Well
then, cheers!' She gave me my glass and then gulped down most of the
half-inch she had poured for each of us, went on dragging hard on her
cigarette.  It smelled very nice, spicy and sweetish.  I sipped on my
drink, waiting for her to speak up.  Obviously she needed someone to talk
about whatever was eating at her. 'Did you ever notice there are times when
you want to drown your sorrow in alcohol but no matter how much you drink,
it gets worse?  I mean, look at me.  Ever since lunch I kept drinking but
it feels like drinking water.  Instead of getting drunk I keep getting mad
on that asshole.' Her blurred speech told otherwise.  'I feel so godamn
dirty!  How could I be so stupid!  I don't even love him.' I could see her
eyes watering.  I didn't know what to say so I said nothing.  She went on
smoking voraciously, filling the room with dense smoke while she drank more
Bourbon.  'Tell me, why do men never have enough?  Do they need to prove
their virility every day?  He claimed to have separated from his wife, but
it was a lie!  But that wasn't enough.  He also had another lover beside
me! And a man it was too!' She sobbed for a while. 'I didn't know Charlie's
married' I dared ask, as I assumed it was him she was talking about.  She
gave me a startled look then fell into a bitter laughter. 'Charlie?  Who's
talking about Charlie?  You thought...  Oh, no, he's just a good friend.  I
was mad at him because he left with his new girlfriend when I needed him
most.  My lover's a guy you don't know and you haven't missed anything
either.' She was getting real drunk now, so I decided to put it all to an
end.  I took the bottle away from her and asked her if she wanted me to
take her home.  She just nodded and I helped her up, holding her by the
waist while she clung to my neck.  She handed me her keys and I managed to
get her into her car.  By sheer luck I got to her place without any
incident, as I hadn't driven a car in ages.  I simply couldn't afford one
from what Charlie was paying me.  I stopped the car in the driveway and
with difficulty managed to get her into the house.  In the living room she
slumped on the couch.  Her house was a nice two-story affair so I took me
some time to find out where her bedroom and bathroom were.  I asked her if
there was anything I could bring her.  She asked for more Bourbon, but I
made her some coffee instead.  Finally, after two cups, she had recovered
enough to get upstairs with my assistance.  She even managed to use the
bathroom on her own.  When she came back, all she had on was her bra.  I
had never seen much of her body before, as she had always worn long dresses
that obscured most of her.  She looked ravishingly sexy.  Her tuft was of
the same dark blonde as her hair.  She stopped face to face with me and
said:
'Fuck me!' Just that.  I was petrified.  She took my hand and staggered

to her bed, where she fell on her back. 'Go on, undress.  I want to be
fucked hard right now!' I hesitated.  My cock was already steel-hard, but
wouldn't it be immoral to take advantage of her?  She was stone drunk and
maybe not aware of what she was doing.  Yet, I would probably never again
have the chance to make love to such a gorgeous woman.  She was all I had
ever dreamt of.  So the fight was short and my hormones won over my
conscience.  Within seconds I was on top of her.  While I had undressed she
had started to smoke again.  Much later she would confess to me she had
wanted to play slut, totally unaware of effects of her smoking on me. 
Seeing her smoke while I lay on top of her drove me frantic.  I rammed my
cock into her dry cunt.  She wasn't aroused at all, yet I couldn't stop so
I gave her what she had asked for.  Then something strange happened.  She
took a long drag on her cigarette and out of a sudden I felt her cunt
contracting and turning wet.  She responded to my rhythm and I felt her
pelvis bump against mine.  I noticed that she had clenched the end of her
cigarette between her teeth and I felt her arms around me.  She took long
drags from her cigarette, exhaling thru her nose, while she grew frantic,
just like I was.  In a matter of minutes we launched into a joint orgasm of
shuddering intensity.  When it was all over I collapsed over her, unable to
move, my half limp dick still inside her.  All had happened so fast, she
still had a third of her cigarette to smoke on.  She took another lung
bursting inhale and then turned her head towards mine and searched for my
lips.  I had almost forgotten how a real good French kiss was like.  Now I
made up for all those years of celibacy.  We sucked on each other with
passion and she blew the smoke she still had inside slowly into my mouth.
It tasted incredibly good.  I inhaled it.  The turn on was so big, my cock
stiffened again.  She fumbled for another cigarette and off we went again.
This time she needed two of them till I was ready.  I doubt she enjoyed her
second one very much, as she could hardly hit on it, the way her orgasm
shuddered her.  After it was over once again, I managed to roll to her
side. She still puffed small clouds of smoke out of her nose and mouth,
even thou she had dumped her cigarette.  I nestled into her side, enjoying
the silky touch of her skin.  My hand wondered up and down her marvellous
body.  I could hardly believe it.  Not only had such a god-like creature
dragged me into her bed but she had also turned me into the stallion I had
always wanted to be.  I felt her breath slowing down, an indication that
alcohol and fatigue had won over.  She had fallen asleep.  Reluctantly I
dressed and left.  For a week I saw or heard nothing of her.  I was
disappointed, but ever since Lisa had betrayed me so shamelessly more then
ten years ago, melancholy was my constant companion, so I wasn't worse off
then before.  Maybe some of the regulars of Charlie's bar may have noticed
my music sounded even sadder then before, but nobody gives bar music much
attention.  Then one night Evelyn just appeared near my piano like nothing
had happened.  She sang three songs and disappeared without looking my way.
