Valerie, aged 27 and 4 months, sat on her sofa for the third night in a row staring at a bright screen and swiping left and right on various faces that appeared. As a woman who just completed her final year as a law student at NYU, she was more than ready to let loose and have a bit of fun. This feeling was, of course, amplified by her best friend telling her that she wasn’t getting any younger and if she stuffed herself away in the library for the rest of her life studying, she’d end up like one of those spinsters in the books she so enjoyed to read. As it were, Valerie was content with the life she’d built and was looking forward to beginning her career as a public defender in the Fall when she’d start with a small law firm in upstate New York, but her friend had a point– she wasn’t getting younger and she did, eventually, maybe, want to settle down one day, so here she sat, and here she swiped, swimming through the seemingly endless sea of faces, one after another.
She hadn’t given much thought to dating apps in the past, always being too busy with school to really have any time to date. Sure, she’d hooked up with the occasional guy at NYU, but most were simply classmates that asked her to study with them in their dorm. They’d study for a while, make out, have sex, and then study some more. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement, as law school as a rule is stressful and having a study/fuck buddy can help alleviate the stress in more than one way. The problem with law school guys, especially those at NYU, however, is that they’re accustomed to getting what they want with little effort and, although women have become more present in the world of law, it’s still very much a male dominated world. Valerie didn’t have intimate feelings for any of the guys she hooked up with and all of their advances of asking her to “have dinner sometime” fell flat, as she knew they were the last breed in the world she’d ever want to permanently end up with.
As she looked at the clock, it was getting late and she was sure she was nearing the end of her swiping ritual for the evening, so she put her phone face-down on the coffee table, picked up the book she was reading, and snuggled into the crook of the sofa to read a chapter or two before going to bed. She had scarcely cracked the book open, however, when her phone dinged. Somewhat begrudgingly, she closed her book, sat it next to her, and leaned over to pick up her phone. As she searched for the source of the ding, she was pleased to see there was a push notification from her dating app. “Matthew has matched with you and would like to chat!” Valerie studied his picture. He was cute enough in his profile photo, which housed him sitting on a picnic bench with an easy smile, petting a beautiful golden labrador who sat perfectly right next to him on the ground. Matthew had short, messy brown hair and seemed to be somewhat fit, his arms exposed just enough in the dark green t-shirt he was wearing to give any indication. He had on a backpack, khaki shorts, and obviously worn and loved athletic shoes. Valerie had seen enough men decide the best way to showcase their love of the outdoors was to post a picture of themselves with a giant bass right next to their face to know she should proceed with caution and skepticism. Outdoorsy like hiking and camping is one thing; hunting and fishing is a whole other. She clicked on his picture to launch the rest of his profile and learned…frustratingly little. There, again, was the beautiful golden labrador, whose name she now knew was Rufus. His profile did express he liked to be outside, every photo of him was somewhere new: atop a mountain, at a park, on a trail; each photo a selfie, showing the same easy smile, the same sunglasses, and the same straps of the same backpack. As she continued to scroll through, she only learned a few more facts: he was 31, he liked to cook, enjoyed video games, and he currently lived in the City. Part of Valerie asked herself why she was even entertaining the invitation to chat, given he had given so little up on his profile? But, she was somewhat captivated by his seemingly easy nature and he must have been at least kind enough to earn Rufus’ love, and that was as good an endorsement as any. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself for what may certainly be doomed failure (so many chats in the dating app world are), she accepted his invitation to chat.
Valerie waited to see what sort of opening line he would use to begin their chat. She had read in a blog somewhere that men are encouraged to open the chat conversation with something creative, that “Hi, how are you?” wasn’t cutting it anymore. That seemed silly to Valerie, who always rolled her eyes at the peacocking that was clearly so unnatural. What was wrong with “Hi, how are you?” What was wrong with actually saying what you want instead of playing these coy games? As if on cue, Valerie saw three dots appear on the screen and she waited…and waited…those dots bounced for something like five minutes before, finally, the message appeared.
“Hi, how are you?”
