“Lucky me then.” Robin chuckled.
A short silence fell between them. Too short to be uncomfortable. Just a little breathing room.
“About my job,” Robin said. “I’m tasked with making sure everyone in the company gets the same chances. Not just the straight white dudes.”
“That must be quite the challenge in the industry you’re in.” Throughout her marriage to Darren, Micky had sat through many a stiff dinner with a bunch of white dudes, all deeming themselves more important than the other, testosterone brimming in their eyes. Micky hated those dinners.
“Let’s just say I’m the right woman for the job. It’s easier in Australia. This is supposed to be my last stop before I head back to New York. Try creating a diverse workforce in conservative Singapore and narrow-minded Hong Kong. Now that was a challenge.”
Robin told Micky about the overprivileged wanker bankers in Hong Kong and how being a female banker there basically equaled not having a family because the work hours were crazy. The more she talked, the more fascinating Micky found her.
“But enough about me,” Robin said after a while. “Tell me about you.”
“My story is much less interesting, I’m afraid,” Micky said, then her phone rang. She’d completely forgotten about Amber’s promise to call. “Oh, sorry about that.” She pressed the Ignore button.
“A friend checking up on you?” Robin had a smile on her face. She must go on plenty of dates to so swiftly conclude that.
“Busted.” Micky smiled back, and it felt as though the combination of their smiles ignited something in her belly.
“At least you’re not picking up. I’ll take it as a compliment.” Robin finished the last of her wine. “Shall we move on to dinner, where you can tell me all about yourself?”
Micky nodded, not experiencing any signs of fatigue. The first leg of the date couldn’t have gone better, and she was curious what the rest of the night had in store for her.
✶ ✶ ✶
Robin’s eyes grew wide. “You’ve never been with a woman.” She repeated what Micky had just hesitatingly admitted in a bit too loud a voice for Micky’s comfort. The restaurant they were at was cozy but tiny, and it was easy to overhear the other patrons.
Micky didn’t know what to say next.
Robin seemed to recover from the shock quite quickly. “It’s strange, because I really got the vibe off you, and well, you said yes to the date.” She bit her lip for an instant. “I take it you are interested in me, because if you think you’re not, I may have to tell you something you don’t want to hear.” She followed up with a smile Micky couldn’t immediately decipher.
“The very fact that I’m sitting here means I’m interested,” Micky said curtly. So far, she’d enjoyed the increasingly flirty vibe between them. But now that the conversation had flowed back to this crucial fact about her, she was feeling uncomfortable again. As though she had to defend herself for the course her life had taken.
“I was right to be intrigued by you.” Robin turned up the wattage of her smile. “It’s okay, Micky. I just wasn’t expecting it, but I can definitely work with what you’ve just told me.”
What did that even mean? Was that some lesbian code Micky wasn’t yet privy to? Micky couldn’t possibly consider herself a lesbian. Or maybe she was a “latebian,” like the woman she’d been reading about in that magazine when Robin had started talking to her.
“I also have two children in their teens.” Micky might as well tell it all right then, though she categorically refused to ever feel the slightest bit uncomfortable when it came to her offspring. If that was some sort of deal breaker for Robin, so be it. The date would end there and then.
Robin just nodded, dropped her fork, and refilled their wine glasses. “Here’s how I see it,” she said after taking a long gulp. Micky hadn’t held back on downing the drinks either, and she was starting to dread the sound of her alarm clock in the morning. “You are looking for your first experience, and well, at the risk of sounding extremely blasé, though we’ve already kind of established that’s part of the attraction,” Robin put her hand on the table, “you’ve found the right woman for that introduction.” Her hand scooted closer to Micky’s. “I’m not looking for anything serious. I’m simply not the type. I’m looking for a good time, and I think, Micky, that you and I could have a really good time together. No strings attached.” Robin’s fingers caressed Micky’s knuckles. “What do you think?”