"I won't hold it against you if you say not."
He laughed—about four watts too heartily. "Mind if I take this coat off?"
I did mind—because that meant he'd stick around longer. But I'd asked him up. What the hell! I usually give myself a break around four or five, anyhow—for coffee.
I told him that. "I was about to knock off—" and so on. "Would you like something to drink?"
He said he'd have a sloe gin fizz. This was to get across his modernity and liberality.
"Don't drink, myself." I took some trivial pleasure in his visible surprise.
"I thought all authors—?"
"Used to be a lush. Quit." I told Room Service about this new guest and his taste for wild plum juice.
He had said, "Oh," anent my confession. I hung up and he grinned at me. He'd taken off his collar and dickey by that time and was sitting there in a wet undershirt. "In town for long?"