First Date
My doorbell chimes at six-thirty on the dot, and my heart pounds in my chest as I make my way over to answer it. I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my life. It could have something to do with the fact that I’ve never gone on a date. At least not a real grown-up type of date. When I was a teenager, I went on a couple of those awkward movie dates. The ones where your parents drop you off and you spend the entire time holding your sweaty palm out hoping your date will take it. I even had my first kiss after one of those dates. It was awful, the dude slobbered all over my face. I honestly can’t believe I was willing to try kissing again after that.
Thanks to Paul, my dating experience never progressed much past that. He came into my life when I was only seventeen years old. Once he was in it, he spread like cancer, inserting himself into every facet of my life. By the time he was done with me, I didn’t even know what it meant to have a normal relationship with someone. I didn’t know if that was even something I wanted or deserved.
I’d trusted and cared for Paul, and he’d used me up then left me for dead. Every time Paul did something nice for me, I paid for it. The memories I have of him cooking me dinner or giving me gifts aren’t good ones. They merely remind me of how weak and stupid I’d been. I’d let my desire for love blind me, and I became determined to never let that happen again. My interactions with men became very limited. My experiences with Paul conditioned me to believe that men were only interested in me for one reason, and I wasn’t going to let my feelings get involved.
Then Steven came along and flipped those ideas upside down. I’d offered him my body, and when he claimed to want more, I’d run not believing his intentions were pure, but he’s proven himself time and time again. He’s been a good friend to me and managed to gain my trust. He never gave up on me, no matter what I threw at him. Now I’m letting my guard down and taking a risk for him.
As I step up to the door, I take several calming breaths, swallowing the bile rising in my throat as I reach to open it. Having never been on a date, I have no clue what to expect. No idea how to act or what to say. This is way out of my comfort zone, and basically a complete nightmare for me.
My eyes are cast down as I pull the door back, my heart in my throat as they slowly make their way up. My gaze travels from shiny black oxfords to crisp navy-blue suit pants with a matching jacket, my body begins to overheat as it continues the path to his dark burgundy tie and pale-blue collared shirt. By the time my glare passes over his curved lips to connect with his sparkling chocolate eyes, I’ve forgotten how to breathe altogether.
“You look incredible,” Steven says.
My flush crawls up my neck to my cheeks. This is the first time he’s ever openly commented on my appearance. Though, I’d caught him admiring me more than once that first night we spent together. Shrugging, I look down at my dress. It’s a simple knee-length A-line dress with a lace overlay and sleeves that match the color of his tie. I paired it with black pumps and pinned my hair back into a low bun.
He’s still staring intensely as my eyes meet his again, and I know he’s seeing beyond what the eye can perceive. He always makes me feel exposed in the best way, like I’m free for the first time in forever.
“Yeah, yeah. You don’t look so bad yourself, but I thought you said there would be flowers,” I tease.
He removes his hand from behind his back, revealing a beautiful pink peony bouquet. My heart seizes in my chest as I admire them. No one has ever given me flowers before, and I wonder if he realizes how much this small, simple act means to me.
Two hours later, Lucy is questioning Steven about his life in law enforcement, and we’ve officially made it through the tricky portions of the evening. The nearly silent car ride here, me accidentally sabotaging every attempt he made to be a gentleman, and all the uncomfortable introductions to my co-workers. In about thirty more minutes, we’ll even be through dinner and all the awful small talk.
My eyes roam around the large banquet room. It’s decked out with white linen and twinkling white lights. The red roses on the tables providing the only splash of color in the room. There are huge chandeliers overhead and blue fluorescent lighting around the recessed ceiling. Every table is full, most of the faces familiar ones, people I’ve worked with in some capacity over the years. The room is buzzing with conversation and laughter, blending together into white noise.
Just as I’m starting to feel comfortable with my surroundings, I see him. Paul is standing next to one of the exits, his wife by his side, talking to a group of people. Admirers of his no doubt. The walls begin to close in around me as I watch him, everything fading away except for the ice in my veins.
