The Dating Game (16 page)

‘Please.’

Charlie topped up her glass, before removing the plates.

‘Why don’t you go back into the living room? I’ll be through
in a sec.’

‘OK.’

Charlie found Gill seated on the sofa. Her dress had ridden
up slightly, showing off more of her legs.  Charlie had always been a leg and
breast man.  Gill passed on both counts.  Flicking the dimmer switch down a
little, Charlie changed the track on the iPod.  Gill laughed when she
discovered it was the
Dirty Dancing
soundtrack.

‘I didn’t expect you to have that.’

‘I’m full of surprises,’ Charlie faced her and held her
gaze.

Gill knew he was going to kiss her.  She found herself quite
receptive to the idea.  Rugged, sexy, Charlie oozed vitality and virility. 
What wasn’t to like?  And he could cook.

Charlie stroked her cheek and cupped her face with his
hand.  He waited to check the signal was definitely there and then lowered his
lips to Gill’s.  Gill responded, her body waking up to this gorgeous man. 
Parts of her, long dormant, suddenly came to life.  As their kiss deepened, she
wound her arms around Charlie’s neck and lost herself in the moment.

Great
, thought Charlie. 
Just as I hoped
. 
Charlie couldn’t wait to run his hands over Gill’s body, but held back a
little, not wanting to frighten her off.  But eventually, instinct took over
and he tried to mould his body to hers, moving on the sofa, so they were pressed
against each other.

A dozen sensations flowed through Gill, all of them
pleasurable.  Anton entered her mind briefly, but as Charlie’s ministrations
continued, thoughts of Anton disappeared.  She revelled in Charlie’s touch, his
kiss.  His hands stroked her back, then slid downwards until he was caressing
her bottom.  His strokes were long and deliberate.  Gill felt very aroused. 
Her nipples hardened and he hadn’t even touched her breasts.  Yet.  Charlie’s
hands moved from her back to her front and he started tracing the outline of
her breast, making Gill gasp involuntarily.  She had to stop this now.  She
wasn’t ready.  ‘Charlie.’

‘Mmm,’ said Charlie as his left hand slipped to her thigh,
trying to find a way under her dress.

‘Charlie!’

‘Yes,’ he returned to Gill’s mouth, looked into her eyes and
kissed her again.

Oh dear God, she was so aroused, but no, she couldn’t do
this tonight.

‘Charlie, I can’t.’

‘What?’  Charlie drew up short.  ‘Is it the time of the
month?’

‘No, no, nothing like that.  It’s just; this is too quick
for me.’

‘OK, well, we can take it more slowly.  You tell me what
you’re comfortable with.’

All of it
, thought Gill.  She was so mixed up.  She
wanted him, but at the same time, she wasn’t sure.  Her body said yes, but her
brain said no.

She wrested herself out from under him. 
How did I end up
under him?

‘I’m sorry, Charlie, I’ve had a really nice night, but I
think I better go.’

Charlie looked at her long and hard and then said, ‘No
problem.  Let me call you a taxi.’

Charlie lived only a couple of miles from Gill, so she
arrived home quickly.  As she took off her makeup, she could still smell him,
on her clothes, on her skin.  He was an extremely attractive man, so what was
holding her back?  Anton.

Saturday 17th September

When the bus pulled in on Hope St, Gill got off and walked
past the taxi rank and round into Buchanan St, eager to get started on her
shopping spree.  Memories of last night still plagued her, but she had to put
that aside for now and concentrate on her date with Anton.  She’d arranged to
meet Debbie for a quick bite of lunch.  But first Frasers, then Debenhams. 
Gill wasn’t good at shopping, so liked department stores as they covered all
the bases.

As she walked, her thoughts turned inevitably to Anton. 
She’d replied saying Saturday was fine and she looked forward to their spending
more time together.  She had left it at that, still unsure what his exact
expectations were, but hoping they matched hers.  He had replied saying would
Cecchinis’ restaurant in Bath St suit her, and could they meet there at seven?
After a slight delay she had answered, ‘
Yes, see you then
.’

