When the hostess escorted Cheri to the table, Thomas smiled and rose to his feet like a real gentleman. Though he had just seen her hours before, he couldn’t stifle his excitement as he kissed her on the cheek. “For someone so hesitant to have dinner with me, you sure dressed for the occasion,” he said, admiring her dress. “Stunning, Cheri, as always.”
The dress was flattering on her well-tended figure, and that was exactly why she chose it. It flowed effortlessly over her frame, showing off her well-honed curves, and the breezy satin accentuated her breasts while also making her tummy look flatter and her buttocks look firmer and rounder. It wasn’t a tight dress, but the loose weight of the fabric left nothing to the imagination.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice breaking with excitement of her own. His flattery seemed to have a direct effect on her ability to speak clearly, because the words came out breathy and high-pitched.
“No, ma’am,” he said gallantly, “thank you…for accepting my invitation. The pleasure, truly, is all mine.”
“No fair,” said Cheri. “We can’t be cool, just friends, if you insist on flirting with me.”
“So flirting is off the table?” asked Thomas innocently. “Perhaps we should have prepared a list of rules.” He winked at her.
She nearly fainted, because every little move he made sent her body into a tailspin; he could have crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, and she would have found it hot.
“No fair back, by the way. You can’t dress like that and expect a man not to flirt.”
“What, this old thing?” she asked coyly, flailing the hem of her dress around and teasing him with flashes of skin.
“We’ve got chemistry, Cheri. We can’t deny that.”
“Yeah,” she said, dazed. “I mean, no…I guess.”
Thomas studied the wine menu.
Whether it was because she was driving or because she knew she was a lightweight and feared she would do something stupid with just the slightest bit of alcohol in her system, she wasn’t sure if she should have any. She bit her lip as she stared at him over the menu.
Thomas quickly ordered a sauvignon blanc so the server would go away and leave them alone. He then put his hand over hers. “Relax,” he said. “Let’s just have a nice evening.”
“Right,” she said, sighing to ground herself. “So, what have you been up to?”
His face lit up, and he answered, “Well, that little business I helped you with came back to bite me,” he said with a smirk on his face.
“What?” Cheri gasped. “You mean that witness statement really did incriminate you? I’m so sorry, Thomas. You went out of your way to help me out of a jam, and—”
He laughed and shook his head, stopping her rant, then sandwiched her hands in his and rubbed them gently to sooth her. “Sorry. That wasn’t nice to just spring that on you,” he said apologetically. “Don’t worry. The story has a happy ending,” he assured her.
“It does?”
“Obviously, or I wouldn’t be here.”
“That’s not funny,” she said, then pretended to sulk. “I feel awful that I got you involved in all of that. Thomas, you put yourself at risk. You could have gone to jail.” As soon as she said it, her mind drifted back to that morning when she first laid eyes on Thomas, when she was waiting for the metro and a man tried to rob her at gunpoint. Thomas appeared out of nowhere with a gun of his own, and saved her, but in doing so he put his own life and freedom on the line, with a secret that kept him from coming forward as her witness in the first place. The gunman played on that and turned the tables on Cheri to sue her, but it was Thomas who sacrificially saved her once again.
“It was worth the risk. I couldn’t let that asshole take you for all you’re worth,” he replied. “You remember we had a confidentiality agreement, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that stupid little fucker broke the agreement.”
“How come you didn’t pick up the phone or drop me a line to tell me what was happening?” she scolded. “You never said anything.”
“What would that have accomplished?” he asked, his eyes gleaming with the light flickering from the candle between them. “I mean, we weren’t, um…a thing then. We aren’t anymore, right?”
Cheri looked down, feeling bad all over again. “I guess not.”
“I didn’t bring that up to be a downer. Like I said, I faced the situation, and it worked out well. I’m good,” he promised. “It was really a blessing in disguise.” With that, he leaned across the table to be closer to her. His shoulders were so broad that even when he gathered his arms to lean on the tabletop, he seemed almost too big for the chair.
Cheri drank in every detail about him: his unruly hair, his handsome features, and his animated face. As she did, she was consumed with guilt. “You coulda… I mean, you could have really…” Her voice was raspy and tight, and she couldn’t bring herself to mention what could have been the outcome for him, just because he’d stepped in to help her.
“But I didn’t,” he said. “I’m not that guy who has to look over my shoulder anymore. The sorry son-of-a-bitch who tried to mug you, then rob you in court, was hoisted on his own petard. He tried to turn me in for the gun thing. He actually came to my office and demanded cash, threatening to squeal if I didn’t pay up.”
“He blackmailed you?” she asked, aghast.
