David and Catherine Ch. 03

Back in the bathroom, she took off the shirt and skirt and looked at the effect of the tanning. It wasn't perfect by any means and you could vaguely see the outline of the bikini from the front but her back was very evenly tanned because she had always undone the strap, and her bottom had lost its snow white look. She was also pleased with her legs and feet which had regained their post-vacation tan. Catherine had just decided that she would have time to do her nails before lunch when the phone rang. "David here." announced the familiar voice, "Thanks for the note, Catherine. I hope you got my fax. Are you OK for Sunday night?"

Standing at the phone in just her panties, she could feel her heart pounding, butterflies fluttering in her stomach and her nipples hardening just at the sound of his voice. "David, how lovely to hear from you, and yes, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow," she replied as she rejected a ridiculous impulse to cover herself up and instead pulled her shoulders back. "It's just that I wondered whether you would like to advance dinner to this evening instead of tomorrow, because Pat has had his plans for the weekend changed and he has offered to do my shift tonight if I wanted. How would you be placed? ---- I can hardly wait to see you again."

"Oh David," she choked, not knowing whether she wanted to laugh or cry with relief, "I can hardly wait either. Tonight would be fantastic. When are you off 'til?"

"I was off from midday Sunday until Monday morning anyway, so until then. I'll have to make it up to Pat on some other occasion. Have to go Catherine, all hell is breaking loose! See you at seven but I'll phone if I can't get the booking changed. Love."

Catherine felt as excited as a school girl on her first date but without any of the schoolgirl's trepidation. She had originally thought that she might have needed the extra day to get the enormity of her experience with Joshua behind her, but that had steadily slipped into the pleasant past and she was now impatient to re-establish herself with David. The timetable was rapidly re-assessed. A quick lunch, a read of the morning paper, tidy up the flat, and get some flowers. Then a vigorous walk at about four to get her home by five and two hours in which to get ready.

It was another very warm day and she arrived home hot, but invigorated and purposeful, with a sense of physical well-being. She shed all her clothes and fed them into the washer, did six press ups and knee bends to ease her walking muscles and had a long warm shower. She dried herself thoroughly and walked through to her bedroom, gathered up the nail polish and retired to the settee, with its better light, where she carefully applied the nail polish to hands and feet. It was an excellent choice of colour and it complimented her tan very nicely. Feeling a bit naughty but very sensuous without any clothes on, she found her new shoes and put them on and stood in front of the long bathroom mirror - well pleased with the way her leg and thigh muscles shaped up and how her toenails looked in the new shoes. She often thought her ankles looked a bit 'robust' but David had a 'thing' about ankles that looked too thin to support the weight above them! Maybe the dress wasn't going to be too short after all, she thought wryly.

Since she hadn't heard from David to the contrary, she assumed that they would still meet at Logan Brown's so ordered a taxis for seven - being ten minutes late would be a change for her and she could make the grand entrance!

David had woken about midnight according to the clock he could see on the dressing table and found that he was still intertwined with Sukhi although he had slipped right out of her. As he stirred, so did she, so he kissed her lips gently and wondered if he should make his exit without further ado. Sukhi responded lazily to the kiss at first but became progressively more enthusiastic as she felt his body touching hers, by pressing herself into him. David made little or no reaction at first but her darting tongue soon started the pressure rising in his dick, which in turn seemed to excite her further. He rolled her onto her back and since everything was still fairly slippery with margarine, was able to enter her very easily. He wriggled around until he had maximum pubic engagement, then began a slow rotary movement which he increased in tempo as her breathing became faster and faster. Finally, when he sensed that she way almost ready to climax, he pushed himself up onto straightened arms and gave four rapid thrusts into her very innermost depths. They both came at about the same time, she with a short cry and he with a loud groan as semi-paralysis gripped his legs and collapsed him onto her.