Anton’s comeback had been ‘
Excellent, xx
.’

Promising…

She had no success in Frasers, so crossed a chaotic Argyle
St to the St Enoch Centre and went up the escalator into Debenhams.  Not really
knowing where to start, she went over to the personal shopper area, on the off
chance they might have a free slot.  Luckily they did. She told the girl,
barely out of her teens, what kind of look she hoped to achieve.  The assistant
went back and forth with several outfits at a time, which Gill duly tried on,
until finally she found the perfect one.  A green silk wrapover dress which
accentuated her chest and small waist and covered those parts she’d rather keep
hidden.  It came with a matching shrug.  The assistant also suggested shoes,
but Gill shook her head.  The last thing she wanted was to be in agony all
night from wearing new shoes that she hadn’t had time to break in.  What she
really needed now was some lingerie.  Although she liked to wear nice underwear
anyway, what she owned couldn’t exactly be termed new.  No need to go all out
for La Perla, but somewhere in between that and functional everyday underwear
would do just fine.

Gill thanked the assistant, paid for her dress and strolled
over to the lingerie section.  She ran her fingers lightly over the fabrics to
see how they felt.  But what colour to choose?  What style?  A push up bra was
out. She was too well-endowed for that.  A balconette would have a similar
effect.  In the end, she chose a fuller cup black bra with cream trim and
matching briefs.  She tried them on for size and decided that short of losing
two stone in the next few hours, she couldn’t look any better.  And the set was
definitely feminine and very sexy.  She could actively imagine Anton removing
them.  Wow, if her thoughts continued in that direction, she’d be sizzling
before lunch.  Talking of lunch…Gill looked at her watch and saw she needed to
meet Debbie in ten minutes.  Flashing her credit card again, she paid and
hotfooted it across to Princes Square.

‘Hi Debbie,’ Gill sat down, dumping her bags on the seat next
to her.  ‘Have you just come into town now?’

‘No, I had to change a skirt in John Lewis, so I came in
about an hour ago.  What have you been buying?’

Gill showed her the contents of the bags.  As Debbie lifted
out the lingerie to have a better look, the waiter chose that moment to come
and ask what they would like to drink.  Hurriedly stuffing the garments back
into the bag, both women tried not to laugh, as they ordered
panini
and
glasses of
rosé
.

Debbie laughed then said, ‘No use asking you what you’ve got
in mind, Ms McFadden.’

‘Well, it’s not a foregone conclusion, but I just wanted to
take precautions, be prepared.’

‘You’re going to need more precautions than sexy underwear,’
Debbie joked, as she toyed with her cutlery.  ‘Condoms might come in handy,
too, you know.’

‘Yes, yes.  I realise that. I’m sure if Anton has sex on his
mind then he’ll take care of that.’

‘Gill, are you really not going to buy any yourself?  Leave
it all to him?’

‘Well, it’s embarrassing.  Popping condoms into your
shopping trolley along with your cornflakes and butter, the cashier giving you
a knowing look.  Or worse, going into a chemist and having the assistant know
that you’re thinking about having sex.’

‘Since when were you so buttoned-up?’

‘I’m not, it’s just, it makes me feel awkward.  Plus,
remember, I haven’t had sex for ages. And to be honest, it was almost always
the bloke that bought them, in my relationships.’

‘I still think you should buy some.  How would you feel if
you really wanted to get jiggy and he hadn’t brought any?’

‘Horny and frustrated, I expect.’

‘Exactly.  Get yourself down to a chemist later, or even buy
them in the Ladies’ here.’

Gill looked at her friend in horror.  ‘I’m not buying them
in the toilets, with all the ladies who lunch watching me!’

‘OK, fair enough, chemist it is.  Trust me, you’ll regret it
otherwise.  Imagine if you have all that lovely lingerie and you can’t take it
further.’

As they tucked into their
panini
, they caught up with
the week’s events.

