Ms. Parker

Her floors were a glossed honey brown. Seeing my reflection shining on them made me believe I had elevated several tax brackets. The creamy white walls offered an elegant balance of smooth and sharp edges that made you believe these weren’t just walls, they were a statement on what walls should be. Her loft wasn’t a place that gave you the impression it was lived in, it was more like a commercial that stated this lifestyle is brought to you by… a woman that gets exactly what she wants, when she wants it.

I was in her world now. I was an unfamiliar new addition to a high-end urban dwelling where it was apparent everything placed in it was done so on purpose. That included the cheetah print bra that you could faintly see through the form-fitting black dress that held it’s structure at the shoulders, but started to flow ever so slightly at the middle of her thighs.

I thought I was well-versed in the art of seduction, but there are levels to this. My Ralph Lauren Purple Label dinner jacket, Creed cologne, and countless hours in the gym trying to reach 11% body fat were all attempts at representing an aspiration. But she didn’t have to make any attempts: it was her, and she was it.

She was 12 years my senior and the woman every man wanted to approach when she entered the room. But there wasn’t anyone else in this room except her and myself.

“Would you like anything to drink?”

I was definitely thirsty. But the question interrupted the conversation I was having with myself quietly mumbling “stand up tall, take your time, act like you’ve been here before.” A poor attempt to coach myself as a second-string JV player going one-on-one with a woman in a league or her own.

You got this, beloved. Gametime.

“Agua Mineral. Topo-Chico, if you have it.”

To my left, I noticed an original Basquait next to a winding staircase that led to the master bedroom. She quietly laughed at the awe in my face as she approached me with the glass of water. She walked behind my left shoulder and whispered in my ear “It’s a beautiful piece, isn’t it? Follow me upstairs. I’ll tell you all about it in the morning.”

Book Recommendation: The Graduate