by Tara Brent
“Gotta hand it to you boss-man, you figured it out quicker than the other Myers.”
Daniel drummed his finger on his thigh. “Tomorrow night. 8:00. Dress like you are now. Change the dress.” He stared down toward her crotch. “Keep everything else as similar as possible.”
“That sounds lovely, Mr. Myers. Where should we dine?”
“How about Dorsia?”
Catalina’s eyes narrowed. “You did not just invite me on a date to a fictional restaurant, did you?”
Daniel laughed again. “I was testing you. You’re sharp.”
“And to suggest taking me to Patrick Bateman’s dream restaurant does not paint you in the fondest light.”
“Indeed. Delmonico’s, then?”
“Another restaurant featured in a book about a psychotic killer. Tsk-tsk,” she said.
“True, but in The Alienist, the heroes dined at Delmonico’s.”
“Touché. Well, until then, I have work to do.” She held out her hand and deliberately dropped the pen she was holding. “Whoops.” She turned from him and bent all the way over to pick it up. She could feel his eyes burning into her. Satisfied, she made her way back to her desk.
Damn, thought Daniel Myers. Maybe love is real.
Chapter 10
“You’re what??” asked Amelia, wide-eyed.
“It’s no big deal! It’s just dinner,” said Catalina, her cheeks becoming increasingly crimson.
“Not a big deal my booty,” snorted Amelia. “Dinner with Daniel Myers at Delmonico’s is by definition a big deal!”
“Well, I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” murmured Catalina.
Amelia stared at her, deadpan. “You’ve already planned your wedding, haven’t you?”
“Oh my god! It’s just a date! If even that!”
“He’s been inside you and now he’s taking you to dinner so it is absotively posolutely a date, and you know it!” said Amelia. “Do you act this scattered in front of him?”
“Oh no, I play it totally confident, or at least that’s what I’m going for now. Not so much that first time, but I figure if I’m going to make this work, I can’t just be another overly-willing notch on his belt.”
“So how are you demonstrating this confidence?”
“Well… I kinda-sorta took my thong off and put them in his mouth in front of everybody.”
Amelia just stared, then walked over to her refrigerator. She poured herself a glass of pinot grigio, hesitated, then pulled out a bottle of Absolut Lime to spike the wine, before guzzling it. She coughed. “Two things,” said Amelia. “First of all, holy shit! Secondly though, that is totally ‘overly willing,’ Catalina.”
“No it’s not! I mean, maybe…? I mean, I don’t know!! It’s different.”
“Elaborate?”
“Like, by doing that, I'm taking charge, not him, you know? It’s totally different.”
“But you liked him taking charge.”
“Oh god yes I did,” Catalina sighed, almost more to herself than to Amelia. She cleared her throat. “Listen, yeah, you got me. I want to be controlled in bed by Daniel Myers every day for the rest of my life. But everyone just bows down before him. I dunno… I want to stand out.”
Amelia gave her a hug. “You will sweety, I’m sure of it. Now go get’m!”
Catalina glowed. “Thanks! Wish me luck.” She scooted out of the apartment.
Amelia pulled out her phone and began composing a text to her sister and three other close friends: You guys will NOT believe what’s going on!
***
They sat together at Delmonico’s, Daniel in a striking blue Neiman Marcus suit and Catalina in a dress virtually identical to the one she wore the day prior at work, only a deep ocean green rather than a bright red. They had a private room, which on one hand Catalina felt was romantic, but on the other, was a bit ashamed by, worried that Daniel had picked that room because he didn’t want to be seen with her for some reason. She pushed the thought out of her head, though, smiled, and looked into his emerald eyes.
“Though I suppose I’d rather have my food in my mouth than anything else, I am mildly disappointed you chose not to put your panties in my mouth again,” said Daniel nonchalantly.
“Only because I didn’t bother wearing any at all,” Catalina retorted. “And I could think of something I’d want in my mouth more than food, if you know what I mean.” She winked.
