Taking The Risk Ch 01

This is a slow, romantic build to hot sex, between two lovers who find each other. Character based the story is about people who care and want to give pleasure to each other, in all aspects of their lives.

If you like romantic stories please enjoy, and give feedback please as the ending is not yet written! Just like in real life.

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Misha sat in the car his head leaning on his arms against the steering wheel, exhausted, listening to the freezing rain beating down on the windscreen of the car.

He really didn't want to be here.

All he could think about was his nice warm bed back home in Guildford; over forty minutes drive away. But here he was, bone tired with jet lag, probably still hung over from the excessive drinking and partying he did over Christmas and New Year with his cousins back in LA, and definitely not in the mood for being on a blind date.

Looking over towards the house where he was supposed to be, he thought seriously of phoning them on his mobile to cancel, and explain that he was tied up at the office and couldn't make it.

Last night, when he was at friends for dinner, even more exhausted than he was now, due to only arriving back in the UK from the States a couple of hours before, he had not had the energy to argue whilst Sarah, his hostess, had mentioned that one of the other couples at the dinner party had a sister recently divorced and in need of a bit of encouragement and support in getting back into the world of dating and meeting men.

He had been chosen as the poor sucker to start the ball rolling.

Before he left for the States he had been at a pre-Christmas drinks at friends when Sarah had sidled up to him, sliding her arm around his waist and in her usual forceful manner invited him, no told him, that she wouldn't take no for an answer, but he was to come to her for supper the night he flew back from visiting his family, so he didn't have to starve, or get a take away that night.

Bone weary, the plane landing an hour late, he had driven from Heathrow to Sarah and her husband Pete's house in Purley, traffic slow on the M25 making the journey a real bummer, only to find another couple also there for the evening.

Misha had sat through the meal, a really nice Braised Duck, too tired to really do it justice, letting the talk swirl around him, until he suddenly realised what they were actually discussing.

Him.

"She was just not right for you Misha; these highly strung Model types are too high maintenance on the emotional level. What you need it someone who is not walking around looking for the next mirror to look in. Besides its bad enough that you're a stunner in the looks department yourself darling, but to have you paired up with Miss Perfect is very hard for the rest of us mere mortals that have to socialise with you."

Looking up at his hostess as she sat back at the end of the table, her sleek blond bob framing her patrician features, hazel eyes smiling at him as if she knew something that he didn't.

But he had a very good idea he was about to find out what.

Turning towards the other couple sitting opposite him, Sarah waved her hand, the very good Chablis in her glass sloshing over the side as she waved it at them, and in her usual direct way said, "Tell him Lorraine, about your younger sister, and what he is going to do as his good deed to start this year off."

Sighing to himself as he sat back in his chair, he listened politely as the woman with the very long brown hair and a heart shaped face in front of him recounted the story about her sister and her woe's.

"Francesca's divorce was finalised last month, after being separated from that bastard of a husband for over a year. In all that time she hasn't once gone out, except to friends and family. That shit of an ex husband of hers knocked all her confidence out of her and what she needs is someone to just take her out a couple of times to help launch her and build that confidence up again."

"And Misha you're that man!" Sarah beamed, "you're not attached ever since you broke up with that woman at the start of December, you're more than eligible, and you're gorgeous. If I wasn't so in love with Pete I would jump your bones myself."

"Melissa, her name was Melissa." Misha murmured.

"Whatever. Anyway Misha, Lorraine's sister is very sweet, and just needs you to invite her out a couple of times, give her a little confidence in herself, see herself as desirable, and then you can introduce her to one of your friends, maybe John or that other one, what's his name? You know the one that tells all those funny stories."

"Stuart"

"Yes Stuart. Anyway Darling, you don't have to be stuck with her for long, just take her out a couple of times and launch her on the dating scene."

He could hear Pete laugh to his right, as the woman opposite him called Lorraine carried on, "She's very sweet, very pretty, but Gary her ex has done such a number on her that she has no confidence, she just needs a little help to make her realise there is a life out there apart from looking after Jace, her son."

"So how about it Misha, take her out a couple of times, do your magic, introduce her around maybe to your single friends, be the white knight and help launch her out into the great wide world."

Four pairs of eyes stared at him.

