by Mia Archer
Who was this girl, why was she acting so mysterious, and how the hell had she been able to afford all of this? And again, why would she ever spend all this money on me?
My phone buzzed and I pulled out again.
“Ready for lunch?”
I tapped out a response. “Where did you have in mind? And nothing expensive!”
“I know the perfect place. Called St. Elmo’s. Nice and cheap so it’s my treat, and also pretty quiet this time of day,” she responded.
I shrugged. I’d never heard of the place, but then again I wasn’t exactly up on local cuisine in downtown Indianapolis. I figured one place was as good as another as long as they had food.
“Looks like it’s lunchtime Megan,” I said.
“Oh! We finally get to meet your mysterious girl?”
“Yup.”
I was excited and terrified at the same time. Excited because I was still feeling that strange mix of emotions, that strange schoolgirl giddiness that I felt every time I saw her name pop up on my screen. I was also terrified at the same time though. I had the same worries that anyone has when they’re going on a blind date or meeting someone from the Internet for the first time. What if she didn’t live up to expectations? What if it turned out this strange girl crush I'd developed didn't translate into the real world? For that matter what if it did translate into the real world but I didn’t live up to her expectations?
And on top of all that there was one hell of a price tag associated with her flying me out here which made me more than nervous. What if things didn’t work out and she still expected… Things?
I shook my head. That was the worst-case scenario voice whispering to me. I was not going to let that ruin my trip. We were going to have a nice quiet and cheap early lunch at this St. Elmo’s place and then I was going to enjoy the convention. Hopefully with this mysterious woman, a woman whose name I didn’t even know yet! I hoped she was going to turn out to be everything I imagined.
It was time for lunch, and to meet Ms. Maybe Right.
13: Lunch Date
“This doesn’t look like a cheap place for lunch,” Megan said when we walked through the door.
I couldn’t help but stare with my eyes and mouth wide open. No, this definitely didn’t look like the kind of place where you could have a cheap lunch. This didn’t look like the kind of place where you could have a cheap anything. This looked like it was one of the most expensive damn restaurants in the entire city!
“Can I help you?” A pretty hostess asked.
“We’re supposed to meet…” I stopped. I didn’t even know her name. All I knew was her screen name. “Kaira?”
The girl’s face lit up and she gestured for us to follow. “Right this way ma’am.”
There we were with the ma’am thing again. I wasn’t sure I liked that. We made our way through a sea of empty tables and then she led us into a small alcove set back from the main room so that nobody in the restaurant proper could actually see us, though we had a good view of the restaurant from where we sat. Not that there was much point in all the secrecy since it's not like anyone was in the restaurant anyways.
I stopped as we reached the table. My breath caught. Someone was sitting there.
A woman.
Kaira.
Only I realized that I very much knew Kaira's name. I knew exactly who she was as striking green eyes stared out at me from a face that was every bit as gorgeous as her picture made her look! A woman with short styled hair in her early thirties, though it was hard to put an exact age to her. A smile that was all too familiar, though in person when she looked up at me and smiled I nearly fainted. I looked into her gorgeous deep green eyes and damn were they worth the wait. Those were eyes that sent an icy chill running down my spine and straight to my pussy.
All of it familiar because I'd seen her countless times before. And suddenly the image on her profile clicked with the image I'd seen more often on the back flap of the dust jackets where she was always smiling out to the world.
Kaira. Kaitlyn Morgan. One and the same.
Damn.
Megan elbowed me in the ribs and I jumped. “Damn!” she whispered.
I couldn’t help but smile. It was a goofy smile. A lovesick smile. It was a relieved smile more than anything else. I saw her and she was exactly as I’d imagined. She was exactly as gorgeous as I could have hoped for. I'd been going on about how she was a great writer. Well no shit she was a great writer. She was one of the most famous and wealthy writers in the world! She was Kaitlyn fucking Morgan!
The surprises seemed to get bigger and bigger each time. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to survive the next one, whatever it was!
Kaira, Kaitlyn, stood and walked over to me. She paused for just a moment looking between the two of us as though she was expecting something, and then it hit me. She was wondering if I recognized her. As though I wasn't going to recognize who she was in person. She could be all mysterious online, she could pose her photos in such a way that it was difficult to figure out who she was, but there was no hiding it in person. Maybe she was worried about how I'd react? That I'd be star struck?
I was a little star struck, but that didn't change that this was also Kaira, the girl I'd fallen for online. I wasn't sure how to break the awkwardness as she realized that I realized who she was, as she saw that star struck look in my eyes, so I decided to be impulsive and I wrapped her in a hug that had her eyes going wide in surprise. I instantly forgot that moment of awkwardness as she sighed and melted into my arms.
I soaked up the moment. Her body pressing against me felt so good. She was just as tight and toned as I'd imagined. Her breasts pressing against mine were incredible. Yeah, it definitely seemed that the appeal of the fairer sex was hitting me in the real world as much as it had in the online world. God she smelled good. God she felt good!
