Taxi to Paris

by Ruth Gogoll

  When she finally lay on her stomach, I said quite cheerfully as I observed her beautiful curves, "I'll start with your shoulders again." She should have the chance to prepare herself for my touch.

  I took some more massage oil from the bottle and rubbed it between my hands. Again, I said, "Here we go." Nonetheless, she jerked when I touched her. My God, how must it have felt for her the last time? I still felt ashamed when I thought about it. Even if I hadn't known any better.

  Despite the massage from the front, her shoulders were still rather hard. Her whole body must've been one tightly-strung bow before I got there.

  I worked my way slowly from her shoulders across her back and down to her bottom. I took my time about it. It did her good, and it gave me a chance to enjoy at least a little bit of her warmth and her soft skin. Finally, I massaged the backs of her legs briefly.

  "So," I said in conclusion. I couldn't help myself. Before I could think about what I was doing, I'd slapped her very lightly on the butt.

  "Oof!" She didn't seem too averse to this sort of affection. In any case, she was relaxed enough.

  I continued, "And now for the nicest part."

  She tensed again slightly. This time, though, that was my intention. I was sure she was thinking this had all been a seduction scene, albeit a very long and comfortable one. Her back loosened again. She'd allow it, if that's what I wanted.

  "For this, you need to turn back over onto your back," I said, still secretively.

  She did it. She looked at me expectantly. Her face showed exactly what I'd expected.

  I took the blanket and covered her up. "So you don't freeze," I said, grinning at the astounded look on face. "I only need your feet."

  I slid back to the other end of the bed and pulled the blanket up just enough to see her feet. Of course, I would've liked to see more of her, but I was sure I'd have a chance to do so another time. I took a foot in my hands and massaged it carefully. She moaned lustfully. One would've thought I was doing something entirely different with her. "That's a lovely feeling!" she said wonderingly.

  "Yes," I confirmed with satisfaction. "And now relax. You can go to sleep."

  "But I don't want to." Her protest was rather weak.

  I grinned. Her will wasn't going to hold up much longer on that one! I massaged the other foot. After a short while, I heard her breathing deeply. She was asleep. I ended the massage and stood up. I walked over to the head of the bed and looked down at her. She slept like a baby, totally relaxed. Not even after the best night of lovemaking had she ever looked like that. I loved her even more. How could I stand it? Today was only the first day she'd gone back to "work." I took her pajama top and laid it over her. She murmured lightly at the disruption in her sleep. I stroked her face. "Sleep," I whispered lightly. "Sleep, my darling." I kissed her on the forehead and straightened.

  I would've liked to stay the night, but I didn't want to make that decision while she was asleep. Perhaps she would want to wake up alone after such a long day.

  I put on my jacket, glanced back one more time at her face, and smiled. I locked the door behind me as quietly as I could and left.

  Chapter 13

  At eight o'clock the next morning, just as I was about to leave for work, the phone rang. Unusual this time of day. Most days, I'd already be at work by now.

  I picked it up. "Good morning!" she said, obviously in a good mood. Apparently, the massage had done her good.

  "G'morning," I mumbled. We truly didn't have much in common first thing in the morning!

  "Oh!" she joked playfully. "Aren't you awake yet?" She really was in a good mood.

  "At this hour?"

  She laughed. "Yes, I remember. Would you like to come over for a cup of coffee before you go to work?"

  I stopped short. "It's getting kind of late already," I objected.

  "Yes, I know," she admitted. "But can't you squeeze it in somehow? Just for a little bit." She sounded urgent. What did she want?

  "Fine," I consented, somewhat disgruntled. "But only for half an hour." If I were all the way awake, I'd be overjoyed to see her, but now...

  "I don't need any more," she said, pleased. "I'll turn the coffeemaker on now!" With audible satisfaction, she hung up.

  I stood with the receiver in my hand and asked myself what she wanted me for, for just half an hour.

