Chapter 11
Stephanie frowned at the strange crackling noise as she pulled the straightening irons through her hair. Suddenly there was a loud bang and she let out a frightened screech, instantly letting go of them. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as they clattered against her wooden dresser. Her blue eyes stared in disbelief as they surveyed the straighteners cautiously. A thin veil of smoke had emerged from the cable and it appeared the damn things had blown up on her. Fuck. This was the last thing she needed tonight.
Stephanie quickly pulled out the plug and as she straightened up, she glanced at the large chrome edged mirror in front of her. She let out a loud groan at her reflection. The left side of her hair was sleek and smooth while the other side was a mass of waves and kinks. Stephanie shook her head in total dismay. What a fucking disaster and Paul was meant to be here in fifteen minutes. He was taking her on their date. Their very first date! Now here she was looking like the before and after for some lame hair product advertisement. Stephanie backed slowly towards her bed and sighing heavily, she pushed her fingers through her hair. She honestly felt like crying right now. As if today hadn't been bad enough what with her hangover and losing her credit card. Thankfully she'd already purchased her outfit for her date but now that was totally wasted. There was no way she could go out tonight looking like this!
Pulling the belt tighter on her pink terry towelling robe, Stephanie threw herself back on the mattress. What the hell was she going to do now? Her blue eyes stared up at the cracked white ceiling in despair. A few seconds later the doorbell rang. Stephanie bolted upright and felt a spasm of panic. Paul. He was early. Fuck! What the hell was she meant to do now? She couldn't answer the door looking like this. God knows a girl had her dignity. As she racked her brains thinking of a way to get out of this, she heard the voice through the open bedroom window.
"Stephanie Marie, answer your goddamn door. It's fucking freezing out here!"
A huge smile crossed Stephanie's face. Libby. She would know exactly what to do. Rushing from the bedroom, she bounded down the staircase. She hid behind the door as she opened it. There was no need for the whole neighbourhood to witness the state she was in. "Hurry up." she hissed to Libby.
"I wanted to come over to wish you luck." Her friend beamed at her as she walked into the small hallway.
Stephanie closed the door behind her. Libby was shaking her head at her, her wild curls bobbing around on her head. Her smile was replaced with a frown as she unzipped her padded coat.
"What the hell are you playing at? Why aren't you ready yet?"
"My hair straighteners just blew up on me." whined Stephanie.
Libby threw her a sympathetic look. Her friend understood and knew she couldn't survive without them. Stephanie suddenly felt the overwhelming urge to cry. She'd been on such a high about her date all afternoon and now the whole thing was ruined before it had even started.
"I'll have to call Paul and cancel." she mumbled sadly as she wandered slowly back up the staircase, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet.
Libby followed on behind her. "You can't cancel, Stephanie. The poor guy will be on his way over here already."
"Well I can't go out looking like this!" she replied incredulously as she walked into her untidy bedroom and flopped back onto the bed. The new black basque top she had purchased hung on the back of the door along with the matching chiffon trousers. The diamonte heels she'd spent over a hundred dollars on finished off the outfit perfectly. She had even bought new lingerie and perfume. She had planned to knock Paul dead tonight. Shame she wouldn't get the chance now. Stephanie grabbed her pillow and groaning loudly, she buried her face into it.
"Don't do that! You'll ruin your makeup!" Libby cried as she yanked Stephanie up by the shoulder.
"What does it matter?" she pouted. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Don't be ridiculous. Just put your hair up. I know you don't like wearing it that way but really you've got no choice." Libby's eyes began to scour the messy bedroom. "Where the hell are those curling tongs we used last night?"
"I think they're in the bathroom."
"Well go and get them." said Libby as she pulled off her coat. She frowned at Stephanie who still sat on the bed. "Come on! You don't have all night you know."
Stephanie groaned in protest but she felt her spirits begin to lift as she shuffled through the small bathroom. Okay, she was probably being a drama queen over the whole hair thing but tonight was really important to her. In fact it meant everything to her especially after last night. Stephanie smiled as she grabbed the curling irons from the small stainless steel trolley in the corner. She slowly wandered back to the bedroom and her smile widened. Paul was gripped by her. She still couldn't believe he had said that to her. It was like something out of a romance novel especially when the moon had been shining and the stars twinkling brightly above them. Okay they had both been freezing to death and she was drunk off her ass but hey, romance wasn't perfect. The kiss had been though. It had been the sweetest and the most wonderful kiss. God, she was practically melting just thinking about it.
"Steph, for God sakes. What are you doing in there?"
Libby's shout brought her out of her funk. Stephanie rushed through to the bedroom. Ten minutes later she was smiling at her reflection. She no longer looked retarded. In fact, she didn't look half bad. She turned and grinned at Libby. "You're a life saver, Lib." She gave her a twirl.
