K. Janssen - Hampton Manor

“I think I’ll wait until we get to the restaurant.” He was pleased by his self-control. “I had a few drinks earlier when I met with dad.” He placed a quiche, a scoop of pate and some crackers on a plate, grabbed a napkin and took a seat at the end of the leather couch.

She filled her plate and joined him on the couch. “That’s right, you were planning to break the good news to your father. How did that go?”

“I got mixed signals. On the one hand, the new medicine has transformed the man. He has come out of the shell that Adam Hampton II has been hiding in and is once again exhibiting many of the characteristics that made him a ‘Captain of Industry’. On the other hand, there was one incident that occurred when I was leaving that shook me up a bit.” Adam stopped for a minute to gather his thoughts, “During our time together he gave every indication that he understood about our takeover of Preston. He even wanted to go to the office to manage the details.”

Again he hesitated, “Then, as I was leaving, he asked me for my name.” Tears began welling up in Adam’s eyes. “He actually thought I was a messenger from the office, bringing him the good news.” His voice cracked as he got the last part out.

“You poor man. I guess it’s going to take a bit more time.” She patted him gently on the hand. It does sound as though he is making some progress, though”

“I suppose you‘re right. He left our meeting with a smile on his face. That was good to see.”

It was time for Adam to change the mood. He reached for the knife and “pate’d” a cracker. He took a bite and immediately voiced his approval. “Wow! This is great. What did you put in this?”

“It’s a new recipe I got out of a gourmet magazine. It’s got veal and chicken livers ground together with onion, bacon bits and a touch of garlic. It’s a great recipe, isn‘t it?”

“I could stay here and enjoy these all night.

Ten minutes later the snacks were finished and they left for the restaurant. They pulled into the restaurant parking lot with ten minutes to spare. Adam handed the keys to the valet and they walked into the Champs Elysees. The five star restaurant is usually booked three to four weeks in advance. The Hampton name had a way of cutting through all that.

“Monsieur Hampton, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Your table is waiting, please follow me.” He led them to a quiet little table in the corner and handed them a one page menu. “Your waiter will be Henri. He’ll be right with you.”

There were only four entrées on the menu. They decided to wait until the waiter showed up to make their choices.

There was nothing French about Henri. He was really just a “Henry“, with a phony accent and an abundance of pretense, or at least that was how he came across.

“Have you had a chance to select your dinners, monsieur.

Playing along, Adam said, “Yes, Henri, we have. We’re both having the halibut with parsley-lemon sauce, roasted potatoes and green beans. We’ll skip the appetizers and salads today. We would like an appropriate bottle of wine.”

“May I recommend the Domaine Seguin-Manuel Puligny Montrachet?”

Adam quipped, “You may and that’s fine as long as I don’t have to repeat it.”

Marcia gave him a big smile, but Henri, remained stoic.

“Very well, sir. I’ll be right back with your wine.”

When the wine arrived, Adam sniffed the cork, swirled the wine around in the glass and sniffed the aroma . So far, so good. Two can play this game . He took a small sip and let it roll over his tongue as he swallowed it. It had the bouquet and taste of hazelnuts and flowers with a slight lemon acidity. All in all, a thoroughly fine tasting wine. Adam gave Henri an approving nod. With an exaggerated flourish, Henri poured their glasses, re-corked the bottle, nested it in the ice bucket and headed back to the kitchen.

Adam looked at Marcia and the two burst into laughter. He shook his head as he said, “It seems that good food comes at a greater price than just the dollar amount listed on the menu. Why is it necessary to have to endure all the pomp and ceremony? You know, one of these days I’m going to reject a bottle just to see how they’d handle it.

During the meal, Marcia brought Adam up-to-date on her time with Kane Masterson. Adam was pleased to hear that that Kane was a bit miffed with the treatment Marcia was meting out.

“Well don’t let up. I promised him ‘hell on earth’ for the next six months and I expect you to stoke the coals.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already made that clear to him. He got a little sarcastic at one point, but I ignored him. If he gets out of line again, I’ll rap his knuckles with a ruler.”

Adam burst out laughing, picturing the image.

Henri appeared with their dessert, a dried cherry compote with shortbread and mascarpone cheese. Another waiter served their café au lait .

Marcia tasted the dessert. “This is really good.”

Adam took a bite. “You’re right. Have you ever noticed that the tastier foreign food dishes are, the fancier their names get. Why not just call this what it is; stewed cherries in a light sauce over cheese and lady fingers?”

“That wouldn’t justify the fifteen dollar price?”

“No, of course it wouldn’t and could you imagine calling Henri, Henry or maybe Hank. I guess I better not fill out this suggestion card,” he said, pointing to the small card nestled between the salt and pepper shakers. “I would never be allowed in here again if they knew how I felt. I really did enjoy the food.”

“You‘re probably right,” she replied, with a smile.

They left the restaurant and returned to Marcia’s town house. The air became charged the minute the front door closed behind them. All that each remembered was that they came away from their previous get together with a desire for more; sex, that is.

“Would you like to have a drink first, or do we go right to the bedroom?”

Adam was struck with her directness. He was unaccustomed to forthright sexual conversation with women and unfamiliar with what response was expected

“I think I’ve had enough alcohol for one day. I want to be able to remember every moment that I spend with you. I certainly don’t want a repeat of last time, except, of course, the intimacy we had together.”

“You’re sweet. Well, then, let’s get to it,” she said, taking his hand and leading him to the bedroom. “I’m a bit fuzzy about last time, too. I think I had too much wine.”

“Then I’ll go slowly so you don’t miss anything,” he said with a smile.

“We’ll see how slow you can go after you get a look at the Martin’s of Beverly Hills lingerie I picked up yesterday. They call it ‘Strappy Cord Teddy’.”

“I can hardly wait.”

When they got to the bedroom, she excused herself and went into the bathroom to change.

Adam recalled the round bed, but he was hazy about everything else. He looked around the room for something that would trigger a memory, but was unable to recognize a single piece of furniture, picture or decoration. This was another red flag for him. If he wanted to have a lasting relationship with Marcia he would have to greatly curtail his alcohol consumption. He was willing to pay that price.

He removed his clothing down to his shorts, piling everything on an armchair in the corner of the room. He rolled up the comforter and placed it on another chair along with the sham pillows and the half-dozen multi-shaped pillows that were laying on top of the bed as decorations. He turned down the three lamps in the room, creating a soft romantic glow.

The sheets weren’t silk, but they had a sheen to them. He slid under the covers and waited for her return. He didn’t have to wait long. Within minutes, Marcia entered the room wearing her Strappy Cord Teddy. Adams eyes opened wide. His memory suddenly flashed back to their first encounter, when she dropped her robe to show him what he would be getting. For some reason, he was more excited by seeing her in the teddy.