“And good morning to you.” He still sounded annoyed, although Steph was beginning to wonder if that was his ‘normal’ state of emotion or maybe that was just with her.
“Hi,” she muttered, hiding beneath a sheet as she attempted to hide her modesty, unless he was already familiar with her and her modesty.
“I was taking you home, but as you were incapable of telling me your address I brought you back to my flat.”
“I’m naked.” An embarrassed flush crept up her chest, neck and face.
“Yes, you are, but not my doing. You managed that yourself and if you’re wondering, we didn’t screw. I like my sexual encounters to be willing, conscious, and able to remember the event.”
“Oh, I did wonder, but couldn’t recall,” she stammered and flushed further, a little more mortification as she realised she had just confirmed his first impressions of her being easy, a bit slutty, and the truth was that she was anything but.
“Well, trust me, you would have recalled if we had, but you don’t so we clearly didn’t.” He now wore an expression that suggested he had a bad taste in his mouth.
“You don’t like me do you?” she asked bluntly, unsure why his answer might matter quite so much.
He stared at her but didn’t answer her question. “Bathroom is over there and clean towels are in the cupboard.” He opened a drawer and pulled out a white t-shirt and a pair of joggers with a pull cord waist. “They may be a little big, but preferable to the walk of shame home in last night’s dress.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she challenged, somehow desperate to know that he didn’t dislike her and didn’t really believe she was everything he’d accused her of being the night before.
“No, I didn’t. Maybe I will over breakfast, or maybe I won’t.” He was already turning away.
Steph returnedfrom showering and having brushed her teeth with her finger she found him waiting for her. He was dressed inblue jeans, a tight black t-shirt, and trainers. He was impatiently spinning his keys on his finger.
“Come on.” He passed her last night’s shoes to put on while her clothes were in a plastic bag. “I will at least treat you to breakfast before taking you home, assuming you can remember where you live now.”
“I’m not really dressed to go out,” she said with a point down at her clothes, well, his clothes.
“Another reason to stay sober or dress appropriately, or both.” He led her out, ignoring her protest.
She quickly took in her surroundings and decided that she was in a bachelor pad, all white and chrome, minimalistic, simple, modern pieces of art adorned the walls, wooden and tiled floors, no carpets. As they stepped into the lift she felt a sense of déjà vu. He stared at her and smiled. She smiled back feeling slightly confused and thought she should say something, but what?
“Nice lift,” she eventually came up with, but did have the decency to look embarrassed by that effort.
He stared at her blankly. “You seemed to think so last night.”
She stared at him again and closed her eyes tightly, suddenly remembering that she had made a very clumsy pass at him in this very lift the previous night. She had cornered him and attempted to kiss him, but he’d rebuked her. It hadn’t bothered her last night when drunk, but this morning she was beyond embarrassed by it. Every time she decided she couldn’t be any more mortified she did or remembered something that disproved that.
Opening her eyes, Steph jumped to find Jon standing directly in front of her.
“Your skills of seduction need some work, or maybe that was the drink, too.” He laughed at her.
Quickly, she looked away, her eyes dropping but not before she’d caught sight of her reflection in the mirrored wall of the lift. Briefly she thought back to the reflection she’d seen the night before in Mrs Walters’ hallway . . . what a difference a day made. Gone was the quiet confidence and comfort in her own image and in its place was a crimson vision of embarrassment. A vision she was sharing with Jon who she knew was still studying her. In an attempt to calm herself she nervously looked down at the bag in her hand containing last night’s dress. Her knuckles turned whiter as her grip nervously tightened as embarrassment turned to shame. What was she doing, here, last night and with her life in general? She wasn’t sure she knew who or what she was any longer.
“Look at me.” He offered no real option of refusing, even if she’d wanted to and the truth was she really didn’t want to.
As her eyes met his, he stared at her, no, studied her. He stepped closer until she backed away, he stepped closer again and she backed off some more. He grinned and continued the process until he had her cornered.
“You see, I would have started the seduction like this, and once there was no place for you to go I would have done this,” he said as his hand came up to her face to brush a few stray hairs away. He then dragged a finger down her cheek and across her jaw, down to her neck. “Then I would have done this,” he told her as he lowered his face to hers until they were almost touching.
She could feel his warm, minty breath against her lips making her breathe deeper and shiver. He still stared at her as his finger circled down her neck.
“And then,” he teased.
“What? What then?” she whispered making him grin at her.
“What do you think I would have done then, Stephanie?” He rested his lips against hers.
Neither of them spoke for long tense seconds until finally his lips moved, he teased and tormented her, just gently brushing his against hers. Then he pulled back slightly. She watched as he seductively licked across his own lips. She was transfixed by them and when it looked as though they were going to make their way back to hers she reached up to grab his arms for stability. Slowly she allowed her hands to slide down his arms until the soft palms of her hands covered the back of Jon’s hands, then with no warning or thought she drew his hands to her until they covered her swollen and aching breasts.
