Chapter 6

“Thanks for helping me get ready,” I said as I stood in my bedroom.

“Of course. Mostly I’m here to make sure you don’t back out,” Jenny said.

“I’m so nervous.”

“Don’t be. He’ll be throwing himself at you in that dress. Hell, even I want to throw myself at you.”

I twirled back to the mirror, my tits almost popping out of my strapless dress as I spun.

“On second thought, I don’t feel comfortable enough to wear this.” I pushed it down and wiggled until the fuchsia dress ended up at my feet.

“How about this one?” Jenny rummaged through my closet and held up a little black dress with a halter top.

“Oh my God, I forgot I owned that.”

She zipped me into it and tied the tails of the halter behind my neck.

“Wow, how could you forget you own this?”

“Is it too much cleavage?” Holy cow, it was a lot of cleavage.

“There’s no such thing as too much cleavage!”

“Is it classy enough?’

“Classy enough for D’Angelo’s?”

“Right. Will I stick out?”

“Yes. But for the right reasons! Come on, let’s do your nails.”

My heart was fluttering with nerves. I hadn’t been on a date in so long and I was on the verge of vomiting.

“I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s like you said, it isn’t a date, it’s a one-night stand with dinner first.”

“Okay, I can do this.” I forced myself to breathe.

* * *

My crimson nails flashed in the light as I pulled open the door to D’Angelo’s. I stepped in and scanned through the dim light for Jay. He was sitting at a table near the back, and stood when he saw me.

Jay was wearing the same expensive suit he’d had on at the coffee shop. At least it might have been the same, but admittedly I couldn’t tell one expensive suit from the other. Instead of a crisp shirt and tie, he wore a stylish gray dress shirt that hinted at the muscles underneath.

Most attractive of all was the confidence his body language projected. I mean, you have to be pretty confident to wear a suit to D’Angelo’s and not feel out of place, but he owned it. And more.

“Hi,” I said as I approached the table.

“Abbie, you look more beautiful than Audrey Hepburn.” He took my hands in his and I hoped he couldn’t detect my nervousness.

“Thank you.”

We sat and chatted, the words flowing easily between us. He sat back in his chair, a constant smile on his face, and I relaxed.

As the food arrived, I asked him, “So, how did your job interview go?”

He looked puzzled for a moment then said, “It went okay.”

“Do you have any others coming up?”

“Other job interviews? No, not really.”

“How long have you been looking?”

“Oh, a few months.”

“You don’t seem concerned to be out of work.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

Was this guy for real?

“You must have a lot of money to have that attitude.”

“Money? No. No, I don’t have a lot of money.” He sounded defensive.

“Then how do you live?”

“I get by. It’s not a big deal. How’s your chicken?”

I took the hint. “It’s delicious, thanks. Did you see the list of desserts? They all sound amazing.”

I didn’t care about the dessert. I cared about after the dessert. But the closer we got to ending our marathon meal, the more my nerves reappeared. As much as I wanted this sexy man to take me home and ravish me, I started to worry about it. I’d never slept with a man other than Matt. Unadventurous Matt, a man who was happiest if I spread my legs and laid still for him. What if I sucked in bed? And I wasn’t sure I wanted Jay to see me naked. Fuck me yes, but not actually see my imperfect body.

“Everything okay?” Jay asked.

I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled at him. “Yes, absolutely.”

“So tell me about your job. How do you like working at Force McAllister?”

“It was good, until my current boss was hired. He’s evil to work for.”

“But aside from him?”

“Aside from him it’s a pretty good company. I guess.”

“You guess?”

“Yeah, it’s good. Do you want me to try to get you in? I have a friend in IT.”

“No,” he said laughing, “it’s okay.”

“It’s a good company. It relocated here from Kentucky about five years ago.”

Jay nodded but said nothing, so I dropped the point. I took a sip of my after-dinner coffee. How did he know I worked at Force McAllister? I didn’t remember telling him which company I work for, but the moments right after my coffee-shop tumble were hazy.

True to his word, Jay picked up the check, though I felt guilty for not contributing. We sat, finished, staring at the paid bill. With my heart in my throat, I waited for him to make a move.

“Shall we?” he asked, already walking away from the table.

He held the restaurant door open for me. As I stepped outside, his arm came to a rest across my shoulders. We walked a little way, in the opposite direction to my apartment. Neither of us said anything. I wasn’t sure where we were going. Quite frankly, I didn’t care where we were going. I was too busy enjoying the sensation of having a man holding me.

Jay let out a big sigh, and I worried something was wrong.

“Everything okay?” I asked.

“Did you drive?”

“No, I live nearby. Did you?”

“I got the bus.”

“Sorry, living right in the city means I don’t have a car.”

“I don’t have one either. But I’ll walk you home first. I’d like to make sure you get home safely.”

His words woke my inner animal and I felt a little heat grow between my legs. One-night stand, ready or not, here I come.

* * *

“Well, here it is,” I said as we arrived at my building.

Jay smiled and wrapped his other arm around me, embracing me in his strong arms. He looked down at me, and I thought he was going to kiss me but then he turned his head away.

“Would you like to come up for a coffee?”

“I’d better not, I have to catch the last bus.” My face must have looked horrified because he added, “I had a fantastic time tonight, let’s do it again.”

“Sure, that sounds great. Text me.” I wasn’t convinced he would.

“Absolutely, see you soon.”

He gripped my shoulders and kissed me on the lips. A long, lingering kiss that set my body on fire. I pushed myself into him, inviting him closer, further, for more. But he released his embrace and stepped back from me. He turned and walked away, leaving me standing at my door gasping for breath. I rummaged for my keys and entered the building, then skipped the embarrassment of waiting alone for the elevator and rushed up the three flights of stairs to my condo.