Groggily, my eyes opened. I momentarily struggled to recognise where I was. The bed was a warm and cosy haven that held me in its embrace. I saw the tangle of discarded clothing laying on the dark grey carpet in a haphazardly logical tableau. The final garment, a minuscule black lace thong, resting in a misshapen dream on top of my navy blue chinos.

I was alone in Heather’s bed and I smiled as images from the previous evening played through my mind. I lifted her thong from the floor and let my hands glory in its softness. I brought it to my nose hoping for a memory of her heady aroma. I wasn’t disappointed. Still impossibly damp, it held the signs of her arousal. I became lost in the memory and closed my eyes to savour it.

“Having fun?” Heather’s voice floated across from the doorway where she stood leaning against the frame clutching to mugs of coffee.

“It’s a structural survey, my dear, now put those mugs down and come back to bed. I need a hug.”

She wore a man’s shirt as she sauntered in and placed the mugs on the nightstand, then jumped into the bed and shivered as she pulled the covers over her and snuggled into me.

I kissed her as she gazed into my eyes.

“What time is it?” I asked.

“Almost ten.”

“What day is it?”

“The day after yesterday.”

“Are you awake long?”

“I needed a shower. Someone got me all steamed up last night and I smelled of sweat and come, male and female.”

“Sounds interesting, tell me more.”

“It wouldn’t be lady like.”

We burst out laughing and I pulled her to me and we lay there for a short, delicious few minutes. The coffee on the nightstand disturbed us so I slid upright and grabbed both mugs, handed one to her and treated myself to a large thirsty draft.

“You have great coffee,” I said, sipping the next drop.

“It’s all in how it’s made.”

“Well, may I offer you my sincere contrafibularites, Goddess of Caffeine.”

“There you go with the words again.”

She snuggled against me. I felt a sense of peace that was alien to me and I kissed the top of her head.

“You smell nice.”

“So do you,” she whispered.

“I need a shower.”

“Not as much as I did. Seriously I was a mess.”

She pulled back the covers and pointed at the sheets.

“Look!”

It was pretty bad.

“You know, you should wash these sheets occasionally,” I said and then had to dodge the playful blow that she aimed at my head.

“I’ll have you know that I changed these yesterday.”

Coffee finished, I pulled her into my arms again.

“You fit there nicely,” I said.

“Mmm.”

“What have you got going on today?”

“Oh, nothing really. I need to do a grocery shop. That’s about it. You?”

“I need to go home and change first.”

“Ok,” she said, sounding a bit deflated.

“Then. I might go grocery shopping. I hate grocery shopping on my own, if only I had someone to accompany me.”

“Oh alright, you can come with me.”

“Deja vu,” I grinned.

“You’re bad.”

“How long does grocery shopping take?”

“It depends. It’s a half hour drive to the Mall, maybe another hour or hour and a half in the shops and a half hour back.”

“Can you not get groceries in town here?”

“Yes, but I’ve to get stuff for Colleen and a few other bits and pieces.”

“Cool. Is it okay if I use your shower real quick,” I asked?

“Of course, but what’s the hurry?” she said, as she reached across and stroked the head of my penis with her thumb.

“Well, now that you mention it, there’s no hurry at all, but you need to lose that shirt first.”

She opened it slowly, her lips smiling brightly and her eyes shining. Her hand teased me to a hard erection as she kissed me deeply.

“It’s awake,” she whispered into my mouth before she disappeared from sight.

The next thing I felt was her hand around my shaft followed by a warm, wet heat enveloping the entire head as she slowly turned me inside out, making my legs perform all kinds of movements as she teased and lapped at my engorged head, all the while manipulating the shaft with her hand. I had no chance. She was an expert.

“I’m gonna come, Heather.”

“Mmmm.”

She seemed to strengthen her grip. She took charge as a sharp tingling sensation ripped through me just before I lost control of all function and released a stream of my seed that took about ten pulses to end.

She held me in her mouth and stroked the head of my penis with her tongue as she brought me back down again and tenderly laid me on her bed. It was wonderful. She was wonderful. I placed my hand on the back of her head as she held me in her mouth until I softened. She licked me clean, sat up, smiled at me and said,

“You can have your shower now, love.”

I pulled her to me and we snuggled together enjoying our nakedness.

“That was off the charts. Thank you,” I said.

“You owed me that. Remember?”

“Yes I do,” I could only laugh.

She kissed me and said, “Go shower. I’ll get dressed.”

When I finished showering, I wrapped a towel around my waist and went to retrieve my clothes from the bedroom floor. They were gone and the room had been put back together. I heard country music coming from the kitchen so I followed the noise and found Heather ironing my clothes.

