Stop by the post office on your way home.
- Guinevere
22
The Lady's Gift
As tired as he was, he was more interested in what she had sent. He entered the post office covered in what felt like a layer of film with a five o’clock shadow, a haircut that had seen better days, and a body that held too much tension. His shoulders felt as if they were up to his ears. There was one large envelope, and inside was a smaller one. The larger envelope had block letters:
“OPEN FIRST, FOLLOW DIRECTIONS”
Intrigued, he opened the envelope and there were literal step-by-step directions, starting with “lock the box and return to your car.” Weird, but he was too wiped out to think, so he got in his car, followed the directions and ended up outside of a man spa.
He checked the address at the end of the message just to make sure. He was in the right place, Spago’s Male Care & Day Spa. Gawain never knew such a thing existed and especially not in his town.
He continued to read the directions.
“TAKE THE BROWN ENVELOPE TO THE GIRL AT THE COUNTER”
Reaching inside the larger envelope, he took out the mid-sized brown envelope and walked inside the spa. Per the instructions, when he reached the counter he handed the brown envelope to the young lady. The cute young woman, eyes sparkling, looked up and smiled at him. “Welcome to Spago’s, Sir Knight.”
He nodded, still not sure what this was or what this was about. His concern must have been showing on his face, for the girl turned to him and said, “Milady wanted to make sure her knight in shining armor was well tended, good sir.”
His eyes widened and he asked, “Excuse me?”
The girl was grinning at him, she stated in a matter of fact tone, “Aye, good knight, Milady said thee would be weary after such a hazardous journey.”
He was still gawking at her in disbelief. “Excuse me?” he asked again, unable to wrap his mind around such a strange conversation and he started to look around the room to see if he was being punked. Her grin got larger as she pushed a button, and from the back room came a Swedish linebacker wearing a name tag that read Hans, whom he was told would be taking care of him for the evening.
“Excuse me, what do you mean, taking care of me?” he asked overwhelmed by the surrealism of all of it as he started backing away from the counter towards the door.
Hans grabbed him by the shoulder. “Aye, good knight, come with me.” Gawain was creeped out and scrambling for the door.
The sweet girl behind the counter called to him, “Sir, Guinevere gave us each an extra $50 if we did the whole medieval thing, so just go with it, okay?”
Taking a deep breath, this had better end well. He followed Hans behind the double doors and prayed that Hans was not also assigned to shine his armor. The gigantic man did give a fantastic scalp massage as he washed, deep-conditioned, and trimmed his hair. Gawain relaxed as hot towels were wrapped around his face and he received a traditional foamy shave, with the perfect trim to his mustache and goatee.
So far I am impressed.
Hans lead him to a room with deep dark couches, handed him a robe, and said, “Disrobe here, good sir.” He was given a key to secure his personal effects in a side locker after Hans led him to a traditional Japanese-style bathhouse. He seated himself in the middle of the bamboo tub, and two small Asian men joined him in the center as one scrubbed his back and other the soles of his feet. “You soak, ten minute, you get out.”
His shoulders were coming down and he felt truly relaxed. The stress of the earlier portion of the week had all but dissipated and he was feeling calm – until he looked up and saw Hans towering over him.
“Come now, Sir Knight.” Gawain rose slowly as Hans presented him with a towel to drape around his hips then led him to a massage room.
The table looked like a torture device straight from the Inquisition. He did not argue or question Hans instructions, but climbed on the rack face down and prayed that this too would end well. The Swedish massage was almost orgasmic and Hans worked out the stress of the week, leaving Gawain’s muscles malleable.
Reluctantly, when it was over, he peeled himself from the table, and somehow managed to get dressed. He headed to the counter ready to settle up and thinking of food. The only thing left for the evening was to find something on which to nosh and head to bed. Gawain debated whether to log on tonight to thank Guinevere for a perfect evening. If I make it a quick chat, I could still bask in the afterglow of our “first date” and bid her a warm goodnight. He found himself smiling as he walked to the counter.
“Sir Knight, I have a final message from Milady as you finish your journey.” She handed him another envelope, which he opened with excitement and found that she had ordered a light dinner that was being delivered through the front door of the spa. He tipped the delivery boy and the smell of something Italian made his mouth water and stomach rumble. Gawain stood at the counter ready to settle, the very relaxed knight found that Guinevere had paid for everything. He added extra tips for Hans and the two Asian gentlemen, then grabbed his dinner and headed home, giddy like an alcoholic with a fresh bottle of gin.
Leaving the suitcase by the door, he turned on his computer, logged in to his account, and waited to hear the ping. Dinner was a wonderful spaghetti Bolognese with garlic bread and a marvelous classic whole leaf Caesar salad with deep-fried Parmesan croutons and a perfect anchovy-based Caesar dressing. Opening a bottle of red wine, he ate dinner, waiting for the computer to beep but he managed to finish with no interruption, threw away the containers, and moved to his couch.
His laptop, which was sitting on the coffee table, pinged and he moved it to his lap.
Guinevere: Did you enjoy our first date?
