I Remember It All

Chapter 1I woke and stretched my arms wide out to the side. What a wonderful feeling. I felt great. I hadn’t been this relaxed, or this rested, in months. Whatever I did yesterday seemed to have agreed with me, so I opened my eyes and looked around. My God! This wasn’t my room! This wasn’t even my bed, not that my bed might be in someone else’s bedroom! I was lying on the silkiest sheets I’d ever felt, although they were quite wrinkled. It looked like they had been really well-used last night. I looked around me. This was also the most magnificent room I’d ever seen, but I was alone…and naked. Something must have happened. What? Had I been in bed with someone? Duh! Did we have s*x? Double duh! I wiggled my hips to see how they felt. They felt like they had had a bit of action lately. So, yes, I had had s*x. But whoever it was wasn’t here anymore. I’d been abandoned! I sat up. Where was I? For the first time in my entire life, I couldn’t remember. That was really, really strange. I looked around the room. It was perfectly decorated with beige-colored walls and light green woodwork and curtains. The furniture was light ash-colored and superbly organized. Everything was in its place and set artistically on the dresser. The pictures of flowers hung neatly on the wall, along with a few photos. Everything was strategically placed where it made sense aesthetically. Someone organized? Then it hit me: the dinner at the steakhouse, the kiss, the rolling-out-of-the-driveway car incident, the glass of brandy to calm me down, then the second kiss…then…what the f**k! It had been an incredible night! How could I forget something like that? We had made love for hours! Darlene! Of course. My accountant, the CPA. Who was more organized than a certified public accountant? Of course, I knew that CPA really stood for Cosmic Planetary Alliance, the largest confederation of planets in the galaxy, but Darlene insisted that the letters related to her business acumen. So, what the hell, let her believe what she wanted if it made her feel better. A gazillion other entities would laugh at her about it, but I wouldn’t bother her with that piece of information right now. Damn, it takes my mind a while to shift into gear in the mornings! I never realized it before. It must have been a spectacular night to have thrown my memories that far off! I knew where I was. Of course, I did. We had made love last night, again and again. It had been an incredible night. We couldn’t stop, even when we were both completely sated and out of breath and energy. We kept going…and going…like that pink bunny with the bass drum. But where was Darlene now? Where did she go? Why had she left? And now, more importantly, what happened to my clothes? Good God! I was naked and alone. What should I do? I should find my clothes and go home, that’s what I should do. If she couldn’t wait for me to wake up, she must not have had as a good time last night as I thought she did, so I’d better get out of here. I looked at the floor around the bed and grabbed my clothes from where they’d fallen into a pile last night. I dressed quickly and started down the hallway toward the living room and the front door. “Joanie? Where are you going?” I looked back. I was just about to reach for the doorknob. Darlene was standing in the kitchen doorway in a soft, sexy, hunter green, silk robe that clung to her curves like it was filled with magnets. Good Heavens! Even her beautiful golden-brown hair was shiny as it caressed her shoulders. She was tempting…but…she had a giant knife in her hand. Was she threatening me? Had I been that bad? I said, “I thought you had left.” “This is my house. Why would I leave?” She gave me a what-the-hell look. “I thought maybe I had done something last night to turn you off. I thought maybe I snored, or gritted my teeth, or something.” “Oh, no, not at all,” she said. There was a sexy soft grin on her face again. “Then why did you walk out on me?” I asked, planting my feet firmly on the floor. “I didn’t walk out on you. I came out here to make us some breakfast.” She used the chef’s knife to point back into the kitchen. “Are you kidding me? I get breakfast, too?” I was completely flummoxed. I was out of my depths. I’d never actually been with a woman in her own home the morning after. Well, I had been in a couple, but it was always on a workday or when there was something we had to do right away. I’d been in dorm rooms, hotel rooms, and even my own room at home a time or two, but this was definitely a first for me. I didn’t know what to expect. Was that normal? Her face broke into a grin. “Yes,” she said. “You get breakfast, too. I think it has something to do with what the Rustkins or Roshins do.” “You remember them?” I thought she said she didn’t believe in extraterrestrials. I’d only mentioned the Ruskans once, that I remember, and their tradition of closing business deals with food, if they hadn’t killed each other in the transaction settlement. “Joan Howell. There’s nothing you say that I can ever forget.” “I didn’t realize last night was a business deal.” Was she regarding our s****l encounter as business? Yes, it had been quite exhilarating, and we were both still alive, but it wasn’t really what the Ruskans had in mind. They celebrated having s*x in a totally different way, but I wasn’t in a mood to teach her that ritual. I wasn’t even sure I could remember it all. It usually took seven hours to perform. “Well, we did discuss my handling your stocks and your donations.” “Oh, right,” I exclaimed. “I was just thinking of the s*x part. I forgot what we discussed before that.” Darlene shook her head in wonder with the cutest smile. “Now, come in here and sit down at the table. I was going to serve you breakfast in bed, but seeing you’re up…and dressed…” “I can go