“And what might that be?” asked Daniel, growing hard.
Catalina leaned forward across the table, and in her most sultry voice, said, “A lovely glass of wine to complement my dish.”
“Ah yes,” said Daniel, charmed despite deflating ever so slightly. “And speaking of which, what would you like to have?”
She perused her menu again. “There are a few options here that are meant to be shared.” Her eyes met his, the playful lust replaced with genuine affection. “I want to share lots of things with you, Mr. Myers. Seems appropriate to kick things off with a truly shared meal.”
“You don’t think we already kicked things off in my office the other day?”
“That was cute. And yeah, I can’t lie; I like how you dominated me, how you took complete control, not even letting me take things off if you put them on me without permission. Don’t get me wrong; I am looking forward to more of that. But here’s the thing: if you want to dominate me in bed again, I need to know, not just believe out of a misguided crush, but know based on evidence built from your actions, that you respect me, that you maybe someday even love me. Not to get ahead of ourselves, of course,” she added, her confident front cracking slightly. “But yeah, that was sex. Sex so good that you awoke something deep within me. Good enough where I’ve managed to convince myself that you really are someone special to me. I hope to god you prove me right. And if not?” she shrugged. “Then hey, I tried.”
At that moment, their server arrived to take their order. Before he could speak, Daniel interjected with their order. “We will share the 28 day dry-aged tomahawk for two, somewhere between medium and medium-rare, with lobster and béarnaise sauce. That will be with a side of roasted asparagus and baby turnip. But before that, we’ll start with the pan-roasted scallops and Maryland crab cakes. We’ll each have a glass of your best cabernet to start with, and then please bring a bottle of your finest pinot noir to accompany our main courses. Thank you.”
“Well,” said Catalina as the server. “Aren’t you efficient.” She sighed. “Too bad about those crab cakes and lobster, though. I’m allergic to shellfish.”
Daniel cocked an eyebrow. “Do you really think I’d order such a common allergen if I wasn’t positive you could eat it?”
She smiled. “Clever boy, calling my bluff like that. A bit stalkerish that you knew that, but well-played. Unfortunately, you weren’t stalkerish enough. If you were, you’d know that I didn’t care for shellfish.”
Daniel leaned back in his chair. “Do you trust me?”
She mused over it. “Not yet. But I want to.”
He grinned. “You took a leap of faith when I put a blindfold on you and had my way with you to your great satisfaction in my office. Trust me when I say that you may be surprised by what you’ll enjoy.”
“Very well,” she said. “I’ll keep an open mind.” She paused, and sighed. “Mr. Myers? Daniel?”
“Definitely call me Daniel,” he said.
“Daniel. Why are we in a private room?”
“More romantic?” he suggested. She blinked, he grimaced. “Okay. Listen, I think you’re the most beautiful thing in the world. I want nothing more than to show you off, have you on my arm, smiling at everyone, both of us knowing what you are not wearing. But for now, we need to play it a bit chill. You’re an employee, after all, and a new one at that. It’s not a great look.”
“I never thought Daniel Myers would care so much about what other people think,” said Catalina, leaving her disappointment visible.
“Personally? Like in my core? I don’t c
are what people think. But I do care when the way they think about me ends up actually affecting me. Bad publicity affects my ability to negotiate, affects client and customer trust, onward and onward. I’ve made myself synonymous with my company, and as such? I can’t afford to run on just internal cockiness. Perception, unfortunately, counts for quite a lot.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” said Catalina. Pausing, she added, “But, I understand. And obviously I’m not in any position to judge.”
“Isn’t that the whole purpose of dates? To judge one another? Judge whether or not the other is worthy of our company?”
“I suppose you’re right,” she said, “but I guess I should clarify to say that since I’ve never been in a position like the one you are in, it would be rather immature of me to condemn your choices.”
“Fair enough,” he said. “So: tell me about yourself!”
“Well, what would you like to know?”
