"You seriously want to hear about my 'darkest, most secret' fantasy on our second date?" I ask incredulously, indicating the quotation marks with my fingers. From across the table, Sam's mischievous brown eyes hold my gaze and a distracting smile breaks through a dark beard a few days old. His slender hands are lightly folded in front of him on the table between us, circling an empty beer glass. He is looking at me like he wants to set me on fire with his gaze.
"I do," he says nonchalantly.
I blush, despite my best efforts to be mysterious and sexy.
Truthfully, I don't know why I'm surprised. When we were chatting, first on Tinder and then later private texting, Sam charmingly smooth-talked his way right through all my reservations and inhibitions, without being a prick. He seemed to know exactly what to say to make my knees buckle without even physically being with me. All very vanilla and normal, though. Our first date was good - mid-morning coffee in a very public place - and we clicked immediately. We both confirmed that we're just looking for some fun, nothing serious or committed. I was fresh out of a relationship and needed to "reset" my vibe, so to speak. We made small talk and kept the topics innocent, but in spite of that, at the end of the date it was undeniable: I was in lust.
Sam asked for a second date the very next day, and of course I agreed. I wanted him so badly... It's a slightly scary thought (I was brought up to be much more "wholesome" and reserved), but I can't deny that I enjoy it.
Especially because my recently-turned-ex boyfriend was so damn un-sexy. He wasn't unattractive and he definitely wasn't useless in bed, but the last few months were average, boring. Sam seems to be the ideal remedy for that.
Now that we're sitting opposite each other - in a corner, thank god, because our conversation has turned, inevitably, to sex - I feel like an inexperienced newbie to the dating scene. I think I've forgotten how to flirt. We've done the small-talk thing again before we ordered and finally moved past that into comfortable conversation throughout dinner. Then we started playing twenty questions (his idea) over dessert, which resulted in, well, this.
Everyone seems relaxed, but at our table, sexual tension is suddenly buzzing through the air. I think I can actually feel the vibrations; I'm getting goosebumps. I smile, drop my gaze and stare into my wine glass, trying to calm my nerves.
"Come on, tell me," he urges.
I look up again into those brown eyes.
Sparks fly between us instantly. Butterflies come alive in my belly, I shift on my chair, and I take a very obvious deep breath. This man does something to my heartbeat and my insides. It feels as if he can read my every thought. I feel exposed and naked and vulnerable under his gaze, even though I'm wearing my usual winter date attire: fitted skinny jeans, calf-length boots, wool jersey, scarf.
I am turned on; more than I've been in almost a year.
Then I start to laugh. This is so bizarre and my nerves are shot. I always laugh in stressful situations. It's ridiculous. I cover my face with my hands to hide my embarrassment. Sam sounds amused when he asks if I'm alright.
I lower my hands. Still smiling but not looking at him, I pick up my glass.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm just... uncharacteristically nervous. This whole situation is unreal."
I manage to turn my eyes towards him again.
He's still smiling, and I shake my head before taking a sip of my wine. How can he be so unruffled about this?
He takes hold of my wrists with both his hands when I set my glass down, and squeeze them gently.
"You're incredibly sexy," he says matter-of-factly as he looks me in the eye. "Relax."
My eyes search his for god knows what. Reassurance? Calm? I sigh again, and then nod.
"OK. It's fine, I'm alright now."
He lets go of my wrists, leans back in his chair and folds his arms across his chest.
"Good. So, do I have to ask a third time or are you going to tell me?"
"It's not quite as normal as some people would hope, though," I try to prepare him. I fold my arms on the table.
"So? Come on, please?"
I shake my head slightly before relenting. "Okay. I, uhm, I want to be tied up. Not in seriously tight ropes or chains or anything," I add quickly, "just enough to make me feel like I can't move."
Sam's eyes never leave my face.
"And then I want to... well..." I break off. I'm more embarrassed for sounding like an idiot than I am for what I'm about to tell him.
Taking a deep breath for what feels like the millionth time that evening, I tuck my hair behind my ear, look in his eyes and let the words tumble out before I can overthink it.
"I want to be dominated. Without any pain or humiliation or weird stuff, though. I just want to, you know, give up control and not be able to do anything except... surrender to whoever I'm with."
I shrug and he doesn't say anything.
