by Robert Olsen
Holy shit, it’s Saturday afternoon? What happened?
She climbed out of bed and walked into the kitchen to find Suki had fixed some coffee. She poured herself a cup and found Suki sitting outside on the balcony.
“How long have you been up?”
“Maybe an hour or two. How do you feel, Kate?”
“I’m not sure. Better I think. How about you?”
“I was able to sleep a little. I think I’m doing ok. I see you found the coffee. That might make you feel a little better. Maybe take away some of the grogginess. Water will help too, honey.”
“Yes I definitely needed coffee. Thank you for fixing it.”
“Hope I didn’t disturb you this morning. I took a shower, and got dressed. I suppose I need to get home and feed the poor kitty cat. I didn’t want to just go without being able to talk with you. I wanted to be sure you were ok. I’m glad you were able to sleep some, Kate.”
“Yeah, eventually. I don’t feel too bad now.”
“Well, I’m sure you’re going to feel better soon. Richard called earlier.”
“He did? When? I didn’t hear my phone ring?”
“That’s because you left it here, on the coffee table. I saw his name, so I answered it.”
“And?”
“He was lonesome, and interested in going on a hot date. I told him you were sick, but I was available. I’m going over to his place!”
“That’s not funny, Suki. Really, did he call?”
“Yes, but I told him the truth, and he didn’t want me to wake you. He said he’ll call this afternoon.”
“Thanks. I really want to see him, Suki. I don’t understand, but I go nuts when I’m not with him. I can’t get him out of my mind lately. He’s there all the time!”
“I understand, Kate. I’m afraid it’s a terrible disease called love. It’s all because you’re falling in love with him, honey. And, I think he just might be falling for you, too. He’ll be over here as soon as he can, I’m certain of that. He was very worried about you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, very much so. That’s why he insisted I stay with you, because, he couldn’t, Kate. Now, why don’t you jump in the shower, you’ll feel better. You can freshen up for him, put on something nice, and I’m going home to hug my pussycat. Call me if you need anything, and please don’t think of that damn office. We’ll get through this, whatever it is! Love you, girl!”
“You too. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Suki.”
Kathryn couldn’t wait to hear from Richard, but knew it could be a while. So, she took Suki’s advice to freshen-up.
Maybe I need a nice hot bath, then I’ll dress simple and comfy. But, what if Richard wants to go to dinner? Where’s that little navy dress with the tiny poker dots? That’d be nice.
She found the dress she was thinking of in the closet - soft cotton and very comfortable - and grabbed her canvas navy flats to match.
Filling the bathtub was fun as she fantasized taking a bubble bath, and envisioning herself lying naked under the bubbles when Richard came over.
Oh my God, wouldn’t he just die if he could walk in here and find me naked under the bubbles?
She giggled at the thought. Ultimately, she passed on the bubbles opting to go for Estée Lauder’s Youth-Dew bath oil, a classic, with one of the sexiest fragrances around. Next, she needed some Frank Sinatra music, and a chilled glass of wine. Once everything was set, she climbed into the hot water and laid back with her cell phone at her finger tips. She was totally relaxed, eyes closed, lying in the hot steamy water, listening to Frank, when the phone finally rang. It scared her so, she almost knocked it into the bathtub!
“Hello?” she said with a hint of panic in her voice.
“Hello beautiful, what are you up to?”
“Nothing. I’m just lying completely naked, in my bath tub waiting for you. You are coming, I hope.”
“If you promise you’ll stay naked I’ll be there in a few minutes! Seriously, baby, I was hoping I could see you in about an hour. Is that too soon?”
“Oh no, not at all. The sooner the better, I miss you.”
“Ditto. I’ll bring some wine for us. See you around four?”
She was stretched out on the sofa, looking at a magazine when the doorbell rang. The security guard at the lobby desk greeted Richard, had him sign in then called upstairs to Kathryn for clearance. As soon as Richard stepped into the apartment, Kathryn, was in his arms, hugging him as tightly as she could. He too, wrapped his arms around her, as he whispered in her ear.
“I know it’s been difficult, my darling, but, you’ll be fine, now. I’m so glad I can finally be with you. I missed you!”
Kathryn lifted her head, looking into his eyes, hers beginning to fill with tears, “Oh Richard, I missed you too, so much. It was horrible, and I felt so frightened. All I wanted was to be with you.”
“It’s over. And, I want to help you stay calm, but if you’d like to talk about it, I’m here for you Kathryn. Whatever you want, you’ve got it. Ok?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to stay!”
“I told you I would.”
“Forever?”
Richard smiled, releasing a soft laugh. “Ok Forever it is!”
“Good. Now I want a cupcake!”
“A cupcake?”
“Yes. Red velvet!”
“Ok, put your shoes on. We’ve got a date!”
It was a short walk to Columbus Circle where they jumped on the south bound A train to 14th street.
“Where are we going?”
“You wanted a cup cake?”
“Doesn’t Midtown Manhattan have cupcakes?”
“Of course they do, but the best in the world are just down the road near a cute little park.”
“I knew that. I’m just testing you.”
