The evening was finally cooling off as they walked down the ramp of the parking garage and out onto the sidewalk. “I’m so glad you get me.” They strolled down the sidewalk together, his palm resting on the small of her back. He wasn’t exactly sure how much she understood him yet, but whatever instinct was urging her to express her interest in him with little touches and caresses only served to make him crave more. She forged the connection effortlessly as if maybe she did know of his secret desires for a strong woman to please, who understood her appeal conveyed her needs.
He almost walked past their destination. “And here we are,” he said, turning.
Eliza came to a halt and took it all in, peering through the old-world style windows at the crowded tables. Frank pulled open the door with a grand gesture, and she stepped into a tiny, out of the way restaurant that looked straight out of The Sopranos. It had a dark awning that fanned out over brightly lit windows, and the inside smelled mouth-wateringly good, like fresh-baked bread and spicy Italian sausage.
The maitre d’ met them by the door as if he had been expecting them, and greeted Frank warmly before leading them to a small table in the back corner. It was set for two and had a single, waxy candle in the center. Frank spoke easily with the staff, listening to the chef’’s recommendations.
Eliza poured over the menu, ruling out anything in red sauce, fearful it would end up splashed on her shirt dress or cardigan. Even still, in an establishment like this, the classics were bound to be exceptional.
“Do you trust me?” Frank queried as the waiter approached their corner table.
Eliza laughed. She found his leg beside hers under the tablecloth and dropped her palm onto his thigh. “As long as whatever you select for me pairs well with prima vera…”
“Oh, it will.” The timber of his voice changed as her hand caressed up his inner thigh. “ I knew I was right about you being a white wine girl.” He scooted his chair closer and leaned over to drop a kiss on her cheek.
It was very apparent that this place was a favorite haunt of his. The waiter was attentive and members of the staff were stopping by to chat and be introduced to her.
In between bites and tiny sips of wine, Eliza encouraged him to talk about himself, “What made you decide to teach at a community college, Frank? The right location?”
He looked chagrined. “No, it wasn’t what I had hoped for, initially, I was going to work for a drug company and make the big bucks, but somewhere along the line I became aware of the good that community colleges do, how much they help the kids from the poorest areas get job skills and opportunities they wouldn’t likely get anyplace else. They can’t afford the four-year schools, not to start.”
Eliza thought about the tuition she was currently helping Josh with and nodded. “I pushed Josh to look at the local school just for the sake of finances, so I get what you mean.”
“It’s not for everybody, but for some of these kids in urban areas, it changes their lives. I see them go on to get good jobs in health services and law enforcement. I don’t know. I like making a difference.
Some of the comments Eliza had seen on his ‘rate my professor’ page flashed through her mind. “Gives good feedback and is clear on grading criteria. Helps students better their performance.” Yes, it was all starting to make sense.
“We are very alike in that, Frank, wanting to help people and helping them achieve their dreams. Even if mine is just through a little thing like pretty invitations.”
Their eyes met for a moment, and Frank almost leaned in to kiss her. “Don’t trivialize what you do, Eliza. You make them happy. You make me happy.”
She grinned and stuffed the last bite of pasta in her mouth. “Aren’t you too cute for words,” she laughed. And he did lean down and drop a kiss on her lips.
Luckily she had saved room for gelato, and they lingered over coffee. “The food was outstanding,” she told Marco, the manager when she finally met him. “As authentic as I’ve found since I last visited in Italy.” Her complements were heartfelt.
She shook the man’s hand enthusiastically and was surprised when the manager leaned in for a private word. “I hope you and my friend Frank will dine with us again soon, Eliza,” he said softly. “He deserves some romance and happiness.”
Eliza walked out the door feeling like she’d just met Frank’s fraternity brothers or his closest friends, and that she’d somehow won their approval. How often does a man have to dine at the same establishment to get that close to the staff?
Her quiet professor walked lightly beside her, his hand resting on the small of her back, not pushing or guiding, just a light touch to connect them, to keep her close. She got about halfway down the block before turning and grinning up at him.
“Thank you, Frank,” she said. “For going to all this trouble, the sharing that wonderful place with me, even the references to the show. It made for a really special evening.
He leaned down, placing his lips within her reach but hesitating. “I knew you would get it, Eliza. I figured most in our generation would get the connection. The romantic scene.”
“Oh yes, the candlelight, the dark wood, the paintings on the walls” and she laughed, bouncing up on her toes and kissing him. “But really, it looks like most Italian restaurants in the northeast. We must just be of the same mind.” A confused expression passed over her face. “Wait, what romantic scene?” she asked.
“From Lady and the Tramp…?”
She burst out laughing, bending over trying to catch her breath laughing. “Oh my God, I thought you were going for Artie’s restaurant from the Sopranos.” He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close. Eliza was still chuckling as she stretched up to kiss him more fiercely this time. Her hand settled on his waist, and then slid lower, over the curve of his hip. Her fingers fanned out over his taut buttocks and urged him forward. The intimate contact got her blood flowing, the hard feel of him nestled against her belly.
