“Sorry,” she said quickly. “The intercom doesn’t work. I should have told you that. I just ran all the way down here.”
I took in her loose hair, little black dress, and nude heels. Somehow, she managed to look both innocent and seductive at the same time. She had been delicious looking at the club Friday evening, but this took the cake. The best part was that she was now even closer to giving herself over to me.
I realized that I hadn’t responded to her apology. I’d been too lost in admiration of her body. “Don’t worry about it. You look amazing.”
Shyly, she turned her head away, her eyes falling on the limo behind me. “Is that yours?”
“It is.” I offered my arm. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah,” she said, her eyes still on the limo.
My driver saw us coming and hurried to open the back door. Riley murmured a “thank you” and climbed in ahead of me. I settled across from her and folded my hands on top of my knee.
“I made us a reservation at Oishii. It’s Japanese, but if you’d prefer to go somewhere else, just say the name, and I’ll take you there.”
Riley’s eyes grew wide. “Oishii? Are you kidding me? Yes, I absolutely want to go there.” She grinned like a little kid. “I just read about that place in The New Yorker. It’s supposed to be amazing.”
“Good. It sounds like my gut feeling was right after all.”
“Your gut is very wise.”
She smiled wider, and I returned the gesture. The temperature in the limo climbed. Every inch of me itched to reach out and seize the woman across from me, but I couldn’t do that. It was too soon. I needed to wait, play the game, and savor the seduction process. The wait might be long, but it would also be worth it.
Riley told me about her two jobs as we rode back to Manhattan. Talking seemed to help her relax. With each new sentence, her face became more expressive, her hand gestures sharper.
“The one at the bar is the good one,” she said. “It’s the one I actually need to pay the bills. I like the people I work with, and the shifts aren’t too long. But it won’t take me anywhere, you know? I want to open my own bakery. I don’t want to be serving drinks forever.”
“And what do you need in order to do that?” I asked, simply to get her to talk more. There was a vitality in her when she really got going on a subject, and it was both pleasing and calming to see.
She let out a sigh so heavy her chest seemed to collapse. “Well, first of all, I need to learn how to bake. Yeah, I know how to do simple things. I bake all the time at home. But I need a real pastry chef to apprentice me. I need to learn how to make croissants the real way. After that, I’ll need money, but that’s a whole different story.”
“And this job at the bakery will give you the experience you need?”
Her lips twisted. “I hope so. Right now, I’m just working in the front, but sometimes cashiers get switched to the back.”
“Have you asked to be transferred back there?”
“Once, but there weren’t any positions open.”
“Hmm. So ask again.”
She squirmed in her seat. “I don’t want to be pushy. I haven’t been there very long, and they need me in the front right now. We’re kind of short-staffed.”
I tapped my finger against the armrest and studied her. “Got it.”
So Riley’s shyness wasn’t just a result of being around me. It extended to all areas of her life.
“I remember when I worked three jobs.”
She stared at me. “Three?”
“Sixty hours a week. It was when I first came to the city. I was seventeen.”
She leaned forward, curious. “You moved here with your parents?”
“No. I came alone. I’d always known I wanted to live here, so when I graduated high school a semester early, I made that happen.”
“Wow,” she breathed. “You came to New York City all by yourself?”
“Yes.” I cleared my throat and looked away. I’d never made excessive talking about myself a habit, and I wasn’t going to begin now. “If you want something, you need to assert yourself. Everyone is looking out for themselves. No one will just give you anything in this world. Not unless you’re constantly on their case about it.”
Riley’s mouth twitched. “That seems kind of cynical.”
“Maybe. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.”
She took a moment to consider it. “I guess I’m not in the position to shoot your theory down. That approach seems to have worked well for you.”
“You’re right about that.”
The limo glided up next to Oishii. The restaurant glowed with yellow light, and inside, waiters scurried around with trays balanced in their hands. It might have been Sunday, but the place was hopping.
My driver opened the door, and I helped Riley out of the car. She stayed pressed against my side during the walk through the restaurant doors and to the table. I rested my hand on the small of her back, guiding her left or right with the slightest touch. With her head just coming up to my chin, she was the perfect size for me.
My body responded to that thought in primal, unchecked ways. I couldn’t stop myself from imagining what it would be like to have Riley naked and under me. Taking a seat at our table was welcome. Having such an irresistible woman so close to me was making my dick noticeably hard. I scooted my chair in and waited for the headwaiter to bring over the bottle of wine I’d preordered when I made the reservation.
The wine was presented with a flourish. Riley took her time letting it air and smelling it, and I could tell it wasn’t an act. She loved food and everything that came with it just as much as I suspected she did. Once the wine was tasted, she listened in rapt attention as the waiter described the specials and made suggestions. After he was done, she immediately asked him to order for her.
“Can’t decide for yourself?” I asked.
Riley’s cheeks took on the slightest pink tinge. “It all sounds so good.”
“Agreed.” I handed the waiter my menu. “I’ll have that last special you mentioned.”
The waiter nodded his acknowledgment and went off to the kitchen. Riley immediately placed her folded hands on the table and turned to me. “Where did you grow up? You said you came here at seventeen.”
I was glad she was talking, but not thrilled that the topic was, again, myself. I dismissively waved my hand. “South Carolina. It’s a small town you never would have heard of. Where are you from?”
She made a face. “Long Island.”
Her goofy expression made me laugh. “Got a bad taste in your mouth?”
“Long Island’s okay, it’s just that the town I’m from isn’t exactly exciting.”
“What would make it more fun?”
“I don’t know, maybe something to do on Saturday night other than go bowling or go to the movies.”