*
The morning went by in record time for Tiffany, which was a blessing in disguise because she could not stop smiling, and concentration was a pipe dream. It was a good thing she was scheduled to work most of the day by herself, or else she would’ve gotten the third degree from her employees. As it turned out, they were swamped that afternoon. Tiffany barely made it home to shower and dress before Ivan was due to pick her up.
Should she dress up, or keep it casual? She had no idea the type of venue Ivan had in mind, and she didn’t want to call and ask.
Finally Tiffany chose a sleeveless, knee-length crochet dress in coral. The vibrant color and matching underdress complemented her complexion. She paired it with a pair of beige platform sandals and small gold hoop earrings. She set her hair on end with styling mousse before spraying it with a light mist of hair spray. Satisfied with the look, she applied her makeup.
Tiffany was no stranger to first dates, but she knew off the bat that this one would be nerve-racking. What if things didn’t work out? What if they weren’t compatible after all?
Fifteen minutes later, her doorbell rang. Ivan stood there holding a small bag.
“What’s that?” Tiffany asked.
“A little something I saw and thought of you.”
She sat on the couch to open it while Ivan took a seat on the chair. Tiffany peeked into the bag. “I can’t believe you did this. It’s not even my birthday.”
Ivan shook his head. “Will you open your gift?”
In the small bag, she maneuvered around loads of tissue paper to pull out a pink T-shirt. It had Girl Power written in bold letters across the front.
“I thought it would be great to wear for our next class.”
“Our next class?”
“You didn’t think I could do without you as an assistant, did you?” he said seriously. “You’re a natural.”
She laughed. “It’s awesome, I love it.”
Tiffany leaned over and kissed him. The light peck went from friendly to something deeper in seconds.
Ivan stood up and pulled her with him. Tiffany wrapped her arms around his neck. His automatically went to her waist to bring her closer.
“Okay, we need to get going,” he said when they came up for air.
“Why?”
“We have reservations, and I don’t want to be known as the man who tried to ravage you on the first date. Though I really do feel the need to do just that,” he replied wickedly before kissing her a final time.
Now that they’d cleared the air about Debra, Ivan had officially asked her out on a date and they had shared a few heated kisses, Tiffany was overwhelmed with want. It felt like a floodgate had opened, and there was no chance in the world of closing it. She wanted Ivan before, and knowing that he felt the same was intoxicating.
She ran her thumb over his lips to remove her lipstick. He caught her wrist in a firm embrace and pulled her flush against him.
“That’s dangerous,” he warned.
“I know, but I’ve wanted to touch you for so long, I couldn’t help myself.”
His eyes darkened. “Really?” A feral smile came across his face. “For how long?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Since you walked through my door wearing that tight Under Armour shirt.”
“I’ve wanted you ever since our meeting at the café. You straddling me on the floor at the community center was the icing on the cake.”
“I didn’t straddle you,” she protested.
“Oh, yes, you did,” he teased. “Not that I minded in the least.”
She punched his arm, but a smile crossed her face.