Campaign for Love (29 page)

 

 

They agreed to meet at the nearest coffee shop again in an hour.

 

 

When they were together again, they had the good luck to hail a cab
right outside the door of Saks, and in a half an hour they were home
with all their booty.

 

 

They set up the tree on a coffee table in the living room. After
decorating it together, there was much scurrying and hiding as they
wrapped each other’s gifts and placed them under the tree.

 

 

After that she got out all her best china and serving pieces while
Quentin prepared the sweet potatoes, and cleaned and chopped salad
greens.

 

 

Suzanna made the stuffing and everything was put in the fridge until
the next day. They broiled a couple of burgers for dinner and had
them
with everything on them, and home fries and salad on the side.

 

 

When everything was put away, wrapped, or prepared, Quentin asked
Suzy
to play some Christmas music on the spinet. She played all of the
old
favorites, and they finished with ‘Silent Night.’

 

 

They watched all the Christmas specials, caught some Femme Fatale
Cosmetic and Imperial Foods commercials, snuggled on the sofa, and
went
to bed early.

 

 

Their mood was romantic, but strangely subdued. Once in bed, they
held
one another tenderly and reminisced about Christmases of their
childhood, treasured gifts received, families-parents and
grandparents-gathered around a table groaning with goodies. Both had
been only children, but with lots of cousins and friends.

 

 

Though he did not extend an invitation to meet any of his friends or
family, the way he had hers, she was not unduly alarmed. It was
early
days yet. No sense in forcing the issue through feeling insecure, or
a
bit less than welcome in certain areas of his life. This was as new
to
him in some ways as it was to her, so one day at a time, she decided
as
she snuggled tightly against his long, lean body, and noticed as
always
how perfectly they seemed to fit together.

 

 

They fell asleep cradled in each other's arms, and Suzanna felt sure
she had found the right man for her at last. She just hoped he would
soon be as sure of their future together as she was.

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

 

 

After a long, dreamless sleep, Suzanna woke with a sense of utter
peace
and joy in Quentin's arms.

 

 

It was a strangely silent world for the holidays, she noted as she
raised her head from the pillow and looked toward the window.

 

 

Then she remembered, it was Christmas Day, and was also a Saturday,
and
the still-sleeping city had become blanketed with snow. Thick flakes
had piled several inches up the window already, and were still
falling
at an amazing pace.

 

 

Suzanna knew it was the one thing they needed to make the day
perfect.
They jumped out of bed like kids, ran to open the window, and
scooped
handfuls of the beautiful white flakes off the windowsill and fire
escape.

 

 

They washed one another’s faces with the pristine snow, and since
they
were wearing no clothes, they continued on down over bellies, backs
and
buttocks, making one another shriek and shiver.

 

 

But the fresh white snow was too good to resist, as was the joy of
playing and laughing together. The horseplay soon turned into
foreplay
as he began to lick the melting snow from her body.

 

 

After some sultry lovemaking, they showered and dressed, and went
into
the kitchen for breakfast, bagels and cream cheese, with thinly
sliced
smoked salmon. After they had eaten, it was time to check if there
was
anything else that had to be done urgently.

 

 

"No. If you want to head out into the snow—"

 

 

He shook his head. "Time to open the presents."

 

 

"Oh, good," said Suzy. "This is the best part."

 

 

"Not quite. I think we might have just had that, though I hope I can
look forward to more of the same later?"

 

 

She peered out the window. "Yep, it looks like plenty more snow
where
that came from."

 

 

He laughed and tweaked her on the nose, and they went over to the
tree
and sat down next to it on the floor.

 

 

As soon, as Suzy opened her first gift, she knew Quentin had
cheated.
The box was marked Cartier’s, not Saks’. It contained a heavy gold
tennis bracelet.

 

 

Suzanna gasped. "Oh, Quentin, this is gorgeous. It must be worth a
fortune."

 

 

"As they say in the ads, you’re worth it. I enjoyed getting it for
you.
I hope to be able to buy you lots more over the years."

 

 

Suzy’s heart gave a leap. That certainly sounded as if he wanted a
permanent relationship. She wasn’t at all sure what she was hoping
for,
it was all so sudden and new, and she didn't want to seem like she
was
pressuring him, so all she said was, "Thank you, darling. Now it’s
your
turn. You open one."

 

 

He picked a flat package, opened it and exclaimed over the black
pigskin wallet with the gold initials riveted on. Inside, he found
two
pictures of Suzanna, ‘before’ and ‘after’ as well as one shot of the
dance scene commercial shot in the Bahamas. She had wheedled the
three
shots from Candy, who had had the special wallet-sized pictures made
up
for her.

 

 

"I see I’m not the only one who cheated. Obviously, you had these
made
up weeks ago. Thank you. It makes me feel good to know that you were
thinking about me."

 

 

When Suzanna opened all her presents, she found she had acquired a
complete set of custom-made charms for her bracelet. There was a
gold
and enamel roll of Quik-Bix, a package of Spudz, an Imperial Foods
logo, and the Femme Fatale logo, and a miniature lipstick, blusher
and
mascara. Each one was a tiny work of art.

 

 

Suzy was overwhelmed. "Quentin," she breathed, "these are
magnificent!"

 

 

"I tried to think of something personal and meaningful."

 

 

"I tried to for you as well, but couldn’t," she said with a pout.

 

 

"Not true. The wallet and pictures are both."

 

 

His next gifts were an electronic book reader, a watch, and a black
leather, gold embossed initialed scrapbook with copies of every
campaign they’d worked on, with ‘Pierce and Sills’ printed on the
top
of each page. It was loose-leaf so that future projects could be
added.

 

 

He smiled in delight at the last gift. "Wow. It couldn’t be better.
I
love them all."

