“We’re a great team, Ellen.” Johnny touched the rim of his glass to hers and took a sip of champagne. “Getting excited about designing those new punk mannequins?”
Ellen nodded. Ecstatic was more like it. And just being with Johnny made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world. Perhaps she could compete with all those gorgeous showgirls after all, as long as she always dressed like this.
Johnny led her over to the couch, and draped his arm around her shoulders. Ellen shivered in anticipation and tried not to look impossibly eager. He’d been a perfect gentleman, escorting her to dinner or a show at least once a week and then bringing her back home after a friendly good night kiss. Ellen had heard enough rumors around town to know that the time would come when Johnny would want more than a kiss. Would it happen tonight?
“Your hair looks different, too.” Johnny reached out to touch it. “I like it this way. I never noticed those gold highlights before.”
As Ellen opened her mouth, she remembered Vanessa’s advice. “Thank you, Johnny,” she said. She was doing her best to learn what everyone called feminine wiles. There was no need for Johnny to know that she’d treated herself to gold highlights at the most expensive salon in town.
There was an expression in Johnny’s eyes she couldn’t quite read as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. The kissing was wonderful, but she hoped he wouldn’t wrinkle her new dress. Of course, that was the reason she’d bought it, wasn’t it?
Johnny was breathing heavier now and his body pressed against hers. Ellen didn’t pull away. At last he was treating her like a woman. “So what do you think, Babe? Want to cement our permanent partnership in bed?”
Ellen took a deep breath, then met his eyes boldly. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Johnny threw back his head and laughed. Then he picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom.
Her clothes didn’t fall to the floor like rain. They had to be awkwardly unbuttoned and unclasped. And while the sight of his naked body thrilled her, she couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t fully aroused. She told herself that this must be normal, that after all, he was over forty and he worked long hours. Only teenagers were in a state of perpetual readiness and she really ought to do something to help him, but she wasn’t sure exactly what it should be.
“Hold on a sec, Babe. And keep it nice and hot for me.”
They weren’t the romantic words she’d longed to hear, but Ellen smiled up at him anyway as he picked up his pants and carried them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.
It seemed to take a very long time to do whatever he was doing in there. Ellen shut her eyes and prayed that everything would be all right. What if he’d guessed that she was a virgin and decided it wasn’t worth it? Or what if he was sitting in there, trying to think of a nice way to tell her that she didn’t turn him on?
By the time he came out, at least five minutes later, Ellen was a bundle of nerves. And then, without a single word or even a kiss, he was probing between her legs and pushing himself inside of her.
She must have fallen asleep, after, because when she woke up, Johnny was gone. She switched on the light and found the note.
You’re terrific, Babe. Wish we could do it again, but I’ll be a nice guy and let you sleep. J.
Ellen slipped the note into a drawer and sighed deeply. It hadn’t been at all what she’d expected, but she remembered her college roommate telling her the first time was a disappointment and after that, it was heavenly. She must have done something right because Johnny had written that she was terrific. She could kick herself for falling asleep, but there would be plenty of other opportunities now that they were lovers at last.
Her new dress was in a crumpled heap by the side of the bed and she hung it carefully in her closet. She’d go right out tomorrow and order another, maybe two, in different colors.
The nap she’d taken had refreshed her and she felt sexy and elegant as she ran a hot bubble bath and relaxed in the steaming water. When she climbed out of the tub, she put on the lovely silk robe Johnny had given her for Christmas and glanced in the mirror. Her hair was perfect, it hadn’t lost its body at all, and she knew she’d never looked better. She wandered into the living room and poured herself a glass of champagne, feeling like a woman of the world as she sipped it. Even though it was almost midnight, she was wide-awake. There was work to do on her new mannequin design, but what she really wanted to do was make love with Johnny again.
Ellen began to smile as a wonderfully bold idea occurred to her. Johnny’s note had said he wanted to make love again. Why should she make him wait? He’d given her a key to his apartment just last week in case she needed to get something from the files. A second glass of champagne helped Ellen make up her mind. She needed to feel Johnny’s arms around her again, his body pressing against hers.
Ellen shivered slightly. The tile floor in the elevator was cold beneath her bare feet, but she didn’t bother to go back after her slippers. She was sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet her lover. It reminded her of countless romance novels.
The ride seemed to take forever, but at last the elevator came to a stop on the fourth floor. Ellen fairly ran down the hallway and opened Johnny’s door. There was a light in the living room, but he wasn’t there. Then she heard water running in the shower. She’d climb into his bed and be waiting when he came out.
Johnny had a heated water bed and Ellen giggled as she got under the covers. This was definitely a night for firsts and she could hardly wait to make love on a water bed. She had just settled down when she heard Johnny laughing over the sound of the shower. That was odd. Lots of people sang in the shower, but she’d never heard of anyone who laughed.
Ellen got out of bed and padded over to listen at the bathroom door. She had almost decided to open the door and ask him what was so funny, when she heard another voice. A woman’s voice.
“I missed you, Johnny. What took you so long?”
Ellen gripped the edge of the door so hard, her knuckles turned white. It was Vanessa! She’d taught Ellen how to dress, given her advice on how to attract a man, and even helped her with her makeup. Ellen had poured her heart out to Vanessa, thinking she’d found a friend, and here she was in the shower with Johnny!
“Couldn’t be helped, Babe. I told you I had to go up to Ellen’s place.”
“You spend more time with her than you do with me.” Vanessa sounded slightly miffed. “And you know my time is limited. Hal keeps me under lock and chain whenever he’s home.”
“But you still manage to slip away, don’t you?” Johnny chuckled. “And if I’m not home, you knock on Marc’s door. He told me you were up there twice last week.”
“What else can I do? You know I’m not getting any at home, and a girl like me gets lonely. But you made me wait for over two hours and I was bored out of my skin.”
“I told you I’d be gone for a while. And I made up for it when I got back, didn’t I?”
“You sure did.” Vanessa gave a contented sigh. “So what’s going on, Johnny? I know Ellen’s crazy about you because she told me. What are you going to do when she gets romantic?”
Johnny groaned. “That’s what happened tonight. You should have seen her, all dressed up and acting sexy, trying to drag me to bed.”
“So what did you do?”