The morning was hot and sticky, much like the night before.

I glanced at the clock, and

despite the fact that it read 11:30 my head told me it was far too early. But I had too much to
do that day, so I kicked off my sheet. I rolled over to check on the sleeping figure next to me.
Her slender body was breathing rhythmically, her mouth lolled open. I decided to wake her up
peacefully, rather than just crank up my stereo as I normally did in the morning. What I
remembered about the night seemed pretty pleasant, so there was no reason to wake her up so
rudely.
Heywake up, sleepy. I shoved her shoulder lightly. She was thin, and the shove
moved her from her side onto her back. Her honey blonde hair moved over her face, and I was
reminded of her beauty. Her lips were a light shade of red, her blue eye shadow just light enough
to turn her face into an angels. She was as close to my fantasies as I had ever been. Pity I
couldnt remember more of what had happened the night before.
She groaned and smacked her lips, eyes fluttering. Her pale blue eyes sent a cold feeling
into my stomach. She closed them again, uttering another groan before rolling back over. I took
the opportunity to slide out of bed in hopes of finding her drivers license or a credit card or
something. There were some casual clothes and a pair of sexy underwear lying on my bedrooms
hardwood floor. My clothes were in another pile, probably flung in a different direction than
hers. My mind recalled cloudy images of the hot and drunken sex we shared, before my eyes ran
across her purse. I stumbled over to it, my legs unsure of themselves, and easily located her
drivers license. Noelle Jupe, D.O.B. 10/27/83. A beautiful twenty-six year old French angel,
sleeping in my bed. I looked at her with a terrible longing that tried to overtake my senses. I
wanted to have her again, one more time before she left me forever. But I knew I couldnt do
that.
I walked back over to my bed still clad in my boxer shorts and shook Noelle by the
shoulder. This time a sleepy Wha? was her reply. She rolled over to look at me and again I felt
a pinch of apprehension. I knew I was a decent looking guy, but I was probably a far cry from the
chiseled boys she was accustomed to rolling around with. She smiled sheepishly, and said Good
morning as color rose into her cheeks.
Morning, I replied. Rather than let an awkward silence overtake us, I asked Sleep
good? I was suddenly aware that I probably looked as haggard as my head had felt when I woke
up. I tried to force the thought away, as these words were probably some of the last I would ever
have with Noelle.
I was out cold after last night, cowboy. Her mouth curled into an obviously knowing
grin and she shot me a wink. I wished more than ever that I could have remembered more. And
that voiceit was a little husky, but very feminine. It had no trace of rasp, no symptoms of the
typical party girl.
My reply was a less-than-smooth Heh heh, before the aforementioned silence
descended. She stretched in bed, the blanket pulling itself tight against her frame and showing
me the lovely shape I had apparently been sleeping next to all night. She lay still for a moment
before looking over at me. I finally snapped myself out of my daze long enough to put a few
words together.
So I said, reminding me of so many awkward first date conversations. Got any
plans for today? I needed to get the conversation moving in a direction that would lead to her
leaving my apartment so I could get down to brass tacks and try to get some cash flowing.
Oh nothing reallyI always have Sundays off, so I like to take it easy. What about you,
cowboy?
I had become adept at handling this question. Me? Ah, I got a buddy who wants me to
come over, help him put up some drywall. Should take me a good chunk of the day. I waited
for the constant reply of Oh, did you want me to go? but she didnt oblige me.
Really? Sounds boring. She was still under the covers, stark naked.
Yeahit probably will be. But, you knowwhaddya gonna do, right? She kept her
eyes trained on me, and that feeling of self-consciousness stole back into me. I moved over to my
black jeans that were on the floor, and she spoke again.
What does that tattoo mean? asked Noelle, as she pointed to the black design on my
right biceps.
What, this? Its umits the symbol for Gabriel. You know, the angel?
Whats he the angel of? Her tone was very playful.
Oha few different things. Mercy, death, vengeanceGods messenger, that kind of
stuff. I knew her next question before she spoke it.
Soare you religious or something? Yep, I was right.
Hardly. ItsI just liked the design, is all. In reality it had a definite meaning, but that
wasnt something I wanted to get into with a person I barely knew. I bent over to put on my
pants.
What are you doing, cutie? she asked with her smile again stealing over her face.
Im putting my clothes on. I have to get ready to go over to my buddys.
She didnt say anything then. She just looked straight into my eyes with those bottomless
blue pools that she called irises. She sat up slightly and let the sheet fall from her shoulders.
God, her body was beautiful. Her skin was as close to perfection as a womans could be.
Like what you see, cowboy? She must have seen my eyes dip down to look at her
chest. In my head I wondered why she kept calling me cowboy. The obvious answer was that
she didnt know my name. Normally that would be a good thing; it would make the goodbye less
emotionally taxing. But it would be more disheartening now, to know that this beautiful creature
in front of me didnt even take the time to learn my name. She had been drunk thoughand that
had done the trick for me.
My mouth opened to tell her that this wasnt a good idea, but every part of me that had
ever lusted after a girl like this told me to shut up. Id been with good-looking women before,
some of them very pretty, but this girl was a notch above them all. Like she was carved out of
marble and made flesh just for me. She crooked her index finger and beckoned me over to her,
biting her lower lip. I giggled inside; giddy in knowing that I was breaking my own rule to have
a second (or I thought it was second; last night had run by in a blur) sexual encounter with my
dream girl. I slid into bed next to her, and felt how warm her skin was. It was almost hot, and it
was smooth the touch, with a trace of muscularity. Her hand found my underpants and slid them
off in one motion, and she gripped me with a soft, feminine hand. We kissed deep, and a wave of
relief came over me. I knew it wasnt good for business, but goddamn, I had to have this one,
just this one time. As she pulled me on top of her and guided me into her, every other thought left
my head and became consumed by her, relishing every moment. It didnt matter that I could
seriously complicate my rather enjoyable life and my profitable practice; I was lost in passion as
Noelle gripped me like some exquisite oil. Noelle, you angel, whatre you doing to me?