“You Americans and your weird music,” I said, “what are you doing?”

“Just giving your clothes a quick press,” she smiled. “Your underwear and socks are in the machine, I’ll have them in a jiffy. There’s coffee in the pot if you want it.”

“You’re an angel,” I said and went to get some.

I took it into the living room and fetched my phone to check if I had any messages. There were many along with about ten calls. The most important notice was of a payment to my bank account. I clicked it open. €5,000 bonus and €3,800 salary and expenses from Cadden Architectural. I scratched my head. There was a message marked JC so I opened it. It read,

‘Anthony, I transferred some funds to you. You might not recognise it because it’s a part bonus for your work on getting the North Dublin project over the line. I hope to have further information on our little ‘inconvenience’ presently with a view towards satisfactory resolution and an early return home, Best James.’.

I sat back in the chair and sipped my coffee as I reread the text and put some understanding in place. I was confused and couldn’t decipher the process in my head.

“You’re very quiet in here,” Heather said as she walked in to join me with an armful of freshly ironed clothes.

“Just going through a few texts from home.”

“Bad news?”

“No. Anything but,” I said.

“So why the long face?” she said as she sat beside me and placed her hand on my arm.

“No, I’m not sad, just analysing the words. I just got a 5k bonus and I’m worried in case it should have been 6k. It’s a first world problem but it means that tonight, my wonderful, beautiful Heather, I’d love to take you out to somewhere fancy. What do you think?”

“I’d love it, but where’s fancy?”

“There’s a place I’ve heard of called The Wharf in Madison. I’ve no idea where Madison is but it’s supposed to be special,” I said.

“It is, but you need a reservation and I need a dress.”

“Shit! I don’t have a dress either. We need a reservation first,” I said and flicked through my phone for Jules’ number.

“Hey Jules. The Wharf restaurant, you ever deal with them?”

“Good morning, Tony. Yes I do, why?”

“I’m looking for a table there tonight, do you know anyone I could blag one off?”

“Blag? What is a blag? Is that an Irish thing?”

“I’d hardly know.”

“Give me an hour and I’ll see what I can do.”

Heather was biting her nails.

“Well?”

“She needs an hour to try. No promises though.”

“I’m nervous,” she said and left me to my phone.

It rang about five minutes later. As I lifted it to my ear I noticed Heather had appeared out of nowhere.

“Hi Jules. What can I do you for?”

She started laughing.

“You’re so bad. You have the luck of the Irish. I reserved a table tonight at The Wharf for Barry but he just called for me to cancel the booking. If you use Barry’s name they’ll give you the table. I’ll text you a voucher number that you can use to pay for it on the company account. We all get to use it. If the bill is over $150 you have to pay the balance.”

“Wow. I never knew that. That’s fantastic, Jules, you’re an absolute star.”

“So who’s the lucky lady?”

“You won’t believe this but my sister, the current Miss Ireland, is flying in for a visit so I’m taking her there?”

“You’re right, I don’t believe you. It’s Sam, isn’t it?”

“No, Sam is spoken for. I’m treating Angie and Brady as a thank you for putting up with me. How could I go to The Wharf, I don’t have a car.”

“Good for you. That’s a lovely thought. Let me know what they think,” she said, and we hung up.

“Well?” Heather was dancing in the doorway.

“You, my bewitchingly luminous angel, are going to the ball tonight.”

A text from Jules dinged on my phone. I opened it, read it and handed it to Heather who sat down to read it.

“Ok, come on, get dressed. We need to shop,” she said. and ran away again.

Jules dinged my phone again. It read, ‘Tony. A & B may want to stay over. It’s a long drive. They may want alcohol. There are rooms available. Let me know. They’ll need to book it separately. I’ll send a voucher.’

I replied with a thumbs up.

I changed out of the towel and went to collect my shoes from the bedroom. Heather was pulling stuff from the wardrobe frantically.

“Did you lose something?”

“No I’m looking for something to wear tonight. Should I bring something for the car and change at the restaurant?”

I went to her and put my arms around her. “How’s this? Why don’t we spend the night there? You can bring an overnight bag and have nothing to worry about,” I said.

She was confused. She tried to say something but her voice wouldn’t work.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Pack a bag for an overnight stay. We’ll get you a dress this morning while we’re at the shops. My treat.”

“No, Tony. That’s not fair.”

“The restaurant is comped to a limit and Jules is sending a room confirmation so that’s comped too. Just trust the process and allow me to return the gift you’ve given me this week. You have no idea what it means to me. Please.”

She kissed me her agreement and then went into shopping mode.

