Having no plans on a Friday night has left me here, mindlessly swiping on multiple dating apps in my pajamas while lying on my bed eating stale cookies.
I live alone in my one-bedroom flat with my cat, Sam. I try to go out on the weekends since all I do is work through the week. After a string of failed relationships, I have made it clear in my bio that I'm just looking for fun.
I'm 28 with daddy issues, so my age preferences are 30-45. I've worked through what I can in therapy, but reminders still linger in attraction to older, emotionally unavailable men.
As I swiped on looks alone, I ran across someone who caught my eye. His first picture was of him standing next to a large boat, more like a yacht. He seemed to be at least 6 feet tall, he had a head of thick jet-black hair and a beautiful smile sat on his squared jaw. He has a full beard that's well taken care of. It was salt and pepper in a way I found attractive. His blue eyes seemed to pierce through the camera. Muceles peeked from under his green polo, and his legs looked toned in his khaki shorts.
He looked familiar, but I could not place why. Even his name seemed to ring a bell. Tom Johnson. I swiped right and then went to his bio. It was plain, "45, bioengineer, avid adventurer, reader, and movie fanatic."
Good enough for me. I continued scrolling through his photos. The last one hit me with full force as I knew why he looked familiar. My best friend's dad. Jessica Johnson's dad. Rich Jessica, only saw her bioengineering father on the weekends because her mom divorced him when Jessica was 15, Jessica. He was never home and I only met him a handful of times when we were younger.
Damm. Suddenly, I received a new message. I went to the messages tab and...fuck, it was Tom, he matched with me. Does he remember me? It's kind of weird that his age range is someone his daughter's age, but then again, my age range is someone her dad's age. Granted, he's young. He and her mom had Jessica at age 18 right out of high school.
I opened the message.
"Hello, Sarah." That was all it read. Do I reply? Do I block him? Do I tell Jessica? She hasn't seen him in over 3 years.
I felt... dirty. Would Jessica even ever know? Last year she moved 2 hours away for her job. It's all harmless... right?
"Hi, Tom, how are you?" That was my reply. I wasn't going to let on like I knew him.
A few minutes later, I got an answer.
"I'm well this evening. Quite lonely on this chilly Friday night. How about yourself?"
Right to the chase with his comment about being lonely. Who would have thought Jessica's dad was a fuck boy.
"The same. I was lying here wondering what I would get into this weekend."
Was I trying to go down this road? It doesn't quite feel wrong but it doesn't quite feel right either. Tom is a handsome, rich, intelligent man, it would almost seem wasteful to pass up this opportunity.
"Sarah, you seem like a fun, interesting woman. What are you looking for here?"
Straight to the point. I am honest so I reply, "I appreciate the observation. To have a good time. What about yourself?"
"The same. How about we meet up for dinner at the Ritz?"
I hesitated. Am I going to go through with this? Can I go through with this? I looked back at his picture and stared for a minute. Damn, he's fine alright.
"That sounds lovely. Just give me a time."
I did it. I sent it. My stomach fluttered. I wonder if dinner would lead to a room.
"7 pm tonight?"
It was 5 p.m. right now. I wasn't sure how he would get us a table this late but I didn't ask questions.
"See you there."
I hopped out of bed dropping crumbs on the floor that I didn't have time to sweep. I rushed to the bathroom, threw off my clothes, and stepped into the shower.
I washed my hair and touched up my legs and underarms with a razor. I made sure my vagina was kept up, so I just tidied my landing strip. I washed my body with my favorite coconut soap.
By the time I got out and dried my hair, I had 45 minutes, which would seem like enough time to some, but my lion's mane needs some work to not be frizzy. I have a mop of caramel-colored hair that's super curly. I apply a handful of products in and out of the shower. I diffused my hair with the dryer so it maintained its curl.
After some time I finally got it decent enough to worry about everything else. I applied a light layer of makeup. Nothing too flashy. Tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, mascara, and a mauve lip. I feel it goes well with my jade-green eyes.
I flung open my closet and stared. I hate picking out clothes. I pulled down two different dresses. One was black with a sheer sparkly overlay and the other was the run-of-the-mill little black dress. It was the easiest and still sexy.
I decided on the simple black dress and my emerald green kitten heels for a pop of color.
I didn't wear a bra with this dress. I usually don't need one. I only have a small B cup on my petite frame. I have a long torso and legs which helped me out in sports when I played in high school and college. I slipped on a pair of black lacey panties, the dress, and my shoes. My stomach flipped again as I grabbed a black leather jacket and my keys.
I finally found a parking space in a garage a block from the humongous building. I had never imagined I would be inside of the Ritz-Carlton for any reason.
I stepped into the modern-designed lobby. There were so many people in business suits and dresses. Everyone seemed so important. I began to get nervous and could not pay attention to people's faces to see if he was there.
"Sarah?" I heard my name behind me.
I turned to see Tom sauntering toward me with a large smile plastered on his face. He was taller than I remembered, which is nice. I'm 5'5" and like men taller than me. He was sporting a well-fitting navy suit and grey loafers.
"Yes. Tom?" I asked, still trying to pretend I had no idea who he was.
"You look lovely." His voice was soft but deep. He stuck out his hand. I looked at his hands. They were masculine and large, veiny with long fingers. They looked well manicured and I imagined them around my throat. I shivered internally. Maybe I'm too horny for my own good?
I've never given my date a handshake but here we are. However, it wasn't a handshake. He took my hand and put the back of it to his lips in a light kiss. I felt my face redden. I was unsure why this made me blush. It was very... gentlemanly.
"I believe they have a table ready for us," He took my hand again and led me to the entrance of the restaurant.
A waiter brought us to our table toward the back of the restaurant, it was quiet and the ambiance was romantic. As soon as we took our seats Tom ordered champagne for the table. It was some French name I had never heard of. It was pretty attractive hearing him say something in French, even if I didn't know what he was saying or if he pronounced it correctly.
"Sounds like a fancy bottle, " I chuckled as I clasped my hands in my lap and fumbled with my fingers.
"I took many years of French in college and am quite biased toward French wines, " He laughed. It was velvety and brightened his face.
I couldn't help but notice similarities between him and Jessica. She's a beautiful girl so I'm not surprised. She has her father's eyes and electric smile. I was hoping I could separate Jessica from him, especially if we end up fucking.
The waiter brought the champagne and poured our first glass. I ordered a salad, it was loaded and topped with salmon.
The champagne was strong and semi-sweet. He kept filling my glass and I appreciated that because after glass number 3 I didn't feel the slightest bit anxious.
We had a great conversation about our jobs and books we enjoy reading, and he spent at least 20 minutes explaining why Star Wars is a cinematic masterpiece for its time.
This man was just a big nerd- and I liked that because he's also a smooth talker, it was an attractive contrast. We dodged any conversation about families or people we may know. Jessica's face kept popping up into my mind every so often but I would chase it away the best I could.
We had long finished our food and were halfway through a second bottle of champagne and conversation about water conservation when he put his hand out on the table for me to take, which I did.
"I try to be open with my intentions-" he started as he cleared his throat. My stomach rolled nervously. I'm unsure why, at this point. I was extremely comfortable, more than tipsy, and very interested in him- "I have a room here if you'd like to go up? More than a room, one of their suites."