by Lea Coll
“I want everyone here to know you’re here with me. You are phenomenal in that dress.” His eyes raked boldly over me. “I want to be by your side all night. I’m sorry I have to talk to all of these people,” he said, regretfully tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.
“It’s okay. I knew this would be a work function for you,” I said. It felt good knowing he’d rather be with me.
A man approached Luke and cleared his throat, “It’s time for dinner. You ladies want to have a seat?” The man gestured to a table behind him.
“Ladies, this is Cam Hollis, my campaign manager. Cam this is Emma Ryan, Samantha Miller, Ashley Cooke, and Stella Lewis,” he said, pointing at each of us with the introduction. Cam shook our hands.
“You aren’t from here are you?” Stella asked, studying him. Stella probably knew all of the locals.
“No, I’m just here to handle Luke’s campaign.” He looked down at his clipboard, which probably contained the itinerary for the night’s events. “We should get seated so they can serve dinner.”
“Emma, you’re sitting next to me,” Luke said, when I started to walk with Samantha and Ashley to their table.
I hesitated because Cam did not look happy. I waited for him to say something.
“Come on Emma,” Luke said, tugging me towards the main table.
“Luke,” the man said, and waited for Luke to look at him. It was clear he didn’t want to say what he had to say in front of me.
“What, Cam? I thought we needed to get this show on the road?” Luke asked, getting a little annoyed.
“I don’t have Emma sitting with you. She’s at this table with Samantha, Ashley, and Stella,” he said, referring Luke to his seat chart.
“Well, make room because Emma is sitting with me,” Luke said, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the main table. I looked back at the girls with my eyebrows raised in surprise.
We sat down at a table with the mayor, Cam, and some other city officials who I hadn’t met yet.
I placed the napkin in my lap and thanked the server for placing a salad in front of me when Cam asked, “Are you two dating?” I noticed everyone seated at the table perked up and looked at Luke, waiting for his answer.
I did not know what to say in this situation. We just met but it seemed like there could be more, but how did you tell someone that? Was it even Cam’s business? I looked to Luke for him to answer. This was his deal and I wanted him to be comfortable with whatever was said.
“Emma just moved here recently from the city, and we are getting to know each other better,” Luke said, smiling over at me.
What he said was the truth and I knew he didn’t want to reveal too much to these people. It wasn’t anyone’s business.
“Don’t you work at the public defender’s office?” Mayor Good asked, as the waiter walked around the table filling the water glasses.
“Yes, I transferred here from the city,” I replied.
Cam had a concerned look on his face and the mayor seemed a little upset by my answer too. I wondered why.
“Well, that must make for some awkward conversation between you two,” Mayor Good said. His wife started to look a little uncomfortable at his line of questions. Her eyes darted away from mine.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I said. I didn’t like the vibe I got from his questions. I don’t think he was insinuating anything nice.
“Well, you defend criminals and Luke puts them behind bars. Seems pretty clear to me,” Mayor Good explained.
“That’s very simplistic,” I said. I took a sip of my water and then continued, “I’m an attorney who moved here from the city and Luke is a police officer. We don’t discuss our work outside of court.” I had no idea where he was going with this or if he was accusing me of something.
“I don’t think I know what you’re getting at, Mayor,” Luke said, his face tight.
“Oh just making small talk,” Mayor Good said, brushing it off. Then he changed the conversation to Luke’s campaign stops that day and I tuned it out.
I hadn’t thought about how it would look if I was dating someone running for sheriff. I didn’t define myself by my job. I wasn’t a criminal or less than because I represented the accused, but I guessed not everyone saw it that way. I hoped it wouldn’t cause any trouble for Luke. That was the last thing I wanted.
We finally finished our meal and Cam went to the podium to introduce Luke.
Luke gave a speech thanking everyone for coming and went through his platform again. He answered the questions with ease too. Of course this was an easy crowd. People paid to come here to support his campaign. The mayor’s support was the only thing in question, which I thought was odd.