Libby grinned back. "You look amazing, Steph."
"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked as her stomach began doing cartwheels. Her nerves were suddenly kicking in. She glanced at her stainless steel watch. It was eight o'clock on the dot. Shit. Paul would be here any second. Now she really was getting nervous. God, she prayed tonight went well. She was going to be on her best behaviour. She wasn't going to embarrass herself. God knows, that's all she seemed to do in front of Paul lately. Just then the doorbell rang making her jump. Stephanie almost couldn't breathe. Her wide blue eyes stared at her friend. "Shit, Libby. He's here. What am I going to do?"
"Well answering the door would help." laughed Libby.
Stephanie turned to look at her reflection one last time. She flicked her tongue across her teeth and checked them to make sure there were no remnants of her lipstick left on them. "God, Libby. My stomach is eating itself right now." She grabbed her little black bag from the dresser.
"Steph, you'll be fine." Libby placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "Now go and have a really good time with Mr Buns. I'll lock up for you."
Stephanie scowled as she picked up the black coat draped across her chair. "You know I really wish you would stop calling him that."
The doorbell rang again. Libby pushed her friend out the bedroom. "Get out of here, will you?"
Stephanie lifted her hand in a wave and pulling on her coat, she cautiously made her way down the stairs in her heels. Even the alcohol last night hadn't erased the stairway of hell from her mind. She'd almost plunged to her death. She wasn't taking any risks tonight.
"Call me if you can." called Libby after her.
"I will." she replied as she stood at the bottom of the stairs and letting out a calming breath, Stephanie opened the door. Paul was standing there. Her heart thumped in her chest. He looked absolutely gorgeous in an open necked white dress shirt and leather coat. His soft blonde strands were blowing in the light wind. She could smell his cologne. It was different to the one he usually wore but it was just as incredible. He smiled at her and she felt her nerves float away like bubbles in the air.
"Hi." he said. Paul's beautiful brown eyes twinkled at her. "You look stunning by the way."
"Thank you." Stephanie blushed as she closed the door behind her.
"And you're on time too. I feel extremely privileged."
"You should be." she laughed. "I barely made it by the skin of my teeth."
"Do I even want to ask?" he teased.
"It's probably better if you didn't." she grinned.
"In that case, your chariot awaits Madame." Paul gestured towards the black Escalade sitting a few feet from them. The streetlights illuminated the immaculate bodywork. Stephanie's mouth parted in surprise.
"You have a car?" she asked. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she walked towards the vehicle.
Paul snorted. "It's not just a car. I'll have you know this is the ultimate driving experience."
"But you take the train."
"It's much easier than parking in the city." He pressed the key in his hand. The vehicle unlocked. He opened the passenger door and smiled at Stephanie.
"Thank you." she said. She sat in the leather bucket seat. Paul closed the door behind her and smiling, she rested her bag on her lap. He really was a gentleman. No man had opened and closed the car door for her before. And what a car this was. Stephanie admired the immaculate cashmere interior. She gasped as Paul got in beside her. "You've even got a dvd player in here."
"I know. It's cool, huh?" he grinned as he started up the engine.
The dash lit up in a warm orange glow. Stephanie shook her head amused. Paul was like a proud little boy right now. He obviously loved his car or whatever it was he had called it. She had to admit she couldn't blame him. It really was beautiful and no doubt ridiculously expensive. Paul was definitely not short of a dollar or two not that she gave a damn. He could be a pauper for all she cared.
As they pulled down the street, Stephanie pulled back the collar of her coat. Damn, it was warm in here. Being in such close proximity to Paul was playing havoc with her senses. She was burning up. She would open a window but there were that many damn buttons she wouldn't know which one to press. Suddenly she felt a strange sensation and she shifted uncomfortably on the seat. "Paul, why is my ass burning up?"
He chuckled as he turned the corner. "The seats are heated. You want me to turn it off?"
Stephanie nodded her head and smiled at him gratefully.
"Our dinner reservation is at eight thirty by the way. It's a nice place. I hope you like it."
"I'm sure I will." she smiled and turned and looked out the tinted glass window. The bright lights of the city passed her by and she felt her stomach churn in nervous anticipation. This was going to be a perfect date. She just knew it.
Twenty minutes later they were standing in the foyer waiting to be seated. Paul held her hand as she gazed towards the restaurant. It seemed busy with people seated at practically every table. Stephanie admired the ornate room which was surrounded by pillars but it was the large glass dome ceiling which caught her eye. She could see the stars in the black sky above. God, it was so romantic. The whole place had an intimate feel to it. She'd never been here before. She hadn't even known it had existed even although it was smack bang in the centre of the city. She was about to ask Paul if he had been here before when the woman with blonde hair and a red jacket caught her eye. Stephanie's blue eyes went wide as she tugged on Paul's hand to get his attention.
