Jill quickly finished up her makeup and carefully pulled on her lace blouse, buttoning it up slowly, as she imagined what the night would be like. She was anxious to get over to Eric's house, where he was preparing a candlelight dinner for just the two of them. Once she finished buttoning the blouse, she checked it in the mirror, deciding to unbutton one extra button and adjusting her blouse to show just the right amount of cleavage peeking around the slightest hint of her frilly bra.
Eric, a head chef at one of the city's most prestigious restaurants, would have a wonderful romantic dinner planned. Jill knew he would go as far as bringing in an assistant so once she arrived, Eric could concentrate his attention on her, letting the assistant make the final preparations. The assistant would then act as server for the full three course meal, disappearing at the appropriate time.
Jill absolutely loved the romantic dinners she shared with Eric, what woman wouldn't adore spending this time with the man she loved as he served her a gourmet meal. Even though knew what would happen at each dinner, Eric made adjustments to preserve an element of surprise, to keep it special.
Pulling on her skirt and slipping into her shoes, she moved over to her full length mirror to make sure she looked okay. There was a time in her life where she could never picture herself going to this length to look good for a man, but... well she guessed that is what love was about. Feeling her nipples stiffen, she realized she was getting a bit moist just thinking like this.
Seven-thirty? Glancing at her watch, again, she confirmed it. Damn all this musing about the dinner with Eric and she was suddenly running late. Fortunately she found her car keys without needing to scour the apartment and then headed out her door. She rode an empty elevator down to the garage level and walked quickly to her car, hoping the humid air didn't frizz out her hair too much.
The drive to Eric's place was just a few blocks and within five minutes, Jill pulled up to the valet, slipped out of the car putting the claim slip in her purse and headed for the door. An exquisitely dressed doorman opened the ornate brass and glass door for her and she walked to the elevators, careful not to slip on the marble floors.
"Twenty-seventh floor," she said softly to the elevator attendant as she moved to the back of the elevator. Two other couples entered the elevator and the group rode up with only the muzak rippling the silence. The couples were headed to the bar at the top floor, so when they stopped on twenty-seven, Jill whispered, "Excuse me," and slipped past.
She couldn't help but feel all five of the people on the elevator gazing at her as she headed for Eric's door. Confirming that the elevator door had closed, she quickly pulled a mirror out of her purse and peeked at her hair and makeup. Satisfied everything was in place, she gently knocked on the door and waited.
In just a moment, the door opened and Eric led her into his apartment. The lights were dimmed and some soft music played on the stereo. "Ah, Jill, you look stunning, so beautiful in white," he said, leaning forward and giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Did you run into traffic?"
"No, I just ran a little behind getting ready. I'm sorry I'm late."
"No, no, you're not late, not really. The trout took me a little longer than expected, so actually you got here at the perfect time."
Curious about the meal Jill asked, "What have you prepared for tonight?"
"Well, a special dish, especially for you. I'm working on some variations of our lightly grilled trout and think this is something extraordinary, so you're the first to try it."
"What's it called?"
"Well, I call it my lemon basted trout, but once the marketing people at the restaurant get a hold of it who knows what it will be called. Ah, here's the wine now," Eric said.
Jill looked up at the server and said, "Hello Marc, it's nice to see you again."
"Thank you Jill, it's good to see you. Eric has selected a light Chablis for tonight. I think you'll like it," the dark haired man replied.
Since Jill had last seen Marc he had changed his mustache to a Fu-Manchu style and had completely removed the trace of beard he used to wear. The look was good on him, giving his dark eyes and slightly mussed hair a real savage look. When he poured the wine into Jill's glass she stared at his dark, hairy arms and large hands. It seemed odd to her that hands with such obvious strength would handle the wine service so delicately.