Gawain: Loved every minute of it.
Guinevere: Really?
Gawain: I’m not sure what exactly to say…
Guinevere: Was it enjoyable?
Gawain: It was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!
Guinevere: I’m blushing.
Gawain: I am so impressed I am at a loss for words.
Guinevere: Really?
Gawain You listened, you responded, you knew what I needed without me asking.
Guinevere: I figured the food was the most important part.
Gawain: I think I may have learned more about you from what you did for me tonight.
Guinevere: How so?
Gawain: Your perfect date is being taken care of.
Guinevere did not respond. A Freudian slip on her part in giving him what she considered being the perfect date, she had given away what she wanted and needed in a relationship. Telling him she wanted to come home and be cared for, to be fed a good meal after all the stress had been removed from her body. Did she also subconsciously tell him that she needed to be handled?
Gawain: Guinevere, I look forward to the day when I can reciprocate.
She did not respond and Gawain understood she felt vulnerable for maybe having given too much away or was uncomfortable with the gift that he had sent.
Gawain: Chicago was a monster. I was in meeting after meeting day and night. Dinner ended up being cold pizza, bad pasta washed down with warm sodas and inexperienced assistants adding irrelevant opinions.
Guinevere: That bad huh?
Gawain: Worse
Guinevere: How much worse?
Gawain: I may be on the road for a while.
Guinevere: Is that bad?
Gawain: For me, yes it is.
Guinevere: Again, with the one-liners….
Gawain: The hours are long, some travel is bi-continental or transpacific and those have limited access to cell towers and internet
Guinevere: Oh….
Gawain: Funny … I dread it because like Chicago, it may be days before I can talk to you.
Guinevere: That is quite possibly the sweetest thing that has ever been said to me.
Gawain: Milady, I am just getting warmed up.
Guinevere:
Gawain: D
id you receive my package?
Guinevere: I did….
Gawain: Not pleased?
Guinevere: It takes two to fully enjoy it….
Gawain: I believe that was my point.
Guinevere:
Gawain: No hurry, we have time. I must go, and you have work in the morning. Until tomorrow?
Guinevere: Good night, good knight….
Gawain: Thank you.
Guinevere: For?
Gawain: An absolutely perfect first date.
She signed out and went to the kitchen. Seated on the cabinet was a gigantic gift basket from some frou-frou, chi-chi winery in Napa, with three bottles of wine, four types of cheese, nuts, twigs, berries, and some other stuff she wanted to break down in her lab. The basket included a picnic blanket, a jazz CD, and two perfect crystal wine goblets. The whole damn thing was just as perfect as the photo in the bottom of the basket of a large tree overlooking a vineyard nestled next to a château.
Guinevere placed the cheese in the fridge, put the bottles of wine away, and went back to the basket. The envelope enclosed was a mock open-ended plane ticket to Napa that he had created on his computer.
Fear, insecurity, and every other emotion bubbled to the surface. Tamping it down, she stuck the picture of the vineyard on the fridge under a magnet, put the ticket in her desk drawer, and headed off to bed.
Gawain gave as well as he got, and this was going to be an interesting courtship.
23
Fanciful Thoughts
Over the next three months, Gawain and Guinevere fell into a companionable pattern. He was due in Chicago at the end of each month and the time varied between four and seven days. The thought had crossed her mind of surprising him and flying to Chicago, but the implications, the planning, the actual meeting was something she wasn’t sure she was ready to do.
Gawain, too, felt as if he knew her already and was just waiting for an invitation to come to Princeton, and he was going to be on the next flight. He had hoped that by now his gift of the picnic in Napa was calling her name and the picture hanging on the fridge would spur her to board a plane to Napa. He did not want to rush her and would bide his time for an opportunity to present itself. Joshua’s plan seemed to be working but it had been almost four months since the Stacie scenario and he was feeling twitchy.
Guinevere was waffling between her need to meet her knight in person, and those red flags that cautioned her about her safety. She was well aware that she could control the environment if she invited him to her, but then would she pay for his hotel, have him stay at her place – her mind was reeling from questions.
After one evening’s conversation, she began to understand that he wanted to meet, too, but was not willing to rush her into anything for which she was not prepared. His conversations never veered toward the sexual, nor were his words laced with innuendo, but he had a way of planting seeds in her mind that caused her to toss and turn at night.
She had learned to speak his language and realized that he spoke in literal terms, being very selective about his word choices. What he said was literally what he meant, and his subtlety with seductive word choices interspersed in their conversations sent her mind reeling.
He is definitely an educated man.
She longed to feel the heat of his breath on her neck, feel the weight of him as he leaned in to her for their first kiss. She wanted to inhale the scent of his skin. Smiling, she felt like a nasty girl for wanting to bring him breakfast in bed as she cooked for him in the shirt he had thrown on the floor in his haste to have her.
You are over-romanticizing this whole thing.
