by Amber Heart
Damn, she’d left him waiting. She jogged to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.
‘Hey,’ She smiled. Damn, he looked good and she wondered if it had taken him as long as it had taken her to choose the right clothes. He was wearing a white t-shirt with a dark blue blazer and a pair of jeans, which fitted him in all the right places, matching his all black vans.
‘Wow, you look beautiful.’ He smiled, leaning in to kiss her cheek before handing her a small box of chocolates. ‘I decided against flowers.’
‘You know me so well.’ She chuckled, checking the bottom of the box for the flavors inside. ‘Come in.’ She stepped back from the door to let him in.
‘Wow, you cleaned.’
‘I went all out.’ She shrugged, picking up her purse from the side, checking to see if the chocolate box would fit, which it did not. He rolled his eyes at her and laughed.
‘If you leave them here, they won’t disappear.’ He assured her and she left the box on the side with a small frown.
‘Never hurts to try. Shall we get going?’ She smiled, starting to walk out the door. Before she could, Damien grabbed her arm and pulled her to him, a hand on her waist. Leaning down, he kissed her, gently at first. Before he could get carried away, Olivia pulled away. ‘Come on.’ She said, pulling away. ‘You promised me a real date, Macken.’ He let go of her reluctantly.
‘One real date, coming up.’ He smiled, offering her his arm, which she took with a bright smile. On the sidewalk in front of her house, a cab was parked waiting for them. Damien opened the door for her and told the driver where to go.
Damien had booked them a table at one of Olivia’s favourite Italian restaurants, one Becca had told him to book, and when they arrived, he couldn’t stop staring at her. He couldn’t believe he was finally here, finally the one taking Olivia Hardy out on a date. No more Tom, no more gossip about failed dates in the breakroom, it was his turn and he never wanted to stop smiling. They ordered wine, trying to look like a sophisticated couple, but they both knew the other preferred different drinks.
‘What are you getting?’ She asked, looking up suddenly. He stuttered a little, embarrassed she’d caught him staring.
‘Oh, I haven’t decided. Are you having salad and water?’ He smirked.
‘Only if we’re getting actual food after.’
‘What are you looking at?’ She sighed, biting her lip a little.
‘I was looking at the pasta, it’s amazing. I could eat everything here, if the portions weren’t so huge.’
‘Jesus, they must be big if you can’t manage.’ He smiled. ‘This place is a little fancy for my tastes so I have no idea either.’ He whispered.
‘We could share a pizza?’ She smiled.
‘Pepperoni?’ He suggested and she nodded.
‘Would it be anything else?’
It took them a while to eat their food, they kept making each other laugh. It was the easiest date either of them had ever been on; they weren’t trying to pretend to be people they were not, they didn’t need to give picture perfect stories about their lives. They could be honest and never had a meal been more fun.
‘More wine?’ Damien asked when they eventually finished the pizza.
‘No, thank you. I don’t think I should be given a golf club if I’m drunk.’ She had a sip of water instead.
‘Yeah, you’re right. Dessert?’
‘Now you’re talking.’
‘Oh my God, this chocolate cake is amazing.’ He moaned, closing his eyes. ‘You’ve got competition.’ He winked, having another bite.
‘It’s sounds like you don’t need me here.’ She smiled. ‘You and that cake need to get a room.’
‘We really do.’
‘Okay, let me try some.’ She said, leaning over with her spoon to take some. He pulled the plate back defensively. ‘Woah, I’m not going to hurt it. I just want a tiny piece.’
‘I didn’t see you sharing your cheesecake. You slapped my hand away when I asked.’
‘You know how I am with food. Let me try!’
‘Get lost. This is my cake.’
‘Let me feed you some then.’ He paused a moment before moving the plate a few inches towards her, just enough so she could reach. She scooped a small bit onto her spoon and moved it towards his mouth then, at the last second, she ate it instead.
‘Oi!’ She licked the spoon clean, giving him a wink. ‘No fair!’
‘Mmm, it is delicious.’
