Blind Date (2 page)

“Very nice,” he told the waiter, who promptly began to fill Merci’s glass. Wine really wasn’t Chris’ forte but that might actually be a help to him tonight. He didn’t want to get drunk again. Three years he’d held it together and he had no intention of slipping up tonight—not with the beauty sitting across the table from him. He definitely wanted to remember Merci.

The waiter finished filling Chris’ own glass and left the table. Chris offered Merci a toast. “To blind dates,” he said, “I wish Liv had arranged for us to meet years ago.”

Merci smiled. “To blind dates,” she repeated.

They both drank, enjoying the slightly fruity taste and the pleasant warmth that rolled through their bodies after it.

“Oh, that’s nice,” Merci said.

“You really think so?” Chris asked.

She met his eyes. “Yes, I do.”

“I’m glad. I’m more of a whiskey drinker, but this is a nice change of pace.”

“Is anything we’re doing tonight what you really like?” Merci asked.

“Well I certainly enjoy having dinner with a beautiful woman,” Chris said.

Merci shook her head. “I can’t figure you out. You’re not exactly a fake because you keep telling me the truth, but you’re not exactly yourself either.”

She took another sip of her wine, and then asked: “Did you used to date Liv?”

 “Date?” Chris repeated. “No, I really can’t say we ever dated.” He decided a little more information might set Merci at ease. Most women didn’t like picking up their friends’ castoff boyfriends. “We know a lot of the same people and see each other at parties. Truth to tell, we’re really not close. In fact, it was only in the past twenty minutes or so that I’ve begun to wonder if Liv actually likes me.”

For the first time this evening, Merci lost her smile and Chris realized he had put his foot in it again. “What about tonight makes you think Liv doesn’t like you?”

Chris hurried to backpedal. “That came out sounding completely opposite to what I intended.” He hoped Merci would give him a chance to finish explaining himself. What was even more important, he hoped she would believe the explanation.

“What I was trying to say is that tonight makes me think that Liv does like me! Before she set me up on this date with you, I thought that at best she merely tolerated me. We know a lot of the same people, but we really aren’t friends. I was very surprised when she suggested this date and even a little suspicious of her motives. But now I think I owe her an apology. I mean, look at you! You’re sweet, gorgeous, and so far at least a hell of lot of fun!”

Merci relaxed as Chris explained himself, but she arched her eyebrow at this last statement. “So far?”

Chris smacked himself in the forehead. “I just don’t know when to shut up, do I? I only meant to say that I’m really glad I’m here with you tonight.”

Merci’s smile returned, full and natural, radically enhancing her already good looks. She reached out and touched Chris’ hand. “I’m glad I’m here tonight too.”

Chapter Four

Merci

Merci watched Chris swell in stature as she held his hand across the table. She couldn’t quite figure him out. Certainly she could see signs of the cocky SOB Liv loved to complain about, but part of her thought he was just trying to be charming. It was all in how she decided to look at things. Was Chris trying to get her drunk or trying to impress her with an expensive bottle of wine? Was he leering at her body or genuinely captivated with her beauty? Merci knew that she was attractive, but Chris made her feel like she should compete in the Miss America pageant. And he was a prize himself—at least physically—every woman in this place had looked him over as they walked to their table.

How did she get herself into these problems?

Perhaps she should try and draw out the crass self-centered bastard that Liv wanted her to take down a peg. She didn’t think she could go through with Liv’s plan if she didn’t actively start to dislike Chris.

 “So when you dated, you and Liv never...” She let the words trail off suggestively.

Chris took a sip of wine—buying himself time to think, Merci suspected. “We never really dated,” Chris said, “and as for hooking up, I’m not sure what you want me to say. I don’t want to make Liv out to be a liar by contradicting her.”

“But you don’t know what she says about you,” Merci said.

Chris shrugged. “True enough, but... what’s between her and me should stay that way.”

Discretion? The man in Liv’s stories would be bragging about his conquests. Maybe the wrong man had shown up at Merci’s door tonight.

She tried one more time. “You could simply deny it.”

“Look, I never dated Liv. If you don’t want to leave it at that, why don’t you ask her about it? She’s your friend and you should be able to trust her more than me.”

Well that was just strange. Why all the run around if they hadn’t slept together? And suggesting she could trust Liv? Well, maybe she could, but Merci wasn’t certain. Liv wasn’t likely to outright lie to you, but she had a way of honestly twisting the truth. She fully believed the things she told you, but her memory often disagreed with those of other witnesses. “That seems fair enough,” Merci conceded, deciding to drop the matter. “Let’s forget Liv for the rest of the night and just have some fun together.”

“So let me get this straight,” Merci said as the meal wound toward its end. “You really like ballet?”

“No, I didn’t say that,” Chris explained. “I really like you. What I said was that I’d be pleased to escort you to the ballet any time you’d like to go. It would be a small price to pay for the chance to spend another evening together.”

“So you don’t like ballet?” Merci asked again.

“I really don’t know. I haven’t seen one since I was a child, but that first experience doesn’t give me much hope.”

