The next evening came quickly, and after speaking to Dominic; who was more than willing to give her the night off, Kat found herself trying to decide what she was going to wear. She didn't have an extensive wardrobe; most of her clothes were either casual or her more provocative outfits for when she was working. She searched through every outfit, looking for one that would be somewhere in the middle. She wanted to be dressed up, without being too stuffy or formal. She finally settled on a red blouse with a knee length black skirt with her black heels. She hopped in the shower and finished getting ready. There was very little that ever made Kat feel nervous, but she was starting to feel nervous now while she waited for Mark to pick her up. She tried to calm herself down, telling herself that this was no big deal; but it was a big deal for Kat. Going out on a real date with a man symbolized that she might truly be interested in someone; a scary prospect for her. She was so busy thinking about everything that could possibly happen she jumped when the doorbell to her loft rang. Okay…take a deep breath and calm down. Everything is fine. Going to enjoy a dinner with someone does not mean that it necessarily mean it will go any further. Unless you want it to go further, and that decision is yours to make. Don't let him see you so nervous. Kat managed to regain composure of herself and walked to answer the door. Once the door opened, it revealed Mark dressed in a dark suit with his hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, such a different look for him than his biker look. Kat looked at him briefly stunned, "Hello Mark, you look very nice tonight. Definitely not dressed to take any punches tonight, so I guess I'm going to have to do all the heavy lifting tonight." Kat grinned and watched as the grin appeared on Mark's face as well.
"Well that's a relief, cause I have to admit, I'm feeling a little too nervous to do much else but try to string coherent sentences together around you." Mark decided honesty might be the best policy and since he really was nervous about this date, he hoped by admitting it she might go easy on him. "You look amazing! I hope you like Italian food; I booked us a reservation at this great place downtown." Mark couldn't keep his eyes off her, she looked softer than she had at the club and truthfully, both looks were beautiful. He was even more interested in this woman who had the equal tough and soft side. He didn't know what it was, but he hadn't been this interested in anyone since the first time he had met Sara.
"Italian sounds perfect. Are you really nervous? Cause I'm not nervous at all, it's a first date right? Not a big deal." Liar, Liar!!! She smiled. "Shall we go or did you want to have a drink here first?" Kat tried to remember what she might have in the loft to serve if he said he wanted a drink. All she could mentally come up with was the bottle of Jack Daniels Thomas had left there and she thought she might have some Patron lying around.
"Our reservation is for 6:00, so we probably should head there now. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get invited for that drink after dinner." Mark smiled. He stood back so she could come out into the hallway and waited as she locked up her loft. "After you, please." He let her lead the way out of the building. "I'm the black truck right there." He opened the door for her, closing it behind her and then moved into the driver's side. "I was going to bring my bike, but I wasn't sure how you'd feel about riding with me."
"So you do honestly have a motorcycle? I mean...when I saw you at the club, my first thought was 'biker' but I was just guessing that by the way you had dressed. Is it a Harley?" Kat smiled, she had always liked the thought of dating someone with a motorcycle, if for no other reason than to get to ride on the back of it with them. He was a tall, big guy; she started thinking about what it would be like to wrap her arms around his waist while riding behind him. Her attention snapped back to Mark as he started talking.
Yeah, it's a Harley. I actually have a few bikes back home, but during the beautiful weather, I take the Harley with me on the road so I can ride in my free time." He chuckled. "I am definitely a biker, but that's not all I do." He turned to look at her. "Maybe I'll get a chance to take you out for a ride if you want to." Kat smiled at him and her smile made him feel more at ease. In what seemed to be the shortest drive he had ever made they arrived at the restaurant. Mark gave the valet the keys to his truck and led Kat inside. It was clear the owner knew who he was and gave them the best table they had.