by Pratt, Lulu
“Good evening, Mr. Black.” A maître d’ stood by a mahogany podium. “What a pleasure to have you with us this evening.”
“I would like my private room, please,” Callum said, but looked at Sarah-Jane the entire time he gave his request.
“Very well, sir. If you will follow me, please?”
Callum led Sarah-Jane with his hand on the small of her back until they reached a small dining space hidden from the main dining area.
The alcove had a small table with a high-backed booth that formed the walls. A small fire crackled in the corner, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with candles giving a romantic light. A waiter appeared with a cart of various wine selections and offered several options before filling their glasses with Callum’s choice.
The waiter left the bottle and walked away.
“Can I ask you something?” Sarah-Jane asked as she placed her hands in her lap. “You tell me this is a date with no expectations. A casual dinner, casual drinks, casual sex if it comes to that,” she flirted.
“Yes,” he responded.
“So, why all of this? Why the extravagant gifts, the mystery, the wining and dining? I would have been happy with a pizza and a six pack.”
“Pizza and beer,” he grinned. “That’s not me. I love to impress. Everything I do from my work at Black and Associates to the flowers I send my mother every Sunday is always the best.”
“But why? Doesn’t it get tiring?”
“Life is what you make it. You never know who is watching,” he responded.
“I would have assumed a man like you wouldn’t care what other people think.”
“I don’t. But, with appreciation comes success. When the people around you appreciate and respect what you do and the way you handle matters, life in general, they remember that. One comes up in conversation more often, and that is a good advertisement.”
“That is impressive,” she replied.
“Tonight, you are impressive. I have to say you look ravishing.”
“Thank you.”
He watched her blush and fidget in her seat, enjoying the effect his words had on her.
The waiter reappeared with a cart of appetizers. Callum watched as Sarah-Jane struggled to choose between the various dishes.
“What is this?” she asked, pointing at a beautifully presented salad.
“Romaine salad with purple cabbage, blood orange citronella, and parmigiano,” the waiter answered instantly.
“And this one?”
“Marinated gulf shrimp with endive, jalapeño, and blood orange citronette.”
“The shrimp here is the best I’ve ever had,” Callum said.
“I’ll have that, please.”
“Excellent choice,” the waiter said as he picked up the plate and set it in front of her.
She smiled and waited patiently for the waiter to hand Callum beef carpaccio with arugula and pecorino Romano cheese.
The waiter left them alone once more.
Callum watched her as she placed the first piece of shrimp in her mouth.
Closing her eyes, she covered her mouth and cooed, “This is wonderful.”
He enjoyed watching her enjoy herself. Sarah-Jane was the kind of woman who could appreciate what was offered.
“Sarah-Jane, there is a party this evening. I want to take you and show you off. I promise you that you will have a good time,” he said.
“What kind of party? May I ask who will be there?”
“Colleagues of mine. People I spend time with. Important people.”
“Important people?” she murmured. “Are you going to be working at this party? On Valentine’s Day? Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I bet you work in your sleep.”
He laughed and held up his drink. “If I could find a way to pull that off, I’d be on a better time schedule, for sure.”
“The party sounds be nice. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
“I am sure you will be. I know I was vague with you in the limo on the way here, but I do have to ask you something.”
“Of course. Anything.”
“Are you wearing the negligee I got you?”
She looked at him and nodded.
“Good.” He continued to watch her as he took a slow drink of his wine. “How does it make you feel knowing you’re wearing it for me?”
Hesitating, she was obviously embarrassed at what she wanted to say. “Alluring,” she said quietly before looking away. “Sexy. Like it isn’t me sitting here with you.”
“Hmm, I like that. But, I want you to feel like it is you. I think you haven’t been able to unleash the true woman you keep hidden.”
He tried keeping his desire in check, but he felt a longing for her beyond what he was used to with a woman. Sarah-Jane was pure, innocent, and she didn’t expect the treatment she was getting. She was humble and beautiful and it was taking a toll on him.
“I like watching you,” Callum said.
“I see that. I catch you watching me a lot.” She hesitated with what to say.
“What is it?” he coaxed.
“Earlier tonight when you showed up at my door, I told you I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Go on.”
“I didn’t want you to think I took your gifts for granted and expected such things, because I didn’t. I honestly had no idea who they were from, and my perception of who I did think they were from was so very wrong.”
“The ex-boyfriend?”
Sarah-Jane nodded and folded her hands in her lap. “To be honest, I’m glad they weren’t from him.”
“But you dressed for him anyway.”
“It was all I thought I had. The only time you acknowledged me was at that dinner party a few weeks ago. Every time afterwards I saw you at work, it was like I wasn’t even in the same building.”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“I know I never gave you an answer, and I’m sorry for that. I just didn’t think someone like you would be…”
“You did.”
“I’m sorry?”
“You answered my invitation when you accepted my gifts. One by one, you were telling me you wanted something more in your life.”