‘You have been busy,’ said Debbie, trying to stop a stray
slice of pepper from falling out of her
panini
.

‘Yes, but I’m so relieved to have finally hired someone, I
can’t tell you.’

‘I can imagine.  I bet all this dating is taking its toll on
you, too.’

‘You’re not kidding!  Not to mention on my bank balance,’
Gill pointed towards the carrier bags.

They talked briefly of their trip to Barcelona the following
weekend.

‘Do you know, there’s been so much going on, that I haven’t
even had time to get excited about the trip,’ Gill confided.

‘I know what you mean.  The amount of call-outs I’ve done
this week has been higher than usual.  I’ve barely had a minute to myself,’
said Debbie, as she extracted her purse from her bag.  ‘Shall we get the bill?’

Debbie hugged Gill when they finally exited onto Buchanan
St.  ‘Good luck tonight.  I’ll be rooting for you.’

‘Thanks.  See you on Monday night.  Enjoy the rest of the
weekend.  Tell Gerry I said hi.’

‘Will do.  I want to hear all about it tomorrow and be
careful…in all senses.’

‘I will.’

By late afternoon, ominous clouds covered the sky and Gill
fretted that her outfit might get ruined if she had to wear it out in a heavy
downpour.  But she needn’t have worried.

The sky cleared and the sun shone in the early September
evening.  Gill looked at her reflection in the mirror and gave a twirl, trying
to see how she looked from all angles.  She slipped on a pair of strappy
sandals and draped her shrug around her shoulders.  She had applied a little
more makeup than usual.  It was the weekend after all, and a very important
night – she hoped.  One last check and she declared herself ready.  She went to
the window to see if her taxi was outside yet, and then heard her phone ring,
signalling the taxi’s arrival.

During the taxi ride Gill had butterflies in her stomach. 
What was wrong with her?  She had never felt like this when meeting Anton, not
even the first time.  Was it the prospect of having sex, shedding her clothes
in front of a stranger, after all this time?  Was it perhaps the anticipation? 
She couldn’t be sure, but what she did know was that she felt physically sick.
Hopefully she’d feel better once in the restaurant.

Anton had arrived in Glasgow at five thirty, nice and early,
just in case his train got delayed. He wasn’t taking any chances.  He’d checked
into his hotel and changed into black trousers and a pale blue shirt, which
looked good on him.

Cecchinis’ had been a good choice, he thought - only a few
streets away.  Maybe they could have a drink afterwards and then, there was
always the unspoken invitation.  He felt pretty sure Gill liked him, perhaps a
lot, maybe as much as he liked her.  Yet he had no way of knowing if she also
wanted them to take things further tonight.  He couldn’t wait to see her.  He
enjoyed her company and could listen to the tinkle of her laugh over and over. 
Her smile had captivated him and she was quite simply good company, as well as
beautiful.  He wanted very much to make love to her.  He hadn’t been with
anyone, properly, in a long time.  Of course, there had been the occasional one
night stand, but this was different.  He
felt
different.

Applying some cedarwood cologne to his throat and jaw, he
ran a comb through his hair and brushed his teeth.  A gargle of mouthwash and
he deemed himself ready.  His hands shook slightly.

What have I to be nervous about?

Gill saw Anton as soon as she entered Cecchinis’.  He was
sitting at the bar, facing the door and when he saw her, he sat his glass down,
just so, on the counter, and came towards her. Clearly pleased to see her, he
looked her straight in the eye, put his hands on her arms and kissed her on
both cheeks.  She seemed flustered and a little flushed.

Is it hot in here?
Perhaps it was just them.  He
smiled at the thought.  ‘It’s so good to see you.  Would you like a drink?’ he
asked her.

‘Please.  A glass of Pinot Grigio.’

‘That’s what I’m drinking.  It’s very nice.  Why don’t I get
a bottle?’

Anton gave the waiter his order and turned back to Gill. 
‘You look beautiful in that dress.’ ‘Thanks,’ Gill accepted the compliment
graciously.

