Silk

by Heidi McLaughlin

  ADAM: Can’t talk?

  ALEXIS: A little tied up right now.

  ADAM: Sounds titillating. Hope it doesn’t involve ice cream.

  ALEXIS: Not nearly so savory.

  ADAM: Would dinner Saturday be more satisfying?

  ALEXIS: I think I can work up an appetite.

  ADAM: Masa. 9:00.

  ALEXIS: Will come. Hungry.

  ADAM: You’re quite textual.

  ALEXIS: I’m a master of culinary double entendres.

  I read back through our exchange and wondered what had come over me. A second ... or was it third ... date. Apparently, I was throwing all of my rules out the window.

  I wanted to see him again. I was almost giddy thinking about it. I thought about what I should wear on our first real date. So far, he had only seen me dressed in work clothes. Well ... and possibly workout clothes ... and obviously no clothes. I needed to come up with something good for our first official date.

  Ugh. I smacked my head with the palm of my hand. The swoony, dopey school girl was back.

  ***

  The document review project went late Thursday night. Our deadline was noon on Friday so we were under a crunch to get it done. I had stayed at the office until almost 10:30.

  I finally got home close to 11:00 and immediately changed into a tank top and pajama pants. Even though I needed to be back at the office before seven in the morning, I flipped on the television and plopped down on the couch with my now half-empty jar of Biscoff and a spoon to decompress with a little Bachelor.

  As I was reaching for the basket that contained my latest knitting project, my phone lit up on the coffee table. I had already programmed in Adam’s number. So when the phone lit up, the screen boldly displayed his name. I really hadn’t expected to hear from him again before Saturday, but the incoming message made me happy.

  I hastily grabbed my phone up off the table and cursed myself for looking so desperate. Then I shook my head at my ridiculousness. It’s not like he could see my excitement. It’s not like he was watching me.

  I read and answered his message.

  ADAM: Still tied up?

  ALEXIS: Finally broke free for the night.

  ADAM: Too bad. That was a pleasant image.

  ALEXIS: Maybe a new image on Saturday night ....

  ADAM: A man can hope. Just making sure that we are still on. Sweet dreams, Alexis.

  The short, but seductive, exchange had me light-headed. It was the second time that he had wished me sweet dreams. I thought back to the morning in his apartment, when I had woken up in such disarray. He had been standing in the doorway, watching me when I had mistakenly assumed that I was alone and got out of bed, only to be mortified by his presence. I didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but he must have seen me wake up from my nightmare.

  Maybe this man was more than just a one-, two-, or three-night stand. For the first time ever, I let myself wonder what else he could offer me.

  CHAPTER 6

  Adam

  “You know we are playing down at The Shelter tonight, right?” Burke asked. He was lying on a bench under the weight rack as I added another 50 pounds to the bar. I added the collars to each end.

  “All set,” I said, indicating that he was good to go. “Yeah, I know. I’ve actually got a date though.”

  “The chick you picked up at The Library?” Burke raised a mischievous eyebrow and lifted the bar to start his set. “You know, it’s not a good idea to date a one-night stand. That’s why they are called one-night stands.”

  “Thanks for the advice, Casanova,” I said, rolling my eyes and regretting divulging even a few details of that night to Burke. “But it wasn’t what you think.”

  “Whatever, man. No matter how good it was, there’s only one direction for it to go and that’s down.”

  “I think this might go in a different direction,” I said vaguely. Even as I said the words, I knew he was right. I knew better than to date her. But the thing was that after several days of Alexis surveillance, I couldn’t handle it anymore. She went to the gym. She went to work. She stayed there for 10 to 14 hours, and then she went home. She walked the same path. She ate at the same restaurants. Surveillance-wise, she was about the most boring subject ever. It had quickly become clear to me that I was going to have to take a more hands-on approach. So I had arranged for us to “accidentally” bump into each other at Michelangelo’s.

  “Well, that will make your mom happy, right?” Burke said, interrupting my thoughts.

  “What?” I asked him sharply.

  Burke looked at me with a strange expression. “I just mean, she’s always telling you that you need to come home, meet a good southern girl, and settle down, right?”

  The very thought made me laugh. “I don’t think this is what my mom had in mind.”

  “Whatever, man. Just bring her,” Burke said, getting up from the bench. “Carly is going to be there.” Carly was Burke’s on-and-off girlfriend of three years. Their relationship had more ups and downs than a soap opera. He really was in no position to give dating advice.

  “Maybe I will. We’ll see how dinner goes first.” I took Burke’s place on the bench and lifted the bar off the rack, lost in my thoughts.

  I wasn’t sure how willing I was to let her get a glimpse of my life and my friends. That wasn’t really part of the plan. However, remembering the text messages that we had exchanged this week, I vowed that I was going to allow myself a little fun tonight.

  It wasn’t going to be all work and no play.

  Alexis

  I cut out of work early on Saturday evening. The emergency document review had put me behind on a lot of my other work, but I was too anxious about my dinner plans to get anything else done.