The first hurdle of meeting someone I’d met online had been met and cleared on my end. She was just as gorgeous as she appeared in that picture. Perhaps more so in person. The feel of her smooth cheek pressing against mine, the feel of her breasts and slim stomach mashed against my own, God it was overwhelming! Of course that was just the first part. There was also the second hurdle to jump when meeting someone from the Internet.
What did she think of me? Sure she’d seen that ridiculous picture I took making the Bendai salute and smiling at the camera. Sure she seemed to react positively to that when she was looking at it from across the country, wherever the hell she lived. I realized I hadn’t even bothered to ask I’d been so caught up in the whirlwind that was the past few weeks. But while she seemed to like a picture well enough, the real question was whether or not she’d like what she saw in person. Whether or not she liked the package presented in the real world as much as what she saw online.
I knew that pictures could be deceiving. I knew you could see someone in real life and they could be completely different even if they weren’t trying to deceive. Maybe it was just an odd picture. Maybe it was a flattering angle, or an unflattering angle. Either way, I’d been terrified the entire time that the first time I saw her she’d take one look at me and decide she wasn’t interested.
Only now I knew that definitely wasn’t a worry. She was holding me tight as though she didn't want to let go and it was incredible. The attraction definitely seemed to translate into the real world for her as well, and it sent a tingle running straight down between my legs. I was getting wet to the point that I worried I’d have to go back to the hotel room and change my pants after I broke the hug!
Yeah, she was definitely greeting me with one hell of a happy hello, and it seemed that she was very happy to see me!
I allowed myself a contented sigh. Of course this was just the first step. This was just the initial meet and greet. There were still a thousand things that could go wrong. We hadn’t even started talking, and already I had a very good feeling. I was finally telling that worried voice in the back of my head to shut up. I was finally allowing my optim
ism to take over just a little. It felt weird being optimistic for a change, but sitting here in her arms just made me feel that way. It made me feel as though all was right with the world.
Then I heard Megan clearing her throat which brought me back to reality. I pulled away from that wonderful body, so soft and yet so firm at the same time, though I wanted nothing more than to stay there in her arms forever. I wanted to be locked in that moment for all of eternity.
I turned and smiled at Megan, a blush rising to my face. She nodded to Kaitlyn and I turned back to my new maybe-more-than-a-friend who also seemed to be an internationally bestselling fabulously wealthy author in addition to being a pretty good writer and role-player in the game.
Like I said: damn.
“Maia, I presume?” she said as she pulled away.
I blushed. “You can call me Amber. That’s what I go by in the real world.”
“And it’s every bit as beautiful as your chosen name.”
I blushed again. Damn her voice was sexy! Everything about her was sexy. And she was Kaitlyn Morgan! Somebody needed to pinch me to wake me up because there was no way this was reality.
Kaitlyn turned to Megan and grinned. “And you must be the best friend here to make sure that,” she paused for a minute and turned, fixed me with that delicious smile. “What was it? That I’m not an ax murderer?”
I blushed again and wanted to sink into the floor. I felt uncharitable for ever thinking something like that in the first place. She'd been so nice, so generous, and I’d accused her of being some Internet psycho! I viciously stomped down on my worst-case scenario center that was starting to spin up, starting to weave a scenario where she got pissed off that I even insinuated she might be anyone other than who she was.
We were meeting someone I’d only known on the Internet, after all, so it’s not like she could get mad at me for taking precautions.
Kaitlyn moved forward as though she was going to hug Megan and I felt a stab of jealousy. I figured that was promising. We’d only been together in person for a few minutes and already I was feeling possessive. That meant there was definitely some chemistry there on my end. A spark at the very least. I’d heard about people meeting up after knowing each other online and that spark just not being there. They saw each other and didn’t feel anything in person even though they connected so well over the Internet.
No worries on that score so far at least.
Megan, for her part, held up a hand and pressed it against Kaitlyn's chest. Kaitlyn looked down then back up with an arched eyebrow and a smile that finally broke through Megan's tough exterior and brought out a blush. Still, Megan didn't lose her composure entirely even if she did seem flustered as her next words came out.
“Whoa there! You’re here to meet my roommate and you paid for my ticket and everything which I’m grateful for, but you can save the hugs for her!”
“That’s fine!” Kaitlyn said with a chuckle. “And your name is?”
“Hold on,” Megan said. “We don’t even know your real name yet!”
"Her name is Kaitlyn," I said.
Megan blinked. She looked at me and then back to Kaitlyn, confusion plain on her face. "How do you know that? Did she message you or something? Are you holding out on me?"
I shook my head and laughed. "Y'know it's times like this that make it clear you should read the books your favorite video game is based on, Megan."
"What? What do those books have to do with anything?"
Kaitlyn laughed and then quickly schooled her face to a serious expression when Megan fixed her with a sharp glance. I suppose in a way it was probably a good thing that Megan was here to provide a little bit of reality as I was sitting here star struck at meeting my favorite author and finding out that my favorite author also had the hots for me at the same time!
