When we pulled up to her place, the car pulled through a twelve foot tall, wrought iron gate, with spikes on top. The wall holding the fence up, was easily ten feet tall, and topped with what looked like some kind of barbed wire. The wall went left and right of the gate for a long distance, before meeting up with another wall, presumably from her neighbor’s property. Once the chauffeur was buzzed in, we pulled up a long, winding driveway that was lined with some of the most exotic looking plants and trees I had ever seen.
The car pulled up to the house, and I stepped out in wonder. The front entryway was massive, with large columns flanking the entrance. I couldn’t even call it a door, the thing was that immense. It looked like two dark wooden doors, inlaid with a shiny black metal, riveted to the wood. Honestly it almost looked more like a castle, than a house. The massive doors swung inwards, and Tanya appeared. She was dressed to kill, in a pair of skin tight jeans, and some kind of sports team shirt on. She came down the steps, and hugged me tightly.
“I’m so glad you’re ok, and that you could make it!” She exclaimed.
“I’m happy to see you too!”
She hugged a little tighter, then released me. She pulled me inside by the arm, not giving me time to worry about my bags at all. I think I saw someone getting them from the limo driver, before being ushered inside the entryway. The room was massive, but that was to be expected with the size of the house. In the center was a beautiful wooden staircase, with very intricately carved railings and red color carpeting on each step.
She spun around in front of me, and swiftly moved in to embrace me. Her lips found mine, and she put so much passion into that kiss, I was afraid we left some black marks on her floor. She grabbed the back of my neck, rubbing her fingers through my hair from the bottom to the top. She pushed her tongue across my lips, and for a brief second I thought I tasted cherry. My tongue wrestled back against hers, and it took a full two minutes before we broke for air.
Gasping, she looked at me with heat in her eyes, “I’ve been waiting FOREVER to do that!”
I was blown away. “I felt a connection with you before, but that was beyond incredible.”
“Welcome to my home,” she said in a low, sultry voice.
I followed her out to the rear of the house, through a large kitchen, to a back patio. Well, patio doesn’t quite seem the right term to describe her back porch. She literally had a pool, a hot tub, a little cabana that was likely a wet bar, and what looked like a pool house or guest house of some kind. Beyond the immense patio, was a yard so big that it could literally be made into a golf course.
The trees that lined the edges of her property were tall and proud, making a natural visual barrier in and out of this oasis. There were paths that seemed to go on forever, and I could just make out a Gazebo far back on the property. Overall the scene was like something out of poetry.
I wasn’t on the islands anymore, but still, this was definitely Hakuna Matata time. I was going to do my damn best to enjoy this vacation, and my time with Tanya. She led me to a table with an umbrella and some chairs, poolside. After sitting down, a slightly older looking woman came to the table.
“James, this is Edith. She is NOT a servant, but she does work for me. She likes to treat me like another of her daughters, so she has become somewhat of a second mom to me.”
“Hello, Edith, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise. Can I get either of you anything to drink?” she asked, with a warm smile.
“I would love some ice water,” I replied. It was warm enough out that I was feeling a bit dehydrated already.
“Can you get me a glass of your sweet tea, please?” asked Tanya.
“Sure thing, be right back,” as she turned and entered the kitchen.
“So, how does it feel to be back, away from the islands?” she asked me.
“Tanya, it is odd. I mean, I really wanted to come see you, but I have really grown used to the slower pace of things out on the islands. It might take a little bit of getting used to, being back here in the hustle and bustle of big city life.”
“Well you’ve come to the right place then. I know the city can be crazy, but my home is a refuge from all of that,” she said with a sly grin.
We sat on her patio, and enjoyed our drinks and caught up on what we’d done since she had visited Hawaii. She was shooting a new movie in a couple weeks, and was doing some pre-production preparation work. She had the script and was reading it over. She also mentioned that there was another script that some unknown director had sent her, asking what she thought of it. Most of what she said didn’t make a ton of sense to me, as I wasn’t really a Hollywood insider or anything like that. I was happy for her continued success though.
Nearly an hour went by, and she told me that we should go out to dinner. She suggested a place that she had gone to before, and hoped I would like. She said the name was Providence, on Melrose Avenue. I had never been anywhere in this city, so I took her word for it. I was just looking forward to spending time with her.
I wore my one pair of khaki’s and light blue button-up shirt that I packed for the trip. I waited for her in the main foyer, and it seemed to be taking her a while. I knew how some women could be, so just patiently waited. Edith offered me a drink, and I gladly accepted a glass of 12 year aged Scotch. She told me this was her ‘cheap’ stuff. She told me that she had a half a bottle of a 25 year aged, hiding somewhere in the study.
I heard some movement coming from the top of the stairs, and looked up to see a radiant beauty, sparkling like an ethereal angel, coming down to tell me that I had died and gone to heaven. Tanya was wearing a white dress that had a single narrow shoulder strap on her right shoulder, and flowed down hugging her curves all the way to her calves. The neckline was a plunging ‘V’, that went down far enough to show some swell of her breasts, and plenty of cleavage. She completed the ensemble with a pair of very elegant and shiny three inch white heels.
It was hypnotizing, and I must have stood with my mouth open for a solid minute. Her smile was beaming, and her bright red lipstick was in stark contrast to the light color dress. Her auburn hair was curled, and furled out behind her shoulders in waves. She completed her descent, and arrived in front of me, to do a 360 degree turn.
“So, what do you think?”