Continued from Chapter One
I walked away from Sarah's house floating on a cushion of air, feeling lifted. My plan to secure a date with her had succeeded.
Well, ok... some flaws in my strategy were exposed during our impromptu meet cute. I now faced a costly auto repair bill and most planning masterminds would judge me as being crazy. But I had secured a date, and that was enough of a finger grip on love's sheer rock face for me to climb upwards and onwards.
I had two days left before our date which was plenty of time for more meticulous planning. My rational mind suggested caution while the romantic in me wanted to blow a gasket.
On reaching my home, I poured a glass of red wine, sat down on a comfortable sofa in my coveted library, and settled in with a tablet to read the latest chapter of my favorite noir thriller, Sin Street, by Sissitrix and Kate Granger.
I finished the chapter, leaving a note of thanks for two crazy writers living on the edge, pumping the heart button before shutting down. I strolled around the room, seeking tranquility among my books, selecting an old classic tale of romance to help get me off to sleep.
I must have nodded off with the book still in my lap, waking at 3 am. I took to bed but couldn't get to sleep after that, such was my anticipation of meeting Sarah.
At school, the next day I drank plenty of coffee, squirreled away in my office, catching ten-minute naps here and there with my face planted in both palms laying on the desk. I had a few meetings booked and it was nothing too hectic but I felt glad when the end of my day finally came around.
As I slid files into my leather Swaine Adeney briefcase, a knock at the door fleetingly drew my ire but when Sarah stepped inside beaming, a tired heart lifted and goosebumps shimmered across my arms.
"This is a pleasant surprise."
"I'm sorry to barge in like this Greg. I was passing by, driving your car oddly enough, and felt drawn to come inside."
"Perhaps it was the car doing me a favor?"
"Hilarious, Greg. You have a way of making me smile and laugh."
"Please have a seat."
I pointed at the leather wing-back chair that students loved to sit in. It cost me a fortune but their comfort was important if we were discussing challenging matters of academia and the heart. Sarah looked around the room, seemingly approving of its casual and comforting style, with soft, warm colors and interesting clutter, neatly arranged.
"I've been in this room before, Greg. It was always cold, dim and gave me a dour disposition. I see you've warmed it up nicely."
"I like people to be comfortable while I interrogate them."
"I think you arrived from out of town and won't know your predecessor. He was more like a prison warden."
"We never met and yes, I've heard stories. You're also correct in that I'm not from around here."
"But I am though."
"I know."
Her eyes caught mine with a laser beam stare and Sarah nodded politely, conveying a meaning that I didn't get at first. Her steady, amiable gaze put me at ease but I knew a test was being set and that she wanted me to pass.
"I have nothing but respect for you and your children, Sarah. I won't damage your reputation at all."
"And you have romantic feelings, too. I sensed those first at the car accident because you were concerned for me, then about Jack who needed to be collected, even though you both were already in cahoots. You also confessed last night and I feel strong emotions radiating from you right now."
"I'd be lying if I denied any of it."
"Do you lie at all, Greg? I mean ever, about anything?"
"Sometimes, yes. If a lie draws a smile where the truth would draw a tear I might."
"I don't want that, Greg. I can't have another liar in my life regardless of the reason for their deception."
Her implied threat hung in the air like a dark low-lying cloud that would definitely break and rain, I just didn't know precisely where. Sarah licked her lips, relieving dryness and I heard a slight moan in the back of her throat suggesting an elevated emotional state.
"Are you canceling our date, Sarah?"
"Definitely not. I came here so we could understand one another better. Perhaps you might want to cancel your proposal after we have this discussion."
"Okay. It's all sounding rather ominous, to be honest. I feel somewhat deflated but not defeated. Why don't you expand on why you came by?"
"I don't want to put you off but I have high expectations. There has been nobody in my life, romantically speaking since my husband left and I can't take chances on another tragedy."
"What did you have in mind, Sarah?"
