Enchanted Again (13 page)

Having so painlessly achieved all of her objectives thus far, Claire felt strong enough to venture once more into Maggie’s diner. She was strangely excited, in fact, when she drove into the parking lot and noticed Dan’s truck parked outside.

Once again, upon her entering the restaurant, there came a volley of greetings, inquiring where she had been all these days and how she was feeling. She realized with a start that it was the first time in her life that she had been missed. Her cheeks grew pink with pleasure. She stood at the bar to speak with Maggie.

Dan rose up from his booth in the corner and stood close behind Claire as he handed his bill and some money to Maggie. Claire could feel the warmth of his body where he stood so near her. She knew his blue gaze was fixed on her. Her heart pounded ludicrously inside her chest. She felt as if her tongue was choking her. She remained silently immobile while Dan concluded his business with Maggie and turned to leave. Something inside her cried out. Her pride fought it down, but only for a few seconds before it returned with double strength.

“Dan!” she heard herself call. She turned and he did, too. Her heart was pounding and she knew this was a life-changing moment for her.

“That other…thing…for the water heater…” She looked into his blue eyes urgently.

His tone was casual. “Yes, I remember,” he prompted.

Her heart hammered painfully. She tried to match his casual tone but failed. “I would like to have that fixed as soon as you can manage it.” Her voice sounded much too eager, she noticed, but the discomfort this caused her was nothing compared to what she would feel if she did not settle this with him right now.

“I can be over there this afternoon.”

She could have wept. Working hard to check her emotions, she turned back to where Maggie stood watching her. She sat back down on the bar stool and met Maggie’s eyes. There was no suspicion or censure of any kind in Maggie’s expression. The ladies exchanged smiles.

This was, at last, the place where she belonged. Claire was finally home.

Georgie Porgie, puddin’ and pie,
kissed the girls and made them cry.
When the boys came out to play,
Georgie Porgie ran away.

Daphne reluctantly placed the phone on its receiver. She could not leave Georgie another message, and yet, why didn’t he call her back? She picked up another cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply. She realized she had just put one out and reminded herself for the millionth time that she needed to quit smoking. Perhaps her appointment with the hypnotist Thursday would help. She didn’t hold out much hope, but the friend who recommended the woman insisted she could work miracles. At this point, Daphne would try anything.

Her mind flashed back to Georgie. She was genuinely confused. He had seemed so sincerely interested in her, pursuing her so relentlessly that, when she finally gave herself to him, she thought for once she had gotten it right. And that night with him had been magical. But here she was three days later, and still no word from Georgie. Her mind could not accept that she had been so thoroughly duped.

Against her better judgment, Daphne ultimately found herself driving by Georgie’s favorite bar. She had to go out anyway, she reasoned, for more cigarettes. She pulled into the parking lot and drove up and down in between the rows, looking for Georgie’s car. But it wasn’t there, and she began to wonder if something might have happened to him. This thought seemed infinitely more preferable to his dumping her after getting her into bed. She began to reason that it was far more likely that he had been incapacitated in some way than that he had gone through all the trouble of seducing her for a single night of sex.

With this same utilitarian logic, it did not seem entirely out of line for her to go to Georgie’s house. In fact, it seemed rather uncharitable not to. The least she could do was to check on him and make sure that he was okay. He may be sick, or in dire need of help, and here she was offended that he didn’t call. As she drove in the direction of where Georgie lived, she persuaded herself that she was doing the broad-minded and practical thing.

Even so, Daphne hesitated once she reached the parking lot of Georgie’s apartment building. What if he really didn’t want to see her? But her apprehension was squelched by a surge of excitement when she spotted his car. He was home! Her adrenaline ran high in anticipation of seeing him. She felt incapable of controlling her own actions. Yet she lingered in her car, lighting up another cigarette. She stared thoughtfully up at his building as she blew smoke rings out the window. She felt she ought to have an excuse of some kind for coming, but could think of nothing plausible. Everything that came to her mind seemed ridiculously transparent. Had she by chance left her missing earring there? That sounded pathetic, even to her ears.

I will simply tell him the truth, she told herself, purposefully opening the car door and making her way to his apartment. Her heart thudded vigorously at the thought of seeing him again, and whatever she ended up saying to him seemed trivial by comparison. Surely he would be as delighted to see her as she was to see him, and words would not be necessary. Without pausing for further deliberation, especially any that might lead to a change of heart, she hastily knocked—perhaps a bit too loudly—on Georgie’s door.