  The five-minute walk from my place to hers didn't help to wake me up, either. The fresh morning air tickled my nose and the sun shone brightly, but it was no use. I was a typical victim of "night-lag." What other people felt after a long flight across time zones and called jet-lag, I felt every morning for at least two hours after getting out of bed, or at least until after my second cup of coffee.

  I arrived and rang the doorbell. She opened the door. She was dressed. I'd expected to find her in her robe, but instead she wore jeans and a blue shirt that became her so well that even I, in my morning haze, noticed it. She pulled me into the apartment without a word, shut the door, took me into her arms, and kissed me. I got dizzy. All this so early in the morning before I'd had my coffee!

  She stopped kissing me. She loosened her grip on me slightly and looked me in the eyes. "I just wanted to thank you," she smiled roguishly.

  "For what?" I'd just gotten out of bed!

  "For yesterday," she said sweetly.

  "Oh, that," I dismissed - I still wasn't quite awake. "Couldn't you have waited until this evening?"

  "You really are not a morning person!" she laughed. She took my hand. "Come on," she ordered, leading me into the kitchen. "The coffee is ready."

  I clambered up onto the stool at her breakfast bar. She busied herself with the coffeemaker and hummed a little folk tune. Then she set a cup in front of me. She said nothing and watched me.

  I drank the coffee and slowly began to wake up.

  "Why didn't you stay here?" she asked softly.

  I looked up from my coffee cup. "I didn't want to disturb you when you woke up. You might've wanted to be alone."

  "I might've thought that myself at one time," she admitted, smiling.

  I smiled back. "You coffee is good. Could I have another?"

  She took my cup and set it back under the machine. The beans crackled as they were ground. Then the coffee ran down into the cup. I watched, fascinated.

  "If I didn't have a coffeemaker, would you still come see me?" she teased lovingly.

  I jerked to attention and looked at her. I'd actually forgotten about her for a moment.

  "Excuse me," I requested a bit remorsefully. "But no one can get through to me in the morning, you know that."

  "I know." She was much to contented to fault me for such a small thing. She put the coffee cup back in front of me and looked deep into my eyes. "You don't need to be excused for anything." She looked at me piercingly once more. "Absolutely nothing."

  She could've woken the dead with that look. At any rate, she woke me up with it. I started to tingle. I slid off the barstool. "I have to go to work now," I said, already halfway to the door. I didn't want her to kiss me again. If she did, I'd never get out of here today. She could tell what I was thinking and laughed knowingly, but she stayed on the other side of the counter. "Have a nice day at the office!" she called after me.

  Chapter 14

  That I did not. At noon, she called me. "Have you eaten yet?"

  "No," I said, surprised. "Not yet."

  "Should we eat together?" What was she planning?

  "You mean go out to eat?" I asked with astonishment. Our last attempt at that was still quite fresh in my mind.

  "No. I meant at my place." What was with all this?

  "You're going to cook?" Now I was really confused.

  "No, not really." Her voice had suddenly changed. It sounded almost desperate. "Actually, I hadn't thought about food at all." She paused, and I asked myself what she was up to with all this sneaking around. Was she just trying to make me uncertain?

  "I want to sleep with you," she whispered
suddenly, out of nowhere. Seductively, temptingly, erotically.

  The telephone receiver almost melted in my hand at her sensuous intensity. If I hadn't been sitting down, I would've fallen over. When I'd gathered myself halfway again, I whispered back. "Are you crazy? I'm not alone here!"

  "Really? If I'd known that, I would've called earlier." Her gentle laughter followed through the phone.

  The situation seemed to amuse her greatly. It amused me less. She was driving me crazy with her voice. It felt like she was reaching through the telephone and stroking every one of my erogenous zones.

  "What's this supposed to be?" I asked, horribly tortured. "Phone sex?" Too late! I hoped she wouldn't take that the wrong way.

  She wasn't insulted at all. Her voice sounded like a feather caressing me. "Normally, I don't offer that," she said, almost giggling. "But with you, I could get used to it."

