Chapter 2: First Date
The next morning, Kate woke up with a smile on her face. Her dreams had consisted of a very beautiful blonde, a can of whipped cream, and, oddly enough, handcuffs. Kate had to grin at her subconscious mind. It always went right to the gutter whenever she was attracted to someone. Kate lay in bed for a few moments just remembering the night before. She hadn't exactly gone out looking for someone to possibly fall for but that's exactly what she had found: a smart, funny, beautiful blonde with impossibly blue eyes and a smile that Kate would do almost anything to see more of.
Kate was about to drift off into another fantasy about Vicky when her cell phone buzzed an incoming text. With a frustrated growl, Kate rolled over and picked up her cell phone from the nightstand. Kate thumbed over the button for the text messages and she smiled when she saw it was from Lanie. She opened the message and laughed at the text:
[hey girl! Get ur but outta bed and go have some fun. Ur on vaca for heavens sake! Don't 4get the pics]
Kate had promised Lanie lots of pictures from her trip. Kate decided it was time to get up. She quickly typed out a reply before she got up and headed into the bathroom to get ready for her day with Vicky:
[ok ok I'm up. Keep ur scrubs on! U'll get ur pics. Gtg ttyl off to have some fun!]
Meanwhile in a gallery in Downtown Santa Fe, Vicky was busy hanging up the newly arrived artwork in an empty room near the back. She was getting through it at her usual pace but her mind wasn't on the task. That's why she was glad this didn't exactly require a lot of concentration. She was thinking about Kate and what their lunch date might lead to. She was really looking forward to seeing her again.
The night before had been torturous as thoughts of Kate, that tiny little moan at the coffee shop, and the sweet kisses goodnight kept swirling around her brain until she couldn't handle it anymore. She was desperate to do something about the warmth between her legs, but opted to let it build up so that when she and Kate were finally together, all that tension would be released in what she knew would be the most pleasurable explosion ever. So instead, she got up and warmed some milk, which helped her drift off to sleep. Of course, her dreams only managed to torture her further with images of what she had been denied that night but would have sometime soon if she was lucky. Thankfully, a nice, cold shower before heading to work made the situation bearable for her.
Kate left her hotel with a spring in her step. She was really looking forward to her lunch date with Vicky. Kate had some time so she opted to walk the few blocks from her hotel to the downtown area where both the art gallery and the Chapel were located. It was another warm, sunny day and Kate couldn't help but smile. She stopped at the corner to wait for the light to change and smiled when she looked up at the sky and noticed how blue it was. She left her mind drift into a mini fantasy of kissing Kate with the sun shining down on them, but the changing of the light pulled her from her daydream and she turned away from the blue sky to the street in front of her. Kate couldn't remember the sky being that blue in New York, but then, back home she was always too busy chasing bad guys to really notice anything else.
She came upon the Loretto Chapel first and she stopped for a moment to just look at it. She'd come to Santa Fe to see this Chapel and its famous staircase but now, she'd found another reason to love this town...and she was going to be seeing that reason in just a few minutes.
Kate turned away from the Chapel with a smile as she thought about Vicky. She started towards the art gallery when she suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach. She was nervous about seeing Vicky again, worried that maybe the connection they'd had last night was an illusion, a trick of her overactive imagination and her extra-long dry spell. But Kate was not the type to back down from something she wanted so she squared her shoulders and began walking towards the gallery.
Vicky was behind the counter talking with a buyer, but her eyes were darting to the clock every now and then. She was hoping Kate would show up soon because she really couldn't stand the waiting anymore. Just as she was finishing up the paperwork for the purchase, she heard the door to the gallery open and a smile spread across her face when she saw Kate walk into the building.
Kate stepped into the front room of the gallery, but when she saw that Vicky was busy, she occupied herself by walking around the room to look at the art. She deliberately avoided looking at Vicky, knowing if she did she would do something to give away what she was thinking...namely that she was visualizing pushing Vicky up against the white wall and kissing her senseless. Kate smiled to herself as she indulged in her mini fantasy. She moved slowly from one piece of artwork to the next, putting on a fairly decent show of being interested in them.
