Under the Sheets - Love Under Lockdown

“Sorry about that.”

I try to act smooth as I take my seat. She looks up at me in concern.

“Is everything all right?” she asks.

“Well, not really…” I have to admit. We both stop eating and look at each other. “I don’t know how to say this, but one of our colleagues at the meeting has tested positive for the Coronavirus, and everyone that was there will need to self-quarantine for 14 days.”

I swallow some wine to calm my nerves.

Lisa is speechless.

She looks at me silently, her eyes wide with shock.

“I hope I didn’t scare you. Everyone who was there needs to be informed,” I explain.

It takes her a few seconds to gather her thoughts. Eventually she recovers herself and takes a big gulp of wine.

“No, I’m glad you told me. You are right, it’s really important that everyone knows,” she says gently. She starts eating again. “The food here is very good.”

I can tell she’s trying to stay cheerful. I’m grateful for the subject change. I start to eat again as well.

“I’m glad I chose it then. I heard this was one of the best restaurants in the city,” I reply.

The corners of her lips quirk up.

“I’m glad that you invited me here then.”

She smiles at me again. I realize that this is the most I have ever seen her do that. She is even more stunning up close.

She finally catches me watching her. She blushes and looks away, embarrassed. I can’t stop myself from grinning either as I look back at my food.

Despite the news we just received, tonight is turning out to be pretty fun. It’s the little things about her that I am enjoying, like her conversation and her expressions. Although I still can’t wait to see more of her body.

I want to compliment her outfit choice so much, but I’ve already made her blush once tonight. Even though I liked seeing that, I don’t want to embarrass her even more.

I look up to see her staring at me this time. I wonder if the wine could be affecting her so quickly, because she gives me a little giggle and looks away. If that’s true, then this might turn out to be an even more interesting night than I had originally expected. I find myself smiling again.

The rest of dinner goes by in the same manner; us stealing glances at each other and looking away. We make more small talk about the office and how things must be back home. We avoid serious topics because neither of us wants to spoil the evening. She seems to be enjoying herself. I’m glad; she deserves it.

And I can’t help but wonder excitedly what else this trip has in store for us, since it seems to be full of surprising twists and turns.

Chapter 10

Lisa

I am still very worried about the situation that Mark just told me about, but I am excited as well. I can’t believe my luck that I am going to be quarantined at the hotel with him for two weeks.

I need to be careful and hide my excitement when I am around him. I will have to do my best to appear professional, because he is still my boss. We continue eating. After finishing a few more bites, I look at Mark and get serious.

“I’ll take care of changing our flights and extending our stay at the hotel right after dinner,” I tell him.

He has already finished his plate of food.

“That sounds fine, but it’s important that we don’t panic. We will follow the recommended guidelines for this situation.”

As he does his best to reassure me, I tell myself that he’s right. But it’s such a crazy situation that neither I nor anyone else on the planet has experienced before that I don’t know what to think.

The waiter refills our glasses silently, then walks away. We return to our wine and conversation.

I’m not sure why, but I find the way that he is wanting to protect and reassure me really sexy. I take a big gulp of my wine. I can feel my excitement mixing together with nervousness. I really need to get it together and calm down.

I know that he just told me some serious news, but I’m almost at ease with him now. Plus, being here with him is like the ultimate dream come true. The more we drink the more I can feel myself relaxing.

I can’t tell if that is a good or bad thing. I want to make sure we’re following all the orders we can to keep ourselves and anyone else around us safe. I’m kind of scared of what might happen. But well, if I get to spend more time with him it could turn into a good thing pretty easily…

I look away, embarrassed. The wine is making me lose track of my thoughts, so I’m at a loss for words right now.