"I think we might have a problem." she whispered.
Paul looked at her curiously. "Why? Don't you like it here?" he asked.
Stephanie shook her head. "That's not the problem." She looked towards the restaurant area. "She is."
"Who?"
"See the lady in the red jacket three tables down on the left? She's blowing her nose with the napkin."
"You know that's fucking rude."
Stephanie couldn't help but chuckle. "Paul, it's not funny. That's Eleanor, Nick's wife."
"Hmmm, okay. But I don't see Nick with her."
"The chair beside her is empty. He's probably in the bathroom or something. What if he comes out and sees us together?" Stephanie turned to Paul. He was staring ahead thoughtfully. His brown eyes were narrowed in Eleanor's direction.
"I see what you mean. That could be a bit of a problem."
"Do you think we should make a run for it before he comes back?"
Paul turned to her and grinned. His brown eyes sparkled at her mischievously as he shook his head. "I like to live dangerously not to mention the fact I'm absolutely starving. I say we stay and take our chances. Besides they're preparing our table right at the back. Nick will never see us."
"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked.
"Absolutely." he smiled.
Suddenly he pulled her behind the pillar hiding her from view. The large yucca plant tickled her face. Stephanie's blue eyes were wide as she stared at him curiously.
"Nick is walking back to his table." said Paul as he pulled her closer towards him.
Stephanie's heart was thumping in her chest. She didn't know if it was being so close to Paul or the whole stress of the situation. Probably both but damn, he smelt wonderful.
"Did he see you?" she asked.
Paul shook his head as he peered through the leaves of the plant. "He's putting on his coat. They must be leaving."
"Maybe we should run outside."
"Too late. They're coming this way."
Stephanie licked her dry lips. "What are we going to……?"
She didn't get a chance to finish her question as Paul pulled her close and placed his mouth over hers. She moaned softly as he took her breath away. Butterflies danced in her chest as his lips parted, deepening the kiss. She didn't know how long they'd been standing there like that. She placed her hand over her chest as he broke the kiss. Her mouth was wet and the blood was beating in her ears. Her entire body was throbbing.
"They're gone now. I don't think they saw us." smiled Paul as he stepped back. Stephanie's heart was still pounding madly.
"Sir, your table is ready now." said the waiter as he appeared out of nowhere. "Please come this way."
Paul took her hand as Stephanie followed on behind him. She saw a middle aged couple at a table glance across at them. She was sure she was smiling widely and probably looked like a flustered idiot. She didn't care. She was here with Paul. Nothing else mattered. She thanked the waiter as he pulled out her chair. She sat down and placed her bag at her feet.
"So, what would you like to drink?" asked Paul.
Stephanie grimaced and shook her head. "I think I'll stick to water if you don't mind."
Paul chuckled as he picked up the leather bound menu and opened it. "Are you feeling a little delicate after last night?"
"Maybe." blushed Stephanie. She began to flick through her menu.
"You won't be the only one that is."
"I'm probably the only one that made a fool of myself though." she frowned and sighed softly.
"You didn't make a fool of yourself, Stephanie." he said in a gentle tone. She smiled at him gratefully. She had but it was sweet of him to try and reassure her. "But if it makes you feel better, a certain someone threw up in the ladies bathrooms."
She placed down her menu on the table intrigued. "Who was it?"
Paul shook his head. "I really shouldn't gossip about my staff." He glanced back down at his menu. "Mandy."
"Oh my God!" She snorted with laughter and hastily stifled it. Stephanie quickly busied herself in her menu. This was a nice place. She didn't want people looking over at them plus she had promised herself not to embarrass Paul tonight. She didn't want this to be their first and only date.
"It would probably be humiliating for her if word was to get out about it."
Stephanie looked up to see Paul smirking at her. "Maybe I should send out a company e-mail."
Paul laughed as the waiter came to take their order. He also requested a bottle of wine. It was Chardonnay. Her favourite and it certainly wasn't cheap. He winked at her as the waiter left. "In case you change your mind about having that drink."
Stephanie smiled at him. Maybe she would have one. After all it would be rude not to. Besides, hair of the dog and all that!
"So, tell me about yourself, Stephanie."
She smiled at him shyly as she fluffed up her napkin and placed it on her knee. "What do you want to know?" she asked.
"Everything." he said simply. His thick forearms rested in front of him.
