Kat sat at a table outside of the coffee shop. Since Larry had decided to change it up and beat her there last week, she made an effort to be extra early. That meant that for the past 15 minutes she'd been sitting by herself, fiddling with the strap of her clutch and watching the people of New York City scuttle by. She didn't mind the wait too much; it gave her time to think. She was still unsure what to make of Larry. Actually, unsure was an understatement. He completely baffled her. Obviously, he was interested in her. Nobody could mistake the way that he had watched her all those weeks, or the way that he had pinned her under his piercing gaze the week before when they finally really had a chance to talk. At first, she had been worried that he'd only wanted to add her to his list of conquests. Now, she wasn't so sure that she minded if that was where this went. That alarmed her a bit. She was vehemently not the one-night stand type. However, there was something about Larry that made her feel so out of control. She wasn't sure she liked it. Her whole life she was used to being in control. Growing up she had made sure her younger brother was cared for, that the housework was done, and, even sometimes, that the bills were paid. When she left home after high school, she made it through college and beyond without any help or guidance. Hell, even her career involved her being in charge and in control.
It settled her a bit; being able to put a finger on why Larry unnerved her so much. However, she wasn't sure if letting go and allowing herself to be out of control for once would be such a bad thing. Yes, it scared her, but so had a classroom full of high schoolers at first. Now she loved her job. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath in, held it for a beat, then let it out again. She would let herself have this. For once in her life, she would let herself be out of control. Within reason. A small smile played on her lips. She was definitely still going to make him work for it.
She saw him before he saw her, which was a good thing, because it gave her ample opportunity to drink him in. In a change from his normal jeans, button up, and blazer, he was wearing black slacks. The way the pleats fell accentuated his tall, lean frame. His normal blazer and button up were on top, this blazer a matching black to the pants. She was amazed by how well tailored everything was. It all looked made for him. A woman on the street stopped and stared as he went by, her eyes raking him up and down with lust and envy. Clearly Kat wasn't the only one who noticed how good he looked.
Larry's whole face lit up when he spotted her, and he made a beeline for her table. The woman's gaze flashed to her; her stare filled with venom. After looking Kat up and down she scoffed and turned away. Kat felt a ball form at the pit of her stomach. Nobody was going to think she was worthy of him, were they? She clenched her jaw and shoved that thought aside. All that mattered was what he thought, and he looked nothing but pleased to see her. Reminding herself of her agreement to let herself have this, whatever this ended up being, she stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Darling." Larry leaned down and kissed her cheek. "You went above and beyond the assignment. You look absolutely ravishing." She watched lust flash across his face as he took her in.
"You did say to "wear something pretty"" Kat reminded him, making air quotes around the statement he had made last Thursday. She had spent an hour after work trying on every single dress in her closet. After more than a dozen discarded dresses, she finally settled on one that she liked. In a nod to the 50s the dress had an A-line shape which emphasized her narrow waist then flared away, ending just at the knees. The sweetheart neckline emphasized her cleavage while still being discreet, and the half sleeves kept her from freezing in the unpredictable New York City spring weather. Her favorite part about the dress, however, was that the shade of teal almost identically matched her hair. She threw on her vintage heels and her favorite silver key necklace and she was good to go.
"That I did. And so, you have. Very well done, Kitten. A plus." She nearly squirmed at the pleasure his praise sent through her. Liquid heat pooled in her stomach as his eyes roved over her, lingering on her hips, waist, and cleavage, before coming to rest on her face.
"You clean up pretty nice yourself" Kat offered, chuckling. Talk about understatement of the year.
"I'm glad you think so. It is for you, after all." Reaching out, he tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. Gently, he traced the shell with one finger before pulling back. Kat swore she stopped breathing. "Shall we?" It was difficult, but she forced herself to nod. Her muscles didn't seem to want to work. He offered her his arm, like she was a woman in a period drama. After a second's hesitation she wound her arm through his.
"Where are we headed?" she asked, trying to focus on anything except the heat that emanated from where they were touching.
"Just a little restaurant I've heard about. A wine bar."
"You like wine?" she asked, a little surprised.
"I'm partial to reds myself, though I appreciate all types. Rarely do I get the opportunity to indulge, however, tonight is special." He looked down at her and grinned. Kat felt a blush spread across her cheeks. "It is about a 10-minute walk, and while those shoes are lovely, they don't look like walking would be very comfortable."
"I can manage," Kat answered. "They're actually a lot more comfortable than they look. Part of why I bought them."