Sukhi was in a deep sleep when David's stirring roused her. She felt deliciously relaxed, secure and comfortable and when his kiss touched her lips, she was easily aroused to respond. Although not properly awake, she rolled onto her back and felt the glorious sensation as he glided into her followed by the slow build up of excitement as he rotated on her clitoral area. Just as she felt she could not stand it any longer, her breath was taken away as four long strokes preceded the explosion that tore through her system yet again, giving her a peculiar sense of detachment from herself. She thought how wonderful the sensation was when still muzzy with sleep! Presently, she felt David slip out of her and draw the bedclothes over her. Soft lips brushed hers and a distant voice thanked her for a memorable and wonderful evening and told her that she really was gorgeous.

David was in a bit of a panic when he left Sukhi's flat, as he had not advised anybody at the hospital that he would not be on the precinct during the evening. A simple trip to the supermarket had evolved into an evening he would never forget and he just hoped that there had not been any crisis that he would have been expected to solve. It was with considerable relief that he noted that the message light on his phone was unlit when he returned to the flat. Back in the flat he felt so totally exhausted that he fell into bed without even bothering to shower, simply setting the alarm to allow time to have one before he started in the morning.

It was with some surprise, if not a little guilt, that he received Catherine's note of apology and an invitation to meet. Why on earth hadn't it happened the day before so that he wouldn't now be having such guilty feelings about meeting her again. Truth was that given the turmoil he was suffering, he could scarcely offer to meet her this evening even though that was the outcome he most wanted. As he thought about it, he decided that he better give himself a bit of space and should claim that he could not get off duty until a few days later - today being Thursday, Sunday should be OK. And rather than risk speaking to her, he would send a fax proposing that they meet for dinner at Logan Brown's place on the corner of Cuba and Vivien Streets. Once that was sent, he found himself pondering on the likelihood of a relationship starting with Sukhi if Catherine had remained obdurate and Sukhi had not been keen to get back to Joshua. He had not had many relationships with other women, but he found himself having a flash-back to another occasion when he had an explosive encounter with an older woman, which was just as unexpected. Mandy was married to the farmer on their rear boundary and he went hot and cold every time he thought of the possible implications for both families if it had ever been discovered. He remembered his fascination with her golden brown skin, so evenly tanned all over - perhaps that was why the chemistry worked so suddenly with Sukhi.

In any event, he believed that he would never have allowed the situation to develop with Sukhi, had he been aware of the probability of reconciliation with Catherine, so he wasn't quite sure why he felt guilty. Maybe it was simply the vividness of the very recent experience, that time would overcome, before he would feel able to relate unconditionally to Catherine again. However, he needed to 'sign off' with Sukhi first, having felt that his sudden exit was less than satisfactory, whatever the imperatives that required it. On an impulse, he phoned a florist and arranged for a posy bowl to be delivered, something that would survive in the event that she was not at home to receive them immediately, along with a message that only she would understand. "Hope your leg is well and truly on the mend. Be sure to continue exercising it. David". He knew that it would have been stiff and sore this morning so she would have no trouble explaining either the flowers or the note to anybody who might see them.

This action was almost like an exorcism and he felt able to turn his mind to thinking about the Sunday evening meeting and dinner - and Catherine, bless her. He felt almost mushily sentimental when he thought about what a nice natured and lovely person she was, and nearly turned an impressionable young nurse to jelly with the radiant smile he gave her as she walked passed.

The rest of Thursday passed in a bit of a dream and a couple of colleagues wanted to know whether he had won a lottery or something, he seemed so pleased with himself! By the end of Friday, he wondered why he had bothered to postpone their meeting until Sunday but it wasn't until Saturday morning that he thought he would phone to see whether she could meet him on Saturday instead, unless she had committed herself to some other engagement. He would explain the change with another 'white lie' that Pat had offered to exchange a duty with him. He squeezed a phone call in between patients and was delighted that Catherine was able to come and thrilled by how pleased she sounded to hear from him. He just hoped that Logan Brown would be as accommodating and that his florist could whip up a corsage before she closed on Saturday. He thought an orchid would be nice, a bit old fashioned but he did want to start off on the right foot. And as luck would have it, Logan Brown could accommodate two early diners, provided they were not late arriving and did not mind leaving at 9.30 as they had an after-theatre show booked in from 10.00. David was able to assure the receptionist that they would be there on the dot and would not mind in the least if they had to leave early. In fact he was secretly pleased that there was going to be a finite time in the restaurant because it would force an early decision on what happened after that, and he was developing a few ideas about that.

