It Feels Like

He called her Monday afternoon while she was at work and left a voicemail, asking if she’d come have dinner with him on Tuesday night at his place. When she called him back, he didn’t answer. She left him a message. She’d have to ask someone else to cover her shift at the diner, but if that could be done, then she would see him at eight-thirty.

She was doodling a new design for a sundress on a napkin when her phone vibrated in her pocket. There weren’t any customers in the diner and Rob, the cook, was napping in a folding chair in the kitchen. Keri pulled out her phone and answered when she saw it was Brad.

“Hey, secret agent Brad.”

“Hey. Sorry for calling so late.” It was almost fifteen after one in the morning. “Are we on for dinner?”

“Yes. Aurelia says she’ll take my shift, but only if I’m going on a date with the handsome man.”

Brad chuckled. “I don’t know what to say to that other than I guess I have to pick you up if it’s a date. It’d be pretty bad of me to let my date take the subway.”

“We live in New York City.”

“Yeah, but I have a car.”

Keri smiled. “Well, then it would be pretty shitty for you to let me take mass transit, then.”

“Exactly. Pick you up at eight-thirty?”

“Of course.”

***********************************

She was standing by the window watching for him and hoping her loose curls would stay in place and not dissolve into frizzy flat hair in the sudden humidity of mid-May. It was twenty after eight and she was anxious to see Brad. She’d decided on a blue dress with large, black polka dots. It fell to just above her knees and had a halter neckline that accentuated her breasts.

When his black car pulled up outside, she hurried over to the door and slipped on a pair of black, strappy sandals. It wasn’t often that she went somewhere without having to walk for blocks, so she planned on taking full advantage of the occasion with four-inch heels. Grabbing a black clutch and her keys, she locked up and flew down the stairs. Halfway there, he called her cell phone. She let it go to voicemail and navigated the last two flights of stairs with care in her new heels.

Brad was standing at the door to the building. She could see him through the glass. He was actually wearing a suit, but no tie. The collar of the light blue shirt was open at his neck. She almost swooned on the spot because he looked gorgeous.

“You look amazing,” he told her when she opened the door.

“You look better,” Keri replied as she took his offered arm and let him help her down the three steps to the sidewalk.

Brad leaned in and whispered, “Lies,” in her ear as they made their way to his car.

She just giggled and let him open her car door so she could slip into the passenger seat of his vehicle. She’d never been inside a luxury car of this caliber before. Everything was slick and expensive-looking, even the seat belt.

“Is this how you impress women?” she asked as he settled himself behind the wheel.

“Are you impressed?”

“I was impressed before.”

He looked over at her, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “There’s something very different about you.”

“Good or bad?”

“Definitely good,” he replied before starting the car and pulling onto the one-way street.

*********************************

Brad was bent over at the waist, checking on the chicken breast in the oven. He’d only put it in ten minutes ago, but he seemed nervous. She was standing at the counter by the fridge, chopping up cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes for a creamy cucumber salad. Keri couldn’t help but stop and admire the view and the way his pants were stretched tight over his butt.

“Stop staring at my ass,” he said as he stood up, his back still to her.

Her eyes widened. “How did you know I was staring?”

He turned around and grinned. “I could see your reflection in the oven door.”

“Sneaky,” she replied, turning back to the vegetables.

He walked over to stand behind her. “You’re cutting them too large,” he said, reaching for the knife in her hand.

Keri held the knife away so he couldn’t grab it. “Hey, division of labor. You’re doing the main course and side. I’m doing the appetizer and dessert.”

“But you’re doing it wrong,” he complained, reaching for the knife again.

She laughed and turned to face him, holding the knife behind her back. “You’re such a perfectionist.”

He was so close to her and his cologne smelled delicious. His brown eyes were playful, and he looked so much better than all those times she’d seen him in the diner. “I probably am,” he admitted, reaching around her and sliding his fingertips over her forearm, along her wrist and hand, until he could grab the handle of the knife. She let him have it because his mouth was inches from hers and she couldn’t think straight.

He looked down and met her gaze. She felt her heart thud when he rolled his tongue out and licked his bottom lip. “Hi,” she said in a breathy whisper.

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?” he asked.

Keri smiled. “No.”

“Well, you do look beautiful.”

She lifted her hands and placed them on either side of his face. With his hands pressed flat against the counter behind her, Brad leaned in and placed his lips softly against hers. She ran her fingertips along his scruffy beard and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. He tilted his head and parted his lips so he could trace her lower one with the tip of his tongue.

Keri felt the heat of the kiss shoot all the way down her body and settle between her legs. Her hands dropped to his chest when his hands settled on her waist to pull her closer to him. The fabric of his shirt felt luxurious and expensive beneath her fingertips, and his slow, sensuous kiss stoked her desire. He definitely knew exactly what he was doing.

"Wow," she whispered when they both pulled back to take a breath.

He pressed his forehead to hers and chuckled. "Thank you for having dinner with me."

"Uh, I think I should be thanking you, secret agent Brad. You're like every woman's wet dream. Sexy, successful, sweet, and you can kiss like nobody's business."

"You just want me for my kitchen."

"More like I want you for your huge bed." As soon as she said it, she blushed. "I totally didn't mean that the way it sounded."

