I checked myself out in the mirror one last time before I headed out the door.
You look good, man. I had been worried that I was dressed too casually, but I didn’t own a dress suit, so I had to make do with what I had. Besides, I didn’t think Bar Harbor was a suit-wearing kind of town anyway, and especially not at a restaurant like The Looking Glass.
I had decided on a white polo shirt, black slacks and black dress shoes. I didn’t want to layer up too much because the temperature had only dropped about two degrees in five hours, so I assumed it wouldn’t be too chilly that night.
I walked out to my garage and thought about taking the pick-up truck as a joke, or even the fire truck, but I didn’t think Knox, my boss, would appreciate that very much. And I kind of wanted to wow her with my Cadillac, anyway. It was a 2008 CTS and the second-best car to come out during its year. It had a sharp muscular style which I was trying to emulate, so I decided it would be a perfect match.
I punched the Holiday Inn as the destination in my GPS system and headed toward Bar Harbor. I didn’t know her room number, and she didn’t know what I was driving, so it was probably going to be a little hard to find her. And my smart ass had forgotten get her number.
Those curves of hers had made it easy to forget a lot of things.
My dashboard said 6:58pm when I pulled up to the front of the building. I noticed her car was parked in the back of the lot, and I only had to wait for a minute before I saw her exit the automatic doors. She was wearing a white camisole, a black ruffled skirt that fell just above her knees, and black flats. I wished I had brought a jacket or something in case she got cold throughout the night, because it didn’t look like she had brought one. I guessed she had thought the same thing that I did. With the temperatures barely moving, it was probably going to be a warm night; I sure hoped so.
She stood there peering around, looking for me and I honked my horn to let her know where I was. She smiled and waved when she saw me, and padded over to the car.
“You drive a Black Caddy?” she asked, seemingly surprised when she got in. She looked gorgeous. Her curly, ginger hair cascaded past her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes were a vibrant green, stunning me with their piercing gaze. Her skin looked smooth and creamy and her legs went on for miles. As she sat in the car with me, her skirt had slightly risen, exposing her thigh and I fought hard to resist the urge to place my hand there.
Not yet…
“It was one of the best cars of its year, second only to the BMW, so I had to have it. Also, I think it matches my personality pretty well.”
“Slick and handsome?” she smiled seductively, obviously flirting with me.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” I flashed her a smile and selected The Looking Glass as our next destination in the GPS.
“I went to the mechanic like you recommended. Ten dollars later, my wheels are perfectly safe from falling off,” she said proudly.
“Good to hear at least someone listens to me every now and then,” I chuckled.
It only took us a couple of minutes to get there and we continued to make small talk during the ride. When we arrived at the restaurant, it was moderately busy. It was a Friday night, so I had anticipated that there would be some traffic, but I hoped we would be able to get seated quickly. I walked over to the usher.
“Table for two please?”
“Certainly, sir. Right this way.”
Yes!
The usher brought us to a very quaint corner of the restaurant. All the tables were candle lit by tea lights in mason jars and had miniature vases of flowers as centerpieces. There were no walls by the seating area, just open, thick glass windows with a stunning night view of the sparkling Atlantic; I supposed that’s how they got their name. I had never been there before, but honestly, I hadn’t been on a date with anyone since I had moved to Acadia. I felt pretty proud of my choice in that moment, though.
I pulled out a chair for Kathleen to take a seat. She smiled brightly at the gesture and sat, scooting the chair closer to the table.
Now I’ll just have to keep impressing her…
The waiter came over and introduced himself.
“Good evening, my name is Oliver, and I’ll be your waiter tonight.” He bowed before asking, “May I start you off with a bottle of wine?”
Kathleen seemed surprised by this and just stared at him.
“Um. We’ll have the 2010 Geyser Peak Sauvignon Blanc.” I chose the second wine on the list because the first one was a dry Riesling, which I hated. I wasn’t much of a wine drinker in general, but I had a little pep talk from Ramon and Trent, the biologist and law enforcement officer of the park, and they had assured me that most women loved wine and it would help us both break the ice and relax more into the evening. I hoped they were right because I was trying really hard not to sweat through my shirt; I was so nervous. Also, the Sauvignon Blanc was about thirteen dollars a bottle, whereas the Riesling was twenty-four dollars. If I was going to make it seem like she was paying, I didn’t want to order expensive things and make her anxious.