“Ok. Let’s go,” she said and off we went.

We drove to Henry Street so I could collect a bag and some things. When we pulled up outside, Angie was cleaning windows so I mentioned to Heather that it’d be a good idea to come in and say hello. Angie opened the door for us, even though I had a key. She fixated on Heather, taking everything in.

“Angie, this is Heather. Heather, Angie,” I said.

Brady came running. “Hey, Heather,” he took her hand and led her inside, “come in, come in.”

Angie was a hugger so Heather got hugged. “I love your hair,” she said.

Heather sat with her while I went to collect some stuff. I was no more than five minutes. When I returned the two of them were like long lost friends as they chatted. I put my bag inside the hall door and went to grab my phone charger from the kitchen where it was plugged in. Brady was in there fixing a hinge on a cupboard door.

“I knew you and Heather had a thing.”

“We didn’t really. We were both at a loose end this weekend so we thought we’d do some stuff together. She’s great fun.”

“You’re going to Madison today?”

“Yes. I’m taking her to a restaurant up there. It’s somewhat of a busman’s holiday for her.”

“A what?”

“Sorry. A busman’s holiday is when a bus driver takes a bus trip while in holidays. Heather works in food service so join the dots.”

“Aah, I see. That’s a very good one,” he said. “Is it a fancy place?”

“They probably don’t cover everything with cheese if that’s fancy.”

“Her car is an old one. Do you want to take the Mustang? It needs a run out.”

“I’ll ask her.”

I went in to them and stood there like a chastised child.

“What’s wrong, honey,” Angie said, as Heather stifled a laugh. Bitches.

“Brad sent me in to ask Heather if we wanted to take his fancy car to a fancy restaurant. You’re all loving this aren’t you?”

“Oh no, dear. We’re here to help, aren’t we, sweetheart,” she said to Heather.

Heather stood up, came over to me and took my hand.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea. You guys are so thoughtful,” she said, and she kissed me on the lips.

“I’ll get you for this,” I whispered and left them to it.

There was uproarious laughter from them when I returned to the kitchen.

We left Heather’s car outside and took the Mustang with us. Heather gave directions and I followed them. I had no clue about where I was. Several times she threatened to swap places when I accidentally tried to drive on the left hand side but, overall, I managed it quite well. I did, however, promise to let her drive to Madison.

We reached the Mall a little before noon and she went straight to a women’s clothing store holding a 75% off sale. She tried a few dresses which didn’t do anything for her while I just cheered her on. She picked up this striped thing that I knew had no chance and went to try it on. As I leaned on the rail I noticed she was shopping from the $50 - $100 rail.

The next rail over had more expensive stuff, as I scanned it I noticed something on the rail beyond that. It was a black dress that could take her anywhere. Scooped neck but not too scooped, low back but not too low, thin straps but not too thin and it was soft and light and I thought she’d look fabulous in it. The tag said $250.

“She’d never go for that,” I thought and called one of the assistants over. Her name tag said Carrie.

“Hi, Carrie, Can you do me a favour please?” I said with my best smile, “I’m here with a girl who’s trying on a few things,” I said, “but nothing seems to suit her.”

“I’m afraid this is the only stock we have during the sale,” she said.

“Don’t be afraid,” I said, “nothing’s worth that. I think she’s looking more at the price than at anything else. Would you show her this one and intimate that it’s only $100? I’d like her to have it guilt free. We’ll be using my card to pay for it so she’ll never know.”

She clapped her hands together silently.

“I”d love to. Of course we can.”

“One more thing,” I said, “I noticed that she was trying to find other stuff in her closet today but was a little irritated. Can you tell her that this dress includes a voucher for shoes and lingerie too.”

“But it doesn’t.”

“I know but, again, just add it to the bill and put it on my card.”

“What’s the most you want to spend?”

“I don’t mind really, what would you think she’d need for a special occasion?”

“At these prices you’d get a lot for $400.”

“Ok, that’s good. Put the limit at $500 and see how you go. You can dress it up whatever way you wish, as long as she doesn’t realise.”

“Can I ask where you’re from?”

“Ireland.”

“I thought so, I love your accent.”

“Thanks.”

Heather was walking towards us looking a bit dejected and carrying the striped thing as though it was radioactive. Carrie ripped the tag from the dress and handed it to me.

“Tell her that you found this and then call me over to ask the price,” she said, “I’ll take it from there.”

“Thank you, Carrie, you’re an absolute star,” I said and walked over to Heather.

“No joy?” I asked.

“No,” she looked disheartened.

“What about this one?” I asked and held the dress up.

“How much is it? There’s no tag on it.”

