Michael had changed into a suit, but hadn't put on a tie and his collar was open and his coat was off. He was sitting on his favorite chair, which had an obstructed view of the stairway, so Ellie came at him feet-first, so to speak. He saw first the black suede heels, then her slim ankles in the black stockings. She was slow coming down the stairs, probably the new shoes, he reckoned later, and what he saw next seemed to glide into his vision. It was first the hem, at the middle of her calf. It perfectly captured the swell of the calf muscle in the heels, hinting at the curve above. And then came the bold red color, daring the eye not to look and admire. Then Eleanor and the dress offered the observer shape; the dress tightening up toward her waist as she stepped down. She turned at the landing, a few steps from the living room floor, and he saw the rest of her; the cinched waist, the bodice with its notch, and then Eleanor's incandescent face framed by her dark hair. Before thought came the feeling of being hit by a hammer in the chest. He had almost forgotten the power of a woman to do that to a man, to break his heart like crystal shattered on the floor just by entering his gaze. She was so beautiful it hurt him to look at her because it was a beauty that a man could never capture on paper or canvas, but only remember. He looked at …show more content…
"You know that I own a vineyard in Italy, and I have been working on a particular wine for our restaurant here." He looked at Ellie. "'Arrossire' means 'blush.' Years ago, I asked my winemaker to make a wine that, when his wife took a sip of it, would make her blush. With pleasure, with pride, maybe with a little arousal, forgive me. And a year ago he told me he had, and it is now in the bottle. It would give me great pleasure to ask you and Miss Carter to try it -- just a bit for the young lady. May