“Of course.”
Well, this was going fantastic. If this were a real first date, I would have blown it completely. I hunched over the table, staring down into the steaming cup of organic free trade gourmet roasted coffee that I hadn’t touched. Daniel was waving the server down for the check.
Once he’d filled it out with his own elegant pen, produced from an inner jacket pocket, he leaned over the table again and spoke in soft murmur.
“I think it’s best, for appearance’s sake, if we leave in the same car. And I would appreciate it very much if you would come home with me and spend the night.”#p#分页标题#e#
My throat tightened. “So soon?”
“Well, by this time, we’ve been having an affair for a few weeks now. It only makes sense you would come home with me after our ‘first date,’ if only because it’s hardly our first date.”
“Fine,” I said.
He was almost whispering now. “You can stay in your own room.” He smiled. “With a lock on the door. I have no plans to take advantage of you. Right now, everyone here thinks I’m telling you about all the naughty things I’m going to do to you, when we get back. Smile back. Smile back.”
I did, even as goose bumps rose all over my skin. “It’s a good thing the acoustics are so bad in here,” I purred, slipping my foot out of my shoe and resting it lightly on top of his. It was dark, but the tablecloths were certainly short enough that someone might see, if they happened to look. His eyebrows went up a fraction of an inch. I wasn’t sure if it was the situation, or the man, or the wine, or some combination of all three, but I felt bold.
“I hope their imaginations are sufficiently filthy to put the right words in my mouth,” I said, slowly stroking the small part of his leg I could reach with my toe under the cuff of his pants. It was the first time we’d touched, other than shaking hands. I could feel his eyes on me - and the eyes of a few other patrons as well - but I refused to look up, instead pouring a little cream into my coffee, stirring it, and then raising the spoon to my mouth. I slid it into my mouth and licked it clean with an exaggerated gesture. It would be laughable under normal circumstances, but I hoped the alcohol and the atmosphere would work in my favor. If I could at least make Daniel half as uncomfortable as he was making me, then I would win.
Of course, it was backfiring horribly as well. I couldn’t tell if the look on his face was entirely acting or not, but I was tingling all over. Even through my pantyhose and the fabric of his sock, I could feel the heat of his skin on my foot. Suddenly, my mouth was very dry.
In the low light, his eyes looked dark. It was impossible to tell if his pupils had really grown large, or if perhaps something else was growing -
No, no no. Snap out of it, Maddy!
I pulled my foot away abruptly, clearing my throat and straightening up in my chair. The spell was broken.
His car arrived a few minutes later, and I let him lift me to my feet and lead me outside, his hand resting on the small of my back. Yes. There it was. And so soon, too.
Later on, our relationship would be described as “whirlwind.” I was sure of it.
He had a place downtown, at one of those high-rise buildings with a doorman. An actual doorman. In this day and age. I caught his eye and nodded, tittering and leaning on Daniel’s arm. Playing just slightly more drunk than I really was. The doorman nodded and favored me with a knowing smile.
The elevator ride seemed to take ages. A heavy silence permeated the car. I ran my fingers through my hair, my head still buzzing with the wine and the thrill of deception. The doorman thought we were an item. Everyone was going to think we were an item. There was a certain perverse joy in the whole thing, I had to admit.
“What’s so funny?” Daniel said, and I realized I was grinning like an idiot.
“I don’t know,” I said. “Just, everything.”
He seemed slightly bothered as we finally reached our floor and stepped out into the hallway. I wasn’t sure what I’d said or done to offend him. Then again, it could have been any single thing I’d done, or a combination of all my missteps finally come home to roost. What if he was regretting his decision to choose me? The thought made me feel sick to my stomach - because of the money, I was almost sure. And of course I never liked disappointing anyone.
He unlocked the front door, and we both stepped inside.
The front of his apartment looked like a furniture showroom. My shoes clacked on the polished hardwood floors as I walked down the hall, past a little table made of sleek black wood, with a small live bamboo plant on top of it. It was situated as if it might be a place for the mail, except that putting the mail there would ruin the illusion of a perfect design magazine home. Deeper into the room, there were two spotless white couches sitting face-to-face on either side of a gray runner rug that led towards a massive fireplace. I stepped out of my shoes and sighed, resisting the urge to rub my temples.