After his speech, music played and some couples went out on the dance floor. Luke came over to my chair, leaned down to me, and asked, “Would you like to dance?”
“Of course,” I said, smiling. I placed my hand in his and followed him out to the dance floor. He pulled me into his arms and I enjoyed his close proximity. “Your speech was great,” I said, looking up at him. “And you handled all of the questions easily.”
“Thanks, Emma.” His eyes were riveted on my face and then moved over my body slowly. Heat flared up inside me following his gaze. “I don’t want to talk about the campaign. I wish we were alone right now,” he said, huskily as he gently tugged on my hair.
It made me think of sinking to my knees with him still in his tux, unbuckling his belt, drawing his zipper down and pulling out his cock. These thoughts were out of character for me, but my attraction to Luke made me bold. I felt my face heating up with my thoughts. Luke’s eyes sparked at whatever he could see in my eyes. I was sure he could read my mind.
Luke tugged gently again on my hair, tilting my head back a little farther. He leaned even closer to me and my eyes drifted closed. I could feel his lips just a hair from mine and I held my breath in anticipation. His teeth nipped my bottom lip just for a second. Everything he was doing seemed in stark contrast to the formal nature of the event we were at, which only heightened my senses.
When Cam cleared his throat next to us, it was like someone threw cold water on me, I jumped back guiltily out of Luke’s arms. I had completely forgotten where we were for a minute. I was breathing heavily and my pulse pounded in my head. Was he as affected by our closeness as I was?
“Luke, some of the city officials need to talk to you. And don’t forget we don’t have the mayor’s support yet.” Cam chided Luke and glanced in reproach at me.
What the hell did he mean by that? That Luke didn’t have time for one dance or that I was interfering with their plan for the mayor?
Luke turned back to me. “I have to go talk to some people but don’t go anywhere. I have plans for you later,” he said, that last part quietly so only I could hear.
I smiled at him in response.
“Come on Luke,” Cam said, trying to pull him away. Cam was not my favorite person right now.
I wandered back to the table where Ashley, Samantha, and Stella were seated during dinner. Stella was gone since she was working the room. Jack and Sawyer had taken their jackets off and loosened their ties. Jack leaned back in his chair with his arm around the back of Samantha’s chair. She was wearing a long flowy dress and was seated on the edge of her chair with her elbows on the table. Ashley and Sawyer were seated next to each other in some heated debate.
“Hey guys,” I said, as I sat down in a chair next to Ashley.
Ashley leaned in to ask, “How was tonsil hockey on the dance floor?”
I snorted. “First of all, there was no tonsil hockey on the dance floor. Secondly, how do you even know what I was doing on the dance floor? It seems like you’re pretty occupied over here yourself,” I said, gesturing to Sawyer.
Ashley laughed. “Oh I think everyone noticed you guys on the dance floor. Whenever you two are near each other, it seems like you are going to spontaneously combust.”
“Uh huh, it looked a little R-rat
ed for a campaign event,” Jack said, taking a sip of his drink and giving me a knowing look.
I rolled my eyes. “Well, it doesn’t matter because Cam doesn’t seem happy that I’m Luke’s date.” There was really no good defense for the situation. It was probably best to change the subject.
“Yeah he’s a little uptight. Where did he find him?” Jack asked.
“He contacted Luke and asked him to be his campaign manager. I guess people who try to get into managing campaigns volunteer their services in small local elections to prove themselves,” Sawyer explained.
“I’d imagine he’d have to be a type-A personality to handle that job,” Ashley said.
“You would know,” Jack grinned. It was no secret that Ashley was a type-A personality. She was extremely motivated. She didn’t seem to have much of a social life. I’d never heard her even talk about dating.
“Hey, are you guys having fun?” asked Stella, as she plopped into the chair next to Samantha. She took one look at us reclined in our chairs and said, “It looks like you’re done for the night.”
