Chapter 5

Eric finished taking a shower and was clad in a blue pair of jeans and a yellow gold neck t-shirt. He loved perfumes and had a section of his wardrobe for that. He walked out of his apartment engaged in a short conversation with the doorman and proceeded to pick up Sandra. He was a few minutes early but he did not want to keep her waiting.

As she got out of the dance class all sweaty, Eric proceeded to open the passenger side of the car and quickly slide in. She was not used to receiving such gestures from a man. Her boyfriend, who was her first dud not care about such modesty. She smiled as they drove towards her apartment. "Which one is it?" Eric asked as she pointed to the building around the corner of 15th Avenue. Eric was taken aback but hid any display of emotion. That was one of the numerous apartments he owned. He never met Sandra because he hardly went to that apartment as he had estate agents who took care of all his apartments. He stepped out of the car and opened the door for her, his hands slightly brushing her thighs gently. Can I walk you to your door he inquired. " not a problem" replied Sandra as she looked into her bag to search for her keys.

As they got to her door, Eric watched as she opened her door and before he could say goodbye, she asked in a soft voice" would you like to come in for a cup of coffee?" He did not want to turn down the offer as he did not want to be seen as defining a class between them. He step into her apartment as she locked the door and put away her bag. He did not remember how small the apartment was. This was one of the earlier apartments he had built. The place was clean and everything seemed to be in place in her small space. There was a fresh flower by the window sill. He walked towards the window and peered into the streets. Such a nice view he said as he turned around to sit on a stool at the coffee table.

"Would you like your coffee strong? Asked Sandra. I always like my strong coffee Eric replied as he watched her behind. She quickly made two cups of coffee, set it on the table, and tired her hair up. Eric watched as she put up her hair, imagining how it would be when he ran his fingers through it. He proceeded to ask her about her plans for the future, and family. He wondered what a young girl fresh from high school was doing all alone in Arkansas. He did not want to tell her the apartment belonged to him as well as many others. He felt that would put her away. He liked the idea that she planned to register for nursing school this fall. She had a vision he thought to himself as he moved slightly brushing her leg with his knees. They talked and laughed for a while. She seemed to be settling in a bit not as uptight as when he first met her. He was glad.

He got up to leave as he had a very busy day tomorrow. She walked him to the door and as she moved close to unlock the door, he could no longer hold back his feelings. He pulled her close to him and kissed her. At first, she was stiff, tight-lipped. He continued kidding her and she eventually warmed up to him. Hearts beating pulling each other close. He lifted her and carried her through to the bedroom, His crotch was hard, he tore off her first and cupped her breasts in his hands kissing intimately. She moaned as he kissed both breasts, and stomach, moving slowly down to her thighs. She held him close enjoying every moment. He wanted to feel every inch of her body. As he slowly tore away her panties, he quickly undressed and asked "can I?" He did not want to impose himself on her. She moaned slowly….yes…yes…Eric slid into her gently and they both moved to the rhythm…slowing and then moving in heated rhythm until they both climaxed.

Sandra pulled the sheets up to cover her body while Eric just stroked her gently. She suddenly felt shy and did not want him gaming at her body. What had she done, she thought to herself how could she sleep with a man she barely knew oh no! There was no protection. She beat herself gazing in the opposite direction. Eric felt bad. He had promised he was not going to do anything that put pressure on her to make a decision. He knew he wanted her, not just for tonight. He got out of bed and put on his clothes. I will see myself out, he said as he walked towards the door.

As he walked out the door, Sandra sat up with teary eyes. She felt she had failed herself. She had promised to start away from men until she finishes her nursing degree. How could she let herself be so vulnerable? She walked to the shower and soaked herself in the bath for a while as though to wash his hands off her body. She thoroughly enjoyed him. This was what she always dreamed of. No, she thought to herself I will never see him again. I don't want anything to do with him. I'm sure he is just here to play around with me. I won't give in to him anymore. She continued in her thoughts as she drifted slowly to sleep.

