Mistaken Identity

by Christopher Maddox

  The view was to die for, and the food was very good for a tourist destination, but the people and the service were over the top. I remember thinking that I would like to go back there for dinner sometime.

  After a walk around the waterfront at Pike Place Market, I still had about three or four hours to kill. That’s when I remembered her telling me to call her if I happened to finish my business early. Well, she already knew that my only remaining business in Seattle was her, so I reached in my pocket and pulled out her card. To my surprise, she had written her private, direct office number on it.

  I had no idea where this was going. Hell, I wasn’t even sure she would actually agree to see me again after I had called her a hooker. Nevertheless, I took a deep breath and punched in her number.

  It rang for such a long time that I expected it to go to voice mail. If that were to happen, I figured it would be a dead end.

  “Well, hello, Alex. I was beginning to think maybe you had left town without saying goodbye.”

  I chuckled quietly. “I don’t think so. I have been thinking about you all day.”

  “I would certainly hope so. Without any business meetings or work for you to do, I would be terribly disappointed if you thought about anything else but me. Where are you?”

  “Pike Place Market.”

  “Good. Get us a table at Maximilien’s, overlooking the water, order me a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, and I will be there in fifteen minutes.”

  She hung up the phone without saying another word or without giving me an opportunity to respond. I was surprised, but then again, I wasn’t used to talking to her. So I did exactly as I was told. I got us a table overlooking the water and precisely fifteen minutes after she hung up the phone, I ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

  I was anxiously watching the entrance, so I spotted her the moment she came through the door. She was even more striking in the natural light of the day than she had been the evening before in the hotel lounge. She appeared to be about five feet, nine inches tall in her three-inch heels. She had a slender, sinuous figure with what appeared to be small, perky breasts, and she couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds. Her hair was auburn, dark auburn, with a light-reddish tone that gave off a subdued, almost iridescent, sheen.

  She looked around and smiled as she headed toward me. She was wearing a light-gray business suit with a white blouse, black high heels, and a matching black belt. Her skirt was cut about two inches above her knees. She looked the very image of respectability, but there was an undertone of raw sensuality seeping through her look and her stride. She was just plain sexy, and I didn’t think that there was any way she could avoid it.

  I couldn’t suppress my smile as I stood up and watched her walk across the room toward me. I took a couple of steps toward her and reached out to take her hand.

  “Hi, Alex,” she said, taking my hand and giving me a slight hug.

  “Hi, Shannen. What a pleasant surprise.”

  She smiled warmly as I held her chair for her. “What is a pleasant surprise? You knew that I was going to have a glass of wine with you today.”

  “Yes, but I wasn’t expecting a hug.”

  She smiled and undid the button on her jacket. “Well, I thought that was the least I could do for someone who was willing to stay in Seattle a whole extra day just to watch me drink a glass of wine.”

  I chuckled and motioned for our waiter to open our wine. “Yes, and I can’t wait to watch you take that first sip.”

  “I’ve never had anyone this anxious to watch me swallow.”

  I looked at her over the rim of my glasses and grinned.

  She giggled and picked up her glass just as the waiter finished filling mine. “That didn’t come out right.”

  “Perhaps not, but it was funny. I think you said it last night when you mentioned something about having no expectations, and I have none. At my age, I’m just happy to have the company of such a gorgeous, young lady.”

  “Oh, come now, Alex, you’re not old, and I’m certainly no young lady.”

  I chuckled. “Well, to me, you’re a beautiful young woman, and quite frankly, I am surprised that you agreed to meet me.”

  “Oh, really, why is that?”

  “For starters, you’re a professional, and I suspect that you have men crawling all over you, trying to get a date. You don’t know anything about me. For all you know, I could be an ax murderer, and I doubt that you make a habit of going out with people you don’t know.”

  She shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t think you’re an ax murderer. You look harmless enough to me. Well, Alex, here’s hoping that you are what you appear to be, a gentleman,” she offered, holding her glass up to mine.

  “And here’s to hoping that we can share more than just one glass of wine.”

  “You never can tell when you are taking it one glass at a time.”

  I watched as she slowly sipped her wine and nervously twirled one of her fingers around a strand of her hair

  “I am exceedingly glad,” I said, “that you agreed to meet me, but I’m curious as to why.”

  She giggled. “You know, I’m not entirely sure myself. Surely, part of it was because you are such a handsome man. I had a hard time keeping my eyes off your gorgeous gray hair last night. However, it was your proposition that intrigued me. I have never been propositioned before, at least not for money. Do you think I’m still worth anything I want?” she blushed as she asked.

  I looked at her seriously for a moment and then grinned. “You are probably worth twice that amount, whatever it is.”

  She laughed. “Alexander, you are not supposed to negotiate with yourself and up the price. You’re not playing very hard to get.”

  “And that surprises you?”

  She sat there with an inquisitive look on her face for the longest time. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given the circumstances of our meeting. Do you always pay your women for sex?” she asked with a serious look on her face.

  I chuckled and shook my head. “No, I never pay for sex.”

