She must have gaped for a moment or two too long, because Mark had to clear his throat to get her attention again.
“Jennifer,” he asked politely, “could I have the towel, please?”
She swallowed her embarrassment and handed it to him.
“Thank you.” A hint of what seemed to be amusement tinged his words. He wrapped the towel around his midsection, gathered his clothes and headed toward the back of the apartment.
Jennifer had to fight against protesting the unfair use of that towel. Not that she’d seen anything. But she wouldn’t have minded not seeing anything for a little longer. Her body flushed with heat. She sat on the edge of the couch and fanned herself with her hands as she tried to wipe the image of Mark’s almost nakedness out of her mind.
But did she want to? After all, how often did a girl get to tingle in the mere presence of such a fine specimen of maleness? Why would it be in her best interest to wipe that feeling away? Hell, she imagined he probably had patients who faked being sick just to get to see him. She’d have to ask him what kind of doctor he was, later. Hopefully not the one who delivered babies.
She petted Sophie absently and waited for Mark to make it back out of the bedroom. With the heat from her libido receding, the cool air of the living room became more noticeable. Picking up the remote from beside the couch she clicked the “ON” button to see the weather. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing. Getting up from where she sat, much to Sophie’s protest, she checked the wires behind the set. They were plugged in. Everything seemed fine. She pressed the button on the front and still nothing. “Very strange.” Then again, perhaps Ruth’s TV never worked.
Next she tried the light switch. The room had gotten darker since the clouds rolled back in. Outside, the snow fell heavier and faster than it had only an hour ago. The light didn’t work. “No power,” Jennifer said to Sophie. “I’m sure it will be back on again in no time.”
As Sophie flipped over onto her back, Jennifer reached down to pet her tummy. Then she left the cat to go check on Mark.
Approaching the bedroom, she called out, “Mark?” She didn’t want to interrupt him if he was in the middle of changing his clothes. Well, she kinda did, but that would be very impolite. She rapped on the door. “The power seems to be out. Do we need to call someone?”
No response. She pushed the door open and found him asleep, lying diagonally across Ruth’s bed. Jennifer smiled. Even in sleep he was all man. She admired his handsome physique for a few moments and then quietly looked around the room. He’d endured a long night. Waking him now would just be mean. Still, it had gotten colder in the apartment. On the floor was an overnight bag with clothes hanging over the edges. Looking at the prostrate figure on the bed, she decided he wouldn’t mind if she borrowed.
She picked through the bag and pulled out a pair of gray sweatpants and a corded turtleneck. They would be way too big for her, but at least with the drawstring she could cinch the sweatpants around her waist. Gathering the items in one hand, she looked up at Mark again.
His hair still glistened from walking in the snow and only the towel covered the rest of him. She walked over to the bed and pulled the corners of the blanket until he was covered completely. He did not stir. She wanted to reach down and dust the remaining droplets from his hair, but instead she left the room.
****
She scrunched her face at the bathroom mirror. The too-large pants hung from her middle, but at least the drawstring made them wearable. She rolled up the pant legs and felt like a virtual mouse in a monkey suit. The turtleneck fit better. It hung off her like a dress, but she’d been bosomy her entire life, so at least it wasn’t too tight.
Looking closer, she saw smudges of makeup marked under her eyes and what appeared to be ketchup from the night before crusted a patch up by her temple. In a moment of self-awareness she noticed the lingering smell of fried foods that wafted up from her not-quite-white shirt as she changed out of it. Taking a shower was not an option. Instead, she ran water into the sink and washed her face.
The cold water stung, but it revived her, as well. The ketchup and makeup were gone, at least. Her hair looked limp, not her usual curlyness, and it had tangled from the way she’d slept. She laughed in spite of herself. As turned on as she’d been about seeing Mark, half naked, no less, she could not imagine how the feeling might be reciprocated.
But in a way, that made things easier. No attraction, no need to act like someone she wasn’t. She could just be herself, relaxed, and enjoy her time with him. He seemed to be a pretty nice guy, after all. And there weren’t many of those around. If nothing else, she might get a new friend out of this whole ordeal.