Lacy pulled into the parking lot not believing she was actually there again, two towns over, never knowing what to expect and never anticipating her own reactions. She was a school principal for Christ’s sake, he a teacher. This should never had gone on for as long as it did. And yet here she was again, this time under no pretense, no threats, no punishments to be doled out. She was here of her own free will. That scared her a little. The things he did to her should have been reported to…to…she didn’t know. What’s worse, she enjoyed it. That’s what made her hesitate.
She thought about how this man made her rise to such excitement, and he did it in ways that were, for lack of a better word, naughty. She never thought of herself as such, never even considered that perhaps under the layers of clothing she wore was someone or something that had desires that fringed on being perverse. Yet here she was again. Wrong and right no longer had a place in her decisions concerning this man. There was only the adventure.
Her mind made up, she parked the car, got out, and walked steadily for the hotel entrance. She left her concerns in the car and prepared herself for whatever surprises he had for her.
Eldritch had gotten his music player working through the hotel radio when he heard the knock. Always two, he noticed. While soft music came through the speaker he opened the door to allow Lacy in, as usual dressed like she just came from school in her dark blue blazer and knee length professional tan skirt, matching pumps and her auburn hair tied in a bun. Lacy, prepared for any surprise, was totally unprepared when she saw his attire.
“Pajamas?” she asked with a wide-eyed smile. He was wearing a set of light orange paisley pajamas with white cuffs and lapels. It was both stylish and sophisticated, not like their usual partial nakedness at all. “Won’t the handcuffs damage it?”
“No handcuffs today” he replied. “Nothing out of the ordinary in fact. I’ve prepared a nice evening for us. I already called room service for dinner, and I even have something for you to wear waiting in the bathroom.”
“Oh” she said. She felt a bit curious, and maybe a little disappointed.
“Let me help you with your shoes then you can go change, ok?”
“Um, okay” she said. He held her steady as she reached down and took off one shoe then the other. She still felt a little cowed by being in this room with him. At school she was in charge. But here…
“Ok now, go. I think you’ll like it.”
“Ok” she said, not knowing if her nervousness was from what would happen later or what was waiting for her in the bathroom. She headed for the door but not without giving him a final look. Eldritch remained where he was, a small smile on his face, a face of confidence, an infuriating sense of self that made her want to fire him so many times. She reached the bathroom door and walked in. And was surprised yet again, a gasp escaping her lips before she knew it.
So this is how he wants to play it, she thought. Ok, let’s do this.
Room service had delivered dinner and as Eldritch poured the wine Lacy exited the bathroom, dressed in a slinky, purple satin, ankle-length, low cut night gown with matching robe that draped gracefully on every curve of her body. She had let her hair down and it cascaded across her shoulders, bracketing her face in an aura of sensuality. She had applied some red, gold-flecked lipstick which made her lips shimmer in the lamp light. Her eyes held a look of innocence as if she didn’t know how she looked. But she knew.
Eldritch was not prepared for the vision of beauty standing before him. He knew she was beautiful, but the outfit accented her body to perfection. She parted her feet and shifted her weight to to the left, then pulled back the robe to show how it hung on her hips, and that vision alone made him fumble the wine. He tried to catch himself but it was too late, and he fumbled with the bottle and the glass, trying to recover and doing a bad job of it. He got himself under control and looked at her again, realizing he made a mistake. He wanted to seduce her, but seeing her like that made his heart beat faster.
“Maybe it’s better without the robe, could you help me?” She turned her back to him and held up the lapels of her robe for him to take.
He approached her slowly and took the robe from her, sliding it down her arms and exposing her bare shoulders under two spaghetti straps. He inhaled her scent through her hair, her skin. She tilted her head so that he could see and sense her, making Eldritch feel heady with her aroma, her skin, her closeness.
Lacy suddenly turned around. “What’s that music on the radio?”
“Wha..” Eldritch was so focused on her he forgot the radio was playing, because the world suddenly became her and she was all that existed. “Oh, uh, yeah, it’s…it’s a playlist I put together. Do you like it?”
“Dance with me”, and she put her arms around him, laying her head on his chest and holding him tight.
She is seducing me, Eldritch thought. And it’s working. He held her close, and their hips swayed slowly to the rhythm.
She pulled her arm back, let it slide up his chest to his neck, pulled on it to bring his lips to hers, kissed him fully on the lips, letting the sparks fly between them.
She was in charge this time, and there was nothing he could, or would, do about it.
Arid Testimony 