“The basics I suppose. What are some of your favorite things?”
“Great,” Catalina said. “Now I have that song stuck in my head.”
“I’m serious!”
“Okay okay. Well, let’s trade, then. My favorite movie is Shakespeare in Love. Yours?”
“Ouch. Saving Private Ryan.”
“Is that ‘ouch’ because my favorite movie beat your favorite movie for best picture?” she teased.
“Yours only won because Harvey Weinstein swayed the vote.”
“Not a fan of Harvey’s?”
“No way.”
“Why? Because he gives bosses who sleep with their employees a bad name?”
“Hey! I’ve never done anything that didn’t come with supremely enthusiastic consent and an unlocked door.”
“And I’m sure your position of power had nothing to do with their ‘enthusiastic consent,’ right?” Catalina winked as he grew red. “Relax, Daniel, I’m just teasing you. You know I want to be here. It was my idea, and what happened with us in your office was life-changing in the best of ways. Anyway: my favorite musician is Elton John. You?”
“The Eagles,” he answered. “What’s your favorite Elton John song?”
“‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight,’ no question.”
“Seriously?”
“Hey! Don’t you dare knock The Lion King! It’s the best movie ever!”
“I thought that Shakespeare in Love was your favorite movie.”
“Whatever! What’s your favorite Eagles song?”
“‘Hotel California,’” he replied firmly.
“Nothing cliché about that,” she mocked.
“That song is a masterpiece and a classic.”
“Not disagreeing!” she laughed defensively.
Their first course arrived along with their wine.
“So, quick pause from talking,” she said. “I’ve basically starved myself all day for this meal.” She eyed him carefully. “Will you ‘judge’ me if I inhale this?”
“Dig in,” replied Daniel.
The meal continued pleasantly, and by its end Catalina was more than satisfied, though very tipsy on account of the many glasses of wine. “I’m full to the point of bursting,” she said. “Is it gross that I still want dessert?”
“If you would let a silly thing like being full get in the way of dessert, then this relationship would be dead in the water,” said Daniel, laughing; he too was slightly buzzed.
He said relationship! Catalina thought, bursting with butterflies inside, but maintaining a serene facade. “Well, you were right about the shellfish, so prove your worth once more with a lovely dessert to share and a dessert wine.”
“Well thank goodness neither of us are driving!” he said, wiping his brow. He gestured for the server. “May we have the raspberry cheesecake and the fudge brownie along with a bottle of your Taylor Fladgate 40 Year Tawny?”
Catalina smiled warmly at him as their order went in. “Let’s finish with an easy one: what’s your favorite color?”
“Easy,” he said. “Black.”
“To match your heart?” she teased.
“Actually, yes,” he replied.
“Wait, what?” she retorted, surprised.
“No it’s because I look good in black,” he said, shrugging.
She laughed. “I’ve definitely had too much to drink. And by the way, a bottle? At this point it would be a lot to share a single glass!”
“As I said: we’re not driving,” he smirked. “So your favorite color?”
“Well, it was yellow,” she said, then stared intently into his eyes, “but now its emerald green.” She punctuated her comment with a wink. They smiled at one another as their server brought their dessert.
***
“So this is you,” said Daniel, staggering slightly as he helped a giggling Catalina out of her side of the car. “I had a great night, Catalina.”
“Mmmmm,” she said, throwing her arms around him, nibbling on his ear. “It doesn’t have to be over yet,” she whispered, trying to sound naughty despite her words slurring left and right.
Daniel kissed her on the cheek. “There’s nothing I want more than to blindfold you and have you wrap those perfect lips around my dick with your hands cuffed behind your back,” he said slyly, “but we’re both way too drunk. Plus, if this works out, I’ll have many chances to own all of you. But for now,” he put his hands up her dress, feeling how wet she was and sliding one finger inside of her with ease, causing her to gasp, “this is good night.” He removed his finger, tasted her, and got back in his limo.
***
Catalina’s heart raced and her legs shook. She scrambled inside.
