Crossword (15 page)

The waiter, who appeared immediately at their table as soon
as Julian looked his way, seemed somewhat confused and disconcerted by the
request. Wilhelm, ever observant, swept over to the table, dismissing the waiter
with a slight sideways jerk of his head. He looked most apologetic as he began,
"Sir, I am so very sorry but we are out of coffee. The war makes it so
difficult to obtain all that one needs to provide the kind of service that we
pride ourselves in." His voice seemed to ooze regret, almost to the point
of obsequiousness. All that was needed was a wringing of the hands and a
beating of the breast.

Julian's face clouded briefly, to be replaced by a smile as
he said, "That's OK, Wilhelm, it was still a wonderful dinner, nothing can
change that." Victoria, too, had a sorrowful look, more so than her
companion across the table for she was ever conscious of the feelings of
others, even over so minor a disappointment. She reached out her hand and
placed it on his, and then her face brightened.

"Let's go to my place. I have a little coffee I was
able to get from a friend who knew someone who knew someone who, well, you get
the picture." With a coy look, she added, "You're not the only one
with connections."

"Thank you, Victoria, that's really very nice, but it's
not necessary."

"It's the least I could do after such a nice evening. I
insist. Let's go."

"Well, OK, but I'm not sure it would be considered
proper."

A dismissive wave of her hand. "It's only coffee. And besides,
the entire world is at war and we all have to do our part." An impish
smile.

"Wilhelm, the check please." The maitre d' placed
the bill on the table and discretely withdrew, a look of relief on his face, a
look that had nothing to do with coffee since his pantry was well stocked with
tins from various countries; he was simply glad that his part in the charade
was at an end. He signaled to the waiter who already was holding their coats
and when he brought them to the table Julian took Vickie's and helped her on
with it, making sure as he did so that his face brushed her hair and his breath
fell softly on her neck. They walked to the door preceded by the waiter, who
opened it with a flourish, now only too happy to extend them every courtesy
since they were finally leaving.

Wilhelm watched their exit, a smile on his face, but when
they glanced his way he looked apologetic and gave a dejected shrug as if to
say, "What can one do? This war is so inconvenient." Had he been
French, perhaps his thoughts about the little ruse would have been, "Ah,
amore," but, coming from a long line of Swiss burghers, his thoughts were
more like, "Ten American dollars to say I'm out of coffee; now that's an
easy profit. And its value is sure to appreciate, since it's obvious to anyone,
except perhaps Hitler, that the allies will soon be in control of Europe."

Arm in arm Julian and Vickie walked out into the chill night
to begin the trek to her apartment. Taxis were not plentiful, especially at
this hour, so they were resigned to having to go by foot. For the first two
blocks the pleasant meal digesting in their bellies and the residual warmth of
the blazing fire in the little restaurant protected them from the frigid alpine
air. By the time they had started the third square the cold had insinuated
itself and they clutched their collars against the wind. At the fourth street
the pale sliver of moon was overrun by dark ominous clouds and within two
minutes it began to rain, lightly at first then more heavily, rapidly
developing into one of those mini squalls endemic to the alpine territory. They
picked up the pace but within minutes the rain had penetrated their outerwear
and soon mingled with the sweat forming on their skin as they panted from the
exertion of their rapid clip. Victoria silently cursed as her makeup began to
run and her hair lost its shape. Julian, on the other hand, was exhilarated by
the additional possibilities that would soon be available. It was several more
blocks before they reached her street and she was making soft whimpering sounds
although Julian, through his peripheral vision, was sure he could see her
mouthing decidedly unladylike curses. As they came in sight of her building she
cried out, "Finally. Oh, Julian, I feel so bad and I must look a complete
mess."

"Nonsense. First of all, it's only water, cold water,
but nonetheless, just water. And most importantly, you could never look
anything other than beautiful, which is exactly how you look now. Of course you
are kind of wet; actually, very, very wet, but still spectacular." They
had reached her place and stood on the stoop. He looked at her with a big
boyish grin on his face, and in the middle of fumbling for her keys Vickie,
too, began to smile while Julian chuckled ever so slightly. When he saw that she
began to giggle he let his become a hearty laugh and soon they were holding on
to each other, laughing and standing in the downpour.