She was so engrossed in her fantasy and pretending to be interested in the artwork that she didn't hear Vicky when she snuck up behind her and wrapped her arms around her. "Hey you...miss me?" Vicky asked before she kissed her neck and smiled, happy to be near the object of her desire once again. Kate jumped a tiny bit but managed to hide it well as Vicky pulled her from her daydream. She smiled when she felt two strong, slim arms wrap around her and she leaned back for a moment to enjoy the embrace before she remembered where they were and she quickly looked around the gallery to make sure they were alone. When she turned her head, she felt Vicky's lips on her exposed neck and melted a little more. She loved having her neck kissed and idly wondered how Vicky had known that. Kate mentally shrugged it off as she let herself get lost in Vicky's arms.
Kate placed her hands on Vicky's and closed her eyes, smiling as Vicky continued her sensual assault on her neck, "Mmm...you have no idea. That feels so good."
"This?" Vicky asked before kissing Kate's neck again. "Or this?" She pulled Kate a little closer, so close that Kate could probably feel Vicky's heart beating hard in her chest.
Kate couldn't stop the light moan that escaped her lips, "All of it."
She enjoyed the embrace for a few more moments before she couldn't stand it anymore and she quickly turned in Vicky's arms and spun the blonde around so her back was against the wall, right next to a painting. She leaned forward, pressing her upper body close to Vicky's, and claimed the blonde's lips in a kiss that held every ounce of the longing she'd felt for Vicky the night before.
Vicky felt a rush of warmth spread all over her body when Kate touched her lips. She had to admit she was also a bit turned on by the aggressiveness of Kate's move and it fed her own desire. She placed her arms on Kate's waist and couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips, which went straight into Kate's mouth. She wanted her so badly, but somehow, she managed to remember that they were in the gallery and anything more that they wanted to do would have to wait until they were some place private.
Kate ran her hands down Vicky's side, getting lost in their kisses, when she felt Vicky moan, Kate almost lost it then. She had a sudden urge to strip the blonde naked and lose herself in the soft curves and the promise of ecstasy, but her libido lost the war with her common sense and she pulled away from Vicky's lips. She rested her forehead against Vicky's as they both fought to catch their breath.
When she was sure she could talk, Kate finally spoke, "Vicky, as much as I want to keep going...we need to stop. Anyone could walk in here...and see us..."
Her words came between still ragged breaths and although she hated to stop their make out session, she knew it was the right thing to do. Vicky was reluctant to agree with her but she did anyway, "That would be the logical thing to do... unfortunately, that part of my brain seems to have stopped working," she grinned. "Look, I know we said we wouldn't make this about sex, but I would love to have an extended make out session later tonight..." Vicky said, letting her voice drift away as she waited to hear Kate's response to that. She held her breath, hoping the dark haired woman would be interested.
Kate grinned, happy that she wasn't the only one affected by their proximity. She lowered her voice, adopting a flirty, suggestive tone as she said, "I think that can be arranged...but right now, we should get going and have some lunch. Somewhere public, ok?"
Vicky nodded and said, "Hopefully that will help my self-control, though I'll be the first to admit that any control I do have will be hanging by a thread." She pecked Kate's lips one more time and then said with a grin, "I know just where I'm going to take you."
Kate's gutter mind gave that line a different meaning and she felt as if someone else, someone bolder, had taken over her mouth because her first words were, "Keep it clean Vicky, I meant what I said: food first then later...you can take me wherever and however you want." Kate grinned at the look her words caused to appear on Vicky's face...she liked this bolder version of herself.
Vicky shook herself free of the images Kate's words conjured up and she realized this might be a very long lunch. She grabbed Kate's hand and led her out of the gallery. They walked through the plaza and then turned down the street that led to the St. Francis Cathedral. At the corner, just across from the church was the La Fonda Hotel, which was home to one of the best restaurants downtown. Vicky walked up to the hostess and requested a table for two.
The woman nodded and led the ladies down two steps into the dining area. It was filled with beautiful trees and flowers along the perimeter and a high stained glass ceiling that cast beautiful colored light on the tables below.
Kate sat down at the table and took a long look around. It was a very beautiful place and she liked the decor. Kate returned her gaze back to Vicky after she'd checked out the entire room and said, "This is a very nice place. Do you come here often?"
Vicky nodded, "Sometimes, but usually just for special occasions. They have a great little candy shop downstairs that I tend to frequent a bit more often." She chuckled, "I thought that we should do something really special for today."
Kate heard the word candy and her eyes lit up. Her best friend Lanie had such a big sweet tooth and Kate figured she would flip for some local candies. Kate made a mental note to stop by the shop and get something sweet for Lanie before they left. For right now, Kate smiled and in a flirting tone said, "Candy shop, huh? I could go for something...sweet after our lunch." Kate's tone and eyes implied she wasn't necessarily talking about candy.