  "Stop it!" I whispered from the very edge of sanity.

  "Come over." She didn't let up. Her voice was arousal itself.

  "I can't!" I could've screamed. "I have a lunch meeting." She'd have to understand that!

  "Then come afterwards," she tempted promisingly.

  "I have two appointments afterwards. I can't cancel them." Didn't she have any clients today? Then again, the morning was over. How could I think such a thing? She really drove me to the end of my wits! "I can't be done before four."

  "Too bad." Her disappointment was clearly audible. Then she chuckled. "I could always come to your office."

  "No!" This time, I really did scream. Everyone looked over at me. With great effort, I calmed my voice. "No," I whispered nervously, "don't you dare!"

  She laughed boisterously. Playing with me like that probably helped her get over her disappointment. "All right," she agreed. "I won't." Her voice took on a motherly strictness. "But at four o'clock, you'd better be home!"

  "My place or yours?" I asked, still completely helpless.

  "Pick me up at my place," she said without hesitation.

  I hung up. My colleagues stared at me with a combination of concern and extreme curiosity. "Just a logistical problem," I called across the room, somewhat irritated. And that's what it was, too - after a fashion!

  Chapter 15

  When I arrived, she must've already been standing at the door. She opened it immediately, came out, and locked the door from the outside.

  "Let's go," she said. She didn't kiss me, she didn't touch me, she didn't even say "hello." Did something go wrong again already? I didn't know how long I would be able to stand this emotional roller coaster. I could never be sure what to expect with her.

  On the street, she walked next to me, but without looking in my direction. She took those long strides of hers that I always had to jog to keep up with. In the meantime, though, I was ready for the Olympics!

  "What happened?" I asked, reaching for her hand.

  She dodged me. "Don't touch me!" she warned forcefully.

  "What's up with you?" It couldn't possibly have anything to do with me. What had changed since our telephone conversation?

  She looked straight ahead once more and spoke through gritted teeth. "If I touch you now, I'm going to have to take you right here in the street. Is that what you want?"

  So that was it! I grinned, gloating just a little. She'd gotten me so worked up over the telephone that the whole afternoon had felt like I was sitting on hot coals. But it obviously hadn't gone any better for her. I looked at her, racing along beside me. More likely worse.

  We arrived at my building. She dashed up the four flights of stairs as though she were being chased by invisible ghosts. I'd never seen her like this before! If a little massage could lead to this, I'd have to be more careful in the future. Then again - why? What did I have to lose? Just the opposite.

  She waited impatiently for me at the top of the stairs. While I was turning the key in the lock, she grabbed my backside and shoved me up against the wall. I'd been through that once with her before, but this time it was something completely different. She pushed against me, and her hands pulled my groin against hers. I felt the heat between her legs. My goodness, she must be on fire! What a coincidence - I felt exactly the same!

  "Please!" I begged her. "Let's at least go inside the apartment. We've made it all the way up here, haven't we?"

  She allowed me a little bit of room. I turned the key, and the door swung open. We almost fell inside. I grabbed at the key, pulled it out, and slammed the door shut behind us. She was already at my mouth, on my breasts, everywhere. We sank to the floor. She pulled my shirt out of my pants and unzipped them. She slid one hand inside, right between my legs.

  "You're so wet!" It sounded as if she were surprised by this.

  "Ha, you're funny! - After your phone call this afternoon, and now this!" Sometimes I wondered where she got her naivete, given her experience.

  She grinned. "Did that turn you on?"

  I acted indifferent. "No, not at all. Women call me at my office every day and drive me to the brink of orgasm."

  She pulled me on top of her. "Then perhaps I'd better come see you in person the next time."

  "Behave yourself!" I replied threateningly.

  Her mouth was already on mine, stifling any further protest. The tightness between my legs almost drove me crazy. Her hand was being pressed into the middle by the fabric of my pants. I began to rub against it. She moved her hand with me, as much as she could. She'd barely begun to do that when I came the first time. She held me off the floor.