Kaitlyn held a hand out to Megan, who reluctantly took it and shook. "Kaitlyn Morgan," she said. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"That sounds familiar," Megan said. "Like... Oh shit!"
Kaitlyn devolved into giggles and I couldn't help but join her. The look of surprise on Megan's face was just too delicious. It was so hilarious seeing her freaking out like that as she realized she was looking at one of the world's most famous authors.
"I guess that explains how she's able to afford all this stuff," Megan muttered, crossing her arms and suddenly looking annoyed at the whole situation.
"And your name?" Kaitlyn asked.
"Megan," she muttered.
Kaitlyn gestured to the table behind her. “Maybe we should have a seat and keep talking?”
“Fine by me,” I said.
Megan looked around as she took a seat. Then she looked pointedly at Kaitlyn. “Amber said she wanted someplace cheap for lunch. This place doesn’t look cheap, Mrs. Rich-and-Famous-Author.”
Kaitlyn smiled and blushed. I was hypnotized by the way her eyes twinkled. I was hypnotized by the way her teeth shone as she grinned. I could lose myself in exploring the contours of her face for days if I wanted to. I let out a sigh and realized I’d been staring. That didn’t seem lost on Kaitlyn from the way she grinned. And I realized I didn’t exactly mind her catching me watching her.
“Guilty as charged,” she said. “I was afraid if I told you how much this place cost you wouldn’t come down.”
I raised my eyebrows and looked around. “You know this really is too much. I would’ve been happy with the burger place we saw down the street.”
“I know,” Kaitlyn said. “But it’s really crowded down there right now. And I’d rather avoid the convention crowds packing downtown.”
I rolled my eyes. “How are you going to avoid crowds if you’re going to the convention?”
She shrugged with that twinkle back in her eye. “You’d be surprised. I like to try a new way to get through the crowds without a lot of security every year. You're going to get to see firsthand if it works this year or if we get mobbed!”
Huh. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. On the one hand she was talking about spending time together which was great as far as I was concerned. On the other hand the prospect of being captured and potentially ripped to shreds by a bunch of rabid fans didn't seem quite as fun. I'd seen videos of just how crazy the crowds could get at these things over something as silly as a booth running out of a limited edition plastic figure. I didn't want to think about how ugly things could get if people thought they had a chance to get at Kaitlyn Morgan.
Megan suddenly made a big production of looking down at her watch and then looking up at the two of us. “Oh wow! I didn’t realize what time it was.”
I blinked and looked at her. “What are you talking about? What time is it?”
“It’s lunchtime!” she looked around. “And I feel a place a lot cheaper than this joint calling my name. Especially since it seems like Kaitlyn here isn’t a crazy murderer. Or at least she’s not going to do much murdering in the middle of an expensive restaurant like this.”
Megan fixed an eye on her and pressed her finger into her chest which resulted in another raised eyebrow, but this time at least Megan didn't rise to the bait or blush. “At least you’d better not do any murdering in this place. Got it? Because I’m not against using a little bit of crazy myself!”
Kaitlyn chuckled and held her hands up. “No murdering. Promise.”
“Good,” Megan said. “I’m going to go get food at a place where they sell their dead cow ground up and on a bun like God intended!”
“Are you sure Megan?” I asked.
“I really don’t mind having you here,” Kaitlyn said. “And the steak here is delicious. I might even be able to get them to sell it 'ground up and on a bun like God intended' as you so eloquently put it, though the chef will probably cry the entire time he's doing it.”
“No, I’ll just get in the way, and I wouldn't want to make a chef cry,” Megan said. “You two have your fun. I’ll catch up with you later.”
And then she was gone, making her way
back through the place. Leaving us alone. All alone. I looked at Kaitlyn and smiled, a hesitant and uncertain smile. I’d felt the way she reacted when she was hugging me earlier, but there was a part of me that still couldn’t quite believe this wonderful specimen of woman was interested in me like that. There was still a part of me that felt like this was a fairytale, that I was going to wake up at any moment and realize this whole thing had been a dream. It really was like some sort of Cinderella story, only it was another girl I was interested in rather than Prince Charming. And she was a famous author instead of a Prince. Or a Princess. Whatever.
I was going to have to get used to switching pronouns and titles around if this became a long-term thing.
“So…” I said, really feeling the awkwardness of the moment.
Only the moment was interrupted by a waiter stopping by. I had no idea what to order so I just let Kaitlyn do the ordering for me. She seemed to know the place. Once the waiter was gone we launched back into our conversation.
“So did you have a good flight?” she asked.
“Can’t complain,” I said. “First-class was also a nice surprise.”
“I hope you don’t mind some of the surprises I planned for you,” she said. “I couldn’t resist though.”
I leaned forward and felt her body press against mine. Felt my breath pick up at that simple contact. Yeah, there was no denying the way she made me feel.
And once again the moment was interrupted by the waiter coming out with our food. Damn that was fast service. Then again I suppose it was to be expected since we were the only people in the restaurant. The rest of our conversation was interrupted by the meal, but at least it wasn’t pasta, the most awkward of first date foods.