"My children are very precious to me."
"They are to me, as well. Jack is a fine young man and had I known about Alice, I'm sure I could have secured a date with you without our kiss."
"You're calling a road traffic collision, a kiss now?"
"It was the start of something great. A kiss is that at the very least."
"I like the analogy but how great will it be Greg? Do you have that much passion for me and two growing kids?"
"You'll see after date night. I promise you won't regret me running a stop light."
"Okay. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
She looked calm but suddenly I was anything but. Our unscripted liaison lacked something. A spark was missing and it all felt terribly serene and wrong. I decided to change things up and probe Sarah a little for myself.
"Are you looking for a boring guy, Sarah?"
"Fuck, that's a little sassy, given the manner in which we met. Are you likely to be quite so boisterous with your opinion in the future?"
"To be honest, maybe. I'll do some crazy things for love that's for sure. Our first kiss is a case in point. When was the last time a man swept you off your feet?"
"Perhaps I don't like that sort of relationship, Greg. It doesn't mean I want boring though. Maybe reliable is more what I'm looking for."
"Or maybe you'd enjoy being electrified by a man who behaved unpredictably."
"Do you mean like a man crashing a car into me deliberately?"
Sarah crossed her legs, regretting it almost immediately. She had a skirt hem with a length below the knee and was flashing nothing but I knew her move well. She caught me looking.
"It doesn't mean anything."
"Do you mean when you crossed both legs just now?"
"Yes. You think I'm relaxed and that you're making progress."
"Are you relaxed?"
"I'm always relaxed."
"You didn't answer my question about the type of man you'd like, Sarah."
She thought about it for a while, calculating all possible answers and their likely outcomes or possible retorts from me. I stood up and moved behind her, massaging both shoulders and her neck, seeking and squeezing knots while looking for stress indicators in her body language.
"I'm not promiscuous, Greg. I won't sleep with a man simply to get myself off."
"Why would you sleep with a man then, Sarah?"
"For love and companionship."
"But not for sex and never to get yourself off?"
"You're twisting my words. I came here with a genuine purpose to set out some ground rules."
"Ground rules? You make Tiramisu from scratch, Sarah."
"So what?"
"It's a dessert for lovers. Italians believe Tiramisu has aphrodisiac properties but you knew that already. That gorgeous cream cheese and coffee treat was invented in the brothels of Treviso."
"Are you suggesting that I am a whore, Greg?"
Her voice crackled slightly under sexual tension. I was close enough to nibble an ear lobe, wafting it instead with my light warm breath that stirred a few hairs dangling nearby. She smelled divine and precisely how I'd enjoyed Sarah most of all since we met, with a mixture of eau something expensive and au natural.
She pressed both hands on her knees and I saw whitening knuckles.
"Never in a million years could anyone describe you as a whore, and yet something else still quite impish resides inside you instead."
"What else could I be, Greg? A pathetic single woman, sitting alone at home eating a dessert invented by hookers to stimulate their customers?"
"None of those things, but there definitely is a naughty girl hiding deep inside you. She's desperate to be heard and loved."
"And what if such a wayward and repressed girl inside me exists? Would you think her a slut?"
"Never. To me, such a creature would be a divine treasure. One to nurture, encourage and never take advantage of."
"What will you do with her?"
"I'll date her and you together, earning the love and respect of one, until I have sufficient desire from the other."
"And when she's ready for you? What then, Greg?"
"When it's safe and I'm invited to dive deep inside, I'll gently tease her out from hiding."
"Oh my, Greg. Perhaps this might work perfectly."
"Shall I escort you to your car, Sarah?"
"It's your car, Greg."
"All I have is yours, sweetheart."
Next Chapter:
Another slow burn from you Kate. I love the way you build up the anticipation and excitement, just the way it should be in a real life relationship. Thank you. Thank,you too for teaching me about tiramisu.
Great story unfolding!