Strangers In The Night

Strangers In The Night

         The rain was just beginning to fall when the doorman let Ellie into the apartment building. Nodding briefly to the security guard on duty she hurried to the elevator, just as the doors were about to close. Slipping in at the last second Ellie breathed a sigh of relief and a silent thanks to whoever sent the car to the lobby. She pressed the button for third floor and attempted to balance the bulky portfolio while fumbling inside her purse for the keys. The doors of the elevator opened with a quiet whoosh and Ellie stepped out into a long, tastefully decorated and discreetly dimmed corridor. Her apartment was all the way at the end of the hallway, but the benefit of having a corner spot far outweighed the disadvantage of being far from the exit.

         Stepping inside the spacious but cozy rooms, Ellie experienced the sensation of peace that always greeted her at home. Leopold, the stray cat she found near the dumpster a few months back, greeted her with his usual cool reserve but allowed himself to be petted. After hanging her coat and verifying that the answering machine was blissfully unaware of any incoming calls, Ellie fed Leopold and attempted to scrounge up a dinner for herself.

         Shrill ringing of the phone interrupted Leopold's meal and Ellie's tranquil mood. With a sigh she reached for the receiver.
         "Hello."
         "Hey, hey, what's up?"
Ellie felt the cloak of peacefulness ripping as she recognized the voice of her ex-boyfriend. "Eric, what do you want?" She suddenly felt weary and disgruntled and wished she had resisted the urge to pick up the phone.
         "Hey, is that any way to greet your boyfriend?" He sounded amused.
Ellie fought to conceal her impatience and growing belligerence. "Ex-boyfriend. In case it slipped your mind, we broke up two weeks ago." She took a deep breath and exhaling asked, "What do you want, Eric, I am in the middle of something here."
         "Hey, I just wanted to say Hello. You are not still mad at me, are you? Come on, I've explained about what happened. You want to go out tomorrow night? We could go to the game and then maybe dinner, and a little tumble of our own." The leering undertones in his voice sent her over the edge.
         "Eric, listen carefully to what I am about to say because this is very important. I am not mad at you. What you do with your other bimbos is no concern of mine and in fact it stopped concerning me the moment I found out about it and broke up with you. Now, I have something more important to do than stand around talking to a prick like you, so have a nice life and leave me alone." She slammed down the phone in grim satisfaction. Leopold gave her a disgruntled look and went back to his tuna dinner. Ellie smiled ruefully, "Sorry, Leo, but he was a jerk and he deserved to be hung up on."

         Feeling that she suddenly lost her appetite, Ellie grabbed an apple and went to the guest bedroom that served as her office. It was a spacious corner room with two large windows and two separate desks. Aside from the desks the room was mostly bare, except for the giant bookcase and a soft overstuffed armchair. One of the desks was a work desk, Ellie's designs, pencils, markers and all kinds of other drawing implements were spread out haphazardly all over the place. Chaos that reigned on the work desk was a complete antithesis to the carefully maintained order on the other desk. This was Ellie's getaway place. The second desk housed her computer, a box with half a dozen floppies, a notepad and a vase of flowers that she changed once a week. This was where she wrote her stories. So far the stories have been few and far in between, but Ellie hoped one day to produce a couple of stories good enough to be published. In the meantime this was her place to shut out the hassles of life and immerse herself in the world she created to fit her private designs.

         The computer was also connected to the Internet. Recently Ellie found herself looking for inspiration in various chat rooms. Most of the commentaries were insipid and self-absorbed, not worth paying any attention to, but a couple of weeks ago Ellie found a chat room that intrigued her. It was a group where people talked about their sexual experiences. It was a moderated group and the jerks were toned down or downright erased by the moderator. The moderator posted a discussion question once every couple of days and everyone in the group was welcome to respond. Then if people wished to talk in private, private chat rooms could be provided without moderator's control. So far Ellie had not joined in the discussions, preferring to be an anonymous listener, but tonight after the confrontation with Eric, she decided that if the topic was interesting she would join in.