Valerie audibly laughed. She couldn’t help it. First off, how did that take five minutes to send and, secondly, did he really just pluck the phrase she had hoped he’d use out of thin air? She paused. Honestly, it’s not that impressive. Out of all of the common phrases in the world to use to greet a stranger, “Hi, how are you?” is pretty front and center. Suddenly, she felt herself missing the ridiculous peacocking of the more creative entry points to conversation because now she had to figure out how to respond. “Good, and you?” seemed like it’d automatically run the conversation into the ground. He’d reply “Fine.” and that’d be that. At least, if that was how this conversation was destined to go, it’d be over quickly, the last bullet being delivered within 10 minutes of the relationship even forming. If “Hi, how are you?” is a good enough opening, then “Good, and you?” is a fine enough reply, Valerie thought. And so she sent those three words back, as if settling in her place on the chess board, awaiting her opponent’s next move.
The bouncing dots appeared again and, this time, she didn’t have to wait long at all for a reply.
“I’m doing fine. I was hoping, if you were free tomorrow night, you might like to have dinner with me?”
Valerie was a bit stunned. She had exchanged a total of seven words with this man and he simply asked her to dinner. No games, no more chess moves, straight to the request. She paused and found herself looking up at the ceiling, questioning how she would respond. She also became keenly aware that her palms were a bit sweaty and her heart was racing a bit. Could it be, she was actually a little nervous? But why? It was just dinner with someone she didn’t even know. Was there anything worth being nervous about? She stared back at the screen, catching sight of his profile photo again. There was something endearing about this man and she found herself desperately wanting to get to know him better. There was an air to mystery about Matthew that had her interest peaked. She began to make a mental pros and cons list about the date in her mind. Pros: Free dinner, cute guy to look at for the evening, the ability to show her friend she was at least trying to put herself out there. Cons: He could be a serial killer? But then, so could anyone, she supposed, and so she stopped trying to talk herself out of it and simply wrote back.
“On one condition,” Valerie wrote.
“What’s that?”
“I get to see a photo of Rufus that isn’t on your profile.” Valerie felt proud of that response, smiling at the screen. About a minute later, a photo of Rufus appeared on her screen. This photo showed Rufus beautifully sitting and posing in front of a fully trimmed Christmas Tree. His coat was brushed and shiny and he stared at the camera with his tongue hanging out, which gave him the appearance of smiling. He was a very handsome, photogenic pup. As she observed the photo, Matthew wrote one final reply.
“Meet me tomorrow at 7 PM at 7th Ave in Brooklyn. Looking forward to it.”
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Valerie spent the better part of the next day agonizing over what to wear, which was unusual for her and she found herself chastising the butterflies and jitters she was feeling. She was a strong, independent, and confident woman; why was she allowing this date to make her question her choices of attire and makeup so much? She had been dressing herself for two decades now, yet suddenly, nothing she owned seemed to go together. Finally, she narrowed it down to three outfits, all of which were promptly sent to her best friend for the final say. Once the choice was made and out of the way, Valerie found herself shaking her head, recognizing that she had just stressed over the perfect outfit for a man who sports the same look in each one of his photos on his dating profile. “Well,” Valerie thought, “I have no idea where he’s taking me for dinner, so best to look the part even if he doesn’t.”
It was at that moment, the panic really set in. Where was he taking her for dinner? And would he show up to the date in a t-shirt and khaki shorts? Suddenly, the rush to say yes without getting to know him at all seemed to be a mistake. Maybe she should just message him and decline the offer altogether. Best to cut ties before anyone has to feel mortified. But then, she again chastised herself for allowing her anxiety to let her mind wander to that place and convinced herself that everything would be fine.