  The cold snap from the week before had passed, and it looked like spring was finally here to stay. I forced myself to take my time walking home from the office since I still had hours before I had to meet Adam. However, because of my excitement and the invigorating weather, I had to keep reminding myself not to sprint.

  A block from my apartment, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I smiled at the caller ID and answered it.

  “Hi, Daddy,” I said.

  “Hey there, Allie Girl,” my Dad said warmly. “Are you working today?”

  “I was,” I answered. “But I’m done for the day. I’m almost home.”

  “Glad to hear it. You work entirely too much,” he said.

  “That’s rich, Dad,” I said laughing. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

  “It sure doesn’t, baby girl.”

  My dad gave new meaning to the term workaholic. As a child, there were many days when I never saw my father at all. He was usually out of the house before the sun rose and often didn’t make it home before my mom had already tucked me into bed. Saturdays and Sundays were really no different than the weekdays.

  Though I had yearned to spend more time with him, I never begrudged it. After all, it was his dedication to his job that had afforded us a life of luxury and privilege. He had made a name for himself, and my mom and I had been all too happy to ride on his coattails.

  It helped, too, that he had never allowed me to question his love for me. I had woken many mornings to notes placed on my pillow, expressing his devotion to his only child. His gifts to my mother and me had always been extravagant and heartfelt. I knew that, above all else, I had his heart, and my mom had his soul.

  “Ahh, Allie. The older I get, the more I realize that there is more to life than just work. I don’t want you to miss out. It’s Saturday. You should be spending the day with friends. You should be spending the evening with a boyfriend ... or a husband ... who realizes what a catch you are.”

  “Dad,” I groaned. I was never comfortable talking about boys or dating with my dad. I certainly wasn’t comfortable discussing marriage with him. I resolved to hang up on him if he broached the subject of sex.

  “Besides, I do have a date tonight,” I conceded.r />
  “Excellent, Allie Girl,” he said, with just enough enthusiasm to cause me to pull the phone away from my face and roll my eyes at it. “Does this fella have a name?”

  I paused, considering the dilemma before me. “No way,” I finally answered him. “I’m not giving up that information to you.”

  “Oh, come on,” he said, laughing deeply. “You know I’ll find out if I want to.”

  “Nuh uh,” I said. “And no goons trailing him, dad. No background checks.”

  “Well, okay,” he said, reluctantly. “I’m just looking out for my girl, you know.”

  “Yeah, I know. I tell you what. If we make it to a fifth date, I’ll consider giving you a name, middle initial and all.”

  “Deal,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “No, not a deal,” I said. “I said that I would consider giving you a name.”

  “I can live with that,” he said. “Well, I’ve got to go, Allie Girl. I also have a date tonight. I’m taking your mom to dinner. Have fun.”

  After almost 30 years together, they were still so cute. In fact, they were so cute that in recent years, I’d found them to be exceptionally annoying. However, for some reason, it didn’t bother me today. As I unlocked the door to my apartment, we said our ‘I love you’s and hung up.

  The next two hours were spent plucking, primping, painting, and fluffing myself into something that I hoped Adam would find irresistible. When I was finally satisfied with what I saw in the mirror, I went to my closet and slid into the body-hugging black dress that I had picked for the evening. Matching V’s dipped low in the front and even lower in the back. While the neckline was dangerously low, the hemline was scandalously high. It didn’t leave a whole lot to the imagination. However, the long sleeves covered just enough skin to convince me that I didn’t look like a complete tramp.

  I pulled a pair of spike-heeled Manolos off the shelf and slid my feet inside. I was pulling out the big guns and hoping that I wouldn’t be doing a whole lot of walking tonight.

  As I came out of the closet, I glanced at the clock and realized that it was getting late. I quickly locked up and headed out. I flagged down a cab outside my building. Masa was up in Midtown so I wouldn’t be walking. It was probably better that way. I would have felt like a working girl, walking down the street in my tight dress and heels. Fifteen minutes later, I was sliding out of the cab. I tossed a 10 at the driver and stood staring at the front of the restaurant.

  Through the big plate glass windows that made up the front wall, I could see that the place was packed. As I pushed open the door, anxiety hit me. What if he wasn’t here yet? I didn’t really want to sit by myself and wait. And what if he didn’t have a reservation? Based on the crowd of people hovering near the front door, my guess was that it would be an hour wait before we would get a table.

  I pushed my way through to the hostess stand. She looked me up and down and smiled knowingly. “Here to meet someone?” she asked.

  “Yes,” I said simply, looking around the restaurant for a familiar face.

  The room was narrow and deep. On the left side, a bar ran almost the entire length of the room. Small two- and four-person tables lined the wall on my right. Curtains hung from the ceiling and served as the only divider between the bar and the dining area. The bartenders were busy hustling to serve the sea of patrons that stood between the bar and the curtains. Every single table was taken.

  “Miss Harper?” the hostess asked.