‘You know, we’re supposed to be building a trusting relationship.’
‘Get over it. What’s the worst you can do? It’s not like you’ll ban sex.’ She shrugged her shoulders.
‘I’ll get you banned from here instead.’
‘Oh yeah, how you gonna do that?’
‘I’ll say you assaulted a pensioner.’
‘When?!’
‘At bowling.’
‘I was eight, Macken. They won’t care.’
‘Eight! What the hell happened?’ She still didn’t tell him.
After deciding to get another chocolate cake and share it between them, a difficult task, they asked for the bill. Olivia turned to get her purse.
‘Ah, ah. This one’s on me.’
‘I only let the guy pay when he’s a jerk.’ She said, pulling some money out. ‘Let’s split it. It’s not like one of us earns more.’
‘Come on, let me be old-fashioned for once.’ He pleaded.
‘Macken.’
‘Hardy
‘Let me pay the tip at least.’
‘Fine.’ He sighed.
The crazy golf center wasn't far from the restaurant and they decided to walk, hand in hand. They were still laughing and joking, enjoying each other’s company away from work.
‘We’re here. I’ll go get the clubs.’ He smiled, kissing her before going to find the counter. When he returned, she was watching the other people playing on the course, her concentration obvious.
‘I’ve not a clue what to do.’ She admitted, looking a little nervous.
‘Hey, it’ll be fine.’
‘I’d hate for the fire brigade to turn up again.’ She said, taking a club and ball.
‘The fire brigade! You need to tell me this story.’
‘You’d never want to see me again.’ She chuckled. ‘Come on, show me what to do.’
They walked over to a practice hole, a simple, unobstructed straight line. He tried to demonstrate how to hold the club but it didn’t work well. Wrapping his arms around her, despite her protests of becoming a cliché, he helped her to practice a little, enough that she seemed to relax a little.
Olivia started off with a hole-in-one, but it took Damien far too many attempts for such an easy shot.
‘I thought you said you were good at this.’ She smirked, hands on her hips.
‘Oh, shut up, you.’ He scrunched his face up, then finally got it in.
The next few didn’t go too badly for either of them, but she was winning and was finding it rather enjoyable teasing him about it. Things just kept getting in his way: the tiny windmill, the side walls, his own ineptitude, not to mention the beautiful distraction beside him.
‘It’s a good job we’ve already slept together, because I wouldn’t be impressed by this.’ She laughed and he pretended to go in a mood. He was rather competitive, especially with her; two years of jokes and pranks weren’t just going to be forgotten. ‘Don’t be upset, you’re probably just nervous.’
‘No man likes to hear those words.’ He muttered as he scribbled their scores down.
‘It’s cute.’ She smiled, leaning over to kiss his cheek before walking ahead to the next hole.
‘Yeah, yeah.’ He smiled a little after her, knowing she was enjoying every second of the game, even if it was just because she was winning.
On the next hole, she was going first and Damien hatched a plan. He was fed up of losing and wasn't afraid to play dirty, office bragging rights were up for grabs, and that particular hol
e seemed difficult. As she was about to strike the ball, he hit his club with hers, causing her hit to go wonky. They watched the ball roll to the side then curl perfectly into the hole.
‘Hey! A hole-in-one!’ She laughed. ‘Thanks, Mackie!’
‘Karma really is a bitch.’ He sulked.
At the end of the game, he was really unimpressed with himself. Not only had he lost by a large amount, Olivia wouldn’t stop gloating, nor did he expect her to. This was the same Olivia who made him play five games of pool after a stakeout just so she could win once.
‘Well done but it was just beginner’s luck.’ He smiled, handing their equipment back at the counter.
‘Oh yeah? Keep the excuses coming, next you’ll say you were going easy on me.’ She teased, grabbing his hand.
‘I was going easy on you. If you’d lost, would I even stand a chance of getting any action tonight?’ He said, making excuses.
‘Don’t sulk.’ She nudged him with her elbow.
‘Alright, you’ve proved a point. You beat me. Fair and square. It was a good practice round.’
