Desire

by Simone Sowood

  “I’d love to. What time and where?”

  “Meet me at Dish at eight on Friday.” Wow, he must not have been out of work long if he was going to spring for Dish.

  “Sounds perfect.”

  I stood, my face beaming with excitement. He stood beside me, so close it caused butterflies to flutter around in my chest. He smelled incredible, of crisp white sheets that made me want to bury my face in him and drink in his scent all day long.

  “We should exchange phone numbers, in case anything comes up.”

  “Good idea.” My thumbs flew over my phone to open my ‘create new contact’ screen, and I typed in Jay Mickle, waiting for him to tell me his number.

  “Just a second, Abbie. I never remember my number and it always takes me a minute to figure out how to see my number.”

  Was this guy serious? Who didn’t know how to see their own number? And what kind of IT guy didn’t know to look under ‘me’ in the contacts? Oh well, he was hot and fun to talk to and that was all that matters.

  “Why don’t I tell you mine, Jay, and you can text me, then I’ll have yours?”

  “Good idea.”

  My phone beeped with his text, and I added him to my contacts.

  “Great, it’s been lovely meeting you, Jay. I’ll see you Friday.”

  “I look forward to it,” he said, his smile so broad and genuine my insides melted.

  He held the door open for me. We went to go our separate ways and after a few steps I turned to him and called, “Good luck in your job interview.”

  His brow furrowed for a second before he said, “Thanks.”

  Chapter 5

  I hurried to my desk, praying Sam had come up with a good cover story for me. Maybe I could say I was at a meeting, talking up the merits of his WeeksEnd reports to the powers that be? Ha! Fat fucking chance.

  “How did it go?” Sam pounced on me before I’d even had the chance to sit down.

  “Really good.”

  “I can tell, judging by the smile on your face. Are you seeing him again?”

  “Friday. At Dish!”

  “Dish? I hope he’s paying.”

  “He said it was his treat. So I’ll be having an amazing meal before I get a little nookie.”

  “What’s he like?”

  “So much fun to talk to,” I said remembering his old movies comments. “But really, really confident. Except when it came to his name, he seemed to forget that.”

  “Why? What’s his name?”

  “Jay Mickle.”

  “That’s weird, don’t you think?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t care what his name is, as long as he gives me something to call out in the throes of passion.”

  Sam burst out laughing.

  “Abbie, how good of you to come to work this week.” Calvin’s voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

  “Calvin, I just got out of a meeting. How was your weekend?”

  “What meeting?” he pressed.

  “With Jay Mickle.”

  “Who’s that?”

  “You must have heard of him, he does all that stuff on the most effective way to present data in reports. I learned a lot from him in such a short time, it was a really beneficial use of my time that I think will help our little department.”

  Calvin gave me a puzzled look. I hoped he believed me. No, I didn’t care if he believed me, I wanted him to stop talking to me about my tardiness. I bite the insides of my cheek to stop myself from laughing. Judging by Sam’s face, she was doing the same thing. Calvin nodded and walked into his office.

  Sam and I sat down, laughing quietly at Calvin’s reaction to my story.

  “You’re too funny,” she said.

  “He’s just a slow-witted idiot,” I said, and we laughed all over again.

  My phone bleeped.

  Hi Abbie. Looking forward to seeing you again. Can we change restaurant from Dish to D’Angelo’s? J

  My face fell.

  “What? Who is it?” Sam pried.

  “It’s Jay.” I held my phone out for her to see.

  “He must’ve looked at the prices.” She laughed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh.”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “It means he doesn’t want to pay Dish prices.”

  “But…”

  “No but. Who cares?”

  “You’re right,” I said. It didn’t matter, I only wanted him to fuck me, not wine me and dine me.

  Sure, no problem

  “At least I can walk there from my apartment,” I said, disappointed.

  Chapter 6

  “Thanks for helping me get ready,” I said as I stood in my bedroom.

  “Of course. Mostly I’m here to make sure you don’t back out,” Jenny said.

  “I’m so nervous.”

  “Don’t be. He’ll be throwing himself at you in that dress. Hell, even I want to throw myself at you.”

  I twirled back to the mirror, my tits almost popping out of my strapless dress as I spun.

  “On second thought, I don’t feel comfortable enough to wear this.” I pushed it down and wiggled until the fuchsia dress ended up at my feet.

  “How about this one?” Jenny rummaged through my closet and held up a little black dress with a halter top.

  “Oh my God, I forgot I owned that.”

  She zipped me into it and tied the tails of the halter behind my neck.

  “Wow, how could you forget you own this?”

  “Is it too much cleavage?” Holy cow, it was a lot of cleavage.

  “There’s no such thing as too much cleavage!”

  “Is it classy enough?’

  “Classy enough for D’Angelo’s?”

  “Right. Will I stick out?”

  “Yes. But for the right reasons! Come on, let’s do your nails.”

  My heart was fluttering with nerves. I hadn’t been on a date in so long and I was on the verge of vomiting.

