Here is another date night!
This is a prompt from Sue, I hope you love it!
Dinner Cruise
There is a major time jump.
ASASASASASASASASASASAS
"You look stunning!" he says as I open the front door. He hands me a bouquet of purple lilies and white roses before he kisses my cheek.
"Thank you! You look quite remarkable yourself!" I say walking towards the kitchen to get a vase, as he follows suit.
"Are you almost ready to go?" he inquires as I put the vase on the counter and smell the gorgeous flowers.
"Just give me a few more minutes, and then I am all yours for the night." I say walking towards him. I stop to give him a kiss, it starts off gentle but grows deeper quickly. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me closer. I giggle as we break apart, because he loves to lightly nibble on my bottom lip.
"Thank you for the gorgeous flowers! Now let me go so I can finish getting ready, so we won't be late!" I say as I maneuver out his reach.
"Yes, ma'am! I know how much you hate being late." He teases. I turn and wink at him as I head back to the bedroom.
I go back to my vanity and reapply my Ravishing by MAC lipstick. I put the final touches on my mascara. I smooth over my navy dress. Running my hands over my V-neck neck line, assuring that my cleavage is just the right amount. I smooth the hem of the dress and it falls about 2 inches above my knees. A little shorter than I would usually wear. But tonight is our one year anniversary. So, I figure he deserves a little more of visual than normal.
Walking over to the closet, I grab the box of Jimmy Choo, nude and navy laced pumps, Gavin gave me for my birthday and slide them on. As I slide the last one on, I hear a knock at the door, "You almost finished?" he inquires. "Yes, just a few more seconds." I reply. "Ok." He says.
I grab my nude clutch and open it to make sure I the small blue gift box is tucked inside. I add my lipstick and my phone. Before I walk put the room, I do one final spray of my Marc Jacobs Daisy, So Fresh, he gave me as a 'just because' gift. What did I ever do to deserve a man like him?
"I'm ready" I say as I walk into the living room.
"Mmm, you smell amazing!" He says holding my coat open as I put my arms in.
"Thank you" I say as I turn around and kiss his cheek.
He holds the door open and says, "After you, my dear." I burst into laughter as I walk out. "What? Too corny?" he teasingly inquires as we link hands as we walk to the elevators.
"Just a little bit!"
We drive to the cruise while we engage in our normal conversations. As we are driving I take the time to truly admire the city and its beauty. Living here for so long and having a job were you see mostly gruesome things of the city, can make you forget how truly gorgeous Los Angeles is. Arriving at the Marina, I notice how beautiful the lights are that surround the pier. All of the boats are twinkling in the sea, illuminated by the night sky.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asks breaking from my trance as he opens the car door, and extends his hand to me.
"Mmm, yes it is!" I say as he lowers my cream shawl over my shoulders.
Walking to the yacht, I notice that there aren't a lot of people around for it to be the 4th of July. We board, and I see a few other couples walking around admiring the beautiful vessel. We are escorted to our table, which is tucked away in a nice corner, with a scenic view of the ocean, close enough to the dance floor. I notice that there is another bouquet of flowers on the table, this time lavender lilies and white lilacs.
"Aww, thank you honey!" I say leaning into his side.
"You are more than welcome, beautiful." He says before kissing my forehead. He hands me a gold box, trimmed with a chocolate ribbon.
"What is this?" I ask looking into his sparking sienna eyes. He mouths 'open it.' As I open it, I laugh at the note stuck inside:
S,
Sorry I dared you, to give up chocolate! I should have known you would have taken the challenge. This is to make up for the past three months!
Love, A.
P.S.
You did good!
"You know you were totally wrong for challenging me like that?" I tease. "I'm so sorry!" He teases back holding his heart, as if that is supposed to make me believe his apology any more.
Below the note is a dozen Godiva gold dusted chocolate truffles, "Well this will definitely make up for the three months! I will need to spend 4 hours in the gym to work off just one of these!" I tease.
"Baby, you don't need the gym, ever! You are perfect just the way you are." He rasps. "Uh huh, you're just saying that, in hopes that you will get lucky tonight!" I joke as he slides my chair under the table. "I hope it is working." He whispers in my ear, before retreating to his seat.
"Mmm, I don't know. The jury is still out on that one." I retort, smiling at his faux disappointed expression.
As we sit here and talk about various subjects, the waiter comes and takes our order. "Which entrée could I interest you in madam and sir?" the polite gentlemen inquires, as he places the assortment of artisan flat breads and baguettes with garlic herb cheese spread and a cilantro pesto on our table. "We will both have Panko-Crusted Salmon, with the seasoned vegetables" I say. "Also can you make sure that the vegetables do not include asparagus?" I add.
"Yes, madam. I will return shortly, with your house salads." He says before walking away.