Frank was becoming used to it, her hands touching him so frequently, cupping and teasing. Her bold caresses made his breath catch and his cock throb. It had been unsettling at first, and yet so exciting.
His arms tightened around her, lifting her, centering the hard bulge of him at the apex of her thighs. It felt so good. So right.
Eliza didn’t feel manhandled, she felt cherished. His lips felt warm and smooth, and her free hand snaked up to curl behind his neck. He groaned softly, and she savored the taste of him as his lips parted. It was intoxicating, the lingering taste of chocolate and red wine. She had him right where she wanted him, wrapped all around her. She had the giddy thought of making out with him there on the sidewalk, or in the car. Or better yet, at home, in a bed.
She pulled back and looked into his heavy-lidded eyes. “Oh, Frank!”
He broke the tension and smiled. “Oh, Eliza! Even when you don’t get me, you get me.” He set her down carefully on her feet and took her hand. “I am so unused to a woman who enjoys this… “ She thought he might say more, and explain, but instead he took her hand and continued walking.
Eliza’s heart plummeted. “Of course I do! Many women do!” She tugged his hand until he looked back at her. “Wait, are you telling me you didn’t do this kind of sexy teasing when you were married? Or with other girlfriends?”
He didn’t answer until they were in the car and heading back to her place. He had taken so long to respond, she worried he wasn’t going to.
“There were no other girlfriends. Just Abby, my college sweetheart. We got married straight out of college. Neither one of us was very experienced, but we did all right. It all seemed pretty straight forward.”
Straight forward didn’t seem like a very exciting way to describe a sexual relationship, so she pressed him, half joking, “What do you mean, ‘straight forward’? Missionary position every Friday night after the kid went to bed? Both of you slipping under the covers naked, with the lights off?”
He glanced sideways at her, his lips twisting up in
the hint of a smile. “Not quite that bad, Eliza, but more the usual, me trying to wait for the right time and hoping not to get put off by a headache or a sore tooth.”
“No quick blow jobs, giggling and shushing each other so you don’t wake the baby?”
Man, she didn’t pull any punches, and yet sometimes her intuition was so on target it scared him. He had always suspected other couples enjoyed oral sex, but he had never wanted to rock the boat and ask for it. “No… no blow jobs ever, not playful, or clandestine.”
She gave a sad sigh. “Oh, Boy, Frank. Am I going to enjoy showing you everything you’ve missed.” Her mind had been churning over various scenarios for when she’d finally get him alone and private. Suddenly she wanted it sooner rather than later, and she had a lot more planning to do. “Will you let me be the one to introduce you to the fun and games?”
“Fun and Games? God, yes, Eliza. Please!” She smiled silently in the darkness, knowing there was a similar smile on his face. How had they gotten to this point so fast? She had no idea, but it felt right. Those butterflies were back and they were flopping away. Now she just had to find a way to make sure they had some alone time.
She waited until they stood under the yellowish glare of the bulb illuminating her front porch. She’d swung his hand lightly as they strode up to the house, and squeezed it tight as he stepped back.
“Good night, Eliza,” he said. He still sounded excited. She was always aware of his response, be it the timbre of his voice, the warmth in his eyes, or the bulge in his pants.
There was no way she was letting him go so quickly or so easily. She had been thinking about this moment for most of the car ride home. Envisioning their goodnight kiss, maybe leaning across the console to kiss him before they got out of the car, or pulling him close as they reached the front door. For a minute she considered inviting him in for a nightcap, and then chided herself. There was no need to rush things. They had all the time in the world. In fact, it felt thrilling and old fashioned to have a little make-out session on the front stoop.
She closed the distance, settling his hand on her hip, twining her arms around behind his neck. She knew he liked it when she took the lead. High time he understood more of what that meant. She stretched up, pressing herself flush against him, meeting his lips softly at first, and then with increasing pressure.
He gave a soft moan and gathered her up closer into his embrace, tightening his grip on her curvy hips. She slanted her lips over his, licking, teasing at the seam, feeling triumphant when he opened his lips a fraction and she was able to tease her tongue in between.
Time slowed to a crawl as she savored him. No need to rush, Eliza just took her time, exploring, getting to know him. Learning what flicks of her tongue made him catch his breath, and which ones made him tremble slightly and grip her harder. She loved every minute of it. He responded so easily, so honestly.
She finally came back to reality, remembering where they were and settled back on her heels. Not quite ready to let him go yet, she curled one hand behind him and cupped one taut ass cheek in her palm, maintaining the intimate contact. It would be so nice to invite him in, to stay for a drink, or for more. But she just couldn’t spring this on her son yet. She didn’t think Josh was home at the moment, but he might yet turn up this evening.
Eliza leaned close and whispered in his ear, “You like that, don’t you? When I grab your ass and put you where I want you?”
He shuddered and nodded. “I aim to please, ma’am,” he joked. It wasn’t so much her words as the way she said them. The tone, the frankness stirred something unexpected, made him want to see what else this lady might want from him. He held her gently while she kissed him again.
A laugh burst from her lips and she resignedly stepped back from him. “I like your attitude, soldier.” She tugged him down and gave him one last peck. “Drive safely.”
