CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Emma
I'm really looking forward to my date with Chad. I told Claire all about it and she's thrilled that I’ve decided to go out with him again. Just as I'm going through my closet, trying to pick out an outfit, I get a text from Chad:
Wear something comfortable on your feet.
Then, a minute later, I get another text from him.
Oh, and dress warm.
Okay, I reply.
I wonder what he has planned for us. With only a couple hours to figure it out, Chad couldn't have come up with anything too crazy. I go through my closet and all my drawers – twice – and finally decide on what to wear. By the time I'm finally ready, it's almost eight o'clock.
A few minutes before eight, I head outside to wait for Chad. I'm surprised when he pulls up in an Uber right at eight o'clock. The man's usually late for everything. Chad will probably be late for his own funeral. He opens the door and I get in next to him.
“Hi, Emma,” he says and gives me a kiss on the cheek.
“Hi. How were your last few clients?”
“They were fine. I bet you wanna know where we're going, don't you?”
“That was gonna be my next question.”
“Well, you'll just have to wait and see. I'm glad you wore sneakers. You're gonna need them.”
We're in the Uber for quite a while. Chad and I make small talk the whole time. He tells me about his supplement line and I tell him about how I'm liking being a dietitian so far. I'm enjoying the conversation so much that I hadn't even noticed that we'd left the city. We're driving down a long road going through the woods when the driver pulls off to the side of the road. There's a small rest area with a few parking spots that we pull into.
“Here we are, boss,” the Uber driver says. “This is it?”
“Yup. This is the spot. Come on, Emma. Let's go.”
We get out of the car and I look around. We're in the middle of nowhere. All I see are trees and more trees. It's a clear night and the moon is very bright. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be able to see anything at all. Chad takes out a flashlight and turns it on. He shines it down a path leading into the woods that I hadn't noticed.
“We're going down there?”
“Yup.”
I'm intrigued. I'm also scared, worried, anxious, and a little bit terrified. But I'm even more curious to see where Chad's bringing me. This definitely isn't what I was expecting tonight.
The Uber driver takes off down the long rural road and we're left by ourselves out here in the woods. I have goosebumps all over my skin. Chad takes me by the hand and starts leading me down a long trail going into the woods. I have no idea where we are or where we're going. I'm completely at Chad's mercy and that excites me. I've never been on a date that started out like this before. I'm already impressed.
We walk for what feels like hours but is only about twenty minutes. The terrain is rough and we're constantly either going up a hill or down one. A gust of wind whips across my face and the smell of forest I've gotten used to is replaced by something else: the ocean. Almost immediately after the scent hits my nose, I hear waves crashing off in the distance.
I mentioned to Chad on our first date that I love the ocean. Everything about it is wonderful. He must've remembered. Maybe he's not as self-centered as I've made him out to be. This proves that he not only listened to what I said, but he remembered it, too.
“You're taking me to the ocean?” I ask.
“We're almost there, Emma. Don't ruin the surprise.”
We continue onward for a couple more minutes. The sound of the waves gets louder with each step. I can hear the ocean. I can smell the ocean. But I can't see it, yet. All I see is trees, trees, and more trees. Then, after another minute or two of walking down this trail, we come to the edge of the forest. We're at the top of a huge cliff overlooking a beautiful, secluded beach. The view is simply breathtaking. The moonlight is reflecting off the water and it's bright enough to illuminate the entire beach. I don't know if it's a full moon but, if it isn't, it sure is close. There isn't a cloud in the sky and my darkness-adjusted eyes can see thousands upon thousands of stars. It truly is a sight to behold. I inhale deeply as I look around, trying to soak in every drop of this picturesque landscape.
“It's pretty, isn't it?” Chad asks.
“Pretty? Chad, it's... there are no words to describe how amazing this is. How do you know about this place?”
“I used to come here as a kid. Come on. We're not there yet. We still have to hike down to the beach. Be careful and hold my hand. It can get quite steep.”
Chad takes me by the hand and starts leading me down another path I hadn't noticed. He wasn't kidding: It's really steep. Fortunately, it only takes us a few minutes to get to the bottom of the cliff. We walk along the beach a little bit and Chad's flashlight catches something shiny up ahead in the sand.
“What's that?” I ask.
“You'll see.”