         She turned on the computer and while she waited for it to connect to the Internet she changed from the work clothes she was still wearing to a soft velvet bathrobe. Fluffing Leopold's pillow, should he decide to join her, she sat down in front of the computer and found the chat room of her choice. Reading the topic she once again wondered where the moderator came up with these. The topic read "Sex with strangers." Ellie saw quite a few responses scrolling down the screen, but she was looking for a particular person. Ellie's login name was Sapphire and she was looking for Quicksilver. She wasn't certain, but she thought that he was male. His answers lacked the reckless intimate details that the other participants seemed to revel in, but he usually gave more insight into his character with his terse yet intense comments. She finally found him toward the bottom of the list. It looked like he just sent the comment in. She settled back and read the following:

         Sex with a stranger is the ultimate
         test of just how far one would go
         to test one's limits of self-awareness.

Ellie reread the comment and frowned. It seemed a little too abstract even for him, but his handle was right there, before the statement. Ellie shrugged and decided to reply to the question as well. Then she got a better idea, why not reply to the person himself? She requested a private chat and wrote a short note.

         Self-awareness is relative and it has no limits.

She wanted to add something to that, but sent it before she could change her mind. While she waited for him to accept the private chat invitation, she started reading at random other people's responses that were still appearing at the bottom of the screen. As usual, they ranged from experiences to philosophical diatribes, but the idea was interesting enough to keep Ellie reading until suddenly a triumphant beep from the speakers announced that a private chat has been established. Ellie clicked on the appropriate window and was surprised to see that her hands were trembling. The response from Quicksilver read:

         How aware are you? Aware enough to test your theory?

Ellie bit her lip and tapped her fingertips on the keyboard distractedly. Finally she typed a reply:

         In another life and with a perfect stranger.

A few minutes passed before his reply appeared on the small screen.

         You are opting for the easy way out by giving me
         a rhetorical answer. A stranger cannot be
         perfect, only your perception of him as one need
         be. If you care to continue this discussion or
         perhaps even test your theory, come to the
         Wiltshire Hotel on Churchill and 2nd Avenue in
         about two hours. Ask for the key to Room 1012 .
         You may discover limits you never knew existed.

Ellie stared at the words on the screen. Surely this is a joke, she thought in confusion. A stranger that she knew nothing about has just invited her to join him in the most expensive hotel in town to ponder the question of self-awareness. She closed her eyes for a moment but when she opened them the invitation was still there, the cursor blinking, mocking her, daring to accept. The thought of accepting sent her into a fit of giggles. No way, she thought, he is crazy if he thinks I'll fall for that. But somewhere deep inside the seed of doubt had been sown and she knew she wouldn't rest until...

         The next hour and a half were a blur. Ellie took a shower, pulled on a pair of jeans and a button down shirt, checked on the sleeping cat and left before she could change her mind. On the way to the hotel she tried in vain to swallow her qualms about the whole venture. It's a respectable establishment she told herself, nothing bad could happen to me there, could it?. She felt around on the passenger seat of the car and found the container of "Mace" that she always carried as a precaution. In a few minutes she pulled into the spacious parking lot underneath the Wiltshire hotel. A valet ran up to her and opened the door. She stuffed the "Mace" into her purse and gave the young man her keys.

         Ellie was assaulted by a panicky jolt once again as she entered the lavish lobby of the hotel. The security guard by the receptionist did little to quiet her nerves and she was on the verge of turning around and heading back home when the receptionist turned to her and asked if she'd like a room.

         "No, actually, uhhm, I am here to pick up a key to room ..." for a moment Ellie froze and realized that she had forgotten the room number. The receptionist smiled kindly and completed the sentence for her,
         "Yes, we've been expecting you. The gentleman called and warned us that you will be coming at this time. It's room number 1012. John will lead you to the elevator." Still smiling, the receptionist motioned to a young man in a bellboy uniform and he led the dazed Ellie to the throng of elevators.
         "You need the 10th floor, ma-am. Have a nice evening." John touched his cap and disappeared behind the closing doors. Ellie watched the doors sliding together and once again experienced an insane urge to run, but it was too late. The elevator started moving up, drawing her inexorably closer to the man she knew only as Quicksilver.

