Chapter12 - Henry
Returning from lunch Rita set about getting ready for her dinner date with Henry, beginning her ablution with a shower proceeding on toward making her look especially attractive for the evening event. Rita's mind was in conflict between dinner expectations with Henry and germinating a plan to harpoon Buck. After choosing to wear a tailored electric blue dress, Rita was putting the finishing touches to her hair and slipping her feet into matching blue-dyed high heel pumps when the doorbell rang. Hoping the ringing didn't awakened Julie, she hurried to the front door. Drawing open the door Rita saw Henry standing on the walk dressed in a light colored summer weight suit, holding a flower box in his hand.
"Good evening, Rita." Henry greeted.
"It's nice to see you again, Henry. Please come in."
Reaching the top step Henry handed Rita the flower box.
"Without knowing the color of dress you would be wearing, I fell back on traditional roses, calculating they would go with most any color. I hope you like roses."
"Oh yes! Rita exclaimed, with her eyes opened wide. "You needn't have worried. I seriously doubt if there is a woman alive who doesn't love roses. Thank you so very much Henry. It's most thoughtful of you to favor me with flowers." She smiled closing the door and taking Henry's gift.
"Please sit down if you like," Rita invited, gesturing to a chair and opening the box.
"Oh how wonderful! White roses, they're absolutely beautiful. Rita bubbled. Lifting the flowers from their box she noticed they were arranged as a corsage including two attaching pins. Holding out the flowers she turned to Henry.
"Would you perform the honors of pinning them to my dress? They are much to pretty to leave standing in a vase with no one to admire their beauty."
"It would be my pleasure, provided you will overlook me being all thumbs. Men aren't especially good at this sort of thing and I'm far from being an exception." Henry apologized, taking the corsage and deftly slipping the fingers of his left hand under the neckline of her dress while accepting one pin at a time, fastening roses to the left side of Rita's dress. In performing the ritual she felt the pleasing warmness of his fingers moving gently against her skin.
"There." Henry said, taking a step back to admire his handy work.
"A most fitting trio, you, your dress and the roses all go together very beautifully."
"You have a most charming way with words, able to fashion them into a very pleasing compliment.
Taking a step forward Henry took Rita's left hand and turned it so the back of her hand was upward and leaned to kiss her hand. "You are most worthy mon cheri."
Standing tall, Henry continued, "I assume you're not well acquainted with the area, so I took the liberty of making reservations for us at Sourdough Pete's in the Round Hill area, about twenty miles to the north." Wearing a smile while lifting his eyebrows for approval. "The short drive will give us an opportunity to learn more about each other. If you are ready to, 'we'll hit the trail,' as they say in these here parts."
"It sounds fun and exciting. Give me a minute to get my purse and wrap." Rita answered, releasing Henry's hand and walking to her bedroom with a purposeful amplified undulating movement of her backside, calculated to display elegant buns beneath her tight fitting dress. In a moment she retuned carrying a blue purse and white shawl draped over her right shoulder.
"Please excuse me, Henry, while I prepare a quick note for my friend. She's recovering from a non-fatal case of over-celebrating last night. We have as yet to talk since her return earlier this morning, leaving her unaware of my going out tonight. I don't want her to awake in an empty house thinking I'm lost or skipped the country." Locating a memo pad and pen she wrote a quick message.
"There, I'm ready to 'hit the trail'," she smiled, rejoining Henry.
Hand in hand they left the condo. Henry held the car door open for Rita to enter, by doing so he was rewarded with a pleasing sight of Rita's sheer nylon-encased thighs enhanced by a slightly elevated skirt as she swung her legs inside. A smile crept over Henry's face reflecting his approval as he closed the door.
Parking under the covered reception marquee of Sourdough Pete's, two uniformed valets approached the car where each valet opened a door. The valet opening Rita's door did not receive the same quality of view as Henry enjoyed during her earlier entry.
The doorman sported a gray long whiskered gray beard and dressed in a traditional prospector's garb opened the door for their entry. Henry gave his name to the host, dressed in the costume of a frontier lawman. They were immediately led to a reserved table by an attractive saloon dancehall girl presenting a rear panorama of long shapely legs accentuated by black seamed nylons attached to a pair of sensuously swiveling gluteus maximi.
Their table was located next to a tastefully draped westward facing window affording a spectacular view of the late evening sun as it slowly burst into a silent display of pyrotechnical colors before sliding behind sand and cacti.
Soon after settling themselves into comfortable chairs the wine steward arrived offering Henry a wine list suggesting a choice of especially chosen fine red and white house wines. Henry demurred looking to Rita who replied with a perceptible headshake. In place of wine Henry suggested champagne, receiving a nod from Rita prompting him to order a bottle of Mums. His selection was rewarded with a smile from Rita. The steward gave a short bow signifying his endorsement while turning away. Within minutes a chilled open bottle of champagne in an accompanying ice filled cooler arrived.
Their champagne magnum was nearing empty when a waiter made his presence known by quietly clearing his throat.
"Good evening and welcome to Sourdough Pete's. This evening our dinner special is capered pouched wild salmon fillet, steamed asparagus, a side salad of fresh spinach topped with feta cheese and accented with our own red wine and olive oil dressing, followed by ripe strawberry cheese cake dessert," recited the waiter. "Or," offering a pair of tassel-bound raised-lettered menus, "if you prefer, I invite you to select one of our many delicious dinners or ala cart selections from the menu. Would you care to order now or do you need time to make your selection?" The waiter waited for their decision. Henry shifted his vision from the waiter to Rita, with a raised questioning eyebrow.
