"First things first, you cannot text me whenever you feel like it", I blurted out as soon as the waiter was out of earshot. Darcy looked startled as he said "Jesus Elizabeth! Let us at least get our drinks first!". "I just want to be completely clear about anything between us. There should be no misunderstandings or anything like that", I kept on saying "all these mysterious shenanigans of yours were sexy for as long as your foreplay lasts, after that it just makes me feel awful". I figured this was the first time I was being so honest and upfront with him because I was avoiding any eye contact when I was talking. I looked around in the fancy hall of the restaurant to the other tables and wondered if I was under-dressed for the place. But I guess we did not have much to worry about as Darcy was able to seat us in one of the more private parts, one floor above the rest of them; a position where nobody could see us but we could see everybody.
Drunk on the privilege of seeing all these rich people from a view that made them very unflattering, I absent-mindedly looked at Darcy. He was on the opposite end of the table with his back to the wall, a large Edwardian oil painting was in his background as he sat leaning backwards, with both his hands on the armrest looking at me as if he was making mental notes. The entire setting multiplied the personality of the 6 foot 2 inches tall financier by a factor of at least 5.
"You can text me only after 5 on weekdays and between 9 in the morning to 9 in the night at weekends." I started again this time retaining the eye contact. I haven't even had my whiskey neat yet, how am I being so brave and all? I tried to not show this on my face.
"Make that 11 for the weekend nights" he said, rather stoically.
So this is where the negotiations start! I wondered as I couldn't stop myself from smiling a bit. As if on cue, the waiter brought us our drinks: a whiskey neat for me (because why not?) and an old-fashioned for him (the drink that looks best when guys like him hold it in their hands as they fight a million ugly silent wars with themselves).
"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked as he held his tray close to his chest. "Give us 15 minutes" Darcy said without losing his eye contact with me. Oh really? Something inside me raised its head. He thinks he can close it 15 minutes?
The waiter left with a cheerful stride as I picked up my glass. I took a first sip and from the corner of my eyes saw Darcy looking at me surprised, he had that grin of his and a twinkle in his eyes as he observed me.
"You sure know how to handle a neat!" he said as he held his glass against the armrest.
"I'm learning" I replied "So, where were we?"
"9 in the morning to 11 at night on weekends. The texting clause" he said rather sarcastically but still smiling. "That would affect my Mondays" I said to him. "You can stay till Monday morning" he said while leaning forward a bit.
I was a bit taken aback at this reply and Darcy noticed it. His grin enlarged a bit as he realized that he has hit the spot. He straightened his back a bit that made his already large shoulders even larger. He sighed with satisfaction and took a secret celebratory sip of his old-fashioned.
I reached for my glass and decided to take a generous sip before I would switch to another topic. I was beginning to get nervous as it has been a while since I had a neat drink and I worried if I would humiliate myself in front of him by puking out whatever fancy dinner we would be having.
"Now about our relationship statuses" I started after burning my insides from a sip that I realized was too big for me to swallow well after I have emptied it in my mouth. "Are we allowed to date other people?" I asked after taking a pause.
He leaned on his side and asked, "Why, are there other men in your life?". "Are there other women in your life?" I retorted back with the whiskey now clearly starting to get into my head. He dropped his grin but not the amused expression altogether, his gleeful eyes now squinted at me a bit. He seemed somewhat mirthful now. Almost dangerous.
"No dating" he said as he reshaped his face into that stoic expression again. "No dating what? No dating other people or no dating each other?" I heard myself saying. I sounded a bit like mother. But I soon realized I asked a very dangerous question.
He chuckled slightly as he retained his incline on his left armchair. He was now smiling at me and was deliberately pausing for effect. I felt like despite everything he was still playing me. What if he means we can't date each other? One hell of a Rorscharch test this neat whiskey is.
"No dating other people, Miss Elizabeth Bennet" he said, drawing the essence of these words to their full potential.
I experienced an involuntary warming up of my cheeks and for a good few moments transcended the 5-star lofty dining hall into the green piercing eyes that were burning into me. I put my hair behind both my ears with only my right hand as Darcy followed these movements of mine. "But it is okay if you want to negotiate on that. You are still a young woman, you shouldn't feel trapped" he mumbled while he attempted to compose himself. Also, it was he who was avoiding eye-contact this time. I doubted whether he was serious about this statement or he was just being formal.