The silence hangs between us like a rickety suspension bridge. I search his face for any sign that he's going to be the one who bursts out laughing this time, or for any sign that he might think I'm a freak.
Instead, all I see is lust. Pure lust brightening his eyes, creeping into his smile and finally permeating the air between us when he says in a low, soft voice, "I can do that. I want to."
I forget to breathe. I just stare at him, at his face, his lips.
Then I raise my eyebrows at him and smile lightly, skeptically.
"Shall we go?" he suggests, ignoring my expression.
"Wait, what? Right now?" I ask incredulously.
"Yes. Or are you scared?" A naughty, slightly arrogant smile plays on his lips.
"I'm not scared," I answer defiantly and reach for my handbag.
He smiles and then signals for the waiter to bring our bill. I try to pull myself together by downing the last of my wine in one big gulp. Liquid courage. I pull out my purse but Sam waves in dismissal, and I thank him as he pays for both of us.
I'm quiet when he gets up and holds his hand out to me. I take it and he playfully pulls me up. He's about a head taller than me. Tall, dark and incredibly handsome; a real Greek god. His grip is warm and firm around my hand.
"Your place or mine?" he asks the moment we're out of the restaurant.
"Yours, you said earlier that it's closer."
We quickly walk to his car. He struggles to pull his car keys from his pocket, then leads me around and opens the passenger door for me. I somehow manage a gracious sit-down and he slams the door shut just a tad too hard.
Before I know it, we're in front of a security complex gate. He tags in, parks in front of a garage a few hundred metres further, and leans over me to open the passenger door. It clicks open but he doesn't move back. Instead, he puts his right hand on my leg, grabs my face with his left hand, and kisses me deeply before pulling away and locking eyes with me. My head is swimming.
"Let's go," he says hoarsely before turning away and getting out of the car.
Suddenly, my heart is hammering in my chest and my joints feel like jelly. This is it; I'm doing this!
I get out and follow him to his front door. He stands aside to let me walk in first. I enter into a decently-sized, cozy lounge and place my handbag on the couch. When I turn, he's right next to me, hands already reaching for my hips, roughly pulling me closer to him.
My hands are shaking. I snake my arms around his neck to hide it from him, then stand on my toes to kiss him.
He responds immediately. He tastes like beer and mint. A soft groan, barely audible, escapes from his mouth into mine, and it descends all the way to the pit of my stomach. There it turns into butterflies. And tension. And a weird, quivering feeling of need.
Then Sam pulls away. Disappointed, I take a small step backward so that there's some distance between us, but his hands are still on my hips.
He takes my hand again, turns around without a word and pulls me after him, down the short passage and through the door on the left. My step falters and I pause. He looks puzzled when he turns around, not letting my hand go.
"Are you alright?" he asks.
I look around the room, smelling his cologne and taking in small details: the red mug on his desk next to his laptop, the three bead bracelets on his bedside table, gym clothes over the back of the chair.
"Yeah, I... I just don't know how to..." I can't find the words. I look at him, suddenly feeling uncertain.
He cups my face in his hands.
"Don't overthink this. Just go with it." Then he kisses me again, passionately, deeply. I sigh and it's as if something inside of me is set free. I lean into him, hold onto his arms and kiss him back with equal passion.
He walks backwards towards his bed, still kissing me, and I follow. He lies down on his back and pulls me down so that I straddle him. His hands move to my hips again and slip under my shirt. His fingers dig into me as he grips my body and I kiss him as though I'm starved for his taste. My fingers entwine in the almost-black curls on his head, then my hands are on his shoulders, stroking his neck, cradling his face.
Without warning, he lifts himself slightly and I grab his shoulders to keep myself from losing my balance. In one fluid movement - how does he manage that?! - he rolls over and pins me beneath him. Still kissing me, his hands slide over my arms, slowly guiding them upwards to stretch out above my head. With one hand holding my arms in place, the other lifts the hem of my jersey and my top. He traces the top of my jeans with his fingers, and I squirm against him.
He lifts his head and his eyes roam over my upper body.
"Keep your hands there," he tells me.
I nod, my voice suddenly gone.
He loosens my scarf and pulls it out from under my neck before lifting himself off me.
"Scoot up, please?"
I do as he asks, putting my hands on his arms to pull him closer. He shakes his head and smiles.