As soon as his duty finished at 6.00, he raced back to his flat, showered, shaved once again and applied liberal quantities of the latest after-shave. Put on the new shirt and tie he had found time to purchase Friday evening and phoned the enquiry counter to see whether some flowers had been left there for him. He was relieved to hear from the woman answering the phone that it was beautiful and who was the lucky lady? He drove around to the A & E entrance, collected the flowers and set off for Logan Browns, scared he might be late, knowing how punctual Catherine usually was. He parked the car and made it into the restaurant, somewhat breathless, but with five minutes to spare.

It was a relief that she had not beaten him there, as it gave him time to gather his wits, so he was shown the table, organised the wine and parked himself on a bar stool that was strategically placed to see all who came through he door. After five minutes with no sign of her, he ordered a short scotch and instead of drinking it leisurely, demolished it with one swallow and was surprised at how tense he must have been to do that. Still no Catherine! Surely she wasn't going to stand him up, or had he given the wrong instructions? She might have had an accident. The excitement that had been boiling up was slowly giving way to that awful sinking feeling and the growing certainty that he should have offered to collect her from the flat.

About that moment, Catherine had alighted from the taxi, pulled down on the dress and smoothed her skirt, pulled her shoulders back and thought, somewhat ruefully, that this was about to be the saving or otherwise of their relationship. The real moment of truth when fuzzy memories and hopeful desires met face to face with the actual chemistry of the instant. Would either or both of them feel the same about each other when they actually met again, or had the circumstances of the separation merely been the excuse for a developing disaffection? Would elements of the somewhat unnerving encounter with Joshua, come between them? Well, there was no use reflecting on that now, this was when the rubber met the road, as the boys would say, so she took a deep breath and entered the foyer.

He was just about to get off the stool so that he could pace around outside, when he suddenly focussed on the entrance door as it opened - and, there she was. What a knock-out she looked with her hair piled up, her lightly tanned skin contrasting with the very smart black dress and trailing her black and silver threaded stole in her hand. David was momentarily transfixed, as indeed was every other male that happened to be looking at the door at that moment, and really only came back to reality when she suddenly spotted him sitting at the bar and smiled at him. Her shy, but warm, smile melted any uncertainty that he might have felt about the outcome of this meeting and he leapt to his feet and strode towards her. They met half way and in view of the audience, exchanged only a semi- formal peck on the lips, but the pressure of their fingers as their hands touched was far more meaningful.

Catherine's heart leapt as she saw him sitting on the stool staring at her with his, not altogether unusual, harassed look on his face, that dissolved into the loveliest smile when she caught his eye. I must have been mad, she thought as she walked towards him and embraced.

He led her back to the bar and offered her the vacant bar stool that he had reserved with the corsage, which he then presented to her. The orchid was a very light cream colour with a rusty red tinge at the tips of the petals which matched her outfit so well that she thought that he must have guessed the colours of her dress and nail polish that she was going to wear. "Oh David, it really is so lovely ---" was mixed up with " I was afraid it wouldn't go with ---" and they both laughed as the tension began to evaporate. Catherine draped her stole over the bar and affixed the orchid to her dress, hoping that the pin wouldn't pull the fabric unduly since there was nothing else under it to support it. David was unable to take his eyes off her and he longed to let his fingers run up the satin-like skin of her bare arms and follow round her shoulders to her gorgeous back, so it was with a struggle that he pulled himself back to the details of the moment. "We have a problem," he said, "in that we have to eat almost immediately so that we can be out of here by nine thirty. Would you like a quick drink here or start with the red I've selected to have with dinner?"

