It was a little known fact that Steve Arnott was a perfectionist. Just his parents knew really, the trait first declaring itself when his mother accidentally damaged an art project that a 6 year old Steven had been working on at junior school.
A full on melt down occurred in the driveway in front of the whole street as Steve picked up the papier-mâché dinosaur that had fallen off his papier-mâché dinosaur island and in to a rain puddle as his mother had tried extricating the large art project out of the car on the last day of term.
"It's ruined!" Steve lamented. "How could you break it, mummy?!" he sniffed before running upstairs and locking himself in his bedroom. His hard work had been a complete waste of time.
Mrs Arnott felt awful. It really had been an accident. What with Steve's school rucksack and his kit bag to contend with as well as the large monstrosity that Steve had proudly carried out and presented her with at home time, she hadn't noticed one piece knock against the car and fall off. She had no idea what it was her son had made, but on the journey home he'd told her it was a dinosaur island where all the dinosaurs went to go on holiday. It was massive and had clearly taken Steve many hours to lovingly create. Mrs Arnott had no idea where it was going to go when they reached home. But it never made it home safely.
Finding some glue Mrs Arnott lovingly restored her son's masterpiece and tried coaxing him out of his bedroom to observe what she had done.
"See," she said proudly, "you can hardly tell now," she soothed, pointing out the blue and yellow lump that was apparently a T-Rex reclining on a sun lounger on the dinosaur beach.
"But I know," Steve sniffed. "It's not the same,".
The dinosaur island was never mentioned again.
Throughout his school years Steve remained a perfectionist. Redoing things many times over late in to the night until he was absolutely sure that projects were as good as perfect.
At police training college, he made sure he knew the law word for word, not happy until he could trot out long legal paragraphs word perfect.
His police uniform had to be perfect and when he moved to AC-12 his suits had to look perfect as well. He'd found the best dry cleaner and ironer and would stand in front of the mirror before leaving for work making sure everything was in the right place and no bits of fluff let down his look.
Being a perfectionist was both a strength and a weakness. If he was given a job he knew he would never give up until it was done well. But then he could often make himself exhausted from trying to perfect something that was already very good.
And that was what was happening this morning. It was the eggs that had to be perfect. Poached eggs with a runny yolk for a perfect Eggs Benedict. The perfect breakfast for the perfect morning after.
He'd had his first date in a very long time the previous evening and it was a very special occasion. It wasn't just any first date. It was his and Kate's first date and he'd pulled out all the stops to make it a perfect evening that neither would forget.
He'd splashed out on a very expensive restaurant that had nearly bankrupted him, but was worth it. Kate's face when she bit in to the chocolate dessert for the first time was worth the price alone.
It had been a chance to wear the blue three piece suit that he knew was Kate's favourite. She had worn a mid- length sheath dress that clung to her body, which he now knew in intimate detail and was perfect in every way.
Afterwards he'd tempted her back to his for coffee and then in to his bed when he found his body had responded perfectly to her sensual touch. It didn't let him down and for the first time in several years Steve was able to enjoy some perfect sex.
At least it was for him and he was fairly sure it had been for Kate as well. She had made all the right sounds to suggest it had been as fulfilling for her as it was for him. And she was still in his bed when he had woken earlier.
"Morning," he had greeted her happily as Kate's eyes fluttered open. He had said the word to her many times before but never quite like this, in this situation before.
Kate had looked around and then at him, finally remembering what had transpired the evening before. "Morning," she had replied, just as contentedly and showing no signs of wanting to leave his bed. Instead she had leant over and given him a kiss. It was the perfect start to Steve's day.
"Hungry?" Steve murmured as they had pulled apart. Kate's stomach rumbling was her non-verbal reply. "I'll take that as a yes,".
"We worked up quite an appetite last night,".
"Indeed " agreed Steve. "I was thinking I'd treat you to a nice breakfast in bed,".
"You're spoiling me," Kate had said before giving Steve another quick kiss.
"You deserve to be spoilt," he retorted before returning her kiss and getting out of bed, retrieving yesterday's boxer briefs from the floor where Kate had tossed them. Steve put them on before making to leave the room.
"Want me to help?" Kate had asked as she stretched languidly under the sheets.
"No," Steve had answered. "You stay there and rest. I'll be back shortly," he had promised.
That had been nearly an hour ago. He was still in the kitchen rapidly working his way through a box of a dozen eggs as each attempt at creating the perfect poached egg failed.
A wolf whistle sounded from the kitchen doorway and Steve turned to find Kate leant against the door frame.