As the evening came, Valerie began to get ready for her date. She donned the deep pink dress her friend had decided was “the one”, adjusting it to ensure it was as flattering as she knew it could be and struggling for several minutes to zip the dress all the way up her back. She looked into the full-length mirror in her bedroom, pleased at what she saw. Valerie never felt like the most attractive woman, but she did know how to enhance her features to the best of her ability. She knew the dress she wore, which had short sleeves that just covered her shoulders, a sweetheart neckline to expose her chest, but not her cleveage, and fell to right above her knee emphasized everything she wanted to emphasize. It was somewhat form-fitting, but not too tight that she was uncomfortable. Valerie was a slender, albeit curvy, woman and this dress accentuated her hips and butt in a way that made her feel confident and sexy, without emphasizing her breasts, which were large enough to be noticed, but she did not feel comfortable to display more prominently.
After scrutinizing her dress,she then settled in front of her bathroom mirror to do her hair and makeup. She had washed her long auburn hair earlier that morning and put some product in it that allowed it to curl a bit more glamorously than it naturally did. She pinned about half of it up, leaving the other half down to spill over the exposed portion of her chest the dress left uncovered. She sprayed it with a bit of hairspray, hoping that would alleviate it from coming undone on her way to meet Matthew. With her hair done, she focused on a small amount of makeup, taking care to emphasize her deep green eyes with just a hint of eyeliner and mascara, and putting on foundation and blush to polish out the look. Lastly, she applied a burgundy matte lipstick, which almost flawlessly paired with the deepness of the pink of her dress. She leaned away from the mirror to admire her work, taking special note that she applied her lipstick flawlessly on the first try for maybe the first time ever and congratulating herself silently for that victory. Once she finished with hair and makeup, she returned to her bedroom and finished her outfit with a pair of black, strappy heels and a black clutch, as well as donning a sterling silver necklace with a simple silver teardrop pendant. Looking in her full-length mirror to see the whole picture, Valerie felt extremely satisfied with the work she had put in and headed out of her apartment, locking the door behind her, wondering if she’d be returning tonight.
**************************************************
The subway ride to 7th was easy enough. No delays and only the same sort of familiar chaos everyone in the City is accustomed to. Valerie was pleased it was an uneventful trip, as she was already getting more nervous with every stop of the train on how the date was going to go and she didn’t know if she had the mental wherewithal to deal with one of New York’s more eccentric public transit patrons. As she surfaced from the underground station to 7th street, she realized, she didn’t know where on 7th he was going to be. Feeling extremely foolish, Valerie found herself leaning against the brick of a building right next to the stairs to the subway entrypoint and pulled out her phone. It was 6:58 PM. She was early and she felt the dread begin to set in. As she opened the dating app to message Matthew and let him know where she was, she heard a nearby voice say her name and looked up. There, standing about 3 feet away from her, stood Matthew.
Valerie felt herself relax. Knowing he was there and had thought to meet her right at the subway station, and she wasn’t going to be aimlessly wandering the streets of Brooklyn for the next several minutes, feeling like she was searching for Waldo amidst a sea of red and white clad New Yorkers, brought a calmness to her. That feeling was immediately replaced with a feeling of excitement. There he stood, not in a t-shirt and khaki shorts with tired athletic shoes, but instead, dressed in a long sleeve navy button-up with the top two buttons undone, sleeves rolled to the elbow, tucked into a pair of dark denim jeans with a simple black belt showing. He looked fit in his profile pictures because he was fit. He was slender, but built. His rolled up sleeves, accentuated the bulk of his biceps, showing definition through his shirt. His forearms, the left of which was adorned with a watch, were also strongly defined. His deep brown hair was styled in an almost effortless manner, keeping the air of ease, but not appearing too messy. His shoes were traditional black dress shoes. His attire was dressy, but not too much so, which helped Valerie feel as if she made the right decision with her outfit choice.
“Matthew?” Valerie replied.
“Matt,” he corrected, “Please call me Matt.” He smiled and reached out his hand in introduction. She reached out and took his hand, shaking it. She smiled back at him.
“Alright, Matt,” she emphasized, noticing his smile widened with humor, “where are you taking me this evening?”
“Oh. Well, I noticed on your profile you seem to like pasta. It’s in almost every one of your photos, so I thought we’d go to this Italian bistro I know.”