If anything her voice sounded a bit huskier than before.  I played my
repertoire and then hurried back stage, just in case she might be waiting
for me.  But she wasn't.  For a month or so, she dropped in like before,
without a warning, sang a couple of songs and disappeared again.  I tried a
sort of musical communication, playing only sad songs with lyrics telling
of deserted lovers and broken hearts, but to no end.  It had been another
night without her.  I closed the lid on the piano, while the waiter started
to clean up the now empty tables.  Then I noticed that there was someone at
a far off table.  It was the darkest corner and at first all I saw was a
silhouette.  Then she rose and I saw it was a woman.  By the way she moved
I recognized Evelyn.  She left the bar thru the main door.  What had she
been doing there alone at a table?  Was it the first time or had she been
here more often?  I hadn't usually paid attention to customers, but from
then on I did.  Almost every night she was there.  What was the meaning of
this?  Charlie was away on a vacation with his lover, so it wasn't for his
sake she was there.  After yet another sleepless night, I decided to put it
all to an end.  Probably there would be an explanation that had nothing to
do with me, but I wanted to be sure.  I had to wait two nights till she
turned up again and I noticed her only because I knew what to look for.  I
couldn't wait till my program was over, so I decided to make a little break
in between.  She must have guessed what I was after because as soon as I
headed for her table she rose and wanted to leave.  That was my lucky day
however as her path was blocked by people from another table who had just
risen to leave.  She was trapped, so she fell back on her chair. 'What do
you want?' not a good start, I thought. 'I just called to say I lo...  oh,
darn Freud, I wanted to say hello.' I had tried to make a joke upon a song
she had sometimes performed together with me.  She gave me only half a
smile. 'Don't make fun of me.' 'Oh, I'm sorry.  That was the last thing I
had in mind.  Why would I make fun of you?' 'Oh c'mon, don't play dense,
you know why.' 'No I don't.' she shook her hand in a resigned way as an
answer.  'I really don't know what you mean.  Look, I came here with no
after thoughts.' 'Cut it out!' she really was angry now.  'You don't have
to rub it under my nose.  I know how disgusted you must be of me.  I
behaved like an ordinary slut and I probably deserve all your contempt. 
You don't have to pretend.' For a moment I was speechless.  I might have
expected her to be a little embarrassed, or maybe mad at me because I took
advantage of her.  For all I knew, she might even have lost all memory of
what had happened that night, with all the alcohol.  But ashamed?  She had
gifted a slob like me with the hottest night of his life.  Why on earth
should I scorn her?  While she lit another cigarette, I slowly came to
realize what was going on.  She thought I had left disgusted!  That called
for a rectification.  One of those rare moments of inspiration took hold of
me.  I extended one hand and started to stroke her cheek. 'My dearest
lovely Evelyn.  Don't you know you have given me the best night of my life?
A night I would tell my grandchildren in front of the fireplace, except I
see no perspective to ever have children?  My God, I'm the one who must
kiss your feet for the undeserved honour of once having shared a bed with
you.  Don't you know I love you dearly?' it was her turn to remain
speechless.  Then she simply took hold of my hand and kissed my palm.  It
took her a couple of huge hits on her cigarette to regain her composure. 
She took my arm and made me sit down.  Then she started to talk, with my
hand in hers: 'My God, can it be true?  I was firmly convinced you were so
disgusted by the show I had put up, you never wanted to see me again.  Your
reaction when I turned up a week later to sing seemed to prove it.  You
didn't even speak to me.' 'But I thought it was you who wanted to forget
that nigh!' 'Forget?  How can I forget the best orgasm of my life?  I
wasn't all that drunk.  I remember every detail and above all that you were
the best one ever to share my bed.' 'I don't deserve all that credit.' 'Oh
yes you do.  Don't you see?  I can't think of anything else but you any
more!  I've been here every night, tying to hide, but longing to be near
you, to see you.' I had no answer other than to kiss her.  I felt her
shivering under my touch.  I could hardly believe my luck.  She was
actually in love with me.  When we finally parted, she rose with
determination and said: 'What the hell are we waiting for?  I could listen
to you for hours on end, but there'll be time for that too.  Right now, I
want you so bad; I could rip your close off right now.  We have squandered
a month of the rest of our lives already.  But wait!  We have to settle one
thing!  Promise me you'll never say a word against my smoking.' 'Say a word
against it?  I'd rather cut my better parts off than to object your
smoking.' 'I don't exactly get it.  You say you actually want me to keep
smoking?' 'Err, well, you see it's like this.  It makes you look sexier.'
'Hey, don't tell me you're one of those fetishists?' 'I'm afraid I can't
deny it.' Did I ruin everything now?  Yet I had to tell her.  After all she
smoked during sex, so there was hope.  Her broad smile reassured me.  She
gave me a big hug. 'God, I thought I'd never find someone like you!  And I
believed you were just tolerant!' she hugged me once again and then gave me
the hottest smoky kiss ever.  She pumped so much smoke into me I got dizzy.
'Didn't you notice I smoked during sex that night?  Actually I tried to
play slut, but my own fetish got the better of me.  When I smoke in front
of a man, especially one I care for, I often get wet.  That night it was
the first time I dared to smoke during sex and now I finally know what I've
missed.' She kissed me once again with all the passion she could bring up.
I was overwhelmed.  'God, I don't ever want to let you go again.  Either
you marry me or I'll chain you to my bed post for the rest of your life.' I
returned her kiss for an answer.
   THE END