"The salmon fillet sounds like something I had in mind without actually knowing it. Yes, I would like the special please," Rita, answered Henry's silent question.
Henry returned his attention to the waiter. "Two evening specials please, and would you mind calling a wine steward?"
"Two salmon fillet dinners it is, Sir. A wine steward will be with you presently." Flowed a smooth confirmation from the waiter, who was immediately replaced by the wine steward, asking. "May I serve you, Sir?"
"Yes," answered Henry. "A bottle of the house white you suggested earlier. And serve it when our dinners arrive."
"You made an excellent choice of wine and serving time, Sir. I commend you on your fine taste," complimented the steward turning away.
By the time Rita and Henry reached the end of their superb dinners, capped it off with a Drambuie. Their dinner conversation drifted over several subjects including each other's biography allowing them to sense a mutual feeling of comfort between each other. After Henry settled the check they moved to the bar and dance area where a three-piece combo was playing soft dance music geared to fit the beat, agility and satisfaction of a predominately gray-haired crowd.
During the ensuing evening their dancing became progressively more compressed. Rita's restraint mellowed by earlier wine quickly melted away, caused more by desire than spontaneous attraction. Henry was a graceful smooth dancer without being physically aggressive; he held Rita close without her feeling crushed.
As the evening passed Rita danced closer with her cheek to his and her breasts planting firmly against his chest. Occasionally she would let her pelvis bump lightly against his, partly because it sent a shiver of excitement through her body, and though
she was slightly embarrassed to admit it, she wanted to check out his arousal status. Without fully understanding why, Rita was dancing closer and enjoying it more than with any previous partner. As time passed, she began to wonder and was slightly mystified not feeling Henry's phallus swell resulting from their close contact. All the men she danced with before developed spontaneous hard-ons in quick order. Probably his lack of noticeable reaction was the reason she allowed herself to press against him so firmly, yet a certain amount of concern floated around in the back of her mind about him remaining so flaccid.
"Oh well, the mystery will be solved once we get back to the condo. It will be most unusual if he doesn't try to get me into bed before the night is over." Rita thought as they danced a slow fox trot with their bodies pressed close together.
After dancing for about an hour Henry asked Rita if she was ready to leave and received her immediate concurrence. Reaching the reception vestibule, Henry handed his parking medallion to the doorman. He took the chip, turned and spoke to the intercom.
Their entry into the car was a repeat of their earlier arrival; only in reverse order, each door was opened and held by a valet awaiting their entry. Rita lowered herself onto the seat and swung her legs into the car without a hint of breached propriety. The doors closed and they were quickly underway out of the parking lot and onto a well-traveled road.
On the ride home their conversation was a continuation of dinner talk covering places each had been, points of interest shared at different times and other topics related to travel and culture achieving an easy comfortable interchange.
Breaking the car to a smooth stop in front of Rita's condo, Henry shut of the engine, exited, crossed to the passenger side, opened and held the door for Rita. Once again Henry received a view of expansive nylon as she spread and swung her legs from the car. Raising her eyes to meet Henry's while accepting his assisting hand she could see her exit captured his attention by a smile of appreciation.
Gaining her feet he closed the car door and held her hand. Reaching her condo door, Rita's expectations for any continuance of the evening were suddenly dashed as she noticed light and heard faint sounds of music coming from within the condo. The probability of Julie being home had not occurred to her until just now. Julie's resurrection from her previous night's soiree ended any chance of privacy for tonight.
"What a bummer! There went any further excitement for the evening," Rita thought. "With Julie awake and moving there isn't a snowball's chance in hell Henry will hang around."
Turning to Henry, "Sounds like my housemate has or is in the process of recovering from her last night's fling," Rita remarked with noticeable disappointment in her voice she asked. "Would you like to come in? I'm sure Julie would be excited to meet you. I can't vouch for the condition she may be in however, but you're most welcome." Holding Rita's hand, Henry caught her eye.
"Thank you, and please excuse me, I must be going. I can't express the pleasure we shared this evening, so without becoming maudlin just let me say I enjoyed being with you very much. You're excellent company and a wonderful dancer. Wish your friend well for me, along with suggesting she exercise a small measure of moderation on her next outing. Good night, Rita, and thank you for sharing a delightful evening with me." Leaning over, Henry kissed Rita lightly on her left cheek. Straightened up, he was walking to his car before Rita could fully comprehend his actions.
"Gaa, goodnight and thank you," was all Rita could stammer as she heard the car door open, then close and the car's engine coming to life. Lifted her arm, Rita waved slowly as headlights cut through the semi-darkness making an easy backing turn. Seconds later the taillights of Henry's car disappeared after turning onto the street.
"What do you know about that?" Rita asked of the night as she stood looking in the direction of Henry's vanishing car. "Now that's a new one. Never in my life have I known a man to act in such a manner. He's puzzlement to be sure. I don't know which is the worst, to be pawed over by some lout anxious to give me what he mistakenly thinks I want; or to be made to feel a fool by coming on as I did, only to be left alone waving at the wind. Maybe Nellie has a way to find out what gives with this guy." Rita slowly turned and entered the condo.
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