Nicki was nervous and she was drinking too much. Any minute now she was going to start saying something inappropriate. She had been thrilled when Matt had barely waited twelve hours to call her, and even more thrilled when he asked her to dinner. She was still having trouble trying not to think about how forward she'd been last night, and how hard and hot he'd felt under her palm. Just remembering the heat from their kiss had Nicki shifting in her seat. It was ridiculous how much she wanted to be sitting in his lap right now (okay straddling his lap). This was only their first date!
"I can't believe I'm finally sitting here across from you," Matt said. He was one of the most frank and open men she'd ever been with, and she couldn't help but be captivated by him.
"Me neither." Me neither? God, she was a dork. Why was she being such a dork? "I mean, I didn't ever expect to be on a date with you, especially once—"
"Once you realized I was friends with your boyfriend?"
Nicki gave him a wistful smile. "No. Anyway, he hasn't been my boyfriend in awhile."
"I know," Matt said. "I even almost feel guilty for being glad."
Nicki wasn't sure whether he noticed her blush because their waiter arrived with their appetizer and an inquiry about whether they'd made a decision on dinner.
"A few more minutes," Nicki said apologetically. She'd tried to read the menu, but she was so intoxicated by Matt's presence, (and the glass of wine she'd already drank…plus the one she drank in her apartment before that) that she couldn't concentrate on the offerings.
Matt started slipping some of the calamari onto his plate, "Wow, I wasn't expecting so much. This looks really good though. With the bread and the appetizer someone could get away with skipping dinner."
"We could skip dinner. I mean, if you want. This really is enough food. We could go somewhere a little less crowded where we'd have more privacy."
Matt shook his head, a devilish look in his eye. "If we had even a little more privacy I don't think I'd be able to be a gentleman. That dress is incredible," Matt motioned to her dress, a simple black cocktail dress that was conservative in many respects—no plunging neckline, no bare shoulders—but nearly stopped short of decent with the amount of leg she was revealing.
"Oh." Nicki said, and pushed a piece of calamari into her mouth. They ate in silence for another minute before she took a sip of wine and spoke again. "I wouldn't mind a little more privacy."
Matt looked surprised at first, but recovered quickly and reached for his wallet as he signaled for the waiter. They grinned at each other in silence as they ran his card and, once he'd signed, both stood at once. Nicki moved to put on her black wool pea coat but Matt took it from her and held it so she could slip it on. His fingers brushed against her neck as he adjusted to coat and a thrill went through her.
When he turned away to put his coat on she took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. What was wrong with her? She couldn't even get through one date without practically begging this man to have sex with her. Was she really that shameless? Did she miss sex that much?
It was another cold night. The air against her bare legs was refreshing. Matt kept his arm at the small of her back as they strolled. Nicki looked down at her feet as they walked, admiring her shoes. She'd bought new shoes for the date. It had to be good luck to have new shoes. Even if it wasn't it did wonders for her mood. They were beautiful shoes, wine red pumps with a slim heel and pointed toes. Combined with the short skirt, they made her legs look miles long. She'd piled her dark curls ontop of her head for the evening, and she realized now she must look ridiculously tall. She was 5'10" without her heels. But Matt had to be at least 6'3", and next to his broad shoulders and big hands she felt dainty and feminine.
There were people milling around everywhere, spilling out of bars, standing on the sidewalk smoking or talking or falling down drunk. It was so busy that at first she didn't hear anyone behind them, but soon enough she heard a familiar male voice, calling to Matt.