Valerie laughed, suddenly aware that he was right. She was a sucker for taking photos with really beautiful food, of which, there was none more beautiful in her eyes than a delicious pasta dish. She filed the mental note away that maybe she would need to add some variety to her dating profile photos and go away from her signature look of holding a glass of red wine and smiling above a delicious bowl of alfredo.
“Very astute. I love pasta, so that sounds perfect.”
Matt smiled and offered his arm to her. She took it and walked with him only a few blocks before he stopped and gestured that they had arrived. During their walk, he shared that this was one of his favorite places in the City to get Italian and asked if she had ever been. She hadn’t, so he shared one of his favorite dishes, letting her know if she didn’t order it herself, he would and she was welcome to try it. Valerie smiled as he held the door open for her and walked in. At the front entrance, a hostess seemingly recognized Matt and said “Good evening, Mr. Eddings. We have your table ready right over here.” As they got to the table, Matt pulled the chair out for Valerie before taking his place across from her. Soon, a server appeared asking for drink orders. Valerie ordered a glass of Cabernet. Matt ordered a scotch. And, thus, their date began.
Matt sat across from her, smiled, and asked if she liked the decor in the restaurant. She agreed she did. It was quite the charming place. The restaurant certainly gave in to the European bistro look, with a simple decor that enhanced, but didn’t crowd, the space. The lights were dim, but there were soft twinkle lights that lined the ceiling, which added to the charm. Small, but intimate, the nearest table was far enough away she didn’t have to worry about overhearing their conversation or vice versa. Though, the place was small, it was full of patrons. There was a steady, but not loud, stream of noise, showcasing that at all corners of the restaurant, conversation was flowing easily.
Before any further conversation could occur, their drinks were delivered.
“Will you be having your usual, sir?” The server asked Matt.
“I think I will, thank you Jonathan. Valerie, do you know what you’d like to order?”
Valerie realized she hadn’t even looked at the menu yet. She paused for a quick moment, reviewed the menu, and settled on ordering the fettuccine alfredo, deciding that is always a safe bet at a new restaurant. Matt smiled at her choice, Jonathan assured her it was an excellent decision, and the two were again alone.
“They seem to know you well here. Is this where you bring all of your dates?” Valerie asked, a coy smile resting on her lips.
“Something like that,” he said as he sipped his scotch. “The food really is wonderful, I hope you’ll agree, though fettuccine alfredo is certainly easy enough for any restaurant to do well. After tonight, next time you visit, maybe you’ll be encouraged to try something a little more adventurous.” He smirked as he set his drink down. Valerie recognized that as a jab at her admittedly safe order.
“Fettuccine alfredo is just fancy mac and cheese, sure, but I love mac and cheese, so I’m sure I will love this too.” She picked up her own drink, taking a sip. As they sat across from each other, making light of her adolescent pallet, she couldn’t help but feel as if she was back in a chess match. He made a slight crack at her dining choices; she returned with a good sport quip back. Now it was his move.
“I hope you do. So your profile said you’re a law student at NYU. That’s quite the accomplishment.”
Pleased he thought so, she felt a bit more confident as she replied, “Former student. I just graduated in May. I passed the Bar earlier this month.”
“Congratulations. What sort of law will you be practicing?”
“I’ll be a public defender.”
“What made you want to go into public defense?”
Valerie paused. That was a natural question, but one that seemed relatively personal to her. She wasn’t sure she wanted to share all of those details, especially not on a first date. Instead, she replied, “I thought that was the best way to help as many people as I could doing what I wanted to do.”
Matt raised his eyebrows and nodded. “That’s quite the noble answer.”
Valerie laughed and relaxed. “What about you? Your profile gave away frustratingly little about you.” She reached for another sip of wine.
“I’m a pretty private guy. I’m honestly not very comfortable with the whole social media and internet presence thing. It’s fine and I understand the necessity of it in today’s world, but I’d much rather get to know someone face-to-face rather than behind a screen. That’s why I was happy you said yes to meeting me tonight. I’m sure you’re aware you’re very beautiful and that was evident in your photos, but after scrolling through your profile, I wanted to get to know the girl who seemed to love pasta just as much as I do.”
