He had a quick, clear mental image of her in his erotic dream and wondered, almost idly, if she really looked that way, au naturel.
The next line in this little scenario of life in Chestnut Hill will be Detweiler telling me to make sure I get Precious Penny home by twelve, or maybe twelve-thirty.
"I'll put your bag in the car, Miss Penny," Jensen said.
"Thank you, Jensen," Penny smiled sweetly.
"Bag"? What bag? And what was that about Allentown?
"Well, Matt," Penny said. "You said not to keep you waiting. Here I am. Are we going to go or what?"
"One or the other," Matt said. "I don't know what you mean by ' what.'"
"We'll see you later," Penny said, and caught Matt's hand and led him off the veranda.
"Have a good time," Grace Detweiler called after them.
Jensen was waiting by the Mercedes, waiting to close Penny's door. Both doors were open.
Matt got behind the wheel, adjusted the seat, and waited for Penny to get it. The moment she closed the door he could smell her perfume.
A gas expands to the limits of its containment; there ain't a hell of a lot of space in here. Be nice.
"You smell good," Matt said.
"Oh, I'mso glad you noticed!" Penny said.
Is that sarcasm?
Matt looked over at her. Penny was bent over, fixing the carpet, or something, on the floorboard. He got a quick, unintentional look down her blouse. A white brassiere. For some reason, he had always found crisp white feminine undergarments to have a certain erotic quality.
He put the car in gear and started down the driveway.
"You want to tell me what the bag, and Allentown, are all about?"
"I'm glad you waited until we were out of there before you asked that."
"Which means?"
"That in case anybody asks, I was asked by a dear friend of mine, who understands my problems, whose mother is a dear friend of my mother's, GiGi Howser, who lives inAllentown, to come to a party. And I called you, and asked you to take me, and you agreed."
"We're going to a place called the Oaks and Pines Lodge," Matt said, without thinking.
"Wherever," Penny said. "I'm helpless in your hands."
"What's with Allentown? And what's with the bag?"
"If the party's fun, and lasts until late, and you have more to drink than you should, we may sleep over."
"Jesus Christ!"
"I thought you'd be pleased," Penny said. "You were the one who told me you automatically shift into the seduce mode."
What we are going to do is go to the Oaks and Pines and have dinner, and then we are going to come back here and tell the Detweilers we had a lousy time.
"We're not sleeping over anywhere. I have to be at work at eight o'clock in the morning."
"I don't mind getting up early," Penny said. "I told Mother that might happen. She understands. She'd much rather have you bring me home early in the morning than us get in a wreck because you had too much to drink, the way you usually do."