  Her mood and demeanor changed immediately. “If you never pay for sex, then why were you willing to pay me for sex?”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “That is a good question, and I’m not sure I have an answer for it. When I saw you at the bar and you smiled at me, I became enamored with you. You are beautiful, young, well-spoken, and sexy as hell. I figured that I would never see you again if I didn’t do something, so I just told the truth.”

  She furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. “And that was?

  “I simply said that I wanted to be with you.”

  She chuckled quietly. “Oh, yes, I recall. That was painfully direct, but it was one hell of an attention getter.”

  “Now that I know you a little better, my guess is that there is no amount of money in the world that would tempt you into my bed.”

  She began laughing and almost lost the sip of wine that she had just taken. “That’s funny, Alex, because I have always said that everyone has a price unless it involves family or religion.”

  “That is an interesting thought.” Her words intrigued me. I looked at her carefully and began to wonder if I might have the slightest chance of being with her.

  She took another sip of her wine. “Don’t get too excited, Alex. My price would be high, very high,” she said with a slight gleam in her eyes.

  I grinned. “And worth every penny, I’m sure.”

  She put on a pair of thin, wire-rimmed reading glasses and picked up the menu. She looked up at me over the top edge of her glasses. “Are you going to feed me?”

  “Are you going to have another glass of wine?”

  “I thought that I might,” she said with an intriguing smile.

  I picked up the bottle and poured us another glass. I took my glass and held it up to hers. “Here’s to glass number two as we take it … one glass at a time.”

  She ordered Les Moules Mariniere, which is a steamed mus
sel dish with butter, white wine, shallots, garlic, and parsley. She ordered it with such conviction that I was sure she must have eaten it before. “I think I can see your mouth watering. Is it that good?” I asked.

  “If you like mussels, it is over the top, but how do you know I wasn’t thinking about dessert just then and not mussels?”

  I narrowed my gaze, wondering if she was thinking what I hoped she was thinking. “I think I’ll have what you are having.”

  “That could be dangerous.”

  I grinned and took a small sip of wine. “What could be dangerous about eating the same thing that you’re eating?”

  “Well, it has been widely reported that mussels are an aphrodisiac, and I don’t think that you need any more encouragement,” she said with a coquettish smile.

  I laughed. “You’re probably right there, but at my age, I will take all the help I can get.”

  “Would you stop with the age thing? Alex, are you embarrassed about your age?”

  “No, not at all, but seeing you last night and being with you now, I wish I could have some of those years back.”

  “Listen, I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t attracted to you, so age isn’t an issue.”

  That was the first indication she had given me that she might be interested. I mean, interested enough to take whatever we had to the next level. “Does that mean I have a chance with you?”

  She appeared to be amused by my question. “That’s almost as forward as telling me that you want to be with me. I must say that I’ve never had a date where I was asked if I would have sex with someone before we had even shared our first kiss.”

  I shook my head. “But that’s not exactly what I was asking you.”

  She laughed again. “That’s exactly what you were asking me without actually coming out and saying it. But then, one of the reasons we’re here in the first place is because you have already propositioned me.”

  “Then I think I should rephrase the question. Do you think that you might be inclined to see me again?”

  “Tell me about yourself, Alex. What do you do to make ends meet? You told me you weren’t married. Are you divorced, and if so, how many children do you have?”

  I spent the next twenty minutes or so telling her all about my business in upstate New York, and my only son who was poised to take over the business when the time came.

  “You’re not married. I know it’s not any of my business, but I would like to know what happened.”

  “There is not much to tell. We were happily married for almost twenty-five years, and she died unexpectedly of a heart attack almost five years ago now.”

  She reached over and took my hand. “I’m sorry, Alex. I wasn’t expecting that. I shouldn’t have been so nosy.”

  I smiled and squeezed her warm, soft hand. “It’s all right. It has been five years, and we had a good marriage with no regrets.”

  She took a sip of wine but continued to hold my hand. “Have you had any close encounters since your wife passed?”

  I laughed. “Let’s see, close encounters. If you are asking me if I have slept with anyone since then, the answer is yes, but I have made a conscious effort not to become too attached.”

  She slowly withdrew her hand. “That doesn’t sound very promising, if you are a single woman in hopes of settling down. No, scratch that comment because I must assume that your proposition was only for one night.”

  I smiled. “I’m not sure what I meant last night, but the thought of just having one night with you seems like a terribly bad idea now.”

  “You must have a lot of money.”

  “I sell a lot of doggie treats.”

  “How long are you planning on being in town? I mean, you had planned on leaving today until you uh … saw something you liked.”

  “I’m not sure. That depends on you at this point. I can come and go pretty much as I please.”

  “I’m afraid if I were to tell you that I was free this weekend, you would have heightened expectations beyond taking it one glass of wine at a time. Alex, for someone that I really don’t know all that well, I like you, but I don’t think I’m ready to make that kind of commitment quite yet. This is, after all, our first date.”

  I chuckled and took a sip of wine. “At this point, Shannen, I promise that I don’t have any expectations, but I am hopeful.”