Valerie felt her cheeks go hot, somewhat embarrassed from the smoothly delivered compliment he just offered. As she looked across the table at Matt, the natural and easy smile that seemed to be his default setting was back. She felt the familiar feeling of butterflies return.
“You know, if there was ever going to be one thing someone knew about me, my love for pasta is what I’d want it to be.” She let out a breathy laugh. “But back to you. Given we’re together now, if I promise not to post it for the whole world to know, can I know more about you?”
He reached for his scotch again, sipping it, but continuing to stare at her. He was clearly playing his own game of chess and was weighing how much he wanted to let Valerie in. “Sure,” he said as he put down his drink. He leaned forward elbows on the table and asked, “What would you like to know?”
The rest of dinner matched the same, easy tempo. Valerie asked when he got Rufus, where he grew up and what brought him to New York. Matt asked the same few questions about where she grew up and if she was excited to stay in New York and start with the firm in the Fall. As the night continued, the atmosphere became less “twenty-questions” and more flirty. Valerie caught him sneaking in more compliments about her appearance and noticing the way he was staring at her. He had light brown eyes that, when caught in the light, shined almost golden. His stare was captivating and he seemed to know it too, as his signature move was staring up at her through his eyelashes as he sipped his scotch. Valerie continued to sip her wine, trying to stifle the knowing smile she had when she brushed her hair gently back to expose more of her neck and chest. There was a carnal energy that was beginning to spark and it was palpable.
This new development was only briefly interrupted when their food arrived. Matt receiving a classic mushroom risotto and Valerie her fettuccine alfredo. Matt enthusiastically encouraged Valerie to try hers first. Laughing at how eagerly he was hopeful she would like it, she lifted her fork and spoon and twirled several noodles together, creating a perfect bite. She allowed the pasta to cool for a few moments before bringing the fork to her mouth and tasting the dish for the first time. She immediately tasted how fresh this alfredo was when compared to almost any she had eaten before. The noodles a perfect al dente and the sauce the perfect consistency, the explosion of flavor is something she was not at all expecting and was delighted to be experiencing. There were notes of garlic, cheese, white wine, and cream all dancing on her taste buds. It took every ounce of self control not to moan in pleasure, but she maintained composure long enough to chew, swallow, and answer Matt’s anticipation with “Holy shit. That is amazing!”
He laughed and smiled widely, expressing excitement and joy that she liked the dish. He then asked if she would like to try his as well. Knowing the experience she just had was better than she could have ever imagined, if he believed the dish in front of him to be the superior dish on the menu, she was in for a treat. She gladly took him up on his offer and as he crafted the perfect bite for her, she waited with excitement. He leaned toward her, extending the spoon, and she leaned to receive it. As he slowly, calculatedly, removed the spoon from her mouth, she noticed him staring at her again, but with more intensity than he had before. There was something dangerously electric happening between them and it was nearing the point of necessary release.
Focusing back on what she was tasting, she could not believe the dish was even better than what she’d experienced just a few moments ago. The complexity of the sauce the mushroom risotto was cooked in was hard to explain, but as a cococophany of flavor bounced in her mouth, she again stifled the urge to express her pleasure verbally, though she did roll back her eyes, which elicited a short cough and adjustment from Matt.
“So, I take it you like it then?”
“Oh my god, I love it. I can’t believe how much flavor it has. How did you find this place?!”
He smiled, sat up a little taller, and said, “Oh, I own it. This is my restaurant.”
Valerie was instantly touched. Given the private nature of Matt, she knew it was likely uncomfortable for him to share such an intimate part of his life with her. He met her eyes across the table, took a bite of his food, and waited for a reply.
“Thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful and the food is incredible. Did you create the dishes?” Matt replied that he did and that he works as the executive chef, curating menus alongside his sous chef to highlight whatever is in season at the moment, with a few staple dishes staying around all year long.
“You’ll be pleased to know the fettuccine alfredo is a staple,” he said with a wink.