“I don’t know, it was on this rail here so I assume it’s in that price range.”

“It couldn’t be.”

“Hang on. I’ll get a girl who might know.”

Carrie walked by and smiled at us.

“Excuse me please?” I called to her and made a show of looking at her name tag. “Can you help us please, Carrie?”

“Sure. What do you need?”

“I found this dress on this rail here, but there’s no price tag on it. Can you find out for us?”

“Of course, let me scan it over here,” Carrie said, and went to the sales counter.

“It’s scanning at $150, but as you found it on this rack we have to honour the price so it’ll be $80.”

“Can I try it on?” Heather asked nervously.

“Yes of course,” Carrie said and led her to the fitting room.

Heather came out with a smile on her face. The dress was perfect and she looked radiant. She said something to Carrie and they hugged like old friends.

“What do you think?” she asked me.

“It’s perfect. You’ll be the belle of the ball,” I said.

“See? You’ll never hear an American guy say that,” Heather said to Carrie.

“Yes, and that accent can say anything it wants to me,” Carrie said waving her hand like a fan across her face.

“Ok ladies, can we calm it down a bit?” I said, “are you happy with this one, Heather?”

“Yes. I love it.”

“Excellent,” I handed my card to Carrie.

“This dress was originally nearly $1000. It included a voucher for lingerie and shoes as well as some fragrance samples. It hasn’t been cancelled according to the scanner so I can help you find stuff. The offer is valid on the day of the purchase only,” Carrie said.

I believed every word she said myself.

“What do you think?” Heather asked me.

“I think I’m going to sit in that chair by the stairs until you’re finished shopping,” I said, “have fun.”

She kissed me and waved as she walked away with Carrie. She wasn’t gone terribly long and they returned with an armload of stuff including a couple of pairs of shoes. Carrie ran my card through and gave me the receipt. She was as good as her word and gave Heather the staff discount without exceeding her $400 estimate. Heather wouldn’t let me see anything except the dress and shoes so I picked them up. As we left, Carrie rushed up behind us and placed a brown box in Heather’s hands.

“Your fragrance samples, Heather,” she said, “I nearly forgot them. Have a wonderful time in Madison. I’m so jealous.”

“Well that was different,” Heather said as we left the store. “She lies like a rug.”

“Can I carry those bags?” I said inscrutably.

“No you can’t. You’ll see it when you see it. Thank you, Tony.”

I looked at her and shared the emotion, she was beautiful. I kissed her then.

“Thank you, love. I mean that.”

With shopping completed we returned to her apartment. She wanted to change before leaving and I caught up on texts as I waited for her. It was mostly from home except one from Jules, one from Maria, and another from Sam. I decided to ignore all except Jules and reply to most of the others.

Jules’ text read, ‘re The Wharf. Call me’

I hit her number, she answered in a flash.

“Hi Tony,” she sounded manic, “just a heads up. Barry was taking Maria to The Wharf but forgot about a family event. Maria called me to use the booking for herself and an unnamed other. I told her the booking was cancelled by Barry. I rebooked it under your name, so tell Angela and Brady please.”

“Thanks, Jules. You’re an absolute star. I’ll see you right when I get my glasses fixed.”

“You’re welcome, Tony. Enjoy.”

Curious, I opened Maria’s text, it read, ‘thinking we should regroup. I’ve a nice idea. Hit me back when you get this. No emojis were harmed in this text - smiley face lol’.

I closed the phone as Heather walked in.

“How do I look?” she asked, and did a twirl.

She looked fantastic in tight blue jeans, a white sheer blouse and shoes from the afternoon shopping. She had brushed her hair out and had a light brown leather effect jacket resting on her shoulders.

“Jesus. I’m frightened. You’re amazing.”

She was dragging a carry on bag so I picked it up and carried it to the car. She drove while I played with the radio and we reached Madison at 4:05 exactly.

After checking in to the hotel, we were escorted to our room on the third floor overlooking the beach. Heather was curiously quiet on the journey to the room from reception. She may simply have been a bit circumspect in the presence of the bellhop. My fear was that she’d be overwhelmed. I prayed that wasn’t the case.

Our room was quite nice. It had a large bed to get lost in, comfortable chairs to relax in, a large well appointed modern bathroom and a sea view to die for. She came and stood beside me as I took in the view.

“Happy?” I asked her.

“Beyond happy,” she said and reached up to kiss me.

“What do you wanna do first?”

“Hang up my new frock and store my things away.”

“Happy hanging,” I said, “fancy a drink or something?”

“Not just yet. Let me get settled in, I’m all yours then.”

