Dead Giveaway

“Hold on a sec, Babe. And keep it nice and hot for me.”

They weren’t the romantic words she’d longed to hear, but Ellen smiled up at him anyway as he picked up his pants and carried them into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

It seemed to take a very long time to do whatever he was doing in there. Ellen shut her eyes and prayed that everything would be all right. What if he’d guessed that she was a virgin and decided it wasn’t worth it? Or what if he was sitting in there, trying to think of a nice way to tell her that she didn’t turn him on?

By the time he came out, at least five minutes later, Ellen was a bundle of nerves. And then, without a single word or even a kiss, he was probing between her legs and pushing himself inside of her.

She must have fallen asleep, after, because when she woke up, Joh

You’re terrific, Babe. Wish we could do it again, but I’ll be a nice guy and let you sleep. J.

Ellen slipped the note into a drawer and sighed deeply. It hadn’t been at all what she’d expected, but she remembered her college roommate telling her the first time was a disappointment and after that, it was heavenly. She must have done something right because Joh

Her new dress was in a crumpled heap by the side of the bed and she hung it carefully in her closet. She’d go right out tomorrow and order another, maybe two, in different colors.

The nap she’d taken had refreshed her and she felt sexy and elegant as she ran a hot bubble bath and relaxed in the steaming water. When she climbed out of the tub, she put on the lovely silk robe Joh

Ellen began to smile as a wonderfully bold idea occurred to her. Joh

Ellen shivered slightly. The tile floor in the elevator was cold beneath her bare feet, but she didn’t bother to go back after her slippers. She was sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet her lover. It reminded her of countless romance novels.

The ride seemed to take forever, but at last the elevator came to a stop on the fourth floor. Ellen fairly ran down the hallway and opened Joh

Joh

Ellen got out of bed and padded over to listen at the bathroom door. She had almost decided to open the door and ask him what was so fu

“I missed you, Joh

Ellen gripped the edge of the door so hard, her knuckles turned white. It was Vanessa! She’d taught Ellen how to dress, given her advice on how to attract a man, and even helped her with her makeup. Ellen had poured her heart out to Vanessa, thinking she’d found a friend, and here she was in the shower with Joh

“Couldn’t be helped, Babe. I told you I had to go up to Ellen’s place.”

“You spend more time with her than you do with me.” Vanessa sounded slightly miffed. “And you know my time is limited. Hal keeps me under lock and chain whenever he’s home.”

“But you still manage to slip away, don’t you?” Joh

“What else can I do? You know I’m not getting any at home, and a girl like me gets lonely. But you made me wait for over two hours and I was bored out of my skin.”

“I told you I’d be gone for a while. And I made up for it when I got back, didn’t I?”

“You sure did.” Vanessa gave a contented sigh. “So what’s going on, Joh

Joh

“So what did you do?”

“I put her off. We spent some time talking about the business and then I hightailed it back down here to you.”

“And that’s all you did with Ellen? Just talk?”

“I sure didn’t jump in the sack with her if that’s what you mean! Relax, Babe. No reason to be jealous. There’s no way in hell I could get it up for Ellen.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe one way,” Joh

Ellen stifled a gasp. Not only was Joh

“You should be ashamed of yourself, Joh

“I should tell her she doesn’t turn me on?”

“No, that’d only hurt her feelings. You should say something like . . . uh . . .” Vanessa began to giggle. “That you really want to, but you’ve got a terrible disease and you don’t want her to get it.”

“Oh, sure. Or maybe I could tell her I got it shot off in the war.”

“Don’t be silly. Anyone who looks at you can tell that. . . never mind. Just think of a real good excuse that won’t hurt poor Ellen’s feelings.”

“Like what?”

“You could say that you respect her too much to treat her like a casual romp in the hay. Ellen’s i

“You’re really a good friend to her, aren’t you?” Joh

“Of course I am and I’ll scratch your eyes out if you ever touch her. There’s no way I want you to get all hot and bothered thinking about me and then waste it all on Ellen!”

Ellen came back to the present with a sigh, brushed away a tear that was rolling down her cheek, and straightened a little in her chair. When Joh