My afternoon at work turns into a long, busy evening and ends a lot later than planned. A quick change at the office is all I can manage if I want to be on time for drinks with Emily. Heading out at seven, with the traffic, I make it to the address with only a minute or two to spare. On finding a parking spot close by, I text Emily to let her know I’m outside and she replies that she’s on her way out.

But, the second Emily sits in the passenger seat of my LaFerrari Aperta I find out she can’t do drinks anymore.

Or won’t.

I undo my seatbelt and turn to look at her. She’s wearing a cute wrap top with black slack and has her long blonder hair pinned up. There’s a hint of makeup on her face. From all the signs, she seems dressed to go out with me. So why won’t she?

“Any reason for the change of heart?

She looks up at me, clearly apologetic from that shy, sheepish expression in those big blue eyes of hers. “I’m really sorry. It’s nothing personal. I gave it some thought and came to the conclusion that it’s not a good idea to mix business with pleasure.”

“You mean with Diane? Look, I told you earlier. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“I appreciate that you feel that way. Really, I do. And I hope you can also respect my decision.” She reaches her hand across the center console and rests her hand on mine. The one resting on my knee at the moment. It’s not a handshake. To me, there’s more to it than a parting touch. “No hard feelings?”

“Poor choice of words,” I confess. My eyes move from her face to where her hand is practically inches from my groin. But she’s blowing me off nicely. I can’t hold it against her. “Sure. I get it.”

“Sorry I made you come all this way.”

That last comment has me questioning her rationale for bailing on me at the last minute. I mean, she’s dressed to go out, possibly with me. Can this be a kneejerk reaction? Last minute nerves or something? There’s no chance in hell that I’ll reach out to her after this, so I figure I’ll ask what’s really behind her snap decision.

“Just to satisfy my analytical mind, you have my number still, right?”

She nods. “Yes. Why?”

“Did you change your mind in the last few minutes?”

“Not really.”

“Well, if you knew you weren’t up for drinks anymore, why’d you let me come across town to pick you up? A text or phone call would’ve been fine.”

“You’re right, but someone wise once told me it’s best to look a person in the eye when delivering bad news.”

“I can respect that explanation. You have a lot more courage than a lot of people out there.”

“Thanks.”

“And are you sure you’re not up for even one drink? A chat at a coffee shop or a walk or something?”

“Pretty sure. Why do you ask?”

I drop my eyes to my knee where her hand is still curled up into mine. That’s not the body language I’d expect from someone who’s about to end a first date before it even starts.

Her smile becomes more playful. Her eyes seem to brighten, even though the only source of light around the car is the streetlight on the other side of the road. “I never said I didn’t want to have drinks. Look, I’m sure you can tell there’s this energy between us…attraction, chemistry, a spark…whatever you want to call it. I meant it when I said it’s not personal. It’s just business. Sorry, I just can’t.”

“Listen. When’s this shindig you’ll be catering for Diane?”

She catches onto where I’m going with this and giggles a little. “In a few weeks. I’m also scheduled to meet her for lunch in a few days to have her try out the dishes I’ve got planned.”

“And it’s a one-time deal?”

“Yes.”

“That’s fair. How about you work the gig, and give me a shout after it’s all done.”

“One-time deals can turn into repeat business, you know? But sure. I’ll text you sometime.”

I turn my wrist and clasp her hand into mine. “Deal.”

“Thanks for under—” she starts, but that chemistry she was talking about just now, it’s way too powerful for me to ignore. Impulse and instinct take over. My other hand quickly lifts to her shoulder, and I pull her in close covering her mouth with mine for a firm kiss I didn’t plan out. I part the seam of her lips with my tongue and invade her mouth, our teeth clashing as we follow our base urges.

The sound of her clipped breath, that moan she lets out as I take her mouth, they all tell me she wants what I offered. And when her hands grip my biceps and pull me closer I know without a doubt. The kiss is rougher than usual, more demanding, more urgent than any other time I’ve planted one on a woman. And it’s probably because this may be the first and last one with her, though I have my doubts, considering she’s admitted to feeling our mutual attraction.

The insistent honking of a nearby car horn pulls me back to reality. I straighten from the kiss. An affected Emily leans back in her chair, her breathing raspy and full of need.

“Wow,” she breathes out and runs slender fingers over her lips. They’re a bit swollen, and her lipstick is smeared, mostly all gone now. Her hands reach up and nervously tuck some loose strands of hair behind her ears. “That was unexpected.”

“I wanted to do that since the second I saw you last night,” I admit. “I should let you go now before…before things get personal.”

She reaches for her car door and pulls her bag over one shoulder. “You’re probably right.”

“Let me walk you up to your place.”

She shakes her head and looks over at me, one foot already out the door. “That’s probably not the best idea. But thanks for offering. I’ll be fine.”

“All right.”

“Enjoy your night, Dylan. Have a safe ride home.”

She makes it in through the front doors of her walk-up apartment building, and after a minute, I drive off. After that kiss, we’re fooling ourselves to think there won’t be an encore before a few days are up, let alone a few weeks.