  "My heaven!" she remarked. "And I thought I was turned on!"

  I gasped. "I hope you are." I propped myself up next to her. "Since it's your turn next."

  "Ahem," she said. "Understood. But could we maybe go to bed? I've got bruises all over already."

  I rolled over and stood up. She rose with her ususal grace. While she turned, smiling, to walk toward the bedroom, she began automatically to unbutton her cuffs.

  "Wait!" I said. She stopped. I walked past her, in order to look her in the face. She looked at me questioningly. "I'd like ... please... May I undress you?" Her reaction was almost invisible, but it was there. She put up a wall. "It's ok," I said. "It was just a question. I thought..." I thought you trusted me, I wanted to say, but that would've caused her more than anything to grant my wish. And as well as she could act, I might never even have noticed that she was doing it against her own will.

  I took a step toward her and took her in my arms. "Forgive me, I always want too much at once from you."

  She laid her arms around me as well. "It's odd," she mused. "There was a time when I never would've allowed it, but now... I think I actually want it." It sounded as though she were genuinely surprised at herself.

  I looked up at her. "Are you sure?"

  "No," she said. She smiled enchantingly. "But we can certainly try it." We went into the bedroom together, and she lowered herself onto the foot of the bed.

  I leaned over her and kissed her. While I was doing that, I slowly pulled her shirt out of her pants. When that was done, I crouched in front of her. I put my hands on her waist and looked at her. Was there any sign of discomfort, of defensiveness? I held her gaze and let my hands wander around to the front. She was still watching me calmly. I undid the button and waited. Then I bent over her and kissed her again.

  In contrast to the incredible arousal she'd demonstrated earlier, she was now very reserved. I ran my hands up beneath her shirt until I felt the velvety roundness of her breasts. It overwhelmed me. "I love you so much," I whispered, my lips nibbling devotedly at her ear.

  This time, she reacted. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close to her. I leaned against her, and she sank slowly back onto the bed. I began to unbutton her shirt. She still showed no sign of excitement. I pushed her shirt back over her shoulders. "I can stop any time you want," I offered soothingly. I sought her eyes. They were closed.

  "No," she said hoarsely. She grasped my head and pulled my mouth down to her breas
ts. "Please, make love to me!" Her voice was even hoarser than before.

  I kissed her breasts and moved my lips downward. She shivered. I didn't know if that was from arousal or fear. I hoped it was arousal. I heard her breathing heavily above me. I unzipped her pants and slid one hand inside. She moaned. I looked up, but couldn't read her expression. Slowly, I pulled her pants down over her hips and laid a hand between her legs. Immediately, she began to push against me lustfully. "Yes." I found the center and began to massage it gently. Her hips rose, thrusting desperately into the air. My mouth wandered back to her breasts. I entered her with one finger and began to stroke her inside. She moaned, loud and gasping. I pushed myself up a little higher and looked into her face. She tossed her head back and forth with excitement. With her eyes still closed, she whispered, "Please - I've been waiting for you all day..."

  I glided quickly down between her thighs and took her in with my tongue. She went stiff immediately. She screamed. I'd never heard such a yell from her. She collapsed. I moved back up next to her and took her into my arms. She was breathing as though she'd climbed more than just one mountain. I suddenly had the feeling that this was the first time she'd ever truly given herself over to me. Today, she'd decided to trust me completely.

  I brushed her hair out of her face. "My darling," I said. She twitched, then lay quietly. She still held her eyes closed tightly. She didn't answer.

  I thought she'd fallen asleep. I laid her on the bed and started to stand up.

  "Don't go away," she said softly.

  "I thought you were asleep."

  "No. I'm just..." She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I never want to go through another day like today," she said, shuddering. "It was awful."

  It sounded like she'd really been suffering. I laughed. "It's your own fault. If you make phone calls like that..."

  "I don't understand it myself. You're not going to believe this, but I've really never done that before."