Every time I walked past a mirror I had to stop and check my face and outfit. It wasn't like I was wearing a lot of make-up or that I was magically going to sprout a third eye or something, but I couldn't seem to calm my nervousness. I'd changed at least ten times and I still had at least an hour before she showed up. A date! Needless to say these last couple of weeks had been interesting.

I finally got off that elevator some hours later but the board meeting had gone on without me, leaving my proposal still burning a hole in my briefcase. And imagine my surprise when my elevator mate became my office assistant until the position could be filled permanently.

Not being one to look a gift horse in the mouth I quickly brought Sylvia up to date on the presentation I had been working on--a lesbian subsidiary of our already established name in publishing, which I had hopes of heading up. Sylvia took to the idea surprisingly well, helping smooth the edges so that I didn't make an ass of myself at the rescheduled meeting after the elevator fiasco. I pitched the idea, left it in the hands of the board and crossed my fingers.

The days passed quickly and one week of the eight week position was gone. Flirting subtly hadn't garnered any reaction with her, so I finally gave up the ghost and asked her to dinner as repayment for the jellybeans she so kindly shared with me. And my answer was a smile that seemed to say "what took you so long" and a casually spoken "sure". That was Wednesday and I have never wanted a Saturday to come so quickly in my life.

A quick look to the mirror, still no third eye, clothes still on and fastened correctly and I still had at least 45 minutes. I finally settled on a casual sort of look; dark blue pants, blue tank top, and a white dress shirt with blue pinstripes, buttoned twice across my stomach. What does one wear to stay in and cook anyway? An apron? Hmm·..possibilities.

I left my fantasies in the gutter and headed to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner. A tossed salad began to take shape in a bowl. I sneaked in the requisite sweet corn; it's not a salad without corn. Minced cloves of garlic and mixed them with butter. Spread the mixture on a loaf of French bread, put it in the oven to melt and viola, garlic bread. I was just checking the fettuccine noodles when the doorbell rang. I didn't know I could jump that high from a standstill. Learn something new every day.

I waffled in front of the door when I got there. It's times like this when I wish I had a peephole. Not being able to get a glimpse before opening the door is surprisingly added pressure. God, who knew I was such a spaz? Before she could ring the bell again, I gathered my wits about me and opened the door.

There stood Sylvia. Before I could invite her in she thrust a bottle of wine and some flowers at me with an earnest awkwardness. More often than not I found myself smiling in her presence and tonight was looking to be no exception.

I took her coat and after I freed my hands up and turned back to her I noticed a peculiar look on her face. I almost started laughing when I figured out what had drawn her attention. I was showing quite a bit more cleavage this evening than I ever would at the office. The mingling of business and personal was going to be an interesting ride.

When I asked her if she wanted to eat now or wait a little while, she seemed strongly in favor of now so I put her to work setting the table while I finished the cooking. Throwing the chicken into a wok to cook, I drained the noodles, took the finished bread out of the oven, and carried the salad out to the table. Five minutes later I had honey mustard chicken with fettuccine.

She didn't make a comment about the corn in the salad, which was a gigantic plus. And she seemed to like the dinner, she ate it anyway.

We lingered over the empty plates polishing off the wine and engaging in some surprising debates. Seems we both love to play devil's advocate. She has a wicked way of looking at things that differs from my own. It was a side to her that I hadn't gotten a glimpse of before now.

We decided on slipping a movie in to occupy the rest of the evening. A rather demure first date, but I liked the opportunities it afforded us to get to know one another better.

She picked a selection from the three I had rented and I confess I had no idea what the movie was. I was more focused on our sitting arrangements. She was seated in the corner of my couch and I took the space next to her. There was enough room for a sense of decorum but not enough that I couldn't feel her body heat. It was the body heat that interested me more than the film.

Minutes passed, the plot apparently unfolded on the flickering screen, and by the middle of the film that space for decorum was non-existent. I'm a subtle scootcher. Before the credits were rolling her interest had transferred from the film to me, or so I gathered when she touched her lips to mine. A brief almost chaste press of her lips and then she was looking at me. To see if I minded perhaps?

I followed her retreating lips and smiled as her hands came up to cradle my face. Little butterfly kisses were my first tactic of assault. Until the fleeting contact was overridden by hormones and I drew her bottom lip into my mouth. I don't know who's tongue gained entry to whose mouth first and I didn't really care as one kiss progressed into another and another.