“Hey there,” said Amelia. “How’d it go?”
“Good good gotta go good night talk soon bye,” said Catalina, semi-frantically, entering her room and slamming the door.
Amelia got up and walked to her roommate’s door, concerned. “Catalina? Are you okay? Are you—oh…” Amelia heard a distinct buzzing coming from behind the door. Suppressed a smirk, Amelia backed away from Catalina’s door and made her way toward her own room. As she did, she paused, and thought to herself Huh, maybe Catalina has the right idea. She settled into her own “alone time,” happy for her friend, but for the moment, focused on something else entirely.
Chapter 11
“I’m getting tired of this, Daniel,” said Catalina.
Daniel looked back at her, confused and slightly hurt. “I thought you’ve been having a great time,” he said carefully.
“No I am,” she said, defensively, “but I mean, everything’s always so secretive! Like yes, renting out an entire movie theater just for the two of us seems romantic—and the fact that you even have the money and influence to pull that is frankly sexy… uh, I promise I’m not a gold-digger—but the romance seriously loses its luster when it occurs to me that the main reason you did it is to not be seen with me!”
“That’s not my only reason for doing it,” said Daniel.
“I never said ‘only,’ I said ‘main,’” she shot back.
“It’s not even the main reason!”
“But it is a reason,” she snorted.
“Okay fine yes but again you’re an employee and I’m one of the most recognizable businessmen in the city, so—”
“Are you really about to mansplain your reasoning to me again?” she demanded.
Daniel sighed. “No,” he conceded.
“Good. Now listen. I’m in it to win it. And I’m impressed that for these past couple weeks we have been dating for real without sleeping together.”
“Your balls are just as blue as mine are,” said Daniel. “Metaphorically, I mean.”
“Oh trust me, I know,” agreed Catalina. “My battery budget has tripled this month.”
“Wait, what?” asked Daniel.
“You know, for my, well, never mind. The point is I don’t want us to be defined by sex. But right now, we aren’t even defined at all. Like, we’re dating insofar as we’ve gone on lots of other dates, an
d we haven’t been with anyone else, my bedside friend notwithstanding.” Daniel smirked at this mental image, but Catalina continued. “But are we like dating-dating? Am I your girlfriend? Are you my boyfriend? What’s going on here?”
“I don’t like labels,” said Daniel flatly.
“Oh screw off with that. We use labels for the sake of communication. The only guys who ‘don’t like labels’ are fuckboys anyway, and you Mr. Myers are not a fuckboy!”
“I just don’t see why an arbitrary term is so vital to you,” said Daniel.
Catalina took a deep breath. “Okay, you’ve had your mansplaining time, now it’s my turn for some womansplaining. The label itself doesn’t matter, it just helps communicate an idea based on terms we have agreed upon. You don’t want to change your fucking Facebook relationship status? Okay, fine, although that does send the message to other thirsty women that you are available.”
“No, I just—”
“Still my turn to talk, sweetie. I want to know that you like me and respect me enough to not hide that you are with me. I don't care what your reasons are, be them personal or professional. No more excuses. Something needs to change.”
Daniel stared into her puppy dog eyes and sighed. “All right. I’ll have Gloria draw up some papers, making it acceptable. Will that make you happy?”
“It’s a start,” said Catalina, “although I don’t think Gloria likes me all that much.”
“She’ll come around,” Daniel assured her. “You guys just had a rough start, and that’s mostly my brother’s doing.”
“That is true,” said Catalina. “How is he with all of this, by the way?”
“Tense but fine,” said Daniel, chuckling. “He doesn’t like anything that could compromise the company. He’s a very focused individual. His body, his business, his numbers, he truly is the perfect CFO. Anyway,” Daniel continued, “join me for one more private adventure, ok? Would you be willing to do that?”
Catalina scowled at him for what seemed like a full minute, but eventually, her frustration caved to a smile. “Okay fine but it had better be amazing.”