  She smiled as she took the last bite of her steamed mussels. “I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about it as well. I’m hopeful, but I’ve been hopeful before, and I’ve been disappointed before.”

  There was something uniquely different about this woman. She was strong, independent and definitely not shy or afraid to speak her mind. I also sensed that she was vulnerable, and it would take some time to reach her soft underbelly. “We have all experienced disappointments, some more than others, but I will do my best not to be one of yours.”

  She smiled, reached over, and squeezed my hand again. “You better not be. If you are, I will stop buying your doggy treats, and your company could fail.”

  “You have a dog?”

  “No, I have a best friend, who keeps me company on all of those long, lonely, cold nights. His name is Charley, and he’s the sweetest thing in the world.”

  I chuckled. “And what might Charley be?”

  “Charley is from Malta, and he is six-and-a-half pounds of pure love. He is my biggest fan and my protector.”

  I laughed. “Now, I know who the boss is in your family.”

  She took a quick call. She wasn’t on the phone for more than a few seconds when she said thanks and punched the off button. “I’m sorry. I was expecting that call.”

  “That’s no problem. Business has to go on.”

  “Alex, would you like to have another glass of wine?”

  “I would love one, Shannen. Sharing three glasses of wine with you is more than I had hoped for.” I motioned for our waiter, but she stopped me by grabbing my arm.

  “I was thinking that I have had two glasses of wine already, and if I have another, I could be over the legal limit. Instead of having another one here, what would say if I invited you over to meet Charley?”

  My look of surprise must have tickled her funny bone because she began laughing exuberantly. “I’m sorry, Alex, but it’s not an invitation to share my bed. It’s an invitation to meet Charley and share another glass of wine with me.”

  “First, I would love to meet Charley; however, I do not have any treats with me. Second, I promise to be a perfect gentleman, do as I’m told and not have any heightened expectations other than the pleasure of your company.”

  It seemed that the more I learned about this gorgeous woman, the more I realized that I couldn’t predict what she was thinking or what she might do. What I did know about her, however, was that I was more intrigued with her than any woman I had ever met.

  “That sounds interesting. Do you follow orders well?”

  I laughed, knowing what she was getting at. “Let’s just say that in the right circumstances, I can be very obedient.”

  “Hmmmm, you are a most interesting man, Alexander. Shall we go?” she said as she pushed her chair back and stood up.

  “And you, Shannen, are a most mystifying woman.” Most mystifying indeed, I thought.

  Chapter Two

  “Charley, I would you like you to meet Alex. You should really suck up to him, Charlie. He makes those little treats that you like so much. Alex, this is Charley.”

  Shannen had picked him up in her arms for our first introduction. Charley was far more interested in licking her than he was in paying any attention to me other than a cursory look in my direction. Hell, I couldn’t blame him; I wanted to lick her too.

  Charley was gorgeous. Over the years, because of my business, I had become familiar with the conformation of most of the AKC breeds. Charley was a perfect example of the Maltase breeding line. He was pure white with long, straight-flowing hair that hung practically to the floor. He had large, black, Elvis Presle
y eyes, and a midnight nose.

  Shannen handed Charley to me. He looked up at me for a moment, licked me on the nose several times, and folded into my arms. That was it. I was done for. Oddly enough, I did not have a pet. My last pet had died about three years earlier, and I decided at that time that the pain of their loss was too great to risk having another one.

  Her house was just off of Fauntleroy Way in South West Seattle, arguably some of the best waterfront real estate in the area. The streets were wide, the trees mature, and the architecture spoke of turn-of-the-century elegance with large lots and an eclectic assortment of architectural styles.

  It was situated upon a small knoll overlooking Vashon Island to the rear of the house. Since the house was situated up high, it looked down on the street below and the houses on the opposite side. It was a four-bedroom ranch that had been remodeled, probably several times.

  The front had two large, picture windows that provided a view of the sidewalk and street. It had a quaint front porch with a porch swing hanging at one end. She told me that, when the weather was nice, she sometimes sits on the swing and waves to neighbors as they walk by. It looked like one of Norman Rockwell’s paintings, I thought.

  The house had been remolded and modernized. At some point, they had eliminated the formal living room, combined it with the family room, and opened it up to the kitchen. The result was a large great room with a large, wood-burning fireplace on one end and a very modern kitchen on the other end. The back wall of the great room was mostly glass and afforded terrific views of the back yard and the water beyond. The two large windows at the front of the house permitted great, unfettered views of the front because the window sills were barely two feet off the floor and went practically to the ceiling allowing only enough room for the crown molding.

  She had decorated it with bright floral designs that were light and airy. Two large, identical sofas lined either side of the fireplace with a large, square, beveled-glass coffee table set between them. The sofas were down-filled and covered with a light, cream-colored silk weave. Both sofas were decorated with an eclectic array of floral throw pillows that picked up the background color of the sofas. The floral designs of the pillows were mostly muted yellows, greens, and blues. To the far side of the coffee table, facing the fireplace, were two overstuffed chairs that matched the sofas.