“Yup, but at that point I didn’t give a shit. I picked up the phone and called the attorney general. Turned out he wasn’t supposed to have one either so he was hauled right back to a cage, where they ought to keep animals like that jackass.” His face lit up as he said it, and his eyes glittered like shiny amber. “I don’t wish ill on anyone, but that bastard had it coming. I know you weren’t his first vic, and you wouldn’t have been his last.”
“Well, you certainly have a great attitude about it. I’m really glad you don’t hate me,” she said, in wonder of it all.
“How could I, Cheri? None of it was your fault. I’m a convicted felon, and you had nothing to do with that. The way it turned out totally cleared the air. I feel like a ten-ton weight’s been lifted off my shoulders,” he said.
The wine arrived, and they remained quiet while the server filled their goblets.
Cheri’s body was revved from the excitement of the story, and she couldn’t just shrug it off. She watched as he coolly interacted with the waitress, and even that sent thrills through her for some reason. She couldn’t believe he harbored no ill will toward her, and he seemed like a completely different person, not the guarded, depressed man he was when she first met him at that metro station.
“We need a moment to look at the menu, if you don’t mind,” he said to the server.
“No problem. I’ll be back in a few,” she said, then walked away.
He stroked Cheri’s hand, then strummed it lightly with the whisper touch of his fingers. “To new beginnings,” he said, raising his glass to hers.
Cheri inhaled a few deep breaths as she gazed at him in the candlelight and watched his glass clink against the one in her hand. Something about his toast scared her. She truly wanted a new beginning with Thomas Graham, but only if it came with the guarantee of being a sure thing. “I really don’t know if I can be more than just a friend to you, Thomas,” she whispered. She was well aware that she could easily fall in love with her hazel-eyed hero all over again, but she didn’t want him to know that.
He tried to play it off, but the sadness was not hidden from his voice or his glare. “That’s fine,” he said, as patiently as he could, “as long as you’re in my life in some way. If we have to be just friends, that’s better than nothing.”
“Thomas, I—” she began, orchestrating a carefully-worded apology in her head.
“No, it’s okay,” he said, cutting her off. “I’m no stranger to justice, Cheri, to crime and punishment. I know I’ll always be penalized for one thing or the other for the rest of my life. I screwed up,” he said sincerely. “It wasn’t the first time, and I know you don’t have to believe me, but I promise you it was the last. I’m a changed man.”
Before the conversation grew too heavy for either of them to bear, they turned their collective attention to the menu.
“I think I’ll have the seafood salad,” they both said at the same time.
“Jinx!” Thomas laughed with a wink, instantly lightening things up. “You owe me a Coke.”
Cheri beamed at him. She didn’t need to eat, because just his company had already satisfied her. However, the food was too good to skip. She felt even fuller as they talked and laughed through their meal, all the way through to coffee. It was clear that neither of them wanted to let go, even if at least one of them thought it was for the best.
When it came time to pay the check, they both reached for it, and instantly the question of uncomfortable boundaries and silently imposed rules was hurled at them again.
“Not to be presumptuous,” he said with that disarming, charming grin of his, working her, “but you can get the next one. Relax, would ya?”
“It’s just awkward,” she said, trying to maintain her silly front. “Why don’t we just go Dutch?”
“No,” he said in whisper. “You missed a day of work, and I’m doing pretty well. Besides, this was my idea.” Thomas was a relatively soft-spoken man, but when he wanted his way he was a force to be reckoned with, and his power could be felt in every vibration of his baritone words. From that very first day in the subway, when he appeared just in the nick of time, he had a way of imposing that strength and making others back down.
“Okay,” she said, smiling, helpless to his whims and very aware that her face had been locked in a smile for most of the evening.
They lingered for a bit after the check was paid and took their conversation out to the parking lot, where they loitered even longer.
Cheri was surprised by how at ease she was. She had eaten delicious food and enjoyed their slow, unhurried conversation. She had her fill of gazing at his wondrous good looks, and the weather was gloriously cool for the first time in what seemed like forever. The sky was indigo above a black skyline, and the air was soft. In that moment, everything seemed perfect.
She was glad, though, that they had driven separately, because the ride home would allow her the time she needed to think. There was obviously still something there between them, but Cheri didn’t want to rush in as they had before. Their shared desire was like the most powerful magnet in the universe. If unleashed by a single kiss, their sensual force would burst through that parking lot like a tidal wave. For that reason, she was grateful he didn’t push it even though she knew he wanted to. He opted to instead part ways with a hug.
Thomas wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into broad mountain of a body. He was so warm, so comfortable, and Cheri was overcome with the blissful nostalgia of what it was like to be held by him. She could have stayed there forever, but part of her acknowledged that she just wasn’t brave enough to tell him she wanted more.
They climbed into their respective cars, struggling with closing their doors and saying their final goodnights. They followed each other back to D.C., and while they lived blocks away from each other and fell asleep in separate beds, their dreams intermingled with thoughts of each other.