Page 8 of Embers of Love

“This is a bad idea,” Josephine said to herself on the ride to the restaurant where she and Emma had agreed to meet. She’d never had the chance to visit the place since she arrived in Phoenix Ridge, too busy as she was handling her new employment at Phoenix Ridge hospital. They were eager to have her, naturally. They didn’t have a lot of doctors with her level of qualification—or reputation, for that matter.

The taxi pulled into The Golden and she instantly fell in love with the place. Contrary to what one might expect, it wasn’t filled with gaudy golden designs and decorations. The themes weren’t too on the nose. It felt more like walking into the sunset. The golden hues were subtle and tasteful. It was an open space area, letting in ample fresh air and very little noise. She was more than happy to see that the place wasn’t overly cluttered. That had happened too often in New York.

Josephine walked into the restaurant, feeling rather self-conscious. She’d worn a form-fitting pencil skirt, heels, and instead of the blouses she might wear for work, she had gone with a beautiful blouse made of sheer material. She hadn’t worn anything like this for years. She knew her lace bra and the shape of her breasts were easily visible through it and she realized she liked that. It was rather risqué, but it fit well with what she intended for her evening. This was a new version of Josephine who was pursuing fun, and fun tonight was a date with a beautiful, younger women. She might have lied about her own age on the app, but only by a few years, and anyway, she was lying about her name and job too. Wasn’t that what everyone did on dating apps? She stood at the entrance, hoping she could have no trouble finding her date.

“Suzanne?”

It took a moment before she realized that was the name she used on the dating website. Josephine whirled around, coming face to face with her date.

“Emma?”

The young woman flashed her a playful smile. Emma was gorgeous. Her profile picture didn’t quite show how tall she was. She was a little under six foot, and powerfully built with a wild mane of beautiful reddish gold curls. Her incredible physique made Josephine wonder what she did for a living. Perhaps she was a personal trainer, or an athlete.

“Hi there,” Emma had a confident and sexy voice. The kind that rarely ever had to repeat herself. “Our table is over that way.”

Josephine allowed herself to be led to their table. Her mind was in the clouds. Everything felt so surreal since the moment she arrived in Phoenix Ridge. Part of her had been expecting that feeling to go away when she met her date. It would break the illusion, finally. Her date would be the one thing that finally let her down in this beautiful city. She had been so wrong.

She couldn’t stop looking at Emma’s ass in the tight pants that she was wearing. Emma’s body was awakening something within her that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Desire. Raw, unfiltered desire was flooding through her.

Sex had been something she hadn’t thought about for a long time. But she was certainly thinking about it now.

“You seem distracted,” Emma commented, tucking her hair behind her ear. Her hair was reddish gold in some lights. Reddish brown in others. Josephine pondered it. It was messy but so beautiful. Such a contrast to the immaculate way Josephine liked to present herself. Emmas fingers in her hair was such a simple gesture, but it captivated Josephine’s attention.

“I’m sorry,” Josephine said.

“You don’t have to be. It was merely an observation. I just wanted to know what’s on your mind, am I not what you expected?”

“What? Well, no. Not at all. But, in a good way.” Josephine blushed furiously. It wasn’t often she felt wrong footed in life, but this woman was throwing her off balance for sure. “Your profile picture didn’t do you justice, that’s all.”

Emma smiled and she was radiant. Her smooth skin shone bright and golden in the light. It was the most beautiful thing ever. The glow of the lights hitting her face, it made her look like an angel.

Her emotive brown eyes flashed alluringly. Josephine couldn’t remember the last time she found someone so attractive.

“Neither did yours,” Emma responded. “Well, actually, the one thing yours was was intriguing. It certainly gave you an air of mystery. But, well. I like your face.” Emma met her gaze and her hand reached and touched Josephine’s chin, and Josephine felt electricity sparking through her from the touch of her long, strong fingers.

“Did you move to Phoenix Ridge recently?” Emma asked.

“Yes, I moved recently,” Josephine replied. She felt a loss where Emma’s hand had been. “I used to live in New York.”

“Oh, the big city huh?” Emma looked genuinely interested. “What’s it like over there?”

“Claustrophobic.”

Emma laughed showing off her lovely white teeth. Her smile was neat, but not overdone and too perfect like all the New York women and their expensive cosmetic dentists. “Yeah, I imagine so. I’ve lived in Phoenix Ridge all my life.”

Josephine smiled. Conversation is flowing surprisingly smoothly for someone I’m meeting for a one-night stand, she thought.

Am I really going to have a one-night stand? New city, new me and all that. The messages with Emma had been flirty and suggestive, and Josephine remembered a time years before where she had met women and just followed her desires exactly where they lead her.

They talked until they were one of the few couples left in the restaurant. Time seemed to fly by in a blink. They hadn’t talked about work. Emma clearly assumed Josephine to be the businesswoman she had claimed to be on her profile. Josephine felt like the mystery nature of what they were doing didn’t warrant probing into Emma’s real life, so she didn’t. Josephine found herself conflicted. Torn between the conversation she was enjoying and finding out what exactly it was Emma was promising beneath her knowing brown eyes. In the end, they had to leave before the restaurant closed.

“Did you drive?”

“No,” Josephine shook her head. Her date smiled broadly.

“I did, come on.”

Josephine wasn’t sure what exactly she was expecting her date’s car to be. A Camaro was definitely not it. The car looked incredibly well maintained for something that was built decades ago.

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