"That was sexy." He whispers as he grabs ahold of my hand. "Oh, gosh, I could sneeze and you would think it is sexy!" I tease. "That is true!" He retorts before taking a bite of flat bread. I just laugh at him. How on Earth did I become so lucky, to find a man that loves every little thing about me? Even the stuff that irritates him, he still loves.
The waiter returns with our salads. He tops off our cider and grates the aged parmesan cheese over the salads before he retreats to the kitchen. Old Blue Eyes, is playing the background and Andy is humming the lyrics as he eats. I smile at his adorableness, of course I can't tell him I think he is adorable.
As our entrees arrive, his hand has made it is way under the table, caressing the inside of my knee, lightly. "This looks delicious!" he says. "You did good." he teases winking at me. "You shouldn't have expected anything less." I whisper in his ear. "Oh I didn't!" He says running his hand further up my thigh. I give him a slightly austere look, and he places his hand back on my knee. I mouth "thank you."
As we finish our entrees, the waiter comes back, and asks "Could I interest the lovely couple in dessert?" "Yes, thank you." Andy says. "Ok, tonight we have two options, the first is a crème brulee, topped with wild berries and freshly made cream sauce. The second is a trifold of gourmet ice cream, topped with seasonal fruits, mint and chocolate and caramel sauces." "Hmm, they both sound delicious." I say. "What do you want?" I ask him. "We will take the crème brulee, to share." Andy says.
"Ok. Could I interest you in a cocktail to go with it?" the waiter inquires.
"Umm, no thank you." I say. "Sharon, have the glass of wine." He says. "I'm fine." I assure him.
"She will have the Au Bon Climat Chardonnay, and I will take a cranberry and soda with a splash of grenadine and mint, thank you." He says as the waiter notes it on his pad. "The bartender will be right over with your drinks, and I will return shortly with your desserts." He says before walking away.
Andy waits until the waiter is no longer in earshot and says, "What have I told you about refusing to drink in front of me?" "You constantly, tell me to stop. But I don't want to tempt you." I rasp as I hold onto his hand tighter. "Sharon, sweetheart it doesn't tempt me, I promise you that." He says before leaning over to kiss my forehead. "Ok, but if it ever does, you have you promise to tell me right away." I say looking into his eyes. "I promise." He says as the bartender sits our drinks in on the table.
As we sit and enjoy our drinks and listen to the music and watch the other beautiful couples dance, he asks, "Would you like to dance?"
"Mmm, maybe later." I respond as I tuck myself into his side and take another sip of my wine.
"You are the constant people watcher." He teases. "Yes, I am. I can't help it. Being a cop for so long it becomes second nature. But I rarely, get to see people at so much peace, and I am thoroughly enjoying it tonight." I say.
"Well, I'm happy that the simple things make you happy." He replies before kissing my temple.
"What? Did you think I was high maintenance or hard to please or something?" I tease.
"To be honest, when I first met you, yep." He confesses.
"Let me guess, it was the rumors that you heard, about the 'hard ass ruthless FID Captain, who needed to be laid,' that gave you that impression? I inquire looking into his eyes.
"Yes, and the fact that you always wore Armani or Gucci." He teases as he trails his finger along my jawline.
"Hmm." I whisper. "Hmm, what?" He asks gazing into my eyes. "So, what do you think now?" I inquire intently gazing into his eyes.
"I think no scratch that, I know you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. By beauty I don't just mean your outer beauty, I mean the inside as well. You have one of the most beautiful souls, I have ever encountered. You have had your share of hardships, but you don't let that tarnish how much genuinely care for others. You are filled with so much passion, and it shows in everything that you do. Your outer beauty is what originally attracted me to you, but your inner beauty is what captivated my heart. I know that you aren't the hard ass that I once thought you were. It is that passion that you have that drives you enforce the rules, which confuses people. I also know that you are not high maintenance. You work hard, you deserve the finer things in life, and to top it off you go out and get those things yourself, you don't expect others to do so for you." He confesses as a tear streams down my cheek, and he wipes it away with his thumb.
My lips are gently pressed against his as his thumb gently strokes my cheek. The kiss is short but sweet. The waiter delivers the dessert as we resuming watching the couples on the dance floor. As they sway to the heavenly voice of Ella Fitzgerald, he feeds me a bite of the crème brulee, "Mmm, this is really good."
As we finish the dessert, I look out the window and admire the sea illuminated by the night sky. "Let's go on the deck," I say. He swiftly, stands and pulls my chair out for me and hold his hand out, always the perfect gentleman. His hand finds its way to the small of my back and guides me to the deck.
Upon walking onto the deck, I walk to the railing and stand there in awe of the beauty the sea holds. I feel his warm and strong arms settles around me. He pulls me back into his embrace and places a kiss on my temple, once more. It is those little gestures, which make me fall in love with him more and more each day.
We stand here in companionable silence, listening to waves, and the ambience of the couples and intertwined with the music. "What are you thinking about, beautiful?" he inquires breaking the silence. "How far we have come, and how much farther we have to go." I confess. "Hmm, I like the sound of that." He says. "I do, too! We have a promising future, my love." I say. "That's good!" He whispers in my ear, before lightly nibbling on it. I giggle a little before saying, "Stop that!" "What?" He playfully asks.