Daphne heard movements from within the apartment and suddenly had second thoughts. But it was too late to escape, for she was standing in the middle of a long hallway and she could see that someone was already turning the doorknob. She actually jumped when the door flew open and Georgie appeared. He was undressed except for a pair of gray shorts, and his black wavy hair was tousled all around his head. His dark eyes registered surprise at first to see her, but then she thought she detected annoyance creeping into his expression. From behind him, she could easily make out the form of a woman, also scantily dressed in ruffled underclothes.

“Daphne,” he said after a minute, as if he was just recalling her name. But she was already seething with indignant anger.

“Well, I guess this answers my question,” she said in a shaky voice. But the implied clarification did not prompt her to leave. She looked at Georgie tragically. “Why?”

Georgie sighed, as if bored. “Why what?”

“Why all the pursuing? Why all the games? You can’t have done all that just to get me into bed that one time?” She was incredulous.

Georgie cast a quick glance at the woman standing quietly behind him. “Please don’t turn this into an ugly scene,” he murmured.

“How
dare
you!” Daphne screamed. There were sounds coming from surrounding apartments, and she was aware that she was losing control, but she no longer cared. “You are a sleazy, no-good, manipulative—” The door slammed shut in her face before she could finish.

Daphne stared at the closed door in shock. She was trembling with rage and disbelief. She had an urge to kick the door but she resisted it. She stood there for a long minute before turning to leave. A woman was peering at her from a crack in a door that was slightly ajar. She walked dejectedly down the long hall and left Georgie’s apartment building.

Back in her car, Daphne lit up a cigarette. She was more than anything else confused. Had she deluded herself into thinking that Georgie really liked her? No, she knew that she had not. She had not been the pursuer between them. It was quite the opposite. She had, in fact, been wary of going out with him from the get-go, sensing that he was much too smooth and good looking to be reliable. She had been shy and uncertain the first time he approached her, while he had been amused and intrigued by her reticence. He had been relentless, calling her many times. He even sent her flowers. When she finally agreed to go out with him, he had gallantly picked her up at her door. Aside from his devastatingly good looks, how could she possibly have known?

It was not until their third date that she finally yielded to Georgie’s charm and good looks, melting into his arms and his bed. She was normally not at her peak performance when it was the first time with a new partner, but with Georgie everything came off seamlessly. Their bodies melded together in perfect harmony. She had even managed to reach an orgasm, which usually took her months into a relationship to achieve. She left Georgie that following morning believing they had begun something truly magical. But Georgie never called her again.

Daphne reflected that she probably should not have waited so long to sleep with him after all. With men like Georgie, it was the women who got more attached with each encounter. If she had gone home with him that first night, it would have ended the same, it’s true, but at least she wouldn’t have felt so much hurt over it.

She reached for another cigarette, but the pack was empty. She stared at it in surprise. Surely she had not smoked the entire pack already? She circled the street in search of a convenience store. She would never make it through the night without cigarettes.

By the time Thursday rolled around, Daphne was up to three packs a day. She puffed furiously on a cigarette as she squinted to read the road signs up ahead. She looked around nervously. Her quest had brought her to a seedier part of town, but what was more disturbing was the eerie silence all around. One would have expected to find some hoodlums loitering noisily about or perhaps to hear a few police sirens. The area appeared to be deserted. Up ahead she spotted the building she was looking for. It was rundown and decrepit like the rest of the neighborhood. She saw lights shining from within, and this reassured her. In truth, the creepy surroundings cheered her somewhat. They matched her idea of where a hypnotist might conduct business. Best of all, her depression had been replaced with curiosity. The session would be a diversion that might at least prove entertaining.

A bell rang when Daphne stepped inside the large open room that was a bookstore, antique shop and apparently a used-clothing outlet as well. The room smelled of strong incense, pleasant but a bit overpowering. She surveyed the odd collection of mismatched items that were scattered about the room without rhyme or reason.

A woman appeared from a room in the back. Daphne had envisioned someone with long, wavy hair overrun with streaks of gray and tie-dyed clothing that fell in loose layers all around her. But this hypnotist was actually quite chic in a snug-fitting skirt and blouse that might have been better suited for Wall Street, with neatly cropped hair that looked professionally colored and in all other respects well kept. The hypnotist approached Daphne with a clear, steady gaze and a friendly smile. She grasped Daphne’s hands in hers and held them firmly for a moment, closing her eyes as if in deep concentration. When she opened her eyes to look at Daphne she appeared surprised.

“I, ah…have an appointment,” Daphne began uncertainly.

“I know why you’re here and I can help you,” the hypnotist assured her with a knowing smile. “But first we’re going to have to get you to relax just a bit. I’m Julia, by the way.” As she spoke, Julia led Daphne to a long, deep-cushioned couch near the back of the room. “We’ll have enough privacy here,” she explained. “And I can still keep an eye on the store if a customer comes in.”

