Her knock gave him a jump-start and he stopped the dinner preparations to open the door of his apartment. She stood there shifting her body slightly from side to side. He smiled at the sight.
'Hey! I hope I am not too early.' she grinned back.
'No, I am almost finished in the kitchen. Um, come in please. Here, let me take your coat.' He moved behind her and slipped the jacket off her shoulders. They were bare except for a thin lace strap, which circled her neck until it disappeared under her long hair.
'Please, sit. Can I get you a glass of wine?' He asked. 'Dinner will be ready in a minute or so.'
She nodded and he watched her walk across the floor. He smiled; she was barefoot. She reclined on the sofa as he went to get the wine. A moment later he was in front of her with a glass for her and one for himself. He sat close to her and he touched her arm, then raised his glass and tilted it slightly towards hers. She smiled and did the same to his in reply. Silently, the first step in their dance had taken place.
It was the first time she had ever done anything like this and coming over tonight excited her. Secretly, she hoped to be staying the whole night with her new friend and lover, though they still had yet to act on the mutual sexual energy that flared between them. Still, a touch of his hand made her crazy, and the kiss they'd shared the afternoon before was long, soft and wondrous.
She'd wanted to go home with him right then and there, but felt nervous and backed away fearing she would come across as too easy. Instead, she'd played him at arms length to see where things would go on their own. He'd suggested dinner at his place tonight and a game or two of backgammon with some good wine and music. Innocent and seductive enough to catch her interest and she'd said yes.
He held out a hand to help her up from the overly comfortable sofa, which had a reputation for capturing unsuspecting guests. A dangerous sofa.
He served her dinner and sat across from her and they shared a meal. It was good and so was the conversation, which ran from flirting to politics and sometime all in the same sentence. She felt comfortable in his presence and he felt it too. Talking for over an hour at the table without knowledge of time passing proved them both right.
'Here let me help do the dishes, only fair. You cooked and it was surprisingly tasty!' She grinned.
'Nope, leave them to me; actually the dishwasher can do them in the morning. You're surprised a single bloke like me can cook something that doesn't start with a can opener or boiling water, huh?' He wiggled his eyebrows. 'I can sew too but I won't do windows, not for you or anyone!'
He laughed and took the plate from her hand. He noticed her fingers, how soft and tapered they looked. He smiled a little smile to her and went to the kitchen.
'Okay, let me refill your glass and I'll dig out the backgammon set. Are ya still up for a game?' He asked and turned to her as he opened the chest in the corner of the room.
'Oh yes! And I plan to beat you into dust, my friend. I'm awesome at that game.' She winked.
'Can I change the music?' She asked, putting her glass on the coffee table and eyeing the dangerous sofa once again. She pulled two pillows off the chair and put one on either side of the table.
'Yeah, anything you want. The CD’s are in that case over there.'
As she selected the right music for a long session of games, he sat on his knees at the table. He sipped some wine and opened the board and set up the pieces.
