Logic lays her bare (Closed for Pipper)

[pwr25]

Adrian is 25 quite handsome with short dark hair and soft brown eyes. He has a remarkable talent for math and graduated college with 1st class honours at the age of 19. He went on to complete his PhD in statistical models and logic before joining a private bank in its quantitative trading department. He is now the bank's most successful trader and heads the quantitive trading desk.

He met Susan three weeks ago at a friend's party and they have been out together twice. This evening he had invited her to a concert of music by Beethoven that included the Eroica symphony, one of his favourites. He had picked Susan up from work for the concert, and he had now driven her home.

Adrian is a little surprised, but very pleased, when Susan invites him to her apartment for a drink.

"Nice apartment, did you decorate it yourself?

 

[pipper]

Susan is 24, slim, with a body which she thought 'was an inch away from perfection'. Her blonde hair flowed down to just below her shoulders, and her blue eyes were described as 'hypnotic pool of waters'.

She was one of the top students at college, and now held a top position at a company which designed hi-tech computer games, some of which were the adult kind, which Susan wasn't happy about, having been raised up with strict moral values. The only reason she remained with the company, was because of the pay, and also to gain experience in her position, so that she could apply for another job somewhere else.

She was thankful for Adrian, for treating her to experience a Beethoven concert, though she was a Tchaikovsky fan at heart. The only damper to the night, was that he hadn't forewarned her, and so she landed up attending the concert in a skirt suit.

Susan decided to return the surprise by inviting him in for a drink when Adrian drove her home, as a way of saying thank you for a lovely surprise.

"Nice apartment, did you decorate it yourself?"

"Yes, I did, thank you. What would you like to drink?" She asked, as she hung up her jacket.

 

[pwr25]

Adrian followed her into the salon noting the care with which the appartement was decorated, everything carefully chosen with a clear image and planning in mind.

"I'll take a cognac please. An espresso to go with it will be great if it's not too much trouble."

He had expected the carefully planned decoration of the apparetment: he'd suspected that Susan was very concerned about image. In fact he had deliberately left her too little time to change to see her reaction. Despite her lack of verbal protest he'd noted she wasn't too pleased by this.

"Sorry about the last minute warning for the concert. It was just one of those unexpected events that happen. Hope it didn't spoil the evening for you?"

 

[pipper]

"Sorry about the last minute warning for the concert. It was just one of those unexpected events that happen. Hope it didn't spoil the evening for you?"

Susan would have liked to tell Adrian that it would have been nice if he had given her prior notice, but decided against it. After all, it was a lovely surprise.

"No, it was a great concert. Thank you. It was sweet of you," she said, as she placed their drinks on the counter. "I'll stick with a gin and tonic, if you don't mind."

Sitting on a bar stool, she reached down and slipped off her pumps. Noticing Adrian looking at her, Susan said, "I prefer these to high-heels, which I hate with a passion. Pumps a lot more comfortable on the feet."

She would have loved to slip off her panty hose, but not with Adrian sitting next to her.

 

[pwr25]

"I prefer these to high-heels, which I hate with a passion. Pumps a lot more comfortable on the feet."

"I was about to say I know what you mean, but that would make me seem weird! I imagine heels must be pretty uncomfortable all day, especially now when they're so high."

Adrian would have liked to say " No problem, make yourself comfortable, slip off whatever makes you feel good." but instead he says. "I hate wearing work clothes when I get home. I change as soon as I get in. Don't want to shock you but I often wear just my shorts when I'm alone."

 

[pipper]

"Don't want to shock you but I often wear just my shorts when I'm alone."

Susan wondered what Adrian did look like just in his shorts. "I'm afraid I'm not that daring. I prefer to stay clothed in jeans and a shirt of some sort, when here on my own."

She had no idea why she confided in him on what she wore in private, but if their friendship was to blossom, there had to be some openness between them.

"Can I offer you something else, as a way of thanking you, for such a wonderful evening?"

 

[pwr25]

"Can I offer you something else, as a way of thanking you, for such a wonderful evening?"

