"Carol, hi," William replied, sounding cheerful. "It's not that late. It's good to hear from you." He was so smooth and charming. Daryl was charming too, but it was a different kind of charm.
Carol decided to just go for it before she got wrapped up in small talk and lost her nerve. "I was wondering if you were still interested in… dinner?"
"Yeah, of course," he said quickly. She could tell from the sound of his voice that he was smiling and she smiled too. "The storm got me really backed up at work…" he started and Carol felt her stomach sink. "So I have to get caught up all day tomorrow… but what about Monday night? Does that work for you?"
"Yes, definitely," she replied. Truth was, she really wanted it to be the next night, but what was one more day? "I'll let you pick the place, since I'm not really familiar with the local restaurants… but if you ever visit Atlanta, I've got you covered." What the hell was that? They hadn't even been out yet and she was talking about him visiting Atlanta? Carol was pretty sure she was gonna scare the man away before they ever went out.
He chuckled and Carol felt her cheeks get red. Thank God he couldn't see her. "Well if I get to pick the pace, it's definitely Riverpark. Amazing food. And a gorgeous view of the East River. You'll love it, I promise."
"Sounds lovely," she replied genuinely. She loved restaurants with great scenery.
"I'll make reservations for 7. Where do I pick you up?" he asked.
Carol hadn't considered that part. She really didn't want any awkwardness with Daryl… "I can just meet you there," she said. "Just incase work runs late and I don't have time to get back to my apartment first," she lied. It wasn't a complete lie though, sometime they did shoot longer than planned. But she had a shorter day Monday, so it wouldn't be an issue.
"That works. So I guess I'll see you at 7 on Monday. Riverpark," William said. "Do you need directions?"
"I'm good," Carol replied. "See you then."
There was a long awkward pause and finally he spoke. "I'm really glad you called. Night Carol."
"Night," she answered before hanging up. She wasn't sure if she should call him William or Bill. Or Willy, Carol thought with a little laugh. She was feeling a bit conflicted about her decision because it felt like she was using him. If she was honest with herself, she was definitely using him. But she wasn't opposed to whatever might happen after she got what she wanted. And if not… people had one night stands all the time. Maybe he wouldn't like her anyway. Maybe they wouldn't hit it off at all. Maybe they would just have sex to see if it made things better. And after that… who knows.
Or maybe, Carol thought, walking towards her bedroom… Maybe he's amazing. Sweet. Kind. And great in bed. She would find out… Monday night.
She woke up Sunday morning thinking about Daryl again. She was way too excited that he'd be home later that night and it annoyed her deeply. If only William was free that night instead of the next… if only. Carol realized she was putting a lot of faith in this date/sex thing distracting her from unholy thoughts and urges about Daryl. What if it didn't work?
After mulling over things most of the morning Carol decided the only thing she could do was try. She also decided she would kill the rest of the day with a little retail therapy and headed out to shop. Hours later, by the time she piled all her bags into the cab to head home it was already dark out. My god, she thought, looking at the pile of bags beside her on the back seat, I just spent more than I'm gonna make in the movie. It was an exaggeration, but not a big one.
She had found far too many cute scarves, necklaces and bracelets and she just couldn't resist buying them all. There was one scarf in particular she was in love with, so she bought an entire outfit to go with it. Then she decided that outfit wasn't right for her date so she bought another. And another, just in case she tried the first one on and wasn't feeling it. And one last one, a dress that fit her perfectly, even if she had no where to wear it. On the way out of the mall she spotted Victoria's Secret and decided it was probably a good time to upgrade her undergarments. She picked out a few undies you only wear when there's a chance you're gonna get laid. And a few others she liked. Then she bought bras to match the sexiest pairs. When the cashier rang up the total Carol had wondered how on earth such a small amount of material could add up to so much money.
She was digging cash out of her purse to have ready to pay the cabby when she noticed there was a text on her cell sent almost an hour earlier: Just landed. Should be home in a couple hrs. Will u wait up?
Her heart thudded in her chest. Daryl was at the airport. And he would be home in an hour. She actually had worried she might not even see him until the next afternoon when she got home from work - if he got in too late and she was gone before he was up. It was perplexing why it felt so essential to see him. They spent weeks, even months, apart some years when he wasn't filming in Georgia or when she took roles out of the state. But in less than a week he'd firmly become a part of her routine. Carol was big on routines and once she had one set she liked to stick to it. Yes, that had to be it. She had OCD tendencies and he was now part of them for the duration of her stay. It had nothing to do with his smile, or those biceps, or his sexy flirting. Nope. Definitely not.
Miss me Dixon? she replied. What the fuck, Carol shook her head, realizing after sending it that she was getting right back into the flirting routine.
You know it, was his reply. Yep, right back to where they left off. No big deal, Carol told herself. The flirting and teasing was nothing new. The only reason she was feeling something different was because she needed sex and she was living with a good looking man who was very flirty. It wasn't Daryl. It was circumstance.
See you soon, Carol texted back before shoving the phone into her purse and resuming money collecting. When the cab pulled up in front of her building she handed over the cash, which included a sizable tip since she didn't have any smaller bills, collected her bags and got out.