Though Vicky caught the double entendre, she opted to keep things clean and replied, "I'll take you over. They have a wonderful dark chocolate candy that's infused with chili powder. You'll absolutely fall for it."
Kate thought about that and said, "Chocolate and chili powder? That sounds...interesting. I can't wait." Kate held Vicky's gaze for a moment before she opened her menu.
The waitress came over then and took their drink order but gave them a bit more time to look over their menus. Vicky already knew she was going to have the blue enchiladas, but she was curious to know what Kate would pick. "Anything standing out to you?"
Kate looked over the menu. Everything looked good, but she decided to go with something familiar. "It all looks good but I think I'm going to go with the Enchiladas del Norte,"Kate said, thinking she couldn't really go wrong with enchiladas. She looked up at Vicky and smiled. She was really enjoying herself so far, and she was really looking forward to later that day when she could be alone with Vicky.
"I was thinking of ordering a bottle of white wine, would you like that?" Vicky asked.
Kate smiled, "Are you sure about that? I mean I'm not the one who has to go back to work after lunch." Kate was concerned that Vicky might get in trouble with her boss if she went back to work intoxicated...not that Kate saw anyone else in that gallery that might qualify as a boss, but still."I just don't want you to get in trouble with your boss."
"Well, I have a little surprise," Vicky said before taking a sip of her water. She licked her lips and continued, "I just sold $8,000 worth of art to a local businessman, so my boss decided to give me the rest of the day off as a reward!"
Kate took that in and couldn't help the smile on her face and the warm feeling in her belly at the thought of having the whole day with Vicky. "In that case, some wine would be nice."
"Great," Vicky said with a broad smile. When the waitress came back, she let Kate order first and then placed her order and asked for the best bottle of white wine they had on the menu. One thing she knew was wine, which mostly had to do with her breeding as a Cabot, though she knew she couldn't tell Kate that.
Kate watched as the waitress left and looked at Vicky, "Do, um, do you know wines?" Kate's blue-collar upbringing didn't lend itself to knowing about wines but thanks to Lanie, she was learning. Kate smiled at Vicky, struggling not to think about what they would do with the rest of their day.
"Oh, yes, I...I've been wine tasting in Napa a couple of times, but I do most of my research online. I like knowing about things like that. I hope it doesn't make me come off like a snob or anything,"she said, nervous that Kate was going to think she was stuck-up. She knew people often had that misconception about her, but the last thing she wanted was for Kate to feel that way.
Kate's eyes widened and she suddenly felt envious of Vicky, "You've been to Napa? That's on my list of places to visit. I would love to go there one day. Oh, and don't worry, I like women who aren't afraid to learn new things."
Vicky smiled again, "I'd love to take you. I think you'd love it very much...we could even drive down the coast to San Francisco and take in all the sights..." Then she blushed, "Oh God, I just jumped the gun a little bit, didn't I? Planning a vacation-slash-road trip after one day..."
Kate smiled. Vicky was just too cute when she blushed. She reached out and placed her hand on Vicky's,"Yeah maybe a little bit but I like the thought of going to Napa with you. It sounds like we would have a great time."
"I'm glad you don't think I'm totally strange for the way I've been behaving. I just...got carried away thinking about how great it would be to do that with someone I think could appreciate it."
"Trust me Vicky, it would take more than that to make me think anything negative about you. I really like you and I like spending time with you. I just wish I had more than two weeks to be here with you." Kate stopped herself before she asked Vicky about maybe coming to visiting her in New York, sensing that it might be too early to make that suggestion.
"I know...I don't even want to think about you leaving, Kate...especially since there's so much we still have to learn about one another."
"I agree, but I think it'll be better if we forget about the time limit and just enjoy our time together, don't you?" Kate suggested, not wanting to think about having to leave this place and most especially, this wonderful woman.
Vicky nodded and then noticed the waitress coming over with their wine. Another waitress, who was carrying their plates, followed her and set them down in front of the women before disappearing back into the kitchen. Their waitress made short work of pouring the wine and said, "Enjoy, ladies,"before leaving them to eat.
Once the waitress was gone, Kate lifted her wineglass in a toast and said, "To enjoying our time together."
Vicky raised her glass, "To enjoying our time together." She clinked her glass with Kate's and then took a drink. "Mmm, tastes wonderful." She set the glass down and then picked up her fork, "Yours looks really good."