À wry smile crosses his face as his brain ran through the possibilities, unconsciously he removed hie tie and undid the top two buttons of his shirt.

"No need to thank me, really. I really enjoyed the pleasure of your company."

"I'll have another small cognac please. Let's me stay in your company a bit longer."

Suddenly, from absolutely nowhere Adrian launches, "Have you ever considered the idea that we're all unpaid strippers? We take off and put on clothes every day, only difference is we're not paid."

Then, after a slight pause."Or maybe we're paid dressers!? After all we use clothes for our jobs, to impress our friends, to conform when we attend certain occasions. Sort of reverse stripping?" Then he laughs loudly wondering what will be the impact of this strange outburst!

 

[pipper]

Susan was stunned at Adrian's comments. Lucky for him, he didn't see the look of disgust on her face, as she had her back turned to him, while she poured out another cognac.

Regaining her composure, she turned around and placed the drink down in front of him. Placing herself back on the bar stool, she decided to respond to his surprising comments.

"Let's face it, Adrian we are all, as you pointed out, strippers. We strip to take a shower, to change into swimwear, or change for bed. But we are not strippers in the real sense of the word, as it alludes to the entertainment world. And yes, a lady in an evening gown, or even in an one piece swimsuit can be just as, or even more, impressionable, and yes, sexier, than a woman undressing to impress her audience."

Susan didn't want to discuss this topic anymore, and now regretted inviting Adrian in. "I need to work on some spreadsheets for a meeting tomorrow," she said, looking at her watch, hoping that he would get the hint.

 

[pwr25]

Even though her face was turned Adrian saw the tightening of the muscles in her neck and shoulders. "Grosse gaffe!" he thinks.

"I need to work on some spreadsheets for a meeting tomorrow."

"I understand," he says finishing his cognac and standing up.

"It was a lovely evening and I enjoyed your company. Sorry that I managed to open my mouth just long enough to change feet."

As he puts on his jacket at the door he turns to Susan, "I have tickets for James Blunt next Thursday and would like to invite you if you're free."

He then kisses Susan politely on the cheek and turns to leave.

 

[pipper]

Susan always loved the way, Adrian kissed her on the cheek. So softly and tender. He was keeping to his promise of no lip kissing, until she said so.

She watched as he walked to his car, but couldn't help but give him, one last parting shot. "I'm going to strip out of these clothes, so that I could wear something more casual. Of course, if you wanted to watch I could...er...nah! Goodnight, luv. Thanks again for the surprise. it was lovely."

She decide to put off her reply to his invitation to accompany him to the Blunt concert. Actually, any other music than classical, was not her cup of tea. Speaking of which, she would get herself one.

 

[pwr25]

Adrian drives home, pissed off that he blew the evening with Susan. It was going well until the comments about stripping, God knows how those came into his head, just the same he thinks the parting shot about stripping was a bit below the belt. After all he realised his mistake and left like a gentleman.

"I was looking forward to inviting Susan to the Salzburg festival." he thinks as he fixes himself a scotch.

 

[pipper]

Susan knew that a headache was building inside her. She should have had an early night, and got up early, when her mind would have made sense of the spreadsheets. "To hell with it!" she exclaimed as she shut down her laptop.

As she closed her eyes, in the hopes of dealing with the headache, she visualized Adrian departing that night, and her remark. On second thoughts, it had been a stupid thing to say, especially when he had decided to not continue with the subject.

Opening her eyes, Susan picked up the phone and called Adrian. "Time to eat one's words."

 

[pwr25]

Adrian is at his computer when the phone rings. He's making changes to the bank's trading algorithms to hopefully benefit from a new correlation he found earlier in the week.

The phone disturbs his train of thought as he's checking for errors in his model, "Shit! Who the hell calls at this time of night." he thinks. He looks at the display on the phone, it's Susan. "Hmm! Probably phoning to turn down the invitation to James Blunt," he thinks "at least I'll know what to do about Saltzburg."

