“No, you're not. I'm still sore in very uncomfortable places, thank you.”
“Hey, you begged for that, missy. But I'll keep it strictly vag, I swear.”
“Right. I'm out of here. Thanks for the tacos.”
Liam slapped her on the ass again when she walked past him. Before she could move through the rooftop doorway, though, he called out to her.
“Call me when you're done with your date!”
“Why?” she asked, turning to face him. He hadn't moved from the ratty loveseat he'd been occupying for the hour they'd been up there. A stylish pair of vintage Ray Bans hid his warm brown eyes, but even without being able to see them, Katya could just tell they were smiling at her.
“Because I want to hear all the dirty sex details.”
She snorted at him again, then slammed the door behind her after she'd walked through it.
*
For their second date, Wulf was the one who was late. The place he'd picked out – Flannery's – was a high end bar, and Katya was the only woman in the entire establishment. It was mostly empty, true, but the half dozen or so other guests were all men in very expensive looking suits. An older gentleman was working the bar and he kept shooting her odd looks.
He probably thinks I'm a prostitute, awesome.
Wulf strolled in twenty minutes after six. He stopped to chat with a couple people as he made his way through the bar, even ordered himself a drink, before he finally sat down next to her. Almost as if she were an afterthought.
He explained to her that the bar was a hot spot for businessmen – expensive attorneys, lawyers, accountants, and realtors frequented the exclusive, expensive, eatery. When she pointed out they all also seemed to be male, he'd winked at her and said how lucky it was for her, then.
He'd picked the spot to meet her because he'd known he was going to be working late. He'd walked down from his offices, and it hadn't even occurred to him that the spot might make her uncomfortable – a twenty-three year old attractive woman sitting in what was essentially a shark tank.
While they had drinks and ate, Katya tried to pin down what exactly about him made her uncomfortable. He was smart – smarter than her, she could admit. And he was ridiculously good looking, and through their chats, she found out he still did swim frequently. He even had a lap pool on the roof of his building. He was also successful, and as a result, he was very wealthy. Katya's family was upper class and she made very good money through her job, but Wulf's bank account was on another level, she was sure. All those things spelled out intimidation in big, bold letters
But that wasn't it. Katya had dated good looking, rich, successful men before, and they never made her feel tongue tied the way Wulf did. Hell, Liam was rich and successful and so good looking, it was stupid, but she felt completely at ease with him. So strange, how one man could make her feel so comfortable in his presence, and the other could make her feel so nervous.
That wasn't the only way they were completely opposite, either. Liam was all kinky silly sexy, but there was always a hint of hesitation about him. He always, in his own way, sought permission to touch her. Once she gave the okay, he was aggressive and demanding, but only when she'd made it clear she wasn't going to stop him. He was polite.
Wulf had no similar such compulsion. He touched her often and frequently, and without any sort of hesitation. It was like it didn't even occur to him that he should ask permission – or he just didn't care. They sat side by side at the bar and he would reach out occasionally, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, touching her thigh below the hem of her dress, running his finger down the side of her arm. It made her think of the other night, when he'd kissed her without any ceremony, any hesitation.
It made her feel stupid with anticipation, wondering how far he'd go. She liked it, that he assumed such a familiarity. Took such charge. When his hand would leave her skin, she found herself holding her breath till it came back.
If this keeps up much longer, I'm going to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“So what else do you do?” he asked as their plates were taken away.
“Just baking,” she answered.
Wulf spun on his stool so he was facing her, one of his elbows propped on the bar, a glass of brandy in his hand. She had both her elbows on the bar, her hands clasped together and her cheek pressed against them so she could face him. His knee was jutting into the side of her leg and just that simple contact caused her temperature to sky rocket.
She glanced around, wondering if anyone was around to witness her spontaneous combustion. The place had cleared out. It was only them, the bartender, and a bus boy wiping down tables. The setting sun was filtering into the space, coating everything in a soft gold glow.
“That's it? Morning till night? From the moment of waking? Jesus christ, your life must be so bland,” he snorted. She actually laughed – she was getting used to his odd sense of humor.
“No, smart ass. I have a roommate, I spend a lot of time with her. I like going to museums – love the aquarium,” she told him. He nodded while she spoke, but his eyes were wandering around the bar. Like he was bored. She took a deep breath. “Though recently, I've kind of been going through a change.” His eyes cut back to her.
Ha, got him.
“Really? What kind of change?” he asked.
“Like I said, it's recent. Very recent. I'm not sure how long it'll last,” she warned him.
“I swear, if you try to convert me to Scientology, I will wring your neck.”
She burst out laughing again.
“No, no cults or anything. But … I guess I should tell you, I'm kinda sorta seeing someone else,” she said.
“Ah. Kinda sorta?” he asked.
“Yeah. He's a new friend, sorta.”
“You sound unsure.”
“We're not boyfriend and girlfriend or anything,” she assured him. “But I like spending time with him, and we have slept together. I just thought you should know.”
She'd never in her life had that kind of conversation with a man. She suddenly felt very grown up. She wanted to order a gin and tonic, and start discussing the Dow Jones Industrial, or something.
“Well then. Thank you for sharing. Do you plan on sleeping with him again any time soon?” he checked.
“I don't plan on it,” she was honest.
“But it's a possibility.”
“I guess so.”
“Are you always this unsure about people you may or may not be sleeping with?” he asked. She slapped him on the knee.
“Yes. I told you, this is new to me. Seeing you, seeing that guy. I just wanted to be honest with you, from the beginning,” she said.