Kate took a sip of her wine, and found that it was surprisingly good. She studied her plate and picked up her fork, "Let's hope it tastes as good as it looks."
Vicky nodded and then took a bite of her enchilada. It was great as usual and the company made it even better. She looked up at the woman sitting across from her and asked, "So, do you like it?"
Kate swallowed her food and smiled, "Yes it's amazing and the wine is absolutely perfect,"Kate said and took another sip of her wine.
They finished off their meal in relative silence, enjoying their food too much to converse, and once they were finished, they left the restaurant. They made a quick stop by the candy shop that Vicky had told Kate about and then made their way out to the held Kate's hand as they walked back through the Plaza and the two were thoroughly enjoying their time with one another. Kate liked the freedom that came with being out of her comfort zone. In New York, she would never have had the courage to walk down the street holding hands with another woman. She was always aware that anyone from the precinct could see her and then she'd be treated differently at work. But here, so far away from her normal life, she could let go and just be herself.
As they made their way out of the plaza, Kate looked to her left and happened to glance into the window of a rare books store they were passing. There, in the display, was a book Kate had never seen but she'd definitely heard of. It was one of the first books ever written by her favorite mystery writer, Richard Castle, and it had been out of print for several years. Only true fans knew of it's existence and only true collectors had it in their collection. Kate stopped in her tracks and turned to Vicky, "Hey, um...can we go in here for a minute?"
Vicky glanced over at the store and smiled as Kate began to unintentionally veer toward it. "Of course. See something in the window you liked?"
Kate blushed, "Um...yeah I just saw a book that I've been looking for, for a few years. I'm...a bit of a bookworm."Kate waited for the laughter, the derision she had come to expect from people when she told them she liked to read books. Her whole life people had teased and made fun of her for being such a brain, a bookworm, a wallflower. That teasing as she was growing up was what pushed her to pick modeling over waiting tables to pay for school, and was part of the reason she chose being a cop instead of becoming a lawyer or even a teacher.
"Me too. Who's your favorite author?"she asked as they walked into the store. Vicky couldn't believe that she'd met someone who shared one of her favorite pastimes. She loved spending a quiet evening at home curled up on the couch with one of her favorite books.
Kate smiled, at little more comfortable now, "Richard Castle. I like mystery books. What about you?"Kate was curious now, loving that she could talk about books with someone she liked.
"I'm probably going to sound very old fashioned, but Jane Austen. I'm also an Anne Rice fan, though no one really knows that,"she said with a wink.
Kate smiled, "I've read a few books by Austen, but I'm more drawn to crime novels. I don't know why. I'm not that into vampire books though, not my thing. But I can respect that there's a market for it. But if you ever want a good mystery novel, Castle is the way to go."She liked converting people to Richard Castle because his work was definitely worth reading.
"I've heard of Richard Castle, but I've never read his work,"Vicky replied. Unbeknownst to the brunette, Vicky had more experience with killers than she'd like to admit and although she was sure the books were good, she had avoided them because they were crime mysteries.
"Well, I've read all of his novels and I can tell you right now that he really does a great job of getting into the mind of the killer. His Derek Storm series is just...beyond words and I really hope he keeps going with Storm for a long time," she said and then stopped, realizing she probably sounded like a fangirl with all her gushing. "Um...anyway, I saw one of his early works in the window and wanted to look at it if that's ok?"
"Sure,"Vicky said as she followed Kate over to the window where she'd seen the book.
"I think it's this way."She began to walk towards the section excitedly. It was true that she chased killers for a living and given that, one might wonder why she would choose to read about them in her free time but the thing was, she liked happy endings. Sometimes with some cases, there were no winners. Even if she caught the bad guy, there was no guarantee that justice would be done or that a plea deal wouldn't be made letting the killer back on the streets sooner than she'd like. So she read crime mysteries because, in print at least, the killer was always caught, justice was always doled out, and there were no plea deals or technicalities or appeals to give the killers a second chance. She liked that and wished real life could be more like fiction. Kate took a moment to look around, seeing if there were signs that marked the different genres. She found the one that said "Mysteries" and she smiled.
Vicky watched as Kate's eyes lit up when she found the book and stood nearby as the brunette looked over the cover and the pages, inspecting them for damage. Kate held the book carefully in her hands. She knew she probably looked silly, treating this book like it was an original Gutenberg bible or something equally old, but she couldn't help it. To a true fan like her, this was like finding the Holy Grail.