The photo on the fridge called to her and that last thought did it. I am going to Napa this weekend if he is free. She was packing her bags and hitting the drug store to buy a morning after pill. All she would need would be three boxes of condoms in small, medium and large, just in case; and some dental dams. She dug through her nightstand and found her last certification from her doctor that she was HIV free and began to load up the case.
24
Planning to Meet
Gawain paced in his kitchen waiting for their set online meeting time. He was ready to meet her and an opportunity didn’t just present itself – it seemed divinely ordained. He was due in New York on Wednesday. He was going to be in her neck of the woods and planned to have dinner with her on Thursday, breakfast on Friday, brunch on Saturday and quite possibly lunch together for the rest of their lives. He just had to make sure she was as ready to see him as he was anxious to meet her.
Guinevere’s screen pinged and she checked the message, which asked her to check her email. There was a message with photos attached. She was reluctant to open them, but was glad she did, as each photo was funnier than the last. The messenger window opened and Gawain was on line.
Guinevere: Wow, it appears as if someone had some extra time on his hands this week.
Gawain: I appreciate the sarcasm of sending me a cactus as a gift.
Guinevere: Lol
Gawain: I can even appreciate the underlying message of you questioning my ability to potentially take care of something living, but not necessarily fully breathing.
Guinevere: It appears as if you have given him a name.
Gawain: Yes, I call him Ti, short for Cacti. And yes I made the little name collar out of a piece of cardboard and a sharpie.
Guinevere: Where did you find the tiny chain for the leash?
Gawain: It came off my pocket watch.
Guinevere: Well did anyone think it was weird, you taking pictures in the park of a small potted cactus, with a tiny ball and bat? … Speaking of which, what is that bat made out of?
Gawain Celery
Guinevere: LMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gawain: Stop hating…. Ti enjoyed his day at the park. I think we really bonded.
Guinevere: I am still laughing too hard to even process this….
Gawain: Well I do have a sense of humor.
Guinevere: Last thing, where did you get that tiny baseball cap?
Gawain: That will be my secret….
There was a lull in the chat. They both wanted to change the tone of the conversation. Finally, it was Guinevere who found the words to do so.
Guinevere: Do you have a lot of secrets?
Gawain: I have few if any…. You can ask me anything.
Guinevere: Will you tell me your name if I asked?
Gawain: Depends….
Guinevere: Again … cryptic…
Gawain: Nope, it depends on whether you are available for dinner next Thursday and I can tell you then?
Guinevere:
Gawain: I will be in New York on Wednesday and was hoping you were free.
Guinevere: Funny…
Gawain: No, serious…. Who’s being cryptic now?
Guinevere: I know…. I was trying to get up my courage to broach the subject of meeting you in Napa next weekend since I have the pretend ticket and all.
Gawain: So great minds are thinking alike.
Guinevere: I guess so….
Gawain: May I ask what else you were thinking?
Guinevere walked away from the computer for a minute and grabbed a bottle of water, debating herself about what she should tell him. Over the past few months she had shared a great deal with Gawain, with the exception of her name, where she grew up or even worked, and now he was asking her to share her thoughts about him. Thoughts that may come to life in less than a week. She threw caution to the wind and decided to have some fun at his expense.
Guinevere: I added two and two, and based on the services you got at Spago’s, you have some facial hair.
Gawain: Yes, a goatee (?????) and now perfectly manscaped brows…. I think I still look a bit surprised, but they will grow back.
Guinevere: I was just thinking what that goatee would feel like on my back or against my skin as you planted tiny, feathery kisses down my spine.
Gawain:
Guinevere: Want to know what else I was think
ing?
Gawain: You have my undivided….
Guinevere: I was thinking about how you would smell. How the scent of you would still linger in the shirt you had hurried to remove the night before … that I was now wearing, as I brought in your breakfast that I planned to feed you in bed.
Gawain: Guin… I think that is the sexiest thing anyone has EVER said to me!
Guinevere: You know what else I was thinking?
Gawain: I don’t know if I can handle anything ELSE….
Guinevere: Yes you can. I think you can handle anything I throw at you.
Gawain: Listening…
Guinevere: I was thinking about the warmth of your breath on my neck when you embrace me and the feel of you as you pull me closer to plant that first kiss, before you joined us together…
Gawain: Hmmmmm…. Go on
Guinevere: I think I will stop there. I want to know what you are thinking.
Gawain: I am thinking that Ti and I are going to get packed and head that way to tonight!
Guinevere: Ti? You’re planning to bring the cactus?
Gawain Well I can’t leave our love child alone.
Guinevere: Lol…. Be serious.
Gawain: I am … I have grown fond of the little prickly bastard. I may have to marry you to make him legitimate.
Guinevere: He will need some brothers and sisters.
Gawain: At least two of each, I like sets.
Guinevere: Just like that?
Gawain: You want more? I don’t mind.
Guinevere: Be serious for a minute, there are some things I want to talk about.
Gawain Apologies, Milady. Please do continue….
Guinevere: I went to the store and picked up some things for what I THOUGHT I might need for my Napa trip.
Courting Guinevere (The Davonshire Series Book 1) Page 14