         Room 1012 was two doors down from the elevator. Ellie stood in front of the room, uncertain whether to knock or open the door with the key. Finally she decided against knocking and slipped the key into the lock. A light push on the door and Ellie found herself in a large living room of a two-room suite. As the door slid closed behind her, she leaned against it to survey her surroundings. The living room was shrouded in dim mystique created by the dancing flames in a beautifully crafted fireplace. Darkness seemed to suffuse the space, deepening as it creeped into corners and doorways.
         "So, you came."
Ellie whirled around and found her breath coming in short gasps as she tried to focus on the figure in the doorway. He was leaning against the doorjamb but the darkness behind him and the position of the fireplace kept him in the shadows, making it impossible for her to see his face. Ellie cleared her throat and asked,
         "Why did you ask me to come?"
         "Well, technically, I didn't ask you to come, I simply offered you a test of your theories and judging by your presence here you've accepted."

         Ellie licked her lips and suddenly decided that it was a bad idea.
         "Look, uhhm, I am sorry, but I have to leave. This was a stupid thing to do. I shouldn't have come. I..."
         "Wait, please." He straightened out but made no move toward her. "I know this doesn't mean much, but I am not going to hurt you." He paused for a moment and then continued, "Although I don't expect you to believe this, I've never done anything like this before. If you do go, would you answer a question for me first? I've been waiting for you to join the discussions for a while now, but you've always kept away. Yet, when you finally answered, your answer was directed to me, not to the group. Why is that?"

         Ellie thought for a moment and responded, "I found your comments to be the most interesting of the group and I saw no need to share my thoughts with anyone except the person I actually wanted to read them."
         Ellie's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and she saw the planes of his face. It was still too dark to tell what he really looked like, but at least now she could see where he was looking. He contemplated for a second and then said,
         "I won't ask you to stay if it will make you feel uncomfortable. This won't work unless both of us are relaxed. And yes, this does require a degree of trust that is difficult to feel for a total stranger, but that is the point, isn't it? I am telling you that you are quite safe here with me, if that's enough, then by all means stay, otherwise you are free to go, I won't hold it against you."
         Ellie saw him lean his head expectantly to the side and made her decision. "I'll stay."

         He nodded and then added, as an afterthought, "I would ask that you close your eyes for a moment while I enter the room and dowse the fire. I think it would be better if we remained anonymous." He paused and waited for her to accept his conditions. Ellie felt like she was caught in the middle of a bizarre dream, unable to wake up, yet strangely eager to see it to the end. She nodded and closed her eyes. She felt rather than saw the lights being put out and suddenly something touched her hand. She jumped and drew back but heard his voice very close in front of her,
         "It's just me. I am going to lead you over to the couch." His hand touched her arm and gently drew her over to the dark shape that turned out to be a couch. She opened her eyes, slowly adjusted to this new level of darkness and saw his dark shape a few feet away from her. He was sitting sideways, leaning on the back of the sofa, facing her. There was something vaguely familiar about his features, but Ellie's wits were too addled to make any connections.

         "All right," his voice was firm but curiously gentle at the same time, "Let's set some ground rules before we go on. No questions asked, no questions answered, no past, no present, as names we'll use our login names or nothing at all." He stopped and waited for her to add something. When she didn't he asked,
         "Well, are you ready to test your theory?"
Ellie attempted to quell the quivers in her voice and asked,
         "How do you propose to do that?"
He laughed quietly and replied, "We make love, of course."

         Ellie felt her blood run cold and at the same moment she jumped and backed up a step. He got up with her and reached out to steady her before she could tumble down.
         "You are crazy." Ellie could hardly hear her whisper above the thudding of her heart.
He let go of her arm and asked quietly, "What did you think would happen when you accepted my offer? Did you think we would spend the night pondering the pros and cons of the topic when it could be so easy and so much more pleasurable to test it ourselves? If you never even considered that as a possible outcome, then please, accept my apologies for wounding your sensibilities. As I've said before, you are free to leave at any time." He waited as Ellie considered his words. She thought about the lacy black lingerie that she was wearing, the excitement she felt when she decided to accept the offer, and finally about the stirrings of desire at the thought of fulfilling a forbidden fantasy. He was still waiting for an answer when she looked up and said,
         "I don't know why I am here. I am a fool for coming and perhaps an even bigger fool for staying, but if I leave, I'll never know, will I?"
         "No," he replied softly, "you might never know, but, are you sure you want to know?"

