He pulled on his jacket and checked the straightness of his tie in the mirror that hung between the front door and the bottom of the stairs. Happy, Morgan took Lisa’s hand and helped her to her feet. They gazed at each other lovingly for a second and he leaned in to kiss her perfect red lips.
“No, my make up is good,” she said, stopping him with fingertips on his chest. “Here,” she said, turning her face to the side to expose her neck.
He wasted no time in planting his lips against the warm flesh of her soft pale neck. He breathed in her scent, perfumed and full of feminine magic. It instantly aroused him. He wanted to kiss and lap at it with his tongue, hold her close and close his jaw around her vein. He resisted, somehow. They shared a smile, hooked arms and galloped out the door.
The day had been muggy but clouds had moved out and what was left of the day was shining bright sunshine with a cool breeze. Lisa’s mood had lifted and they snapped along the street with glee and the happiness of being together. She talked gossip about her friends which was always an evolving subject. Morgan made no objection as he knew it was a good distraction for her. Less than 10 minutes after leaving the flat they were descending steps into a tube station and two stops later they were coming back up. They made their way to a cocktail bar they knew would be quiet at this time. Inside were a few other business types cooling off from a hot week.
They parted instantly, Lisa making her way to the bar and Morgan claiming a booth they frequented. At the bar, Lisa took only two minutes to catch the attention of a barkeep who recognised her. As he prepared their drinks an uncharacteristically young group of women entered the bar noisily. The barman was pleased to see them. They were uniform in tight, short party dresses, fake tan, accentuated brows and heavy foundation. The only one who stood out was the shortest of the group whose dress stopped above the curve of her buttocks making it look like she was bursting out. They were loud and gobby, young and excited. Lisa admired their freedom and lack of commitments. These girls probably had nothing more than Monday morning to worry about.
The bartender brought drinks and Lisa handed over a twenty, abandoning the change as gratuity. At the booth she shuffled in close to Morgan and placed a hand on his thigh. They clinked glasses and she smiled a bright eyed smile of clean white teeth and genuine happiness; no small feat after the day she’d had. They sat mostly in silence as they drank, slowly watching the world go by.
Morgan liked to look at her while she was preoccupied. He enjoyed the way her eyes moved and studied the world; the way they focused on whatever held her attention. She was watching the group of girls, dressed to the nines with party dresses that gave away all their modesty. Their legs were stunning but their makeup ridiculous. Each one of them sported long silky hair which had clearly taken hours and tons of product to prepare. Lisa was entertained by their presence. Was she yearning for a simpler time in her life, he wondered?
After another minute or so of watching the girls cackle and scream excitedly at each other, Lisa turned to him, let out a deep breath and said, “thank you for being in my life!”
They both laughed together. She kept his hand on his thigh as they slowly sipped their drinks, talking about very little but looking into each other’s eyes. When they were finished, the picking up of Lisa’s clutch was the only cue needed to leave. They walked back the way they came, the city loud in their ears and the mild breeze in their hair as they made their way home. Lisa’s arm held his tightly. There was no question of her love through this simple act of ownership.
When they descended into the tube station they made a run for a train which waited silently on the platform. Her heels got the better of her suddenly and she slipped, one ankle collapsing towards the other in a sudden jolt. The motion caused a scrape which Morgan reacted to quickly, shifting his balance to catch her before she fell away. In no time she was righted and steady, the whole thing no more than a second of broken pace which resulted only in him holding her tighter. Momentum was on their side and Morgan hurried her through the doors, on to the train. He caught a handrail from above which he used to steady both of their bodies, him catching her almost like a net.
Lisa was overwhelmed by the dual feelings of being rescued twice in the same moment by this handsome man and felt a tingle of pleasure in the security which she realised he naturally embodied and filled her with. She leaned against his chest once again as the train bolted loudly through the tunnels of the underground.
At home, Morgan boiled the spaghetti in no time, just long enough to lightly toast some sourdough in a drizzle of garlic infused olive oil on a grill pan. Once boiled he drained the pasta, returned it to the saucepan and added a ladle full of sauce for each of them and stirred it through. He twisted it on a carving fork and lay a serving each in two warm dishes; finishing it with a dusting of Parmesan and a leaf or two of basil.
Lisa was filling glasses with red wine as he brought the dishes to the table along with the accompanying bread. She handed him a glass and they clinked once again with her slowly blinking in affection as she sipped and surveyed the dish placed before her. The smell was intoxicating, almost arousing.