Holly's sparkling eyes widened as those luscious red lips popped open in surprise. "I…I…" she stammered, panic rising in her voice as her shoulders slumped.
"Holly, please don't be alarmed," Remus said. "I want to discuss the app and this particular topic because I think it is crucial to understand a partner's needs. In all aspects of a relationship." He reached for the bottle of wine, nudging away his empty wine glass with his hands. He tipped the bottle into Holly's glass, emptying it completely.
Wine filled most of the cup in a gluttonous way, nearing the edge before the last drops rippled over the top. Holly reached for her full glass and took a large gulp.
"I'm so embarrassed," she admitted, resting her glass on the table as she fought to catch her breath. From the string of the alcohol or the shock of his words, Remus was unsure. He watched her bosom rise and fall with each slow breath.
His cock swelled in his trousers.
"Holly, sexuality is not a justifiable reason to be embarrassed," he said. His starchy voice shifted from romantic partner to calculating professor in an instant.
"Easy for you to say," she mumbled as her hand fell on top of her purse.
"You're not going to leave." The cool command slipped from his lips, pinning her to the spot. Her eyes fell on him as her body froze in response. "We will sit here and discuss this like rational, logical, well-educated adults. And I feel obliged to point out your hypocrisy in planning on leaving."
"Hypocrisy?" Holly's mouth fell open.
Remus nodded. "Yes. I mention an app on your phone and you become so flustered and allegedly embarrassed that you feel the need to flee. If you left me in the middle of our dinner, you would only serve to embarrass me, and it wouldn't alter my knowledge of you, or the app, in any way. I still offered you a dinner invitation knowing about this app, knowing somewhat about your preferences, and you planned to bolt without so much as a simple explanation."
"I don't owe you an explanation professor," Holly snapped. "Or my companionship."
"I'm honored by your companionship, Holly. Though I am confused by what I've found and would appreciate an explanation."
"Why would you ask me to dinner if you know about the app?"
Remus frowned at the slight diversion, but put a pin in his former comment and countered her question with another question. "Does it bother you that I know about the app?"
"Of course," Holly answered. "That's private."
"No part of technology today is private, Holly. We both know that."
"You know what I mean," she huffed. "You snooped through my phone."
Remus shook his head. "On the contrary, the app buzzed loud and clear on your phone, Holly. No snooping was required. Your phone volunteered that bit of information at what I believe was a rather opportune moment."
Holly's brows furrowed and she growled like an angry kitten. Her anger seemed oddly adorable to Remus, but he knew even kitten could scratch deep. "I don't appreciate being made into a joke, professor."
"Holly, you are certainly not a joke to me," he said. "And I don't find your sexuality humorous in the slightest. If you could humor me and give me a moment to explain where I am coming from, perhaps that will clear the air, so to speak. Agreed?"
Holly paused, her hand still clutching her purse. She nodded, releasing her bag and setting her hand on her lap as she reached for her wine glass again. "Agreed. Go on."
"I'm a professor of psychology and human behaviors, specifically human sexuality. It's my area of expertise, in many forms. Because I have been entrenched in this area for so long, I have noticed patterns in people. Many people suppress their kinks and desires. There is an innate fear of rejection and isolation."
Holly's eyes widened, and Remus paused, waiting for his Christmas angel to vanish like the clock had struck December 26th. Instead, her posture relaxed and he continued.
"Society rejects the weird, the freaky, the kinky, and because of this stigma, many people are afraid to experiment and ask for something deemed sexually perverse. Many people won't ask their partner for what they crave, and this leads to a very bitter resentment of their partner and oftentimes either a life full of dull sex or a painful divorce. Not that sex is the sole reason for many divorces, but it almost always a contributing factor. I believe partners need full honesty with one another in term of sexuality and sexual preference."
There was a long pause as his words hummed in the air like a plucked guitar string.
"And have you and your partners always been honest?" she asked. A spark glinted in her eyes and for a moment, Remus wished he could read her mind.
"No," he said. "In fact, I'm divorced for just this reason."
Holly's doey eyes blinked in wide-eyed surprise.
Remus braced himself to see if she would reach for her purse again.
She did not.
"What happened?" she asked.
Remus frowned. "I believe that is an answer that should wait, Holly. Though I will say that it was mutual, and that I have not seen her since we finalized the divorce papers well over a year ago. She moved back to London immediately following the divorce."
Holly nodded, accepting his vague explanation.
"Do you believe in complete honesty, Holly?" Remus asked.
She raised her glass to her lips, letting the question linger like a threatening rain before answering. "I believe in honesty, Professor Lupin, but I don't see a necessity for full disclosure on a first date."
Remus' lip quirked. "Touché, Miss Beddoes."
"And if we're being honest," she continued, "I feel it's necessary to clarify something. Just because you know about the app doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you. I never sleep with a man on a first date." She paused as she studied his expression.
He tried not to give anything away.
"Other women can do whatever they want on a first date, but I have rules for myself. No sex on a first date is one of them."
Remus nodded, weighing the words on his tongue before speaking. "That's a perfectly reasonable rule. And one I respect. Thank you for being honest. And allow me to clear the air a bit more."
Remus rested his arms on the table, leaning forward. He stared at her with knowing intensity, hoping to pin her to the spot. Her cheeks flushed a brighter rose pink, trickling down to the swell of her breasts over that tease of a dress.
"I never expect or demand sex. Just because I know about the app does not mean I believe you're loose or fast or cheap. In fact, you're a respectable, intelligent, sophisticated woman and you deserve to be treated as such. You challenge me to be a perfect gentleman, Miss Beddoes."
Holly's lips gaped and for an instant Remus pictured his stiffening cock sliding between those plush red lips.
So much for thinking like a gentleman.
"I have a terrible sweet-tooth," he said with a lightness that took the weight off their conversation. "I'm a self-proclaimed chocoholic. Would you agree to spending more time in my company and having dessert and coffee?"