I took my phone out and saw a few messages on it, three from Maria and another from Sam. I opened Sam’s first, it read, ‘were you at my apartment last night? Were you looking 4 me?’

The most recent read, ‘pls don’t ignore me. I don’t mind if you were looking 4 me.’

I replied that everything was good and that it wasn’t me at her apartment.

Maria’s were next. They were, basically, three texts chronicling the breakdown of a crazy person. I deleted her texts and blocked her number.

Heather sat beside me. It made me smile. She was excited and I enjoyed her excitement. I was a little excited too. She pulled me to my feet.

“Let’s explore,” she said. So we did.

She thought it wise to locate the restaurant so that we wouldn’t be late for dinner, then she wanted to see the gift shop and the hotel lounge and coffee shop where we had a coffee and shared a pastry.

We went for a walk on the beach before we lost the light to dusk. The beach was ours alone and we turned back when the cold Atlantic breeze bit into our skin. Back in our room we lay on the bed. We chatted and snuggled as we perused the restaurant menu.

“I love this place.”

“I do too. It was a great idea to come.”

“I think I might take a shower. It looks great.”

“I might take one too,” I said.

“Me first,” she said as she jumped off the bed. “Do you want company?”

“No, I’ll be wearing a shower cap so my hair doesn’t get wet and you’re not seeing me like that.”

I laughed and waved her away. She was gone for close to an hour. This was bringing the child out in her and I didn’t begrudge her an iota of it. Fifteen minutes, or so later, she emerged wrapped in a fluffy white robe and sat on the bed beside me. She quietly began work on her nails. She held up two bottles and asked me to choose. I chose red.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes, I think it’ll go with the dress.”

I dozed off beside her. After what felt like ten seconds later, she shook me awake.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“If you’re gonna shower you need to do it now. Dinner’s in thirty minutes.”

I jumped in the shower and woke up. When I came out she was still sitting in her robe and drying her nails.

“All done?” she asked.

“Yes, I just need to dress and run a razor over my face. Five minutes tops,”

“I’m nearly ready too,” she said and blew on a nail.

I dressed quickly. It was just a white shirt and black pants, so it took no time at all. I ran the electric razor across my face to remove some minor stubble that annoyed me. I came out and Heather was waiting outside the door, her new dress in hand. She ran past me with a scream and locked the door.

I put on real shoes and used the electric polisher to buff them up. I tied a black tie around my neck, picked my jacket off of the hanger in the closet and slipped it on. I was ready. Three minutes. I sat down and laughed. Shortly after, the world as I knew it fell apart.

Heather arrived in the room and it was as if she had sucked all of the oxygen out of it. She was a vision. I could see every minute of her preparations as she stood before me. Her hair, her eyes, her lips in a colour that matched her finger and toe nails. Her legs arcing softly as they rose out her new shoes and the dress. The dress that she loved, that I loved too.

It hung on her frame like a glove, tapering where it should taper and hanging just as it should hang. The neckline was both demure and revealing yet evocative. A secret only to be shared by a lover or a kindred spirit. The addition of the shoulder supports added a touch of extra elegance to her royal profile, harking back as it did to Nefertiti’s silhouette.

She could tell by my silence that I was almost overcome. There was no need for reassurance because she sensed that I did not have the words. No one could have, because they didn’t exist.

“Can I ask a favour?” she whispered.

“Anything, my beautiful angel.”

“Can you come over here and zip me up with your eyes closed, please?”

“Of course. But why with my eyes closed?”

“I don’t want you to see what’s under the dress until later.”

I took her hand and squeezed it. I couldn’t speak. I closed my eyes, found the zip with my fingers and eased it upwards.

“I want you to unzip me later, my love. Now how do I look?”

While I was waiting at the store that afternoon I wandered over to a jewellery counter and found a lovely silver chain that held a silver leaf curled around a small pearl. It wasn’t expensive but I thought it was quite appropriate.

“You are stunning, Heather, but there is one thing missing,” I said.

“What?” her eyes narrowed in concern.

“Close your eyes.”

I walked over to her and held my closed hand in front of her face and told her to open her eyes. As she did so I let the leaf wrapped pearl fall from my hand to settle safely on the delicate silver chain.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Oh my God. Where did you get this? It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Can I wear it tonight?”

“Let me put it on for you,” I said as I placed it around her neck and secured it behind. “You can wear it any time you wish.”

“Oh Tony. This is too much. It’s perfect. I can never thank you enough.”

I offered her my arm and she took it with both hands.

“Your public awaits,” I said.

“Those bastards can wait.”

And we started the evening with a laugh, just as it should be.