My hands found purchase on her midriff, trailing slowly from the waistband of her pants to just below her breasts and back again. I haven't any idea where we might have ended up if a constant digital beep hadn't cut through the haze. Stilling my hands on her stomach I pushed away to find her looking somewhat sheepish.

"Wrist alarm" she muttered, and fumbled with the buttons that would shut it off. The hour had grown late and she had something to do early the next morning.

We lingered at the door, needing to say goodbye but not quite sure how after the make out session on the couch. I gave her a brief kiss with a lick to her lips and a smile.

"Goodnight", she sighed and slipped out the door.

I leaned my forehead against the cold door face and ran through the evening in my head. I was forward and somewhat aggressive, and I kinda liked it.

There was no talk of a next date, or even when we would see each other again; though the inevitability of Monday morning seemed to answer that neatly. I worried briefly that I might have taken things a bit too quickly. I'd just have to wait and see what her next move would be. I headed for my bedroom and sleep filled with interesting dreams.

My new position was a dream come true, however I now only had six more weeks to prove I was a perfect fit for this position. Hell, who was I trying to kid? I wanted to be a perfect fit for her. I figured if I worked really hard she would see how great I could be.

Maybe that pot of coffee I dropped on the carpet at the receptionist's desk wouldn't matter. Or that the mishap with the beautiful glass paperweight she had on her desk that I was admiring when it slipped and hit the edge of the desk and shattered into many a million pieces. I did learn after that to try and stay away from her since my nerves did me in and I made a fool of myself more often than not.

Then she asked. A date. Wow. Amazingly I answered without stuttering. At first I thought she must be talking to someone else, but I realized quickly enough we were alone and she had asked me. I threw out my best "sure". I hoped I didn't sound stupid and she regretted it.

Time is an amazing thing. The first week took about thirteen seconds to complete. But somehow from her asking me on Wednesday until today, Saturday felt like years to get to.

So with nerves of steel I landed on her front porch. Wine in hand, no mishaps yet. I only changed my clothes three times, so not too bad. I rang the bell. You know that first moment of thrill mingled with sheer terror? Well it hits me dead center when she opened the door.

She was amazingly beautiful. Her charm was in everything about her. The way she looked at me, the way she took the wine that I just jammed at her. At least I didn't drop it.

I handed her some flowers that were starting to wilt in my heated grasp. She gave me her usual smile that had me melting. I gave her my coat and watched her hang it up. I was so close to drooling. I had it bad.

Her clothes were put together with her usual attention to detail, but this outfit was all about comfort. I found myself staring, seeing her body for the first time in something other than business attire. My mind wandered. It needed to be dragged to a halt quickly. She watching me, so I stopped, slightly embarrassed.

I helped set the table while she was cooking. It felt so natural and comfortable being in her house setting the table for dinner. The smells were incredible. She obviously was a better cook than I. Not that it would take much, pop tarts were my specialty. I watched her cook the chicken and throw together the pasta with her usual confidence. We sat down to eat and I realized the salad had corn in it. It was then I knew all was good.

I wished I had brought two bottles of wine. It was wonderful sitting and debating with her. She was so intelligent and quick. After our lively conversation, she suggested a movie.

I wasn't usually big on TV or movies, but she let me choose, so that was nifty. I scoped out the room carefully and decided to grab the end of the couch. She plopped down next to me causing me to smile inside and at the same time feel nauseous.

The movie played but all my attention was on Sylvia and her warmth. She inched closer and I decided the time was right. I kissed her lightly. I leaned back to look at her and she was smiling at me. I reached up and brushed her face with my hands. She moved in and gave me a few small kisses and then a nip at my lip. I was gone. From that moment on my hands and mouth took on a life of their own. Her body was so warm and real.

And then my wrist alarm was going off. I couldn't believe I let Scott talk me into setting it. I told her what it was and of course I had to mess with it to figure out how to get it to stop beeping. I felt so stupid. I tried to explain that I had an early appointment, but the moment was lost.

At the door we said our goodbyes, neither of us wanted the night to end. She kissed me and used that killer smile. I managed to get out a semi-coherent "goodnight" and sauntered out the door.

As I walked down the stairs I checked my watch and realized the buses had long since stopped running. During the long walk home I thought about Monday and beyond. I needed to ask her out. But how, where and when? I didn't have any answers yet but I smiled, knowing this was just the beginning.

The End? Maybe not...

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