Normally, I like to know what I'm gonna be doing before I do it. I have to admit, though, the mystery of all this is really doing something for me. And it's doing something to me, too. Even though we're in the dark, barely able to see each other, I feel incredibly turned on right now. If Chad stopped and wanted to have sex with me right here in the sand, I wouldn't say no.
As we get closer to the shiny object, I realize what it is: a bottle. It's not just a bottle sitting on the beach, though. There's a big towel on the sand with a large basket, two glasses, and a bottle of something, either wine or champagne. Perhaps a more sophisticated woman could tell the difference by the bottle shape or by what the glasses look like. Are wine glasses and champagne glasses two different things? I don't even know. All I do know is that I'm absolutely blown away – assuming this is Chad's doing and we didn't just walk in on someone else's picnic.
“Here we are,” Chad says.
“Chad, this is amazing! But how? How could you've possible set this up?”
“When properly motivated, I can make just about anything happen.”
“But you were at Fit World. And you just asked me out a few hours ago. How could you have possibly...”
Chad quiets me by putting a finger over my lips and says, “Don't take all the magic out of it. If I told you how I did it, it wouldn't be as much fun. What do you think?”
“What do I think? Chad, I love it. This place is amazing. Everything about it is beautiful.”
Chad shuts off his flashlight and tosses it onto the towel. He takes me by the hands and pulls our bodies together. The breeze coming off the ocean is a bit chilly but Chad's body is very warm. Our lips meet and we exchange a long, passionate kiss.
“Everything about this place is beautiful, Emma. But none of it is nearly as beautiful as you.”
It's a good thing we're in the dark. That way Chad can't see that I'm blushing, have goosebumps, and am giving off about a thousand other non-verbal cues to tell him that his words just made me melt inside. I've had guys tell me that I'm pretty before. And I've been on plenty of dates. But I've never felt anything like what I'm feeling right now.
“I can't believe how sweet you can be, Chad. There's a whole other side of you that the world doesn't know about.”
“And I plan on keeping it that way. My fans don't want a romantic picnic planner. They want the cocky, arrogant Chad that they know and love. Let's sit down. We've been hiking for quite a while.”
We have a seat on the towel. He opens the basket and pulls out a small lantern. Chad turns it on the low setting, giving off just enough light so he can see what he's doing. I take off my sneakers and socks, digging my toes into the sand. It's a little cool, but welcome. My feet are hot from the half hour of hiking it took us to get here from the road. Chad pops open the bottle of what I now know is champagne and pours us each a glass. He hands me mine, then holds his up in the air. I raise mine as well.
“Here's to not judging people by who they were in high school and giving them a chance to show you who they are on the inside,” he says. I can't quite see because of the lighting, but I can sense a smirk.
“And also, here's to calling women women, instead of girls, hoes, bitches, and sluts,” I add.
We clink our glasses together, take a sip of champagne, and share a quick laugh. Chad looks magnificent in this lighting. He looks incredible in any lighting, really. But between the moonlight and the dim lantern, every single one of his masculine features are more pronounced in the flickering light.
Chad takes a couple sandwiches and bags of chips out of the picnic basket. We're both really hungry and start eating immediately. He finishes his first sandwich and starts eating a second before I'm even half done with mine. We eat in silence, mostly. I'm really enjoying the atmosphere, watching the moonlight reflecting off the water, listening to the waves crash along the shore. It's a perfect night. A perfect second date.
I finish my sandwich just as Chad demolishes his third. The man can eat. I'm sure he has to eat a lot of calories and especially protein to maintain all that muscle mass. He pours us each another glass of champagne and we start talking. After moving the basket off the towel, Chad moves over so he's sitting right next to me. Our bodies are touching and he puts an arm around me, pulling me even closer to him. Our conversation starts out lightly with him asking me how I like the picnic. Before long, though, we start taking about much deeper things.
“So your dad left your mom?” I ask.
“No, she finally left him after he cheated on her for the hundredth time. I didn't understand it as a kid and it bothered me. She was always crying and complaining.”
“And once they divorced, who did you stay with?”
“I lived with my mom, mostly, but spent a couple days a week at my dad's, usually on the weekends. He always had a different woman over there every Friday and Saturday night. I remember the way he used to talk to them. It seemed so mean, but I understand it all now.”
“What do you mean by 'mean?'”