  “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s like you said, it isn’t a date, it’s a one-night stand with dinner first.”

  “Okay, I can do this.” I forced myself to breathe.

  * * *

  My crimson nails flashed in the light as I pulled open the door to D’Angelo’s. I stepped in and scanned through the dim light for Jay. He was sitting at a table near the back, and stood when he saw me.

  Jay was wearing the same expensive suit he’d had on at the coffee shop. At least it might have been the same, but admittedly I couldn’t tell one expensive suit from the other. Instead of a crisp shirt and tie, he wore a stylish gray dress shirt that hinted at the muscles underneath.

  Most attractive of all was the confidence his body language projected. I mean, you have to be pretty confident to wear a suit to D’Angelo’s and not feel out of place, but he owned it. And more.

  “Hi,” I said as I approached the table.

  “Abbie, you look more beautiful than Audrey Hepburn.” He took my hands in his and I hoped he couldn’t detect my nervousness.

  “Thank you.”

  We sat and chatted, the words flowing easily between us. He sat back in his chair, a constant smile on his face, and I relaxed.

  As the food arrived, I asked him, “So, how did your job interview go?”

  He looked puzzled for a moment then said, “It went okay.”

  “Do you have any others coming up?”

  “Other job interviews? No, not really.”

  “How long have you been looking?”

  “Oh, a few months.”

  “You don’t seem concerned to be out of work.”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  Was this guy for real?

  “You must have a lot of money to have that attitude.”

  “Money? No. No, I don’t have a lot of money.” He sounded defensive.

  “Then how do you live?”

  “I get by. It’s not a big deal. How’s your chicken?”

  I
took the hint. “It’s delicious, thanks. Did you see the list of desserts? They all sound amazing.”

  I didn’t care about the dessert. I cared about after the dessert. But the closer we got to ending our marathon meal, the more my nerves reappeared. As much as I wanted this sexy man to take me home and ravish me, I started to worry about it. I’d never slept with a man other than Matt. Unadventurous Matt, a man who was happiest if I spread my legs and laid still for him. What if I sucked in bed? And I wasn’t sure I wanted Jay to see me naked. Fuck me yes, but not actually see my imperfect body.

  “Everything okay?” Jay asked.

  I snapped out of my thoughts and smiled at him. “Yes, absolutely.”

  “So tell me about your job. How do you like working at Force McAllister?”

  “It was good, until my current boss was hired. He’s evil to work for.”

  “But aside from him?”

  “Aside from him it’s a pretty good company. I guess.”

  “You guess?”

  “Yeah, it’s good. Do you want me to try to get you in? I have a friend in IT.”

  “No,” he said laughing, “it’s okay.”

  “It’s a good company. It relocated here from Kentucky about five years ago.”

  Jay nodded but said nothing, so I dropped the point. I took a sip of my after-dinner coffee. How did he know I worked at Force McAllister? I didn’t remember telling him which company I work for, but the moments right after my coffee-shop tumble were hazy.

  True to his word, Jay picked up the check, though I felt guilty for not contributing. We sat, finished, staring at the paid bill. With my heart in my throat, I waited for him to make a move.

  “Shall we?” he asked, already walking away from the table.

  He held the restaurant door open for me. As I stepped outside, his arm came to a rest across my shoulders. We walked a little way, in the opposite direction to my apartment. Neither of us said anything. I wasn’t sure where we were going. Quite frankly, I didn’t care where we were going. I was too busy enjoying the sensation of having a man holding me.

  Jay let out a big sigh, and I worried something was wrong.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “Did you drive?”

  “No, I live nearby. Did you?”

  “I got the bus.”

  “Sorry, living right in the city means I don’t have a car.”

  “I don’t have one either. But I’ll walk you home first. I’d like to make sure you get home safely.”

  His words woke my inner animal and I felt a little heat grow between my legs. One-night stand, ready or not, here I come.

  * * *

  “Well, here it is,” I said as we arrived at my building.

  Jay smiled and wrapped his other arm around me, embracing me in his strong arms. He looked down at me, and I thought he was going to kiss me but then he turned his head away.

  “Would you like to come up for a coffee?”

  “I’d better not, I have to catch the last bus.” My face must have looked horrified because he added, “I had a fantastic time tonight, let’s do it again.”

  “Sure, that sounds great. Text me.” I wasn’t convinced he would.

  “Absolutely, see you soon.”

  He gripped my shoulders and kissed me on the lips. A long, lingering kiss that set my body on fire. I pushed myself into him, inviting him closer, further, for more. But he released his embrace and stepped back from me. He turned and walked away, leaving me standing at my door gasping for breath. I rummaged for my keys and entered the building, then skipped the embarrassment of waiting alone for the elevator and rushed up the three flights of stairs to my condo.

  Chapter 7

  “What did I do wrong? Was it the dress? I looked too slutty, didn’t I?” I moaned into the cell phone the following morning.

  “No, you didn’t look slutty. You looked hot,” Jenny said.

  “But why didn’t he come up even when I asked him?”

