“Sounds good. I"ll see you tonight, then.”
While we"d been talking, we"d reached the edge of the woods. In the distance, I could see people and vendors--in other words, safety. I turned to say good bye, but Auric had already left, jogging back down the trail, more than likely to meet up with his friend. A friend who had gone furry in public to save me. If I didn"t already have the hots for Auric, I might have been tempted to get to know his friend better.
But I wanted the tall and mysterious stranger, and even better, he seemed to want me, too. We had a date of sorts tonight. Oh, no, what would I wear?
* * * *
I nervously dressed for work, trying on outfit after outfit in a girly, clothing tantrum. Too sexy, not sexy enough. I wanted Auric to find me attractive, but at the same time I didn"t want to dress too provocatively, or he"d think I liked him. Which I did, but I didn"t want to come across as too slutty or desperate. Frustrated with my emotional seesawing, I finally settled on black slacks that belled at the cuffs, paired with a gold lamé blouse that shimmered and, when left unbuttoned part way, gave just the right hint of cleavage. I pulled my long hair up on the sides and clipped it in place with an oversized barrette. It had the advantage of keeping my hair out of my face, and yet leaving it long and loose in the back.
A coating of glam makeup, a daub of perfume on my wrists and behind my ears, and voila, I was ready for my work / date.
If my staff noticed me watching the door that night like a hawk, they wisely gave no sign of it. It was like being a teenager again--breathlessly waiting with my hands clammy and my tummy a swirl of butterflies.
Time passed and I waited. And waited some more. And...
He never showed up. I called myself all kinds of stupid as I closed up the bar. Apparently he hadn"t fallen victim to the same connection I had. I felt like such a pathetic idiot. As I turned the key in the lock, shutting the bar for the night, I saw a shadow detach itself from the building, and my heart foolishly sped up.
“Auric,” I whispered, elation swelling through me. He"d come after all.
“Sorry, I got hung up or I"d have been here earlier. I made sure I made it for closing, though. I didn"t want the streets to suffer if you walked alone.”
A glance at him showed his lips twitching. Humor, a new facet to my knight in leather armor; one I liked, given my oftentimes sarcastic attitude towards life. He wore the same leather duster of the previous evening, and, once again, I enviously admired it. Unable to resist, I reached out a hand and stroked its supple surface, feeling a thrill that my hand strayed so close to his actual body. “It"s so soft,” I murmured.
“Not for long, if you keep stroking it,” he drawled.
It took me a second, but when I caught his unexpected sexual innuendo, I giggled. “That was so bad.”
“Only if you"re thinking dirty to start with,” he said with a straight face. For a second I wondered if my insane desire for him had imbued sexual meaning into innocent words, but the twinkle in his eyes betrayed him and I punched his arm.
“Ow,” he yelped.
“Serves you right for teasing me,” I said smiling.
“You made it too easy.”
“I thought you"d forgotten about me.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to kick myself for sounding so damn vulnerable. And pathetic.
“You"re pretty hard to forget, Muriel,” he said with a smile. “Shall we? The night awaits.” He swept me a courtly bow, marred only by the somewhat wicked smile he gave me; one that shot a bolt of lust straight through me.
We began walking, and to my inner surprise and pleasure, he grabbed my swinging hand and held it. I looked at his strong hand holding my smaller one. His tanned skin contrasted nicely against mine and his strength was evident in his grip. Strange, how such a simple touch could make me feel so hot, like I ran a fever; one that started in the groin.
“I should probably give you my address.” I said.
“Sixty-six Devil"s Lane, Apartment six.”
“How did you get my address?” I asked, a little surprised. I"d made sure I was unlisted so as to maintain my privacy.
“I followed you and your sister home last night to make sure you got there safe. But really, Muriel, Devil"s Lane?” His eyes glinted with amusement as he looked down at me.
I had the grace to blush. “I know it sounds clichéd, but would you believe I got it at a discount because people kept claiming the address was unlucky?”
“Oh, I believe it,” he muttered. “I take it you had an uneventful night at work?”
“Well, we did have a coven of drunken witches singing “I Will Survive,” but that was painful for everyone, not just me.”