"You're a true gentleman, Mr. Templeton, to make your
lady feel good no matter what." She looked up at him, the rain having
washed away her makeup, and she was truly beautiful. Their bodies leaned toward
each other and they kissed, a tender yet not tentative touching of the lips.
She was smiling when they separated. "Hurry," she said and handed him
the keys. Once inside the entrance foyer they stood for a moment while the rain
sluiced off them onto the stone floor. "Better here than in my apartment.
I can come out later and wipe up." She took back her keys and walked to
the rear of the building, stopping before a large plain door of dark, highly
polished wood. "Here I am." A prominent handle was surrounded by an
ornate, oversized metal plate with intricately carved and detailed cherubs, an
architectural non sequitur. She inserted a hefty brass key into the latch and
turned it smartly, the tumblers emitting a loud click. Victoria turned the
handle and pushed open the door, standing aside to let Julian enter. However,
he held the door and motioned her in.

The first thing that he noticed was the heat. He looked
around the large enclosure that served as both living room and bedroom and saw
a banked fire in a corner fireplace but knew that that could not be the source.
Victoria followed his gaze and seemed to know what he was thinking. "The
super here keeps the heat on later than most places and I take advantage of it
whenever I'm out in the cold weather. I hate coming in to a frigid apartment.
And in case the heat is off, I keep a fire banked and ready to go."

"I'm very impressed. Did they teach you that in steno
school?"

"Hardly. England, you may recall my dear sir, can be
rather cold and damp. You learn about fires at an early age and it's not
something you forget." She slid out of her coat, pulled a chair from the
dinette set over to the fire and draped it over the back, motioning Julian to
do the same. She placed a fresh log on the fire and stirred it to life.
"There's only one bathroom and I'm going to pull feminine rank and use it
first. I've got to get out of these wet clothes but I'll get you a robe first.
There's a bottle of brandy on the cart over there. Why don't you pour us each
one and I'll make coffee when I come out." She disappeared into a walk-in
closet and pulled out a heavy, white terry cloth robe, which she gave him, then
returned for a few items and vanished into the bathroom.

He stood there for a moment holding the robe and staring at
the closed door, imagining her wet body as she undressed, the moisture
sparkling on her skin. Then he thought what it would be like pressing his body
against hers, her slick skin sliding over his flesh. He shook himself free from
the brief reverie and quickly shucked his clothes until he was standing
completely naked in front of the fire, enjoying both his nudity and the warmth
of the flames. His skin quickly dried and he slipped into the robe, cinching it
about his waist, before pouring two generous glasses of brandy. Julian
swallowed a mouthful of the dark amber fluid from one of the glasses, refilled
it and placed both on the cart to await the return of Vickie. Still standing,
he turned to survey the room. Along one wall was a large day bed, covered by a
quilted spread and topped by assorted pillows and a few stuffed animals. To one
side was a nightstand with a delicately crocheted cover, probably English he
thought, perhaps Swiss, but really couldn't be sure since it was an area that
had never concerned him. On the other side of the bed was a heavy looking
armoire, which Vickie had tried to "lighten up" by hanging a few
sachets in colorful fabrics from the handles and draping a few ribbons along
the top. Across from the bed was a short hall that led to the bathroom, and
next to the hall was a smallish kitchen. In front of the kitchen was the
dinette, and along the remaining wall space was the cart that served as a
liquor cabinet, and an adjacent table, a sideboard which he presumed would be
used for serving. A series of windows looked out on a small garden to the rear
of the building and occupied most of the wall with two chairs filling the
remaining space. The large entrance door was opposite the windows and was
flanked by a table and mirror on one side and a sinuously curved hat rack on
the other. Having taken the measure of the room he was about to sit on one of
the chairs by the windows when Vickie emerged, wrapped in a light pink bathrobe
that was delicate and feminine yet seemed quite substantial.
English to the
core.
Her hair, though still damp, was fluffed and she had put on just a
touch of face powder and lipstick. What skin he could see had a pink glow due,
at least in part, to the action of the towel she must have used to dry herself.
Julian was truly taken aback at how beautiful she looked and his ardor rose to
new heights, apart from any allure he may have had for the conquest itself.

"You're even more beautiful when you're dry." They
both smiled and he handed her one of the drinks. Victoria took a sip, quickly
followed by a more generous pull then took his hand and led him to the chairs
by the window.

"We can sit and listen to the rain while we have our
drinks."

"I believe it stopped already. You know these mountain
storms."

"Oh my. Well I guess we'll just have to listen to music
then." She downed the remaining brandy in a single gulp, bounded out of
her seat then, slowing considerably, seemed to flow over to the closet from which
she pulled a small table on which sat a Victrola. Vickie gave the crank a few
turns, then carefully placed the needle on a disk already on the player. The
tinny sound of some band emanated from the front of the instrument and the
lovely woman in pink swayed with the music as she returned to where Julian sat
and held out her arms. "Would a gentleman care to ask a lady to
dance?"