“Lori.” Steven takes my hand in his then squeezes it, and I pull my gaze away from Paul back to my incredible date. “Hey, are you okay. You look a little like you saw a ghost.”
Sucking in a deep breath through my nose, I spread a bright smile across my face and nod my head. “I’m good.”
He tugs our interlocked hands towards him, leaning down to kiss mine before pressing it into his chest, right over his heart. “That’s what I want to hear. Does that mean you’ll do me the honor of dancing with me?”
Pressing my lips together, I roll my eyes to feign annoyance. “Only if you stop talking like you’re in a stupid romance movie,” I mock.
His head tilts back as he lets out a laugh, and I can feel the thump in his chest getting heavier. When he meets my gaze again, he nods. “Deal.”
He doesn’t release my hand as he stands, hauling me to my feet with him. There’s the goofiest grin on my face as we make it to the floor, the stress of Paul’s presence melting away as Steven wraps my arms around his shoulders and his hands settle on my waist.
“So, how am I doing?” he asks as we begin to sway to the music.
My forehead creases as I meet his eyes. “With what?”
“The date. How does it compare? Am I wowing you enough to secure another one? Because I’d like to take you out again, somewhere you aren’t already required to be.”
I bite down on my bottom lip, trying to contain my smile. How does he compare? Even if I had something to compare this night to, I’m positive this one would rank at the top of the list. Not that I’m ever going to tell him that.
“Are you asking me to commit to a second date before the first one is even over? Isn’t that cheating?”
He shrugs. “I suppose it is a little against the rules, but you aren’t exactly the rule following type. Besides, when you know what you want, what’s the point of waiting?”
His choice of words seem to come as a surprise even to him. His face contorts in contemplation as he huffs.
“Well, it’s hard to argue with that logic.”
“Is that a yes?”
I purse my lips as if seriously considering his offer, then sigh. “Well, if memory serves, you’re into delayed gratification. So, I think I’ll make you wait.”
He snickers. “Touché.”
My arm is wrapped around Lori’s waist as we say our goodbyes to her co-workers. I assumed there would be a little weirdness tonight, that we might both need some time to adjust to the idea of dating, but tonight has been better than I could have ever hoped for. Everything has gone so smoothly—felt so natural. Oddly enough, it seemed like a bigger transition when I started dating Cat than it does now.
Lori’s boss, Jack, extends his hand to me and I shake it as he tells me again how glad he is to meet me. “Yes, it was nice to meet you too,” I say, giving him a quick nod.
All night her co-workers have fussed over the two of us, not being shy about telling me that she’s never brought a date to a work function before. I must say, that knowledge made me feel ten-feet tall.
As we begin to make our way toward the exit, I lean over to whisper in Lori’s ear. “I can’t wait for this night to be over.” Scoffing, her feet falter as her head swivels in my direction, her mouth open as she glares at me with hurt eyes. I chuckle and pull her close again, nestling my nose into her temple. “I’m dying to kiss you,” I explain.
Her cheeks are fuchsia as I lift my head to meet her gaze, and I feel like I’m walking in the clouds as we continue toward the doors.
We come to a stop again as a man steps into our path, his smile a little sinister as he eyes Lori. The man, who looks to be in his fifties, seems familiar, though I can’t place him. Perhaps it’s because he reminds me a little of Colin Firth with his salt ’n’ pepper hair and dark rimmed glasses. “You weren’t going to leave without saying good-bye, were you?” he asks Lori. Her body stiffens as she presses herself closer to me, her arm wrapping around me now. “It feels like you’ve been avoiding me all night.”
There’s a tone of warning in his statement and my hackles go up as she shakes her head, her hold on me getting tighter. “Of course not.”
His attention turns to me. “Hi, I’m Paul Eastman.”
The name rolls around in my head, and I realize where I’ve seen him before. Paul became somewhat of a celebrity in our small town when his novel was published several years back. I’ve personally never read his book. I couldn’t even tell you the name of it. It could explain why he seems to have such an arrogance about him, though. I nod my head in greeting. “Steven Duncan.”
“How do you know my sweet Lori here?” he asks, winking at Lori.
