Page 16 of Back Up Plan

Cass’s nose filled with the smell of Ari’s perfume, it was something woodsy with a hint of citrus. It was fresh and seductive.

“You smell great,” Cass said.

Ari stammered, “Oh, thanks. You look… nice.”

Lifting her eyebrows, Cass answered, “You don’t have to return a compliment.”

“No, yeah. I know. You just look nice,” Ari said, trying to solidify her stance.

Cass made a note that the outfit was a success. She looked up at the awning for Bottino, the restaurant Ari had suggested, “Fancy.”

Ari nodded, “Yeah, the food is absurdly overpriced. So it’s great for a… practice date?”

Cass laughed and Ari walked in front of her to open the door, moving out of the way for Cass to enter first.

As she walked past Ari, Cass could feel Ari taking another look at her. She knew her ass looked fantastic in the skirt. It was tight but fell off at the base of her ass, giving Ari a sense of it but not the whole picture.

Her cheeks flushed as she felt Ari’s body linger behind hers.

Ari approached the hostess’s stand and said, “Two, for Graves.”

“Of course, Ms. Graves. Welcome,” the hostess said, attracted to Ari’s soft confidence. It was rare for someone of Ari’s status to be both commanding and warm. It was a side of Ari that Cass hadn’t seen yet. But when she felt comfortable in a room, Ari had a command of her space.

The hostess guided them to a table for two in the back of the restaurant, softly lit with fairy lights and an orange glow from candles.

Cass’s mouth fell open, “Wow.”

Ari turned around, “Is it okay?”

She could only manage a nod as a response.

Cass and Ari sat down in their respective seats as the hostess set their menus on the wood table.

As Ari immediately opened the menu and started to consider her options, Cass grabbed hers but looked around the place. It was far fancier of a place than she would’ve picked. Sure, she had money she could spend, but she was more likely to spend hundreds on a takeout feast than to sit in a stuffy restaurant.

Though, this wasn’t the worst vibe. The warm lighting cast a beautiful glow onto Ari’s already flawless skin. She really was stunning and she couldn’t lie, she had never been taken out to such a nice dinner.

Even by women who swore they wanted to make her their wife.

Ari was engrossed in her menu when Cass asked, “What’s good here?”

Ari chuckled, an almost childish laugh, “What isn’t?”

“Well, that’s what I’m asking,” Cass said, still surprised by Ari’s excitement.

She shook her head before responding, “No, I’m kind of serious. Everything is good. I’ve tried almost all of it and have yet to have something even mediocre. What do you usually like?”

“Cheap wine and Burger King,” Cass said with a squint.

Ari nodded, “Ah-ha. Well the Spaghetti Neri is really great, very home-y.”

Cass found the item and nodded, “Sure, why not? Are you an adventurous eater?”

“Well, sometimes. I used to really prefer finding one dish that I liked and sticking to it. But these days, I’ve been trying to expand my horizons,” Ari said.

What did that mean?Cass wondered before adding, “If I were going out to places like this, I would get curious too. Too many intriguing things to not take a dive.”

She looked into Ari’s eyes, wanting her to know that a part of her was wondering what hid under those trousers and blouses. She imagined it was something stunning.

---