“I couldn’t have returned them. There was no name on them.”
“You could have found a way. They were delivered by hand. Who has your address, if not your employer? You’re a smart woman. It is one of the things that drew me to you. It may have seemed that I was ignoring you at the office, but I was well aware of you.”
“You were?”
“You wore the necklace the day after you received it, and each time you touched, you weren’t thinking about your ex-boyfriend.”
She shook her head slightly.
“So, this is more than just a casual date between two people who don’t want to be alone on the most romantic holiday of the year,” she said, looking him in the eye.
“You’re wrong,” he said, shaking his head.
“I am?”
“Christmas is the most romantic holiday of the year.”
“Ah, yes. Of course.” Smiling, she held up her drink to him and finished it.
“How does it make you feel when you know my eyes are on you, Sarah-Jane? Does it embarrass you?”
“No,” she said, holding his eyes.
“Does it make you nervous?”
Shaking her head, she took a big breath.
“Describe to me what it does to you, my Sarah-Jane.”
Callum was hungry for her. He loved the chase and loved the effect he had on women, and he caught himself rubbing his hands together in anticipation of her answer.
“It’s arousing, knowing a man like you is interested in me.”
“A man like me? What do you mean?”
“Powerful, rich, in control, successful, handsome.”
“I am no better than you are. I’m just good at what I do.”
“You’re also experienced and intriguing and…”
“And you are making this difficult for me,” he chu
ckled.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to. What am I doing?”
How could he tell her he didn’t want this to be just one night? Callum already knew there was something more to her. How could he tell her he already wanted to see her again? He picked up the wine bottle and refilled her glass and did the same to his.
CHAPTER 5
Sarah-Jane
SARAH-JANE sipped the wine, knowing it would all go to her head if she wasn’t careful. She wasn’t a big drinker, and when she did have a few, she always felt it. This time was no exception. Watching Callum, she was uncertain if the swirling she felt in her head and the warm tingling sensation she felt was from the alcohol earlier or from him.
This man who sat across from her was the most alluring man Sarah-Jane had ever met, and he had set his eyes on her. As much as she kept telling herself it was just a casual date, she couldn’t help but feel she was being pulled into something much greater than she had ever experienced. She fought the urge to let herself feel more than what she wanted to. Maybe sex wasn’t as much of an option as she wanted it to be. It would lead to too many complications, and with him being her boss, she wasn’t sure she was ready for that.
“Sarah-Jane,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. It did something to her. Looking up, she stared into his eyes, mesmerized. “Do I arouse you?”
“Yes,” she whispered without hesitation.
“I want you to think seriously about that question. Take away the elegant dinner and the candles, the romantic atmosphere and the gifts. Don’t think about my money and my success. Do I,” he said, pointing his thumb into his chest, “arouse you?”
“You can’t give me this kind of evening and then ask me to negate half of the experience. I think my answer would be too fictitious. Maybe if we go out for pizza and beer sometime, I can answer your question properly.” She smiled, enjoying the banter.
“Touché.” He raised his glass and took a sip. “I apologize for putting you into a situation you weren’t prepared for. I just can’t help this.”
“What?”
“The way I feel. You’re intriguing and I can’t keep my eyes off you. I find myself attracted to you.”
She felt a warmth run through her. Callum kept his gaze on her as he finished his wine.
“I want to think you feel it too.”
“I do. It’s just that…”
“You’re worried this is feeling like more than it should.”
“Yes.”
“What do you want to happen tonight?”
“I couldn’t even begin to tell you,” she said, struggling to answer.
“You know what you want. You just get caught up in the fear of how to express yourself openly.”
“I don’t have that problem.”
“Are you aroused?” he asked.
She stared at him, not saying a word.
“You worry that you’ll say something to offend me,” he continued, “or perhaps to steer this night into a direction you aren’t prepared for.”
Sarah-Jane couldn’t deny it, but she was surprised at his accuracy.
“Were you some sort of psychologist in a former life?” she joked.
“Take off your panties.”
Her stomach tightened. “What?”
“If you aren’t going to answer my questions properly, I will just have to figure it out on my own. Remove your underwear.”
She looked around nervously, wondering if she’d get caught if she did such a thing.
“I promise you, Sarah-Jane, I will be the only one who knows.”
Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. She carefully pulled her dress up, rocking herself from side to side, cinching her panties down. Sarah-Jane felt her body burn with a desire she had never felt before. Lifting her butt off the seat, she slid her panties down past her thighs. They were wet, and the realization embarrassed her. Sitting once more, she pulled her dress back down, leaving her panties halfway off on her knees. She wanted that to be enough, but she knew Callum wasn’t going to stop there. When his hand reached across the table she knew what he was asking for.
“Only if you want to,” he whispered.