His pupils dilated with desire as he caught sight of her wearing his shirt from last night. The shirt tails fell to her mid thigh revealing her toned legs and she had rolled the sleeves up to her elbows. To maintain some decency she had done up the two buttons in her bust area leaving the rest undone. Her flat stomach was on display as was the fact she'd put her underwear on from the previous night as well.
But not all of her underwear. Steve could see two perfect dark circles through the shirt material. Her perfect nipples displaying the fact she wasn't wearing her bra.
"Do you usually cook dressed like that?" Kate asked as she walked toward him. Steve had just put an apron on over his underpants.
"I thought I told you I was making you breakfast in bed," Steve retorted a little disappointed Kate had left his bed.
"Yeah, like an hour ago," Kate pointed out as she reached Steve and encircled his waist with her hands. "Thought I'd better check nothing awful had happened,".
"It's the eggs," Steve confessed. "I can't get them right,".
"Can I help?".
"No!" replied Steve forcefully. "I said I'd make you breakfast and I'm going to fulfil that promise. You sit down," he instructed.
Kate did as was told before slowly crossing one thigh over the other and getting comfortable. Steve tried not to be distracted by the smooth skin of Kate's legs. He remembered what they had felt like wrapped around his waist the previous night. Perfect.
"I'll like the eggs however they come," Kate tried placating Steve as she watched him try again.
"I know you like runny yolk," Steve replied, concentrating on the job at hand. "I want them to be perfect,".
"They will be," Kate answered, "because you've made them,".
"Stop humouring me," Steve said.
"I'm not," Kate replied. "Eggs Arnott. My new favourite eggs,".
Steve stopped concentrating on the eggs and turned to look at Kate. Under his watchful gaze she flirted with him, uncrossing and then recrossing her thighs the other way. Steve resisted her charms and returned his watch of the eggs. Kate saw his shoulders slump as he realised in the brief moment he had been distracted the eggs had gone past the runny yolk stage.
"Fuck's sake," he said as he fell in to the nearest chair. This wasn't going well.
"Sorry," apologised Kate. "My fault," she said as she ran her foot up Steve's shin trying to cheer him up.
"Yes it was," Steve said grumpily although he liked Kate playing footsie with him. "Waltzing in here in my shirt and only my shirt. How am I supposed to concentrate?".
"Want me to take it off?" Kate volunteered, hoping it would cheer Steve up.
Steve looked at Kate wondering how best to answer that question. "Later," he eventually replied before adding, "and I'll be the one taking it off,".
"Serve up the eggs then," Kate suggested as she rested her chin in her hand. She'd never witnessed Steve in this type of mood before.
Begrudgingly, Steve got up and set about plating the meal up before placing it in front of Kate. She tucked in, cutting into the eggs, pointing out to Steve the runny yolk that appeared.
Steve shrugged. They weren't as runny as he would have liked.
Knowing the effort that Steve had gone to, to create the perfect breakfast, Kate made sure to polish every last bit of her breakfast off. It wasn't difficult. It really was nicely cooked. "That was amazing," she congratulated the chef as she pushed the plate away and sat back against her chair, her hands resting in her very full stomach.
Steve didn't look any happier despite his praise and Kate wanted to change that. Getting up unannounced, she unceremoniously plopped herself in to Steve's lap. His arms automatically came up to hold her around her waist. "Cheer up," she begged as she kissed Steve in the tip of his nose.
"I just wanted everything to be perfect. You deserve it," Steve said.
"It is," Kate repeated. "You. Me. Finally together. It's perfect. It's been the best first date I've ever had," she continued honestly, appealing to Steve's ego.
"Yeah?" Steve asked.
"Yeah," Kate confirmed. "Definitely earned a second date,". Steve grinned at her words. "So what do we do now?".
"Whatever you want," Steve said, mood completely changed.
"How was that?" Steve asked as he flopped on to his back beside Kate, completely out of breath a short while later.
"Amazing," Kate panted, just as out of breath as Steve was. "Good decision of mine to come back to bed,".
"You liked that?".
"No one has ever managed to get me to...y'know...two times in a row before," Kate admitted, shyly. She had rarely if ever achieved orgasm through the act of sex. Last night had been a real eye opener and it didn't look like it was a fluke either as Steve had managed to achieve the impossible again.
Pleased to hear he'd done well, Steve gathered Kate in to his arms as they prepared for a little post coital nap. He could already feel his eyelids beginning to droop.
"You in a better mood now?" Kate asked as she settled herself against Steve's chest.
"Yes," Steve said as he yawned. "You. Me. Together. Everything is just perfect,".