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"You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly." - Sam Keen

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Chapter 44

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"Sam, I don't want to pressure you but we have reservations!" Martin shouted from the living room.

"Hold your horses!" Sam shouted back while standing in front of the bathroom mirror applying her lipstick.

She had to laugh at the absurdity of the moment. Here she was getting dressed for what was, technically, her and Martin's first date and they are already playfully bickering like a couple that has been together for a lot more than a week.

Sam stopped to check herself; she just referred to her and Martin as a couple. But the real surprise was it didn't terrify her. Actually, it gave her a warm feeling of comfort. She smiled and shook her head and finished getting ready.

Once she was done, she took a final look in the mirror, smiled at her reflection and headed downstairs.

When she entered the living room Martin was sitting on the sofa flipping through a magazine. He heard her approach and looked up, "I was beginning to get worri….Whoa." Martin stood up and judging by the look on his face, Sam was certain that if he were a cartoon character this would be the moment when his eyes bugged out, jaw dropped to the floor and his tongue unfurled. "Wow….you look…..uh, wow, you look amazing."

She was wearing the little black dress that she always packed just in case. Although this is the first occasion that the gamble of packing it had actually paid off. It was form fitting in all the right places and the low 'V' design accentuated her cleavage just right. She had decided to wear her hair down in thick wavy curls and by the smile on his face she was sure he liked it.

She twirled and posed for him. "So, was it worth the wait?"

He gaped at her before he smiled broadly and said, "Absolutely."

He was wearing his dark charcoal suit and a deep blue shirt with the first few buttons undone. He stepped forward and pulled her close, kissing her gingerly on the lips when she pulled back and said, "Reservations remember?"

Martin jutted his lower lip out and said, "Yeah, right. Let's go."

He gave her another kiss before turning to led them both out. They walked into the garage and climbed into the Jeep. Martin hit the garage door opener and as soon as the engine started up the heater kicked on, blowing cold air onto her shins before slowly switching to warm.

When Martin pulled out into the street Sam asked, "So where are we going? You never told me."

"First stop is dinner at Moto." Martin smiled and pulled to a stop at a light. "It's on Fulton Market in the meat packing district. According to James it's supposed to be an amazing experience to eat there."

"Experience, huh?" Sam leaned back into her seat and said, "I can't wait."

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The décor of the small restaurant could best be described as minimalist. The walls were white, the booths a soft cinnamon color and the chairs a dark chocolate but it was all done in a very hip and modern fashion making the light airy atmosphere warm and inviting.

Martin and Sam sat smiling at one another as they perused the menu; a menu that was actually pad Thai stir fry in the form of edible paper. After agreeing to the ten-course option, something that while it seemed like a lot of food, Martin insisted on ordering since the portions were so small. Sam was ready to protest but Martin waved her off and said he would gladly eat anything she couldn't.

As Martin chomped on his menu he said, "When James mentioned that it was going to be a culinary experience he wasn't kidding."

Sam laughed as she bit into her own menu. "I have to say, after hearing the waiter describe the courses this will definitely be a dinner I won't forget."

Martin raised his wine glass to hers and said, "That's good because that's exactly what I was going for."

Suddenly their waiter appeared with their first course. "This is the first portion of your dining experience, black bean, chocolate marshmallow and beer."

Sam met Martin's eyes just as they both looked down at the beautifully assembled food on the dish and wondered just how they were supposed to eat it. Fortunately, the waiter noticed they hesitation and talked them through it.

As they grew accustomed to the 'experience' of eating haute cuisine they were able to relax enough to carry on a conversation.

"So, what's next for you and your family?" Martin asked as he took a drink of his wine. Earlier in the afternoon Sam had updated Martin on all that happened back home with her mom and sister.

"We all promised that we wouldn't let more than two weeks pass before getting in touch." Sam replied, savoring the taste of this unusual dish. "My mom actually wanted it to be more like twice a week but I finally convinced her that with my schedule there was no way I could commit to it."

"Hmm…." Martin placed his glass back on the table. "So, how many phone calls am I allotted?"

Sam twitched her lips into a smile and said, "I don't know. If you can promise me that your conversation will be provocative I guess I can try to make an exception and give you a little leeway."

He laughed.

The evening flew by as they chatted about nothing and everything between courses of vanilla scallop with carbonated fruit salsa, potato links with sausage links, and a fish entrée that you could actually watch be cooked inside a small polymer box as it sat on the table.

A few hours later as they stood outside the restaurant waiting for the valet to pull around the car they were both still discussing the various dishes that they had ate.

"I think 'A Study in Utensils' is my favorite." Sam commented with a laugh, still feeling a little giddy from the wine. "You have to give them points for extreme creativity."

Martin laughed and shook his head before pulling her into a playful embrace. "I'm glad you liked it."

"I did." Sam was happy being held by Martin. It was still quite cold out and she was safely surrounded by Martin's warm body heat. She looked up and softly kissed him. "So, where are we off to next?"

Just as the valet arrived with the Jeep Martin waggled his eyebrows at her as he said, "We're going dancing."