Taking his cue, Julian stood up, gave what he considered to
be a gentlemanly bow and intoned, "It would be my greatest honor and
pleasure," although he had an idea that the greatest pleasure was yet to
come. He took her in his arms, holding her close enough so that their bodies
were just touching and she could easily lay her head against his neck. They
moved effortlessly with the music, and before the record had even ended,
Victoria, who obviously had listened to it many times and knew exactly when the
music would stop, broke free and replaced it with another. When they resumed
their dance they were entwined more closely, their bodies now pressed gently
yet firmly against each other, their breath falling warmly on the other's skin.
He let his lips brush her temple then gently kissed the top of her ear as he
held her close. Her breasts rose and fell on his chest and her breathing deepened.
After a moment, he bent his head down and kissed her neck, reveling in the
shudder he felt ripple through her. Another turn around the room and Julian
paused, lifted his hands to her neck, gently cradling her face while he tilted
her chin upward and kissed her on the lips. He had intended this to be a
delicate kiss, brief, a prelude of things to come. However the passion that he
knew must lay just beneath the surface in this lovely young woman, a
railroader's daughter from a working class town in England, would not be
denied. She met his lips with a fierceness that was unexpected and the kiss was
long and deep, her mouth open for him to explore. As they embraced he slid his
hands gently over her shoulders, opening the top her robe. Without releasing his
lips she dropped her arms to her side letting the robe fall to the floor, then
reached up, undid the tie around his waist so he could free himself from the
terrycloth cocoon and embraced him once again, pressing her lips as well as her
body hard against him. Vickie wore only a delicate negligee and her curves
nestled in the contours of his anatomy, her breasts and the increasingly firm
nipples that surmounted them impinging enticingly on his torso. Their lower
bodies moved in time with the music and he quickly swelled as her mound of
Venus worked his penis into a throbbing extension of his desire. She broke free
momentarily, stepped back and raised her arms above her head. In one quick
movement he lifted off her nightgown and she immediately pressed her now naked
body against his, but more gently this time, using it caress him as she moved
to her own inward rhythm, the music having stopped and the recurrent scratch of
the needle a monotonous beat. She stroked her nails sensuously along his chest
and abdomen as she lowered herself to her knees. Without any further prelude
she took his penis in her mouth as she held him by the buttocks and used her
tongue to sweep along the shaft and around the head while she moved her head
back and forth. Julian was taken by surprise as his most sensitive parts were
engulfed by warm, moist pleasure of the most intense kind and he could not
suppress low moans of delight. It was with the greatest of efforts that he was
able to withdraw. He knew he was losing control, not only of his body but also
of the situation, and control was something he would never relinquish
voluntarily. Reaching down he took her by the shoulders, guiding her to her
feet and kissed her on the mouth, the smell of perfume mingling with his own
musk-like odor. Julian lifted her up in his arms and gently set her down on the
day bed where she made short work of the cover and pillows, which soon lay in a
heap on the floor. He knelt by the bed and buried his face in the soft hair of
her escutcheon, teasing apart the lips of her womanhood with his tongue and
tasting the already wet interior. Julian ran his hand along her sides, pausing
to fondle her breasts and sweep his fingers tantalizingly across her nipples,
while his tongue moved upward to massage her clitoris. Victoria moaned
unselfconsciously as her hips began short upward thrusts against his probing
mouth. Outside, rain began to fall once again, pelting the windows overlooking
the garden and peels of thunder could be heard in the distance. He continued
his oral onslaught and soon had to hold tight to her bucking hips as she moaned
louder and then began to cry out, rivaling the rising crescendo of the
approaching thunder until spasm after spasm surged through her and she lay
back, her moaning replaced by heavy breathing. She reached down and pulled him
to her, her body hot and wet from the exertion. Vickie wrapped her arms around
him, kissing him fiercely on the mouth, her tongue almost enfolding his while
his turgid member lay in her triangle and the wet lips seemed to be clutching
at it. They turned on their sides and Julian felt her trying to roll him over,
to mount him, but he resisted until her pushing stopped and he gently rolled
her on her back. Rising up, he let his penis play over her labia and introitus,
intending to enter her slowly and deliberately, but, in seemingly a matter of
seconds the thrusting of her pelvis became urgent and, crying out, she arched
her back and forced herself around him, her vagina engulfing his penis. She
wrapped her legs tightly around his back and pressed him deep inside her.
Julian, all thoughts of gentle love making banished, began to thrust with
calculated abandon, pushing himself deep within her, feeling the pressure of
her vagina, the pounding of his head against her cervix and listening to the
increasing intensity of her moans until they became forceful, wanton grunts.
She began to cry out his name as their mutual assault was reaching its climax,
and when she let out a final, long scream, Julian let himself have his release
and with one final thrust exploded all his controlled emotion in one body
shuddering ejaculation.