Then, I looked at the menu.
Fuck! Look at these prices! It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford them, I was concerned that perhaps she would think I picked an expensive place on purpose just because she was treating me. And I really didn’t want her to think that. I looked up to check her reaction to the menu and her eyes were wide. Was it because of the menu selection? The prices? I couldn’t really tell what that meant. So much for my plan to surprise pay. I should probably say something now.
“Hey, when I picked this place, I’d actually never been here before, and I could never justify having you spend this much to treat me for barely fixing your car. Please, allow me to treat you. Your company is enough repayment.” I flashed her a smile and hoped I charmed her into letting me pay. She stared at me for a moment and then put the menu down.
“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” She looked at me suspiciously and I was slightly taken aback. “You picked an expensive restaurant so you could convince me to let you pay.”
“No, that wasn’t my intention at all; I really haven’t been here before—”
“I’m just kidding!” She laughed. “I must admit, though, it is a little out of my price range.”
“Oh. Haha.” My heart was racing, and I took a breath to steady it. “Well, then please, allow me.”
“Sorry if my joke was too serious. You looked a little tense, so I figured I’d scare you a little.” She winked at me playfully and my heart stopped beating altogether. She really was beautiful.
We went back to consulting the menu, and since we had agreed on me paying, I thought about changing the wine, but I decided not to.
“Would you like to order an appetizer?” I asked her.
“The lobster rangoon sound delicious!”
“It does. I’m still not sure what I want for my entrée, though. What are you thinking of having?”
“I thought the gnocchi and mushrooms sounded great.”
“Well, I won’t be having that, that’s for sure. I hate mushrooms,” I laughed.
“Well, that’s one thing you can cross off then,” she winked.
“Have you both decided?” Oliver had returned with our wine and two glasses. He opened the bottle and poured a sample for each of us, while looking back and forth between us, waiting for an answer.
“May we please have the lobster rangoon to start, and I’ll have the gnocchi and mushrooms. I’m not sure if he knows what he wants yet, though.”
I was surprised by her forwardness. I had never had a woman order before and be so assertive, and I found it quite sexy. But, she had put me on the spot.
“I’ll have the maple miso glazed salmon, please,” I said curtly, taking her menu and handing them both to the waiter. Kathleen had already started on her glass of wine.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“It tastes kind of like grapefruit and…grass. But I like it!” She laughed as she spoke, and I chuckled as I took a sip from my own glass. I could see where she was picking up those flavors, but it tasted more tropical to me. “So, have you ever saved a kitten from a tree?”
I almost spit out my wine.
“Oh, so we’re doing firefighter jokes now, huh? No, I haven’t, and even if there was a kitten stuck in a tree, the park has a search and rescue person for that kind of thing. That’s one of Sophia’s duties at Acadia.”
“Have you ever slid down a pole?” She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“Yes actually, but not for anyone’s entertainment.”
“Have you ever had to pose for a calendar?”
“Is that really a thing?” I was genuinely surprised. I had never heard of firefighters having to do that in real life, only models.
“Where I live, they did it to raise money for guide and therapy dogs. Needless to say, they raised a lot of money,” she laughed.
“Well, I guess I’ve been lucky enough not to have to do that. Not sure how I would feel about having all the women in the area gawking at me as I hung on their refrigerators. It’s too small of a town and I feel like I’d be easily recognizable.” The thought alone made me shudder.
“Yeah, but you’d be a local celebrity. All the girls would want a picture with you and for you to autograph their calendars! And it would be for a good cause.” She shrugged. And she was right. I wasn’t sure about the celebrity bit, but if it was for a good cause, maybe I could take a picture covering my face with my hat or something.
“Any more firefighter questions you’re dying to ask me?” I chuckled.
“Oh, if you open the hose to full blast, is it really strong enough to lift you off the ground if you’re holding it?” She looked intrigued and took a sip of her wine. It was a silly question, but not one I got asked often.