"Very practical." Larry guided her down the block, keeping her on the inside of the sidewalk. She also noticed that he kept his pace exactly matched to hers, neither rushing her nor slowing her down. Always the gentleman. That was another thing about him that confused her. How could someone so gentlemanly be so wily and absolutely filthy at the same time? He had hardly touched her, but she could see in his eyes that he'd fucked her in his head more times than she could count. "Are you always like that, practical?"
"Usually" Kat answered as they walked. The sun was starting to set, casting an orange glow over all of the city. "I'm trying to work on giving myself permission to let loose a little bit but… it's a work in progress."
"Am I a part of that work in progress?" he asked her with a smirk. "Is that why you finally agreed?"
"Partially, yes. Normally I wouldn't let myself go for someone out of my lane. Not practical, you see."
"Oh, so I'm out of your lane?" he asked, his tone lightly teasing.
"Honey, you're so far out of my lane, you're in another zip code." This made Larry laugh.
"I disagree, quite strongly. I've never met anyone more appealing to me than you." She suspected to see the glint in his eye that told her he was teasing, but his sea blue eyes were quite serious. "But you said partially, what's the other part?"
"I realized I would be crazy not to fuck a hot guy that was as into me as you seem to be. And even if this does end up being a one-night stand, I'm pretty sure you'll make it worth it." Kat pressed her lips together, mortified that she'd actually been honest with him. Where was her head tonight?
"Oh, it will be worth it, Pet. Though I doubt I could get my fill of you in just one night. I'll probably have to come back for more." Larry's voice had gone rough and husky, causing a jolt of heat to roar through her body. Not tonight, she reminded herself. Not tonight.
"I still plan on making you wait a little longer" she said, attempting to hide how much he was affecting her.
"I can wait. I already know you'll be worth it. The question is though, can you?" Before she could respond he spun her around so she was facing him, his eyes boring into hers. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but his lips were on hers before she could say anything. The kiss felt like honey being poured, sweet and thick, as liquid fire traveled through her veins. His lips were soft, gentle yet demanding at the same time. She could feel his hand on her face, his long, pale fingers cupping the back of her neck as his thumb gently traced her cheekbone. His tongue darted out, tracing her bottom lip. However, when she parted her lips to let him in, he just nipped her once before moving away.
"Tease" she accused him, sounding just as out of breath as she felt.
"You don't know the meaning of the word yet, Kitten. But don't worry." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'll teach you." That time she couldn't disguise her shiver of desire, and she felt his smirk as he slowly pulled back from her. "By the way, we've arrived." He put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her around.
Indeed, they had. She had been so wrapped up in Larry that she hadn't even noticed. The restaurant was on the first floor of an old brick building. On the left there was a large, antique looking wooden door with several beautiful pieces of stained glass inlaid into it, and on the right, there was a large window so the customers inside could look out onto the street. A long red awning with gold letters spelling the name of the restaurant covered the sidewalk. Under the awning were a couple sets of tables and chairs, nearly all of them full.
"How did you find this place?" Kat asked. "I've never noticed It before."
"I spotted it while walking. It's supposed to be one of the best restaurants around. How about we find out, hm?" He raised an eyebrow at her inquisitively. She nodded, taking a step toward the big wooden door. As she walked, she felt Larry place his hand on her lower back. When they reached the large wooden door, he opened it before she could even reach the handle, silencing her protest with a playful glare. Clearly, he was going to play the gentleman tonight, and he expected her to let him. That was fine with her. She wasn't about to argue if he wanted to spoil her.
"Welcome in!" The hostess that greeted them was tall and blonde, her hair framing her face in delicate, gentle waves. "Do you have a reservation?" After scanning them both quickly up and down, she turned her gaze back to Larry, batting her eyelashes. Kat sighed internally. She could already see how this conversation was going to go.
"I do, in fact. Under Larry Thorson." Larry's tone was high and lofty, as if to convey he had absolutely no interest in speaking to her. She felt his hand return to her back, where she felt him begin to move his thumb in slow, tantalizing circles. Fuck, was his goal tonight to drive her crazy?
"Alright, let me check the list." The hostess made a show of sticking the end of the pen in her mouth while she checked the list of names. Even Kat could see Larry's name was at the top. Glancing up at Larry she could tell he noticed, but instead of being entranced he just looked sort of pissed off. Why was he pissed? The hand on her back moved up to her waist, and with subtle pressure he pulled her closer to him. "Here you are. 6:15 reservation for 2." When she glanced up at the list, Kat saw the hostess' eyes flicker to Larry's hand on her waist, the thumb still drawing slow, sensuous circles. A slight frown tugged at the edge of the hostess' lips. "Would you like a booth or a table?"
