Chapter 8: The Date

I don't have any great recollection of how I felt about my getting ready for dates with girls when I was in high school. Probably because I was pretty shallow as a teenager and had no sense that this was a big deal either for me or the girl. But getting ready for my date with Kim produced nerves that I was unaccustomed to. Maybe when I proposed to Andrea, or on my wedding day, but not since had I been anticipating anything quite as much as this evening.

My tan suit had been returned from the dry cleaners along with my pale blue dress shirt. My shoes were polished and my tie carefully knotted. I had a bright blue silk handkerchief in my jacket vest pocket and a fresh haircut to finish the job of looking as good as I could possibly look. If I was going out with a woman as spectacular as Kim Penny I was going to look my best.

I bought a fresh corsage at the florists that afternoon and kept it in the fridge. I had a fear of stabbing my date with the pin and I was going to have to be very careful that I didn't realize that fear. I wasn't sure my hands were going to be very steady when the time came to pin it on.

The car had been washed and vacuumed and I even sprayed a bit of deodorant in the interior when I was finished. I'd gone over my list of things I wanted to have done a number of times and couldn't think of anything that I had forgotten.

Candy had been watching all this of course and seemed to find it all very amusing. I took it for a while before I said something.

"Candy, this is the first date I've been on since I proposed to your mother. That was twenty years ago. Cut me some slack, will you?"

"Okay, Dad. I'm not making fun of you but you are very uptight about this date. Mrs. Penny is a really nice lady and she is going to be really impressed with you when you arrive at her front door. I have to admit, with that new body of yours and all the trouble you've gone to in making yourself look good, she'll think you're awesome."

"Thanks. By the way, I hired her as our newest sales person. I think she's going to be really good."

"Yeah ... I heard. Deb says she's really happy about getting the chance. I'll bet she does really well too."

Candy and I left with the boxed corsage in hand and headed for my car. She would keep Deb company while I was out with my date. I sat in the driver's seat and willed myself to calm down. I was excited and I didn't want that to detract from this evening. I was planning to have a great time with a special lady and I wanted everything to be perfect. I started the car, backed out of the driveway and headed for the Penny home.

Deb answered the door soon after I rang the chime and welcomed us into the house.

"Gee, Mr. Tyler, you look really nice. Mom will be down in a minute."

"Thanks, Deb. This is for your mom," I said, opening the corsage box and taking it out carefully.

"Oh, that's really pretty, and it matches her dress perfectly," Deb enthused.

"Good. That's a relief." I had chosen a dark red rose with a white spray backing. If Kim had chosen a pink dress I would have been dead for sure.

I don't know what I was expecting but when she appeared at the top of the stairs I was hard pressed to catch my breath. She was wearing a knee-length strapless burgundy sheath that clung to her body like it was painted on. Her golden hair was brushed back as it always was but seemed to shimmer in the light. Her makeup was light except for the dark red lip gloss. She was even more incredible than I expected.

"Wow, Kim. You look amazing," I said as she approached.

"Thank you, Norm. You look very handsome yourself. I really like that suit and tie."

I quick glance told me that the girls were nudging each other as Kim and I passed compliments to each other.

I picked up the corsage and showed it to her.

"I'm afraid to try and pin this on you. I don't want to make a mistake," I admitted.

"It's beautiful, Norm. Thank you. I'll look after it," she smiled.

Within seconds she had pinned it to her dress where it caressed her left breast. I was going to have a very hard time keeping control of myself this evening. Normally, she exuded sexuality without even trying. Tonight she was trying.

We said goodnight to Deb and Candy and I took her hand as we walked to my car. I opened the door and she slipped elegantly into the passenger seat. I moved swiftly around to the driver's side and within a few seconds we were off to the Westside Lounge.

Within a few seconds of our arrival at the restaurant I was aware that every pair of male eyes was feasting upon my date. At least that's how I seemed to me. She had everyone's attention and we got special service as a result. Perhaps they thought she was a movie star or some sort of celebrity. The service we got from the waiters and staff was above and beyond normal, even for an establishment with the reputation of this one.

I'd made myself a promise I wouldn't talk about work and especially not about hiring Kim. We made some small talk about our girls and managing a home as a single parent. I confessed it was all new to me and I would have been lost without Mrs. Ormstead. We talked some more about how quickly our children were growing up and all the pressures on them from their peers and society in general.

