Deliciously slow
Ryan sensed Shelly’s delight that he and Sue actually showed up, as well as her lustful desire conflicting with her nervousness and fear. He had been able to be open and aggressive with his other “dates” thus far, but Shelly would need a different approach. Her eyes told of a nice home and a sweet husband who was seldom home and didn’t know how to deal with his wife’s needs now that she was pregnant. As Shelly held out her hand, Ryan tenderly took it, holding it just a beat longer than necessary, causing Shelly to look directly at him for the first time. Ryan smiled tenderly at her, meeting her eyes only for a moment before letting her hand go.
Shelly’s rouge tinted cheeks darkened a bit as she stifled a grin and escorted her guests to the dining room. The room itself was a decent size with an oak table that could easily seat 6 people. On the table was a small ceramic platter with three Cornish hens over wild rice. Surrounding the chicken were a bowl of black olives, a relish tray, a bowl of mashed potatoes, and a small woven basket full of fluffy dinner rolls. A decanter of ice water and a bottle of champagne were both in a elegant ice bucket off to the side of the table along with some stemmed glasses. “I hope the dinner is to your liking,” Shelly commented shyly as she stood beside the table, not quite sure what to do next.
Ryan smiled kindly at her. “It looks wonderful,” again careful to be sincere and meet her eyes with just enough interest to put her at ease.
Shelly blushed and tilted her head towards the floor. “If you’ll be seated, I’ll be happy to serve you.”
Ryan held out his hand, stopping her. “Shelly, this night is for you. You were kind enough to prepare this. At least let me serve.” Shelly nodded sheepishly as Ryan pulled out the chair at the head of the table for her. She sat down with a bit of help from Sue and Ryan, then Sue sat down to Shelly’s left while Ryan sat to her right.
With the two women seated, Ryan reached for the stemmed glasses. “I have other types of champagne if you wish,” Shelly blurted. Ryan shook his head slowly. He wanted Shelly to know everything that happened tonight was of his own volition and not inspired by alcohol.
He looked towards Shelly. “I’m fine with water. But if either of you wish some champagne, I’d be happy to open a bottle for you.”
Shelly’s eyes lit up for a moment. Not only had this man declined getting drunk, but he gave her the option to have what she wished. Sue broke the silence. “I would like some champagne, please, Ryan,” hopping that would entice Shelly to have a glass if she desired.
Shelly paused, then commented. “Water would be fine for me, thank you.” If her date wasn’t going to go for the intoxication card, than neither would she. Besides, there was her child’s health to consider.
Once the drinks had been poured, Ryan placed a hen on each plate along with whatever other items they desired. With the plates full, Ryan sat and took a bite of his chicken. He took a few moments to chew the food, sampling the tenderness of the meat and the spices the hen had been cooked in. “Shelly, this is wonderful,” he told his hostess after swallowing his bite. Again, he smiled at her, his eyes meeting hers as his hand casually and briefly brushed hers. For the first time that night, she met his gaze and returned his smile. Ryan fought not to chuckle, knowing that all was going according to plan.
For the remainder of dinner, Ryan served as waiter, getting Sue and Shelly anything they desired and keeping their glasses full. As they ate, they chatted. Sue and Ryan worked Shelly professionally, starting with talk of the baby, then leading on to favorite activities. Shelly asked how Sue and Ryan met. They explained simply that Ryan was a good friend of Sue and her boyfriend Malcolm. The lighthearted and open banter soon had Shelly at ease as the group began to share stories of their favourite, and not so favourite, dates.
When they had finished eating, Shelly returned to her “angel of the house” mode for a brief moment. “I do have some cherry cheesecake if anyone would care for some.”
Again, Ryan gave her his soft, kind smile as his hand brushed hers. “I think I’ll save my desert for a bit later, if it’s alright with you,” allowing just a hint of playfulness and his raging lust to slip into his tone.
His and Shelly’s eyes met, and this time Shelly placed her hand softly on top of Ryan’s as she grinned. “Perhaps that can be arranged.”
Sue stood up. “Shelly, since you cooked and Ryan served, I’ll take care of the cleanup. You two go sit in the living room and relax for a bit.” With that, Ryan stood and helped Shelly from her chair. As the pair walked to the living room, Ryan noticed a hint of cinnamon in the air. He followed the scent to a small incense burner in the living room by the couch. Across from the couch were two elegant and overstuffed recliners.
Ryan sat down on the end of the couch by the incense burner, giving Shelly the option to sit beside him or across from him. Shelly steeled herself and sat down in the center of the couch, within easy reach of Ryan but still keeping a bit of distance. Knowing he’d have to make his move soon, Ryan looked around and saw a stereo and rack of CDs in the corner of the room. He carefully stood up so as not to shake the couch. Immediately Shelly’s face fell as she instinctively reached out to grab him, pulling back only at the last second. Ryan allowed himself a brief inward smile, knowing he had her close. He quickly browsed the CDs – Neil Diamond, Tom Petty, Barry White, Eric Clapton. ‘No accounting for some people’s taste,’ he thought to himself as he popped in a Barry Manilow CD and started the music. As the music played, he walked back to the couch and sat down at an angle so he could look into Shelly’s eyes. |