Julie was new in town, just here a week. Her husband had taken a new job, one with more responsibility and, just as importantly, more pay. Today was his first full day at the job, and she decided to explore their new home town on her own.
She'd found the local market and picked up a supply of fresh produce. "Very good quality," she remarked to herself, pleased at the availability since she enjoyed cooking. Lunch in a local restaurant proved quite good as well, and afterwards, a bit of clothes shopping in some little boutiques. In one shop, she found a sheer purple scarf, lightly sequined, that matched the outfit she was wearing. She wrapped it twice around her neck, and found the look of it appealing. The feel was appealing as well; Julie liked the snuggness around her throat. At the desk, she had the clerk take off the price tag so she could wear it right away. It was three p.m. as she left the store; she had saved her favorite place for last, and she had plenty of time to explore it.
There were only a few cars in the parking lot when she arrived at the public library, and she hoped it didn't mean the collection actually was poor. The building was large and modern in design; reading was her passion, and she already had read that the library was supposed to be one of the best in the state.
Her fear of disappointment was dispelled as soon as she entered; the central reading room was spacious and filled with natural light, and rows and rows of full bookshelves radiated from the center to the farthest reaches of the building. She started in browsing, just wandering around, picking out books on the basis of a catchy title or an appealing spine design and glancing through them.
As she turned one aisle, she caught sight of a closed door with a simple black on white sign. "800.001" was all it said. She knew it was a Dewey Decimal number, for sure, but she'd never paid that much attention to the system of classification. Fiction was her choice, and it was always arranged alphabetically in the libraries she had frequented. She tried the door, but it was locked. That surprised her, and her natural curiosity kicked in. She made her way to the Reference Desk to ask about it.
The chief reference librarian was a man – common enough in universities, but something she hadn't seen in many municipal libraries – and he was good-looking. His sport jacket fit him well, hinting at a matching fit body beneath. He sported a full beard and a full head of hair, both with a bit of gray. Julie thought he looked about fifty-five or so, just about ten years older than herself. As he looked at her, it seemed clear that he found her as attractive as she found him. She blushed slightly, but was pleased that she had decided to wear the black skirt suit and purple silk blouse that she felt so pretty in. She wondered what he would think if he could see the purple lace bra and thong set that lay underneath her suit.
"Excuse me, Mister...er...," she paused as she noted his name on the desk plate, "Faolain, but I was wondering about a room I saw in the back of the library. There was a sign on the door that said "eight-hundred point oh-oh-one;" could you tell me what that is."
"Of course, Ma'am," Faolain replied, "That's the Dewey Decimal Number for erotic literature. We keep it locked so that only adults can access those books."
"Oh," Julie said, "I didn't know there was such a number; I've never seen it at any other library."
"Most local libraries don't include erotica in their collection," explained the librarian as his eyes wandered over the delicate lines of her face, tracing the beauty of its form and colors, "but we're more liberal here, and there seems to be a good deal of local demand for this genre."
"Hmm," thought Julie, "this town may prove more interesting than I expected it would."
The librarian interrupted her train of thought, asking "Would you like me to open it for you?"
"All right," responded Julie, "if it's not too much trouble."
"None at all," responded Mr. Faolain, and he led her to the room.
He held the door and then followed her in, giving her a quick tour of the shelves and showing her to one of the cushioned seats ranged round a massive teak table. Both the table and the chairs seemed antiques, more in a Victorian style than in keeping with the rest of the building and its furnishings. The room itself was darker than the main area as well; the window panes here were richly tinted and the natural light was well shaded.
"Feel free to browse the shelves, Ma'am," Faolain invited, "you can take any seat to read if you wish." Then he added, "We close at five; come get me when you're finished, please, so I can lock the room."