She said, “It worked out all right, didn’t it? I mean, you’re an okay guy. So I guess my judgment was in good enough shape when we hooked up.”
“Or you were lucky.”
“Nothing wrong with getting lucky.” She grinned as she spoke the line, but he remained serious.
“There are a lot of guys out there,” he said, “who aren’t okay. Predators, nut cases, bad guys. If you’d gone home with one of those—”
“But I didn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“How do I know? Well, here we are, both of us, and…What do you mean, how do I know?”
“Do you remember my name?”
“I’d probably recognize it if I heard it.”
“Suppose I say three names, and you pick the one that’s mine.”
“What do I get if I’m right?”
“What do you want?”
“A shower.”
This time he grinned. “It’s a deal. Three names? Hmmm. Peter. Harley. Joel.”
“Look into my eyes,” she said, “and say them again. Slowly.”
“What are you, a polygraph? Peter. Harley. Joel.”
“You’re Joel.”
“I’m Peter.”
“Hey, I was close.”
“Two more tries,” he said, “and you’d have had it for sure. You told me your name was Jennifer.”
“Well, I got that one right.”
“And you told me to call you Jen.”
“And did you?’
“Did I what?”
“Call me Jen.”
“Of course. I can take direction.”
“Are you an actor?”
“As sure as my name is Joel. Why would you…Oh, because I said I could take direction? Actually, I had ambitions in that direction, but by the time I got out of college I smartened up. I work on Wall Street.”
“All the way downtown. What time is it?”
“A little after 10.”
“Don’t you have to be at your desk by 9?” “Not on Saturday.”
“Oh, right. Uh, Peter…or do I call you Pete?”
“Either one.”
“Awkward question coming up. Did we…”
“We did,” he said, “and it was memorable for one of us.”
“Oh.”
“I felt a little funny about it, because I had the feeling you weren’t entirely present. But your body was really into it, no matter where your mind was, and, well…”
“We had a good time?”
“A very good time. And, just so that you don’t have to worry, we took precautions.”
“That’s good to know.”
“And then you, uh, passed out.”
“I did?”
“It was a little scary. You just went out like a light. For a minute I thought, I don’t know…”
“That I was dead,” she supplied.
“But you were breathing, so I ruled that out.”
“That keen analytical mind must serve you well on Wall Street.”
“I tried to wake you,” he said, “but you were gone. So I let you sleep. And then I fell asleep myself, and, well,