He really wanted to say no. He really did. And if he hadn't been so tired he probably would have put up some sort of a fight. But all he wanted to do was finish the meal, get in his car and drive home to that big comfortable bed in his apartment where he could sleep off the jet lag and catch up on the sleep he had lost over the last week of partying.

So that is how he found himself the next night at that couples house, tired and fed up that he had capitulated and agreed to come to dinner the next night and be introduced to this divorced sister, who probably was a real dog that no-one really wanted to date, which is why she sat at home instead of going out.

A single mother as well.

He never dated single mothers, not after the last one. Every time he made arrangements to take her out the kid seemed to come too. It drove him crazy.

He looked back up at the front door of the house through the driving rain, sighing to himself. The first day back at the office had been a nightmare, with phone calls and chasing up missing equipment that was needed for the video shoot next week, and he very nearly picked up the phone to cancel tonight at least a dozen times during the day, but each time some emergency occurred and his secretary or one of the team came running in and he never quite managed it.

Oh well he was just going to have to go in, say hi, explain that he couldn't stay long, eat, and then go.

They would just have to find some other sucker for their sister. Maybe he should give them Stuart's phone number. He was always ready for a laugh and an adventure. Getting out of the sleek black sports car and slamming the door he made a run, shoulders hunched up, for the house, the icy cold rain beating down on his head like needles.

Standing under the small porch in front of the door, and brushing the rain off his suit jacket and hair, he looked back out at the dark and cold night, sighing. He really was missing his home town of LA right now with its easy going climate, the swaying palm trees, its crazy charms, the great Mexican food, and the eccentric people. Here in the UK it was cold rain, bad food, extremely eccentric people and a lot more cold rain.

Turning back to the door he rang the bell and stood waiting like a condemned man waiting for his execution. The door opened and he stepped into the square front hall, his host, Bryan, smiling up at him.

"Pissing awful weather tonight! Did you have trouble finding us? No, well I guess you used a Sat Nav, great things, you never get lost anymore. Well come this way, everyone is already here and you're a couple of drinks behind.'

And before Misha had a chance to explain that he couldn't stay long his host walked over to a door on the right, opened it and gestured for him to go through. Walking through the doorway Misha looked into the large room and across it to the small group of people sitting around in large comfy looking chairs.

It was then it happened. That amazing jolt to his body the second he set eyes on her. His world shifted and settled and he knew in an instant that he had just found the one.

The other half of him.

She sat there looking up at him, her soft brown hair framing an oval face, her green almond shaped eyes glancing up at him, and then shyly looking down into her lap.

His head was spinning, and rooted to the spot, he just stood there staring at her, not aware of Bryan asking him what he would like to drink, or his hostess coming over and taking his arm leading him towards the woman he knew, but not sure how he knew, was going to be the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"Misha let me introduce you to everyone. This is Marsha and Eric, old friends of ours that live around the corner and this is my sister Francesca. Everyone this is Misha. We met him yesterday at Sarah and Pete's. He's American, and lives over here."

A drink was handed to him which he took, but he didn't bother looking to see what it was. He sat down, never having taken his eyes off the vision in front of him, watching her as she sat there, blushing, obviously uncomfortable with the situation she found herself in.

He listened to the drone of conversation, every so often answering a question when it was asked, but always aware of the woman sitting, her legs crossed, and the skirt of the black dress she wore resting just above her lovely knees, her small hands clasped in her lap, her face tilted slightly down, so he couldn't see her features clearly.

All he wanted to do was grab her and take her out of this room, away from all these people, the two of them alone, and find out all about her, to hear her voice, and kiss that lovely mouth that right now was gently smiling at something someone had just said.

Misha raised the glass in his hand up to his mouth and took a long sip, only to find it was a very good Scotch. Suddenly she looked up at him, her eyes checking him out. Smiling to himself he winked across at her, and watched as she blushed and lowered her head again, in a shy gesture. The smile on his face got bigger; this lovely woman sitting only yards away from him was not as indifferent to him as she was trying to make out.

Taking another sip he settled back in his chair, content and suddenly aware that he was no longer tired and fed up, but alert, buzzing and very, very energized.

If this is what falling in love at first sight does for you he thought then he was one very lucky man.