"You are something else, Mr. Flynn." I say as I turn around in his arms, and wrap my arms around his neck, "But you are my something else." I whisper in his ear, before lightly nibbling on his ear. He groans and says, "Now you stop it." We both laugh. His lips grace mine mid laugh and he deepens the kiss quickly. As our tongues massage each other, I see sparks of light. I open my eyes, to see fireworks in the sky. We both stop to look at the beautiful display. "I guess we are quite lucky, that our anniversary is on 4th of July." He whispers into my ear. "Yes, we are."
Other couples start joining us on the deck to watch the show. As the show continues he wraps his arms back around me and tucks me into his chest. As the show is ending we hear, other couples gasp and we turn around to see a man on bended knee, asking his partner to marry him. His partner lets out a resounding, "Yes!" as we onlookers start clapping and cheering. "Love is a beautiful thing isn't it?" He whispers in my ear. "Mmm hmm." I say before passionately adjoining our lips. As we break apart, I say, "Let's go inside, it is getting kind of chilly." He leads me inside and we sit down at the table and newly engaged couple, Michael and Tony, are dancing in the middle of the dance floor to Etta James, "At Last."
Watching them brings unspeakable amounts of joy to my heart. To think that 70 years ago, they wouldn't have had the chance to get married, not only because they are both men, because they are an interracial couple. My faith in humanity manages to get stronger every day, despite the depraved things I encounter at work.
"Beautiful?" He rasps. I hum.
"Are you thinking about how lucky they are?" He inquires.
"Yes," I respond.
"You are one hell of a lady!" He whispers causing me to blush. "So, I've been told!" I tease leaning into his side.
We both laugh. As the song stops a man approaches our table and hands a white folder. "Enjoy!" He says before walking away. I open the folder and it is photograph of Andy and I on the deck, looking out into the sea. "Wow, this is beautiful." He says. "I know the perfect place to put it." I rasp. "Where might that be?" he inquires.
I reach into my clutch and grab the small blue gift box, and hand it to him, "Open this first, and then I will tell you."
He reaches for the box and pulls the top off, he reads the note tucked inside:
A,
No more bachelor pad.
Kisses,
Beautiful
He smiles as he sits the note aside and picks up the key and reads it aloud, "Home is where the heart is."
"You always say, your heart is wherever I am, so I thought it was fitting." I confess. He smiles and says, "I can't wait to get home!" I laugh at his double meaning before I say, "I'm sure you can't."
"So, where should this beautiful picture go in our home?" He inquires.
"Hmm, how about right next to our bed?" I suggest. He reaches down to lift my chin and ardently kisses me, causing me to moan. His tongue seeks entrance and I am more than happy to oblige. As the necessity for air becomes profound, we break the kiss and I ask, "I take it that you are agree?"
"I agree with anything that includes our bed." He teases before lightly pecking my lips. "You are hopeless!" I retort. "Yep, hopelessly in love with you." He whispers in my ear.
The Captain comes over the intercom and says, "Ladies and Gentleman as we embark back to port, enjoy this last song. It has been my pleasure taking you on this wonderful cruise. I hope that you all thoroughly enjoyed yourselves. Goodnight."
"You Are So Beautiful" by Joe Crocker begins to play, "Can I have this dance?" He asks holding his hand out to me. As we take our place on the dance floor, he pulls me in closer and settles his hand on the small of my back as his other hand intertwines with mine. I settle my hand on his shoulder. We sway softly as the tune takes us into a lovely trance.
You are so beautiful
To me
You are so beautiful
To me
As the song continues we continue to follow the beautiful flow of the music and lyrics. He begins to sing in my ear: "Can't you see/You're everything I hoped for/You're everything I need/You are so beautiful/To me." As his voice lulls me to into a romantic sedation, I begin trailing kisses down his jaw. The songs ends and we head back to our table, "You know I meant every word of that song, right?" He asks. "Yes, I do." I say before kissing him soundly.
We grab our things and walk past the Captain and his crew, "Mr. Flynn" the Captain says, "I hope we played the correct rendition for you." "Yes, you did. Thank you, again Captain." Andy says as I look between pleasantly surprised. "It was my pleasure, Mr. Flynn, have a good evening." The Captain says as Andy shakes his hand.
As we walk to the car, my curiosity gets the best of me, "Was that your old partner from Robbery Homicide?"
"Mmm, hmm." He says.
"Wow, from a detective to a Captain of a yacht." I express as we approach the car.
"Actually, he owns it and a few more." He states as he opens the door. He walks around to his side and I lean over to open his door, he gets in and takes my hand before starting the engine and says, "Let's go home."
ASASASASASASASASASASASAS
Leave me some cute little nuggets of love! They are my brain food.