“Well, it depends. A fire hose can only lift about two hundred pounds on its own at full blast, but it would have to be pointed at the ground. We usually have people who weigh at least two hundred and fifty pounds man the hose because they can’t be lifted by the water pressure. They also have to be able to lift someone who is two hundred pounds because that will help them control the hose at that pressure. We usually never have to open the hose to full blast, though. It can do more harm than good at that power level in most situations.”
Oh great, Drew, you’re going on one of your fireman rants again. She probably zoned out halfway through.
“So, I’m guessing you’re the one who mans the house, huh?”
Nope. She’s listening. Just has a two-track mind.
“Yes, actually, I do.”
“I can tell.” She was flirting hard. I couldn’t believe this gorgeous girl wanted me. It couldn’t be because she thought I was rich or something because she hadn’t seen my car until now. And I most definitely wasn’t rich; I just had acquired a lot of assets. When you work for a national park, the government pays for your lodging to make up for the four thousand dollars month they pay us. That adds up when you live by yourself and only have to buy groceries and provisions for one person. I saved up for seven months to get the Caddy that I had, and it felt good to buy it. It was really the only expensive item I owned, but I was incredibly proud to have it.
But she seemed to really like me and that was a great boost to the ego. I just had to get through dinner to see how far it could go.
The waiter returned with our appetizer of eight fried wontons. I waited for her to grab one first, but I didn’t have to wait long. She reached for one and bit into it immediately, blowing air from her lips and fanning herself.
“Are you okay?”
“Yah juh haw!”
“Huh?” I watched her swallow the bite and sip some wine.
“I said it was hot!” We laughed. “I guess I shouldn’t have just dove in like that.”
“Was it good at least?”
“Oh, it’s incredible. I’m just lucky I didn’t burn my mouth on it!”
“What a shame that would be…” I had decided to flirt back. What did I have to lose?
She smiled, but didn’t respond. I decided to try a wonton myself and transferred it over to one of the small plates the waiter had provided us with. To avoid the unpleasant experience she had, I cut mine in half and blew on the center before taking a bite. I could taste the lobster and scallion, but there was a sauce. I think I remembered the menu it saying it was cream cheese and blueberry, which surprisingly went quite well with the seafood and I was floored by how delicious it was.
Our entrees came out shortly after, and hers actually looked better than I had imagined it would. The gnocchi had been seasoned with cracked black pepper and freshly shaven parmesan, nestled on top of a white bean puree with a red pepper sauce. There was also a small serving of beet and carrot slaw piled near the corner of the plate.
But I wouldn’t have passed mine up for hers any day. The salmon was pan seared over a vegetable soba noodle salad. I thoroughly enjoyed the flavors of Asian dishes and it definitely quelled my hunger. We ate in mostly silence, which I took as a good sign that the food was to her liking.
“How was it?” I asked when she seemed to have finished.
“Fantastic! But I’m always up for dessert…”
“I don’t think they have dessert here,” I joked.
“Well, you’ll just have to come up with something, won’t you?” I felt her shoe graze my thigh and my eyes widened.
Quick guys, I need your help! I reached out with my mind to telepathically reach Trent and Ramon, hoping one of my clan-mates would answer quickly.
How’s the date going? I heard Trent ask me smugly.
She’s rubbing my leg with her shoe and says she wants dessert! What do I do? My voice sounded a little more panicked than I would have liked, but I was more worried about time at that point.
Aye, amigo! You’d better take her back to your place. That’s a very clear sign that she wants the D. There was laughter in Ramon’s voice, but I realized he was right. I ended our communication before they said something else embarrassing.
“I might have some whipped cream and strawberries in my refrigerator if that would do?” I stroked the top of her foot.
“Here is the check whenever you’re ready. I hope everything was to your liking.”