Merci found herself laughing again. She’d been doing a lot of that over dinner. Chris just wasn’t the person Liv had described to her and she’d been having a lot of fun.

“Of course you might reward me for my selflessness,” Chris continued.

Now this was what Merci had been expecting—a little blatant maneuvering to get into her panties. It had taken longer than Liv had thought it would, but maybe Chris had improved his game plan since he had moved in on Liv all those years ago. She decided to encourage him. “Oh yes?”

“We could trade a ballet for an action flick.”

Merci’s rising defenses plummeted again. “So this is two more dates we’re talking about?”

“I have to be careful here,” Chris confided. “You see, your smile is really dangerous and if I don’t rein myself in I’ll be scaring us both by planning our next fifteen or twenty evenings together.”

Merci fought down more laughter. “That does seem a bit presumptuous,” she agreed. “After all, we haven’t even finished our first date yet.”

Chris checked his watch and his eyes widened in apparently genuine surprise. “I was going to say we haven’t finished our first hour yet, but we’re going on three.”

Merci glanced at her own watch. Chris was right. It was almost ten o’clock. How had it gotten so late?

“I knew I was having fun,” Chris continued, “but I guess I didn’t realize how much.”

“I’ve had fun too,” Merci agreed. She was only mildly surprised now to find she was telling the truth. It would disappoint Liv, but Merci was not going forward with the plan. If Chris tried to come inside tonight when he took her home she would gently turn him away. Not only would it test his long term intentions, but it would strengthen their chance of discovering if they really wanted to go out again.

“Would you like some more coffee?” Chris asked, clearly trying to distract them from the clock.

“One more cup,” Merci agreed. “I’m in no hurry to get home.”

Chapter Five

Chris

Chris parked in Merci’s driveway and hurried around the car to open her door so that he could get another look at her spectacular cleavage and long lean legs. The Mustang was perfectly designed for showing off both. She had to stick her legs out to stand and she had to lean outwards to rise—showing Chris two separate visions of perfect mahogany flesh. The only problem was choosing which one to enjoy.

Merci accepted his hand and rose up beside him—moonlight glistening off her perfect breasts. He hadn’t given her quite enough room. Her body almost touched his and her mouth was tantalizing close. She didn’t seem uncomfortable with his proximity. Her body language even seemed to invite him closer. He leaned in to kiss her intending to slide his left hand on to her hip and cup her face with his right—but what if he was wrong?

Chris stopped—initially unable to understand why he was doing so. His arms hung awkwardly for a moment before he backed away to let Merci step clear of the car. “I had a really good time tonight,” he told her.

To his utter astonishment, he realized this was true. What was even more incredible, he realized that it mattered to him. He’d never been one to pass up a chance at sex before. What was he afraid of?

Merci’s expression proved difficult for him to read. “I had a good time too,” she told him.

She fumbled for her key and started up the walk. Chris felt like a clumsy oaf beside her. Why the hell hadn’t he kissed her? Now he’d gone and screwed everything up. Not sure what to do with his hands, he thrust them into his pockets.

Merci found her key, inserted it into the lock and opened her door before facing Chris on the threshold. Her eyes were large and beautiful, her smile full and inviting. Chris longed to kiss her full and deep and let his hands roam up and down her body, but some advice his sister had given him when he was a teenager suddenly popped into his mind. “Nothing convinces a woman that you’re really interested in her as much as resisting the impulse to kiss her on the first date.”

Chris had no idea if the statement was true. In fact, he didn’t think he had ever followed it before but tonight he had met a woman worth giving it a try. All of a sudden Chris understood his hesitation by the car. He wanted to see Merci again and experience told him that sex on the first date made that less likely. He didn’t want to scare her off. “I really had a wonderful time this evening,” he told her. “I hope you’ll let me see you again.”

Merci straightened up, pulling slightly away from him. “I’d like that.”

“May I call you again?”

Merci stared hard at Chris, but he still couldn’t translate the expression. “Yes,” she finally answered. “You can.”

They stood together in silence for a little longer while the moments grew increasingly awkward. Then Chris took a step back. “So I’ll call you tomorrow then.”

He turned and quickly made his way back to the car.

Chapter Six

Merci

Merci watched Chris go in utter astonishment. Was this really the man Liv had complained about all these years? She had expected to be pawed from the first moment he met her. Where was the self-absorbed, over-confident, smug bastard with the monster cock who got women drunk so he could sleep with them? Liv described Chris as a man who believed he was God’s Gift. Had the real Chris gone elsewhere and sent his angelic twin to fill in? For God’s sake, he hadn’t even kissed her goodnight and she’d done everything to encourage him except grab him by the ears and kiss him first!

As Chris started the engine to his car, Merci jettisoned everything Liv had told her to expect and went with her own instincts. She ran from the front door to the driveway and tapped on Chris’ window.

Chris looked startled when he saw Merci standing beside his car, but he quickly lowered the glass.

“The night is young,” Merci told him. “Why don’t you come inside for another cup of coffee?”