‘Uh uh. No way. I won, that goes on the tally. We’ll just have to come back so I can beat you again.’ She shrugged and he smiled, brightening up.
‘Is that a second date, I hear?’
‘It might be.’ She squeezed his hand a little. ‘I really loved it tonight.’
‘You did?’ He asked.
‘Yeah, it was great. So, how about we grab a cab and head back to mine?’ She smiled at him but he knew that kind of smile, it suggested more, asked for more.
‘Yeah?’ He smirked, pulling them to a stand still.
‘Yeah.’ She said, standing on her tiptoes reaching up to kiss his lips.
‘You know, we could have done this months ago.’ He grinned and she rolled her eyes but smiled. ‘I’m just saying.’
‘We needed that time to calm down.’ She argued. ‘I’m also pretty sure it’ll be worth the wait.’
‘I know it will be.’ He winked, turning away from her for a moment to whistle for a cab. When one pulled up, he told the driver her address and they chatted quietly as they made their way through the city.
Olivia unlocked her door and went to turn the handle. Damien’s hand rested on hers before she could and she turned back to him, confused.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Come on, let’s at least act like this is a proper first date.’ He grinned, turning her to face him.
‘But you know we’re going in my apartment.’
‘I know, but come on, just pretend, it’s fun.’ He convinced her and she rolled her eyes at his silliness.
‘Fine.’ She paused. ‘So, I had a great night.’ She beamed.
‘Me too. We should do this again sometime. I’ll call you.’ He joked.
‘Okay, goodnight.’ She opened her door, walked in, then shut it in his face.
‘Hey! You’re ruining the game!’ He whined. He heard her laugh and then the door opened again.
‘Would you like to come in for some coffee?’ She asked.
‘I’d love to.’ He said, stepping into her apartment. She shut the door, and then took off her cardigan, flinging it onto the couch. ‘You know, you have a perfectly good coat rack to hang that up on?’ He chuckled, picking it up and placing it on the hook.
‘But you do it so much better.’ She laughed, walking into her kitchen to turn the kettle on. He soon followed, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.
‘You really did look beautiful tonight.’ He whispered and he felt her cheeks warm with blush.
‘Thank you.’ She smiled shyly. The kettle boiled and she made them both a drink. She led them to the couch and turned the TV on, a cop show appeared before them and Damien laughed.
‘Don’t get enough at work?’ He asked and she pretended to scowl at him. ‘We should go out again sometime.’ He suggested casually, watching her reaction out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly felt nervous around her, bashful even, like dating was brand new to him.
‘Yeah, I’d love to. Let’s go somewhere less competitive next time.’ She giggled, taking a sip of her drink.
‘I think that might be a good idea.’ He agreed. ‘Do you want to watch a movie?’
‘Sure, I’ve got a bunch of DVDs in the cupboard.’ She shrugged, pointing to a cupboard under the TV.
‘Who has DVDs these days? Don’t you have Netflix?’
She shook her head, ‘And if you think I’d consider Netflix and
chill, you can think again.’ He laughed, then went to see what she had.
‘All you have is horror and Disney! Is it too late to go to mine?’ He asked, perusing her collection. ‘You know I’m a big wimp, right?’
‘Then pick a Disney film.’
‘I can’t.’
‘Why not?’ She laughed.
‘Because if we… do stuff, I can’t do it in front of Lion King.’ He admitted and Olivia burst out laughing. ‘Stop it!’
‘You’re so considerate of Mufasa’s feelings.’ She tried to control herself. ‘Pick a horror. I’ll protect you.’ She promised.
He ended up choosing Insidious, a film that even managed to set Olivia on edge, and he wasn't lying when he said he was easily scared. It didn't take him long to find a blanket and hide behind it.
‘How can you like this stuff, you psycho.’ He looked at the screen for a moment and then pulled the blanket back over his face.