My jaw clenches at his description of Lori as I turn to her, but she keeps her vacant eyes on him. “Oh, well…I suppose that’s a bit of a long story,” I answer, giving him my attention again. “How about the two of you? I’m afraid Lori’s never mentioned you before.”
Paul’s eyes slide to her as he lets out a pretentious laugh. “I’ll try not to take offense to that,” he says, giving me a smug smile before continuing. “I’ve known Lori since she was in high school. She came to me looking for a mentor. I guess you could say I taught her everything she knows.”
My eyes narrow at his insinuation as Lori’s arm twitches around me, her grip on me strengthening yet again, and I take it upon myself to end the unpleasant interaction. “Well, it was nice to meet you, but we should probably get going.”
The smugness on Paul’s face waver’s, revealing his annoyance at being dismissed, but stables again as he smooths down his tie. “Yes, my apologies. I didn’t mean to hold you two up.” He takes a step in Lori’s direction, closing the gap between them before leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. She closes her eyes as if pained by his act of affection but remains otherwise frozen and silent. Something about him is causing this volcanic fury to course through me. I don’t like it, or him, or the way Lori seems to have shut down in his presence. “Don’t be a stranger,” Paul says as he backs away.
He glances my way one more time, smirking before he slinks off. I glare at the back of his head, fighting the urge to go after him and punch him in his haughty face as Lori drags me out of the banquet hall.
“Who the hell was that guy?” I ask once we step outside.
Her arm falls back to her side as she shifts out of my hold then shrugs, not even bothering to look my way as she answers. “No one. I mean, it’s like he said.”
Handing the valet my ticket, I study her. “A mentor? And there was nothing else to it?”
She shakes her head, biting into her lip so hard I’m surprised when it doesn’t draw blood. Then it hits me like a punch in the head. High school, older guy, helped her with writing. My stomach knots, and I run my hands through my hair as my head spins.
“That man…” I point to the doors we’d just exited. “Is he the one?” Lori’s spine straightens, her eyes wet as they finally glance my way, giving me my answer. I’ve never felt so much rage toward another human being in my life, leaving me at a loss as to what to do with all of it.
Turning on my heel, I charge toward the banquet hall, determined to find Paul and release some of this wrath buzzing inside of me.
“Where are you going?” Lori calls, her heels making an awful clacking sound on the pavement as she chases me.
“Where do you think I’m going?” I grit out. “I’m going to have a little chat with that creep.”
“No!” She grabs ahold of my arm, pulling at it as she steps in front of me. Her eyes are wide with fear, her breathing heavy. “Please, please don’t go back in there. Everyone I work with is in that room.”
My jaw tightens as I consider what she’s said, my stare flickering between her and the entrance to the building. “I’m not going to make a scene. I’m going to calmly advise him of what will happen if he ever speaks to you or comes near you again.”
I move to step around her, but she blocks me, placing both hands on my chest to keep me in place. “You can’t do that.”
“Why not? Are you afraid of him? What the hell was that back there?”
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“Well, you can try to explain it to me later.” Mentally planning my strategy, my eyes move to the door again. “After I go deal with him.”
Lori’s hands cup my face and her mouth crashes into mine before I can even fix my gaze back on her. I’ve thought about kissing her all night, and I quickly begin to lose myself in the softness of her lips. My hands reach out to feel her—to pull her closer—as her tongue begins to caress mine. It’s the sound of someone cheering us on that brings back my senses, and I swiftly break the kiss as I realize what’s happened.
Removing her hands, I take a step back. Her worried eyes meet mine, and I shake my head. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“Did what? Kiss you? You said you were dying to kiss me.”
Feeling sick to my stomach, I lift a shaky hand and rub the back of my neck, unsure if I’m upset with her or myself for falling for it. “Not like that. Never like that. Don’t use your body like a weapon. Especially not with me.”
She gapes at me as the valet steps up to us and clears his throat. Cutting my eyes at him, I yank my keys away from him then take Lori’s hand in mine before heading to the truck. We still have a lot to talk about, but not here—not now when we’re both worked up.