Page 25 of One Hot Moment

"What is it, love?" I ask as I brush stray hairs away from her eyes. "You seem uncertain of something."

"I'm just wondering whether I should go home. I mean, we only have less than two hours until our date."

"That's true. I hadn't thought about the time when I suggested that. If you need to delay our date until eight or even nine, I can wait."

She glances at something past my shoulder. "Um, I was thinking..."

"You want to cancel our date."

"No, no, not at all." She nods toward that same something beyond my shoulder. "I was actually thinking that neither of us really needs to change clothes. We both dress up for work, so why couldn't we just skip going home and head straight for the restaurant?"

"Our first date will look like a business meeting."

She bites one side of her lip. "I didn't think of that. Okay, back to your idea. We reschedule for eight o'clock."

I clasp her hand and kiss it. "I shall pick you up at eight o'clock precisely."

She kisses my cheek. "Can't wait."

Tabitha climbs into her car and drives away. Only then do I stride over to my car, which comes with a driver. I still feel a bit odd about that. But my driver, Duane Miller, is a good bloke who loves to tell me humorous stories about his family. His anecdotes make the drive seem to take no time at all. I don't know how he keeps coming up with new tales every day.

This evening, as Duane navigates the streets of Arlington, I tell him a few stories about my family. When I describe my brother's escapades, he doesn't quite believe me.

"Are you shittin' me, Spencer?" Duane asks. "No way would any guy strip naked in front of all his friends unless he was high or drunk."

"Kendall was an exotic dancer. But, yes, I agree it sounds like a wildly implausible story. It's true, though. My uptight brother organized a male revue show for all his mates---with them as his fellow dancers."

Duane chuckles. "I'm fifty-eight years old, and I didn't think anything could surprise me anymore. But your kin could make me blush."

"Then pray you never meet my mates. They could make a porn star blush."

"I might need to go to England just so I could find out for myself how wild those folks are." We've just pulled into the parking garage at my building, and Duane deftly slips into my reserved slot. Then he twists his head around to grin at me. "You gotta tell me more about your buddies."

"Tomorrow, I will. You have my word."

"Have a fun date with Tabitha. She's a great lady."

"No arguments there. She is a wonderful woman. Good night, Duane."

I leap out of the car and rush to the lift. All right, maybe I am excited for this date. I only told Duane about it because I know he will keep the information to himself. If our first date turns out well, Tabitha and I will need to report our relationship to HR. I miss the days when a gent could ask a coworker out on a date with no paperwork involved.

The lift seems to take forever to reach my floor. I'm treated to a pair of young women gossiping about their mates until the lift finally stops at my floor. If I have to hear those girls describing their sexual encounters for one second longer, I might shout at them to shut their mouths. For pity's sake, I don't need to know that much about two strangers.

Once I'm safely inside my apartment, I head for my bedroom to figure out what to wear for my date with Tabitha. If she wants to tell me all about her sexual preferences, I'll listen with rapt attention.

For the next hour, I rummage through my clothes and try on various outfits. Maybe I do want this date to be perfect in every way. I know that's rubbish, but I can't stop myself from trying on a few more combinations before I settle on an ensemble. I've opted for a semi-formal tone.

Never before in my entire life have I worried so much about my clothing. If it's clean and not horribly wrinkled, that's good enough. Well, that used to be my attitude. I want to look perfect for Tabitha. But honestly, she could wear sweatpants and a hoodie, and I'd still think she's the most ravishingly beautiful woman on earth.

I sit on the sofa until seven thirty, counting the minutes on my watch. I glance at the dials every thirty seconds. In between those checks, I tap my fingers on my thighs. Has time slowed down? It feels that way.

Then, finally, it's time for me to depart.

Duane grins at me when I slide into the backseat. "Lookin' good, kid. Ready for the big date?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. But you didn't need to drive me. I have my own car."

He shakes his head. "No can do, boss. It's my job to drive you wherever you need to go, whatever the day or time is." He winks. "Can't have you getting lost and missing your first date with Tabitha."

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