“Steve? Hi, it’s Jill. How are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m fine although a little surprised to hear your voice. It’s been a long time. Are you OK?”
“Well, that’s the reason I’m calling…” she said interjecting a poignant pause.
“What’s wrong? Is Art OK?”
“I think Art is fine, but you should know that he and I divorced several months ago. We thought we loved one another and he was a good guy, but our lives were just too different.”
“Jill, this comes as a bit of a shock. I don’t know what to say. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“At the moment I think I just need someone to talk to. You’ve always been such a great listener and at this point that is probably what I need most.”
“This is really difficult to do on a phone call. Do you want me to come down to Annapolis? You’re not that far away.”
“I don’t want to put you out or anything. I know that you have your own time commitments, but I really need someone to talk to. My parents wouldn’t understand and my mom gets too emotional and my dad would just get plain angry. If you could come down to see me that would be great.”
“Look it’s nearly midnight right now. How about meeting after work tomorrow. There is a Marriott at the foot of Gloucester Street. We can have a drink in the bar at 7:00 if that works.”
“That would be great. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for being there for me when I need you most.”
Steve let that thought linger as he flashed back to that evening before Jill’s wedding when what started out as a friendly visit recalling old times had ended up with him bedding her… twice. She was a very attractive woman who also had amazing smarts. “I bet that’s the root cause of the problem in their marriage,” he said to himself. “A lot of guys cannot handle a brainy woman and she is certainly brainy.
“But to be totally honest, I’m going to be 31 and worried that my biological clock will be running out and want to have a baby. Art wasn’t the least bit interested and did whatever he could to avoid the conversation,” she continued.
Now Steve did get to thinking. Art was a fool not wanting to have the opportunity to knock up Jill. Just the thought of his manhood being inside of her with those long legs wrapped around him was enough to get his motor running.
After work the next day, Steve got in the car, left the parking garage, and headed for I-95. Traffic at that hour was heavy and he made the decision to bail off the interstate and take Rt 301 down through the Delmarva Peninsula. Timewise would be about the same, but he detested having to sit in traffic. It was probably a good move because at a couple minutes past 7:00 he walked into the bar at the hotel.
Jill, just as classy as ever dressed in a plaid skirt, silk blouse, and stiletto heels, sat at a high top overlooking a view of the marina with a glass of white wine in front of her that looked like it hadn’t been touched.
“Waiting for someone in particular?” Steve asked walking up to her.
“Yeah, I am. There’s a certain special guy who is good at listening to me,” she said and then added, “Let’s have a drink and I can start my tale of woe.”
Steve sat down and then ordered a dry martini from the barmaid. The serious conversation would have to wait until after his drink came, but in the meantime his eyes drank in the incredibly attractive albeit saddened face that sat opposite him as they made small talk. Eventually, the martini arrived and the conversation took a more serious turn.
“So all day at work and then in the car on the way down here I kept thinking about what might have gone wrong between you and Art. Want to fill me in.”
“The first year went pretty well. We both had our jobs but made lots of time for each other. Our sex lives were great in case you were wondering.”
Steve wasn’t going to admit that he had been wondering but remembering the great evening that he had had with Jill he wasn’t surprised either.
“So, what happened or should I say ‘snapped’ between you two?”
“It was probably when I changed jobs. The small pharma company where I work now had recruited me at an astronomical salary figure. I was hired as the director of clinical studies. With my new salary I was easily making four to five times what Art was and I think it was just his male ego that couldn’t handle it.”
“Possible, but I think I’d sort of like it that my wife was so highly regarded.”
“Look, I don’t mind talking about this with you, but why don’t we finish our drinks and go back to my condo so that we aren’t in public.”
It sounded like a great suggestion, so Steve downed the rest of his martini, ate the olive, and left $30 on the table. Not more than 20 minutes later they arrived at Jill’s condo and he couldn’t help but notice what nice digs they were. Beautifully furnished with a great view of the water. What wasn’t there to like?
“How about I mix you another drink? I do have Hendrick’s gin and a fresh jar of olives.”
“Sounds good to me, so long as you aren’t trying to ply me with liquor and get me to take my clothes off.”
“Actually, that isn’t a bad idea. I haven’t been laid in nearly a year,” replied Jill, but then immediately blushed at what that sounded like and added, “Look, I didn’t ask you to come down to Annapolis so I could have you fuck my brains out.”
“I know and I don’t think I would have come if I had suspected that that was your motive,” Steve said as he watched Jill finish making his martini and adding the olive for garnish but let her last comment just hang in the air.
“Steve, you’re such a good guy. How come you don’t have a woman in your life yet?” Jill asked rather forwardly and then blushed again.
“I guess I’m just fussy. I’ve dated a few women, but none of them were special.”
“What do you mean by special?” she asked opening the fridge to take out a half-full bottle of Riesling and pouring herself a glass.
“I like someone who is intelligent so that we have something to talk about over breakfast. There’s a lot of good looking women out there who also know how to provide good sex, but not many can talk about anything of substance. Life would become really boring pretty quickly.”
At that explanation Jill choked on her glass of wine and the coughing was so intense that she spilled the contents of the glass she was holding all over her blouse. “Sorry, but you caught me unawares with that comment,” she said.