We were seated by a Maitre D who placed us near a window with a sea view. I moved the chairs so that Heather was at 12 o’clock at the round table and I was at 9 o’clock. It was a really nice room. Rich with deep pile carpeting which softened the acoustics, understated lighting casting atmospheric shadows, the gentle murmur of conversation, the clinking of glass and the sounds of cutlery on china.

“That waiter wasn’t a fan of mine,” I said.

“That’s because he’s not a waiter, he’s the Maitre D.”

“Maybe we should come back when Maitre A or B is on.”

“Kiss me.”

“I wasn’t allowed a kiss in the lift coming down. It’s allowed now?”

“It is,” she said, and pulled me to her. “You look handsome dressed up with a tie and all.”

“I wear ties most days but I take your point. You lead and I follow.”

A waitress arrived at the table carrying menus. She handed one to me but I pointed to Heather before I received mine. She waved a wine list and asked if we’d like to order drinks. Heather asked for time to go through it and the waitress left us alone.

“Can I get a glass of wine, Tony?”

“You can get a bottle if you prefer, we don’t have to drive home.”

“I’d rather a glass. I want to be sober tonight,” she fluttered her eyelashes.

“Good plan. I’ll get a bottle of water for us too.”

She called the waitress and ordered a glass of

Chardonnay. I ordered a bottle of water.

“Still?” she asked.

“Yes, I haven’t changed my mind.”

“No, no I meant still water. In the bottle.”

“Oh, I apologise. I’m a tourist.”

She went to get the drinks and left us to our menus.

“You’re so bad,” Heather said.

“It’s a bit of fun to break the ice,” I said, “what are you feeling food wise?”

“They have oysters,” she said. “I’ll get a half dozen.”

“Let’s get a dozen and share them.”

“Ooh, I love how you think.”

She kissed me again, with a hint of her tongue this time.

“I love your lips.”

“They belong to you tonight,” she said.

I kissed her this time, with more than a little tongue. She squirmed in her seat.

“This waitress will be back soon, what do you fancy to follow the oysters?”

“I like the look of the Shrimp Cocktail. You?”

“The naan bread all day.”

“I’ve never had that, it looks delicious.”

“We can share one. That cocktail sauce they use over here isn’t the best, ours is better.”

“Great. This is perfect, what next?”

“I’m not into soup or salad tonight, but the halibut looks good to me.”

“Interesting, I thought you’d be more of a steak man.”

“I am, mostly, but I like halibut and it’s a long time since I’ve had it. You?”

“I’ve never had lobster, I’d love to try it.”

“Excellent. That was easy.”

“The lobster might be expensive.”

“So?”

When the waitress came back, we ordered the food, the only change was, we got half the amount of oysters. A waiter arrived immediately with our drinks. He insisted on pouring my water for me. Heather lifted her glass and touched it to mine, “To us,” she said, as we kissed behind the glasses.

It was a magical evening of sharing courses, trying new dishes, joking with the waitress and it ended with us sharing a dessert served on a roof slate that was delicious. I got the check and we ordered coffee and petit fours to be served in the lounge. She took my arm as we left the restaurant.

“These shoes are killing me,” she whispered as we found a quiet seating area.

“Take them off,” I whispered back.

She sat facing me and I moved my seat to allow her place a foot on my thighs to unclasp her shoes. Her feet were a little tender so I massaged them slowly as she sat back and closed her eyes. The coffee arrived and Heather jolted upright. The waitress smiled in understanding.

“I love buying new shoes, but I hate breaking them in,” she whispered to us.

“I hear you,” Heather said, “I surrendered and took them off.”

“They’ll be fine next time. Do what everyone does, leave them off. The carpets are good.”

“I will,” Heather said and to me, “what are you laughing at?”

Both her and the waitress stared at me.

“Im not laughing, mo chroí,…” she stopped me in my tracks.

“Here we go,” she said to the waitress, “he resorts to Irish charm when he gets in a tight spot.”

“Oh yes, I thought he was Irish. Such a beautiful accent. What did you say?”

“Mo chroí?”

“Yes,” they both said laughingly together.

For effect, I took Heather’s foot and squeezed it gently.

“My heart,” I said, and smiled.

“Oh my God,” Heather said, almost swooning.

“I’m going home to teach a few things to my husband,” the waitress laughed. “When you’re finished with him, send him to my room.”

We all laughed together. It was fun.

“Does it really mean that?” Heather asked when we were alone again.

“What?”

“My heart.”

“Yes.”

“Can we go upstairs?”

“What about the coffee?”

“Leave it there. I don’t need that right now.”