“It was, thank you.” I didn’t even look at him. I was too focused on Kathleen biting her lip in front of me. I glanced at the check to see the total was eighty dollars. I had anticipated a hundred, so I just left the hundred-dollar bill on the table and grabbed Kathleen’s hand, escorting her out of the restaurant. We barely made it to the car before I pushed her right up against the hood and kissed her. My lips were powerful and dominant over her soft, supple ones. It had been a while since I’d last kissed a woman, and it felt damned good. I crushed my body against hers, feeling her well-endowed chest press firmly against mine; I couldn’t wait to fondle those gorgeous breasts of hers. I let one hand tangle in her lovely ginger curls, and it was as if I was touching a cloud. Her hands were on my back and I grabbed her left thigh and lifted it to wrap around my hip which exposed quite a bit of her leg to my touch. I took advantage of it and ran my hand up to her bottom, cupping and squeezing it in my palm. It was a generous handful and I couldn’t help but be pleased with myself when a moan escaped her lips.
Then, I heard a whistle and my head whipped around to find it. There was a group of guys heading to a nearby bar who were cheering and looking in our direction. I glared and growled, but quickly realized she might think that was a bit uncharacteristic of me, so I tried to clear my throat to mask it.
“Your place?” She sounded breathless, her chest rising and falling. Her eyes were hooded and dark green in the moonlight, filled with lust and desire. I nodded, and gently placed her leg down, opening the passenger side for her. I got in and drove us quickly back to my cabin, my hand stroking her thigh throughout the entire drive. She squirmed under my touch.
“Shouldn’t you have both hands on the wheel?” she half asked, half moaned.
“I like to live dangerously,” I smirked, squeezing her upper thigh, making her back arch. My manhood had grown, bulging against my pants, which were growing uncomfortable more and more by the moment. I rejoiced inwardly when I saw the indent of my road up ahead.
The car swerved slightly, and my heartbeat raced when I felt a hand in my lap, stroking my member through my pants. She laughed at my surprise.
“I, too, like to live dangerously,” she admitted with a sly smile.
I could’ve exploded in my pants right there. Jesus, she’s hot…
I tried to concentrate on pulling into my driveway and parking the car, which was a little hard with her trying to unzip my pants.
“Whoa, there. Let’s get inside first.” I laughed, grabbing her hand and kissing it. She practically ran out of the car and I shook my head. By the time I reached the door, she was already there, waiting for me to open it.
“Time to see if you are the homey type or the bachelor pad type,” she giggled.
I wasn’t sure which category I fit into, but maybe a little bit of both? I let her be the judge as I unlocked the door and swung it open.
We entered my living room, which had a blue and beige color scheme with stained oak-paneled walls and a fireplace. There were two sets of rustic chandelier style lights hanging from the ceiling. I had a leather sofa, a matching arm chair and oak shelves full of records, which stood next to an end table with my record player on top of it.
“No way, you have records?” She ran to the shelves and checked out my selection. “And you like classical music? And here I was thinking you’d play country music from your iPod or something.”
“And why’s that? Do you think I’m some backwoods kind of guy who only cares about cars and putting out fires?” I joked.
“What? Oh, no. Come on—” She feigned obliviousness for a moment and then smiled. “Of course, that’s not why. I personally love country music. But I like classical, too.”
“Would you like me to pick something out for us to relax to?” I asked, heading toward the shelf, but she grabbed me instead.
“I don’t really feel like relaxing just yet.” She whispered in my ear and then licked the edge of it. I shivered; it was an oddly pleasing sensation, and I’d never had anyone play with my ears before. “So, how about you show me where the bedroom is, and I can show you a good time?”
She didn’t have to ask twice.
I led her up the spiral staircase to my bedroom, which housed a queen-sized bed with a mahogany headboard and matching nightstands on either side. I really loved the warmth that wood could bring to a living space, and my home certainly showed it.
“Odd that you like to decorate with wood, one of the most flammable materials, and yet, you’re a firefighter. Aren’t you afraid of this place burning down?” She eased onto the bed, kicking off her shoes by the nightstand.
“Actually, I have everything coated in a fire-proof stain, so my house could never burn down. I re-coat it every year just to be on the safe side.”
She reached out her hand and pulled me toward her.
“I guess you don’t need those strawberries after all, huh?”
“Not when I have this…” She smirked up at me, stroking my rod through my pants again. She unzipped my fly and reached in, pulling my cock from my boxer briefs. Her eyes widened when it sprung from the fly of my pants.