"So if we cannot date other people", I said as he was looking on the floor blankly, "does that mean that we are dating each other?" I completed. He instantly looked up, caught by surprise. He had a faint smile as he looked into the mid-space thinking about it, but soon something crossed his mind that made him lose his smile. He again looked down at the floor, this time intently and frowning a bit. I wondered if I said the right thing. I wasn't prepared what to do next because I didn't knew what was coming next. So the obvious thing to do was to finish the entire neat whiskey, in preparation for both the worst and best case.
"I don't think if we can do that right now Liz" he said looking up with his head slightly tilted. He had a charming smile but he looked dejected, almost like he was pleading. "Can I at least ask why?" I asked as I was slipping into his deep gaze.
He bit his lower lip playfully as he smiled. He looked down from my eyes to my lips, my neck, my chest and then finally resting his gaze at the table. He lifted his eyes again to mine in a movement brimming with coyness, charm, and sharpness that penetrated at the very centre of my being. I started to feel like the negotiations were not going the way I wanted them to. He cannot commit and despite that he expects me to continue whatever it is that we are doing; hell, he might want to continue it because of it.
I was on the verge of an emotional monologue where I would press him continuously to tell me about his romantic past. There was a part of me that was scared of the love life of a 36-year old (almost) billionaire with a divorce and a history of dating models. Then there was another part, the one that was pumping adrenaline at the thought of kissing passionately a guy who majority of American women want to get their hearts broken by.
His phone started vibrating gently. I was startled as I looked around. I leaned back on my chair and started to compose myself so that I can call the waiter. He picked up his phone from the table and to my surprise, he received the call while staying seated. I felt kind of flattered.
"Yeah, I'll be leaving by tomorrow's 8 PM flight", he said as he looked around. "I don't know, why?" he asked while furrowing his brows as he peeped down to the ground floor dining hall nonchalantly. His gaze abruptly stopped and turned slowly towards me. "Really?" he said in a slow, drawn-out way as he started to smile at me as well. The whiskey's effects on my brain were already peaking precariously and added to that was Darcy's look. I wondered who he was even talking to.
"I'll have to check with my assistant but I will see what I can do" he said as he looked away, seemingly pleased. "I will get back to you as soon as I can"
He stared at his phone screen blankly as he hung up while smiling. "What is it?" I asked smiling too.
He looked up with that motion of his eyes again as his gaze paused at me without quivering.
"You didn't tell me it was your birthday on the 23rd", he said with a certain excitement and warmth in his voice. "What?" I replied while losing my smile, surprised, "who were you talking to" I asked as I sat up in my chair.
"Bingley" he said while leaning forward onto the table. "He was asking if I would accompany him and his sister to your party."
It was like I was pulled back into a different planet altogether. I felt like all the whiskey was starting to wear off as soon as my birthday party was brought up.
He was peeping into my lowered face as I was struggling to find some words.
"Listen, Liz" he said in a deep sultry voice, "I don't have a clear answer to whether or not we are or should be dating. All I can say is that" he paused as he bent his head and sighed deeply. He looked up with that dejected look again and continued, "I am a very flawed man and I have made a lot of mistakes. I want you to understand that I don't want anything between us changed which is why I am taking it super slow this time. Now, I am a man who always gets his way in every part of life, but today, I think I can hand you the steering wheel. Because….you're…"
He hesitated. "I'm?" I asked trying to understand his face.
"You're probably one of the smartest women I've ever met, Liz" he blurted out. It was something else because he looked completely submitted and vulnerable. It was borderline intoxicating.
"So, me asking to come to your birthday party can be converted into a step towards dating, Liz. Of course, only if you would invite me first" he said as his eyes danced all around my face which was resting on my hands. I let out a chuckle which he mimicked in a better way than me. "Am I invited?" he asked putting his hands onto my elbows that were on the table.
"YES! YES! YES! OH YES! YES! YEEEESSSSS!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I had an orgasm for the 4th time as I felt him climaxing inside his condom and inside of me. He let a coarse moan out as he collapsed onto me breathing into my hair. "Oh yes Frank!" I let out. "Yes Liz!" Darcy said as he muzzled into my hair.
"Yes you are so invited to my party Frank" I said as I breathed heavily, trying to catch my breath.