She inhaled shakily and removed them the rest of the way. The panties got caught on her heel for a moment, but she freed them and balled them up. Hesitating before handing them across the table, she leaned back after releasing them in his open hand. Callum closed his fingers over the gift and watched Sarah-Jane fidget in her seat. He let them fall from his hand, his finger hooking one side and he brought them to his face and inhaled her scent.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw his desire for her swim in his eyes.
“I want you to free yourself from inhibitions, Sarah-Jane. I know the kind of woman you can be. I see it in your eyes, your sexual energy, your desire to give more, to have more. Don’t hold yourself back because of fear.”
He stared at her until the waiter arrived with a tray full of desserts and fresh coffee. Callum shoved her panties into his pocket.
“For later,” he said, winking.
CHAPTER 6
Callum
THEY BOTH decided against dessert and chose coffee to clear their heads. Callum watched Sarah-Jane as she slipped two cubes of sugar into her coffee and clouded the black liquid with cream. After a few stirs with the silver spoon, she lifted the spoon to her mouth. Her tongue came out and touched it before she sipped the hot liquid from its basin. He watched, soaking in every bit of it, and was mesmerized. No matter how many times he told himself she was just good company on Valentine’s Day, he knew it was the furthest thing from the truth.
“How is your coffee?” he asked, his own untouched.
“Good, thank you.”
“Tell me something.”
“What?” She looked up at him and saw his determination.
“Describe to me how good the coffee is, as if it is the first time you have had it in your mouth. Describe it to me like you would describe the most amazing sex you had ever had.”
He saw her shiver, and it thrilled him. She looked into her cup as if the answer was there. She then lifted it to her lips. Her eyes held his as she sipped the hot liquid.
“Creamy, indulgent, beautiful in color. The aroma fills my senses and even though the last sip was satisfying, I crave more,” she said, breathing a little heavier.
“Yes,” he whispered, barely moving his lips. “Yes.”
“I bring the warmth to my lips and hesitate before allowing myself the pleasure. The aroma wafts up into my senses, teasing, increasing my desire for that rich taste. As I allow the warm liquid to enter my mouth, the sweet yet bitter taste spreads across my tongue and makes me stop. At that moment I think about nothing, I worry about nothing, I have no fears. I feel whole, like nothing can touch me.”
“Hmm, good,” he said, leaning in, glued to every word.
She grinned and put her cup down. “How would you know? You have yet to try yours.”
“Why would I need to try it when I have your words to live by? If I could live my life by reading your book, I would never have to breathe my own air, to eat my own food, to drink my own drink. I could live vicariously through your thoughts, your words. It would be more satisfying.”
“How would you know, Callum?”
“Fantasy is always better than reality,” he said.
“Have you often lived out your fantasies?”
“Enough to know I’d rather live in them than make them a reality.”
“Sounds sad.”
“And what would you recommend?”
“Live each day like it is the last,” she replied.
“And you have done that up to now?”
She pulled her cup to her lips.
“I can change that, Sarah-Jane.”
“Can you?”
“Some things I am good at. Some things you are good at. I happen to know how to treat a woman. I can show you things that would make your hair curl.”
She giggled. �
��And me? What is my special trait?”
“You have a way with words. You make me want coffee more than life itself.”
“Well, I am in marketing. It’s what I do.”
“You’re good at it.”
“You’re staring at me.”
“I am. I can usually read people. You’re not easy to read.”
“If I were, you’d know what to expect, right?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Didn’t you tell me earlier, Callum, that sometimes anticipation makes the mystery and the mystery makes things more intriguing?”
“I did say something like that, yes.”
“So, when does that mystery give way for more?”
“When I want more than just coffee.”
Callum slid his hand into his pocket and let her panties swim around his fingers as he moved them.
“I know,” she said, swallowing hard. “I was under the assumption that this evening was a casual date with no-strings sex as a possible ending.”
“You are correct.”
“Why do I have the feeling it is so much more?”
“I cannot answer that. All I can say is that since I’ve gotten to know you, I find myself thinking wicked thoughts, Sarah-Jane.”
She set her cup down and tucked her hands underneath the table. “You have?”
“I want to grab handfuls of your hair and pull you into me.”
Her eyes darted up to his, and her lips parted.
“I want to kiss you hard until the pleasure I give you overtakes the pain. I want to mold you to my body and fuck you until I’ve ruined you for any other man. I want to leave you exhausted, yet screaming for more. I want to push your limits.”
“I want that too,” she whispered.
“But I don’t want it to be just for tonight.”
“You don’t?”
Callum shook his head slowly. “I find myself looking forward to seeing you again, even before the night is through.”
“Let’s see if it is everything you expect,” she said, biting her lip.
He pulled out his wallet and threw a handful of cash on the table before standing up and helping Sarah-Jane from her seat. She began to walk out the room, but he stopped her. Wrapping his hand around her arm, he pulled her back to him. Sliding his hands around her face and underneath her hair, he cradled her head in his hands. He took a moment to study her before pressing his lips to hers. He felt her breath catch, and he enjoyed the moment as he deepened the kiss and she melted into him.