Night Whispers Part 4

"TO M MITCH W WYMORE, who's successfully escaped a nine-to-five job. It's good to have you back, buddy."

Mitch smiled at his old college friend, Paul, who'd just made the toast, and raised his own gla.s.s. "Thanks, man," he said, then sipped his beer.

They sat in a crowded, trendy little bar near the harbor. It was a yuppie place, with lots of ferns, round unscarred tables and varnished floors. Jazz from the radio provided a little background noise, but mostly he heard laughter, clinking gla.s.ses and buoyant conversation. Spending an evening shooting darts, ogling women, eating pretzels and drinking beer seemed just the cure for what ailed him...

Kelsey.

Mitch hadn't seen her since her grand entrance into his apartment over the weekend. He'd had a hard time kicking the image of those long legs and sultry comments.

"Have you seen Amanda since you got back?" Paul asked.

Mitch grabbed a handful of pretzels. "She came by the other night."

"And? Details, details...come on, buddy."

"And nothing. We talked. She left. Period."

"You're kidding," Paul said in disbelief. "I ran into her a few weeks ago, and she started pumping me for information about when you were getting back. I got the impression she was going to give you a tremendous welcome home."

She probably had been planning exactly that when she came by the other night. But since Mitch hadn't even been able to pretend interest, especially after Kelsey's visit, a highly offended Amanda had stormed out.

"It's not that I'd tell you anything, anyway," Mitch said, "but in this case, let me a.s.sure you, there's nothing to tell."

His friend didn't look as though he believed him, but Mitch didn't bother to elaborate.

"Quiet down," someone yelled. "It's time for Night Whispers! Night Whispers!"

Mitch glanced around and saw the bartender reach up to the sound system to crank up the volume on the stereo.

"Oh, buddy, you've got to check this out," Paul said.

"What?"

"This new radio show. Everybody's talking about it."

Around the room, conversations quieted. Mitch saw people shushing others, demanding they listen. He'd never heard of Night Whispers Night Whispers, and couldn't believe there was this much of a stir over some radio show.

"What's it all about?" he asked Paul.

"It's a s.e.x show," Paul said with a grin. "Well, not really s.e.x, I guess women call it romance, or pa.s.sion, but let me tell you, I hear Lady Love's voice and I just ache."

Ache? Paul ached? Mitch nearly laughed aloud at his friend's exaggeration until he noticed the man was dead serious.

"Laugh if you want, but I'm telling you this show is great. A lot of people have Night Whispers Night Whispers parties. Everybody I know is into it. This woman, she just...I don't know how to describe it, she speaks, and it's not just how s.e.xy her voice is, it's that you almost feel she's speaking from her soul." parties. Everybody I know is into it. This woman, she just...I don't know how to describe it, she speaks, and it's not just how s.e.xy her voice is, it's that you almost feel she's speaking from her soul."

Mitch raised a skeptical eyebrow at Paul's eloquent words as he lifted his drink to his mouth. A few slow, mellow notes of a saxophone underscored the prerecorded introduction, setting a lazy, relaxed mood. Then a smooth voice spoke.

"h.e.l.lo, Baltimore. This is Lady Love and tonight I want to talk about sensuous pleasures."

"Oh, my G.o.d," Mitch sputtered as he nearly choked on his beer.

It was Kelsey.

"We all know about the five senses, learned of them in grade school. To taste, touch, hear, see and smell are all such gifts. Gifts that many of us take for granted and don't stop to consider."

Kelsey leaned closer to the microphone, closing her eyes as she spoke. The bright lights in the studio, and the equalizers, stereo and sound equipment, weren't exactly conducive to romance or, tonight, sensuality. She had worked herself into her mood, as usual, with her bath. That always helped. She hadn't been exaggerating to Mitch when she talked about the importance of a long, languorous bath, and found that her evening ritual helped prepare her to come in and talk frankly about the subjects she covered in her show.

"Tonight," she continued, "I want to consider them. Sensuous pleasures are derived from everything that surrounds us. The soft petals of a rose brushed against the cheek, then its scent deeply inhaled, gives such delight. The sweet, slightly bitter taste of dark chocolate lingers on the tongue long after it's gone. The calm solitude and silence of a beach under a night sky interrupted only by the sound of churning waves, washing forward then receding, brings peace and tranquillity. And who can look at a masterful piece of art and not be moved by its power and the skill of the artist?"

