“Woman. Thank you.”
“I know you’re too accustomed to being told that, but I thought you ought to know how I felt about it.”
“Coming from you, I consider it a great compliment.” She held the towel between her legs, rubbing thoughtfully for a moment, staring into the middle distance.
Stone breathed more deeply, to keep from breathing faster; he shifted some covers to hide his rising interest. “Would you like a hair dryer?” He wanted to keep her naked for as long as possible.
“No thanks; it’ll dry soon.”
“Will it look the way it looked the first time I saw you?”
“Pretty much; it behaves well. I get it cut every couple of months; that’s about it.”
“Amazing,” he said.
She laughed. “You’re exhibiting an awful lot of control for a man who’s in the same room as a naked woman he finds beautiful, Or is it disinterest?”
“It’s an awful lot of control,” he said, honesty.
She laughed again. “I’m impressed.”
“So am I.”
There was just a moment’s hesitation; then, before he could decide what to do, she picked up her jeans and slipped them on, not bothering with underwear. “I’m sorry if I was maudlin last night,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it,” Stone replied.
She followed the jeans with her black turtleneck sweater, then she picked up her underwear and stuffed it into a large handbag.
“How about some breakfast?” he managed to say, sorry to see her breasts disappear and anxious to hold onto her a little longer.
“Thanks, but I’m expecting a call from an editor this morning, and I don’t want to miss it. How about dinner instead?”
“Gee, I’ll have to check my calendar.”
She laughed aloud. “Seven, at my place; Ten-Eleven Fifth Avenue, dress sloppy.”
“Seven it is.”
“Dare I kiss you good-bye?”
“Not unless you want to spend the day here.”
“I’m gone,” she said, running for the door.
The phone rang.
“Hello?”
“It’s Dino; the funeral’s at two o’clock, in Brooklyn; you want to ride with me?”
“Two o’clock? That’s quick.”
“Jews have to be buried within twenty-four hours, or something terrible happens, I forget what.”
“Oh, right. Yeah, pick me up.”
“One-thirty,” Dino said, and hung up.