Once they got to the airport, there was a bit of confusion over the
seating. The rest of the party was spread throughout the plane, but
Suzy and Quentin were seated together in first class thanks to Bruce
and Candy insisting they take the seats together, ostensibly so they
could work on the way home.
Suzanna gave Candy a grateful smile, and decided to be selfish for
once
and accept.
They sat silently side by side watching their plane surge into the
sky.
It seemed to go beyond words, their sadness at leaving. They simply
held hands and dozed off and on all the way to New York. Suzy was
reluctant to speak for fear of breaking the spell, and prayed with
all
her heart that what they had shared the night before would be the
start
of something special between them, not fizzle out into an
anti-climax.
When the plane landed at one o'clock, they decided on an ordinary
yellow cab rather than limousine service. They offered to share, but
everyone seemed to be paired up and going to the other boroughs, so
they said goodbye to Candy, Helene, and the working crew, and
promised
to get together for a bash during the holidays when the campaign was
over.
With kisses and hugs all around, they said goodnight, and got into
their cab bound for Manhattan, and headed for Suzanna's apartment.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"Suzy," Quentin said suddenly, when they were settled in the cab.
"Is
there any reason why you have to go home tonight?"
She stared at him. "No, not really. No one expects me. Why?"
"Because I'd like to take you home with me. I want to see you in my
home. I want to undress you in my bedroom. I want to make love to
you
in my bed. My life has been so empty without someone special in it,
and
I don't want to live that way any more."
She tossed her head pertly. "You can't mean that. I understand you
have
more female friends than pandas have bamboo."
He chuckled at the comparison. "I'll admit there have been a fair
few,
but I meant it when I told you I'd never brought them home. I've
gone
to their apartments or to hotels. Somehow I always knew there'd be
someone special. I wanted to be able to bring her to a clean bed
with
no memories of other sexual encounters."
"I'm glad I won't be haunted by ghosts of former loves. Where do you
live? I've often tried to picture you some place outside office
hours,
and once I even looked up your phone number, but didn't notice the
address."
"I have an apartment on Riverside Drive overlooking the Hudson, just
south of the George Washington Bridge."
"That sounds beautiful, but you have a long trip every day."
"Yes. It means I have to get up early. Most times I take the bus,
but
when I'm running late I rely on cabs."
She nodded. "I would love to come see your home."
Quentin gave the cab driver the new address, and then sat back with
a
sigh.
They nestled closely together, and occasionally he brought her hand
up
to his lips and kissed each finger. They were enchanted with one
another, there was no other way to describe the sense of wonder
every
time they touched. It all felt so perfect, she was in heaven, and
couldn't wait to get him home.
The ride seemed to take forever, but at last they pulled up in front
of
his building. The driver placed their luggage on the curb, and
Quentin
paid him. Wheeling their cases, the lovers started eagerly for the
door.
There was a quiet elegance about the building. It was obviously old
but
clean, and had been remodeled recently, she could see.
They took the elevator to the fifth floor, where Quentin opened his
door and showed her into his apartment.
It was spacious and masculine, with deep leather chairs and a sofa
in
burgundy, floor to ceiling bookshelves, some good prints on the
paneled
walls and one solid wall with a huge projection TV and a bank of
VCRs
and DVD players, as well as a state of the art sound system.
There was also a beautiful little organ.
She pointed accusingly. "You've been holding out on me! You play
too."
"But not nearly as well as you."
The carpeting was deep shag in a light brown, and seemed to stretch
for
miles in the spacious apartment.
Quentin was done with the tour, and led her directly to his bedroom.
A
king-size bed in dark oak dominated the room. The dresser and
wardrobe
were equally impressive. The drapes and spread were rust-colored
damask.
"I'll show you the rest of the place in the morning," he said as
with a
smile of anticipation he took her coat and hung it next to his in
the
walk-in closet.
Suzanna had slipped out of her shoes and was opening her overnight
bag
when his arms came around her slender waist.
"You won't need anything out of that tonight," he told her gently as
he
turned her toward him and started to undress her.
"What, not even a toothbrush?"
"I took the liberty of buying a couple of spares just in case you
did
me the honor of coming to stay some time."
"It's you doing me the honor, darling. Thank you."
As he unzipped her dress, she unbuttoned his shirt. He slipped the
dress from her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. She pulled
his
shirt from his trousers and buried her face in the soft black curls
on
his chest while she tugged down his zipper.
Quentin began inching her slip up over her hips and inserting his
hands
into her panties. In one motion he had them down around her knees.
Suzy co-operated by stepping back from him so that he could remove
them
all the way. In the meantime, she had eased him out of his black
boxer
briefs and removed his shirt. He lifted her slip over her head, and
at
last they were free and unencumbered.
He saw her as though for the first time. "You are perfect."
"So are you. Seeing you like that arouses some primal instinct in
me. I
can't believe that all these years I was terrified by a part of a
man's
body that I now love because it's part of your body."
Her breasts filled his hands as he pressed her gently back onto the
bed. One arm circled her neck as he drew her mouth to his in a kiss
that seemed to join their souls. He let his other hand travel down
her
body to the spot of her greatest sensitivity and stroked it to
frenzy.