Valerie smiled and sipped the last bit of her wine. She wanted to take her lead from Matt on whether to order another drink. Noticing she seemed to be waiting for some indication of next steps, Matt took his napkin from his lap, placed it on the table and asked if she’d like to go back to his apartment for another round of drinks. Her heart began to beat quickly and she felt the hair on her arms stand tall.
“Sure. I’d love to,” she said. They left the restaurant, Matt offered her his arm again, which she took, and they walked the six or so blocks to his apartment building. They barely spoke as they walked, but the electricity between them continued to build. With every step, Valerie was more keenly aware of just how built Matt really was. She could feel his muscles under her hands and heard the soft sounds of his breathing as they continued their journey. It was also at that moment, she realized he was wearing a scent of cologne that made her want to sprint the remaining distance so she could get as close to him as possible. But, for the third time that evening, she remained calm and composed, staying in step with him the whole way.
As they entered the building, they rode the elevator to the 6th floor, navigated to apartment B, and he unlocked the door, opening it for her and allowing her to enter first. Upon entry into the apartment, she saw it was fairly spacious, with a beautiful open kitchen and living room. The apartment was well lit, with plenty of windows to look out from. The kitchen housed an island bar with high-top stools to sit at that overlooked a standard gas range oven. There was a breakfast nook behind the island bar which housed a small table with four chairs, already set with placemats. The living room was simple, with one three-seater couch facing a mounted flat screen TV. On the floor near the wall was Rufus, laying in his bed. When they entered the apartment, Rufus slowly got up to greet them, wagging his tale and gracing Valerie with a lick on the hand to say hello. A gesture she expressed appreciation for with several pats on the head and many “good boys!”
Matt laughed at the encounter and invited Valerie to sit at the bar as he poured them both another drink, the same scotch for him, the same wine for her. Valerie gladly accepted the glass when it was offered to her and looked around the apartment some more.
“Your apartment is gorgeous!”
“Oh, it’s really not much, but it suits us well.” He sipped his scotch, taking the opportunity to once again stare and take the sight of her in. Valerie’s heart had not yet slowed down, but the interaction with Rufus gave her just enough of a pause, she momentarily forgot about the lingering electricity that was tangible between her and Matt. Again, she went back to the mental game of chess. Who was going to move first? Did she want it to be her? She’d need to decide, and soon.
Valerie looked back at him, silently weighing her options. Realizing the moment felt tense, Matt searched for something to talk about. This was the first date he had been on in over a year and to say he was nervous was an understatement. Though he worked to keep his composure and appear with an air of confidence, his walls were quickly crumbling, finding he had more than just a soft spot for this beautiful woman who agreed to come out with him tonight and looked alarmingly comfortable sitting directly across from him in his own home. As if hearing the plea for a distraction directly from his owner, Rufus got back up and walked over to Valerie. She felt his cold nose against her hand and immediately smiled, the lust in her eyes turning immediately to love and affection for the golden haired canine.
“Oh, you are the sweetest boy aren’t you?!” She cooed to Rufus, who sat wagging his tale, accepting the attention and praise with glee. Matt stood, staring at the two, thanking Rufus for the momentary pause and mentally reminding himself to take him to get his favorite treat later this week.
“He likes you,” Matt said with a smile. Valerie leaned down to kiss Rufus’ head, which Rufus promptly returned with a lick to the face. Valerie laughed and turned back to Matt.
“I’m glad! I like him too. He was part of the reason I agreed to accept your invitation to chat. Good tactic, including a dog in your profile picture,” Valerie winked as she took a sip of wine.
Matt laughed. “Yeah, that was pretty evident when I had to show you yet another photo of him just for you to accept to come to dinner with me.” He smiled, taking another sip of scotch.