"Hello Susan, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

 

[pipper]

"Hello Susan, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"I'm just calling to apologize for that stupid remark, I made, when you were walking to your car. It was totally uncalled for. I'm sorry. Er...I'm afraid that I can't accept the invite to see Blunt. I'm afraid, I would find it boring, as I'm only interested in classical.

"I'm off to bed now, Adrian. Once again, I'm sorry. Goodnight."

With that Susan headed off to bed, with a mug of hot milk.

 

[pwr25]

Adrian is pleasantly surprised, he likes Susan and regretted the way the evening had turned out. "She said no to James Blunt," he thinks "but maybe the remark about classical was a small ray of hope."

He opens Internet Explorer on his laptop and googles "The South Bank Centre". "Ah, they're having a Prokofiev series with the LPO." he thinks "I like the music of Prokofiev and the LPO. Maybe/Let's hope that Susan does." He send a mail to the bank's Corporate Affairs Director, a good friend of his, and asks if one of the bank's boxes is available.

The following day his friend calls to confirm that he can have the box. "Is it for a client or personal." his friend asks. "It depends on her reply." he responds.

A few days later he calls Susan. "Hello Susan, it's Adrian. Look, I've had a bit of good look and have obtained tickets for the South Bank Centre tomorrow evening. It's Prokofiev with the LSO. Bit short notice again, but would you like to come?"

 

[pipper]

Susan had been in a good mood. She had done a great job on the spreadsheets and the meeting had gone well. The only thing that was getting her down, was the fact she hadn't heard from Adrian for sometime.

Then the phone rang at her office. It was Adrian. "I've had a bit of good look and have obtained tickets for the South Bank Centre tomorrow evening. It's Prokofiev with the LSO. Bit short notice again, but would you like to come?"

That was music to her ears. Though not a great fan of Prokofiev's music, it would be a night out with him.

"That would be lovely! Is it a black tie affair, or casual?"

 

[pwr25]

"We're in one of the bank's boxes so there may be clients nearby. I think smart business will be fine."

"The concert starts at 19:30, would you like to eat before. Otherwise we could get a late night supper after the concert."

"Where shall I pick you up, at your office?"

 

[pipper]

"You can pick me up at the office, and we'll have a supper afterwards, if you don't mind. I'll think of something to wear. Anyway, I have a pile of instructions to give. Gee, I wonder what ever happened to reliable staff? I'll see you tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it. Bye."

That night Susan selected a white short sleeve blouse, a black calf length skirt, and a matching jacket.

 

[pwr25]

Adrian arrives at Susan's office at 6:30 pm, he's a bit of a planner and has estimated they have 15 minutes margin to arrive at the theatre and park the car. He's wearing a grey Armani 2-piece suit with blue shirt, black shoes, and a very bright tie (his rebel side).

"Hi Susan, you look great. Are you ready to go? I have the car parked outside."

 

[pipper]

Susan was eager to get away from what she called, 'A hell hole of incompetents!' Being their departmental manager, meant she got shit from higher officers if her staff screwed up.

She found Adrian waiting for her, in the foyer. "Hi Susan, you look great. Are you ready to go? I have the car parked outside."

"You don't look too shabby, yourself!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I took the taxi here, rather than drive, as I presumed you would be taking me home."

 

[pwr25]

"You don't look too shabby, yourself!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I took the taxi here, rather than drive, as I presumed you would be taking me home."

"Good start." He thinks to himself as he takes her to the car and holds the door open for Susan to get in.

The traffic is good and the theatre has a valet parking service so they arrive at 7 pm. He shows the tickets to the usher who points him towards the staircase leading to the boxes. Adrian tentatively takes Susan by the hand as they walk up the stairs. As they arrive at the top, his friend Nigel sees them and walks over to great them.

"Hello Adrian," he beams "you must introduce me to your stunning companion."

"Err, Nigel this is my friend Susan. Susan, this is Nigel he kindly organised the tickets for me."

"Would you like a glass of champagne?" asks Nigel. "I've organised canapés in the interval if you want, we're trying to impress some important Russian clients in the box next to you."

"Oh, and you've got the box for two people so you won't be bothered by clients trying to talk business. I see the Russians are calling for me so I have to go. Enjoy your evening, I'll send a waiter with the champagne."