I carried her shoes to the elevator and she pinned me to the wall with a kiss that curled my toes.

As we walked to our room she pulled my arm around her and held it there while I mimicked failure to get the keycard in the slot. when it unlocked she kissed me again and said,

“I’ll be a minute, I need to freshen up. Don’t do anything,” and disappeared into the bathroom.

I decided to check my phone. Three texts from Sam and one from Jules. I opened Jules’ text, it read, ‘hope you’re having fun. CU Monday’

Sam’s texts read, ‘np’, ‘smiley emoji’, and ‘10am Hartford meeting?’

I put my phone in to charge as Heather rejoined me in the room. She smiled at me and came to kiss me.

“Thank you for a beautiful weekend, you’ve no idea how much I needed this.”

I hugged her close as I inhaled her scent.

“Unzip me please,” she whispered in my ear.

My throat was unusually dry as I turned her around. She wanted to surprise me, I knew that much, and she was obviously nervous. I lifted her hair from her neck and shoulders and kissed her at the junction of the two. I felt minute tremors in my hands as I reached for the zipper pull and slowly slid it downwards. As it reached the end of the run the back of the dress fell away to each side and I could only see the smooth skin of her back.

She turned around and smiled as she eased the top of the dress away from her body. I wanted to hold her and love her but she shook her head. She slowly dropped the dress away to land softly on the floor to reveal two black lace pasties protecting her nipples. I was fixated on them and only fleetingly noticed the presence of a black lace C-string thong protecting her modesty at her vagina.

I held her hands out wide and took a step back to experience the entire effect. I had never seen this before and I was completely speechless.

“I put them on when we came back to the room” she answered my unspoken question.

“It’s my turn now,” she whispered. “I want to make this a thing to remember. I want to blow your mind, my beautiful man.”

She reached up and loosened my tie, slapping my eager hands away. She opened my shirt methodically and peeled it from my body. She undid my suit pants and pulled them to my feet along with the boxers beneath.

I was so turned on that my erection was actually shaking which stopped when she took it in her hand. She looked into my eyes with a longing that belonged in the eyes of a woman of complexity and compassion. Eyes that shone with love, desire, pride and passion. Eyes that revealed her soul, her depth, her strength and her humour. This beautiful, desirable, sexy woman was standing before me wearing, basically, nothing and all I could do was immerse myself in her all seeing big brown eyes.

She knelt and took me between her fabulous lips. As it slipped past them I felt her tongue wrap itself around the very tip. She was slow and methodical as she concentrated on the head in and out of her mouth, her lips constantly in contact with it. I watched her wordlessly, our eyes looking straight into each other's, connecting somewhere we couldn’t pinpoint but hearing the breathing and aware of the moment.

She was bringing me to orgasm and there was a free flow of preliminary fluid from the meatus which she busily swallowed. I lifted her from her knees and embraced her tightly. I couldn’t take my eyes from her happy face. We kissed deeply and she took me away again. I had lost control and was completely at her mercy. My hands travelled her entire unobstructed body, bringing my conscious into balance. I lifted her in my arms and placed her gently on the bed.

Her nipples were so aroused that they had displaced the petals of the rose shaped pasties. I removed them easily with my teeth and took each nipple in my mouth alternately using my lips, tongue and teeth while simultaneously stroking the softness of her stomach. She squirmed at my touch and her legs were as though she was riding an invisible bike. My hand gently stroked her inner thigh, squeezing the muscle intermittently, travelling close to her vulva and retreating to begin the process again.

"Please,” she groaned as it retreated again. I moved lower and kissed between her damp thighs. The C-String thong was a wonder of engineering. It was of black, see through lace with black lace flowers for decoration and it was held in place by a thin support that bent under her vagina, across her perineum and anus then about halfway along the cleft of her backside. I let my finger follow this from one end to the other causing her to moan incessantly. It was a new experience for me. I turned her on her side and let my tongue experience the same journey, this sent her into a paroxysm of ecstasy. I knew she was close by her breathing.

I slipped the ‘cup’ of it forward. It was soaking wet as was her mons behind it. I slid it off carefully, spread her knees apart and dried her entire vulva and labia off with my tongue. She took off like a rocket and her body contorted wildly but I held on and lapped at her, using my tongue and lips to bring her higher and higher before inserting my tongue inside her while simultaneously stimulating her clitoris which was hugely distended. She exploded in a storm of screams and involuntary movements, flooding my face with a river of her savoury fluid.

She curled up in a ball and squeezed my hand as she returned to earth. It took a long time but she eventually rolled on her back and emitted a huge sigh.

“What was that?”

“It was all you,” I said and I kissed her.