  “He probably just had to get the last bus, like he said.”

  “He could’ve gotten the first bus in the morning!”

  “Did you tell him that?”

  “No.”

  “Well then.”

  “Well then what? I couldn’t get a man who paid for my dinner into my bed. I’m that pathetic.”

  “Don’t be silly. Maybe he’s just not the type of guy who puts out on the first date.”

  “Those men exist?”

  “Absolutely. The second date will be different.”

  Her words calmed my emotional state. “Promise?”

  “Yes, I promise.”

  “I only did this for a one-night stand, you know. I didn’t go looking for a second date.”

  When I hung up my phone, it beeped.

  You have one new voicemail

  I punched my voicemail and listened to the message.

  “Abbie, it’s Jay. I just called to say I had a fantastic time last night. Are you doing anything today? Call and let me know.”

  I listened to it two more times, and then stood there paralyzed for a moment. What should I do?

  I took a deep breath and scrolled through my contacts until I found his name. My thumb hovered over the little green phone symbol. I wanted to call him, didn’t I? My heart said no, it still wasn’t ready for a relationship. But my loins were screaming a different answer. This was fine, it wasn’t a relationship, it was just sex. I hit call.

  “Abbie,” Jay said.

  “Hi.”

  “Thanks for calling back. After I left I worried you’d got the wrong impression. I’m interested in you, it was just bus schedules.”

  “You could have gotten the morning bus, you know.”

  “I didn’t want to be too forward.”

  I laughed. He didn’t want to be forward when I’d sat across from him with my Grand Canyon cleavage all night.

  “So, what about today? Are you free?”

  “Yeah, I hadn’t planned anything. What did you have in mind?”

  “A picnic in the park.”

  “That sounds nice.” The D’Angelo’s bill probably cleaned out his bank account.

  “Great, I’ll see you there at noon.”

  I took a minute for my brain to process the time. “Oh, lunch.”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”

  “Sure thing.”

  After taking down the details, I hung up. Lunch? Part of me worried a lunch date was too much in relationship territory, but my lower half just insisted it meant it was less time to wait to get him in bed.

  Chapter 8

  I found Jay under a tree, with a picnic blanket spread out and loaded with all sorts of food. It was good he dressed casually, as I had worn jeans and a loose-fitting turquoise top. My breath caught when he jumped up to say hello. I’d only seen him in suits, and I’d thought he looked good in them, but in his fitted jeans and tight T-shirt he looked unbelievable. Like he’d stepped off the pages of a magazine.

  “Abbie, you look beautiful as always. More beautiful than Rita Hayworth.” I blushed as he leaned in and pecked my cheek.

  “Jay, this spread looks delicious.” I surveyed the huge amount of food he’d laid out on a picnic blanket.

  “Champagne?” He asked, pulling a bottle from a cool pack.

  “Definitely.” I took the flute he’d poured.

  “To a second date,” he said.

  Man, I really didn’t want a relationship, but his company was so comfortable. I smiled, and we clinked glasses. The bubbles fizzed in my mouth as I surveyed the vast quantity of food he brought. I zeroed in on some quail eggs. They were so tiny. What was a quail anyway? It was all very upscale, especially for an unemployed man.

  “It must have been a real pain to get all this here on the bus.”

  “I took a taxi.”

  “That must have cost a fortune, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t.” His voice was firm.

  “Sorry.”

  He was so
touchy about money.

  We sat in the sun for hours. Though we finished off the bottle of Champagne and had started on a second, most of the food sat untouched. Not because it was bad, simply because we were only two people and there was enough food for a party.

  As the afternoon went on, we moved closer and closer together until I ended up lying with my head in his lap. I looked up at the sky, wishing I was face down in his crotch. But it was nice. He stroked my arms and played with my hair and I would happily have stayed there all afternoon.

  Jay’s phone beeped, and he looked at the screen and sighed. He looked at me, resigned.

  “Does this mean our second date is over?” I asked.

  Jay bundled up the remains of our picnic. “I’m afraid it does. I just got an urgent call and I have to rush off.”

  My heart sank. So much for getting him into bed.

  “Do you need help to get all the food home?”

  His brow creased. “I was just going to throw it out. Unless you want it.”

  “Throw it away? There’s enough food here to eat for the week!”

  “Would you like it? You should take it.”

  “I couldn’t.”

  “Yes, take it. I’ll help you carry it to your place.”

  Was this an opportunity to get him into bed? “Okay, as long as you help me carry it all.”

  * * *

  We trudged the ten minutes to my condo, and he followed me through the door and into the elevator. I could barely breathe with excitement of having him in my home. Now to get him into my bedroom. My God, I was behaving like a horny teenager but that didn’t stop me from watching his ass in those tight jeans as he exited the elevator. Shit, he caught me ogling him.

  I cleared my throat. “This is me here,” I said, unlocking my front door.

  He followed me through to my tiny kitchen and put the two bags of food on the counter.

  “Why do you have jeans duct taped to your wall?” he asked.