Kelsey bowed her head as she formed her thoughts. She always planned her topics in advance, but often her words were spontaneous.

"All are sensuous. Anything that invades our senses, anything we see or smell, touch, hear or taste, that brings us pleasure, that invigorates our soul, is sensuous."

Kelsey paused for a moment, a purposeful hesitation. Her audience was half-hooked already. She just had to bring them home.

"Now let's talk about s.e.xuality," she continued. There, that was the rest of the lure. They were listening now. She could feel it. Brian gave her a thumbs-up from his side of the gla.s.s-enclosed booth, and she continued with a soft smile.

"Some people think they mean the same thing. But they don't. Tonight we're going to discuss how they differ."

Kelsey cued the music that led into a cl.u.s.ter of commercials.

"Stick with me. We'll be back in a few minutes. I'll start taking your calls later in the hour. Until then, please come back and spend some time alone with me, Lady Love, on WAJO. I'll be waiting for you," she said in a breathy voice.

Kelsey leaned back in her chair. Brian was mimicking applause, and she grinned back. It was going to be an interesting night.

MITCH COULDN'T SPEAK. He sat, in shock, knowing but not caring that he probably looked like an utter fool, with his mouth hanging open. Had that really been Kelsey? Of course it had. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. And she had come right out and told him she was working the ten-to-two shift. No wonder she hadn't wanted to talk more about her job.

"She got to you, didn't she?" Paul said with a knowing grin. "Did I tell you, or what?"

Mitch just nodded.

Around the bar, voices picked back up, and he caught s.n.a.t.c.hes of conversation from other tables, most of it about Kelsey...Lady Love. There seemed to be universal approval and interest.

"Is she always like this?" Mitch finally asked.

"Uh-hmm, but it gets better. That was just her introduction."

Mitch frowned. Glancing around at the grins of most of the male patrons, he knew Kelsey had already all but seduced half the men in the place. Exactly how far would she go on this show?

"Is this X-rated, or what?" he asked, not really knowing if he wanted the answer.

"No, man, it's not like that. She never gets raunchy, and I guess she's got her callers on a time delay, because none of them do, either. Sometimes people try to steer the conversation, but she never goes for that. She's cla.s.sy, but, oh, so s.e.xy."

Mitch should have been relieved, but he wasn't. So what if she wasn't exactly p.o.r.nographic? She was on the radio broadcasting to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, about intimacy and s.e.x as if she were an expert on the subject. He hadn't figured she was a virgin, but he'd never considered her a s.e.x expert, either. h.e.l.l, as far as he knew, Kelsey had never even had a serious relationship.

"I'd love to see what she looks like," Paul said, "but she could be a sixty-year-old grandmother."

A man staggering by must have heard Paul's comment, because he paused at their table, saying, "No, I heard she's a babe. A friend of mine parked outside the radio station one night and watched her come out. He says she's as hot as she sounds."

Oh, great. As Mitch had feared, Kelsey's show attracted psychos who were lying in wait for her outside the station in the middle of the night. What on earth was she thinking? Kelsey had always been free spirited, but she'd never been stupid.

The obviously drunk man leaned toward Paul and Mitch and leered. "I'm goin' down there myself one o' these nights. Gonna give Lady Love some real interestin' topics...give that lady lots to talk about."

Standing immediately, Mitch kicked his chair back and grabbed the drunk by the front of his shirt. He yanked the other man's face toward his, smelling the reek of too many beers. "You better watch your filthy mouth."

The man took a few steps back, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste. "What is she, your sister or somethin'?"

Mitch shook his head, then looked around at the stares he was receiving. Paul gaped at him, as well, but Mitch couldn't begin to explain. How did he possibly explain about Kelsey? Hey, folks, Lady Love's living in my house, sleeping right above my head, as a matter of fact, and you know the funny thing? She likes to eat peanut b.u.t.ter and marshmallow sandwiches with sliced bananas. And hey, get this, she once put my underwear in the freezer! Hey, folks, Lady Love's living in my house, sleeping right above my head, as a matter of fact, and you know the funny thing? She likes to eat peanut b.u.t.ter and marshmallow sandwiches with sliced bananas. And hey, get this, she once put my underwear in the freezer!