back to bed if you want. I don’t want you to change your plans just for me.” I started to unbutton my shirt, but she held her hand out. Darlene chuckled, her eyebrows raised. “Just for you? Of course, it was just for you. I don’t usually bring my breakfast back into my bedroom.” She held her hand up. “Now, don’t take your clothes off again. Not that I wouldn’t like to see your stunning body once more, but we’re both up and dressed, to some extent…Oh, Joan Howell, you are so out there!” Out where? I was standing in her living room. I suppose, compared to her kitchen, I could be considered out there. I didn’t know what the hell to say to that. And my stunning body? Yes, I was fit because I spent every day outdoors working on my land and interacting with my animals, but next to Darlene’s? She was trim, too, but not skinny. She had a nice shapely body, but you could tell she had a desk job. Still, it was quite astounding to see her naked, each curve just the right angle and thickness. She was the one with the stunning body, not me. So I spewed the first thing that came into my mind. “I didn’t say good morning yet.” She looked at me, waiting. “Good morning,” I said as I stepped forward. I was right up in her face. I was close, so very close. I was about to kiss her. “Good morning to you, too,” she said as she placed a little kiss on my lips. I was just starting to deepen the kiss when she stepped back. I guess I was too slow. “Come into the kitchen and sit at the table. Breakfast is almost ready.” She turned and went back to the stove. “Actually, pour yourself a cup of coffee on your way.” She set the knife down next to a slab of bacon she’d just sliced and placed several bacon strips into a frying pan. It started sizzling immediately. I turned to her coffee maker and picked up the empty blue mug sitting beside it. “This cup okay?” I asked. “Yes, that one’s for you.” “Thanks.” I poured the cup of coffee and slid over to the table. I sat at a place so I could look out her kitchen window at the beautiful flowers in her garden outside. It was still early spring, but I guess she’d planted some that were grown in a hot house. They looked wonderful for this early. I imagine they’d be thriving when May rolled around. “About last night…” I started. “I had a wonderful time,” Darlene said, “from when we sat down at the restaurant until I fell asleep.” “Really?” That surprised me. I wasn’t sure she enjoyed the beginning of the evening. “Well, all except for when your car rolled out of the driveway.” She turned to look at me with a concerned look on her face. “No. That wasn’t fun at all,” I replied. “But other than that, I really enjoyed last night. Didn’t you?” I was amazed! She was really saying that? “Well, yes, of course, I did. I had a fabulous time. I enjoyed it even more than last year’s sci-fi cons.” She sniffed although there was a smile on her face. “Oh, good. I’m more fun than a science fiction convention.” “I didn’t mean it like that,” I said, softly. Good God, I’d have to watch what I say. How could one person compare herself to the thousands that roamed around those things? But I knew she’d never been to one, so how would she know? She walked over and placed a plate on the table in front of me. “I know. I just love how you express things.” My mind flashed back to last night. Yes, my car had rolled right out of her driveway and into the street. * * * * We had just come back from the restaurant. I had kissed her, and she had gone into the house. What had she thought? I wondered. She’d said the dinner was special. Just the dinner? Not me? Why had she gone out with me, then? Why had she kissed me back, and still not invited me in? What was she thinking? Was she playing a game with me? I mean, we weren’t really dating. I’d taken her to dinner when she completed my taxes a couple months ago, but she’d been so busy, we hadn’t seen each other since then. She’s said she was tied up until after April 15th. So I had come here yesterday, April 16th and taken her to dinner. I thought we’d had a good time. I’d even talked to her about financial things I’d read in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and other financial mags. I’d tried to stay away from anything science fiction. I knew more about that than anything, but she’d said she didn’t believe in extraterrestrials, so rather than get into an argument, I steered our conversation to her things. Was this a dead end, or did she want me to make the next move? Damn! I’d made the last three next moves. Wasn’t it her turn? Of course, it was. I turned the car back on and switched into reverse. Wait! She still hadn’t said whether she’d handle my investments or not. I got out of my car and marched up to her door and rang the bell. I waited. As she opened the door, I heard screeching of brakes and car horns blasting. What the f**k? I turned to see my car out in the street. One car had stopped about an inch before. It would have crashed into me if it hadn’t swerved out of the way. I ran out there. Two other drivers were already out of their cars, screaming and swearing. One look at me and one of the big men blamed everything on women drivers. If I hadn’t been so confused by the whole thing, I might have punched him out. I quickly apologized and slammed myself into my car. Should I just back up all the way and go home or pull back into Darlene’s? I didn’t know what I should do. These guys had me totally befuddled. Everyone was yelling at me. I looked up to see Darlene waving me back into her driveway. Damn! Okay. I pulled up and stopped the car, turned the engine of, and set the brake with as much force as I could muster. Darlene came up to my window. “Come inside,” she said softly. I put my head down to think about it. “Come on,” she said again, beckoning me to get out of the car. “It’s all right.”