Moments later they walked into the famous Magnolia Bakery. Richard stepped up to the counter.
“We’ll have two Red Velvet cupcakes and two coffees to go, please.”
“Make that three, three Red Velvets, please,” Kathryn interjected.
Richard just gave her a look.
“What! I’m hungry! Aren’t you going to get something?” Kathryn asked, grinning from ear to ear.
Outside the bakery, adjacent to the park, were a few benches. They sat down, enjoying their coffee and cupcake as they watched all the mom’s with their small children playing inside Abingdon Park. There were dogs everywhere, too, being walked by their masters who lived nearby in some $12 million townhouse. They both must have been hungry as they devoured their cupcakes.
“How are you feeling?” He asked her, before taking a bite from the huge cupcake.
“Better, now that I’m with you.”
“Feel good enough for a walk?”
“Only if you hold my hand. I feel wobbly.”
“I don’t think holding your hand will stop the wobble.”
“Ok. No wobble, just hold my hand and don’t give me a hard time.”
They were a stone’s throw from Bleecker Street, with its artsy boutiques and unique restaurants and bars.
“Come, let’s go this way. We can do a little shopping,” Richard said, holding out his hand to Kathryn.
Not far down the street Kathryn spotted a small hat shop, and decided to step inside. She quickly found the coolest Sherlock Holmes cap and placed it on Richards head.
“Ear’ now, ye bloody bloke, I don’t mean to dabble, but could ya spare six shillings for a pint?” Kathryn said trying hard to imitate a British accent.
Richard quickly reached for a hat with a scarf attached and a large brim as loose and floppy as rabbit ears, and brought it down onto her head.<
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“But, me lady, a pint’ll only cost ye three shillings, these days!”
“Why kind sir, ye mean ya not gonna join me? I’ll be your Watson!”
The couple both broke out in laughter as they squatted low, to see how silly they looked in a nearby mirror.
“Hey, Richard, look at this hat. This is too cute!” She said all excited and having a ball finding one cool, unique hat after another.
Kathryn tried on several hats Richard had picked out for her. Some large, some small, but all very strange and interesting. His favorite was a sporty plaid cap with a small brim on the front. It cost $325.
“You look fantastic in these hats. Seriously, Kathryn, do you ever wear hats? You have an incredible look, very sexy, too, I might add.
“Sexy?”
“Yes, definitely!”
“Oh. I like sexy.”
“I’m serious. You look damn good in these hats. I mean that as a compliment! Please let me buy one for you.”
Absolutely not Richard, these prices are ridiculous,” she whispered moving in closer to Richard so the sales clerk couldn’t hear.
Ten minutes later they were walking out with two bags.
“Thank you, that was very nice of you. I love my hats, Richard, and I loved my cupcake too! You are so good to me.”
“Well, to be honest, it’s actually a bribe. I’m rather interested in what you were saying before about naked and a bubble bath!”
“I was kidding, mister!” She said as she turned facing him, lightly beating his chest with two fists. “Don’t get any ideas!”
“Are you telling me, you lied to me?”
“What?” She asked, looking surprised with a worried expression on her face.
“It’s not nice to lie. Do you want to be punished?”
She smiled. “Punished? What would you do to me?”
“You do it again, and I just might have to spank you!”
“You wouldn’t dare. I’d give you a bust in the mouth!”
“I’d like that, too.”
Kathryn, turned twelve shades of pink realizing what she just said.
The couple continued walking along Bleecker heading south. They were quiet at first, and she noticed him grinning, as if he was beside himself over having the upper hand with her, so he thought.
“You think you’re pretty smart, mister. Well, don’t gloat too much, I’m smart too!” She said giving him an occasional poke in the ribs to bring him back down to earth. They’d laugh, then soon start chatting again about all sorts of stuff. But, before long Kathryn started talking about Friday, trying desperately to make some sense out of what happened.
“I find myself searching and searching for answers that I know just aren’t there. I was asking Suki all these questions, and felt bad about it. Why should she be any different from me? Really? She experienced the same tragedy I did, and she feels the pain, too. I should have been helping her! Sometimes, I feel so stupid Richard, and selfish.”
“Don’t feel stupid. I want to hear what’s on your mind, and heart and I’m sure Suki does too. Both of you went through so much, and you each need to grieve in your own special way. What’s important, is that you, and Suki’s, feelings are real, and you both need to express those feelings anyway you want - whatever, whenever, and wherever, you can.”
“Suki wanted to go home and hug and talk to her cat! Will she be ok alone?”
“I don’t know, but we can call and ask. Offer to be with her. We could bring her cat food, or a nice plant for her apartment, if you’d like.”
“That would be nice. I’d like to do that. She asked me why I felt frightened when we were at my apartment, you know, after everything was over. She didn’t understand.”
“What did you tell her? What didn’t she understand?”
“The office. I told her a bunch of stuff has been happening in the office, and I have a horrible feeling it’s related somehow to the incident at The Cafe 63.”
The couple must have walked ten or more blocks as Kathryn explained many of the strange occurrences that were happening in her office - Ted’s demands, Dr. Andreyushkin’s strange behavior, Eric’s hatred toward his boss, and Donald’s outbursts and serious accusations. Richard was finally beginning to understand why she felt afraid.
