Mary gave him a look that could suture an open wound.
‘Alright.’ Quaddra took a step back, but that didn’t stop him from trying one more time. ‘Hear me out here, OK? Why don’t we have a drink and wait for an hour or so? Maybe the rain will have stopped by then. I didn’t get a chance to show you my bar… or my wine collection. I’m sure we’ll be able to find something to your liking.’
‘No.’ Mary firmly shook her head. ‘No more drinks tonight… but I’ll take a glass of water before I go, if that’s OK?’
Mary was clearly determined not to stay. Pushing any harder, Quaddra knew, wouldn’t be a good move. ‘Of course.’ He nodded. ‘I’ll get it for you.’
Quaddra took Mary downstairs and into the kitchen. As he pulled the fridge door open, the light from inside illuminated part of his naked figure.
Mary paused, her eyes taking in every inch of his body. ‘I’m going to go get my clothes,’ she quickly said before desire took over again.
In the entry hall, Mary scooped her dress from the floor and slipped it back on before reaching for her shoes.
Quaddra brought her the glass of water and while Mary drank it down in large gulps, he collected his underwear and trousers from the floor and quickly put them back on.
‘Thank you,’ she said, returning the glass to Quaddra.
They locked eyes one final time.
‘Me asking again,’ Quaddra said, ‘won’t make you change your mind, will it?’
‘No.’
Quaddra nodded. ‘OK.’ He reached for his tuxedo jacket andretrieved his phone from the inside pocket. ‘At least let me call you a cab.’
‘No, it’s OK. I can call one myself.’ She slipped into her heels and threw her shawl around her shoulders.
‘OK, hold on,’ Quaddra lifted both hands at her. ‘Give me just five seconds, OK?’ He pointed upstairs. ‘Please don’t leave before I’m back. I promise that I’m not going to try to keep you here. Five seconds… please?’
Quaddra standing shirtless in front of Mary, with his arms, pecs and abs still gleaming with perspiration was a sight to behold. Mary could feel her nipples starting to harden under her dress once again.
‘OK.’
Quaddra dashed away.
‘What have I just done?’ Mary asked herself.
Seconds later, Quaddra reappeared carrying a long overcoat.
‘Please take this,’ he offered it to Mary.
‘Oh no, it’s fine,’ Mary replied. She didn’t reach for the coat. ‘The rain isn’t that heavy.’
As if on cue, right then, lightning lit up the sky outside, quickly followed by a crack of thunder.
They both turned to look at the window.
‘I think the rain disagrees with you,’ Quaddra said, still holding out the coat. ‘Just take it, Mary, please. It’s raining… it’s cold outside… and all you have is that shawl.’
Another lightning bolt. Another crack of thunder.
Once again, Quaddra seemed to have read between the lines, picking up on Mary’s hesitation. ‘If you’re worried about you having to return the coat back to me,’ he shook his head, ‘you don’t really have to. Keep it… throw it away… or better yet, drop it at a homeless shelter. It’s a good coat… warm. Let someone who needs it more than us have it.’
Mary thought about it for an extra second before finally giving in and reaching for the coat. It was certainly too big for her, butit was warm and it would no doubt keep her dry. As she put it on and buttoned it up, she saw the label on the inside and her eyes widened. It was a Tom Ford coat, which was probably worth at least five thousand dollars.
‘Can I say something else before you leave?’ Quaddra asked. There was a sliver of sadness in his tone.
Mary held his stare.