Sandra was awakened by the alarm which she quickly turned off. It was Saturday and all she wanted to do was rest a few more hours, still feeling exhausted from last night. At 11 am, she dragged herself out of bed and walked lazily to the bathroom. She thereafter quickly fixed herself coffee and decided to go for a swim at the pool maintained by the complex of her apartment. Sandra needed to clear her head. She was determined to cut off all ties with Eric and maintain focus. He was just a distraction to her she thought. She enjoyed the pool, it was a stress reliever for her as she enjoyed the peace the waters offered to her.

The next couple of weeks were quiet. Eric feeling guilty at what had transpired between him and Sandra divided he would wait for her response to the letter he had written to her, the contents which read as follows:

"My dearest Sandra, I'm so sorry for what transpired between us. I enjoyed every bit of the time we spent together. Please believe me when I say I did not take advantage of you. I want to spend more time with you and get to know you better. I will not enforce myself on you as a sign of respect. Please let me know what you decide. I love you already"

Sandra decided she was bo5 going to respond to his request for further friendship. She had some feelings for him but shrugged it off every time the thought of him crossed her mind. She went about her daily work activities and dance class. She had applied to nursing college and was waiting for their response. At least this will keep her occupied and take her mind off Eric.

Two weeks after his first letter to Sandra, Eric decided to send another letter to Sandra with flowers. They were beautiful, she thought as she signed the receiver's form. She had an instinct of who had sent it and as she closed the door, she quickly read the small note attached to it. "Carefully selected for you, just as beautiful as you are. Love Eric" she tossed the card in the bin and smelt the flowers wither h eyes closed. Eric knew she loved flowers as he had previously seen one on her window sill. She put the flowers in the flower pot.

The next couple of days were hectic for Eric as he had to carry out some site inspections and sign off contracts as well as organize various meetings with shareholders. He enjoyed his work, he was hardworking and he always wanted to leave a legacy for his family. Now thinking of family, Eric wanted to expand his own family; he wanted more kids. Vacation with his kids was going to be enjoyable as well as a time to get away from work. His first son Dan was away in college and seldom came home. They were great together. Though he wanted him to study medicine in Arkansas, Dan opted to go to the college of medicine in Newcastle. He wanted to be on his own and wanted to be independent and that was one fight Eric never won. How he missed his son. It was still a couple of months before dan would visit.

Later in the evening when Sandra got home from work, the phone rang. As she picked up the phone, the voice from the other end aad "let's start all over again" she recognized the voice, it was eric. She started for a few seconds as the voice continued "dinner at 6?" She paused and responded "ok" and hung up the phone.

Eric was a stickler for timing and was at her door at exactly 6 pm. As he rang the doorbell. Sandra hurried to open the door and he said "shall we?" He brushed Sandra down with his eyes and had a smile on his face. She was dressed in a yellow sleeveless dress, knee length with ack medium heels. She looked beautiful as her hair was let down. Sandra breathlessly inhaled the scent of eric. It was sensual. She loved how smart he always looked. They walked down a few flights of stairs and drove off.

Eric had selected a classy restaurant downtown named Hotspot and had made the reservations earlier in the evening after he had spoken with Sandra. He loved the restaurant and he had visited it several times but this time it had a special meaning to him. He was taking the woman he has fallen in love with there. They had booked a table for two at the deck as he had requested and they had a view of a man made lake. It was beautiful.

Once they had ordered their drinks Eric out out his hand to hold Sandra and they both started to speak at the same time. You go first Eric started and she started out by apologising for not responding to his numerous attempts to reach out to her. She explained that she felt ashamed at her behaviour and did not know what he would think of her. Moreover, they don't belong to the same social class and she was not just ready for a relationship. He squeezed her hand slightly to make her stop and said "there is no class between us, class is what you make it to be" . I loved you from the first time I met you and I have never stopped thinking about you. Let's get to know each other. I promise to make it right with you and I won't pressure you to lay with me, not unless you want to. He finished off with a naughty smile.

They talked the rest of the evening enjoying their drinks and food. The lived the choice of restaurant Eric made. She loved seafood and was happy he had made their evening special. As the evening wore on, they both decided it was time to go home. Eric dropped Sandra off in her apartment and waited for her to go in before leaving for home.