“Yes, I am tired and ready to leave. Where is Luke?” Ashley said.
“I think he was saying goodbye to the mayor. Most people are leaving at this point. So it should be over soon,” Sawyer answered.
“Good,” I said craning my neck to see if I could find him.
“Was the night a success?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, I think so. He raised a good amount of money for his campaign and hopefully the mayor will announce his support soon,” Sawyer said.
“Why is he holding out?” Ashley asked.
“I don’t know. I think he’s expected to go with Brad Campbell because of his experience, but he wanted to give Luke a fair shot too,” Stella explained. “He’s also worried about alienating half of his voters. Luke’s popular with the younger people. That’s the rumor around the office anyway.”
Luke walked over to our table and crouched down next to me. “Are you ready to go?”
I smiled down at him. “Definitely.”
LUKE DROVE ME HOME AND walked me up to my door. As we approached my door, I slid my shoes off, which dropped my height down a few inches. I was too tired to care and my feet were sore. Other than our shared dance, we hadn’t had much opportunity to be alone.
I dug around in my clutch for my keys, which Luke took from my hand as soon as I found them. He turned the key in the lock and shoved the door open. He gestured for me to precede him into the apartment so I did. I dropped my clutch on the island stool and my shoes on the floor.
“Do you want something to drink? A beer or water?” I asked.
“A beer is fine,” he answered, pulling his bow tie loose and dropping it next to my purse. I was mesmerized by the way he unbuttoned his shirt a few buttons and pulled it open at the neck. He raised his eyebrows at me when he caught me staring.
“Right, a beer,” I said, going towards the refrigerator. I pulled out a beer, and a water for me, and then sat down next to him on the couch. I handed him the beer. “So, it was a successful night?”
“Yeah, it was great. Cam is such an asset on the campaign. I don’t really know what I’m doing and he keeps me in line.”
“He certainly keeps you in line,” I said, sarcastically.
Luke shot me a look. He was probably not sure if I was being serious or not. I didn’t bother to clear it up for him. I had a bad feeling that Cam would be an issue between us for awhile. I didn’t really want to discuss it with Luke yet though.
“He didn’t seem happy that you’re associating with a criminal attorney.”
“No, he didn’t.”
It made me uneasy that Luke didn’t defend my career or say it didn’t matter what my job was. When he didn’t elaborate on his statement, I changed the subject. “What’s the deal with the mayor?” It was a little too early in our relationship to be having a fight.
“He hasn’t said which way he’s leaning yet. Although he made it sound like I had a chance.”
“Oh really?” I asked, surprised. It almost seemed like the mayor was holding out for something. A promise of what, I didn’t know.
“Yeah, but he hasn’t said why yet.” Then he placed his beer down on the coffee table and shifted his elbows to his legs, leaning forward. “But I don’t want to talk about the election anymore.” His hand drifted to rest on my thigh.
I looked down at his hand just inches from the bottom of my dress. I sucked in a breath at the feel of his hand on my bare leg. “Oh, yeah? What do you want to talk about?”
“I invited you out on a date tonight, but I didn’t treat you like a gentleman should, did I?” He leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“No?” I asked, looking over at him seeing the gleam in his eye. “No, you definitely did not,” I said, as I felt his hand move a few inches up my leg.
“I let Cam interrupt our dance.”
“You sure did,” I answered huskily.
“I ignored you most of the night.” His hand crept slowly under my dress and up my leg. My legs opened in response. I didn’t know who I was right now, but I usually did not act like this. I felt his hands lingering an inch away from my lace panties, which were getting wetter by the second.
“I want to make it up to you,” he said, his voice even lower. His fingers flirted with the edge of my panties. His mouth found mine and his other hand tangled in my hair. This was different than our first few kisses. His lips were firm and demanding on mine. My heart was racing and I pulled back to catch my breath.