  “Yes,” I answered her again.

  “Your party is waiting,” she said, just as Adam stood up at one of the back tables and motioned to me.

  My breath and my wits left me.

  He was ruggedly beautiful. His hair had that ‘I just pulled myself out of bed to meet you’ look about it. In the place of his usual t-shirt, he wore a black button-down shirt and jeans. The shirt was just fitted enough around the shoulders to provide a hint of the muscular chest hidden within. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, leaving his forearms bare.

  As I approached the table, his stare travelled the length of me from top to bottom before slowly making their way back up to my face again. On their ascent, his eyes went from dark to smoldering.

  Eventually, his eyes leveled on mine. “Alexis,” he said and motioned for me to take the bench seat against the wall. As he turned to take the seat across from me, I cursed the untucked shirt that hid what I had no doubt was a perfect ass in a perfect pair of jeans.

  Without a doubt, I was having dinner with the hottest man in the room.

  “Hello, Adam,” I said. Suddenly, I had no words. I couldn’t think of anything witty to start off the evening.

  He lowered himself onto his chair. “So did you bring your appetite?” he said suggestively. “I certainly did.” The way he was looking at me, I couldn’t help but wonder which appetite he had brought this evening.

  “As promised,” I answered, picking up the menu in front of me.

  A tiny little Asian waitress came over just then with a bowl of edamame and two waters. She took our drink orders and scurried away.

  “So how was your week?” he asked benignly.

  “It was good,” I answered. “Very busy. With very boring work stuff.”

  “Tell me all about it,” he said, with genuine interest.

  I proceeded to tell him about the project that I had been put on that week. It sounded supremely uninteresting to my ears, but his attention never waned.

  “The highlight was your ice cream cake,” I finished. “My coworkers and I thank you from the bottoms of our hearts.”

  He took a sip of the beer that had been delivered moments before. “Glad to be of service.” I looked down at his hands resting on the table in front of him and wondered what other services he was willing to provide. My head was really in the gutter tonight.

  Before I could say anything truly embarrassing, a different waitress approached the table. Whereas our first waitress had been small and frail, this one was tall and leggy. She flipped her long black hair seductively over her shoulder and introduced herself as Lexie. Then, she batted her exotic eyes at Adam and asked what we would be having for dinner. Though the question was directed at both of us, her gaze never left Adam. She looked him up and down, drinking him in. Apparently, I was not the only one who thought he looked good enough to eat.

  Despite the less than subtle vibes she was throwing out, he didn’t even seem to notice. He read his order off the menu and then looked at me to take up where he had left off.

  After Sexy Lexie left with our food order, I turned the conversation on Adam. “Tell me about film school.”

  “Not much to tell,” he said. “I’m finishing up my third year, but I’m on track to graduate next December. I’m in good shape, but I’m taking a couple of classes this summer so I don’t turn into a total degenerate.”

  I sipped my mojito. “That seems like sort of a glamorous career. What made you decide to go in that direction?”

  He looked at me blankly for a moment and finally answered. “I don’t know. I’m not one to want to be in the spotlight. So acting was out of the question. I guess I just wanted to escape, to crawl into someone else’s world, if only for a little while.” He stared down at his hands, which were twisting and bending the straw from his water glass into a straw accordion.

  “I’m hoping to move to L.A. in a few years and somehow finagle myself into a career in directing.”

  Wow. He had never divulged so much information before. “I think that sounds very interesting,” I said. “Much more interesting than my job.”

  He looked at me pointedly. “I get the impression that you aren’t all that excited about your job.”

  “It was always just a given that this is what I would do. So far, I’ve met expectations.”

  His eyes bored into mine, as if he was trying to see inside my soul. “If there weren’t any expectations and you could be anything you wanted to be ... if money was no object ... what would you be? What would you
do instead?” he asked.

  Without hesitating, I answered, “I’d be a bounty hunter.”

  His eyes crinkled at the edges, and a deep, booming laugh blasted out of his chest. It echoed around the tiny restaurant, and the people sitting near us turned inquisitively in our direction. It was single-handedly the sexiest thing I had ever seen.

  “A bounty hunter? Like Dog the Bounty Hunter?” he said, referring to a reality television show that I was all too familiar with. “Seriously? All 5 foot 5 inches of you ....” He looked at me incredulously.

  “Exactly,” I said with conviction. “I even have a business plan.”

  He rested his chin on his fist and smiled at me. “I’ll bet you do. Do tell.”

  “Well, I figure that I could use my feminine wiles to catch the bad guys.”

  “You definitely have plenty of wiles. How exactly would that work?” he said, encouraging me to go on.

  “Yeah, so first I would have to do surveillance to figure out where the bad guys are hiding out.” I took a sip of my drink and looked up just in time to see his eyes darken. The corners of his mouth were momentarily pinched into a frown, but before I could wonder too much about his strange reaction, a warm grin spread across his face.

  I went on undeterred. “And then when I have them where I want them, I’ll seduce them into submission.”