Scene 12
Later he woke to the feel of her soft lips barely caressing his mouth. He opened his eyes and blinked twice at the sight before him. In the dim light of the only lamp that burned across the room the vision of her made him think for a moment that he was still asleep and at the beginning of what promised to be a very sensual dream. She was perched on the edge of the bed leaning toward him. Her slim body was wrapped in a satin robe that matched the shade of her eyes perfectly and her eyes caught the faint light of the lamp and sparked with a mixture of mirth and desire. He allowed his eyes to roam taking in more. Her hair was loosely knotted on top of her head, and beads of moisture shimmered against her neck and cleavage.
"You've had a shower already." He observed his voice husky with sleep.
"I have, and I left the shower running for you." She declared before kissing him again. "Dinner is in an hour."
As she rose from the side of the bed he caught the sash of her robe and let it slip through his fingers. "You brought a dress the same color as this robe with you."
Heather thought for a moment and recalled that earlier he had hung their things while she changed for bed. "I did, yes and I also brought the classic little black dress."
He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "That one's pretty too."
She offered him a knowing smile. "You'd prefer the green dress?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "I'm curious to see you in it. It'll bring out your eyes."
She touched his cheek tenderly and for a moment he thought she'd kiss him again, but then with a sudden burst of enthusiasm she declared, "The green one it is then!" and went into the bathroom only to return two seconds later carrying the black dress folded over one arm.
As he watched she opened the wide double doors of the armoire, took out an empty hanger, hung the dress, put it away, and then extracted the green dress with a flourish. Holding it in front of herself, she walked back to the side of the bed as if she were a fashion model strutting down a catwalk in Milan. She grabbed the quilt and bed sheet and threw them off of him, and ordered, "Up…. Now; go shower before you loose all the hot water. Your suit's hanging next to the shower. I ironed it for you."
He raised an eyebrow. "You ironed my suit?"
She shrugged while examining her dress as if it might need going over with the iron as well. "It was wrinkled. It needed to be pressed; so I took care of it."
He cocked his head to one side and stared as he thought. He had learned by now that Heather was an accomplished cook, but found other household chores such as cleaning and laundry tedious. Which did not mean she was incapable, he knew, but he'd not miss the opportunity to tease her a little, because he also knew that she employed not only Zelda, her chef, but three different housekeepers who all came in once a week to keep her enormous house spotless "How domestic; did the Good Housekeeping fairy sneak in here and hit you over the head with her wand while I slept?"
She tossed her dress over the back of the nearby chair, and placed a palm flat on the mattress on either side of his hips and leaned down bringing her face inches away from his. "Gil… Go… Shower… Now!" She hissed. The fire in her eyes telling him that although she knew he'd only been teasing her, he'd best not continue on his present course.
"Okay… I'm going… now."
Heather moved the hand that was blocking his path and he slid off the bed and stepped quickly toward the bathroom. He stopped when he realized that their exchange had been witnessed. Hank gazed up at him from his big green pillow in the corner and thumped the floor with his tail twice.
"I should take him out first."
"He just came in less than an hour ago."
"You took him out already?"
"Yes, he took me for a walk around the pond, and then we played fetch. On our way back we bumped into Miss Lily and she invited us to the kitchen for a snack. I had a banana. Hank had a left over pork chop that she was about to throw away. Hank is going to visit with her while we eat supper. No dogs are allowed in the dining room unless they have service companion status, but somehow I don't think Hank will mind visiting the kitchen instead."
Can he be in the kitchen: won't he be in the way?"
"Not this weekend. Apparently we picked an uncommonly quiet weekend. We are one of only four couples here right now and only one other couple has dinner reservations for tonight, so the kitchen is a calm place right now. Only Miss Lily, a chef, and one waiter are in there, and Hank stole everyone's hearts. He's all set. Go shower, I'm hungry. The smells coming from the stove made my mouth water."
"I thought you ate a banana." He grinned.
"I did, and I want more. Dinner smells divine. So hurry up. Shoo, get going on that shower while I dress." She motioned with her hands to hurry him along.
He laughed at her enthusiasm. For such a slender woman she had an appetite that astounded him. "Alright, I'll be ready in twenty-five minutes. You won't starve to death in less than half an hour will you?"
"I'll try to survive." She grimaced and sighed as if he were asking for the impossible.
He winked and closed the bathroom door.
Twenty-two minutes later she tapped lightly on the door and slipped in without waiting for his invitation. He stood in front of the sink, staring in the mirror fussing with his tie.
She stared at his reflection from her place just behind his right shoulder and arched an eyebrow flirtatiously. "Having problems there?"
Gil frowned. "The knot is lopsided."
"Here… let me." She stepped close, placed her arms around his shoulders and deftly worked the knot in his tie loose. She placed the tie over the nearby towel rack, and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt. She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled sweetly at the confusion evident in his reflection.
"It's a dinner date, not a board meeting. Besides, with tuxedos bow ties are a must, but if you ask me neckties are the most ridiculous clothing accessory ever created, and I firmly believe that they undeniably prove female intelligence is superior to male intelligence."
Gil wrinkled his brow and frowned at her reflection. "How do you figure that?"
She lifted one shoulder in a shrug, and straightened his collar. "Have you ever known a woman to start her day by tying a noose around her own neck?"
Gil turned in her arms and looked down into her eyes as he slid his arms loosely around her hips. He lightly smacked her on the bottom. "You're sassy as hell when your hungry, but you may have a point there."
He leaned back and looked her over. "I was right about the dress you look good enough to eat, and you are the only woman I know who wouldn't look silly in that style."
"What do you mean?"
"When I hung it, for a moment I thought it was crooked on the hanger. The way the skirt's cut longer on one side. Every time I see someone else wearing a similar skirt, I want to tell her it's lopsided, but you look stunning. If you still want dinner we better get going before I decide to haul you back to bed."
"You'll have to feed me first. I insist."
"Well then, come on Gorgeous."
Gil put Hank's leash on him; they left their room, and walked hand in hand to the elevator. Once inside, they found themselves alone and staring at their refection in the mirrored door. Heather smoothed her skirt and appraised the sight of them.
"Well, that's not bad." She tipped her head back onto his shoulder and smiled.
He glanced at their reflection for an instant and then smiled down at her up-turned face. "No, not bad at all." He whispered before pulling her back more firmly against him and claiming her mouth.