I smiled and playfully threw her back onto the bed, climbing on top of her.
“Why don’t we see what you’re working with…” I grinned and moved down to her hips, snaking my hands under her skirt. I felt the waistband of her panties and pulled them slowly down her legs. They were black lace and completely soaked; I held them up and raised an eyebrow. She bit her lip and smiled, and I shook my head and lifted her skirt just enough to expose her womanhood.
“Nice to see that the carpet matches the drapes,” I laughed, doing my best to get her back for all her jokes.
“I deserve that,” she giggled, pulling down her skirt. “Well, I am Irish…”
“You’ll have to tell me more about that later when I’m a little less distracted,” I said, my eyes connecting with hers.
“Oh yeah? And what could possibly be distracting you?”
“This.”
And I dove between her legs, going straight for her pleasure center, my nose buried in her soft, ginger curls. My tongue lapped at her juices, which only made them flow more freely into my eager mouth. I teased her, flicking over to her entrance and thrusted inside, grabbing her hips and coaxing her further along the length of my tongue. She gasped and squirmed, but I held her firmly, quickly moving in and out. She soon moved along with me, riding my tongue as I dove deeper inside of her. I dragged my tongue up slowly toward her sensitive bundle of nerves, sucking it into my mouth, flicking my tongue over it, making her writhe and moan at my onslaught. I felt her shiver slightly and stopped immediately, which really made her whimper.
“Please…don’t stop,” she whispered.
“But I have something better,” I assured her, standing up to reveal my shaft at full attention. I lifted her legs onto each of my shoulders and pressed her knees to her chest. Unbuckling my pants, I let them fall to the floor with my boxer briefs and kicked them across the room before I positioned myself at her entrance and slid into her slowly.
“Ah!” She threw her head back and moaned in ecstasy as my length filled her, pulsating as it plowed more deeply into her core. I felt the soft flesh of her cervix caress the tip of my member and heard a sharp intake of breath as I pressed against it, which made me even harder.
I pulled out just as slowly, making her squirm before entering her the same way once again. I continued to tease her, thrusting in and out at an excruciating pace. I wanted her to feel every inch of me as it exited and filled her; I wanted the feeling to be burned into her memory forever.
When I felt she had become best adjusted to having my rod inside her, I decided to pick up the pace a little, then a lot until I was plowing into her, the head of my cock ramming into her cervix each time. It wasn’t long until I felt her shudder beneath me, exploding in spasms of pleasure and screams.
I sucked down her neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses as I let her screams push me over the edge, spilling my seed deep within her with a growl. I clenched the sheets as my shaft twitched deep within her walls, body seizing against hers. After the spasms subsided, I finally withdrew myself and released her legs, slumping on top of her. I could feel her chest heaving from fatigue and exhaustion and mine was no better.
“Hey.”
“Hmmm?” I answered, ready to slip off to sleep.
“You’re heavy,” she giggled, squirming beneath me.
I smiled and rolled off of her. “Well, I suppose if we’re going to sleep, we should sleep the proper way, anyway,” I admitted. We were laying horizontally across the bed instead of with our heads at the headboard. Kathleen adjusted herself and slid over to the left side of the bed, while I took off my soaked shirt, throwing it onto the floor.
“Are you usually this messy when you have a girl over, Drew?” she teased.
“Only after extraneous activities,” I joked. I laid next to her and she curled up against my chest.
“So, you’re Irish, huh? Were you born there?” I asked, stroking her curls.
She groaned. “I was hoping you forgot.”
“Nope.”
“It’s not a pleasant story.” Her voice sank lower; pained, it seemed.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just want to know more about you.”
“It’s fine; I have no problem telling you. Honestly, I’ve grown mostly numb to it over the years. Yes, I was born in Ireland. I’m from Kinsale, a little town of only about five thousand people. Mom and Dad were making dinner one evening when I was thirteen and there was a gas leak no one knew about. There was a huge explosion and my dad threw me out the window to save me. By the time the town was able to put the fire out, my parents had been burnt to cinders, and I was left with gashes from the broken glass. I still have the scars from where the glass cut me.”
