Contrasted Desires

More of the first

“Hello Derek. Thank you. You also look.... stunning.” I managed to reply, although I was finding it difficult to keep my breath even.  I rolled my eyes inwardly at myself.  You look stunning?  Jeez Cara, come on!  I grinned sheepishly and looked down at my shoes, then back up.  He was smiling softly and looking at me intently.

“Shall we?” He extended his elbow towards me.  I put my arm through his and stepped out into the hallway pulling the door closed behind me. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

“I hope you like french? I have reserved a private room at Le Bernardin on West 51st. Street. Is that alright?” He asked as we walked down the stairs.  I could feel his gaze on me and I nodded. I held on the railing and concentrated on the stairs.  My head was swimming and my thoughts were fuzzy.  It was almost a euphoric feeling, and I fought to stay in control.

We walked out to the street.  The fresh seemed to clear my head and I felt a little more centered.  I could at least concentrate now. It was still warm out, but there was a light breeze that swirled gently around us. I could smell his cinnamon and ginger scent again. It made me feel lightheaded and a little tingly. We walked across the street to a parking garage.

“I don’t trust the street.” He grinned and pressed a button on his key remote. A black Cadillac Escalade beeped and lit up. I was impressed. “Allow me.” He opened the passenger door.

“Thank you.” I smiled and climbed in. The black leather seats still had the new car smell. He slid into the driver’s side seat and started the SUV, backed out and we were on our way. I was still nervous. I could feel my stomach still doing flip flops, but my heart had slowed to a normal pace. I glanced out the window, watching people and trees pass by. New York at night was so alive, almost more so at night than in the daytime. It was amazing to me.

“What are you thinking?” The deep, rich voice broke into my thoughts. I looked over at him, smiled and blushed.

“Oh, just thinking about New York and how much I love it. I love how this city never really sleeps. It’s like Vegas, only it gets cold.” I smiled again and looked down at my hands. I felt like a teenager on a first date even though I was thirty. When I looked up at him again, he was smiling at me.

“Yes, I agree. New York is certainly something else.  There is no other city like it.”  We continued to talk about the city, the sights we liked, the events we had been to and the best restaurants. The conversation was natural, and flowed well.  I forgot about my nervousness and had begun to relax when we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant.

“Don’t move” he said as he opened his door. It seemed like only a second before he was over at my door holding it open for me. I smiled and took his extended hand. I hopped onto the ground and tugged my skirt down again.

“Thank you. I guess I am short” I chuckled at my own lame comment. Derek smiled and shook his head.

“I beg to differ, I think you are the perfect height.” He said smoothly as he kissed my hand. I felt my heart pound and I blushed. He tucked my hand into his arm and we walked to the entrance of the restaurant. There were two hostesses standing in the reception area. They both stared at Derek as we walked in. I was secretly thrilled that both girls were clearly infatuated with him. I smiled to myself.

“May I help you?” the blonde hostess said, smiling widely. She glanced at me momentarily and turned her full attention back to Derek.

“I have a private room reserved, last name Grant.” It was like he didn’t even notice the two of them. He smiled politely, showing his perfect teeth, and squeezed my arm. I felt my knees give out a bit, but held myself steady.

“Oh yes, please follow me!” the brunette hostess said quickly, grabbing two menus. The blonde hostess shot her a glare, but she didn’t notice or didn’t care. She lead us to a set of glass doors and held them open. I walked past her into a dimly lit room. There was one table in the center of the room, elegantly set with two settings with a large white flower bouquet in the middle. There were white candles around the centerpiece of the table, and all around the room.

“Wow.” I breathed, “this is quite the first date.” I heard Derek chuckle softly as he pulled my chair out. “Thanks.” I said. He slid into the seat across from me and stared into my eyes. I smiled.

“Here are your menus. Your server is Joshua, he’ll be in shortly.” The hostess placed the menus on the table and looked at Derek. He did not look away from me.

“Thank you.” He said and reached for my hand. She frowned and walked away. I heard the door open and close. I let him take my hand.

“This is very elaborate. You didn’t have to do all this just for flooding my bathroom.” I laughed. I motioned to the candles and flowers, “I was just expecting a dinner, not a private room!”

“I always try to get private rooms if I can.” He winked at me, his dark eyes shining in the candle light. He looked breath taking in this dim light. The candle light flickering making his eyes dance, the shadows playing off his perfect face. He was almost too perfect, too suave, too unreal. The door opening broke my thoughts. We both looked up.

“Good evening, I’m Joshua, your server this evening.” A deep, melodic voice said from the door. I managed to pull my eyes away from Derek and look over. My eyes locked on a tall, blonde, blue eyed man. He was about 6 feet tall, tanned and gorgeous. I stared in awe of him. He smiled and approached the table. I blinked and forced myself to stop staring. I looked down at the menu, pretending to read.

“Have you decided on something to drink?” Joshua asked, pulling a pad of paper and pen from his black apron.

“Yes, I believe we will have wine. A bottle of Moulin-a-Vent, Domaine Richard Rottiers.” Derek replied in perfect french. I looked up, glancing back and forth between the two men. Something about Joshua made me stare at his blue eyes. They were light blue, bright, mysterious. He smiled at us, a deep dimple in his left cheek. There was a dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. His blonde hair was thick and wavy, several shades of blonde and fell perfectly to just above his ears. I shook my head and pulled my eyes away again, glancing at Derek. He hadn’t noticed me staring, and I sighed silently to myself.

"Very good wine choice. May I reccommend the escargot appetizers to compliment the wine?" Joshua looked at me, smiled, and looked back at Derek. He was not looking at Joshua, he was looking at the menu.

"Yes, that sounds fine to start. Thank you." Derek closed the menu and placed it on the side of the table. He looked at me and tilted his head. "I'm sorry I didn't even ask if that was alright with you." I shook my head and blushed.

"Oh, it's fine Derek. Anything is alright, I'm not fussy." I smiled and felt my heart skip again as he touched my hand and returned a crocked smile. Joshua wrote on his notepad, turned and walked from the table. I barely noticed as the door opened and closed. I was intoxicated by Derek's scent, which seemed to envelop me. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. "What is the cologne you are wearing?" I asked breathlessly, opening my eyes. Derek grinned devilishly and winked.

"It's a secret. If I told you, I'd have to kill you." We both chuckled.