Chapter One β The arrival
Blame our fathers. They met at some out-of-town conference or symposium, when they where sitting next to each other at a bar in their hotel. They liked each other so much they had dinner together the next evening. Their specialties are different (Avner is a fertility specialist while my father is a neurologist), but since they are both physicians with high-end Manhattan patients, they had a lot in common.
Months later, they agreed that neither had ever developed a friendship so quickly or easily. As a matter of fact, each felt as if the other was almost the brother neither had ever had. Moreover, their wives liked each other very much. Before long, Dad was going off to play tennis with Avner, or Mom was headed out to a museum with Shelley (she's an artist), or they were dining together at the latest restaurant sensation.
So it was no surprise that almost a year after the two guys met, we were all invited to spend Labor Day weekend at their summer place, situated at a small, secluded lake in New England. After all, they'd had dinner at our apartment several times, so they thought they knew me fairly well. For example, they were aware that my prep school had plenty of famous kids or children of famous people, and that it was no big deal to me. On the contrary, my friends and I always made a point to treat others as nothing special. It was part of the code.
They also knew about the crowd I'd hung around with during college. And they liked the fact that although still in my mid-twenties, I was a serious professional, already editing books at a respected publishing house. So they were satisfied. And apparently, they actually liked me.
Before leaving, Mom and Dad had a discussion with me on behalf of Avner and Shelley, explaining that their daughter would also be at the lake house, and how exceptionally rare it was for them to bring a guy my age into their household when she would be there. If they did so at all, since they were an extremely tight-knit family and extraordinarily protective of their daughter.
I was mystified by all the discussion and didn't know what the big deal was about. Maybe the daughter was disabled in some way, like Down's syndrome, or in a wheelchair, or mentally unstable. Whatever, I could care less. I just wanted to get out of the hot city because my friends would be gone. And the idea of hanging by a lake while getting a little work done didn't sound half bad.
Early on Friday morning, the three of us had just closed the apartment door to go down to the garage with our gear when I remembered leaving a manuscript behind. Mom and Dad continued down to the garage to pack the vehicle as I hurried back into the apartment. After picking up the MS, I spotted a sheet of paper on the kitchen counter, the directions to Avner's and Shelley's that my parents had forgotten. At the bottom were the address, phone number and family name.
My parents must have thought I was an idiot during their discussion with me. They didn't realize that I'd never known Avner and Shelley's last name. I forced myself to calm down. Their daughter was probably raised to be friendly and polite, although she'd keep her distance. We'd probably see her only at dinnertime and maybe an occasional breakfast. I'd act as if she was only the daughter of my parent's friends, not an incredibly famous star. Of course, there'd never be a single question about her work.
When I rejoined my parents at our vehicle, I handed them the directions but didn't say a word. Inside I was anything but relaxed. Like millions of other guys, I'd had a crush on her since her first movie, when she was all of 14. Since then, I'd seen allβor parts of allβher films, and read that she and her parents were intelligent, tight and grounded.
During the long drive to the Berkshires I naturally tried to remember the handful of dinner conversations I'd had with her parents. When one of my parents asked about their daughter, which wasn't frequently, all I could remember was a bland and generic answer, such as "She's fine" or "She's working hard but enjoying it." And I completely understood that it was not an aspect of their lives in which they wanted to involve my parents. After all, they had agents, managers, investment counselors and PR people for that.
In any case, she wasn't even there when we arrived. It was a gorgeous place: secluded, surprisingly large, beautifully designed and furnished, and peaceful. The parents retired early, tired from the workweek and lengthy drive. Once they'd gone upstairs, I stripped off my shirt (it was still hot) and settled into the couch to do some work.
After an hour, I heard footsteps and was shocked to see the daughter standing in the entrance to the living room. "Oh!" she said, surprised as well. Surprisingly, she was wearing a gray business suit and heels. "The house was so dark I thought everyone was asleep." She looked even more incredibly gorgeous in person than she does onscreen.
"I was just doing some work," I said, self-conscious about lying there only in cutoff jeans, even though my torso had a summer tan and was, according to one of the trainers at my gym, well-defined. "We weren't expecting you till the morning," I added lamely.
"I β I changed my mind," she stammered. "You must be Philip."
"Yeah. This is such a great place. Can I help with your luggage?"
She laughed, her face lighting up. "Well, there's quite a lot of it."
"No problem. Just relax." I put on my shirt and stood.
"Thanks, I'd love to change. Please be careful with my portmanteau." I looked at her quizzically.
"It's the large satchel on the rear seat. It's heavy."
"No problem." I went outside to her beautiful Lexus SC convertible. It was crammed everywhere with luggage: in the small trunk and the passenger seat, while the rear seat was filled with a large, expensive leather satchel. That must be the portmanteau. It was extremely heavy. Curious, I unlatched and opened it. Inside was a portable collection of bondage implements: wrist and ankle cuffs, gags with a harness, clamps, weights, chains, dildos and vibrators. I wondered if she'd forgotten to lock it or had left it unsecured intentionally. . . .
When I reached her bedroom I knocked and entered. It was a large suite, complete with four-poster bed, a large deluxe bathroom and spacious sitting area. Oddly, she was standing in the dark, lost in thought. "Shall I open the drapes?" I asked, realizing I must sound like a hotel bellhop.
"Yes, it's a beautiful half-moon tonight," she said. The entire long wall of her room that faced the lake was glass. I opened the drapes and we stood there in silence, stunned by the magnificent view of the lake. The moon had just risen above the trees and was silvering the lake. It was a magical moment. I turned my head to glance at her and she was already looking at me. Our eyes met for an instant before we both turned back to the view. It was an intimate look that acknowledged the shared splendor of the moment.
"I'll just get the rest of your stuff." When I returned, she had opened her purse and was looking at a few photos. After completing the final load, I asked, "If you're hungry, I can make up a late night snack."
She looked at me appreciatively and grinned. "I'm starving! See you in the kitchen in 20?"
"Sounds good," I said, heading for the hallway. "Something to drink?"
"White wine, please."
In the kitchen, I sautΓ©ed some tofu with a couple of sauces and prepared a plate with couscous, fresh mint leaves and a salad of cucumber, shaved carrots and fresh peas. When she entered, she wore a snug halter and very tight cutoffs and was barefoot. Without the suit and heels and with her hair in a pigtail, she looked years younger, like 16, although the same height as she appears in movies. But her breasts looked much larger. She looks like a A cup in all her films, but she now looked like a big B, quite large on her small frame, especially with the tight top.
She sat at the kitchen counter and raised her glass. "A toast," I proposed, raising my glass as well. She looked at me skeptically, as if I was going to say something improper. "To the lake."
Surprised, she smiled and took a large swallow of wine. "Mmm, that's refreshing. And what's that great smell?"
"Just a bit of tofu." I plated and served her dish.
"This looks great! Leftovers from dinner?"
"Just the couscous. I made the rest."
"Oh," she said, surprised again, and ate with relish. Her glass was soon empty and I refilled both of ours. "My parents really had tofu for dinner?"
"No, they had chicken, but I know you're a vegetarian." She nodded.
"Was your drive okay?"
"I've done it lots of times. I was visiting friends from college in Cambridge. The last part of the trip was beautiful." We chatted about schools (she was a Psych major) and friends and eventually agreed to adjourn into the living room. I was surprised that she wasn't immediately going to her suite. She was tipsy as we walked into the living room, where she asked me to refill her glass again. I poured a half glass, but she insisted on a full one.