Between Heaven and Hell was Richard Castle's very first novel and according to online websites that Kate sometimes cruised, there were about 100,000 copies in existence. It seems that when the manuscript got picked up to be published, the publishing company didn't have much faith in Castle's success and they limited the run to such a small number. It wasn't until his second novel made the bestseller list that Castle skyrocketed to fame and his new die-hard fans started snapping up copies of his first book to ensure that their collections would be complete. Since Kate discovered Castle much later, her odds of finding a good copy of Between Heaven and Hell that didn't cost an arm and a leg were slim. That's why this was such a miraculous find.
Despite the fact that there were a few dog-eared pages and the paperback cover showed some wear, the rest of the cover looked smooth, the binding was tight, and the pages showed no signs of yellowing. Kate literally had to hold back a giggle over her unbelievable luck. She knew she was getting far too excited over finding this book, but she just couldn't help herself.
The book she'd seen in the window was Castle's second novel, which she had a copy of. She'd come into the store hoping against hope that maybe they had more Castle books. Kate felt that finding this one was undoubtedly a good omen. She turned to Vicky, who was watching her patiently with a tiny grin on her face.
"Um, sorry, I tend to get a little engrossed when I get my hands on a book this rare. This is Richard Castle's very first novel. It was largely forgotten because his second book, the one in the window, really launched his career. But this one...this one is what started it all." Kate paused, "I hope you don't think I'm some obsessed fan or anything."
"Everyone has something that they're truly passionate about and I'm glad I could be here to share this with you. I like seeing you smile like that. It makes me happy."
Kate blushed again and looked down, "Well, thank you for not...thinking I'm crazy or anything. Come on, I want to get the book in the window too, it's a good one and a first edition." Kate led Vicky back to the window display and took the book. They started to go towards the cashier but Kate stopped,"I'm sorry I'm being so...single-minded. Was there something you wanted to look for here?"
"No, no, I'm fine. I can come here anytime. This moment is for you, honey. I want you to enjoy your finds," she said with a genuine smile. She liked seeing Kate so excited and she was happy to know that it happened while she was here in Santa Fe.
Kate smiled. She liked hearing Vicky call her honey. It made her insides warm. "In that case, let me pay for these and we can get back to our day together."
Kate wanted to get Vicky alone, somewhere private but, oddly enough, she also wanted to feel the sunshine on her face while she kissed Vicky. Kate liked the thought of kissing Vicky in broad daylight, though not in full public view. It was a daydream she'd had when they were walking from the gallery to the bookstore.
"Sounds good,"she said and watched as Kate paid for the books. She wanted to take her back to her place where they could be alone and get to know each other better. She had a spacious porch where they could have a drink while cuddling on her patio sofa.
Kate paid for the books, not letting the higher price affect her joy at finding the rare books. She turned to Vicky and said, "All set, let's go."
"You know, I had a thought, if you're up to it... I was wondering if you'd like to come over? I have a nice deck where we can enjoy the air and get to know each other...and perhaps pick up where we left off at the gallery."
Kate thought about that as they left the bookstore. It sounded like a great idea. She smiled, "Lead the way."
They walked back to the gallery where Vicky's car was parked and again she helped Kate into the passenger side.
She pulled out of the lot and started across town to her house pointing out areas of interest to Kate as they went. When they arrived at Vicky's house, she parked in the garage and welcomed Kate to her humble abode. It was two stories with three bedrooms and two baths, a spacious kitchen and open living room.
She smiled, "Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to make some coffee."
Kate looked around the beautifully decorated living room and was impressed. She watched as Vicky walked into the kitchen and she smiled, the day was turning into one of the best she'd had in a long time. If someone had told her last week that she would meet someone on this trip, someone that she would end up falling for and wishing she didn't have to leave, she would've told them they were crazy. But here she was, with Vicky, and a part of her wished she didn't have to leave...or that she could bring Vicky back to New York with her.
Kate walked over to the windows and looked out onto a back yard filled with dark green grass that looked well cared for and, idly, Kate wondered how Vicky managed that in such a dry climate. That thought soon vanished when she saw the deck. It was natural wood and very big and Kate saw a comfy looking love seat against the left railing. It was right in a patch of sunshine and Kate felt herself grow warm as she pictured herself and Vicky on that couch, making out. She had to close her eyes to block out the images...only to have them explode to life behind her eyelids. Kate groaned lightly, hoping she could control herself around the blonde, not wanting to jump her right away and make this all about sex.