We finished quickly, each of us bringing the other to a climax, before I rolled off of her
and we both breathed a heavy sigh of satisfaction. She curled herself instinctively into the nook
between my shoulder and my torso and she slung an arm across my body. I hooked my own arm
around her shoulders and pulled her close to me, and she purred with enjoyment. My better
judgment was returning to me, and I told myself, louder this time, that this had to end.
Beats putting up dry wall, doesnt it Steve? So she did know my name.
Mmmyeah, it does. I probably should get going in a few minutes though.
Her arm squeezed me and she nestled her head against me again and said, Stay with me.
Just for a little while. Please? Her voice stripped away my hard veneer. It was the sound I
knew Id been longing to hear my whole life. I obliged her.
 Minutes passed and formed hours as we lay in bed and talked, making up for last nights
drunken escapades. I learned her last name was pronounced Jhoo-pay, and that she worked for
an insurance company as an accountant. We likely covered this ground last night, but neither of
us recalled, something we both laughed about. I tried to stay on the subject of her and her
interests as much as possible to avoid difficult questions about who I was and what I did. She
was from Connecticut originally but had gotten an internship with a company based in Northern
RI, and she wound up living only about 15 minutes from my apartment, just over the Lincoln
border and into Smithfield. She laughed at the dorky responses I tossed her way, and she smiled
her big white smile whenever I paid her the slightest compliment. I made the decision to dig a
little deeper into this girl, as she seemed a far cry from the vacuous party girl I had originally
taken her as.
Sowhat makes a beautiful angel like you come home with a big lug like me? I had a
smile on my face when I spoke, but she looked up at me with a serious expression.
Youre no lug Steve. She didnt flinch as she spoke.
I fumbled for my words. I uhNoelle, Im just you knowIm just joking.
Her eyes stayed locked on mine. I came home with you becausewell, theres a few
reasons. Last night, from what I recall, you were actually interested in what I had to say. I was
tired of leaving with those empty-headed pretty boys, the ones that would start groping me as
soon as we got inside. The ones that never call, but really you dont expect or want them to.
It was certainly more than I expected her to say, but it confirmed what I had thought: that
she was far from your average girl. She spoke again.
And just by you laying here with me, I know Im right about you.
Right about me how, Noelle? She had me held rapt.
That youre more than meets the eye.
She had no idea how right she was.
So, Stevewhat do you do for a living? A bright guy like you must do something
pretty important. Her eyes seemed hopeful, anticipating something official-sounding. My
apartment was pretty nice for a single man of my years, and my car, while not a luxury sedan,
was very new and very comfortable. This was a difficult question no matter who was asking it,
and with Noelle I had to make sure my story was solid.
Im a lawyer, actually.
Really? You dont strike me as wormy enough to be a lawyer.
I laughed and so did she. No, no. I handle real estate. I dont ever have to go to court.
Just a lot of procedure and paperwork.
She looked at me with mock disappointment on her face. And here I was thinking you
were keeping the bad guys off the street. That comment hit me close to home and the crazy
notion of telling the truth popped into my head. But I stayed the course.
Sorry Charlie, Im just a ho-hum lawyer.
Hey, I think its cool. Besides, how many guys your age have a job like that, making
that kind of money? Her tone was sincere.
I dont know, I havent been on a date with a guy in so long. She giggled again and
squeezed me tight. A grin broke out over my face and I thought again how hard goodbye would
be with Noelle. And goodbye was definitely coming soon.
NoelleI dont mean to be a downer, but I really need to get going. Im pretty late as it
is.
Okay, she sighed before rolling off of me. I got out of bed again and this time I put on
my clothes in a hurry, before she could suck me back into bed with her. It wouldnt have been
very hard. She did likewise, neither of us saying very much as we worked. She followed me to
the front door of my apartment, stopping momentarily to look around my living room.
You dont have any pictures in here, do you?
YeahI guess Im kind of a private person. She seemed satisfied by that and she
continued to the door. She looked at me again, and I went cold and numb. Just looking at her
eyes and thinking Id never see her again made my heart ache.
So she said, trying to stir up some conversation.
So what? I said playfully. Take care, Noelle, I said, leaning in to give her a kiss.
She stopped me and said, Did you want to go out again this week, maybe? Oh, that
one hurt me. It was obvious that she liked me, and to say I liked her was putting it mildly. The
big test was in front of me. Do I commit and run the risk of her getting to close to me and finding
out what I did for a living, or do I brush her off?
You know, let me check my schedule at work. I have a bunch of closings coming up.
Why dont you give me your number and Ill call you? I did what I had to do. I knew I couldnt
ever call her, and that this really was the end. I felt dizzy and hot, my mouth working without me
knowing it. Was I really letting the perfect girl walk away from me forever? Yes, I was.
Okay, she said, but she seemed disappointed. She scrawled her number on a piece of
paper from her purse and put it into my pocket. She leaned in as she did it and gave me a deep
and firm kiss. She broke away from me and threw me another wink, and then she disappeared
from my door before I could say anything else. I watched her get into her car and speed off into
the waiting afternoon before I sank into my recliner and wondered to myself if my job was really
worth it.