Again, the silence returned, both of them locking eyes with the other, calculating their next moves. The chess game continued as the energy between them blazed even more so with fire, passion, and yearning. Valerie decided at that moment that she was done waiting. She took one last sip of wine, placed her glass on the bar counter, stood, and rounded the kitchen island, stopping about six inches from Matt, who was still facing her empty seat, awaiting an invitation. She reached out and took his hand. He immediately turned to her and met her gaze, feeling her fingers on his flesh sent shocks up his arm and through the rest of his body. Valerie noted the strange sensation, feeling almost numb for a moment as she closed the small amount of space that was left between them. Matt stopped breathing for a moment.
“Would you,” he began, and then cleared his throat. “Would you like to go to my bedroom?”
“I really would,” she purred.
At that moment, Matt let go of all of the composure he was holding onto. He closed the gap between them and pushed her up against the fridge, kissing her lips with passion and zeal. Valerie’s lips parted and he plunged his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues danced as Valerie ran her hands through his hair, holding him close to her. He broke away only to move further down to her neck, which he began to adorn with soft kisses and gentle bites. Valerie let out a moan and tilted her head to expose more of her neck to him. Matt could have growled, he wanted her so badly, but instead, he was intent on ensuring she enjoyed this as fully as possible. He switched to biting and kissing the other side of her neck, which elicited a sharp catch of breath as she continued to moan. He methodically worked on her neck and then replaced his lips back onto hers, which she received with excitement as their tongues began to dance again.
Matt let his hands drift to her ass, which he grabbed with vigor. The dress Valerie had worn tonight accentuated this part of her body so fully, Matt found himself fantasizing about this very moment for half of the evening. He wanted, no, needed to see her, touch her, feel her much more than this dress would allow. Effortlessly, Matt lifted Valerie who immediately responded to this change by wrapping her legs around him. They continued kissing as he carried her to his room, set her down, and closed the door. As he turned back to her, he stared and fully took in the sight of the woman in front of him. Her hair, now messy from their recent antics, spilled over her chest, which was quickly moving up and down as she tried to catch her breath. He wanted her more with every passing breath. She sat on the bed, methodically taking off her heels and tossing them to the side. She then stood again, advancing toward him, stopping just short of him.
“I want you.” She said, untucking and beginning to unbutton his shirt. She unclasped every button with slow, calculated precision, allowing her fingers to brush against his chest as she continued to advance down the shirt. When she got to the end, she slid the shirt down his arms and allowed it to fall to the floor. She took in the sight of the man in front of her. He was gorgeous, the definition on his arms and chest prominent as he stood there, breathing slowly. She watched his chest expand and deflate and couldn’t help but reach out to touch him. She put her hand on his chest and pushed him against the door. His breath caught as his back touched the cold surface and she began to kiss his chest, just as he had her neck, soft kisses followed by slow, methodical bites. His breathing sped up as she continued to work down his torso. He pulled her back up as she got to his belt.
Taking a moment to kiss her once more, he slowly pulled away and asked her to turn around. She met his eyes, hungry for more, and abided, slowly facing away from him. He brushed the hair from back to front, letting his fingers linger on her neck as he drifted back to the zipper on her dress. He unzipped her dress with steady rhythm, but refused to go too quickly, as he wanted her to long for the moment. She stood, holding her breath, waiting for the dress to fall. Matt eased the sleeves down her arms, causing her to get goosebumps and shiver. Slowly, the dress fell, and Valerie stepped out of it, tossing it to the side of the room with her feet. She was about to turn back around when Matt stopped her, hands on the clasp of her bra, unclasping it swiftly and letting it, too, fall to the ground. Immediately, as Valerie was still turned away from him, he reached to cup her breasts in his hands as he leaned closer into her and she felt the prod of his excitement for the first time. As he continued to massage her breasts, pinching her nipples and kissing her neck, she began to feel a carnal need for more. She put her hands on his, pulled him away from her breasts and turned around to face him.