I leaned back on the couch to give him better access. “I . . .” I swallowed as a finger slipped under my panties and moved them to the side. “I don’t think I want you to treat me like a lady.”
“Is that right?” His mouth found the shell of my ear as his fingers separated my folds and began a slow glide. “A lady doesn’t allow a man to finger fuck her on the first date, does she?”
The dirty talk heightened everything for me, taking it to the next level. “No, a lady does not,” I answered, struggling to pay attention as his fingers found a rhythm and he slipped one finger, then two, into my center. My hips rocked on his hand. I was so far gone I didn’t even care how I looked right now. For once I felt sexy and uninhibited.
His thumb found my clit and I felt the beginning of my orgasm. I knew it was going to be intense by the slow way it built until I was clenching around his fingers. I was only somewhat conscious but I swear I felt Luke suck in his breath in response during my release. It was so intense it took me a minute to come down. When I did, I opened my eyes to Luke sucking my juices off of his fingers. It was hot. I just lay back on the couch watching Luke with my legs still spread, unable to move. He righted my panties and dress for me.
“Do you want me to . . .?” I started to ask glancing down at his cock.
He shook his head no. “Not tonight, Emma. That wouldn’t be very gentlemanly on the first date.”
I just snorted at that. Pretty sure what we just did wouldn’t qualify as gentlemanly either, but I wasn’t going to complain.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I really wanted to take you out on a proper date first,” he said, as he leaned in for another quick kiss. When he pulled back, his eye twinkled and a small smile played on his lips.
“You don’t look all that apologetic,” I said, smiling at him.
“No, I’m not. But seriously, I do want to take you out. Let me see what my schedule is like for the campaign, first.”
I nodded. I was pretty sure Cam had him on a tight schedule and if he knew Luke wanted spare time to see me, he would keep him extra busy. So, I didn’t get my hopes up.
“I know, I’m going to be pretty busy with campaign stuff for awhile, but I’d like to make some time for us.”
“That would be nice.”
“I had a great time tonight, Emma.” Luke said, as he stood to leave.
“You’re leaving?” I asked from the same position. My legs felt languid and I had no desire to get up.
“Yes, I don’t trust myself if I stay,” he said, with a knowing grin. He held out his hand to pull me to standing and then walked me over to the door, still holding my hand. He faced me, my hand in his and he cupped my head with the other. He gave me a chaste kiss on the lips and then pulled back to say, “Thank you for being my date tonight.” When I could only nod in response like a good girl, he said, “Lock the door when I leave.”
“I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU GUYS talked me into this,” I whispered to Ashley who was in the downward dog position next to me. “I’m not flexible at all.”
“No kidding.” Ashley snorted, lifting her leg up in the donkey position.
“Shh!” came from somewhere behind us.
Ashley and I exchanged looks. I dropped my head back down and attempted to lift my leg like Ashley did. As I did, I saw an upside down Luke walking around the farmers’ market. Chestertown recently started offering free yoga classes Sunday mornings during the farmers’ market. It was definitely not something I would have done on my own, but Ashley had demanded my presence this morning.
After a few more poses, I finally lay on the mat in corpse pose and thought about the previous night with Luke. I thought about his hand on my leg, traveling up my thigh and under my dress.
“Yoga is over, dork. Are you planning on sleeping all day?” I opened one eye to see Stella hovering over me. “Why is your face all flushed?” Stella asked, tilting her head to consider me. She always said whatever was on her mind.
My face turned even redder at her scrutiny. “No reason,” I lied. “When did you get here?” I asked pushing to my feet. I doubted Stella had the patience to do yoga. She had trouble sitting still or staying in one place for long.
“I’m here to cover the farmers’ market. There’s supposed to be a clown school here today to perform and teach kids how to do some of the tricks.”
“Is that really for the paper?” Ashley asked, grinning, “It sounds like something right up your alley.”
“Maybe for my column,” Stella said, smiling back at Ashley.