Her responding shrug seems to say that’s okay.
‘Date night,’ she says, almost as though trying the phrase out.
And then I remember something, leaving her side for a moment to pull something from a kitchen drawer. Returning, I lay the small silver box on her thigh, taking one of her hands in mine again.
‘I’d planned on using these earlier,’ I tell her, tapping the silver lid. ‘But the best laid plans—’
‘Sometimes get fucked?’
‘Exactly.’ I laugh again. Things could’ve gone such a different way. ‘Last night, you brought me juggling balls because I like games. These,’ I say, tapping the lid again, ‘are ball games of a very different nature.’ I curl her fingers around the gleaming case, grazing her cheek with my lips. ‘And I can’t wait to play.’
Chapter Ten
LOUISE
I’d heard from Dan only once since the weekend; same afternoon to be precise. Shortly after he’d kicked his wife,ex-wife,out the door, I’d returned home and was asleep on the couch when I’d missed his call. Something told me I shouldn’t return it. Probably the bizarre events of my visit, despite how much lighter I’d left feeling after we’d talked.
Waking to his message from my much-needed nap, I’d decided I should take a few days to let it all sink in. To make sure I hadn’t bitten off more than I could comfortably chew. It’s one thing to admit to my stirring sexuality but quite another to find myself irresistibly drawn to him. One was a fantasy, the other a reality. A reality with experiences I can only imagine. No longer a nameless fuck, Dan was all sorts of things. A father, for one. He’d been a husband. Was he also a dominant? Not that I know much about those sorts of things.
Yes, no longer nameless, but he was still a stranger. And out from under his dark and compelling gaze, I begin to wonder of the sanity in continuing to see him. The man had more baggage than the Louis Vuitton store on New Bond Street. My mind slips back to my waking to his ex’s seduction attempt. She’s the kind of crazy I like to steer clear of. Not to mention he had a kid. Cute, but still, that’s a lot of baggage to content with.
I huff a little, and the woman on the other side of the counter frowns, pulling gently on my hand.
‘Sorry,’ I murmur, forcing it to relax again
The manicurist shrugs as she examines the smudge my huff caused. ‘It’s fine, all fixed.’ Satisfied, she raises her eyes to meet mine. ‘Got any plans for the weekend?’ she asks amiably.
I find myself for once on the opposite end of my usual reticence—words falling from my mouth in a rush. ‘I’m supposed to be going out for dinner.’ I may be a little over excited.
‘With the girls or a bloke?’ she asks, bent over my hand, painting my nail in a precise pink stroke.
‘A date. It’s date night.’ I smile widely. Like an idiot.
‘Supposed? You sound like you haven’t decided.’
‘I missed his call, and he hasn’t called back.’
I’m not concerned, not really. I should’ve been the one to callhim. Should have. But didn’t. And not for the first time. It wasn’t right to keep him guessing.Fuck it,a little voice in my head said. It wouldn’t do any harm to keep him on his toes. After all, he was the one with all the plans.
‘Men, eh?’ the manicurist mutters in a disparaging tone as she gestures that I should slot my hand under the lamp. ‘Probably playing some kind of mind game.’
This time, I can’t help but laugh. ‘It sounds like you’ve met him.’
‘Babe, I’ve met them all.’
Something tells me that she’s never met a man like Dan.
~*~
I spend the rest of the morning shopping and return home spent, figuratively and literally, having spent a ridiculous amount of cash and energy in the search for something to wear tonight. I’d hesitated at the window of an underwear boutique I’d never entered before, its windows an appealing mixture of kitsch and kink. Polka-dot panties looked cute on the mannequin, but it was the blond ponytail protruding from its plastic butt that had intrigued me the most. I hadn’t been so taken by the mannequin wearing the leather horse mask.But still, I’d gone inside.
It was like wandering into a kinky rabbit hole. Silk and leather, paddles and whips. Clothing for all shapes and sizes. Toys for all orifices.
I came out with bulging bags and a dirty high.
Back at the flat, I run a bath, fill a glass, and spend the afternoon in careful preparation. My phone buzzes once, but I ignore it, balanced precariously on the edge of the tub with a razor in my hand. Once wrapped in a fluffy towel, I read,
Seven tonight.I pull the towel tighter as I read the second text.Wear a skirt or a dress.