‘So how have you been?’

‘Quite busy.  I finally found a suitable recruitment
consultant for my agency.’

‘Did you advertise it with a specialist recruitment agency,
or did you do it yourself?  I know it might sound like a silly question, but
your specialties are technical and engineering, correct?’

Gill was impressed he’d remembered.  Attentive – tick.  Two
more brownie points.  He smelled divine.  A mixture of soap and a woody
fragrance.  Whatever aftershave he had on, she liked it.

‘I actually did it myself.  I advertised it on a couple of
different job sites.  It received a lot of attention and meant sifting through
lots of CVs, but it was worth it.’

‘You must be relieved.  Finding the right people can be
difficult.  Even if you do it for other companies all the time, it’s different
when they’re going to be working for you.’

‘I couldn’t agree more.  Angus will definitely fit into our
small team very well.  He isn’t all show, like a lot of recruitment
consultants.  They give the industry a bad name.’

‘Excuse me, sir, your table’s ready.  Would you like to be
seated now or would you like to remain at the bar for a while?’

Anton looked at Gill for confirmation then said, ‘I think we
can go to the table now, thank you.’

They chatted easily whilst they perused the menus.  Gill
immediately gave up on trying to find a non-garlic dish in an Italian
restaurant.  But if they were going to get more intimate later, she didn’t want
to have anything too heavy either.  She chose a
Caprese
Salad to start
and
Spaghetti con Gamberoni
.  Prawns would be about the lightest thing
she could have. Anton lowered his menu and said, ‘Have you decided?’

Gill nodded, as she fought an impulse to play with the
tablecloth.  She did this whenever she was nervous.  She ripped up beer mats,
fidgeted, and toyed with tablecloths – basically anything except stay still.

‘
Caprese
Salad and spaghetti with prawns.’

‘Good choices.  I like both of those, but tonight I feel
like Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables.’

‘Yes, that does sound nice.  Oh, they’ve included artichoke
hearts, too.  You don’t usually get that, do you?  It’s usually just mixed
peppers, aubergine, courgette and maybe tomatoes if you’re lucky.’

‘Well, you know what they say about artichokes…’

‘No.  What do they say?’ a slight smile formed on Gill’s
lips.  She knew full well artichokes were said to be an aphrodisiac, but she
felt she and Anton should start the way they meant, or at least, the way she
meant, to go on.  Tonight was about teasing each other.

‘Apparently in the 16th century, Catherine de Medici
introduced them to France.’ Anton then rattled off a quote she had made at
court.

Gill must have looked a little stunned, crestfallen even, as
Anton finally took pity on her and said, ‘and of course they are meant to be a
powerful aphrodisiac.’

Gill blushed to the roots of her hair.  Her face was hot,
probably not a pretty sight she felt, and that wasn’t the only area where she
was warmer than usual.  Anton rewarded her with a little grin.  ‘Would you like
to know what I’ve chosen for my main course?’

Gill didn’t know whether to be worried or not at what he
might say next.

‘Chicken
parmigiana
.’

With a sigh of relief, Gill’s composure returned to normal
and by the time the waiter came back with his pad to take their order, Gill and
Anton were completely at ease with each other.

She really does look amazing in that dress
, thought
Anton.  The dress was so simple, yet so sexy.  He liked the way her hair hung
loosely down her back tonight.  He didn’t need an aphrodisiac.  Making her
blush, though, had been fun, not in a cruel way, but in a teasing fashion. 
Hopefully there would be more of that to come later.

He reached for his wine glass and proposed a toast, ‘To a
wonderful evening.’

Gill raised her glass and they clinked them together.

As she took a sip, she drank in more than the wine.  The man
in front of her was a heady concoction all right.  She hadn’t felt this level
of connection, sexual or otherwise for a long, long time, if ever.

Without realising what she was saying and the connotation it
could have, she blurted out, ‘So which hotel are you staying at?’