She lifted the side of her shirt and showed me the section between her ribs and hip. I sat up to have a better look, and there were definitely at least three large scars going straight down. I reached out my hand to touch them, but she grabbed it.
“Please don’t touch them.”
I nodded and laid back down. “So, did you stay with relatives or something?” I decided to continue the conversation so things wouldn’t get awkward.
“I had no living relatives. Ireland doesn’t exactly have the fostering or adoption system that the United States has, and apparently, Irish children are wanted here, so I was flown here and put into foster care. But I must have been too old or something, because I stayed at that foster home until I was eighteen. The day after my birthday, I left and have never gone back.”
I could feel her shrug. I wasn’t really sure of what to say after her story. “Where do you live now?”
“West Virginia. But I don’t have an apartment or anything. There’s this really great app called Couchsurfing where people offer free lodging to strangers for up to three days. There’s close to three hundred thousand people in the state on it, so I sort of just hop from place to place. Unfortunately, I don’t have a stable income, so I can’t really afford to get my own place right now. And with no family…”
“But you can afford a vacation to Acadia?” I was merely teasing, but it did sound pretty odd.
If she’s broke, what’s she doing here?
“I…uh…. Actually, one of the hosts gave me the vacation. I had given her some shitty gift from the dollar store and she was so in love with it. She was sick and said she wouldn’t be able to come and asked me if I would come enjoy it on her behalf. Her only request was that I take lots of pictures and send them to her when I get back.”
She seemed a little too nervous for such a simple question. Something told me she probably wasn’t telling the whole truth, but I decided to let it slide. What did I care?
“Well, then you should get to the park and start taking those pictures! You should have taken some last night, so you could tell her about meeting a handsome stranger here,” I joked.
“You’re totally right, I should’ve. I would take one now, but I don’t think that little old lady could handle your super-hot bod.”
I heard the laughter in her tone and it made me smile. I hadn’t had someone I could joke around with in a while that wasn’t Trent or Ramon, so it felt nice.
“Well, since you have to go to the park anyway, maybe you can come with me tomorrow and meet everyone? I can take you to see all the great sights it’s so famous for, so you can really give this woman a look at Acadia.”
“I’d love that.” She cuddled closer to me. “How about you, though? Where are you from?”
“Me? I was born in Detroit, Michigan. My parents had me late in their lives, when they were both almost forty and they’re both gone now. My dad died of prostate cancer when he was sixty-five and my mom died of a broken heart shortly after. They’d been inseparable since they were teenagers, so a life without him was just a life she couldn’t live, it seemed. I was old enough to be on my own by then, and they had left me the house, but I couldn’t live there with the both of them gone, so I sold it and moved to California. I’ve always wanted to be a firefighter, ever since I was a kid, so I made it happen. I originally worked for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Los Angeles, but I felt like I wasn’t really needed there. They had to have a firefighter on hand and it was easy money to just patrol and get paid four thousand a month, but I wanted to go where I was needed. Acadia had a lot of random fires when I was hired on, so I was able to place safety precautions and take care of the fires which sort of restored my purpose. I’ve been here ever since. There aren’t many fires these days, but I really like it here; it’s become my home.”
“Want to hear something funny?”
“Sure.”
“When I was younger, I used to wave at fire trucks that passed by. And they would always wave back if they saw me. I always thought of how nice they were and every time I think of firemen, I picture them as the nicest people in the world. Isn’t that silly?” She turned and looked up at me.
“I don’t think that’s silly at all. I’m happy my brothers have given our occupation a good reputation.” I kissed her head. “So, you know what I do, but you haven’t told me what you do. You said you’re not making a stable income, right? Are you a freelancer of some sort?”
“I’d rather not say, if you don’t mind.” She tensed in my arms and I figured it must be a touchy subject.
“That’s fine; we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
That’s odd...
“I’m getting pretty tired, Drew. I think I’m ready to go to sleep, if that’s alright.”
Great, Drew. Look what you did. I scolded myself, but just kept holding her. She was such a fascinating, yet mysterious person; I just wanted to know everything about her. But she’d dealt with a lot of pain in her life and I knew I had to let her open up to me at her own pace. I decided I would make our day in Acadia a special one for her.