The meal was excellent and we both enjoyed our different choices. We shared a dessert and I let Kim choose. She picked what I would have picked anyway and we laughed about that. I had been pretty tense when we first arrived, but as the evening progressed I found myself more and more relaxed. Kim had a way of making me feel that I didn't need to perform for her. We were two adults out to have a pleasant evening.

When the table was cleared we adjourned to the lounge part of the establishment where the dance floor was set up. There would be a four piece combo playing live music and I hoped that it wouldn't be too loud. They weren't. Within a couple of tunes I knew this was exactly what I wanted. More like background music than performance music.

"Would you like to dance?" I asked her after the first song had ended.

"Yes, thank you," she smiled. Once again a smile that could make strong men weak worked its wonders on me.

The room was dark and only small spotlights over each table provided much light. The mood and the music were very romantic and it was barely seconds before Kim and I were in close contact with each other on the dance floor. Her scent and her beauty produced the inevitable reaction from me and I tried hard not to embarrass her or myself by having her become aware of my arousal.

"You're going to hurt your back if you dance like that much longer," Kim whispered in my ear.

"I'm sorry. You have that affect on me. I hope you aren't offended."

"After all the trouble I took to get that reaction I'd be offended if you didn't respond," she murmured.

I pulled my head back and looked at her. We were eye-to-eye, our height being exactly equal. I could see a sparkle of fun in her lovely blue eyes in spite of the darkness. I smiled, relaxed and pulled her close. I don't ever remember anything quite as perfect as this moment. We danced and it felt like there was no one else in the room but us.

We took a brief rest after the third dance and the waitress took our orders for a drink. I chose a brandy while Kim asked for a Black Russian. We didn't wait for the drinks to arrive before we returned to the dance floor. If I did nothing else that evening besides hold Kim in my arms I would be a happy man.

The second set by the band was a little livelier and I was happy that I didn't feel any stress on my knee and I was able to keep up with Kim. Her actions told me that she was having fun and enjoying the evening and I was pleased that she was. It seemed her lovely smile was a permanent feature on her face that evening.

She was also demonstrating that she was very fit. I couldn't see any sign that she was tiring and it made me glad that I'd been spending time in the gym myself.

It was around eleven o'clock when the third set began and once again the band slowed things down and played romantic music. We had sat out very few dances and yet I could see Kim was still enjoying herself. That's all I cared about. I wanted this to be a good memory for her. I hoped it would lead to another date.

As we moved around the dance floor I became aware that Kim had moved herself even closer into me. My erection had receded earlier after I got used to her closeness but now it was beginning to reassert itself. I wasn't sure if she was trying to restore it or just was feeling very mellow and wanted us to be as close as possible. Whatever the reason, it was going to make its presence felt once more.

"Hmmmm," she whispered as we danced closely.

I knew she could feel me now and when she began to rub her body subtly back and forth as we moved I knew my self control was going to be tested. She knew exactly what she was doing and I was trying to think of something that would tell her how I felt about it. I turned my head and kissed her cheek, then took her diamond-studded earlobe between my lips and tugged gently.

I felt her shiver then her head pulled back and she kissed me on the lips. No tongue, but the kiss was not just a peck either. Her eyes were hooded and she had that look that women get when they are aroused. I returned the kiss, this time with the tip of my tongue tracing the line between her upper and lower lip.

She moved her head alongside mine once more and squeezed me to her even more closely. She ground her hips into me and yet it was subtle enough that I doubt anyone near us would have noticed. Where was this going? It seemed like she had stepped up the level of intimacy a great deal considering this was a first date. We weren't just dancing, we were letting ourselves communicate lust and wanting. It could easily get out of hand.

I concentrated on the dance and tried to keep from surrendering to my impulses.

"I'm so close to being crazy," she whispered.

"I'm already there," I answered, almost nipping at her earlobe again. "Maybe we should go before I embarrass myself."

"I think we better," she agreed and we headed back to our table.

Kim had brought a wrap to keep her arms and shoulders warm while I had my jacket for the cool air of a mid-September evening. I paid the bill and we walked briskly to my car. The ride was silent, both of us immersed in our thoughts about what had happened in the last three hours.

"Pull in the driveway and come in, Norm," she said, looking at me intently.

I nodded almost automatically without thinking of what might come next. She unlocked the front door and led me into the house. I closed the door behind me and she turned the deadbolt then plastered herself against me. We began a kiss that would become almost endless. I found my hands wandering over her body almost involuntarily. The automatic response of my penis was almost instantaneous.

I was leaning with my back against the front door and was being pressed ever harder into it by Kim's insistent attack.

"I don't usually kiss on the first date," she gasped as she paused.