He kissed her again. It was enough to make her toes curl. Then he placed soft kisses along her jawbone, all the way up to her ear, giving her goosebumps. "I can arrange for you to spend some time in my bed," he whispered. His voice was pure sex. The shell of a man she'd met weeks ago at the diner was nowhere to be found. This man was confident and sexy and sophisticated. She'd had the upper hand in so many of their interactions, but now he was taking charge. Part of her was incredibly turned on and part of her was intimidated as hell.

"You're too sexy for your own good," Keri whispered back.

"Said the pot to the kettle," he replied. His hands flexed on her waist, pulling her hips into his.

The buzzer on the oven timer made them both jump.

Brad dropped his hands and took a step back. “Green beans and potatoes,” he explained, walking over to the oven and pulling the tray of roasted vegetables out with a pot holder.

Keri tried to slow her galloping heart rate down to a more normal pace, but he had taken his suit jacket off and all she could see was how amazing his body looked in a pair of black slacks with a light blue shirt casually tucked into them. He definitely belonged in GQ, from the top of his slicked back hair to the tips of his pricey Italian loafers. When she wasn’t imagining him naked in bed, she was designing clothes that would conform so wonderfully to his body.

Clenching her teeth together, she turned back to the cucumber salad and tossed the veggies together in a large glass bowl. She added herbs and seasoning to it before scooping a small amount of mayo in and mixing it together. Appetizer accomplished. Dessert was already in the fridge. As soon as they had arrived at Brad’s condo he’d put her to work cutting up fruit while he prepared the hummus crusted chicken that was to be their main course.

She reached over and picked up her glass of wine. It was Chardonnay, but much better than what she’d offered him a few nights ago. This Chardonnay came from a gorgeous bottle that looked like it had come straight out of a wine cellar in France. The last drop in her glass hit her tongue. Luckily, he was behind her with the rest of the bottle.

“More?” he asked.

Keri nodded and watched him pour a few ounces into the glass. “It’s delicious.”

“What do you taste?”

She took a sip and let it sit on her tongue. “Apple, pear, maybe an oaky sort of taste.”

Brad nodded as she took another sip. When she opened her mouth to tell him she also tasted a little vanilla, he shut her up by kissing her again. Keri let out a squeak of surprise that was muffled by his mouth covering hers. His tongue was plundering her mouth, sweeping over her tongue and coaxing her to kiss him back. She did so because she could think of nothing that was better than kissing the man in front of her.

“Apple, pear, peach,” he whispered as he pulled back. “The oak flavor is from aging in oak barrels.”

“I’ve never tasted it in Chardonnay before.”

He took a drink from her glass and then kissed her again. She could taste the wine on his lips and tongue. “Oak barrels are expensive. Only the more expensive Chardonnays will have the oaky flavor.”

“Do you teach a wine appreciation class or something?”

“Why? Interested in learning?”

“If you let me taste wine by kissing you.”

Brad laughed and handed her glass back to her. “A real wine enthusiast would tell you you’re crazy for trying to taste wine that way.”

“What would you say?”

His eyes flashed. “That I’ve never tasted a better wine than the one on your lips.”

“Where did this playboy come from? Sweet secret agent Brad is suddenly a smooth-talking ladies man.”

“I’m trying to show you that I’m not a loser all the time.”

Keri rolled her eyes and took another drink. “You’re not a loser at all.”

“I figured if you were checking out my ass that I could get away with stealing a kiss or two.” His eyes were dark and dangerous. He was the lion on the prowl and she was a tasty little gazelle who got separated from the herd.

“You thought right, but don’t you think I give up all the goods that easily.”

Brad smiled and held up his hands. “I’d never presume. I’m at your mercy.”

She laughed at him. “You are too much.”

The buzzer sounded again and Brad retreated to pull the baked chicken breasts out of the oven. She carried the bowl of cucumber salad over to the dining table and dished out portions on the small plates at each setting. He brought two plates over--a baked chicken breast and roasted new potatoes with green beans on each.

“That smells delicious.”

When she looked up, she saw that he was holding out her chair. “Sit down and I’ll go find us a wine that will go well with dinner.”

She took her seat and spread a napkin over her lap while she waited for him to return. He came back carrying two wine glasses in one hand and a bottle of white wine with an opener in the other. Keri never ceased to be amazed at his ability to uncork a bottle of wine.

“This is a Vermentino. It’s from Sardinia in the Mediterranean,” he explained as he poured some in each glass. “Normally it’s paired with seafood, but I think it goes well with chicken prepared this way.”

She watched as he sat her glass on the table well outside of her reach and then settled down in his chair to take a sip from his glass. “Don’t I get to try?” she asked.

“I thought you wanted to taste it on my tongue.” Brad turned in his seat and patted his thigh.

Keri gave him a suspicious look, but stood up and stepped over to him. Gently, he turned her around and pulled her down to sit on his lap. She swallowed as he took another drink and then brought his hand up to the back of her head to guide her in for a kiss.

His tongue was still soaked in the wine. It tasted slightly nutty. When she pulled back she picked up his glass and took a sip. “Apples, mmm, basil maybe.”

Brad pulled her down for another kiss. “You smell the basil, not so much taste it.”

“All I can smell is your cologne. It’s making me want to rip your clothes off.”

He laughed and gave her another kiss, this one playful. Keri pushed herself off his lap and sat back down in her chair, adjusting the napkin on her lap again. Brad had already moved her glass of Vermentino in front of her plate for her.

Notes