Mitch shook his head quickly, not quite believing he'd had the urge to punch out a loudmouthed drunk in a bar. He hadn't thrown a punch at anyone since he was in high school. When he thought about it, he remembered that Kelsey had been responsible for that fight, too! She'd told Mitch that she was secretly sneaking out to meet an eighteen-year-old, and Mitch had pounded the guy after gym cla.s.s one day. The little brat had admitted she'd lied only after he'd been suspended from school for a week.

Shaking his head, Mitch grabbed a ten out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table. "I've gotta go. Beer's on me. Thanks for the invite. I'll see you soon."

Outside, Mitch hurried to his car and jumped in. He cursed as he slammed the steering wheel with his palm, then took a few deep breaths. Before starting the engine, he thought about how close he'd come to violence. Kelsey pushed all his b.u.t.tons, even when she wasn't in the d.a.m.ned room! His hands were shaking, and since he hadn't finished half of his first drink, he knew it wasn't the beer. It was anger.

"h.e.l.lO AGAIN, BALTIMORE. Thanks for sticking with me. This is Lady Love on WAJO, and you're listening to Night Whispers Night Whispers. Tonight, we're talking about sensuality versus s.e.xuality."

Kelsey paused, giving her listeners a chance to turn up the volume or curl up together on a sofa or pour a gla.s.s of wine. Or, perhaps, just roll up the car window to cut down on outside noise.

"Something can be amazingly sensuous, can give you immense pleasure, and have absolutely nothing to do with s.e.x. And, unfortunately, many people go through their lifetimes having s.e.x, feeling moments of physical pleasure, but never really experiencing the truly sensuous," she purred, drawing out each word to lend an intimate atmosphere.

Kelsey saw Brian waving and gesturing to the phone lines, and noticed that the switchboard was already lit up like Las Vegas. She wouldn't start airing calls for a while yet, but people were amazingly patient, sometimes waiting a half hour for a chance to get on the air. Brian busily screened them, getting names and a few words about what they'd like to say.

"The first step in understanding how sensuality can enhance s.e.xuality," Kelsey continued, "is to understand and appreciate what is truly sensuous. To me, the most sensuous texture is human skin."

Brian gave her a quick grin.

"Rubbing lotion on my legs, letting it be absorbed, feeling my flesh grow more pliant, is incredibly sensuous. Not s.e.xual. Now, let someone else rub lotion and knead and stroke my limbs...well, I'm getting a little ahead of myself," she said with a throaty chuckle.

Intentionally, of course. She tried all the time to jump ahead of the audience, get their minds working overtime wondering where she was going, then she'd go right back to where she'd been, teasing them, building up the momentum. It wasn't what she said that was so provocative, it was what she hinted at, and what the audience filled in with their own minds.

"Let's talk about scents. Smells are incredibly evocative. A certain perfume can take you back to another time, and another place, and bring memories flooding into your mind. For me, the smell of lavender always brings with it sweet, warm memories of my grandmother. Closing my eyes and deeply inhaling the scent of gardenias makes me think of lying in a garden, with the sun beating down on me. It gives me a great deal of pleasure."

Kelsey smiled, remembering for a moment the afternoon when Mitch had found her lying in the backyard. She'd been feeling just such pleasures at that point, enjoying the warmth, and the sounds of the birds, and the smell of the earth she'd been digging.

"And speaking of lying in a garden," she continued, "imagine, if you would, how soft gra.s.s can feel against your skin on a warm spring day. It tickles a little, it cushions your body, and, if you concentrate, you'd swear you can feel each blade pressing into you. The smell of flowers inundates you, and the sun warms you. You open your eyes to the bright blue, cloudless sky, and you hear cicadas singing in the distance. That is sensuous.

"Now," Kelsey continued, "add your lover lying there next to you, and sensuous becomes sensual...and, perhaps, s.e.xual."

MITCH TRIED NOT TO TURN ON the radio as he drove home. He resisted for about ninety seconds, then flicked it on and punched the dial to Kelsey's station. She spoke of sensuous things, and with every word, all he could think was that her voice and her words were the most sensuous things he'd ever experienced. Picturing Kelsey, knowing she was saying those words, having those thoughts and those desires, was incredibly erotic. the radio as he drove home. He resisted for about ninety seconds, then flicked it on and punched the dial to Kelsey's station. She spoke of sensuous things, and with every word, all he could think was that her voice and her words were the most sensuous things he'd ever experienced. Picturing Kelsey, knowing she was saying those words, having those thoughts and those desires, was incredibly erotic.