Suzanna had followed suit and her hands soon brought him to a state
of
excitement matching her own. Everything had seemed to come so
naturally, but she wanted to learn too.
"Tell me if what I'm doing is right, my darling. I want to learn all
there is to know about making love. So far, I've just tried to do
what
you do. If there's anything else I should know to please you, will
you
teach me?"
"My sweet, innocent love, you seem to have an instinct for doing the
right thing. But do you really want me?"
"I do want you, more than I ever thought possible. Come into me now,
please," she gasped.
She guided him unerringly to the exact spot, and with one stroke, he
was deep inside her. Once more they rose to the heights, mouth to
mouth, breast to breast.
Suzanna opened her thighs wide and wrapped her legs around him,
working
with him toward a mutual climax once more. So far, it had happened
every time. They were completely compatible in every way, she
decided
somewhere in the back of her love-befuddled mind.
When they were spent, weary and drenched with perspiration, he
brushed
her hair away from her face and said, "I suppose most new lovers say
this, but there's never been a lover like you. You're fantastic. You
almost make me wish I had more experience."
She giggled. "Since you're my one and only, I have no method of
comparison. But I know that no one in the world could complete me as
you do."
"Complete? I'm glad. I felt so, well out of control, that I thought
I
was going to tear you apart."
She looked around the bed. "It does rather look like a hurricane has
been through here, doesn't it?"
Quentin grinned and pulled her to him for a long kiss. The storm
grew
once more, and they took another trip to paradise.
Floating back down to earth at last, they whispered loving
endearments
to one another as they remained coupled lying on their sides until
sleep finally claimed them.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It was daylight when they awoke, and smiled happily at one another.
"Get up and let me look at you, love," Quentin requested.
Suzanna wasn't quite used to having him examine her in broad
daylight,
but she complied, shyly at first, then more daringly as he asked her
to
turn this way and that, reveling in the tilt of her breasts, the
flat
abdomen, her beautifully molded hips and buttocks.
"I still can't believe it," said Quentin."How could I not have known
what you were hiding under those tents you wore?"
"I was pretty careful. But I knew what you were hiding from me first
time you kissed me. Not only that, I had this terrible urge to unzip
you to confirm my observations. Do I sound shameless?"
He laughed heartily. "You most certainly do. I love it."
She moved beside him on the bed once more. She slid her hand between
his thighs and rubbed the two globes that hardened to her touch. She
watched as he swelled with desire once more. He searched for and
found
her zone of pleasure and soon they were ready to ascend the heights
yet
again.
He rolled on top of her as he placed warm kisses all over her face
and
neck. Opening his mouth on hers, they indulged in a twining of
tongues.
He slipped easily into her, then slowly withdrew partly only to
re-enter, teasingly, then faster and faster as she rose to meet him,
experiencing the rising tide of emotion At last, with a burst of
uncontrollable passion, they reached climax together in an
earthshaking
paroxysm of sheer delight. Their mouths were pressed together, but
not
enough to suppress their mutual outcry.
They rested briefly in each other's arms, then, pleasantly relaxed
from
their love-play, they showered together, dried one another, put on
robes, and went to the kitchen to get breakfast.
"Do you want to do the cooking, or shall I?" asked Quentin.
"I'll do it if you show me where everything is," answered Suzy,
Quentin started to mix the orange juice while Suzanna put on the
bacon.
They collaborated on a breakfast designed to restore their flagging
strength. There was much affection plus a lot of horseplay both in
preparation and clean-up. She was sure she had never been so happy.
The
joy of loving and being loved was all she had hoped for, and more.
Finally, Quentin looked at the clock and groaned as he realized
they'd
have to get a move on to arrive at the office by noon. No one would
expect them much before that because the plane had gotten in so
late,
but it would cause comment if they both didn't turn up at all.
"If we hurry, maybe we can drop my things off at my apartment. I
need a
change of clothes, and all the stuff in my cases is only for
summer."
"Fine. And while we're there, you can pack a few things. Then we can
spend the next couple of days here, if that's okay with you. The
film
we took will be showing starting the first of the month, and I'd
like
to see them on my big projection screen."
"Are you sure they'll be on so soon?"
"Positive. Wait until this footage hits the airwaves. That product
will
move like no other ever has before-and we owe it all to you."
All the time they'd been talking, they'd been dressing and he had
been
unpacking. Quentin now called car service, and soon they were on the
way back to their work-day world, with Suzy glowing with what she
was
sure had not just been stupendous sex, but true love.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Once back at her apartment, Suzanna hastily chose a middle ground
between Sexy Suzy and sensible Suzanna. Her suit was boxy but
becoming,
her make-up light and her hair up but looser and softer. She put a
few
things in a small bag which looked more like a briefcase than a
suitcase, and then they were ready to go.
Suzanna thought it would look better if they didn't arrive together,
so
once they were in front of their building, Quentin went to buy a
paper
and have a second cup of coffee, while she went directly to her
office.
Sharon was still at lunch, so Suzanna arrived comparatively
unobserved,
and tucked the bag in her closet out of sight.