Catherine smiled inwardly at the prospect of feeling his arms around her sooner rather than much later, as staff here tended to stretch dinner service out all night so that you would drink more in between courses. Their legs met under the bar overhang as she swung towards him, giving her an unmistakable signal that he would prefer not to dally unnecessarily over dinner! "Let's eat now, and I'll have some red wine while we are waiting for the food - anyway, the bar is becoming very crowded," she responded.

He lead her to the table they had been allocated and caught the eye of the waiter who came over with the opened wine he had ordered and left with the promise to alert the table waiter immediately. They touched glasses in a silent toast and then drank deeply.

Conversation started neutrally enough with gossip about friends and events that had occurred in the three week period of separation. Then apropos of nothing in particular, David reflected that she not only looked absolutely stunning, but still completely captivated him, and, what would he need to do to make sure that she did not suffer another bout of insecurity? "Bearing in mind that I cannot always predict the actions of others," he concluded. Catherine was a little non-plussed by the directness of the question but more than pleased by the unequivocal declaration of purpose. "You know, I really can't say. Believe me, I have hardly thought about anything else since you left, and what started as something so clear and certain in my mind, petered out to the point where I then couldn't understand how I had thought it in the first place! I'm just so sorry I put you through so much anguish and gave myself so much misery. So I don't know whether there is really anything that you could or shouldn't do, and all I can promise you is that I do love you dearly, and will rely on that in the future. My question in return is, can you forgive me?"

David reached across and held her hand, " It can't be all your fault. If I hadn't unsettled you in some way, you would have ignored the stupid girl! However, I have learned one thing and that is not to take your love for granted."

Their legs pressed together under the table and he felt a growing tightness in his trousers. He leaned forward and lifted her foot into his lap. "I wish we weren't here," he whispered, "I would like to smother you in kisses and do unmentionable things to you - right now!"

The all too familiar butterflies raged in Catherine's stomach as she withdrew her foot, fiddled with the buckle and replaced her foot in his lap minus the shoe. "I can hardly wait to feel your hands on my back and to have you inside me," she replied with a slight blush.

He fondled the bare foot in his lap and let his hand slip up the soft skin as far as it would reach. The sensation in his fingertips as it traversed her calf was as if he was directly wired into her, and he was not only mildly astonished at what she had done and the explicitness of her response, but also incredibly excited by it. He hitched his chair closer to the table and slipped forward slightly so that she could feel his erection with her toes. She leaned back in her chair and looked as if she might faint, "Oh, do stop it David," she breathed as she sat up and glanced around to make sure nobody was watching them. "I feel so moist that I'm sure it will be showing through my dress. Let's just have one course so we can get out of here as soon as possible."

The waiter appeared and, as if by common assent, they both ordered an uncomplicated fish dish that would be both quick to prepare and eat. David finished his wine and refilled their glasses. "Catherine, promise never to not look back from here and--- what about marrying me? I planned to wait for a more romantic moment, but I just can't rest until I hear you say yes!"

Catherine dived for her evening bag beside the chair and retrieved a handkerchief which she dabbed to her eyes. David was panic struck by her reaction, "Are you OK?" "Of course I am, you silly beggar," she managed to blubber, "I'm just so happy!" at which point her tears really flowed. She reached across to grasp his hand with the hand not fully engaged in mopping up the tears, "Yes! Yes I will David. Yes, of course I will marry you."

They finished the wine to celebrate their new found status - engaged to be married - and each was momentarily bewildered by the implications of what next and where to from here. The waiter arrived with their orders, which postponed further joint exploration of the consequences as they addressed themselves to working through the meal with, what many might have thought, indecent haste. Fortified by half a bottle of wine each and tingling with excitement and desire, they pushed their plates back and signalled for the waiter to bring the account. Catherine draped her stole over one shoulder and visited the toilet while David paid the bill, and was relieved to discover that her dress was not showing any marks. They both emerged in the foyer together and she slipped her arm though his as they left to find the car.