It all seemed quite unorthodox to Daphne, but she was fully enthralled by it nevertheless.

“So,” Julia began languorously, easing herself closer to Daphne on the overstuffed couch as she spoke. “Why don’t you begin by telling me more about this little problem of yours.”

“Oh, okay…um…” Daphne struggled to collect her thoughts. She was thoroughly distracted by her surroundings and Julia’s nearness. Julia stared at her with wide-eyed expectation. “I started smoking when I was about…I think—” She stopped then because Julia had begun softly chuckling. She looked at Julia questioningly.

“That’s not why you’re here,” Julia told her matter-of-factly. Daphne stared at her in silence. “Is it?” Julia prompted.

Two hours later Daphne left the hypnotist feeling like a different person. When she got into her car she immediately lit up a cigarette, puffing on it happily. She was filled with hope. She marveled at what a wonderful thing hope was. Hope created expectation, which, in turn, provided energy to make things happen. She giggled, excited, as she placed the key in the ignition. She looked at the neatly wrapped little package she had set down on the seat beside her. She must find a post office and mail it promptly.

All through the rest of that week and into the next Daphne stayed home, just as Julia had meticulously instructed, venturing out only for work and necessities. Most especially Daphne avoided going anyplace where she might encounter Georgie. Julia had been most adamant about that. For the best results she must wait a full week at the very least. With every day that passed, her anticipation grew and her expectations soared higher. She waited single-mindedly for the moment when she would see Georgie once again.

But when at last the week had passed, Daphne was filled with trepidation. What if it didn’t work? She remembered the unconventional surroundings of Julia’s shop and even Julia herself—so completely out of sync with everything she had imagined about hypnotists and how they would operate—and she couldn’t help but wonder if she had gone mad, trusting a complete stranger and especially giving her so much money, money that Daphne had worked hard to earn. She had banked everything she had on a flight of fancy! But amid the doubt Daphne’s hope still lingered, and it buoyed her spirits enough so that she was able to continue determinedly following Julia’s instructions.

When she was satisfied that enough time had passed, Daphne began to prepare herself to see Georgie again, although according to Julia no such preparations would be necessary. She could show up in her shabbiest bathrobe for the same effect. Even so, Daphne primped and preened to her heart’s delight, and when she was finished she was satisfied that Georgie would be impressed when he saw her. She strolled confidently into his favorite hunting ground.

Daphne’s eyes scanned the crowded bar anxiously while trying to appear disinterested. Within seconds she spotted him. She moved purposefully in his direction, meandering in and around the throng of people. She had expected to feel nervous when this moment approached, but was pleasantly surprised to find that she was not.

Georgie was sitting at the bar, staring down at his drink in abject misery. Daphne drew out a cigarette and held it in midair seductively, saying, “Something the matter?”

Georgie’s head came up and he looked at her in surprise. She put the cigarette to her lips expectantly and raised an eyebrow. He instinctively brought up a lighter and held it for her. She recognized the lighter instantly and smiled.

“I thought you were going to quit,” he said.

“I’m surprised you remember that,” she said with meaning. “I would have thought all those little details would be long forgotten once you finished with a woman.”

Georgie just looked at her. He seemed momentarily distracted by her as his eyes scanned her face.

“I decided to deal with other matters first,” she explained with a smile.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her, and said, “You look beautiful tonight.”

“Oh? I’m surprised you noticed.”

Georgie shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I deserve that.” He kept looking at her with a mixture of confusion and brooding contemplation. “Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure.”

Not even a full hour later, the two stumbled through the front door of Georgie’s apartment, struggling frantically to remove each other’s clothes. Georgie kicked the door closed and enthusiastically thrust Daphne up against it. He was so beside himself in his desire for her that he behaved with an almost desperate urgency. Daphne’s own passion raged out of control in response.

“I’ve got to see you,” Georgie kept saying as he tore away her clothing. “I have to touch you!”

Daphne’s body trembled for his touch. But when he finally had her fully unclothed, Georgie stood back, momentarily sidetracked by the sight of her. He let out a low whistle.

“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” he murmured. Under any other circumstances Daphne would have balked at the words. But this time she pressed her arms against the door and pushed her body forward, toward Georgie, causing her breasts to jut outward. Georgie moaned at the sight of them, reaching forward and cupping one in each hand. As he caressed them his passion returned with renewed force, and he kissed her ravenously while he continued to squeeze and pinch the nipples. Daphne moaned loudly over the pleasurable discomfort he was giving her.