Stephanie smiled and began to talk. Two hours later Paul was driving her home. She felt nice and warm thanks to the heated front seat or was it the fact she'd finished that bottle of wine? She wasn't entirely sure but she knew she'd had a wonderful time. Despite the disaster with the hair straighteners and seeing Nick at the restaurant, everything else had been totally perfect. It had been the best first date of her life.
"Thank you for tonight." she said shifting in her seat as the car stopped at the traffic lights. The wipers cleared the windscreen of the heavy rain that had just begun to fall. Soft music played on the radio. She had asked Paul to change it when they had left the restaurant. God knows she couldn't listen to that racket he had playing.
"You're welcome." he smiled.
His hand reached across and rested on her thigh. He squeezed it gently. His fingers burned her skin through the light material of her trousers. The lights changed to green but his hand remained on her leg. His thumb was making a small circular motion and was quite literally driving her crazy. Was it so wrong that he could affect her this badly? Surely she should have some self control for goodness sakes. As his hand crept up her leg, Stephanie swallowed thickly. But when it came to Paul, she knew she was absolutely hopeless. Absolutely hopeless and falling for him hard and so fast it actually scared her. She had never experienced feelings like this before in her life. Feelings that had completely overwhelmed her.
"This is you." Paul said as he pulled into the kerb. Stephanie realised she was home as he switched off the engine. The rain fell rhythmically against the windscreen as he turned in his seat to face her. His hand still rested on her leg. The raindrops cast tiny shadows across his handsome face. "I really had a good time tonight, Stephanie."
"So did I." she smiled. Her heart beat in her chest and she couldn't help think that if Paul had a good time maybe he would ask her out again. God, she hoped so. She really did. Would it be too forward if she asked him in for coffee? It probably would especially when she'd practically thrown herself at him last night when she'd offered to wear that lingerie for him.
"Well, maybe we could have a good time again really soon."
Stephanie nodded and smiled widely. Paul sounded quite shy. He really was so sweet. "I'd like that." she replied.
His face moved towards her and his hand cupped her cheek. His eyes closed as his mouth pressed firmly against hers. Stephanie sighed softly as she melted into his kiss. His hand gently squeezed her leg while his thumb traced her cheek. Her heart pounded wildly as his mouth opened hers. Paul's beard felt rough against her face. Stephanie allowed her fingers to reach across and tangle in his hair. The strands felt so soft on her fingertips. Suddenly she couldn't have him close enough. He began to kiss her deeply. Her body tingled as his hand moved to her neck. Stephanie moaned into his mouth as his tongue brushed against hers. Her body was throbbing all over wanting more of him. As his lips found her neck, Stephanie found she struggled to breathe. Her hand fell from his hair and her eyes fluttered open as they gazed at the steamed up window. "Do you want to go inside?" she whispered as his tongue flicked and tasted her skin.
Paul lifted his head. Stephanie's chest rose and fell with her heavy breathing. "Actually Steph, I probably should go."
"You don't have to." she said thickly. "You don't have to stay long."
As soon as the words slipped from her mouth, Stephanie realised she was mad. What was she suggesting? That he stayed long enough for her to rip his clothes off and sleep with him? It made her sound desperate and quite frankly she was. She had never wanted someone so badly and so desperately. Her blue eyes searched his handsome face eagerly.
"Look I don't want to leave but I think it's for the best." said Paul as he removed his hand from her leg and slid his fingers through hers. Stephanie gripped it tightly.
"So, I guess I'll just see you Monday." she said. His brown eyes were staring at her intently. She inhaled his cologne. It was intoxicating just like Paul.
"I guess you will." He smiled at her softly and his hand reached up pushing a loose curl behind her ear. His hand lingered on her cheek. "I meant what I said though. I'd really like to see you again, Steph."
"Me too." she smiled.
"Maybe next weekend?"
"I'd like that." she nodded.
"We could see a movie or something and take it from there." Stephanie felt his fingers caress her jaw before Paul leaned forward and gave her a gentle kiss. He pulled back and smiled. "Goodnight Steph."
"Goodnight Paul." she replied as she grabbed her bag and opened the passenger door. The rain instantly froze her skin as she stepped out onto the road. She gave him a final wave goodbye before the door closed and she rushed to her door. It was only when she was safely inside that she heard the car slowly pull away. Stephanie smiled as she unbuttoned her coat and Paul's words rang in her ears. We'll take it from there. Surely that had to mean something. God knows she wanted it to. More so now than ever after everything that had happened tonight. Until then she'd be the soul of discretion at work. She couldn't risk anyone finding out the truth about her and Paul. Her and Paul. God, that sounded like absolute heaven! Now all she had to do was find a way of surviving until next weekend and try her best to resist mauling Paul in the process. It would be hard but she'd find a way to do it.