"I'd like that. Would you like to be escorted to your vehicle?"
All of fifty feet away… But it gave us a little more time to talk, and he had asked rather than assumed. Another point in his favor, meaning that I was leaning firmly toward at least giving him a chance. It was certainly one of the best dates that I’d had in a long time, and I looked forward to seeing what it could be if we gave ourselves a little more time to get to know each other.
"Yes, I'd like that."
Bran moved well, power and grace in each movement, which made sense, since he’d said he enjoyed martial arts. Though usually people named a specific style. I’d have to ask him some time. He matched his pace to mine. No simple feat, since I was a foot shorter. We strolled down the sidewalk. The heat of the day had departed and a pleasant breeze had sprung up.
"Would you like to meet again?" Bran asked.
"I wouldn't have exchanged numbers with you if I didn't want to," I responded dryly. "Do you have a preference about where we go?"
He was silent a moment as we walked. "Why don't you pick? It will help me get to know you a little better."
We paused by the car. I got the fob out and the unaccustomed clumsiness plaguing me today made me drop it. Bran caught it with a single fluid movement. He really was poetry in motion. He handed it back to me, and I touched his hand with a fingertip, tilting my head back invitingly.
He leaned down, his lips meeting mine. It was a gentle caress, but the same jolt went through me as when we had touched hands. We had a hell of a lot of chemistry. I parted my lips and he accepted the invitation, his tongue meeting mine.
He was a good kisser, aggressive but not forceful. I lost myself in the moment and the little zings of pleasure his lips evoked. When we parted, we were both feeling a little off kilter. I was, definitely.
Then, completely unexpectedly, he raised my hand to his lips. "I'd rather meet sooner than later." His voice brushed me like velvet.
I flung caution to the wind. "I'll text you my address. And let security know to let you up. Let's have supper at my place tomorrow. Is seven okay?"
"Seven would be wonderful." He kissed my other hand.
The look in his eyes… I felt my heart flutter. All those promises. I felt like making a few of my own, but that could wait until tomorrow. I saw him watching as I drove off. Completely sweet and romantic, when he did it. The moment I got home I texted Cathy.
Potential keeper on the first date!
That's great! Jury still out on mine. He's hot, but he's a bit of an ass.
I sent her a smiling emoji.
I'm inviting mine over for supper tomorrow. At my place.
That's fast. You want me to keep an ear out?
Just in case, yeah. I'll text you if I don't want you to come by at nine.
Got it. Hope I don't see you tomorrow.
* * *
I woke refreshed and smiling.I couldn’t remember any dreams, but I had the feeling they had been pleasant ones. There was always a feeling with nice dreams, that soft contentment when waking. Not like with nightmares, and that sort of grime that clung to my mind, telling me that something bad had happened even though I didn’t remember it. I enjoyed the faint buzz of energy and anticipation. Maybe this would work out…
I stopped by the coffee shop and got a variety of pastries to share with the office in a burst of goodwill. If I was in a good mood, then there was no reason that I couldn’t spread it around my coworkers. I left the box in the reception area. Yolande blinked as she took in the sugary goodness, glanced at me and smiled. "Nice to see you in a good mood."
"Indeed." I smiled at her and then went into my office. I had been crabby these past weeks. All the more reason to nurture this bubble of hormone-fueled euphoria.
Franklin had messaged me as I drove to work about a meeting with a client, Eldora Gold, at ten. I kept my good mood with a little effort. Eldora was a difficult, demanding woman—she ran a talent agency, and she got a special bulk rate from Franklin. So many of her clients needed as much help as they could get. I wasn’t sure what that said about her, not that it mattered. She was a good client for Franklin, and by extension for me. Doing well for her basically guaranteed more work in the future, and maybe that would get Franklin off my back for a while.
No matter. There were no disasters last night, so I busied myself reviewing her clients and what remediations we’d done for them. Best to have all the facts at my fingertips when I found out whatever her problem was this time. I’d had a belly full of working with her in the past, but since there was no one else, I was stuck. She had so many problem clients that it was as if she sought them out by that quality. No matter. I still wanted to make a new plan going forward.
The time for the meeting rolled around too quickly. The worry beads were still on my desk, so I dropped them off in Franklin’s mailbox as I headed to the conference room. I shook my hand, fighting the urge to wipe it on my clothes just to get the feeling off my skin. I didn’t know onyx could feel greasy. Maybe it was another stone?
Franklin and Eldora were already there. She was an angular woman, older than me, with a stern face and equally stern clothing in her trademark color, red. It didn’t suit her, but it did make a statement, which was her intent.
They both turned to watch me come in. I nodded to them both and claimed my seat, setting my tablet on the table in front of me. "Hi. Ready to start?"