The champagne arrives, "Shall we take our seats, I can hear the bell.?"

 

[pipper]

Susan was led up the stairs by Adrian. When they reached the top, a guy in a black suit walked over to them.

"Hello Adrian, you must introduce me to your stunning companion."

"Err, Nigel this is my friend Susan. Susan, this is Nigel he kindly organised the tickets for me."

"I thank you, for getting Adrian the tickets," Susan said, as she tilted her head forward, as a mark of respect, while thinking if her date had got them at a discount, or even for nothing at all.

When Nigel mentioned they would in the box next to a group of Russians clients. "Oh, great, just great. Russians watching a concert of a Russian's music. No doubt they will sloshed on vodka before the night is over," she muttered softly.

On entering their box, Susan claimed the seat nearest the stage, thankful that the box with the Russians was to the side behind them , thus relieving her of the task of seeing them.

Then she jumped up. Looked around. Then starred at Adrian. "I suppose the usher did give you a program."

 

[pwr25]

"I suppose the usher did give you a program."

Adrian can't help but notice the arrogant behaviour of his date, "Guess it's true that the world needs checks and balances. A beautiful woman needs counterbalancing faults." he thinks as he squeezes her hand and smiles at her.

"Of course, here you go. The programme is Lieutenant Kijé and the Cello Concerto in E minor until the interval, and Symphony number 7 afterwards. I like the symphony number 7."

"During the interval champagne, wine and other drinks are available outside. There are small sandwiches and canapés as well. If you like we can eat here and then only have a light meal after the performance."

"OK, the performance is starting. Hope you will enjoy it." He says as he squeezes her hand gently and rests it on his thigh."

 

[pipper]

"OK, the performance is starting. Hope you will enjoy it."

Susan knew that Adrian had placed her hand on his thigh. To damn close to his, 'you know what', she thought, but after her unwarranted remark about the program, Susan decided to leave it there.

She tried of take in Prokofiev's Cello Concerto, but it was hard for her. If it had to be a Russian composer, why not Tchaikovsky instead? It appeared as if the piece would never end.

Before Susan knew it, the audience were clapping, and so was Adrian, though he remained seated, no doubt because, for some reason, her hand had firmly affixed itself to his thigh.

Sensing he was looking at her, and wondering why she wasn't showing some sort of appreciation, Susan withdrew her hand, and slowly clapped, just out of courtesy to Adrian rather then acknowledging the cello soloist.

Standing up, she told Adrian, "I'm not really in the mood for some food right now, but I would love a glass of champagne. I need to powder my nose. I'll be back soon."

As Susan walked to the washroom, she had to walk by the Russians, who were chatting with Nigel, and as she did so, she heard a wolf whistle.

"Who did that?" She asked, by which time Adrian had joined them.

"I don't think he meant any harm, Susan," said Nigel.

"If that is the case, then he, whoever he is, will have no problem in apologizing to me."

"Calm down, please Susan. You're making a scene," said their escort.

Susan shot a stare at Adrian. "I want an apology from the person concerned. I have been insulted!"

"To be honest, most ladies consider that to be a sign that they look stunning, and should be taken as an appreciation of their beauty," said Nigel. To which the Russians, and Adrian, smiled at her.

"Well, I don't, Nigel. And as you have seen fit, not to defend me, I'll wish you and your commie friends a goodbye. I'm leaving!"

 

[pwr25]

Annoyed with himself for allowing Susan's admitted beauty to blind him to her vain and narcissistic character, Adrian remains calm and polite. He escorts her to the taxi, pays the driver to take her home and returns to the theatre.

As he passes through the lobby he sees Katy. He's spoken to her a few times at the bank and really likes her personality.

"Hi Katy, are you here alone?"

"Yes, unfortunately." replies Katy.

"I have one of the company boxes, would you like to join me for the second half?"

"Sure, that would be great." replies Katy.

This turns out to be the start of a loving relationship where they eventually marry. Many years later when he's the bank's CEO, he reflects on how well fate had treated him that evening.