‘It’s fake! Come here, you big softie ’ He quickly moved closer to her, leaving the blanket behind. She chuckled and squeezed his knee for a second before focusing back on the film. Something appeared in the background of the film and Damien put a hand over his eyes, looking down instead. Something better caught his attention. Olivia’s dress had pulled up slightly and a large portion of her thigh was now visible. Slowly, he placed his other hand just above her knee, his thumb making small circles on her skin.
‘This is the best part!’ She whispered to him. Damien couldn’t tell if she’d noticed his touch and moved his hand slightly to check. As much as she seemed to be engrossed in the film, her eyes flickered down to his hand every so often and she would smirk a little, before looking back to the screen. Slowly, he began moving his hand up her thigh, reaching the hem of her dress. He leaned in to kiss her neck and, just as he did, a piercing scream came from the TV.
‘Fuck me.’ He jumped up from the couch and grabbed the remote, turning it off.
‘Hey!’ She complained but she noticed how uncomfortable he was.
‘Nope, I hate that film.’ He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair as he started to pace. Olivia stood up and walked over to him, putting her hands on his cheeks, focusing his attention.
‘Are you okay?’ She asked, watching his face. ‘It’s just a movie, Dame.’ He sighed, calming down.
‘I’m fine, but I’d feel better with a kiss.’ He shrugged innocently and Olivia smiled, leaning up to kiss him, lightly, just the once. ‘Maybe just another one.’ He pulled her to him again, kissing her back sweetly, trying to hold himself back. He rested his forehead against hers and their eyes met, watching to see who would make the first move. Slowly, her hands reached up to his shoulders, pushing his blazer to the floor, her hands lingering on his chest.
‘How are my chances looking?’ Damien asked quietly and she rolled her eyes before grabbing a handful of his shirt and kissing him, hard, pressing her body against his. His hands wrapped around her waist and he lifted her up, her legs sat on his hips as he started moving towards the bedroom.
‘Not opting for the couch his time?’ She laughed, only leaving his lips to talk.
‘Thought we’d try the bed for once.’ He kissed her again and she started getting more desperate, biting at his lips, pulling at his hair. Opening the door, he placed her down, stumbling around as his hands explored her body, reaching for the zip of her dress till it fell to the floor.
‘Matching underwear. You really went al
l out.’ He smirked, pulling his shirt over his head and throwing it across the room.
‘Take off your pants.’ She smiled against his lips. She couldn’t get enough of him, her whole body felt electric. They fell onto the bed together, Damien laying above her. He moved from her lips and started kissing her neck, nipping at her collarbone.
‘Don’t you dare give me a hickey.’ She warned and he chuckled, a sexy, deep laugh. His kisses started moving down her body, making her want him even more. He pulled her panties off slowly, teasing her, making her wait. ‘Damien.’ She moaned, impatient, as he started kissing her thighs. Then, finally, his tongue reached out and she moaned loudly. Running her fingers through his hair, she pushed him a little to where she needed him. He pulled away after a little while and lay next to her, pulling her on top of him.
‘God, we could have been doing this for six weeks.’ Her legs straddled his hips.
‘Whose fault is that?’ He sighed, lining himself up.
‘Yours.’ She moaned, as he pushed into her.
‘I hardly-’
‘Will you shut up.’ She smiled, leaning forward and capturing his lips in a kiss. He laughed, his hands roaming all over. He unhooked her bra, pulling it off.
‘So impatient, couldn’t even get fully undressed.’ He leaned over to bite her breast, making her moan again. She pulled his lips back to hers again and couldn’t help but smile.
After what felt like hours of passion, he rolled off her satisfied and exhausted. Drifting off to sleep he couldn’t help but take in the moment. Everything he’d been dreaming about had come true.
‘What is that noise?’ A voice groaned next to him, her voice. He woke up a little and smiled. He was finally waking up next to her. She was curled up against his back, her arm slung over his waist, but she wasn’t pleased at the wake-up call.
‘My phone.’ He leaned over to check the number, unknown, and silenced it before checking for other messages.
‘Why’s it so loud?’ She complained, turning over, away from the noise.