"What do you think, Darling?" Larry asked her, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. It was in that moment that Kat realized what he was doing. Larry was making a show of being with her. He was making it absolutely clear to any woman who might be watching that he was not and would not be interested in them in any way. She felt her heart squeeze. Nobody had ever done that for her. Before if anyone had made a show out of being with her, it usually was because she was the butt of the joke. They wanted to try to make her happy only to watch her be crushed when it wasn't real. However, the adoring look that Larry had on his face when he looked down at her told her that this time the butt of the joke was the hostess. That explained why he'd looked pissed. He was upset that the waitress even had the audacity to try to entice him. Kat nearly squirmed with pleasure but instead she smirked slightly. If Larry wanted to be subtly petty, she could definitely play along.
"Which one is more… private?" she asked. Larry's answering smirk told her that she had done exactly what he'd wanted.
"We have some booths toward the back that are pretty private, if that works for you?" The hostess turned her gaze back to Larry.
"Sounds perfect."
"Well then, if you two would follow me?" The waitress turned her back on them abruptly, but Kat saw the sting of rejection in her eyes.
"After you, Kitten." Larry used the hand on his waist to nudge her forward. Kat followed the waitress back through the restaurant to a back room with several private looking booths.
"How's this?" the hostess asked, turning once again to Larry.
"Wonderful, thank you." Larry didn't even glance at her. Kat noticed that he waited for her to sit down before he did. Always the gentleman. The filthy, mischievous gentleman.
"Here are your menus," the waitress said brusquely. She must have given up. "And here is our wine list. Specials are at the top. Christina will be your server tonight and she'll be right over in a few minutes. Anything else I can do for you?"
"I think we're just fine, thank you." Again, Larry didn't even glance at the hostess. Instead, his eyes remained pinned on Kat. The hostess all but stormed away, which made him scowl. "What a dull creature," he remarked as soon as she was out of earshot.
"Larry! Be nice," Kat chided gently, but she couldn't stop a chuckle from coming through.
"As if she could interest me when I have you by my side."
"Clearly they don't see what you do." Kat just shrugged. She was so used to this kind of treatment that it almost didn't sting anymore. Almost.
Larry had opened his mouth to speak, but before anything came out their waitress strode up to their table. Kat guessed she was around her age, perhaps a little bit younger. She had long brown hair that was pinned back in a ponytail and rich chocolate brown eyes set in a pale heart shaped face. She had to be one of the most beautiful women Kat had ever seen. Even after Larry's show with the hostess she felt unease grow in her stomach. How could he ignore that?
"Hi guys! I'm Christina and I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you started with any drinks, a cocktail, maybe a bottle of wine?"
"Do you mind if I choose, Darling?" Larry asked Kat with a quirk of his eyebrow.
"Not at all hon. Go right ahead." Clearly, Larry had something already in mind. She was curious to know what that was.
"I glanced at your menu last week when I stopped by to make the reservation, and I noticed that you had a cheese board with a matching wine flight?"
"That's right!" the waitress replied. "Each of the wines in the wine flight was specially selected to match with one of the cheeses on the board."
"Excellent. I think we'll start there for now."
"Alright, sounds good. Again, my name is Christina. Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything at all, all right?" She fixed Larry with a look that was downright salacious before walking away. Kat rolled her eyes. Great.
"What is it about you that has all these women drooling?" Kat asked him teasingly after the waitress had left.
"Well… it either has to be my striking good looks, my boundless intelligence, or my profound modesty." Larry laughed.
"It's the modesty for sure" Kat said with a snort.
"Kat, Darling," Kat's breath nearly caught in her throat. It was the first time he'd ever said her name out loud, and it sounded like a caress. "For once in my life I'm going to be entirely serious."
"Are you sure you can manage that?" Kat raised her eyebrows. Larry fixed her with a hard stare, and she pressed her lips together, silencing herself.
"You are the only woman who interests me. The only one." His sea blue eyes pinned her in place. "No one here, nor out there for that matter, could hold a candle to you. Not to me."
"Well, I think you're pretty fantastic also. No complaints on my end." Kat smiled at him. Butterflies roared through her stomach.
"I'm glad. I would hate to mar my perfect record." He winked at her. Kat just rolled her eyes.