On the off chance he was already home Carol wandered into the living room to check there first. She set her bags on the couch and quickly checked the rest of the apartment. There was no sign of him. She decided to make something to eat and as she'd been doing all weekend she took it into the living room and turned on the tv while she ate.
When she heard the door a while later she resisted the urge to jump up and meet him in the hallway. She waited until he was in sight, "Hey, welcome home." Daryl smiled at her. He looked exhausted, which didn't surprise her. He likely went out Saturday night and had to be up early that morning to sign.
He dropped his suitcase and took a few steps towards her. "What? Not even a hug?" he said with a pout.
She rolled her eyes, but stood up and walked into his embrace. He smelled funny. But she knew it was a mixture of all the perfumes of the women he'd been hugging and posing for photos with. There were likely some even recently at the airport. "You look like you need some sleep," Carol said, stepping back.
"Hmm, I will. But first… tell me about your weekend," he requested. Carol moved back to her seat on the couch and Daryl sat beside her. He didn't have the option to sit any further away with all her bags still at the other end. "Looks like you had some fun with your Visa today," he said, eyeing the bags.
"Yeah… maybe a little too much fun," Carol replied, with a sheepish look.
Daryl was still eying the bags. "What's in here?" he asked, grabbing the pink bag from Victoria's Secret. Before she had a chance to snatch it he was pulling something out. Carol reached to yank it away, but he quickly stood and dodged her. "Holy fuck," he muttered, holding up the skimpiest damn thing she'd bought. It happened to be the pair she intended on wearing the next evening. It wasn't exactly a thong. The display called it a 'cheeky panty.'
Daryl held them up and she felt her cheeks go red. They were bright blue, completely lace, very much see thru, but the part she thought was really cute and sexy was the heart shaped cutout in the back… the same cutout that Daryl was poking his finger through muttering something about it being very interesting. Suddenly he looked up at her. "Wait a minute… what do you need panties like this for?"
"Because I like them," Carol attempted.
"No, no, no…" he shook his head. "These are 'fuck me' panties. Is there a matching bra in there?" Carol looked away. "There is," he laughed. "So who is the lucky guy?"
"Why does there have to be a guy?" Carol asked. "Maybe I bought them for later… or in case…"
"You can't lie to me. I can see it on your face. Is it that guy from the bar?" he asked. She scowled. "You're really going out with that pretty boy?"
"Look who's talking," Carol shot back.
"I am not a pretty boy, you know that," he said, looking at the panties again. "I clean up good, but only when I have to." He flung the panties at her. "If you want to model them I can let you know how they look," he offered with a grin. "It's not really fair that some guy you just met gets all the glory."
"I kinda hate you right now," she said, tucking the panties back in the bag.
Daryl plopped back down beside her and ignored her statement. "So where is he taking you?"
"Uh… Riverpark…" she replied. She felt weird talking about her date with him.
He nodded. "Nice place. You'll like it." He stared at her for a moment. "You really sure he's a good choice?"
"Why do you care?" Carol asked, looking suspiciously at him. Was there a hint of jealousy?
"Dunno," he shrugged. "New York is full of creeps and arrogant assholes… perverts," he grinned as if he was proud of the label.
"He got my suitcase off the conveyer at the airport," she explained. "He already had his stuff, but I missed mine the first time and he waited… just to help me."
"Ohhh how chivalrous," Daryl teased. "Maybe he recognized you."
"Maybe. But it was still sweet," she said defensively.
"So wait… are you actually interested in this guy? Or is this just a booty call?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" Carol said, giving him a bit of a glare.
Daryl licked his lips and the sight of his damn tongue made her forget what she'd even asked as he replied, "I guess not… but I'm curious."
Fuck, what were we even talking about? Deflect, a voice in her head yelled. "It's late. I gotta be up early." he nodded, but he had that look… that terrifying look that could make her do almost anything. Like allow him to kiss her. So much kissing with him. Too much kissing. But it was just too good to stop. Once again she found herself parting her lips and eagerly meeting his tongue. And this time, she even let Daryl draw her into his lap, as they continued to kiss. Her body was screaming for more and her heart was pounding so hard it was all she could hear. She felt his hand trailing down her back. This was how sex so often started. A little kissing, a little groping and the next thing you know… Dammit, she had to stop it. But his hand was almost to her ass and she wanted him to cup her cheek and squeeze. She wanted his fingers to move lower, and get so close… With a frustrated growl she pushed away and moved out of his lap, standing up and getting even more distance between them.
"Daryl… what's with the kissing again?" Carol said, trying to catch her breath and steady herself from the weakness in her knees.
He stood and once again he was right back in her space. Carol struggled to breathe. "If tomorrow night goes well… I might not be able to do that anymore without risking a beating," he shrugged. "I mean, I could probably take him though," Daryl added with the sexiest smile she'd ever seen. He lifted her chin with a finger and looked into her eyes. She had no idea what was going on by that point. Her brain was mush. "If his kiss isn't better than mine… If he doesn't make you feel something… Don't do it."
With that he released her and walked away. Don't do it… Was Daryl really telling her not to have sex with William if it didn't mean anything? Really? Was that actually coming from a guy who had random hookups all the time? And likely had at least one or two while he was in Dallas. What the fuck was happening? And why was she actually considering taking his advice.
