The box was beautifully wrapped, colorful rice paper printed in patterns inspired by Edo period prints, and bows of heavy, flat silk cord. The silk cords had been woven into a complex pattern of red, gold, green, and purple over a dark blue paper with delicate cherry blossoms, and it sat on the foot of the bed.
Dasha had a dreadful day, and was carrying too much stress in her neck and shoulders. Her staff had been gossiping and backstabbing, and she got drawn into arguments that should not have happened. As much as she normally looked forward to her get away evenings with Edward, she was afraid her mood might spoil this one, and that stressed her even more. She knew Edward always went out of his way to tailor the evening to her whims, and paying the greatest attention to detail, but after refereeing the petty squabbles of the people who worked for her, she had too much in her mind. Or so she thought.
Dasha arrived at the address Edward had texted her, and he was waiting for her in front of a gorgeous and noisy churrascaria restaurant, a Brazilian steakhouse. Through the windows, she could see the wait staff wandering between tables with meat on skewers, occasionally stopping to cut servings off the roasts or slide a sausage or leg of chicken off the skewer onto a plate. He was wearing a dark grey suit with a pale grey shirt and a black tie with thin diagonal red stripes. Immediately, he went to her and hugged her.
"I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of cancelling our reservation here. You need something calmer tonight."
Dasha hesitated, then sighed, "Thank you, it's been a rough day."
He took her hand and they started walking. Dasha started talking about her day, and her frustration with the pettiness of some people. Edward listened and nodded, and led her to a small restaurant. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she missed the name of the restaurant, but while Edward talked to the hostess, she looked around at the dark wood paneling, and the modern interior. It was a quiet restaurant, and as the hostess led them to their table, she saw that the restaurant was partitioned in small and very private alcoves with some sort of stove top built into the table. When they were seated in one of these alcoves, her leg was against Edward's, and she could feel his warmth against her. The menu was odd; after the appetizers, there were selections for three courses, and it wasn't anything she had seen before. She looked up from the menu in confusion, and a smile turned the corners of Edward's mouth up as he whispered, "Shall I order for us?"
His calm rankled Dasha's reflex to do things for herself a little, but she also knew how much pleasure she had gotten from placing herself in his hands in the past. Her brow furrowed for a moment, then she nodded. Edward lifted her hand and kissed it. When the waitress returned, he rapidly ordered for them both, and as the options were unfamiliar, Dasha couldn't quite keep up. The wine came promptly, a German white wine, and he listened as she vented about her day. Slowly she was starting to feel the stress of the day lose its steam, as the wine and his hand on her thigh had their effect. The waitress returned with a metal pot, and with a little dramatic flair, mixed wine, cheese, and garlic in the bowl on the heating element, then set a small tray of cubes of bread and raw vegetables between their plates. Edward immediately picked up a long fork and thrust it into a piece of bread, then dipped it into the melted cheese. Dasha understood and followed suit. In no time, they were laughing as they competed to get the last bits of cheese on the last bits of bread.
Then the waitress returned with a bowl of vegetable broth, and a tray of small beef cubes in three piles with different seasonings and more veggies. This moved at a slower pace as they had to leave the cubes of meat in the boiling broth for a few minutes before pulling them out. Dasha was still tight in her neck and shoulders, but her head wasn't spinning with the problems of the day now.
The waitress brought out the final pot, this one filled with melted milk chocolate, and the tray bore fruits and cookies. She also left coffee mugs at the table and when Dasha sipped hers, it was coffee with chocolate and raspberry liqueurs. The combination of flavors made her melt, and Edward's hand on her thigh made her aware of other melting feelings, as they dipped strawberries and orange sections in the melted chocolate.
The servings had been a little small, so she felt full but not overstuffed when the dishes were cleared and they relaxed in the booth with their drinks. Edward was stroking her hand lightly, then began to massage the meaty part of her palm at the base of her thumb. As his hands kneaded hers, she could feel more knots release. The evening was having a wonderful effect on her, and she wanted to share her improving mood with Edward. They paid, got up, and Edward led her to the door.
A few minutes of walking under the streetlights took them to a hotel. Edward guided Dasha past the reception desk as he pulled out a keycard. When they got to the room, there were wine glasses and a rose on the table and the box was waiting for Dasha on the foot of the bed. She kicked off her shoes, and noticed a bag on the dresser, then as she stepped into the room, she saw the spa tub by the balcony. She turned to see Edward smiling at her.
"You need this, my dear."
She skipped over to him, and hugged him tight. She did need this. She allowed him to help her out of her suit jacket as she did the same for him. She started to unbutton his shirt, and he stepped away for a moment to turn down the lights. In the shadows and half light, they undressed each other, and she pulled him towards the tub. "One moment", he whispered as he waved her towards the tub and filled the wine glasses. Bringing the glasses over to the tub, he eased himself into the hot, bubbling water next to her and handed her a glass. He settled in, putting an arm around her shoulders and relaxing next to her so they could look at the night sky. She rested her hand on his thigh under the water, and was acutely aware of how close her fingers were to his manhood. After a long day of being tough, she was overtaken by an urge to be gentle, and carefully grasped him under the roiling water. She could feel him swell and twitch in response, and he turned and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She could feel him relaxing in the hot water just as she was.
Edward moaned softly as Dasha squeezed and stroked his erection. His arm was over her shoulders and his fingertips just reached her nipple, and he massaged her breast as she toyed with him. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, then slid himself out of the tub. "Relax, enjoy yourself, dearest."