He was already down the steps and heading around his car, the light of his headlamps giving her a clear view of his blushing cheeks and bulging trousers.
“And Frank,” she called out. “No touching that until you get home.” She pointed at his distended trousers, illuminated clearly. His step faltered a little as he reached his door. He looked up at her and grinned. “Yes, ma’am!”
Chapter 4
Frank followed up their Lady and the Tramp date with a more conventional one, a Friday night movie. They texted or spoke every day in between, but it was difficult, since he was working relatively little and her days were slam packed with work. Periodically he would stop by the old house to go through dusty boxes in the basement, discovering that most were filled with clothing and toys Benny had long ago outgrown. They had been boxed up and hidden away, forgotten until displaying added storage in the cellar became a selling point.
With the spring semester wrapping up, he organized his office and got roped into carrying boxes and moving furniture as one of his colleagues accepted a promotion to run the department and moved to a corner office. He spent the afternoon toting boxes of textbooks down the hallway.
Always his mind was drifting back to Eliza, especially when he spent the time hitting the gym every morning. He slung his towel around his neck and moved from the treadmill to the elliptical. She was unlike any woman he had ever known, forthright, personable, and yet also attractive in a way he hadn’t expected to find. Almost as if she understood him, those secret fantasies he barely remembered, but now found constantly parading through his mind.
His phone would ring, and he’d recall he was still in the middle of divorce paperwork, and he’d try to organize the finances for his lawyer. He had never known how invasive getting divorced could be. He was getting tired of answering, “Who is listed as the beneficiary on the life insurance policy?” and “how much is in the 401(k)?”
By the time the following Friday rolled around Frank felt like it had been ages since he’d last seen her, and his heart was beating just a little bit faster than normal as he pulled into her drive to pick her up. He found himself smiling, or drifting off into a moment of daydreaming, thinking about her. He always felt it, a surge of excitement when he pulled up at her house or opened the door for her. She greeted him in the doorway with a warm kiss. Her wavy hair was pulled back in a clip that allowed most of the curls to cascade past her shoulders. He had never seen it down and wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through it.
“I’m glad you like it,” Eliza teased. She fluffed up her tresses and spun around to give him the full view.
Of course, he liked it. All those curls that were usually pinned up behind her head, refusing to stay tucked in place made her look younger, sexier. As if that woman needed to look sexier! He caught her hand and raised it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back of her knuckles. “What makes my lady think I like it?”
The evening air was perfect, cool for early June, and the sky was just dampening from fiery orange to the grayed-out dusk when the sun has slipped from view, but still shines on up onto the clouds. Eliza pulled a navy sweater out of the closet by the door and draped it over her shoulders. “I know this theater, it’s always cold. And if you had just seen your face when I opened the door. Or your fingers, looking like they were going to lift up a curl and smell it!”
“I did not!” They headed down the steps and over to his Honda. “I’m not that much of an easy read am I?” She swung his hand and walked nonchalantly, enjoying his befuddlement. “I mean, I do like it. How is it you manage to do this to me?”
“Me thinks the gentleman doth protest too much!” she quipped, shoulders shaking with suppressed mirth. She dropped easily into the passenger seat and waited while he walked around the car. “All right, all right. It was your eyes, and your dick that gave you away,” she teased further.
“My dick…. What are you talking about?”
“I was looking at it. It’s what I like to do. Check out my man’s sexy chinos and see if he’s got some kind of magic wand in there for me.” She liked flustering h
im. His voice was so low and smooth, but when he got worked up, it rose in pitch and sounded wispier.
Frank burst out laughing, “ All this, and it was you checking out my magic wand!”
“Well, we have yet to see if it can actually do magic.” That was what he adored about her. She charmed him so easily, and it was like she constantly found ways to tease him or make him sputter.
The drive to the local cinema wasn't far, just a few turns down the back roads. The parking lot was crowded, but then it was a Friday night, and the building had a line out the front door for tickets. They stood in line holding hands, and Frank bought the tickets and popcorn and cokes. The world might have evolved into a place where couples went dutch and gender roles got blurred, but Eliza had confided in him that she was old school, and liked being treated like a lady. And for her man to be a gentleman. That comment still made him smile. Her man.
They carried their drinks into the auditorium and found seats towards the back. They were seeing the latest blockbuster from Marvel Studios, one she evidently had been waiting for ages to see. He hadn't even known there was a Marvel Studios, although he had heard of films like Iron Man and The Avengers.
He would have seen anything she wanted, just to be able to hold her hand and let the world know she was with him, to feel the warmth of her curled under his arm, and hold her while she nuzzled her face into the crook of his shoulder. He smiled, thinking how different she was from him. She had insisted he pick her up early, she wanted to make sure to see all the previews of upcoming attractions. Just the way she said “Attractions…” made him think, “Oh yeah… I feel some attraction…”
He shook his head to clear it, and tilted the sack of popcorn towards her, shaking it a little to entice her to reach in for some. "Only a little bit," she said, and popped a few into her mouth. "I always love to eat this stuff and then I spend the rest of the week flossing to get the kernels out from between my teeth."
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