She kissed him hard as she began to unclasp his belt. Unlike earlier, she no longer wanted to play the methodical, slow game, but instead wanted him for herself immediately. She made quick work of the belt, unbuttoned his jeans and let them slide down his legs. She immediately reached for his dick, clasping it in her hand through his boxers, and began to stroke. The sensation was almost too much for Matt to bear and he quickly pulled away, leading her to the bed. She laid down and he laid beside her, propped on one arm. He brushed his hand over Valerie’s breasts and leaned toward her, taking one breast in his hand and kissing it. Valerie arched her back and moaned as he reached her hard nipple and bit down with his teeth. He repeated the act a few times and then moved to the other breast, where she received the same treatment. Slowly, he began inching his hand down her stomach, stopping at the waistline of her panties.
“Take these off.” He said. She immediately obliged, removing her panties and tossing them to the floor with her other clothes. As she laid back down, he again propped next to her. He wanted to watch her for this bit, wanted to see the pleasure on her face and from her body. He returned his hand to her waist and slowly crept down her thigh, brushing toward her, teasing her. She closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. He finally genuinely crept his way toward her, every centimeter feeling warmer than the last. When he finally reached her, he teased one finger inside of her. She was dripping wet and let out an aggressive moan. She was getting impatient and wanted him inside of her, now.
“Patience,” he said. “You’re going to like this bit.” He removed his fingers from inside of her and moved up to her clit. She immediately gasped and arched her back, so he backed off. She gave out a small whimper when he pulled away. He smirked and returned his fingers back to her clit, rubbing ever-so-gently in a rotation with slow, but steady rhythm. Valerie began to moan, loudly. Her breath was shallow and she was responding to every movement of his hand. Matt continued the motions, watching her writhe under his hands, crying out for him not to stop. Matt leaned over as Valerie moaned and kissed her hard, allowing their tongues to meet again as she continued to cry out. Valerie was close to orgasm and Matt knew that, so he pulled his hand away, still kissing her. Valerie almost whimpered, desperate for the release she knew orgasming would bring. Instantly, she brought her hand back down to Matt, stroking him through his boxers again. After a few strokes, she pulled away and repeated the demand he gave her before: “Take these off.” He obliged quickly, tossing the boxers to the side. Valerie did not allow him the opportunity to decide what the next move was, instead she leaned down and took Matt into her mouth, bouncing her tongue around his shaft, moving up and down at a pace that made Matt’s eyes roll. He placed his hand on her head as it bobbed, weaving his fingers in her hair, and pulling it to control the speed. Valerie swatted his hand away and he saw her smile before continuing in her task. Given his hands were now free, he quickly found another task for them to get up to as he reached around Valerie’s legs and inserted two fingers inside of her. She moaned around his dick as she continued to suck, enjoying the sensation of his fingers going in and out of her. As both of them neared climax, they both stopped, caught their breath, and then began to kiss again. Matt ran his fingers through Valerie’s hair as they tangled limbs around each other.
Valerie pulled away first, pinning Matt to the bed and climbing on top of him. She guided him to her, slowly allowing him to enter inside of her. They both moaned as they intertwined as one. They were both so viscerally ready to have each other that when it finally occurred, it felt as if a thousand shocks of electricity entered their body. Valerie rode Matt as he met her and guided her hips. She bent forward as he continued to thrust and kissed his lips, allowing her screams of pleasure to be damped by his mouth and tongue. It did not take long before Valerie felt the familiar clenching of her lower stomach, warning her climax was near. As she continued to ride close to the edge, Matt spoke up, letting her know he was close as well. He flipped Valerie onto her back, taking position on the top as they both climaxed, Matt kissing Valerie as she screamed his name.
Matt rolled over to lay next to Valerie, breathing heavily. Valerie’s breath was shallow. She then began to laugh a breathy, tired laugh.
“What?” Matt smiled as he looked at her.
“Do you do that to all of your dates after you take them to your restaurant?”
Matt smirked. “You’re the only one I’ve ever taken to my restaurant. And I can assure you, you’re the only one who I’ve ever done that with.”
Valerie smiled and sighed. She nestled into the crook of his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. It wasn’t long before they both drifted into a euphoric sleep, neither of them knowing what the future held, but being perfectly content with where they were right now.
Source: reddit.com/r/Erotica/comments/slzb41/a_new_beginning_mf