         She looked up and met his unwavering stare. The intensity of the gaze sent shivers down her spine but even as she was trying to calm her shaking hands she saw a decisive flicker in his eyes and whispered,
         "Yes, I am sure." Still the niggling of fear wouldn't go away. Even as he watched her, she reached into the purse and felt her fingers close around the can of "Mace". She would find a way to keep it near by, just in case. Reassured she withdrew the hand and placed it tentatively on his shoulder. She felt him lean close to her ear and whisper,
         "You know, tear gas wouldn't be of much use in such close surroundings since we'd both inhale about the same amount. Oh, and before you ask, I knew that you had it because just about every woman today carries one. They are actually quite useless as well as dangerous to someone who has never used them as a weapon before, but if it makes you feel better, you can keep yours under the pillow once we go to bed."

         The bedroom was completely dark. Ellie stopped in the doorway, uncertain of where the furniture was. Once again she felt his hand on her elbow, guiding her into the room. He stopped and turned her around. Taking her hand he oriented her to the position of the bed and the night stand.
         "Let's play a game," he suggested quietly. "Pretend that you are in a perfect world where nothing can harm you and no matter what happens, you will feel no regrets."
         "Are you hypnotizing me?" asked Ellie with a strangled laugh.
         "Not at all," he sounded amused at her suggestion, "I am simply trying to remove the natural barriers that you've surrounded yourself with. After all, no one in their right mind would have sex with a stranger in the world we live in. If you do it, then it has to be all the way, no holds barred, nothing held back. It's all or nothing, Sapphire, otherwise it's not worth trying."

         Ellie couldn't tell whether he was serious or not but his fingers were caressing her hand and the touch was driving her to distraction. She took a deep breath and cleared her mind. He is right, she thought, if I am going to do this, it might as well be all the way.
         He seemed to know when she made the choice and after a moment she felt his fingers leave her hand and undo the first button on her shirt. He slid the shirt off her shoulders before she even had a chance to protest or slow him down. A moment later she heard a rustle of clothing and knew that he was undressing. She knew that she should take off the rest of her clothes, but she was frozen in indecision. She felt the heat from his body as he stepped closer to her and through the sensual haze heard his quiet laughter.
         "I see you need some help here," his hands were on her waist as he spoke, "allow me to assist you." Deftly he unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her hips. He took her shoes and socks and in a space of a breath she was left wearing only the lingerie set. Yet he still hasn't touched her in any way that would hint at the intimacy they were about to engage in. Ellie sighed as his hands left her and stepped back, coming up against the bed.
         "Quicksilver..." Ellie began tentatively, "what now?"
         "Now we begin." His voice was right behind her and she felt his hand on her arm, pulling her onto the bed. The covers were off and she felt the coolness of the satin sheets under her back as he lowered her onto the pillows.

         "Close your eyes," he whispered, "feel my touch and let that be your only guide to who I am and what I am doing." Ellie closed her eyes and felt his hands on her shoulders, lifting her higher on the bed. His fingers skimmed her arms and came back to the hollow of her throat. Slowly he traced a path through the valley between her breasts, pulling the bra out of the way. Ellie felt her panties sliding down her legs in the wake of his touch - teasing and arousing, but not yet satisfying.
         "What do you feel when I touch you?" His softly spoken words floated into her conscience and she trembled as she tried to describe the unfamiliar feelings his touch was exciting.
         "I feel light and... I feel like I can't breathe, I..." she gasped the last words as she felt his weight on top of her. He pulled her arms above her head and held them captive in one hand. His body held her in place and suddenly she felt a frisson of fear. She realized that she was completely in his power.
         "What do you feel now?"
Ellie hesitated, unwilling to admit that she was afraid, unwilling to give him more power over herself. He felt her hesitation and waited, giving her a chance to find the words to reply. Finally she said, "Afraid. I feel afraid and uncertain."

