"Well," Amos Andersson said expansively as she approached, "I thought for a minute you'd gotten lost. I was about to send a Saint Bernard out looking for you with a cask of Brandy Alexanders. Female Saint Bernard, of course."
"No, no," Melanie giggled, sitting down. "You know how long it takes women to freshen up."
"Ah, how well I do," the handsome man sighed with exaggeration, and then winked broadly at his wife. "But you're back, my dear, and just in time for another round of drinks."
"But really, I don't think…"
"Nonsense!" Amos boomed, signaling for a waiter. "Syble has to leave in a few moments to drive some of the guests to our house, so we'll just have time for one more quick one. Waiter, bring us two Scotch-and-waters and one Brandy Alexander."
"You like the Alexanders, Melanie?" Syble asked.
"Oh yes, very much. I… don't like the taste of liquor very much, but these are very smooth and refreshing. I should have discovered them before. Thank you for suggesting them, Mrs. Andersson."
"Do call me Syble," the older woman purred.
"That's for sure," Amos chimed in, a slight red flush of alcohol covering his cheeks. "We're out for a good time tonight. Let's eat, drink, and be merry as the saying goes, because we're all good friends together. Melanie, Syble and Amos. One-Two-Three. Yes, siree."
The new round of drinks appeared, and after she had sipped almost half of her brandy, Melanie noticed that the lack of food was finally making a difference. She was really beginning to feel the liquor, but in a most pleasant manner as she relaxed and some of her mental caution disappeared. She soon found herself having a very animated conversation with both the Anderssons. Amos was witty and could converse artfully on a dozen different subjects, and even his slightly naughty risque jokes didn't offend her, but set her laughing delightfully. He was a very nice, very handsome, very urbane man whom she was finding herself liking more and more. A rapport with Syble also developed easily, and they were soon discussing the latest fashions and what it would be like to take a round-the-world cruise.
Melanie was enjoying herself more with every passing minute, feeling giddy and light-headed and almost carefree for the first time since Tim had departed. She was extremely happy that she'd agreed to go along tonight, and was looking forward to the rest of the night up at the Andersson house.
"Why don't you ask Melanie to dance, Amos?" Syble suggested as the conversation hit a momentary lull. "I have to leave in just a moment and want to finish my drink, but you shouldn't let such good music go to waste."
"An excellent suggestion," her husband agreed with a smile, and rose from his chair to offer Melanie his arm. "Shall we, my dear?"
"Well…" She hesitated, but then thought if Syble had suggested it, it must be all right. "I'd love to, Amos."
He led her out to the dance floor where the small combo was playing one of the quiet old favorites. She was taken by surprise when he curled her warmly in his arms, pushing the sharp, full tips of her breasts deeply into his chest. She wasn't sure how to react at first, and stiffened automatically as he hugged her close.
"Don't be afraid, my dear," her boss whispered warmly into her ear. "I'm not planning to bite you."
Melanie's face flushed in the dimness of the dance floor as she felt him push forward harder and spread her legs slightly so that the mound of her loins were forced against the top of his thigh. The soft silkiness of her dress seemed to hide nothing from her senses and she could feel the resilient flesh of her right thigh brushing tightly between the older man's legs as they moved slowly in time to the music. Inadvertently, she made contact with the softness of his trousered penis, and with a start, she felt a slight stirring of his manhood beneath his pants.
"We… we shouldn't be dancing like this, Amos. It… It doesn't look too good to be this close, and your wife might object."
"Oh, she won't care," Andersson said in an offhand way. "She doesn't care what I do."
"B-But you're a married man," she stammered in a whisper. "And… and I'm married, too."
"Yes, my dear," Andersson replied with oily smoothness. "That always makes it more exciting, don't you think?"
Melanie suddenly lost her tongue, surprised as she was by his strange-sounding words to her. Before she could think of a proper answer, the music stopped and the combo leader announced it was time for intermission.
"Your husband is a very good dancer," Melanie managed to say, trying to cover the blushing she was feeling in her cheeks.
"Syble is too," Andersson said, smiling broadly. "Used to be the best in Vegas, and not too many years ago, either."
"Don't listen to him," Syble said to Melanie. "When a man is as good a leader as he is, I could have two club feet and still dance well." She tipped the glass of Scotch to her lips and drained it in two swift swallows, then collected her purse and stood up. "Well, I must be off."
"Oh," Melanie said, "must you?"
"If you want a party tonight, I do. I'm not sure when I'll get back, so you go ahead and have another drink, and I'll see you all at the house later on."
"Goodbye, dear," Amos said, and kissed his wife lightly on the cheek. He knew there was no turning back for the young wife sitting next to him now. With Syble leaving, the stage was set for his seduction, just as they'd been planning for the last thirty days. Yes, he was going to enjoy playing husband this evening with Melanie, now that his own wife had made her excuses and left. A slight twinge of anticipation rippled between his thighs as he pictured little Melanie nakedly groveling before him.
"Well," he said warmly, turning his attention to the lovely young innocent sitting next to him, "Here's to us, Melanie. Here's to us and our getting to know each other better before the night's over."
Melanie tipped her glass to his and took a large, deep drink of her Brandy Alexander, her eyes sparkling at her handsome boss over the rim of her cocktail.
Another round of drinks was brought, and the two of them continued to sit in the Dew Drop Inn, talking for almost half an hour. For some reason Melanie couldn't explain, she was beginning to feel uneasy about being alone with Amos Andersson. She already felt wicked and worldly for being out with another man – even though it was not a date – but it was something else bothering her slightly which she couldn't quite put her finger on. She knew that it was perfectly all right in this day and age for her to be in the company of a nice man like him, as it might not have been in her mother's day. She knew nothing would happen, just as she'd told herself in the ladies room, and Amos Andersson had been the very soul of gentlemanly discretion. Yet still there was a pervading air of something wrong, something deliciously wrong as though she were skirting some forbidden fate. She tried to recall what might have caused it, but she could find nothing on which to base her small twinge of apprehension. As she set her glass down, she decided to relax and stop being such an old wet blanket, and that the tingling sensations in the depth of her belly were only the result of one too many Brandy Alexanders on an empty stomach.
"Well, my dear," Amos Andersson eventually said, "shall we drink up and be on the way to my house?"
"Yes," she replied gratefully. "Yes, let's. Maybe your wife will be there with the guests by now."
"Perhaps," Andersson said suavely, but inside his head he was thinking: not a chance, little one. Syble won't be where you can see her, and there won't be any guests around to save you now…!
The ride to the Andersson home was beautiful, Melanie thought as she sat beside Amos in his large convertible. The road wound through the lovely wooded hills in back of Greenridge, and she could see out of the windows the flat-lands below with their myriad of twinkling city lights shining like a thousand fireflies. She was impressed by the rolling, well-landscaped grounds around his spacious house when they arrived. But it was quiet, and the house was dark, with no cars parked in the large driveway, and Melanie realized that her employer's lovely wife had not yet returned from picking up the other guests. Amos noticed this as well, and as he drew up the car in front of the double-doored garage, he said jovially, "Well, my dear, we're on our own for a while longer. Come on in, and I'll get things ready for the party, hmmm?"