“You smell nice. I can’t place it but it’s familiar.”

“Eau de Heather.”

“That was intense,” she said, “we’re good together”

She curled up in my arms then stretched out as she reached her arms around my neck. She kissed me with one of her trademark kisses.

“I want you inside me, Tony.”

I pulled her on top of me and she was so wet that I slipped halfway inside her. She straightened up and slowly took me in completely. Her head leaned backwards and I heard her moan again.

“Jesus,” she said. “I’m still tingling.”

“Come lie on my chest for a while, love.”

“Mmm, yes this is it. You’re so wise. Just one of the things I love about you.”

I let my hands feast on her skin as she lay on my chest. I was still inside her, luxuriating in the soft tightness of her vagina as it held me inside.

She was quiet, her breathing was deep and slow.

“Can we sleep like this?”

“We can try. Are you sleepy?”

“Yes. This was a huge day. All thanks to you.”

“It takes two, love.”

“Did I do good?”

“You were perfect. You are perfect.

“Stay inside me, please. I want you to come inside me tonight. You have to come in me tonight of all nights.”

I knew we had to try, I wasn’t very far away as it was such an erotic experience so I rolled her over and slowly made love to her.

“Thank you. I need you.”

She held on to me as I began to feel a familiar sensation deep in my scrotum. She kept driving me on and I felt her heart beating a rapid beat as her breath became heavier. She squeezed me tightly as the movement of her hips speeded up beneath me. I joined her in matching her tempo and I reached my point of no return mere seconds after her. It was huge and wet and warm. We stayed attached as long as we could but sleep took us over as we drifted off contentedly.

I woke to a wet and cloudy morning. I was alone in the bed. I called down to room service for a pot of coffee and surveyed the evidence from the previous night. I smiled as I recalled it. I picked one of Heather’s nipple pasties from the floor and examined it. I checked around for the other one and found it under the bed alongside her C-String.

A knock at the door signalled the coffee delivery and I took the tray in, brought it to a side table and poured two cups. I knocked on the bathroom door to alert her.

“Coffee’s here, love,” I said to the door and grabbed a cup and sat on the bed to drink it.

Thinking she hadn’t heard me, I picked the cup and saucer up and opened the bathroom door. It was unoccupied. I ran back into the room. Her bag was gone. I checked the closets. Empty. All that remained of her was a pair of nipple pasties, a lace C-String and an Irish idiot. No note. Nothing.

I tried to figure it out, but there was nothing. My head was empty. I needed to calm down and strategise. I had to get back to base principles.

First thing was a quick shower to wake up, then more coffee. I dressed quickly and threw my stuff into my bag. The phone beside the bed rang, I snatched it from the cradle.

“Hi,” Heather said.

“Hi. Wanna tell me what’s going on?”

“I can’t do this, Tony,” she said, her voice wavering.

“Ok. If you can’t, you can’t.”

“That was easy,” she laughed.

“Where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. My friend collected me this morning.”

“Ok. Thanks for letting me know,” I said, “make sure your car is gone from outside the house before I get home.”

“Tony, I ….”

“Save it,” I said, and hung the phone up.

At least I didn’t need to rush. I decided to have breakfast. I sat alone in an empty dining room. It was an impressive spread of food, but I couldn’t taste anything. I inhaled a pot of coffee and annoyed myself with the reasons why but when I studied it closely, she was no different to any of the women I had dallied with in the past. I blamed myself but that’s the way of love sometimes, as somebody famous once said. After all, it was only a couple of days out of my life.

At checkout time I threw my bag onto the back seat of the Mustang and took to the road for home. The sky had cleared somewhat and the rain had stopped. Checking my watch, I estimated an arrival time of noon or shortly after.

By the time I reached Stamford I was pretty much myself again. Her car was gone when I got back and now I needed to find a new place for lunch. I was an idiot. Brady came out to inspect his car for damage.

“Thanks, Brady. I filled it up for you. If you get it valeted, just let me know, it’s on me.”

“Thanks, Tony. I prefer to do my own detailing but I appreciate the offer.”

I dropped my bag off in my room and took my phone downstairs. Angie was in the kitchen and she had a pot of coffee on.

“You’re an absolute lifesaver, Angie,” I said and grabbed a cup.

“Well?”

“What?” I tried not to laugh.

“I know. I’m a nosey cow.”

We both started laughing and couldn’t stop.

“It was a lovely place, Angie.”

“Heather collected her car over an hour ago.”

“Good, she got back safe.”

“She was crying. She left you a letter.”

“Yes. She called me.”

“Oh good. I’ll leave the letter in your room.”

“Thanks.”