         He lowered his head until she felt his cheek touch hers and she could feel him smiling. His fingers were now caressing her wrists which they held captive and the fear slowly dissipated, replaced by heady excitement.
         He pulled her arms down and wrapped them around his neck.
         "Hold on, Sapphire," the smile was still in his voice as he shifted his weight and suddenly she felt the unmistakable hardness of his arousal pressing against her. She tensed and panicked, he is too big, it won't work. She released her hold on his neck and pushed on his shoulders, but he was unyielding.
         "Quicksilver, stop. I can't..." she didn't finish her sentence as his mouth covered hers in an exploring kiss. The irony wasn't lost on her. Here they were on the brink of sexual intimacy and they have not yet kissed.

         Ellie dissolved under the onslaught of his lips, her mind clouded in the sensual haze. She wondered dimly if his kiss could overpower her in this way, what would lovemaking be like. Through the mist of passion she heard the words he spoke against her lips,
         "What do you feel now?"
         "I have no words. I just feel."
         "Then it's time."
Before Ellie had a chance to consider what his words meant, she felt the pressure from his knee on her thighs and in a heartbeat he was inside her. The mixture of surprise and pain assailed her but melted away as she felt him move in a slow, lazy stroke. She gasped at the fullness but raised her hips off the bed to take him in deeper, prolong the feeling of closeness. All too soon, he was pulling back, only to slide back in.

         Ellie felt the pressure building with each measured stroke but she was impatient for more. She scratched her nails down his back, lifted her knees, and arched against him, but all to no avail. He just laughed and continued the sweet torture. Ellie felt the muscles in his arms tensing and suddenly she knew that it cost him all he had to maintain this composure. Gathering all her strength she squeezed her muscles, almost pushing him over the edge. He groaned in response and sped up, treating her to quick shallow strokes. The change of pace was too much for Ellie and she dissolved in an explosive climax. He tried staying in control until the end, but the trembling of her muscles and the pleasure he saw on her face were no match for him as he too came with a shout.

         The room was strangely quiet as both of them regained their senses. Ellie was the first to stir. Gingerly, she straightened her leg along his frame and felt the pull of muscles, unused to this type of activity.
         "Quicksilver?" Ellie heard the tremor in her voice. Suddenly she was very unsure of herself. What would happen now?
         He lifted his head slightly and caressed her cheek with his own. Ellie felt the worries slip away as he caressed her and closed her eyes again in contentment. She felt him pull out of her and dimly realized that he had been well prepared for the encounter as he had provided the protection that she forgot about. She squeezed his shoulder in a silent thanks and heard his soft chuckle that seemed to say "Don't mention it."

         She felt the bed give way as he first left and then came back to join her under the covers. Eyes still closed in the blissful aftermath of the experience, Ellie felt his hand caressing her face, fingers skating over her slightly parted lips.
         "Ellie, open your eyes."
The shock of hearing her name held her immobile for a moment but then her eyes flew open and she stared at the face inches above her own.
         "Ellie, do you know who I am?" His voice was gentle, intended to dispel the blow delivered with his last comment.
         "I am not sure," she stammered, realizing for the first time that the features she's been glimpsing in the dark were vaguely familiar. Slowly his features came into focus but recognition still eluded her. She shook her head in distress, "I am sorry. I can't ..."
         "Shhh, it's all right," he dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead, "my name is David. I work on the third floor. I helped you with the library project, remember?"

         The memory of the event brought with it a hazy picture of a man. Looking up Ellie finally recognized the same tender smile on the face above her.
         "Yes," she breathed, "yes, I remember you. You are the programmer from the development lab. You helped me set up the database for the library archives. I can't believe I forgot, I..."

         David smiled and placed a finger on her lips to stay the apologies he knew were about to follow.
         "Don't worry about it. You know who I am now, that's enough." He pushed the hair off her forehead and dropped another light kiss on the bridge of her nose. "Now that you know, are you disappointed or perhaps angry?"
         Ellie raised her hand to his face and traced a line from his temple to his jaw and back up again. "I don't know how to feel." She struggled to find the right words. "Why did you do all this?" She gestured at the room with her free hand.
         David shrugged and smiled ruefully, "I am not sure. I couldn't approach you directly and then by sheer chance I stumbled on you in that chat room. You gave your full name in your profile and it sort of took on a life of its own after that."
         Ellie smiled tremulously up at him and asked, "So, what do we do now?"
         "Now, we begin... Ellie, would you go out with me?"

Her delighted laughter and a warm hug gave him all the answers he needed.