“Like, he'd always be telling them what to do, ordering them around. Keep in mind, these aren't girlfriends. They're women he just met. Dad was a controlling asshole. I didn't understand any of it at the time, but I hated it. I wanted his attention and love but all he did was yell at me and order me around.”
As I listen to Chad describe his father, my heart breaks. Everything becomes clear: why he was such a jerk in high school, why he treats women the way he does, and a million other things. It's not Chad's fault that he is the way he is. If everything happened the way he described, I think Chad actually turned out really good, all things considered. There's no question that his dad's behavior rubbed off on him quite a bit.
“And what about your mom? What was she like? You guys have a good relationship?”
“How did we end up talking about this stuff? I thought I was on the beach, not in a therapist's chair.”
“It'll be my last personal question. Promise.”
“Mom was just about as passive as they come. Always had to be told what to do. That's why dad and her worked. He's always gotta boss everyone around and she needs someone to boss her around. She couldn't deal with all the cheating, though. I got along well with my mom. We still talk.”
“Do you still talk to your dad?”
“Didn't you just promise not to ask any more personal questions?”
I don't respond. I just look at Chad and give him my best puppy dog face.
“No. I haven't talked to him in a couple years. Probably never will again.”
“I have a million more questions but a promise is a promise. No more. I have to say, Chad, I really feel honored that you'd open up to me like that and tell me such personal things about yourself. And it really gives me some insight into what makes you, you.”
“I definitely have a bit of my dad in me. No question about it. I've tried to become less like him over the years and it's worked a little bit. I still like to be in control, though. And I like being dominant. Being an alpha male.”
“Well, I don't think anyone's gonna argue with you that you're a certified Type A alpha male. Maybe the most alpha male I've ever met. But you haven't been overly dominant with me. You've certainly been aggressive, getting me to go out with you and everything else. But I wouldn't say you've been dominating me. Does that come later once you've lured me in?”
“If you want it to, ab-so-fucking-lutely.”
I was only kidding. Chad hasn't been overbearingly dominant and I certainly don't want him to become so. I need to figure out what he meant by that.
“Oh? If I want it to?”
“I'm guessing you've never been dominated in the bedroom. A lot of women – women who are otherwise confident and assertive – like to be submissive during sex. It satisfies some deep psychological need or something. I'm not totally sure. All I know is that a lot of women like it.”
I'm not sure what Chad means, exactly, when he talks about being dominant in the bedroom. The guy usually takes the lead, but I think he's talking about more than that. I've never really thought about being dominated. Actually, maybe I have. Maybe I just never thought about it in those terms. Sometimes I fantasize about being almost like a sex slave to a handsome billionaire or a powerful politician. Stuff you'd read in erotic romance novels. The more I think about being dominated by Chad, the more intrigued and turned on I get.
“No. I don't think I ever have. To be honest, I haven't been with that many guys. I had a boyfriend in college for two years and we had a good amount of sex, but nothing crazy. Just normal, dorm room sex. The idea of having you kinda order me around during sex does excite me a little bit.”
“A little bit, huh?”
“Or, you know, a lot.”
Chad smiles. Even in the moonlight, his smile is infectious. I smile back and before I know it, our lips are locked together and we start kissing for a couple minutes. While we're making out in the moonlight, a million thoughts, emotions, and questions flow through my mind. I think about how fun it would be to have Chad order me around in bed, having to do whatever he told me to do. Just the thought makes my body shake.
“How dominating are we talking about here?” I ask. “We're not talking like Fifty Shades Of Gray or anything, right? Because I'm not about being hit with paddles and whips and stuff like that. What are we talking about?”
“Nah, no paddles. No whips. How about instead of telling you, you let me show you?”
“Um, okay, I guess. You're not gonna hurt me or anything, right? We're kinda in the middle of nowhere here and I don't want tonight to turn into a story that ends up on the I.D. Discovery channel.”
“Don't worry, Em. I won't hurt you. I'm gonna keep it really basic and fun. You'll see. I just wanna give you an idea of what I'm talking about. If you're not into it, you're not into it. But I have a feeling you're gonna really enjoy it.”
I have no idea what I'm getting myself into. I'm equal parts excited and terrified. More than anything, though, I'm turned on. Like, way on. After Chad opened up to me tonight, I feel so much closer to him. I'm actually starting to trust him a little bit which is why I feel comfortable – as comfortable as a woman like me could – letting him order me around. This should be interesting.