And incredibly frustrating.

Mitch listened the whole way home. She didn't speak all the time, breaking to play a very melodic love song, speak to one or two callers and air some commercials. But in between she continued weaving the spell of seduction that reached out through his car speakers and held him enthralled. Her entire topic tonight was on the sensuous. But she never even touched on the sensuality of a beautiful woman talking about pleasures and fulfillment, and what words and subtle nuances in a voice could do to a man.

When he reached home, Mitch hesitated before switching off the car. Leaning back in his seat, he closed his eyes, listening, savoring what she said.

"So, my friends, let me just take one more moment before we go to this next brief interruption, and make a suggestion. The next time you and your love are in an intimate moment, remember to pamper your senses. Savor the textures, and the smells, and the lovely sights. Don't rush through the sensual, savor it. This is Lady Love, and I'll be back with more music, perhaps a little poetry and more of your calls right after these messages."

Mitch turned the key and sat in the car in the darkness for a few moments. Lady Love. If he didn't know who she was, he would probably have been one of the idiots parking outside the station to get a glimpse of her. She'd seduced him, totally and completely, and at this moment, to use Paul's expression, he ached for her.

What in the name of heaven was he going to do? The most erotic, exciting woman in Baltimore lived right in his home. She slept and moved and ate and fantasized right over his head. Men all over the city were listening to her, imagining being with her, speculating on what she looked like and whether they had a chance with her.

No one but Mitch knew the woman of their dreams was Kelsey Logan, the bane of his childhood and the cause of his recent sleepless nights. Little Kelsey of the freckles and braids, his pseudo little sister.

"h.e.l.l!"

"NIGHT, BRIAN. THANKS FOR walking me out," Kelsey said as she inserted the key into the door of her car. Someone always walked her out at night. In fact, everybody left the building in pairs after dark. As Mitch had said, the station wasn't in the best part of town. But, so far, she'd never had any trouble. walking me out," Kelsey said as she inserted the key into the door of her car. Someone always walked her out at night. In fact, everybody left the building in pairs after dark. As Mitch had said, the station wasn't in the best part of town. But, so far, she'd never had any trouble.

"No problem, Kelsey. By the way, tonight's show was fantastic. You had 'em eating right out of your hand."

"I think we're going to have to do this topic again, soon," she said. "I was amazed at how into it some of those callers got."

Brian blew her a kiss as she waved and drove away. Kelsey knew a lot of the success of Night Whispers Night Whispers was due to Brian's hard work. She still thanked her lucky stars that Mafia Don hadn't protested too loudly when she'd coaxed Brian into following her to her new time slot. Don was one of those macho guys whose masculinity was threatened around gay men, though he'd never admit it. was due to Brian's hard work. She still thanked her lucky stars that Mafia Don hadn't protested too loudly when she'd coaxed Brian into following her to her new time slot. Don was one of those macho guys whose masculinity was threatened around gay men, though he'd never admit it.

She arrived home within twenty minutes and let herself into the brownstone. Locking the door behind her, Kelsey felt her way to the oak-trimmed banister. It wasn't pitch-black in the house, but the high arched window over the front door did not let in much light from the outside streetlamp.

When a shadow on the bottom of the stairs moved, she let out a small scream. Strong hands grabbed her shoulders, and a voice said, "It's me, Kelsey."

Kelsey drew a shaking hand to her heart. "Mitch, what are you doing? You scared the living daylights out of me! Why are you lurking at the bottom of the stairs in the middle of the night?"

"I couldn't sleep." His voice was steady, emotionless.

Kelsey's breathing gradually returned to normal, though adrenaline still made her pulse race. She could feel Mitch, could sense him. The hairs on her body stood up with a life of their own in an almost electric reaction to his nearness. But her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness, and she could barely see him.

"I was up listening to the most interesting radio program until two o'clock," he said after a moment's hesitation.

Kelsey flinched. Mitch had heard the show.

"Well, what'd you think?" she replied, forcing a bravado that she didn't feel into her tired voice.

"I'm sure you know very well what I thought, Kelsey."