Part 4 (1/2)
”TO M MITCH W WYMORE, who's successfully escaped a nine-to-five job. It's good to have you back, buddy.”
Mitch smiled at his old college friend, Paul, who'd just made the toast, and raised his own gla.s.s. ”Thanks, man,” he said, then sipped his beer.
They sat in a crowded, trendy little bar near the harbor. It was a yuppie place, with lots of ferns, round unscarred tables and varnished floors. Jazz from the radio provided a little background noise, but mostly he heard laughter, clinking gla.s.ses and buoyant conversation. Spending an evening shooting darts, ogling women, eating pretzels and drinking beer seemed just the cure for what ailed him...
Kelsey.
Mitch hadn't seen her since her grand entrance into his apartment over the weekend. He'd had a hard time kicking the image of those long legs and sultry comments.
”Have you seen Amanda since you got back?” Paul asked.
Mitch grabbed a handful of pretzels. ”She came by the other night.”
”And? Details, details...come on, buddy.”
”And nothing. We talked. She left. Period.”
”You're kidding,” Paul said in disbelief. ”I ran into her a few weeks ago, and she started pumping me for information about when you were getting back. I got the impression she was going to give you a tremendous welcome home.”
She probably had been planning exactly that when she came by the other night. But since Mitch hadn't even been able to pretend interest, especially after Kelsey's visit, a highly offended Amanda had stormed out.
”It's not that I'd tell you anything, anyway,” Mitch said, ”but in this case, let me a.s.sure you, there's nothing to tell.”
His friend didn't look as though he believed him, but Mitch didn't bother to elaborate.
”Quiet down,” someone yelled. ”It's time for Night Whispers! Night Whispers!”
Mitch glanced around and saw the bartender reach up to the sound system to crank up the volume on the stereo.
”Oh, buddy, you've got to check this out,” Paul said.
”What?”
”This new radio show. Everybody's talking about it.”
Around the room, conversations quieted. Mitch saw people shus.h.i.+ng others, demanding they listen. He'd never heard of Night Whispers Night Whispers, and couldn't believe there was this much of a stir over some radio show.
”What's it all about?” he asked Paul.
”It's a s.e.x show,” Paul said with a grin. ”Well, not really s.e.x, I guess women call it romance, or pa.s.sion, but let me tell you, I hear Lady Love's voice and I just ache.”
Ache? Paul ached? Mitch nearly laughed aloud at his friend's exaggeration until he noticed the man was dead serious.
”Laugh if you want, but I'm telling you this show is great. A lot of people have Night Whispers Night Whispers parties. Everybody I know is into it. This woman, she just...I don't know how to describe it, she speaks, and it's not just how s.e.xy her voice is, it's that you almost feel she's speaking from her soul.” parties. Everybody I know is into it. This woman, she just...I don't know how to describe it, she speaks, and it's not just how s.e.xy her voice is, it's that you almost feel she's speaking from her soul.”
Mitch raised a skeptical eyebrow at Paul's eloquent words as he lifted his drink to his mouth. A few slow, mellow notes of a saxophone underscored the prerecorded introduction, setting a lazy, relaxed mood. Then a smooth voice spoke.
”h.e.l.lo, Baltimore. This is Lady Love and tonight I want to talk about sensuous pleasures.”
”Oh, my G.o.d,” Mitch sputtered as he nearly choked on his beer.
It was Kelsey.
”We all know about the five senses, learned of them in grade school. To taste, touch, hear, see and smell are all such gifts. Gifts that many of us take for granted and don't stop to consider.”
Kelsey leaned closer to the microphone, closing her eyes as she spoke. The bright lights in the studio, and the equalizers, stereo and sound equipment, weren't exactly conducive to romance or, tonight, sensuality. She had worked herself into her mood, as usual, with her bath. That always helped. She hadn't been exaggerating to Mitch when she talked about the importance of a long, languorous bath, and found that her evening ritual helped prepare her to come in and talk frankly about the subjects she covered in her show.
”Tonight,” she continued, ”I want to consider them. Sensuous pleasures are derived from everything that surrounds us. The soft petals of a rose brushed against the cheek, then its scent deeply inhaled, gives such delight. The sweet, slightly bitter taste of dark chocolate lingers on the tongue long after it's gone. The calm solitude and silence of a beach under a night sky interrupted only by the sound of churning waves, was.h.i.+ng forward then receding, brings peace and tranquillity. And who can look at a masterful piece of art and not be moved by its power and the skill of the artist?”
Kelsey bowed her head as she formed her thoughts. She always planned her topics in advance, but often her words were spontaneous.
”All are sensuous. Anything that invades our senses, anything we see or smell, touch, hear or taste, that brings us pleasure, that invigorates our soul, is sensuous.”
Kelsey paused for a moment, a purposeful hesitation. Her audience was half-hooked already. She just had to bring them home.
”Now let's talk about s.e.xuality,” she continued. There, that was the rest of the lure. They were listening now. She could feel it. Brian gave her a thumbs-up from his side of the gla.s.s-enclosed booth, and she continued with a soft smile.
”Some people think they mean the same thing. But they don't. Tonight we're going to discuss how they differ.”
Kelsey cued the music that led into a cl.u.s.ter of commercials.
”Stick with me. We'll be back in a few minutes. I'll start taking your calls later in the hour. Until then, please come back and spend some time alone with me, Lady Love, on WAJO. I'll be waiting for you,” she said in a breathy voice.
Kelsey leaned back in her chair. Brian was mimicking applause, and she grinned back. It was going to be an interesting night.
MITCH COULDN'T SPEAK. He sat, in shock, knowing but not caring that he probably looked like an utter fool, with his mouth hanging open. Had that really been Kelsey? Of course it had. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. And she had come right out and told him she was working the ten-to-two s.h.i.+ft. No wonder she hadn't wanted to talk more about her job.
”She got to you, didn't she?” Paul said with a knowing grin. ”Did I tell you, or what?”
Mitch just nodded.
Around the bar, voices picked back up, and he caught s.n.a.t.c.hes of conversation from other tables, most of it about Kelsey...Lady Love. There seemed to be universal approval and interest.
”Is she always like this?” Mitch finally asked.
”Uh-hmm, but it gets better. That was just her introduction.”
Mitch frowned. Glancing around at the grins of most of the male patrons, he knew Kelsey had already all but seduced half the men in the place. Exactly how far would she go on this show?
”Is this X-rated, or what?” he asked, not really knowing if he wanted the answer.
”No, man, it's not like that. She never gets raunchy, and I guess she's got her callers on a time delay, because none of them do, either. Sometimes people try to steer the conversation, but she never goes for that. She's cla.s.sy, but, oh, so s.e.xy.”