 

 

After some warm kisses, she put her charms on her bracelet and put
the
rest of the gifts in her jewel box, while Quentin placed his on the
bedside table in her bedroom, another sign, she thought, that he was
beginning to see himself as 'at home' with her, and their
relationship
as something long term.

 

 

After the gift-giving rites and some appropriate 'appreciation' for
one
another, Suzanna adjusted her clothes and headed into the kitchen to
stuff the turkey and put it in the oven. Quentin set the table like
an
old pro, then they checked their lists one more time.

 

 

"Right on target."

 

 

He nodded. "So why not head out into the new-fallen snow before
people
start to clear the sidewalks?"

 

 

"Sure thing. Did you bring an extra sweater, because I think you're
going to need it."

 

 

"I did, and a thermal top."

 

 

"Great. Ready in ten?"

 

 

"Perfect."

 

 

They put on warm clothes and sallied forth. They walked, slid and
skated, they ran, they pelted each other with snow-balls, they threw
their heads back and caught the delicate, icy particles on their
tongues as they had done when they were young.

 

 

Rosy-cheeked and exhausted, they returned to the apartment, where
they
got into dry clothes. Between the two of them, they fixed a
delicious
dinner, which they enjoyed all the more for their exercise in the
snow.
Turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean
casserole, they indulged in it all, and while their presents had
been
lovely, both knew the most precious gift of all was the time spent
with
each other.

 

 

When everything had been eaten and the kitchen restored to order,
they
went once more to the living room, where Suzanna played all his
favorites, sentimental ballads for the mellow mood they were both
feeling.

 

 

He sat back with his eyes half-closed as she played themes from all
the
old musicals and Hollywood films which her grandparents had always
loved, and even sang.

 

 

"You have a lovely voice. But then, I don't know why that should
surprise me. Everything about you is lovely."

 

 

"Thank you, darling. You certainly know how to make me feel that
way."
She gave him a warm kiss. "Now you get to play for me."

 

 

He grinned. "All right, but I warn you now, I'm better with my
organ."

 

 

"I'm counting on it, big boy," she said in her best Mae West
impersonation. Both of them broke into happy laughter.

 

 

Next they played ‘Name that Tune’ and she even got out her Scrabble
and
Monopoly. She couldn’t recall ever having spent so much time with
someone not in her family, let alone a man.

 

 

In fact, it was getting to the point where she could barely remember
a
time that she had not been with Quentin, though she knew it had only
been a few months since they had first met.

 

 

They sat in the dark watching the lights twinkle on their tree, and
then Quentin rose and stretched, and held out his hand. "It’s been a
perfect day. How about a perfect night, princess?"

 

 

"Yes, my prince."

 

 

Later, in the throes of their most exquisite passion, she wondered
if
it was possible for it all to get any better than it already was.
Each
time they joined as one, it was more and more thrilling, each time,
like the first time all over again, only better. One thing was for
sure, this was a Christmas she would never forget. The question was,
could things ever get any better? Or like many couples, did it all
start out great, but then just slide into routine that got taken for
granted, with a bit of romance only a few times of the year?

 

 

Only time would tell, she thought with a sigh as she drifted off to
sleep in his arms. All she knew was, she was going to make the most
of
this for as long as it lasted.

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

 

 

Their long Christmas weekend had been idyllic, and there was still
more
to enjoy.

 

 

They slept late on Monday and when they awoke, found that the snow
had
stopped falling and the snow-plows had been out. They were happy
they
had had their White Christmas.

 

 

They arose, bathed and dressed and sat down to a warming breakfast.
Suzy had decided it was a good day for hot cereal and made oatmeal
from
scratch.

 

 

They also had a cheddar cheese omelette and toast with coffee. After
cleanup, they took Suzanna's bracelet and went out to have the
charms
welded on. They went to Cartier's where he'd bought it, and the job
was
done while they waited.

 

 

Suzy loved the way it looked on her, and knew no one else would ever
have one like it. She was also thrilled at how sentimental it
was—their
most special moments captured forever. The only question was, how
many
more would they be able to add to this collection?

 

 

Then they headed to a premiere of a movie that had gotten good
reviews,
and made out like a pair of teenagers as they sat snuggled in the
dark.
They were so hot and bothered, that they barely made it through the
movie. They gave up on their plans to eat out, and headed home for a
feast of the senses instead.

 

 

Quentin was hardly inside the door when Suzanna pounced, tearing the
clothes off him with a remarkable efficiency as he slid her skirt up
her thighs and her blouse down over her breasts.

 

 

"Mmm, someone's eager," he said with a laugh as the fly of his jeans
parted thanks to her nimble fingers and the straining of his flesh
beneath the confining denim.

 

 

"I can't help it. And he looks to be more than ready as well," she
said
with a breathless laugh.

 

 

"Suzanna, love, maybe we should head to the bed---"

 

 

He never finished the thought, for she was indeed more than eager.
Wrapping one leg around the back of his knees, they melded into each
other and he lost himself in the sheer thrill of being inside her
and
the rollercoaster of sensations every kiss and stroke evoked.

 

 

Suzanna lolled her head back as her lover poured his passion into
her.
She was glad she lived in an old building with solid walls, for she
was
sure the paper-thin ones of a modern apartment block would be no
match
for Quentin's powerful thrusts.

 

 

Her legs began to weaken as her orgasms multiplied, and he allowed
her
to sink on to the run, where he immediately turned onto his back.
"No
rug burn for you, darling," he said with a grin, before rotating his
hips upwards once more. Gravity made her slide down the length of
his
shaft, taking him even deeper. It seemed as if he were caressing her
inwardly in places she had never even known existed. Suzanna just
let
the pleasure wash over her, and Quentin watched in awe as the shy,
retiring woman he had once though frumpy blossomed thanks to his
vigorous loving.