“What bothers you the most?”
“I don’t really know. Actually, it’s probably got something to do with the feeling that I’m not in control. Most of my life Richard, I felt like I knew what I was doing and why. I had goals, I was organized, prepared. I took control of everything. Everything had a place in my life. But, lately, everything feels like one big surprise. I feel insecure, and hesitant about things. That’s not me Richard.”
“I think that’s understandable, under the circumstances.”
“I’m lost!”
“I think that’s a normal feeling, too.”
“No. I meant we’re really lost. Macdougal Street? Where the hell are we?”
“Oh shit! We’re in Soho. How’d we get here?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? I’m following you! You’re the smart one.”
They stopped, had a good laugh then marched off searching for a nearby subway. It was getting pretty late and they decided to head back to Kathryn’s apartment.
“Wow, look at the time. Would you like to go somewhere for dinner?”
“I’m not very hungry, Richard. Maybe we can just grab a slice a pizza, and go back to my apartment.”
The local #1 train was slow and took a while. By the time they got to Times Square, the crown on the train was pretty heavy, too, so they decided to jump off and walk on the streets. They were walking along Broadway when Kathryn spotted a pizza join. After some food and drink, they strolled past a few theaters, and enjoyed the lights and Marquis of the Theater District, as it started get darker outside.
Once back inside her apartment, she dropped the hat bags on a chair, set the third cupcake on the coffee table and with her hands free, turned and gave Richard a huge hug, then gently kissed him.
“Thank you for being here, with me, today. You’re wonderful Richard, and I loved our little adventure! I had a really good time.”
“I had a really good time, too, Kathryn. I don’t want to leave you.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered, kissing him again. “I don’t want you to go. Finally, we can be alone.” She paused for a moment staring into his eyes as if she didn’t know what to do next. Then, she asked, “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“That would be nice.”
He was sitting on the sofa, when she returned with two glasses of red wine. She curled up close to him, and reached over to the coffee table grabbing the little bag containing her cupcake. Staring intently into his eyes, without a word spoken, she slowly raised the cupcake to her mouth, very sensually taking a bite, and slowly licking her lips with her tongue. It drove Richard nuts, seeing her sitting in such a provocative position biting the cupcake. He peered down at her beauty, revealing his desire to kiss her icing covered lips.
With a very sexy voice, and holding the cupcake in front of her, she whispered, “would you like to bite something I have?”
“That would be nice, too,” he said leaning forward to take a bite of her cupcake.
Just as he was about to take a bite of cake, Kathryn gave it a little push, smearing icing on his nose.
“Oops!”
“Do that again, and you’ll be punished.”
“Sorry, it slipped.”
Just as Richard again bent over to take a bite out of the cake, she pushed it again, this time covering half of his face.
“That’s it. Get over here young lady!” He said, snatching the cupcake from her hands, and reaching for her arm. He put the cake on the table, and in one quick motion, pulled her body up, off of the sofa, and over
his knee, her ass high in the air, her head down. Before she knew what happened, he had her dress up, panties pulled down and smacked her naked bottom, hard. Shivers raced through Kathryn’s body.
“Didn’t I warn you?”
She didn’t answer.
He smacked her bare behind again, this time harder than before. Despite the sting, she remained quiet, still no answer. Again, for a third time, he smacked her bottom, turning her beautiful behind the color of a red beet.
“I’m sorry. I was bad. I won’t do it again, I promise.” she said.
With that, he pulled her panties back up and put her dress in place, as she sat up. The two were staring at each other in silence for only a few seconds before she lunged toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately and pressing her body tightly to him. Her entire body quivered with anticipation of what she knew they both wanted. They fell back onto the sofa, him on top of her, his hands reaching up touching her breasts as she closed her eyes. His kisses on her neck, cheeks, and lips sent a tingling feeling throughout her body. Her arms reached up grabbing on to him everywhere she could, pulling him closer and closer letting Richard know she wanted him too.
When Richard started to unbutton her dress, she felt the warm feeling race to her breasts. Her body tensed, but at no time because of a lack of desire.
“Oh Richard, please, not here.” Her voice had a slight cry or moan to it. “I wanted this moment to be so romantic, please. I wanted to take a bath for you, oh…….take me to my bedroom. I need to ……………… please, stop.”
Suddenly, Richard stopped kissing her allowing Kathryn to get on her feet. She reached down, pulling Richard up off the couch, and holding on to his hand, she led him to her bedroom. He sat on the edge of the bed. As she let go of him, she turned and slipped off her shoes.
She turned back toward him, kissing him again, this time whispering, “I’m just going into the bathroom for a couple minutes. Don’t you go anywhere?”
Richard was patiently waiting for Kathryn, when he looked up and surprisingly noticed the bathroom door ajar. He could clearly see her in the vanity mirror. She looked exquisite in the bright light as she slowly stepped out of her dress, unknowingly revealing to him her white skin accentuated by a lacy and very sexy deep purple bra and panties.